The teacher’s biggest comeback Wednesday The first season was taken directly from Professor Quirrell’s big twist in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Wednesday Addams has been an iconic character for decades, but Jenna Ortega’s performance in the Netflix spin-off series introduced her to a new generation and took her to a whole new level of iconography. When Wednesday The first season premiered on the streaming service in 2022, quickly amassed a massive fan base, and became one of Netflix’s most-watched original shows.
Wednesday is the last installment of the long term Addams Family franchise, and borrows heavily from previous Addams Family movies and TV shows. But it arguably borrows even more from a different and beloved fantasy franchise. As the story of a lonely boy with magical abilities who attends a specialized school for supernatural students, Wednesday has an almost identical premise to Harry Potter series. One twist in particular – the final bombastic twist of Wednesday Season 1 – is taken directly from Harry’s first adventure.
Wednesday Season 1 Copies Harry Potter’s Great Teacher Twist
The good teacher ends up being the villain
The biggest twist at the end of Wednesday season 1 is the same as the final twist of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Throughout most of the series, Wednesday and Enid’s dorm mother at Nevermore Academy – Marilyn Thornhill, played by previous Wednesday actress Christina Ricci – is shown to be one of the coolest and most unsuspecting teachers at the school. But at the end of season 1, Thornhill is revealed as the villain Laurel Gates, the main villain of the series.
In Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Professor Quirinus Quirrell also comes across as kind and unsuspecting – and is also revealed to be the villain. In the film’s third act, it is revealed that Quirrell has a weakened Lord Voldemort living in the back of his head, controlling his actions. Just like Quirrell, Thornhill is the last person anyone would expect to be the villain all along, which is what makes the twist so surprising.
Netflix’s Wednesday also borrows many other elements from Harry Potter
The horrible teacher is also good
Thornhill is not the only character in Wednesday whose bow is borrowed from Harry Potter. In Harry Potternot only is the coolest teacher revealed to be the villain; the most horrible teacher turns out to be a good guy. Severus Snape is the mean teacher who has a heart of gold. This is similar to WednesdayThe film’s director, Larissa Weems, who also seems evil, but is actually very sweet. Like Snape, Weems also has a personal connection with the protagonist’s parents.having lived with Morticia Addams in Nevermore.
The Netflix series Addams Family takes place at Nevermore Academy, a school that nurtures outcasts, freaks, and monsters. The Tim Burton-directed series follows Wednesday Addams as she tries to master her emerging psychic powers and solve the supernatural mystery surrounding her family history. Jenna Ortega stars in the popular series, which originally aired on Netflix on November 23, 2022.
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Miles Millar, Alfred Gough