*Contains general spoilers regarding events within the Marvel Cinematic Universe through Avengers: Endgame, but not WandaVision itself*
Calling all Marvel fans! WandaVision may have just released the final episode of the first season, and if you’ve been just as invested in this show from the start as I’ve been, then you’re mind is definitely going crazy over it. But if you’re anything like me, you’ve been trying to keep it together since episode seven, which is what I need to talk to you about!
Let’s start with some background…
WandaVision which aired its first episode on January 15th of this year, is a play on family sitcoms set within the established timeline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, just a few months after the blip shown in the Avengers: Endgame. Wanda Maximoff (a.k.a. Scarlet Witch) and Vision play house, as a happily married couple dealing with mundane problems such as dinner parties and magic shows which are all filmed in front of a live studio audience.
However, this mundane suburban happily-ever-after life is not at all what it seems. The satirical sitcom is actually all a delusion sparked from Wanda’s grief over the death of Vision who died in Avengers: Infinity War at the hands of Thanos. Wanda used her powers to retreat into a made-up world, or in this case, a made-up town called Westview, set in New Jersey, where she and Vision can live out their white-picketed fence lives in the most American way possible: through sitcoms.
Each episode is set in a different decade with riffs on beloved classics like I Love Lucy and Bewitched which were displayed in the first two episodes, and Modern Family which was displayed in the newest episode (at the time of writing), seven.
Now there is a lot to talk about, especially with this last episode. However, what I feel as though has not been discussed enough is the riff on Modern Family. Yes, I could go on and on about the Easter eggs and fan theories that episode seven sprung upon its viewers, but I cannot get over how clever and well-produced this episode was!
As stated before, the show pays homage to multiple sitcoms that were popular during their decade. The episode, “Breaking the Fourth Wall” gave tribute to The Office through their opening credits, but the show’s format that was used the most was Modern Family, the ABC sitcom that ran from 2009 to 2020.
The acting and filming of the mockumentary was so uncanny, even if you’re not a fan of the 2010 series it wasn’t hard to pick up on the connection.
Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda) channeled Julie Bowen (Claire Dunphy) in the episode to a T. It was so on point, Bowen took to Instagram to praise the show.
Bowen wrote in an Instagram post, “One year to the day since we wrapped Modern Family, and tonight we were part of WandaVision. They’ve paid homage to I Love Lucy, Bewitched and The Brady Bunch among others…To see our show as a “classic” through the eyes of an incredibly innovative Marvel show left me speechless. (Trust me, and anyone who has worked with me, that’s hard to do.) @wandavision from the breaking of the 4th wall to the fabric on the couch…wow. What a great way to celebrate a bittersweet anniversary.”
WandaVision which aired on Fridays on Disney+ may be done for the season, but that just means if you haven’t watched this impressive and mind-blowing piece of work, it’s the perfect choice for your next binge watch!