Jenna Ortega's Wednesday Addams has instantly become a fan favorite since the premiere of Netflix's Wednesday. Some would even go so far as to say that it rivals or even supersedes Christina Ricci's performance in the Paramount-produced films of the '90s.

Wednesday could easily be seen as a passing of a torch, considering that Ricci herself is a part of the main cast as Ms. Thornhill. From the first few scenes of Episode 1, casting Ortega was an excellent choice as she easily blends into the role of Wednesday.

Her most impressive feat thus far has to be her acid-tongued delivery of countless burns ready for any who dare oppose her. That's aided by Ortega's lethal dead-pan, which -- when combined with the razor-sharp wit of the dialogue — leaves a singular impression of the Addams Family's eldest daughter. Here's a rundown of some of her most memorable lines from the first season of the series.

Updated by Alexandra Locke and Robert Vaux on February 28, 2024: Wednesday Addams in Netflix's Wednesday offers so many side-splitting quips that more needed to be recognized. This article has been updated to include even more fan-favorite Wednesday quotes, and the formatting has been adjusted to meet CBR's current style guidelines.

15 Wednesday Proves She is a Child of Woe

Jenna Ortega's Wednesday Addams and Luis Guzman's Gomez Addams in Wednesday

They haven't built one strong enough to hold me.

Episode Name

Season

Episode #

Run Time

"Wednesday's Child Is Full of Woe"

1

1

59 minutes

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Wednesday Addams is known for her borderline criminal acts and fiendish hobbies. Unfortunately, in the lore of Wednesday, this means that she often finds herself in trouble. This bears out in the series' memorable opening scene when she sets a school of piranhas on the varsity water polo team, prompting yet another expulsion. When she first arrives at Nevermore Academy, Principal Weems comments on the number of schools Wednesday has attended.

Weems does this out of concerned curiosity. Wednesday's retort is what makes this scene. Rather than trying to explain her past, Wednesday simply responds with, "They haven't built one strong enough to hold me." This one quote tells audiences everything they need to know about Wednesday's personality and the lengths she'll go to get what she wants. It's also a less-than-subtle sign of her feelings towards high school: likening the experience to prison.

14 Wednesday Comments on the Secret Society's Poor Kidnapping Skills

It's amateurs like you who give kidnapping a bad name!

Episode Name

Season

Episode #

Run Time

"Friend or Woe"

1

3

48 minutes

It would be impossible for the Addams Family franchise to endure as long as it had without the grim and sardonic humor it's famous for. Though they're fantastically rich, they're often quiet about how the family made their money, and many versions present them as cheerful criminals to boot. (Wednesday's Uncle Fester is a felon on the run from the law.)

After uncovering another mystery hidden in the crypts of Nevermore, Wednesday finds herself captured by masked assailants. Tied to a chair, Wednesday sees that a group of masked figures in robes surrounds her. Much to her chagrin, she realizes these are amateurs and quickly uncovers that they are Bianca and her friends. She easily unbinds herself and leaves the so-called secret society, but not before delivering the quip on their poor tact in the art of kidnapping. The Addamses know their abductions, and this one just doesn't measure up.

13 Wednesday's Cynicism Spreads Even Towards Social Media

Wednesday talking to a giddy Enid in Netflix's Wednesday.

I find social media to be a soul-sucking void of meaningless affirmation.

Episode Name

Season

Episode #

Run Time

"Wednesday's Child Is Full of Woe"

1

1

59 minutes

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While giving Wednesday the grand tour of Nevermore High School, Enid asks if her new gloomy roomie has any social media, to which Wednesday gives the most cynical response possible. If there is anything to be affirming of Wednesday Addams, she would never stoop to creating social media accounts to vent her "feelings."

From the get-go, Wednesday is shown to have put a limit on her use of technology, preferring the more obsolescent ones. To keep up with her punctual writing schedule, she opts for an old typewriter, and as for her modes of communication, there's nothing a slip of parchment or a crystal ball couldn't handle. Among other things, the line fully updates Wednesday for the 21st century. The live-action movies of the 1990s were released before the internet had come into existence. Whether she rejects the technology or not, Ortega's Wednesday is definitely keeping up with the times.

