It looks like Netflix is listening: one of the most reviled aspects of Wednesday‘s first season, the dreaded love triangle between Wednesday (Jenna Ortega), Xavier (Percy Hynes White), and Tyler (Hunter Doohan) is no more.
During one of Variety‘s Actors on Actors segments, Ortega was interviewed by The Great actress Elle Fanning. The two exchanged a friendly conversation that was full of revelations. In fact, when asked by Fanning if she could spoil any of season 2, Ortega responded, “It’s still coming together, but we’ve decided we want to lean into the horror more. We’re ditching any romantic love interest, which is really great. We’re going to get bolder, more dark.”
The news is welcome to many. Much of Wednesday‘s first season was devoted to the love triangle, but most critics and fans alike agreed that it felt out-of-character for Wednesday to be entertaining either boy’s advances. Though Wednesday had to made into a slightly-more amiable character for the series to work, Ortega’s take on Wednesday still didn’t seem all that into either of the boys, nor were there any scenes that really showcased her growing attraction to them, despite what the narrative tried to convince audiences.
More horror would also be nice — for a Tim Burton-directed production, Wednesday had a serious lack of the macabre. Sure, there was some lip service to the Addams family’s darker impulses, but there are plenty of ways to incorporate some more darkness into the storyline. The focus on the relationships between Wednesday and Tyler and Wednesday and Xavier actively took away screentime from more interesting plotlines, even involving the characters themselves: Tyler’s relationship with his mother, for example, is one element the show could have elaborated more on. The growing friendship between Wednesday and Enid (Emma Myers) — a fun addition to the mythos — also could have had more time to shine.
In fact, ironically “Wenclair” (a ship that pairs Wednesday and Enid) is far more popular than either relationship, despite being non-canon. Both Myers and Ortega have been supportive of the idea, with Ortega stating, “In a perfect world, we would have been a thing” — a huge contrast to Ortega’s comments on the canonical pairings Wednesday is involved with. Even Doohan has poked fun at the Tyler/Wednesday pairing.
On a more serious note, Ortega’s comments come on the heels of White’s response to the sexual abuse allegations against him. Though accusations against White were made public about six months ago, neither Netflix nor the actor have responded until now. The actor categorically denies any wrongdoing, but many fans are still calling for his removal from the Netflix series.
Ortega’s statement about “ditching any romantic love interest” therefore comes at a curious time. With Wednesday quickly becoming a flagship series for Netflix, it’s definitely possible that White’s character will be written out of the series. Although no legal actions have been taken against White, the claims are quite serious, with multiple women coming forth with allegations that span over three years.