If you’ve ever used your favorite situation comedies as sweet escape from life’s miseries (we’re looking at you, all-night Office binger), then you have a friend in Wanda Maximoff. Hiding from trauma in the simple pleasures of old comedy friends, WandaVision tweaks classic sitcom tropes while slowly revealing the horror lurking behind the laughs.
The subtext is dark, but its view of television comedy is anything but, celebrating sitcoms’ ability to deliver a comforting, er, vision of everyday life when actual everyday life fails to deliver the goods. From its gleeful theme song parodies to delightfully hodgepodge set designs, WandaVision is an Easter egg hunt for comedy nerds. Hey, there’s a Dick Van Dyke Show reference! I get it, that’s Malcolm in the Middle! Happy hunting.