12 Wednesday Shows Her Animosity Towards Religion

Wednesday Helps Eugene out of the stocks from Netflix's Wednesday.

Why am I sharing this apocalypse with a pilgrim?

Episode Name

Season

Episode #

Run Time

"Friend or Woe"

1

3

48 minutes

The most significant tie with Ricci's Wednesday more than likely lies with its Thanksgiving aesthetics. The carguable high point of Addams Family Values may have been Wednesday's time at a Summer Camp where she sabotages a "First Thanksgiving" reenactment. After reciting a litany of crimes against Native Americans, she and the camp's outsiders promptly burn the place to the ground.

Ortega's Wednesday certainly has a blast toppling false idols and does it no better than by demolishing Jericho's obsession with the first English Settlers. The animosity toward the "religious fanatics," as she puts it, runs deep with the Addams' daughter, and she has no problem destroying their image. Her speech to a shop-load of German tourists about the nature of the fudge they're buying is a scream, but it's her comparison to the apocalypse that captures the hypocrisy of the town, as well as foreshadowing the season finale.

11 Wednesday Only Believes in the Power of Revenge

Wednesday holding up piranhas in Netflix's Wednesday.

I don't believe in heaven or hell, but I do believe in revenge!

Episode Name

Season

Episode #

Run Time

"Friend or Woe"

1

3

48 minutes

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From her very first scene in the series, Wednesday is notorious for meting out punishment to those who wrong her. Whether it be her brother or her pride, said punishment will be merciless for any offending party. This includes an entire water polo team, and extends to several students at Nevermore, though she ultimately backs off on the latter. Wednesday considers revenge a serious business, and like Poe himself, she devotes a good deal of solemn thought to it.

Wednesday Addams isn't concerned with the morality of revenge or whether it'll make the whole world blind. Her only concern is to ensure that no one crosses her or those she holds close ever again. Otherwise, they will face the consequences. That's also in keeping with her family, who can be quite old-fashioned when it comes to matters of honor.

10 Wednesday Brings New Meaning to Self-Affirmation

Jenna Ortega's Wednesday Addams with Thing on her shoulder.

There's nothing quite like the feeling of being proven right.

Episode Name

Season

Episode #

Run Time

"If You Don't Woe Me By Now"

1

7

47 minutes

Self-affirmation and confidence are some of Wednesday's strongest personality traits. She rarely ever falters in the face of danger and is beset on solving things in her own way. Though, at times, her being a know-it-all has its faults and makes her unapproachable (which is what she prefers.) On the other hand, she abhors lies and self-deception, and if she's hubristic at times, she's still prepared to bring the receipts when she needs it.

Throughout the series, all the adults in Jericho and Nevermore downplay Wednesday's claims. So when the curtain is unveiled, and Wednesday's conclusions of the murders are correct, she has only herself to congratulate. And she's not above dropping an "I told you so" on the people who doubted her.

9 Wednesday is not Ashamed of Who She is

Wednesday sits on her bed and talks to Thing in Netflix's Wednesday.

I know I’m stubborn, single-minded, and obsessive. But those are all traits of great writers. Yes, and serial killers.

Episode Name

Season

Episode #

Run Time

"Woe Is the Loneliest Number"

1

2

48 minutes

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Wednesday is a girl who knows what she wants and how to get it. When she sets her mind to something, she stops at nothing until her goals are accomplished. This can sometimes grate on her friends' patience, but Wednesday wouldn't be herself without her drive. She plays to win, and she plays for keeps.

When confronted about her behavior, Wednesday makes a sort of apology and compares herself to people in two polar opposite professions. It's a joke about writers, among other things -- suggesting that they're mentally unstable -- but also a reminder of her own ability to hyperfocus. In this instance, Wednesday once again shows how lethal she is when things or others get in her way.

8 Wednesday Stands by Her Principles

Wednesday's Grim Birthday Cake with sparkling candles from Netflix's Wednesday.

I prefer to be vilified.

