Netflix's addition to the Addams Family franchise, Wednesday, made waves for its portrayal of the eldest Addams child as a teenager. The series took off upon its release -- quickly becoming one of Netflix's most popular original of all time -- and Wednesday's dance scene had a bit to do with its success. That one scene became an immediate favorite on social media.Apps like TikTok and Instagram have been flooded with recreations of Wednesday's now well-known dance, which was set to a remix of the song "Bloody Mary" by Lady Gaga. Viewers clearly took to the scene. But where exactly did Jenna Ortega find her inspiration for Wednesday's dance, and what do these inspirations mean for her character?RELATED: Could Wednesday Season 2 Feature Lady Gaga? Jenna Ortega Responds

Wednesday's Gothic Interpretation of Goo Goo Muck

Wednesday Episode 4, titled "Woe What a Night," finds Wednesday Addams in new and unfamiliar territory: a school dance. While she initially asks the popular Xavier (Percy Hynes White) to the Rave'N dance to do more investigating, she actually ends up attending with normie Tyler (Hunter Doohan) thanks to the meddling actions of Thing (Victor Dorobantu). Wednesday is now in the midst of yet another unknown situation: teenage love triangles.

Unwilling heroine Wednesday stands out at Nevermore's Rave'N dance in her all-black attire. Dressed in a gorgeously goth gown and with her signature braids tied up, Wednesday is in a world of her own on the dance floor. When the DJ switches from standard pop music fare to "Goo Goo Muck" by Goth rock legends The Cramps, Wednesday finds herself swept up in the music. Using jerky motions, flaring spins and contortions of her body, Jenna Ortega captures Wednesday's trademark oddness in a dance. Although the camera doesn't always linger on her movements and tends to cut away from her (like it does when she reenacts former Wednesday actor Lisa Loring's dance), Ortega's Wednesday steals the show during "Goo Goo Muck" and proves that she is more than just an aloof outcast.

RELATED: Jenna Ortega Wants Wednesday Season 2 to Have Less Romance, More Horror

Jenna Ortega's Authentic Inspiration for Wednesday's Dance

Jenna Ortega looks straight ahead as Wednesday Addams in Tim Burton's Wednesday

Actor Jenna Ortega did plenty of research to capture the essence of Wednesday Addams's character. Aside from utilizing Lisa Loring's Wednesday Addams dance, Ortega stated that she used sources like "Siouxsie Sioux, Bob Fosse’s Rich Man’s Frug, Lene Lovich, Denis Lavant and archival footage of Goths dancing in clubs in the 1980s" to help her prepare for Wednesday's Rave'N dance routine. And interested fans corroborated her sources, creating side-by-side video proof of her inspirations. When blended, these cinematic and gothic influences culminate into a monster of a dance that would make any Goth proud.

Although Ortega took several dance moves and techniques from the original Goth scene, her dance breathes life into a style often ridiculed. For years, Goth dances were mocked for their eccentric style and deviance from mainstream trends, but Wednesday proves that there's beauty to be found in the dark and strange corners of society. Her dance is perfectly in tune with Wednesday's character, as she would also appreciate the awkwardly beautiful way that Goths danced in the '80s. Ortega's influences are right in line with any fan of Goth culture, and her admitting her sources reveals the care she took in presenting Wednesday Addams's gothness.

When it comes to portraying characters that represent specific subcultures or attitudes, it's easy to tell the real from the fake. The Addams Family has been a part of the Goth subculture for several decades, as their macabre attitude toward mainstream society perfectly aligns with that of Goths. Wednesday continues this trend through Wednesday Addams delightfully dark look and mannerisms, although her Rave'N dance takes the cake. Netflix confirmed Wednesday Season 2 in early 2022, and the show's creators and star Jenna Ortega are very capable of bringing a gothic authenticity to the moody teen in future seasons.

Wednesday is now streaming exclusively on Netflix.