A licensed therapist is investigating the effectiveness of Dr. Valerie Kinbott, the therapist of Wednesday. After being sent to Nevermore Academy after assaulting a classmate, Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) must also see a therapist. Over the course of the show, Kinbott (Riki Lindhome) grows close to Wednesday and even helps her make several breakthroughs. While her personality often annoys young Addams, Kinbott always tries to help her.
Each member of WednesdayThe cast is a strange and gigantic figure. When investigating Kinbott, Cinematherapy explored the great challenges of a therapist intervening in support of Wednesday. Along with filmmaker Alan Seawright, therapist Jonathan Decker considers whether Dr. Kinbott’s personality is truly her nature or an elaborate plan to get closer to Wednesday. The two debate whether that makes her a hero or a secret villain and finally agree that “sugary sweet” is exactly who Dr. Kinbott is. Check out his quotes below:
Decker: My first instinct is to say that it seems too sweet. Except that really seems to be who she is. In which case, she’s fine. Whether you’re using that as a way to get people to let their guard down or to make them feel comfortable… I don’t know. I don’t like. I think it’s important to show up in therapy as you because, as you may have heard me quote Dr. Yalom, it’s the relationship that heals. And you can’t have a relationship based on wearing masks, right?Seawright: One thing in the making of the film that tells us she’s really like that… is the production design and costumes. It’s all sticky and sweet and nice, and it’s all light and airy and pretty. Her office is. The way she is dressed is very cute. Yes. Her hair is… a slight curl and some bounce. She seems like a friendly, nice and sweet woman. And all of those are subtle clues that tell us who she really is. And then, of course, the music plays. Maybe she’s a villain because it’s Wednesday and she thinks everyone is a villain.
Decker: Yes, it’s part of the narrative. Well, and here’s the thing. People like Dr. Kinbott can sometimes be the best therapists. By this I mean genuinely loving, genuinely affectionate. I really want to help. The problem is that people who are this sweet usually go to therapy because they want to help and can’t stand staring into the dark… Overall, I like it. His style is not my style, but that’s because his personality is not my personality.
Is Wednesday’s therapist effective?
It can be difficult to tell if a therapist is truly effective when you only see a few snippets of their sessions. Wednesday grows and changes throughout the season, largely because he eventually recognizes Dr. Kinbott’s authenticity. The tragic element is that on Wednesday he will only see it properly after Kinbott dies shortly before the Wednesday season 1 finale.
While Kinbott was still alive, Wednesday always suspected that she might be the secret killer. After all, there are very few allies for the marginalized, which makes it suspicious that the normal Kinbott would be perfectly willing to spend time talking to them. Unfortunately, it took her death to show the truth on Wednesday. Therefore, Kinbott may never have been effective without her being proven innocent or dying.
Although he never really convinced Wednesday while she was alive, his methods still impacted the Addams Family character. Over time, she became close to her classmates at Nevermore Academy and even began to form a relationship. While Kinbott often had difficulty convincing Wednesday to communicate with her, she appears to have been an effective therapist. The therapist in Wednesday She certainly changed the main character, but she did not live to see her success.
All episodes of Wednesday They are now streaming on Netflix.
Fountain: Cinematherapy