![]() ![]() Separated from whatever comes next, these episodes don’t do the best job setting up the show’s central mystery. But if you’re not, I wonder if there’s enough for you. If you’re familiar with the shows being riffed on, you’ll immediately notice all the easter eggs and hallmarks being displayed. Nothing happens in them, but they’re so fun because of how perfectly they reference older sitcoms. These episodes are exciting because they’re so different. It’s kind of similar to how Thor: Ragnarok felt like a breath of fresh creative air. There is such a distinct style shown during these episodes that makes WandaVision feel unlike anything else in the MCU. On their own, these wouldn’t be particularly impressive episodes of a sitcom, but in the context of what they are-entries in the oft-monotonous MCU-they’re great. Regardless of whether the show intends to be a parody or a pastiche, it’s a lot of fun. And it’s even clearer that Matt Shakman (the series’s director) has studied them quite a bit. It’s clear that Jac Schaeffer and Gretchen Enders, the writers of the first two episodes, have quite a bit of love for these older shows. Honestly, you couldn’t find a more faithful recreation of mid-20th century sitcoms if you tried. There’s a live studio audience, the episodes are shot in black and white in a 4×3 aspect ratio, and there are even in-universe commercials that air about halfway through each episode. You’re never able to tell if WandaVision is lovingly making fun of sitcom tropes are wholeheartedly embracing them-but that’s part of the fun. These episodes are caught somewhere between parody and pastiche. The plots are simple and they’re quite reminiscent of the sitcoms they’re referencing. ![]() The second episode sees Wanda and Vision continuing to try and blend in with their neighbors while entering a talent competition and doing magic tricks. Wanda thinks it’s signifying their anniversary while Vision learns it’s signifying a dinner with his boss (and his boss’s wife), whose last name is Hart. That morning, they find a heart on that day’s entry on their calendar and misunderstand what it’s referring to. The first episode revolves around Wanda and Vision getting acclimated to their new lives while facing a standard sitcom plot. Instead, these episodes exist as fairly standard sitcom episodes. However, there is no explanation as to why Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) find themselves in such an environment, nor is there any explanation as to how the show fits into the MCU’s larger universe. ![]() The first episode is modeled after a Dick Van Dyke Show kind of show while the second episode is modeled after Bewitched. In an effort to fit in, Wanda and Vision perform a magic act in their community talent show. WandaVision S01E02 (written by Gretchen Enders, directed by Matt Shakman) Wanda and Vision struggle to conceal their powers during dinner with Vision’s boss and his wife. WandaVision S01E01 (written by Jac Schaeffer, directed by Matt Shakman) NOTE: There will be spoilers for the first two episodes of WandaVision. If it can stick the landing, it could be something great. While being extremely light on any kind of an overarching plot, the first two episodes of WandaVision are a love-letter to classic TV sitcoms that hints at some kind of broader, menacing mystery. And, honestly, having seen the first two episodes, I’m pretty into it. Chief among them was WandaVision-a show about two characters I’ve never cared much about that featured an audacious and risky premise. Sure, some of them felt like the same old, same old from the MCU (looking at you, Falcon and the Winter Soldier), but some seemed cool, unique, and interesting. That is, however, until the first batch of Disney+ MCU shows were announced. Even when the MCU took risks, like with Infinity War and Endgame, it still felt safe. Avengers: Endgame had pretty much killed my interest in the MCU as a whole, with its terrible plotting and incoherent character arcs, but maybe these movies just aren’t for me. The same is true tonally, too, with almost every film in the franchise using comedy to undercut its emotional moments and relying too much on spectacle and humor at the expense of meaningful, consistent character development. Visually, it’s hard to separate one film from another they all have a sense of sameness to them. For at least the last half-dozen films, the whole thing has felt a bit creatively stagnant. I’ve been jaded with the MCU for a long time now. ![]()
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