Episode Name

Season

Episode #

Run Time

"Quid Pro Woe"

1

6

50 minutes

Anything that involves the emotion of "joy" or the word "happy" is never to be associated with Wednesday Addams. So when her birthday begins approaching, her friends and Thing begin plotting behind her back to ensure a "Happy Birthday!" When they prod the uninterested Wednesday about why she doesn't wish to be celebrated, she responds in an unkind way. Wednesday's version of "celebrating" is to be revered with fear on her birthday. She sees her birthday as more a reckoning of terror than a celebration of life.

More importantly, she prefers her own company to that of others. The quote arrives at a profound moment of change for her, as she grudgingly accepts the support of her friends. The quote is a statement of principle for her, but also a quiet affirmation that her friends like her for who she is.

7 Wednesday Targets Her Enemies and Shatters Their Pride

Wednesday and Enid at the Poe Cup Race in Netflix's Wednesday.

I don't believe I'm better than everyone else. Just that I'm better than you.

Episode Name

Season

Episode #

Run Time

"Woe Is the Loneliest Number"

1

2

48 minutes

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Wednesday and Academy It-Girl Bianca Barclay don't start on the right foot. Bianca sees herself as the Queen Bee of Nevermore Academy, so when Wednesday appears to threaten Bianca's position, Bianca strikes back. It goes poorly for Wednesday initially, particularly when Bianca beats her at a fencing match without apparent effort.

Wednesday is hardly one to roll over, however, and the first half of the season entails an open rivalry between the two. In one particular instance, Bianca tries to scare Wednesday just before the Poe Cup race. Sadly for Bianca, Wednesday is always ready for a retort and fires back. In a few short sentences, Wednesday manages to shatter Bianca's pride just before an important competition. The Addams daughter has no intention of going quietly into that good night.

6 Wednesday Has High Ambitions and Idolizes Mary Shelley

Wednesday intently working at her typewriter in Netflix's Wednesday.

She’s both my literary hero and nemesis. And I have two years and 364 days to beat her.

Episode Name

Season

Episode #

Run Time

"Quid Pro Woe"

1

6

50 minutes

The first human teacher at Nevermore Academy, Miss Thornhill, is often impressed by Wednesday's accomplishments at such a young age. When Thornhill comments about how Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein when she was only 19 years old, Wednesday responds with a very telling quote: both idolizing Shelley and showing her jealousy toward a woman who accomplished more than Wednesday has herself.

Though she adores Shelley's life and works, Wednesday, like most teens, is worried about not living up to the imagined expectations she has set for herself. It is clear that she needs to realize that everyone works at their own pace, but the dichotomy of Shelley being both her idol and nemesis is hilariously on-brand for the young Addams. She's setting her sights impossibly high, and — on some level — even her heroes are foes to be defeated.

5 Constructive Criticism is not Wednesday's Strongest Suit

Jenna Ortega interrogates Thing at her desk in Netflix's Wednesday.

I read serial killer diaries with better punctuation.

Episode Name

Season

Episode #

Run Time

"Wednesday's Child Is Full of Woe"

1

1

59 minutes

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Constructive criticism isn't a part of Wednesday's vocabulary. She prefers to humiliate, vaguely threaten, or even harm those who criticize her or her writing. Wednesday doesn't look for praise, nor is she willing to give it out easily to anyone undeserving of it - including her friends. When Enid finds herself debating with Wednesday over their respective mediums, Wednesday criticizes Enid's blog mercilessly. If calling out Enid's writing itself wasn't enough, she even goes after her "insipid" readers and their overuse of emojis as well.

It's all a set-up to one of the most important relationships in the film. Wednesday eventually softens towards her roommate, and what begins as dislike at first sight soon becomes an oddly perfect bond. While Wednesday would never admit it, Enid ultimately wins her over. Wednesday's venomous line in Episode 1 demonstrates just how far she has to go to accomplish that.

4 Wednesday References Stephen King's Carrie

Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams, dancing in a black dress.

They couldn't even spring for real pig's blood!

