After focusing for three entire episodes on Wednesday’s exploits at Nevermore Academy, Episode 5 brings the family back together. “You Reap What You Sow” gives us another taste of Luis Guzmán as Gomez, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia, and Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley, and also allows Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) to face her family about the Addams’ sinister Nevermore history. And while the mystery of Episode 5 may appear unrelated to the entire monster situation, the episode delves further into the pasts of important players involved in covering the horrible killings.
As with every previous Wednesday episode, “You Reap What You Sow” utilizes a school event to set things in motion and elaborate on Nevermore’s inner workings.
This time, Wednesday has her first Family Weekend, during which the proud parents of outcasts visit the school to check on their children. It is the ideal time to uncover the mysteries surrounding Gomez’s murder accusation, the death of the normie who caused the Nightshades to disband, and Mayor Walker’s immoral behavior in his early years (Tommie Earl Jenkins).
It also demonstrates that Wednesday is not the only Nevermore student with family issues, since Enid (Emma Myers) and Bianca (Joy Sunday) must also endure their mothers’ visits.
An Addams Family Rendezvous
In the first episode of the show, Tyler (Hunter Doohan) delivers Wednesday the old police file on Gomez. Wednesday’s father was apparently arrested while he was still a student in Nevermore, suspected of murdering the non-native Garrett Gates (Lewis Hayes). Garrett’s passion for Morticia led him to eventually challenge Gomez.
Weems (Gwendoline Christie) was the first to discover Garrett’s body when his chest was slashed by Nevermore’s saber at the conclusion of the battle. In spite of the overwhelming evidence implicating Gomez as the murderer, a coroner’s report exonerated him and freed Wednesday’s father from prison.
Sheriff Galpin (Jamie McShane) continues to believe that Gomez is guilty. Garrett’s death proved to be the downfall of the Gates family, as his father drank himself to death, his mother hung herself, and his younger sister, Laurel, perished in England after being taken there.
Weems utilizes Family Weekend in Episode 5 to reach out to the Addams and discuss Wednesday’s alarming conduct. Weems reveals that the little girl has caused trouble ever since she arrived in Nevermore.
Wednesday acknowledges to being a thorn in Weems’ side, but explains that she is just disobeying authority and exposing the hypocrisy of those who insist on forming unstable partnerships with bigots rather than safeguarding misfits.
Weems then advises that the entire Addams family attend therapy with Dr. Kinbott (Riki Lindhome), who has been treating Wednesday pursuant to a court order.
During the session, Dr. Kinbott attempts to pry the Addams open, and it is with great difficulty that Pugsley, Gomez, and Morticia admit that Wednesday is absent from their home. Wednesday, however, is unwilling to utilize counseling for emotional breakthroughs.
Instead, she rubs the family’s faces with Gomez’s police file and demands the truth. The girl’s activities prompt another conversation with Morticia, who is furious with her daughter for cornering her father in such a manner. The therapy session unexpectedly concludes, and it appears that the Addams Family will remain at a standstill. However, fate has a way of drawing individuals together.
Criminal Love
Family Weekend is ruined when the coroner of Jericho commits suicide. The coroner’s suicide note says he could no longer take the guilt of fabricating paperwork in the Garrett Gates case. Sheriff Galpin believes that justice has finally been served and can now arrest Gomez in Nevermore.
Wednesday, on the other hand, thinks it intriguing that the coroner’s death occurred just as she was coming closer to discovering the truth about the monster; she believes that someone is attempting to distract her. However, Gomez is incarcerated, and her daughter will have to exert extra effort to free him.
Wednesday meets Gomez in prison and receives a confession from her father. Gomez admits that Garrett did in fact love Morticia. Garret became a stalker when Morticia rejected his advances, following her everywhere she went and threatening to disturb her life. Gomez and Morticia attempted to file a police report, but their allegations were rejected.
In his jealous wrath, Garrett broke into Nevermore one night during the Rave’N, spotted Morticia kissing Gomez, and attempted to murder the boy. Gomez then defended himself against Garrett’s onslaught, resulting in Garrett’s unintentional demise. It is a plausible story, but Wednesday is aware of her father’s lies and knows he is lying.
Wednesday then pursues her mother and discovers Morticia in the Nightshades’ secret library. Wednesday finally learns the truth by confronting Morticia about Gomez’s lies. Garrett was so enraged on the night of the Rave’N that he almost murdered Gomez. Morticia was the one who snatched the sword and killed the boy. Gomez simply accepted the responsibility to shield the lady he loved.
Morticia informed Wednesday that Garrett was not himself that evening. He was so upset that he was foaming at the mouth and had dilated pupils. Wednesday, being the intelligent girl that she is, recognizes Garrett’s conduct may have been the result of Nightshade poisoning, meaning the youngster was already dying before he was stabbed.
