Critics Say Piranha Pool Scene TOO VIOLENT FOR TEENS

BY ALISE EVERTON | PHOTO CREDIT: NETFLIX

The new Netflix series Wednesday, based on the beloved Addams Family franchise, has been receiving a lot of buzz since its release. A pool scene featuring piranhas dropped into a swimming pool has folks talking. The supernatural comedy horror series, stars Jenna Ortega as the titular character. Catherine Zeta-Jones stars as Morticia and Luis Guzmán plays Gomez Addams.

For those unfamiliar with the Addams Family, the franchise originally began as a series of singlepanel cartoons by Charles Addams, which were published in The New Yorker in the 1930s and were revived again in the popular 60’s TV sitcom and series of films produced in the 90’s.

One of the standout moments in the new Netflix series features a scene in a famous swimming pool. After Pugsley (played by Isaac Ordonez) is harassed by school bullies, Wednesday opens the series by exacting her revenge as the boys practice water polo.

In the scene in question, she releases two bags full of piranhas. While the scene is certainly over-thetop and absurd, it is also a great example of the dark humor that the Addams Family is known for.

While we’re big fans of seeing pools in the movies and on television, this scene will reignite any irrational childhood fears you’ve ever had. Despite the fact that the act was in keeping with the Addams family’s style, some people believe the scene was too much, especially given that the show is aimed at a broad teen audience.

“I’d be ok with it being played for laughs or as a gratifying comeuppance for a bully if this whole thing wasn’t so one-sided. We know this wouldn’t fly if the genders were reversed, even more if the one getting revenge was a male character against a female one. I can think of very few productions where a male character brutalizes a female one as revenge for something she did,” Redditor Deadlocked02 said in regards to the violent scene.

Overall, the new series Wednesday is definitely a darker addition to the Addams Family franchise, but will surely be a hit with fans of the original series and films. The swimming pool scene with the piranhas is just one example of the bizarre and outrageous moments that have made the series popular. With that said, it still may be too violent for some younger teen viewers to watch without parental guidance, (Wednesday is rated 14+).