Episode Name

Season

Episode #

Run Time

"Woe What a Night

1

4

49 minutes

The Nevermore version of prom is a spooky sight to behold, and frankly dominated by Ortega's trendsetting spin on the dance floor. But Wednesday couldn't let the event pass by without making a nod to the most ghoulish prom of all time: Carrie, whose title character is doused in pig's blood just before she telekinetically murders everyone in the building.

After dancing the night away to the Cramps, Wednesday and the rest of the attendees are doused in blood via sprinklers. But to her disappointment, the perpetrators didn't go full Carrie with their prank by collecting actual blood from a pig. They used red paint instead. Wednesday Addams is all for the classic horror-themed pranks as long as they follow through with their promises of real gore. She has her standards, after all.

3 Wednesday Finds Comfort in the Darkness

Wednesday and Eugene look on in the woods during a scene from Wednesday Season 1.

If you hear me screaming bloody murder, there's a good chance I'm enjoying myself.

Episode Name

Season

Episode #

Run Time

"Woe What a Night

1

4

49 minutes

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Only Wednesday Addams is capable of finding comfort in the macabre. Amid her investigation of the murders, she brings along her fellow beekeeper Eugene, another quietly stout friend who she slowly comes to appreciate as the season continues. The duo soon comes across what appears to be the secret lair of the monster committing the murders. The cave clearly unsettles the timid Eugene, but the same cannot be said for the possibly excited Wednesday.

Whether enjoying a nice cold atmosphere in the morgue or venturing into dark and dangerous places, Wednesday can find delight in them all. Whatever most people would find pleasure in is an immediate turnoff for her, and no one can tell her otherwise. Charles Addams would most definitely approve.

2 Wednesday Does Have a Vulnerable Side Even if it's Buried Six Feet Under

Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams snapping in Wednesday Episode 2

Sometimes I act like I don't care if people like me. Deep down, I secretly enjoy it.

Episode Name

Season

Episode #

Run Time

"Woe Is the Loneliest Number"

1

2

48 minutes

Though Ortega's Wednesday may appear jaded, she does care. Just not in the way most people would expect. Her aloofness prevents attempts at kinship, but for those who manage to get through to her heart or under her skin, she does considerably harbor their opinions. For those who find her abrasive and distant, she lets her feelings about them known to Ms. Thornhill in conversation. It's telling that she does, in fact, "enjoy" her peers' condemnations of her character. It's one thing for someone to ignore people who insult them; it's another if someone sadistically finds joy in the insults.

It's a key part of her development in the series, and one of the things that sets Wednesday apart from earlier incarnations of the Addams Family. For the first time, Wednesday finds herself without her clan to support her. Her peers at Nevermore are her first friends away from the family, and though it takes her time, she comes to properly appreciate them by the time the first season is through. The quote delivers telling insight into her true feelings.

1 Wednesday's Dark Perfectionism is Almost Always on Display

"Terrible. Everyone would know I failed to get the job done."

Episode Name

Season

Episode #

Run Time

"Wednesday's Child Is Full of Woe"

1

1

59 minutes

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After Wednesday attempts to maim or murder a water polo team for bullying her brother, her parents are having a stern talk with her on the way to Wednesday's new school. As her mother, Morticia, tells Wednesday that one of the boys almost pressed charges for attempted murder, Morticia asks her daughter how that would have looked. Wednesday responds with typically acerbic wit.

This hilarious yet morbid phrase perfectly encapsulates how Wednesday sees the world, as well as affirming her dark perfectionism at work. It is truly eye-opening to know that Wednesday would be more ashamed of her failure than to have actually committed a crime. Although her parents look at her disapprovingly, this line is Wednesday's best, most signature quote from the whole show.

Wednesday Netflix Poster
Wednesday
TV-14
Comedy
Crime
Fantasy

Follows Wednesday Addams' years as a student, when she attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a killing spree, and solve the mystery that embroiled her parents.

Release Date
November 23, 2022
Cast
Jenna Ortega , Hunter Doohan , Percy Hynes White , Christina Ricci
Seasons
2
Creator
Alfred Gough, Miles Millar