‘Today, we will lie to you, and yet you will believe our little deceptions because human beings are easily fooled due to their limited understanding of the inner workings of the universe’- (Wandavision, 2021)

‘In sitcoms, as in life, we believe because we want to believe’ – (Jones, 1993, p.259)

Wandavision marks the beginning of Phase 4 in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s also Marvel Studios’ first venture into television. Originally, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was planned to be first, but due to the pandemic, Wandavision was ready first. It turns out this couldn’t have been more perfect, Wandavision being Marvel Studios’ debut on television parallels perfectly with the rise of television in the 1950s, an era where domestic sitcoms were hugely popular. The popularity of domestic sitcoms has endured decades, creating its own language and tropes along the way. Before we look at how these tropes have been used effectively in Wandavision, let’s look briefly at the beginning of the domestic sitcom.

Postwar America was a time of change, fear, and building of the American ideal. A combination of declining construction throughout the war and a steep rise in marriages after the war led to a housing crisis. The Housing Act of 1949 led to the mass produced suburbs, and The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 helped the newlyweds buy them. ‘By 1953 one out of five Americans lived in the suburbs, and the number kept growing. The burbs were growing at fifteen times the rates of the rest of the country’ (Jones, 1993, p.88)

Along with the rise of the suburbs came the rise of television. ‘Over the course of the 1950s, television was rapidly installed into American homes. National penetration rates for television rose from .02 percent in 1946 to 9 percent in 1950. After that, penetration rates inclined fairly steadily so that by 1955 about 65 percent of the nation’s homes had television’ (Spigel, 1992, p.32) The producers of television had to find a way to set the medium apart from other forms of entertainment, such as theatre and film. Television by nature was more personal, it actually held a place in the home, which is why it was the perfect place for the creation of the domestic sitcom, ‘the domestic sitcom appealed to viewers’ experiences in postwar America and, above all, their fascination with the new television medium’ (Spigel, 1992, p.180). The domestic sitcom was meant to reflect the ideal American life that was believed to be attainable in the suburbs, but they did so with a glossy veneer. On the outside looking in, like a young Wanda, they may be seen as an example of an easy, peaceful, happy life, to others they are nostalgia. For some people, the veneer gives them an eerie quality that lends itself very well to their use in Wandavision. Despite being written 30 years ago, the following assessment of old sitcoms could easily be read as a description of the world Wanda has created

‘For some viewers […] they are strangely seductive horrors, which deny reality as they pretend to engage with it, which offer an image of secular paradise that could just as easily be viewed as hell. They are ingenious, complex, self-contradictory labyrinths with bafflingly bland, casual surfaces. They are the products of profound national confusion masquerading as confidence’ (Jones, 1993, p.10)

The sitcom format is most obviously used in Wandavision to convey how Wanda is struggling with grief. She has created this sitcom world because they have been a form of comfort for her throughout her life, they also portray the family ideal that she feels has been taken from her. The sitcom format has also been cleverly and subtlety used in other ways throughout the show. I want to look at each episode focusing on their titles, influences, and also the sitcom tropes that were used to further the overall story.

Episode 1: Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience

In order to cut costs, many production companies chose to swap out their studio audience for a laugh track. One show that stuck with their studio audience was I Love Lucy (1951-1957) believing that it created a more spontaneous atmosphere for the viewers. Another show notable for using a studio audience is The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961- 1966) which is the main inspiration for episode 1. This episode of Wandavision was also filmed in front of a studio audience itself.

Sitcoms of the 1950s encouraged people to create their own bubble in the suburbs and forget about postwar fears, wrapping themselves in the safety of domesticity. The gender roles were clear, men went to work and women took care of the home, miscommunication of simple situations would usually lead to problems and the comedy would follow. Due to early sitcoms stars coming from a vaudeville background, physical comedy was a big part of the performances in these shows.

The boss coming over for dinner was a common storyline for the time, as we see in Wandavision it’s a storyline that lends itself well to domestic situations going awry. However, what’s not so common is the sense of a serious threat that happens at this dinner party. Up to this point the episode has played out like a standard sitcom, but this changes when Vision’s boss begins choking, his wife looks to Wanda repeatedly exclaiming “stop it” in a tone that’s full of fearful laughter. The cinematography in this moment changes completely and begins to resemble another classic television show, The Twilight Zone (1959-1964). Instead of flat wide shots, we see shadowy close ups conveying the confusion, pain, and fear that we will later find out has actually been underneath this veneer the whole time. We see more of these Twilight Zone moments in other episodes, they are used to remind us that everything it not as it seems. We soon find ourselves back in the sitcom world where everything is resolved and it seems like dinner couldn’t have gone better. I want to go into more detail on aspect ratio later, but for now it’s worth pointing out the change of aspect ratio at the beginning and end of this episode. As soon as the the Marvel introduction finishes we move to a 4:3 ratio, standard for the 1950s time period, as the episode ends we move back out of this ratio to see somebody else is watching the show, somebody who exists in a 2:40:1 world.

