After weeks of waiting patiently and taking a stroll down the accolades of television, it was clear to see that Marvel fans had to stay patient. Certain arcs and payoffs relating to WANDAVISION were being planted from the very first frame of exposure for the series until now.
For example, subtle easter eggs, and name drops, were sprinkled throughout episodes being framed to fit the style and feeling of such classics as The Dick Van Dyke Show and Bewitched.
Later the narrative would then begin to evolve with the progression of times to sync up to a Brady Bunch montage in the rocking 70’s all the way up to the latest installment in the essence of a mockumentary such as hits like ‘The Office’, and Modern Family.
However, the studio made the series feel fresh and unique by injecting a dose of Marvel Cinematic Universe(MCU) mystery through the presence of allegorical commercials being used to convey the cognitive state that we found Wanda Maximoff truly residing in after what transpired to the character during the events of “Avengers: Endgame.”
The latest WANDAVISION installment does give off a sense of filler to let the audience catch up. However, it also gives off a sense of commentary for what Wanda truly is feeling while living in the mirage she built. But like the rest of this series, that is a huge misdirect.
This past week’s episode invokes the question of “is she ready to let go of the perfect ideal life she strove for, or will she reside in her fantasy?” I noticed that, through the episode, you start to see her crack and everything around her begins to drift from reality. For example, the peeling wallpaper in her home could be symbolic of the end on the horizon.
I could feel a variety of emotions stemming from Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) during the tender moments where she is talking to the camera, and you can see the depression latching to her body or the signs of fatigue and other clues being evident on Wanda. I kept asking what if the series is truly grounded upon the concept of having one more minute, but what does it cost to achieve our euphoria.
So when you sync that storyline up with the other big reveal of Monica’s arc, it was ingenious because one character is grieving. In this case, Wanda is trying to change fate, while Monica is looking to bury the past, but honor the legacy of her family in her own narrative.
In addition to the story, arc’s being centered around humanity and loss, WANDAVISION also likes to play with the framework of building the MCU into the future and beyond. It’s so well layered, which is why the payoffs are essentially perfect. It’s not afraid to branch out and connect to the shared continuity through the presence of flashbacks or pull on the thread of established comic book lore and source material.
Another reason why the series works as a whole is that every Friday we rush to log into ‘Disney+’ and get our fill of weekly Marvel content, but does it fly by, the audience, and fans with more questions than answers. This is ironic because episode four features Darcy Lewis breaking the fourth wall, saying “I’m invested.”
I remember feeling a sense of confusion if that was a nod to the fans or just laying exposition of how the series is supposed to be a TV show, but also act as a different layer on the portrait of the MCU as a whole. Of course, now the shared continuity is officially into phase four of content.
Now, after witnessing the events of episode seven, WANDAVISION feels like the show has truly begun to step out of its nervous comfort zone. I see these episodes leading to a grand finale.
The only thing left to do is to “Please Stand By” until the next episode. After everything that transpired, it’s hard to not imagine what the ending will hold.
