Further Thoughts on WandaVision

I realize that we’re now through The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki is on the horizon (with thoughts of Shang-Chi cropping up whenever they feel like it,) but I want to circle back around to WandaVision today – I’ve gotta say, having multiple MCU projects to talk about is a good feeling. WandaVision is a primo mystery-box show, offering up clues to unravel and opportunities for speculation to run rampant with every episode. It’s also noteworthy for just how well it plays around with the sitcom conventions it’s paying homage to. That’s the aspect of the show we’re looking at today (spoilers.)

Even back when it was just a weird conceit, the idea of each episode of WandaVision taking place in a different decade’s sitcom style was such a good one. From the wholesome hijinks of the Dick van Dyke-ish pilot to the schmaltzy Growing Pains-esque ‘80s send-up to the Modern Family mockumentary stylings, it’s fun to unpack the sitcom Easter eggs in every episode. The creators, actors, and production team clearly took a master class in American Sitcom History, and it shows. The clever mimicry reminds me of Community’s strong pop-culture literacy.

Like I said, the detail appears at every level of the production: the acting styles, the tenor of the jokes, the set design (Wanda and Vision’s house morphs internally with each decade, acquiring characteristics that call back to various famous sitcom homes,) the opening credits, the mid-episode commercials (oh man, that Claymation shark in the ‘90s took me back!), right down to the aspect ratios. Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn, and co. do a great job tailoring their performances to fit the comedic sensibilities of the different eras, and they’ve got the wigs to match! I love details like Wanda and Vision sleeping in separate beds at the start of the ‘60s (with Wanda using her magic to turn the twin beds into a king) or casting Pietro as the irresponsible brother who blows into town and causes mayhem.

As cool as all of this is, it would be just a well-executed gimmick were it not for the deeper meaning behind the sitcom conceit. It’s shown early on that this sitcom world is somehow of Wanda’s doing, and late in the season, we flash back to her grief-stricken mental break that created the Hex, informed by her lifelong habit of coping with her trauma by indulging in sitcoms that run the gamut from I Dream of Jeannie to Malcolm in the Middle. Viewed in this context, all of it is beautifully heartbreaking. The Hex is unsustainable because, even unknowingly, Wanda is hurting the people she’s trapped there, but she’s not some supervillain bent on domination or destruction. She simply wants a safe little life with the man/synthezoid she loved, in a bright little world where the only problems are the kind that can be solved in half an hour. Seeing this dream from the young woman who lost her parents, her brother, her city, and her love, we see the anesthetic in this delusion, the pain hidden beneath the punchlines.

Furthermore, moving through the decades gets even more interesting because it reflects how sitcoms have gotten darker and more cynical over the years, less of a safehaven than the ‘50s-style delights of the first episode. And so, as Wanda starts losing her grip on the Hex, as Monica “threatens” to remind her of the real life and as Vision starts to question what’s really going on, the sitcoms push forward in time and the plots get more “real.” Whereas before, plots revolved around comic misunderstandings and variety-show shenanigans, things are less idyllic in the later episodes. This is such a smart way to frame the story, shaping it so that it mirrors Wanda’s flagging state of mind.

Kudos again to Jac Schaeffer and the Marvel folks who came up with this and put it all together. It’s entertaining and clever, but more than that, it’s effective and affecting. Like many, I came out of this show far more invested in Wanda and Vision than I was during the movies. I’m excited to see what’s next for Wanda in the MCU and I’m eager to see if she and Vision will find a way back to each other.