I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist a boob joke.
Anyways… let’s talk TV! Now, I used to write for various websites and one of my biggest fields of interest, if you will, was television. It ranged from Game of Thrones previews to Saturday Night Live recaps and pretty much everything in-between. TV was my life. Every week of Arrow? I was there. I then would spend the next few hours making gifs of Stephen Amell’s abs for an episode recap. Never a complaint.
Then, I went back to school.
Outside of a few shows, Schitt’s Creek and RuPaul’s Drag Race mainly, I didn’t watch much TV at all. But now I’m working a regular 40 hours a week and TV has returned!
Of course, when you take such a long hiatus, first you need to catch up. Which is exactly what I’ve done lately. The Americans, The Good Place, The Man in the High Castle, How To Get Away With Murder. Could not ask for four more different shows, but oh boy were they all enjoyable. I mean, did Shonda go full Shonda with HTGAWM? Absolutely! Did I revel in every single ridiculous moment? You bet your ass.
Grace and I could not have more differing interests and TV is right at top of that list. While I could not give a rat’s ass about The Office, she panicked when it was announced it was leaving Netflix and Santa ended up bringing her the boxset at Christmas. I love me a thriller of any sort. Grace would rather take a hot bath with a bunch of frogs. But have no fear, common ground has been found.
WandaVision, wan wandavision!
I’m not going to call this newest offering from Disney+ perfection, but damn if it isn’t close. Don’t know that much about the MCU? Yea, you’re going to miss some little tidbits and Easter eggs, but the story is still enjoyable enough and throughout the series there are plenty of flashbacks to fill in the gaps. Even if you don’t care the slightest about superheroes, there’s still plenty to appreciate.
In no particular order (and warning, if you haven’t watched there might be some spoiler-ish content):
- Kathryn Hahn.
Let’s be real. Kathryn Hahn could be every entry in this list. I mean, what the hell, the New Yorker wrote an article about her, she had the number 1 song on iTunes, and you can’t escape her at the moment. Between Twitter and TikTok, the social media world is full of Kathryn Hahn, and I don’t think anyone is complaining. If the last time you saw Kathryn Hahn was in my baby sister’s likely all time favorite move, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, it’s worth catching up with what she’s been up to. If for no other reason than her fantastic role in Parks and Recreation, my now second favorite version of her villainous side.
2. Metaphysics, Alternate Universes, Mysterious Strangers, Oh MY!
When your favorite show of all time is Fringe, the moment the mere hint of an alternate universe appears, you immediately are on board, 1000%. And WandaVision is full of them, or at the very least, the suggestion of them. Grace and I may not fight about much, but I’d be lying if there wasn’t a knock down drag out concerning Evan Peters. Hoo boy, that got heated. I was right, for the record.
Even if it’s not a true alternate universe, you do feel as if you’re walking through a few. With the setup of the show being through sitcoms, you get the sense that each new episode is going to bring about a new reality. Combined with people showing up unannounced, the aforementioned Evan Peters of course, and superhero fights devolving into somewhat deep metaphysical/philosophical theories, there truly is something for everyone.
3. THE MUSIC
When the show starts, you’re immediately drawn in with the different themes to WandaVision’s television show. As I’m sure every other person that’s taken music theory their freshman year of college, the tritone jumped out almost immediately. Of course scrolling through TikTok, I came across this guy and he nails it.
But of course the riff on classic television themes didn’t stop with just the actual theme itself. Nope, it went all the way to our villain reveal, the incredibly catchy, and chart topping hit, Agatha All Along, that is quite reminiscent of the main theme for The Munsters. It’s somewhat hard to believe that the songwriters behind Frozen‘s Let It Go could write something even more earwormy, but they did just that. Just as I belt along with Idina Menzel in the car on the regular, I can see myself still in five years humming this little ditty as I go about my day.
4. Ooohhh, the Costumes
Y’all. If Kat Dennings did not walk out of wardrobe after a fitting for episode 7 and do a victory dance, then I’d be shocked as hell. Because that costume was amazing. Obviously a show based on superheroes is going to have the standard fare with spandex and capes and all that jazz. But a green peplum suit with red embroidery? Yes, please.
Of course in a show that riffs off many classic sitcoms, the costuming department had a whole host of opportunity to explore the looks of American television spanning the decades. And oh boy did they ever. The tea length skirt, the cigarette pants, the bellbottoms! And that’s just the ladies. The men each had their own time appropriate looks as well, including a fabulous cardigan worn by Vision in episode 2. And of course it goes without saying, the superhero costume is alive and well. Like modern takes on classic costumes? They’ve got it. Revisit the costumes you remember from a few years back? Of course! All this and more is just waiting for you!
5. The Premise Itself
Despite being a DC person myself, I’ve watched all offerings from the MCU. Everything from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to Captain Marvel (numerous times) and I have to say, WandaVision might actually be my favorite one to date. That might change when Ms. Marvel premieres later this year, but right now, it’s firmly at the top of the list. The idea of using classic (although I should go find any one of the I’m sure multiple articles I wrote bitching about Modern Family and now laugh at myself calling it a classic) sitcoms as a plot device really works for the show and Wanda’s backstory. It served as a fabulous way to draw people in and when it didn’t immediately explain as to why the hell Elizabeth Olsen was dressed like Donna Reed, viewers the internet wide were left with the things they love best – speculation, intrigue, theories, and no doubt the creation of flow charts that Charlie himself would be proud of.
While I want more WandaVision as much as the next person, I do like this idea of using a limited series to bridge the gaps between movies. There’s more time to explore different storylines, give more backstory, and really just focus on a character and their universe and how it relates to the MCU as a whole that is quite refreshing.
Now I’m just waiting for DC to follow suit and finally give Booster Gold the show he so rightly deserves with the news that Blue Beetle is getting his own movie. It’s really the right thing to do.
So that’s what we’ve been watching this month! A very rare common ground between two very different wives and their very different viewing habits. Stay tuned to next time when we find a dark corner of Netflix that is home to our next joint TV show!
If you haven’t, you really should check out WandaVision, all episodes are available now on Disney+.
Bredson Family 