With “Wednesday” Tim Burton (“Edward Scissorhands”) finally did what his fans have been waiting for years: score a real hit. But in this case, it’s even more than that, as the mystery format starring Jenna Ortega has earned Netflix the highest-grossing series star of all time. With over 341 million hours of viewing in its first week, even hits like “Dahmer,” “Squid Game,” and “Stranger Things” lagged behind.
It goes without saying that “Wednesday” is a topic everywhere right now – and it’s not just the audience that is impressed, the reviews are mostly positive as well. But one scene in particular impressed viewers. In Episode 4, Wednesday tries a school dance at her Nevermore Academy – against her will, of course. However, when The Cramps’ “Goo Goo Muck” takes the stage, Wednesday shows off her dancing leg shaking in a particularly impressive manner. You can rewatch the scene here:
As Jenna Ortega revealed via Twitter, she drew inspiration for her self-choreographed dance from a variety of sources: Siouxsie Sioux, Bob Fosse, and images of 1980s goths. But now we come to a very big detail, which requires some specialist knowledge. Because Ortega’s wonderfully unconventional dance begins with a tribute to Lisa Loring, who slipped into the role of Wednesday in the TV version of “The Addams Family” in the 1960s. This is the dance from then:
In the scene, Wednesday shows grumpy butler Lurch (Ted Cassidy) how to dance The Drew. On Twitter, this section, which only lasts a few seconds and is also a wonderful tribute, was recut with the original by a user:
In case you haven’t heard of “Wednesday” yet: It is a spin-off of the “Addams Family”, which is now cult-like in America. The focus is on Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega), who uncovers some of her parents’ (Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzmán) secrets through a brutal series of murders in her town. Like a clairvoyant detective, she goes on a quest, but also has to deal with the usual hardships of growing up. The creative driving forces behind the Netflix series are Tim Burton, Al Gough and Miles Millar.