SPOILER WARNING TO THOSE WHO HAVE YET TO FINISH WANDAVISION!!!
“WandaVision” is the first series from Marvel Studios streaming exclusively on Disney+, starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, containing a unique blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The series follows Wanda Maximoff and Vision, two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives after the events of “Avengers: Endgame.” Each week, many waited in anticipation for a new episode of the most unique superhero show ever seen. “WandaVision” features a mixture of genres that use various styles of television tropes and techniques from ’50s, ’60s and ’70s TV in a series of homey suburban stories about bosses coming over for dinner, nosy neighbors, and suddenly going into labor. From the era of black and white television to the 2010s, WandaVision gives audiences a crash course in television history. Wandavision is a fresh look at Marvel Cinematic Universe formats and superhero stories, though the trip through TV history still has some purists screaming foul.
The story starts with the creation of Wanda’s reality, Westview. Wanda created this false reality from her grief of losing everyone she loved, in order to continue her life with Vision, who was killed in Endgame. Shockingly, a consequence of this world was trapping many innocent lives in the flawless sitcom universe.This allows her to create an unspoiled yet anecdotal life in her very own universe. Outside the city, the S.W.O.R.D Organization surrounded this fake reality, which is protected by a dome created by Wanda. The organization tests and pushes and eventually draws out Wanda herself. Meanwhile, Monica Rambeau played by actor Teyonah Parris(member of S.W.O.R.D previously seen in Captain Marvel), and Jimmy Woo played by actor Randal Park (FBI agent), try to figure out who is really responsible for this whole magical happening.
“WandaVision” managed to handle a lot in the nine episodes of the series. The show is an easy entry point for newbies to this multiverse and there are more than enough Easter eggs to appease long-term fans. The series reveals Wanda’s acceptance of her identity as the Scarlet Witch, which allows for the continuation of the MCU after the end of Endgame. Since her introduction in “Captain America: Civil War,” Wanda has had minimal character development, increasing the importance of this series.
A key moment, when character development is evident, is when Monica says, “They’ll never know what you sacrificed for them.” while discussing the innocent citizens of Westview. And Wanda replied “It wouldn’t change how they see me,” in their final conversation. I agree it probably wouldn’t. If there’s a hole in the emotional honesty of the finale, it’s this scene orchestrated by the creators along those lines. It shows Wanda as an individual whose selflessness will go unseen, rather than an individual who committed grave violation of the bodies and brains of locals for her own motivations. However, it seems a little soon for a discussion that suggests that Wanda is monstrous from the viewpoint of the victims because they have no knowledge of what really happened. Wanda’s issue isn’t that her sacrifice of family wouldn’t change how she’s seen, but the fact that what she did was inhuman.
The finale illustrates what the show wrestled with for nine episodes: that there are two Wandas. There is the legendary, incredible, super-genuine Witchy Wanda, drifting and gleaming. There is also the deeply human, traumatized, lonely Wanda, trying to figure out what happens next now that she’s alone again. Regardless of whether you care about the previous, actor Elizabeth Olsen’s work kept the last obvious and remarkable all through the series.
It’s unlikely that this show could ever have been successful without Elizabeth Olsen’s beautiful performance. She was asked to fill the daunting job of being a sitcom wife, a sitcom mom, a superhero, a witch, a legend, and a woman whose grief was so overwhelming that she broke the whole world, all at once. On top of that she played each of these in the acting style popular in that decade’s sitcoms. Her incredible range as an actress is what allows her to carry off cute, quotable lines without tearing the audience completely away from the story. Nordic’s personal favorite: “Boys, handle the military. Mommy will be right back.”
“WandaVision” hit emotions that are close to home for many viewers. Wanda’s horrendous sorrow correlates almost too closely with the world’s present situation as society trudges through the pandemic. The show’s sensitivity is striking; Wanda’s grief is the true antagonist and the reason the show exists in the first place. What could have been an over sentimental, sappy mess blew expectations out of the water by presenting an accurate representation of the isolating and all-consuming nature of grief.
Like Wanda, we are all mourning in large and small ways, every day, but the fact that the grief continues to be acute is a good sign. It shows that we are still capable of love. This empathetic emotion that the series brings out, with the outstanding effects and intricate acting is what makes this series a great watch.