Wednesday, eager to confirm her hunch, travels to the cemetery with Morticia to exhume Garrett’s corpse. As expected, traces of the purple Nightshade poison have been detected. Wednesday and Morticia wind up in the same jail as Gomez due to the vandalism of Garrett’s tomb, but the girl is able to take one of the corpse’s fingers in order to provide the necessary evidence.
Wednesday had a vision in prison that reveals the secret to her. Garrett’s father despised outcasts and compelled him to poison Rave’N punch with Nightshade. Prior to committing mass murder in Nevermore, Garrett engages in a battle with Gomez, tripping against a wall and shattering the poison flask he was carrying in his coat. There was no wrongdoing because the poison, not the sword wound, caused Garrett’s death.
Morticia and Wednesday deliver the proof to Mayor Walker, the Sheriff in charge of the case, the next day. Since Garrett’s father was one of the most influential men in Jericho, Walker concealed the boy’s poisoning so that no one would hear about the attack on Nevermore.
The Addams ladies coerce the mayor into releasing Gomez and settling his debt, vowing to keep the secret from the rest of the school. Wednesday and Morticia are able to form a bond during the investigation, with the mother assuring her daughter that she will always be there for her. Morticia also discovers that Wednesday has been experiencing psychic visions and informs her that one of her ancestors would teach her how to handle her abilities.
We also discover that there are two categories of psychics. Morticia is a Dove because her optimistic outlook on life produces thoughts of happiness. Wednesday is, nevertheless, a Raven because her pessimism offers her images of death and devastation. It will be fascinating to observe Wednesday’s transformation into a raven, but Episode 5 also contains other significant revelations unconnected to the Addams Family.
Nevermore surpasses Wednesday
On the night of the Rave’N, Eugene (Moosa Mostafa) is attacked by a monster in the woods, and his survival status is unknown. Eugene is in a coma and hospitalized in Episode 5, which provides the definitive solution. Wednesday feels bad about Eugene’s condition, so she begs Thing to watch over him while she attends to her family.
Concerning families, we meet Enid’s pack and discover that her mother is urging her to leave the group. The woman goes so far as to propose Enid attend a conversion camp in order to become the person her family desires. At the conclusion of Episode 5, Enid musters the strength to confront her mother and declares that she will leave the pack on her own time. Enid’s mother’s refusal to accept her for who she is is not her concern.
Read more Wednesday – Season 1, Episode 2, “Woe is the Lonely Number” Recap and Analysis
Bianca also has issues with her mother, a siren who utilizes her abilities to recruit members for the Morning Song cult. Apparently, Bianca’s mother’s abilities are diminishing with age, and she now desires for her daughter to take her place. Bianca refuses to assist her mother and the cult leader Gideon in defrauding others.
Bianca’s mother, however, blackmailed her by threatening to reveal that she used her siren song to enter Nevermore. Bianca agrees to assist her mother, but only if they wait until the end of the school year.
Wednesday discovers that Weems is a shapeshifter by searching through an old Nevermore yearbook. That suggests the Nevermore headmaster claimed to be Rowan (Calum Ross) in order to conceal the boy’s demise. Weems claims, when confronted by Wednesday, that she merely did so to safeguard the school’s and Rowan’s reputation.
As Wednesday aptly demonstrates, however, Weems’ plan delayed the hunt for the creature, which ultimately led to Eugene being attacked. Wednesday and Weems appear to be on the verge of a fight, but something more urgent captures their attention. Someone wrote “Fire shall rain” with fire in the gardens of Nevermore.
The prophecy that sets Wednesday in the midst of Nevermore while the school burns is imminent, and as Wednesday draws closer to its conclusion, all the puzzle pieces begin to fall into place. Now that the riddle of the Addams’ past has been answered, Wednesday can focus solely on the identity of the monster.
The Episode Analysis
It appears that the Garret case is connected to the recent killings in the city. This episode revealed Wednesday’s softer side, especially during her conversation with her brother about their parent’s love for one other.
It was also a wonderful moment when Enid stood up for herself, as parents may not always know what is best for their children. Enid did exactly what was necessary to protect herself from her parents since it is the child’s responsibility to do so.
On the other side, Bianca’s mother is pressuring her to conduct illicit business for her stepfather. It is unfortunate that she cannot defend herself against her mother, but hopefully, she will eventually find her independence.
Related
- Wednesday – Season 1 Episode 1 Written Update
- Wednesday – Season 1 Episode 2 Written Update
- Wednesday – Season 1 Episode 3 Written Update
- Wednesday – Season 1 Episode 4 Written Update