An important character that I haven’t mentioned yet is that of Agnes. The neighbour character is one of the longest running tropes in sitcom history, always ready with advice, comic relief, or plot exposition. It’s typical for these characters to become well loved by viewers and Agnes is no exception.

Episode 2: Don’t Touch That Dial

Before the days of remote controllers there was a dial on television sets to change the channel. Hence came the phrase “Don’t touch that dial” usually followed with “we’ll be right back after these commercial messages”. Episode 1 and 2 were actually released with no titles, so it wouldn’t be too far a stretch to suggest that this title isn’t just an old television reference. Perhaps it is also a message to the viewers who were seemingly losing patience with the slow pace and sitcom format of these early episodes.

The 1960s saw a growing interest in science and space travel, this was reflected in the sitcoms of the time as a new genre of sitcom was born, the fantastical sitcom. Whilst these new shows stayed fairly true to their predecessors, they were almost parodying the domesticity by adding a fantastical element. Shows of this kind included, The Jetsons (1962-1963), The Munsters (1964-1966),and Bewitched (1964-1972).

For the most part this episode continues in the same vein as the first, except this time the main inspiration is quite fittingly Bewitched. This inspiration is perfectly emulated in the animated title sequence with maybe the catchiest of all the Wandavision theme tunes.

Episode 3: Now in Colour

In the mid 1960s television moved to colour and shows like Bewitched made the change from black and white, similarly to what happens at the end of episode 2.

In the 1970s divorce rates were on the rise and this was reflected in the sitcoms of the time. Non-traditional families were beginning to be shown on screen, such as the main inspiration for this episode, The Brady Bunch (1969-1974). Although they aren’t a blended family like The Brady Bunch, a Witch and a Synthezoid having children, definitely comes under the non-traditional umbrella.

Due to the significance of Billy and Tommy in the comic books, and what that could mean for the MCU, Wanda’s pregnancy is a very important plot point. Pregnancy also has a long and complicated history in the context of sitcoms, not only on screen but off screen too. The most famous example of pregnant sitcoms stars is Lucille Ball in I Love Lucy. Ball was six months pregnant when she filmed the pilot episode, something that is mainly hidden under large coats, much like Wanda uses. Ball’s next pregnancy was actually written into the show, something Ball had to fight for but even then the word pregnant wasn’t allowed to be used on the show. The episode where Lucy shared the news is called, ‘Lucy is enceinte’, enceinte being the French word for pregnant. Another notable hidden sitcom pregnancy, especially in regards to Wandavision is Julie Bowen. Bowen was 8 months pregnant with twins when she filmed the pilot for Modern Family. In this instance her pregnancy was hidden by having the character of Claire carrying numerous household objects, most memorably a laundry basket. Wanda practices a similar trick to hide her pregnancy from Monica, instead opting for a fruit bowl.

Previously I mentioned that I want to talk more about the use of aspect ratio, and episode 4 has the most detailed example of this. In episode 3 we see Monica land in a field outside of the hex, but we don’t actually see what happened until the next episode. The majority of episode 4 is shot in a 2:40:1 aspect ratio which is what’s traditionally used in the MCU. This is used as a signifier for the audience to understand what is reality and what is Wanda’s creation. In this episode we see Darcy and Agent Woo re-watching the end of episode 3 as there was a glitch in the transmission when Monica disappeared. They are called away by an alarm ringing but the camera remains on the paused image of Wanda that’s on their screen. The camera begins to zoom into this image and the aspect ratio changes to 4:3. However, the aspect ratio immediately begins to change into 2:40:1 again, showing us that Wanda is functioning in reality right now. This happens as Monica mentions Pietro being killed by Ultron and Wanda throws her out of the hex. In this framing we also see Vision voicing concern about their lives in Westview, and a flash of the reality of his appearance. As Wanda tells him she has “everything under control” he forces a smile on his face and the aspect ratio begins to change back to 4:3. Wanda is ending the episode comfortably back in her sitcom world.

