A look at the inspirations behind the decades of “Wandavision”
As the clock counts down to the grand finale of “Wandavision,” we can take a look back at all the decades we visited throughout the season with two of our favorite Avengers.
*”Wandavision” Spoilers Ahead*
1950s: The first episode kicks off seeing “The Newlywed Couple” moving into the town of Westview, New Jersey. We meet the couple as they try to blend in and meet their new neighbors. This episode brings inspiration in from some classic sitcoms like “The dink Van Dyke Show” and “I Love Lucy.” Shot entirely in black and white with the traditional 4:3 aspect ratio, it lets you feel as if you are watching one of your favorite classics again.
1960s: The next episode brings us to the era of memorable theme songs from cheery sitcoms and comedies. The 1960s sitcom “Bewitched” served as the inspiration for this era’s theme song. Wanda and Vision work together to try and fit in by joining the town’s talent show by doing a magic act. Chaos ensues with the potential of blowing their cover. The episode pays homage to the transition from black and white television to color by showing the scenery around them changing as they transition into the next era.
1970s: “Now in Color”, episode 3 of “Wandavision” pays homage to some of the most iconic 70s sitcoms. After finding out she was pregnant, Wanda and Vision have to figure out how to navigate their lives as new parents. Finding inspiration from shows like “The Brady Bunch” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” this episode felt like the the traditional family sitcoms that everyone used to enjoy.
1980s: The era with some of the most iconic sitcoms comes and meets Wanda and Vision. We now see the characters growing together as a family, with twins Billy and Tommy Maximoff growing at a very fast rate. Towards the end of the episode, the family gets a special visitor. Some noticeable inspirations comes from “Family Ties,” “Growing Pains,” and “Full House” in this episode’s theme song. From the outfits to the new 2:40 aspect ratio, we are slowly starting to reach the most modern eras of television.
1990s: Episode 6 draws heavily from one show in particular-“Malcom in the Middle.” In this special Halloween episode, Wanda and Vision dress up (in their comic book accurate costumes) along with Uncle Pietro, Billy and Tommy. Vision starts noticing that things aren’t as they seem and starts investigating. “Malcom in the Middle” is noted for its Halloween episodes, so this falls perfectly on brand for “Wandavision.”
2000s: As we move to modern day television, we follow the characters in the style of a “mock-umentary.” As the events unfold throughout the episode, the characters talk to the camera about what their personal thoughts are that are occuring throughout the episode. Episode 7 takes inspiration from newer shows like “Modern Family” and “The Office,” two shows that also followed the same style. This episodes theme song was styled very much like “The Office” with the title card matching the same print as “Modern Family.”
Honorable mention: Also in the same 2000’s styled episode, we learn that the neighbor Agnes, isn’t really who she seemed to be. At the end of the episode, she reveled herself to be the witch Agatha Harkness and was also given her own styled theme song. Agatha’s theme drew from some of the “darker” TV sitcoms like “The Addams Family” and “The Munsters.”