WandaVision Static: Sitcom Progression Is Perfectly Mirroring the Narrative Depth
**Spoilers for this week’s episode of WandaVision lie within. And I guess the 90s?**
This week’s WandaVision was, frankly, like every other in the sense that it tackled a sitcom of a new era. But the difference was that it felt so incredibly ’90s/’00s, and I loved returning to the shows of my youth. I’d say I am a younger fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but that’s not true. To the teens that love this franchise, I’m an elder, so who knows how they felt about the Malcolm in the Middle-inspired episode.
But let’s get into what made “All-New Halloween Spooktacular” great!
Growing up in the ’90s meant that our sitcoms ranged from Roseanne (which started in the late ’80s) to Friends and ushered in the era of family shows like Malcolm in the Middle. Gone were those sort of wholesome family dynamics, and we were gifted things that focused more on the teens than the home life. (Looking at you Boy Meets World.)
Obviously, there were exceptions to this, but for the most part, that’s how the ’90s differed from the Family Ties of the ’80s. (The closest was probably Family Matters, which ran throughout the ’90s.) So, heading into the ’90s/’00s episode of WandaVision, I was surprised by how at home I felt.
Kids of the ’90s knew all of the shows past because we had Nick at Nite showing us all of the episodes our older siblings and parents clung to, but it wasn’t really ours. But shows like Malcolm in the Middle (which was 2000-2006) were, so watching as Billy and Tommy navigated this episode with the energy of Frankie Muniz was a delightful addition to the series.
More than that, the ’90s/’00s-era sitcoms work better (in my opinion) for having these frank discussions about what’s going on with its characters. I know that Alex P. Keaton and Mike Seaver had their moments, but it was almost always a cheesy life-lesson in the ’80s. The 90s knew how to hit hard, really tackle weighty subject matter, and make you remember the lessons it was trying to teach you.
For WandaVision, it made Wanda start to be a bit more aware of what her manipulation was doing to the town of Westview. I don’t believe Wanda Maximoff is completely in control. We saw how much of Westview is frozen, and we started to see more of Hayward’s meddling in this entire situation. But I don’t think it’s going to turn out that Wanda is completely in the wrong.
Someone is there, pulling the strings, but she still clearly feels badly about what’s happening. She asks Pietro (Uncle Pete, to Billy and Tommy) if he thinks what she’s doing is wrong.
So she can clearly recognize that this isn’t the best move, and she knows that she should probably stop doing it, but as she’s admitted multiple times, she doesn’t know why it started or how. That information alone makes me think that Wanda isn’t fully in control of what’s going on.
But how does this fit best with the sitcoms of the ’90s/’00s? Because it doesn’t have that cheesy “awwww” moment when it’s said and done. The audience isn’t instantly forgiving her, and she’s not smiling away her problems, to never be addressed again. She’s talking it through, learning about herself and this situation, and starting to take a serious look at what she’s doing to Westview to cope.
It’s going to be interesting to see how WandaVision tackles the modern sitcom/mockumentary style because, much like what the ’90s/’00s gave us, there is an earnestness to them that still rings true, so … what else can Wanda learn about herself?
(image: Marvel Entertainment)
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