Episode 5: On a Very Special Episode…

In the 1980s ‘special episodes’ were a staple of television, the term was used as a warning to viewers that the episode would be covering a difficult or upsetting topic. What this can be related to in the context of Wandavision is the lesson of dealing with grief. This is something that Wanda tries to teach Billy and Tommy when their dog dies, but also something Wanda is trying to deal with herself. The main inspiration of this episode is Family Ties (1982-1987) which had many special episodes. Probably the most famous of these episodes is, ‘Say Uncle’ in which Uncle Ned comes to visit and it becomes clear that he has an alcohol addiction. The reason this episode remains popular now is because Uncle Ned was played by Tom Hanks. Wandavision uses this episode to introduce its own Uncle character, bringing with it two more tropes. Firstly, the fun uncle, and secondly recasting. Many sitcoms recast characters, Bewitched even recast Samantha’s husband, but it’s fair to say that no sitcom recasting caused quite the stir that Pietro did in Wandavision.

Cable television in the 1980s led to the rise of re-runs, a trend in which sitcoms prevailed. Aware of the money that could be made down the road, the longevity of a show was considered during the making of it. This meant it was safer to stay more generalised and less revolutionary than some of the 1970s sitcoms, for this reason there was a revival of the family sitcom. However, they didn’t completely revert back to their older counterparts, the dysfunctional family was now welcomed on television and we began to see real problems and real family conflicts. That said, all issues were of course resolved by the end of the episode in true sitcom fashion. This is reflected in episode 5 when we see the first heated argument between Wanda and Vision. In order to avoid the argument Wanda even begins to roll the credits, because if the credits are rolling then everything must be fine. Unfortunately for Wanda, Vision is getting tired of the sitcom farce and doesn’t play by its rules.

Another trope used in this episode is the ageing of the twins . Not all sitcom children have the ability to ‘age up’ like Billy and Tommy do but that doesn’t stop producers from doing it themselves. Sometimes children on television age quickly/are recast, because the story the show wants to tell relies on them being older. This is true of Wandavision just on a grander scale, we start episode 1 with no children and end episode 5 with 10 year olds.

Episode 6: All-new Halloween Spooktacular

The inspiration for this episode is Malcolm in the Middle (2000-2006). We have moved to a single camera format, no laughtrack, and more dynamic cinematography, which Malcolm in the Middle was known for. The main sitcom trope of this episode is simply the Halloween theme itself. Traditionally the television season would begin in autumn, so Halloween specials became a staple of most 1990s/2000s television shows. They were often standout episodes and eagerly anticipated by viewers. In Wandavision, Halloween is the perfect excuse to dress the whole family in costumes resembling their comic book counterparts. The evolution of twins’ powers is also perfectly suited to the Halloween special.

Episode 7: Breaking the Fourth Wall

The 2000s/2010s was all about the mockumentary format. These shows took the traditional sitcom and brought it into the realm of reality television, a genre that was beginning to boom at the time. An integral part of reality television is the ‘talking heads’ voicing their opinions on the events unfolding. This also became part of mockumentary sitcoms where the characters would break the fourth wall and talk to the camera. This was seen in shows such as The Office US (2005-2013), Parks and Recreation (2009-2015), and the main inspiration for this episode, Modern Family (2009-2020). The mockumentary sitcom also introduced a more realistic, and often chaotic, dynamic to them, the glossy sitcom veneer had faded. This is exactly where Wanda is now too, she’s struggling and we begin to see the stress that keeping everything under control is doing to her.

This is the last episode to follow the sitcom format and if finishes by giving us one last trope, the spin-off. A huge trend in sitcoms is for a popular secondary character to end up receiving their own show. Maude (1972-1978), The Jeffersons (1975-1985), and Frasier (1993-2004) are all popular in their own right, but their characters began life on other shows. If Wandavision was a real sitcom it would be inevitable that a character with Agnes/Agatha’s popularity would receive the spin off treatment. In this instance the spin off concept is used to reveal a plot twist, granted one that most viewers were expecting, but welcome nonetheless. Especially with The Munsters (1964-1966) inspired theme tune that became and instant hit.

When Wandavision first premiered, despite enjoying the novelty of it, some viewers questioned what the significance of the sitcom format was, especially as it was being executed in so much detail. By breaking it down into classic tropes we see that the storytelling language used in sitcoms is also perfect for telling the story in Wandavision. This is made even more perfect by the forced schedule change that made it the first television show from Marvel Studios. Talking to The Wrap, Kevin Feige described the show as ‘a bold declaration of new storytelling medium- which is what television is for us at Marvel Studios’. This is similar to what the sitcoms emulated in Wandavision were during the rise of television.

References

Spigel, L. (1992). Make room for TV : television and the family ideal in postwar America. Chicago Univ. Of Chicago Press.

Jones, G., 1993. Honey, I’m home!. New York: St. Martin’s Press.

TheWrap. (2021). Inside Marvel Boss Kevin Feige’s 2021 Content Blitz – in Theaters and Streaming. [online] Available at: https://www.thewrap.com/marvel-2021-comeback-tour-kevin-feige/ [Accessed 22 Mar. 2021].

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