"We Just Don't Know What To Expect" WandaVision Isn't Just For Fans Of Comic Book Movies

Ok so listen, I am the first to admit that I am a decidedly big fan of superhero movies, specifically the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). I've seen all the movies and am emotionally invested in most, if not all, of the characters. So when it was first announced that WandaVision would be included in the lineup of new shows to be released on the then-new streaming service Disney+ I was obviously excited. But as the release date of the show got closer, and more and more trailers were coming out, I began to get excited for a whole other reason. That reason being the ways in which the show is paying homage to the sitcoms of the last 70 years.

So far, there are only three episodes out, with each one having paid an extensively detailed homage to the sitcoms of the first three decades of television. In classic Marvel fashion, the show is filled with easter eggs hinting at small details from the films and possible plot points, but what I'm finding to be even more entertaining are the number of easter eggs that are references to the shows that inspired WandaVision.

So quick context for those of you who, unlike me, have not dedicated far too much brain space to the MCU. The last time we saw Wanda Maximoff she was fighting Thanos in Avengers: Endgame (2019) and the last time we saw Vision, he was killed by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War (2018). Wanda and her twin brother Pietro were introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) after having been the test subjects of experiments designed to give them powers: magic and mind-manipulation for Wanda and super-speed for Pietro. Vision was also introduced in the same film as a "synthezoid" who gets his sentience and intelligence from the Mind Stone. It should also be noted that Kevin Feige, the executive producer of everything Marvel-related, was specifically inspired by the comic mini-series The Vision (2016) wherein Vision essentially creates a family for himself and moves out to the suburbs. I know this is a lot, but it's honestly the only necessary information needed before starting the show.

The first episode, "Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience" is packed to the gills with references to the defining sitcoms of the 1950s like I Love Lucy (1951-1957) and The Honeymooners (1955-1956), as well as the pretty standard plotline of the decade: the boss coming to dinner. But the references don't stop there. The set is reminiscent of the set in The D-ick Van D-yke Show (1961-1966) (I've had to do this here because otherwise his name is getting censored for some reason?), the nosy neighbour Agnes portrayed by Kathryn Hahn may seem like an overdone trope now but was something new in the 1950s. Everything from the sets, to the costumes, to the way the actors portray their characters, and even the special effects style used when Wanda makes everything in her kitchen float while she makes dinner is deeply reminiscent of the 1950s era of sitcoms.

But the similarities don't end there. The second episode, "Don't Touch That Dial" takes us into the 1960s. Right off the bat, the opening credits are a clear reference to the 1960s sitcom Bewitched (1964-1972) (they are also filled to the brim with references to the Marvel comics that even I, a self-proclaimed superhero fan didn't pick up on, but that's not the point right now). And the Bewitched references don't end there. Just like how the first episode's set was reminiscent of The D-ick Van D-yke Show (again, this is just the actor's name?), this episode's set has changed to be reminiscent of Bewitched. This episode also opens with Wanda and Vision sleeping in separate but parallel beds, which would have been in line with the standards and practices guidelines of the era. There is also a theme of colour seeping into the episode, with several red items making themselves known to Wanda in her otherwise black-and-white world; this all comes to a head when she turns the whole world to colour, mimicking the shift from black-and-white to colour that most shows of the 60s went through during their time on air.

Moving on to episode three, "Now in Colour" where plotwise, things are starting to get really weird (and even though that was what I wanted from the show, I still wasn't prepared); Wanda goes through a full nine-month pregnancy over the course of the 33-minute episode, and die-hard fans of the Maximoff twins will be happy to hear the first mention of her brother Pietro in six years since the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron. But honestly, that wasn't even the best part of this episode. For me, it was the indulgent use of bright, 70s colours (something that can be done now after Wanda shifted the world to colour), the opening credits inspired by The Brady Bunch (1969-1974) and The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1974), as well as the reference to the age-old sitcom trope of having pregnant actors hold large objects to cover up the fact that they're pregnant. In this case, it was Wanda holding a large fruit bowl to hide her pregnant belly from a neighbour, but all I could think about was whenever Alyson Hannigan and Cobie Smulders would hold boxes or carry large purses on How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014).

On top of that, the episode is still full of references to the sitcoms of the 1970s. Obviously, there are more references to what is probably the most famous sitcom of the era; The Brady Bunch. The set of this episode is modelled off the set from that show, and when Vision is using a doll to practise changing a diaper, it is a replication of Cindy Brady's Kitty Karry-all doll. Additionally, we are starting to see the falseness of the reality Wanda and Vision are in, but specifically in a way that fits within the construction of the sitcom world. This is best shown when their neighbour Herb is cutting through his cinderblock fence with a hedge trimmer (demonstrating that the fence is probably just wood panels made to look like cinderblocks), and later when Herb and Agnes are chatting over the fence and the grass is clearly just turf and the background (including the house next door) is just a painting on a backdrop. These two instances are so interesting to me both because they draw attention to the false reality Wanda and Vision are living in and because it is such a subtle homage to the aesthetic of the changing sitcom style of the 70s.

This week's upcoming episode will take us into the 1980s, which is probably going to be the most exciting one for me so far because I am obsessed with the fashion of the 80s and can't wait to see Kathryn Hahn in leg warmers. But going even further forwards I'm excited to see how the styles will change with the changing aesthetic of sitcoms over the years. Will the 90s lean more to a Friends (1994-2004) style? Or will it be a bit more of the family-style of Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005) now that Wanda and Vision have kids? When they enter the 2010s will it have the single-camera, mockumentary style of The Office (2005-2013) and Parks and Recreation (2009-2015)? Or will it sprinkle in bits of absurdity like 30 Rock (2006-2013)? (I'm thinking there will probably be some absurdity because that should be by episode 7 of the 9 and the plot will be unravelling by then) Whatever happens, I'm excited. I'm excited to see what happens in the show, and how the ever-evolving form of sitcoms is used to portray that. Not to mention that the show promises to bring back fan favourite characters Darcy Lewis and Jimmy Woo, portrayed by Kat Dennings and Randall Park respectively, both of whom are veterans of the sitcom form.

I cannot stress enough how much I think everyone should give this show a try. Sure it might be a little confusing if you're not particularly familiar with the MCU, but don't worry, that's what it wants. As long as you're willing to let yourself fall into the world of these historic sitcom references, you'll enjoy it.