Abhiroop Das
Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’ follows its eponymous protagonist as she solves the most enigmatic mysteries in equally enigmatic ways. The second season sees her tap deeper into her latent psychic abilities, but this endeavour soon faces a two-pronged hurdle. On one end, the secrets lurking within Willow Hill threaten to come to light, and on the other, her brother, Pugsley Addams, strikes an unlikely friendship with the supernatural. Both these threads eventually coalesce into one, turning the protagonist into the sole shield between her family and oblivion. To that end, Isaac Night’s presence within the narrative not only enriches the show’s mythology but also brings a new conflict into the equation, keeping Wednesday up on her toes. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Isaac Night is a Former Nevermore Prodigy Turned Zombie
The zombie in season 2 of ‘Wednesday’ is introduced as an academy legend, the story of an ambitious student with an artificial heart. The story claims that his inventions eventually got the better of him, and to this day, his body lies buried under the skeleton tree, with a heart still ticking. As it turns out, the story is partially true, and the student’s real identity is Isaac Night. Alongside being a talented DaVinci, Isaac was also an inventor, and frequently created devices to aid his near and dear ones. However, his deepest desire was to free his sister, Francoise Night, from her identity as a Hyde. More than just a transformation, a Hyde mutation is also harmful to the person in their regular state, slowly eating away at their life. Refusing to accept such a fate for his sister, Isaac set out to create a device that could erase a person’s outcast abilities entirely, and was eventually successful.
Although a way to save Francoise’s life was almost in sight, one last step remained. In his efforts to generate enough energy to run the machine, Isaac showed his true colours, sacrificing his best friend, Gomez Addams, without batting an eye. However, his plan was eventually disrupted by Morticia Addams, and the resultant scuffle caused the entire device to explode, killing Isaac. Although he was buried by the couple, his story was far from over. Shortly after, Isaac’s mentor, Professor Augustus Stonehurst, stole all of his research and imprisoned Francoise in an effort to harness the technology for himself. His nefarious practices went on for decades, until Isaac returned into the equation as a zombie. Coincidentally, Pugsley, Gomez’s son, is the one who brings the corpse back to life and names it Slurp.
As Slurp, Isaac is raised like a pet, and with each human he consumes, he regains a chunk of his past self. Gradually, his mind and sense of self soon follow suit. This takes him to Willow Hill, where he finally comes face to face with Stonehurst and wastes no time in taking revenge. He eventually reunites with his sister and immediately resumes the process of erasing her abilities, this time using Pugsley as a power source. Even after death, Isaac’s story is inextricably tied to the Addams, both in the cyclicality of events and in how they literally have his severed hand in their possession, as Thing. With the hand rejoined to his limb, the antagonist briefly regains all of his telekinetic powers and is only defeated when Thing claims his agency. As such, Isaac’s journey of life, death, and life again stretches both the scientific and the supernatural elements of the story to its limits.
Actor Owen Painter Brings Life to Isaac Night
Despite the never-ending list of eccentric characters in ‘Wednesday’, Isaac Night stands out as the one with the most drastic transformation from beginning to end. With each step in his journey, he unlocks a piece of both his physical and psychological self. This can be a daunting task for any actor to personify, but that does not stop Owen Painter from embodying the character. The up-and-coming actor began his journey with theater, taking part in productions such as ‘Hairspray,’ before featuring in a short film named ‘Soup.’ Following this, he participated in hit television shows such as ‘The Handmaid’ and ‘Tiny Beautiful Things,’ where he plays Jaden and Lucas, respectively. Even with a few performances under his belt, Painter has found his footing in the creative industry and puts that experience to good use in the show.
Painter described his experience working in ‘Wednesday’ as a blessing, praising the role for its complexity and physical demands. According to Tudum, Painter’s rendition of Slurp often took up to nine hours of makeup work, and the actor diligently took part in the process to bring a touch of authenticity to the zombie’s design. The production process also saw him develop a friendship with actor Hunter Doohan, who essays Tyler in the show. Talking about the inventive nature of this role, the actor expressed: “It was a lot of stuff that I’d never really done before. The role provided a real sense of opportunity. It felt like a gift.” The transformation from Slurp to Isaac came with its own set of challenges, and Painter gave the character his all to ensure no element felt weaker than the other.
Read More: Wednesday: Is Willow Hill Psychiatric Hospital a Real Asylum?
