you know what makes enid such a loveable character? sheâs deceptively complex, and the specifics make her so fucking precious. LET ME PROVE MY THESIS.
when enid is first introduced in the show, we might be inclined to think that sheâs merely a shallow representation of the polar opposite of wednesdayâcolorful, peppy, social, loud. but sheâs so much more than just wednesdayâs antithesis. and you see that from their very first interaction.
enid, clearly excited and optimistic about meeting her new roommate, rushes up to greet her with a huge smile and outstretched arms (already, a sign of her kindness). but the very second she realizes wednesday doesnât want to reciprocate, she holds off. this might not seem like a big thing, but itâs extremely telling. for one, it shows us that before everything, enid respects wednesdayâs boundaries. wednesday, who she doesnât even know yet. and she continues to honor wednesdayâs disinclination to hugs, repeatedly, until the final scene. it also indicates that sheâs not ditsy or cluelessly abrasive like some other characters who share her disposition. enid is genuinely, thoroughly kind, and itâs striking.
however, as the scene continues and enid gives wednesday a tour of nevermore, it becomes clear that even though she is kind, she isnât a one-dimensional people-pleaser. she doesnât hesitate to give wednesdayâs attitude right back to her. like when wednesday expresses annoyance over the name of the quad and enid tells her that âthe whole snarky, goth-girl thing mightâve worked at normie school, but here, things are different,â and when wednesday shows disinterest in âparticipating in tribal adolescent cliches,â enid tells her toâuse it to fill your obviously bottomless pit of disdain.â is enid sweet? yes. and is she (not so) subtly trying to impress her cute brunette roomie with her knowledge and interests? also yes. but what sheâs not about to do is let wednesday sass her without matching her energy. itâs almost a playful kind of banter (i would say borderline flirtatious), and itâs one of the reasons wednesday is instantly drawn to her; enid isnât afraid of her, or uncomfortable around her, or put off by her unfriendliness; instead, sheâs able to interact with her in a way that keeps wednesday on her toes. this, combined with the way enid continuously respects her boundaries, is a dichotomy that wednesday finds irresistible, and itâs why she canât not treat enid differently than everyone else. and itâs a big reason why she falls for her.
enidâs complexity only deepens when we discover that she canât wolf out. we find out that sheâs terrified of being alone, and as we get to family weekend, we see the dysfunctional dynamic she has with her parents. it becomes apparent that enid herself is a dichotomy; she presents herself to her peers as confident and bubbly and full of optimism, but the second sheâs alone with her family, we see a glimpse of her truest self, who she is behind the maskâweary, sad, almost demure, responding to her motherâs criticism with a tired kind of acquiescence, âthatâs me, a huge disappointment.â enid isnât at all what we might have initially thought her to be, and to see her deal with not measuring up to her familyâs standards makes her all the more authentic and relatable.
considering all of this, enidâs duplicity contextualizes her delicacy with wednesday in a way that is uniquely captivating. because enid has every reason to close herself off to other people, especially to her roommate who doesnât even seem to like her, but she doesnât. in fact, she goes above and beyond trying to befriend herâpromising to keep her secret about nero, seeing her off with tyler at the harvesting festival, inviting her to multiple social events, expressing an interest in âbondingâ when she took her dress shopping, organizing a birthday surprise for her, knitting her a snood in her signature colors, and even pulling one over on weems so that they could have a girlâs night out. so when she finds out that wednesday has deceived her, sheâs rightfully upset and extremely hurt. during the fight scene, all of this comes out, and for the audienceâmuch like for wednesdayâenidâs anger is pain-inducing. we see the strength of her vulnerability in that moment, we see her reach the end of her rope, as it were, because deep down enid is just plain exhausted. and thatâs what makes her really real. i see the humanity in her so clearly, and it makes me want to cry. it makes me want to reach through the screen and comfort her like wednesday couldnât in that moment.
but as we know, enid comes back for wednesday. why? because even after everything, even after the betrayal and the snide remarks and the silence, she still wants to take care of wednesday. she still wants to be there for her, to protect her and be her friend. without waiting for an apology from the person who wronged her, she came back. and if that doesnât make you love enid sinclair with all of your heart, nothing will.
