After a decade of telling stories in episodes, Marvel made actual TV episodes

The TV show that signals its ambition by comparing itself to a blockbuster movie is an old metaphor. WandaVision, The new limited edition Disney + series that marks a major turning point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its intricate relationship to the small screen is its latest employ. Actor Tiona Paris said, “I was like, ‘Oh, I thought we’re doing a little show.'” Entertainment Weekly in that November cover story The highlight of the production. “But no, it’s six Marvel movies full of their sitcom.”

Under typical conditions, this would be a measurement Frustrating, Be sure to gain the attention of critics who are tired of explaining that “X-hour movie” is not a compliment that most creators seem to think it is. Beyond the implied disclaimer, there is the fact that the distinction between movies and TV shows is on the verge of collapsing, rendering the comparisons nearly meaningless. The same platforms often distribute both, including Disney +; Every year brings more like mind games Steve McQueen Small axAnd the Which has aspects of each category without strictly falling into either of them. You can only see a lot of iterations of The Hateful Eight: the short series Before you raise your hands in case of defeat.

In case WandaVisionAnd the Everything breaks the brain a little. The show takes place, of course, in the MCU run by Disney, which was co-TV with: A. Husband From Measures On ABC; a Quadruple A Netflix show that takes place in New York after the first climax battle The Avengers. But WandaVision It is the first show under the creative control of Marvel Studios, an elite swarm led by producer Kevin Feige who transformed a series of IP picture books into a highly profitable constellation of intertwined stories – a structure that borrow heavily from TV planner. What does it mean for a TV show to be like a movie when the TV show stars characters from movies, which are serialized and written collectively like a TV show, and when the TV show itself prepares a subsequent movie? (Feige He said events WandaVision It will directly affect the plot of land Strange doctor in the multiverse of insanity, Scheduled to be launched in 2022.)

Luckily , WandaVision Well suited for such tongue-over-twisters. A show is a TV about TV, or at least committed to reproducing the aesthetics of old TV in thorough detail as it takes time to unveil an even bigger mystery. In the critics’ three episodes, two of them landed on Disney + last Friday. WandaVision It takes the form of local comedy series from the 1950s and 1960s I love Lucy or fascinated The 1970s family introduced à la The Timden; These bogus shows only happen to A-star European delicate supercomputer and witch. It also helps that WandaVision is being Intended You get a little dizzy. Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) don’t know why they lived in a generic simulation known only as Westville, how they got there, or how the vision came to life after they died twice in Infinity warOr even he’s supposed to die. They experience their adventures the moment they come, and that’s also how to deal with this latest expansion of the MCU, so you don’t get a headache.

Directed by Game of thrones“ Matt Shacman, featured by Captain MarvelJack Schaeffer, which originated from a concept by Feige, WandaVision It represents the official crossing point where the MCU can no longer be distinguished from its satellites. Both ABC and Netflix were distinctly separate from the main franchise – showcasing broadcasts in clear budget constraints, and streaming ones in their dark and gritty aesthetics, a clear counterpoint to the MCU’s Technicolor board and PG-13 ratings. WandaVisionAnd the Also, it has a unique look and feel in the larger Marvel ecosystem. But in the character, the story, and most of all, the production value, the message is clear: This is a sideways stretch, not a step down.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, WandaVision Even alternatives to Marvel movies instead of just complementing them. After the pandemic threw theatrical releases into disarray, Disney put the Marvel movie on The entire 2020 list is snowboarding, Including the highly anticipated Black Widow; It’s now more than a full calendar year since fans got a fully validated update from Feige to the main narration he wove from a mixed pile of strings. WandaVision It even has a jump in other series like Disney + Falcon and Winter SoldierAnd the The show was originally intended to start the television branch of the so-called fourth phase WandaVision Which lead list will include soon Loki, Anthology series What if…?And the HookAnd the Mrs. Marvel, At least Another half a dozen.

For her account, WandaVision It doesn’t feel like connective tissue, at least to start. Compared to Marvel’s other flirtation with the genre, in fact, she’s impressively committed. The MCU has always been fond of hyperbolic comparisons like “Captain America and the Winter Soldier he is A plot story from the 1970s“or”Ant-Man he is Theft movie. “In fact, these effects often appear more as a faint aftertaste than a complete reverence. Thanks to all the great powers, WandaVision It can never go wrong with the actual reboot of The Dick Van Dyck Show. But it does include these elements other than just a press release: The first two episodes were shot in black and white in front of a live studio audience, using retro effects like rewrap of the completely shattered painting. The third switches the gears, featuring sideboards and side panels.

WandaVision Television is similar in at least one major aspect: its classes are separate and distinct, if not completely separate. Schaeffer and the writers borrow and espouse classic notions such as “the boss and his wife come to have dinner” (Fred Melamed and Debra Jo Rob, the latest actors to collect Marvel’s checks) or “A pregnant woman gives birth in seconds.” The show isn’t a single, extended story that’s arbitrarily chopped into parts, but a bunch of readable parts – not unlike the MCU, but without having to pay $ 20 to see the aforementioned pieces in theater every few months. Episodic storytelling on TV is where the MCU got the idea of ​​how to translate sitcoms to screen in the first place, which makes WandaVision Perfect content.

This isolation begins to crumble as the streak continues; Wanda and Vision cannot stay anywhere tightly closed – whichever one is in it forever. The entire show is based on the viewer’s understanding of who the title characters are in the first place when they actually come with complex backgrounds; Vision, for example, is a complex of two pre-existing characters who are powered by MacGuffin. The character of Paris is known as “Geraldine” in the show within the show, but we already know that it’s the adult version of Monica Rimbaud, who was first introduced as a kid in the ’90s set. Captain Marvel.

When names like Ultron and Pietro Maximoff start to appear, WandaVision It loses some of the weirdness that makes it an interesting, if episodic, introduction to the Disney + era in the MCU. But these special names also serve their intended purpose: to legitimize both WandaVision And the service that broadcasts it. just us The Mandalorian Now in Upper class From star Wars The universe, blessed by the emergence of the franchise’s first family, WandaVision Not a turn off for the MCU. It’s a transition – you must subscribe to it to stay updated.