Wanda. Maximoff. Wow this show surpassed my expectations, in the MCU I feel like there’s been 3 distinct, fully realised character arcs: Iron Man, Captain America and Black Widow but I’m happy to add Scarlett Witch to that list.
Wandavision is truly a tale of grief, loss and suffering and how we decide to deal with those emotions, looking at the idea that if we had the power to rid these feelings would we and should we? Wanda’s journey through the MCU is tragic and I think it took this show to really see how sad and traumatic her story has been.
Setting the show with the backdrop of sitcoms that usually wrap up perfectly showcasing the “perfect family” was genius but to relate it to Wanda’s childhood was an ingenious touch. In these settings we get the comedy of the classic sitcoms but it also allows for us to be aware and look for the faults in Wanda’s world as she begins to break down the world does to.
The true power of this show is the details. The incredible production design perfectly recreating each sitcom style, watching some behind the scenes things you truly see the attention to detail in costumes, sets and the colouring. The beautiful cinematography and camera work, one thing I noticed in the early episodes is they were mainly shot with static camera like sitcoms from the 50s and 60s until Wanda broke and then the camera would become more dynamic and free to move, getting close-ups of the characters, just another smart small detail that added to the show massively.
The music and sound design in the show was fantastic, using a motif in Agatha’s theme song and hiding it in every theme song in the show was simply incredible. Plus not to mention a lot of those songs were actual tunes. As a project this is some of the smartest directing and writing there has been in the MCU, perfectly crafting a show that was fun to watch but had a true darkness to it, is a testament to the writing team. Episode 8 was especially well written with the line “What is grief if not love persevering?” being a perfect summation of the show and also a truly heartbreaking line.
The show would not be what is was though without the cast, Kathryn Hahn and Paul Bettany were delightful along with Teyonah Parris, Kat Dennings and Randall Park but the true standout of her own show was Elizabeth Olsen. The performance she gave in the show was nothing short of perfect, you could feel the grief and pain behind every persona of Wanda she took on. The longing for her to be happy and simply settle down with a family but deep down knowing that can’t happen, I was captivated by her performance. Not to mention the way she completely transformed into the different sitcom styles of acting, it was truly a tour de force and I can’t wait to see what’s next for Wanda.
I could go on and on about the show, it’s oozing with style and substance, Fiege and all the talented minds at Marvel know what they’re doing and I can’t wait for more of this type of content from them.
★★★★1/2
Check out the video essay I wrote on the genius of this show below.
