Rick & Morty creator Justin Roiland appears to be effectively blacklisted for his alleged domestic abuse, but Netflix appears to be reluctant to part ways or announce the end of their association with Wednesday‘s Percy Hynes white despite the heavy cloud of sexual misconduct accusations that have been hanging over him for several weeks now. And while his fate might be unknown at this point, perhaps his outright removal might allow many of the show’s fans to have their One True pairing fully seen onscreen.
Barring a sweeping exoneration, it’s fairly likely though not impossible that Netflix will cut ties with White once and for all before they commit to principal photography for the series’ second season. If that happens, the controversial actor is likely to be replaced outright. A number of names have been fielded to take on the character, including Netflix’s own Finn Wolfhard (although Stranger things’ final season shooting may prohibit that choice) to Enola Holmes‘ Louis Partridge. But one might ask, why bother to replace the character at all? Why does Wednesday require another love interest when the fan favorite has been there all along?
Practically from the moment it dropped, fans were shipping the affectless human/raven hybrid that is Wednesday Addams with the living personification of a pastel rainbow unicorn that is her Nevermore Academy roommate Enid Sinclair. And while many of Wednesday’s relationships remain convoluted as of the season one finale one thing is obvious. Namely, that Wednesday’s friendship with Enid is deeper than she’s ever had with anyone outside of her family. However, and no doubt to the consternation of the many fans who just want them to kiss already! the pair are still, canonically at least, just “gal pals.”
The situation between the two has been condemned by more than a few social media users as outright queerbaiting — an accusation Netflix hasn’t bothered to respond to. But should White’s Xavier Thorpe fail to return for the next semester at Nevermore (a la Poochie returning to his home planet) Netflix could have the opportunity to address two problems with one stone. Getting rid of a problematic cast member and getting out of the way of the best couple in the series.