Someone will be boiled alive
At least, that's my theory based on the promo video, the cartoons, and Edgar Allan Poe's novel.
There are three food items that appear to have been boiled alive in the Season 3 cast promo video, specifically on the "Fruits of the Sea" platter: a lobster at the front, a crab at the back, and a Mock Turtle (that strange creature on the right, just above the ice scorpion).
What's a mock turtle, and why do I think that's what it is?
The Mock Turtle is a fictional character created by Lewis Carroll in his 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. He's described as a melancholy creature with the head, hind hooves, and tail of a calf, combined with the shell and flippers of a sea turtle.
But...
This particular Mock Turtle looks slightly different from the classic illustrations. It has a turtle's beak. And there's only one artist I know of who illustrated Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and was referenced by both Charles Addams and the show itself: Salvador Dalí.
So my theory is that this creature is a hybrid of the traditional Mock Turtle and Dalí's interpretation of it.
But what does that have to do with the platter?
The Mock Turtle's appearance is itself a pun on "mock turtle soup," a popular eighteenth-century English dish made from parts of a calf as a substitute for the far more expensive green sea turtle.
Alice meets the Mock Turtle in Chapter 9. When she asks what a Mock Turtle is, the Queen of Hearts replies, "It's the thing Mock Turtle Soup is made from".
The Mock Turtle accompanies Alice through Chapter 9 and into Chapter 10, "The Lobster Quadrille," where he sings twice: first, the poem "The Lobster Quadrille," and then "Turtle Soup" (also known as "Beautiful Soup"), which is rather morbid when you remember that a turtle is singing longingly about turtle soup.
Beautiful Soup, so rich and green,
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Now, "The Lobster Quadrille" is itself a parody of another poem: Mary Howitt's "The Spider and the Fly." (I made a Weyler Lobster Quadrille edit here)
Here's a Spider and the Fly cover art by Tony DiTerlizzi (the art style is inspired by Charles Addams):
"This twist brought to mind the dark humor of Charles Addams, Edward Gorey and Tim Burton.
[...] The book's overall layout was inspired by silent movies of the 1920s. With that in mind, I based the design of the main characters after movie stars. Ms. Fly was inspired by actress Clara Bow, while Mr. Spider was part Peter Lorre and part Gomez Addams..." -Tony DiTerlizzi
The moral of this cautionary tale is, essentially, to warn children against accepting hospitality from strangers. Be wary of those who invite you in.
Which is close to another Grimm tale that Charles Addams seemed particularly fond of: Hansel and Gretel.
More Hansel and Gretel-inspired cartoons below
At its core, Hansel and Gretel is a story about cannibalism. It has long been connected as an allegory to the Great Famine of 1315–1317, when starvation swept across Europe and people became desperate enough to resort to cannibalism. The most vulnerable (the young) were often the ones at greatest risk.
"Next to a great forest there lived a poor woodcutter with his wife and his two children. The boy's name was Hansel and the girl's name was Gretel. He had but little to eat, and once, when a great famine came to the land, he could no longer provide even their daily bread." -Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Hansel and Gretel
And later:
"When four weeks had passed and Hansel was still thin, impatience overcame her, and she would wait no longer. "Hey, Gretel!" she shouted to the girl, "Hurry up and fetch some water. Whether Hansel is fat or thin, tomorrow I am going to slaughter him and boil him.""
As with most things in the Addams world, there's also an Edgar Allan Poe story lurking in the background that aligns uncannily well with themes of boiling people and eating turtles (or tortoises).
In Poe's only novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, shipwrecked and starving survivors survive for a time by extracting drinking water from the neck sacs of Galapagos tortoises and rationing their meat. But when that food source runs out, the men draw lots, and the one who pulls the shortest splinter becomes the next meal.
An Addams cartoon of a Galapagos Giant Tortoise:
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The series has been hinting at cannibalism for two seasons now, so maybe Season 3 will finally bring it to the surface. And considering that boiling people is one of the creators' favourite recurring motifs, I wouldn't be surprised. There are more boiling people cartoons, but I still need to edit them so they look clearer.
"I could eat Girl Scouts for breakfast. Actually, I have an uncle who went to prison for that."
"It's like a vegetarian writing a book on cannibalism."
Anyway, scroll down to see the Addams cartoons featuring turtles and Hansel-and-Gretel-inspired panels.
She pushed poor Gretel outside to the oven, from which fiery flames were leaping. "Climb in," said the witch, "and see if it is hot enough to put the bread in yet." And when Gretel was inside, she intended to close the oven, and bake her, and eat her as well. -Grimm Brothers, Hansel and Gretel
Do you know the Muffin Man?
According to legend, the Muffin Man who lives down in Drury Lane was inspired by the "Drury Lane Dicer," a serial killer said to have lured children to their doom.
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Posted Jun 17, 2026, 1:15 PM UTC