WandaVision and the Theatre of the Absurd 

You missed the fact that Westview New Jersey is the home town for the creator of the Addams Family, the king of American Sitcom Absurdism.

I'm all for Marvel taking risks with their themes, approaches, directors and characters. While the classic "black-and-white, good-and-evil" storyline is enjoyable in its own right, having morally gray characters and plots make us look inward to ourselves. Pop culture can be an escape as well as a mirror.

As an eastern european person I find this narrative utterly realistic. I also escape from the harsh reality with sitcoms quite often.

The trauma isn't tied to Vision as much as it's tied to her life as a whole. Vision was a stand-in for the only thing left of her life.

Not just absurd, but weird fiction. Underrated genre.

I believe Josh Brolin has even said in interviews that playing Thanos was like being in the Theatre of the Absurd. But he was also describing walking around in a suit covered in balls.

The scene where Wanda is a happy kid and her family is all happy, but there is war happening literally outside the window, is the most Disney thing to ever Disney.

as a big fan of "Legion" - i was delighted to experience that surreal-all-over-the-place vibe

I hope the MCU sticks with the WandaVision, and the Falcon and Winter Soldier, route of exploring the absurd and trauma. Embrace more chaos.

Thanos: "I don't even know who you are" was my favorite line in that entire franchise. Because I had only seen half of the Marvel movies and genuinely had no clue who she was in that scene either hahahah

I'm excited to expand on the Ralph Boehner Cinematic Universe with meta cameo characters played by Sir Patrick Stewart or Tobey Maguire named Hugh G. Rection and Mike Hunt

Just rawatched Wandavision and think it still holds up. Think it was a great addition to the marvel universe. This was a great video about it

Really like the idea of an MCU that explores a world of grey rather than back and white I’ve never been a huge fan of superhero movies because I always found they painted the world too black and white with good guys who could do no wrong and bad guys that were inherently evil. That’s why age of Ultron is my fave Marvel movie...

Barron Zemo and the Flagsmashers really cross the line of "good/bad". I really like where MCU has gone. Moral ambiguity is a great way to make movies about Gods have gravity.

What's scary is I know Disney is going to turn the MCU into this non stop assemble line turn out of shows and movies but the quality is so good that I know I will watch every bit of it!

I figured it was a manifestation of her grief. She was promised an American dream and instead she's grieving for not just her whole family but also her future. She had stolen moments with Vision but still trusted there could be a future with him. Specifically the slice of American life she was promised as a child by TV. But then in the first episode lists off things they don't have, anniversary, a song, a marriage. All the little moments of normality everyone else got in sitcoms. It's sweet and very sitcom but also tragic. They'll never have an anniversary, they'll never have a song, they'll never have wedding rings. Even though they come up with some, it's all an illusion, she's never going to have that with the man she's loved and lost. That she keeps on creating a life with him, this otherwise quiet normal life that shows who she is and what she wants when she's not busy with all the robot fights. She just wants what other people have. Build a normal life and raise some children. That I found incredibly tragic. In the comics it's not clear sailing but in the MCU she has no family. Comic Wanda has her brother, a sister, her father, sure she's lost people but she still has an extended family. In the MCU she's utterly alone and what she really wants is a new family. And not just any family but children that mirror her and her brother. Her perfect world wouldn't have an only child but would of course have a set of twins. But that was me. The immigrant experience through the lens of distorted American culture manifested in a cruel theatre of the absurd that forces everyone to experience her grief while she hides from it. With some fighting robots.

Thor and Wanda has the same experience of grief and loss.

I wish I could make my own hex because life sucks and i wish i could escape into my own cartoon reality

Absolutely adore wandavision! Loved how much research went into the sitcom aspect.

as a guy who also grew up on sitcoms but always felt that disconnect since problems in real life don't resolve themselves in 20 minutes or even a day I felt that the show explored that dichotomy quite wonderfully if you ask me along with the unhealthy side of nostalgia

I'm super happy they explored something deeper here and didn't bail at the last second, and did it intelligently and creatively. This was my absolute favorite modern Marvel work, where the rest are mostly just 'ok' for a lot of reasons said in this video. Hoping they can keep this level of care and thought as they go forward

Ralph Bonner's casting in this series really put me deep into fan theories. I'm sure this was an intentional red herring but as much as I am disappointed it was not a hint to the X-MEN/MCU crossover multiverse, I am still happy to have Evan Peters tip-toe into the MCU.

It would've been crazy if Wanda riffed Seinfeld or It's Always Sunny. "Worlds are colliding!! Wanda's gettin' upset!"

It was a great show that represents some things in the US today. Someone with influence imposing their worldview in a rural town with imagery “when things were great” while forming a bubble and when not lost in their world try to ignore things going on outside of their bubble. Reality slips in and she needs to deal with it while people wake up and ultimately hate her

I mean, FAWS/CAAWS definitely explored some similar themes so, hopefully they'll continue this. It's really interesting.

Have you watched Legion? That was a show that got absurdity SO RIGHT. It's beautiful.

funny: This video is about dealing with loss and grief, But the sponsor is about not dealing with loss :D Keeps is keeping yourself in denial ;)

Love your videos. They feel so aducating and fun at the same time.

I kind of wished they dragged out the mysteries longer, just a couple episodes in and they spoil it all. Still a better backstory dump than what I can remember from Ultron. I love how her mental state progresses with each decade as well as how sitcoms were treated at that time. Light hearted escapeism > a little more depth and interact with more people > trying to allow changes but still safe > tackle harsher subjects (but stubbles to admit this is all escapism) > a bit more edgy centering on the boys and recast Quicksilver > just full breakdown on being real while also fictional, even bringing in Modern Family interview cut aways Theater of Absurd sounds like arthouse junk, trying to have a point by having characters act unnatural but trying to make some point. It's one thing where a comedy show has characters that just accept *absurd concepts and get into silly mischief, it could work as a play where the characters don't act perfectly human but can still enjoy it. But it sounds like an art house movie my english college teacher showed us where it takes analysis to get what's going on rather than layers of enjoyment and then realizing it's demonstrating how we're all acting. Very fun and would like more diversions from the Marvel movie formula or experiment with different styles. Keep giving Guardians of the Galaxy their pass to do whatever but would like more strange ideas and perhaps heroes that don't know what they should be doing. Villains should still be in the wrong but more Thanos logic or something that sounds good on the first few think throughs. Would rather not see a Spiderman movie through the view point of Rhino where Perter Parker is the villain, it'd be strange and different but probably awkward.

Short but really good video. Nicely done Wisecrack. Bravo ;)

the fact is reality is even more absurd

THIS is the take I've been looking for. I cannot get enough analysis of this show, how it touches on shockingly deep and dark themes for Disney and truly did the character justice. I performed Waiting for Godot back as a freshman long before I dove headfirst into surrealism and the absurd, so happy to see it still brought up today.

I swear you guys take the media that I already love and make me love it even more

Um, actually, he's a synthazoid, not a robot. Boy I sure hope someone at wisecrack got fired over THAT blunder!

One of the best Wisecrack videos I’ve seen in a while.

WandaVision kinda reminds me of the animated Justice League episode where a deformed telepath recreated and controlled a world where his favorite heroes The Justice Guild of America exist in a 50s setting and trapped the Justice League in that world.

I think you guys should do a video about Netflix's Yasuke. It comes off like random anime nonsense but it actually says a lot about multiculturalism and how it can be abused to maintain the status quo.

You're definitely onto something Wisecrack. The Falcon and Winter Soldier is this same moral dilemma in a nutshell. The Flag Smashers actually have a message that we the audience aren't supposed to say “that's evil”. Sam's arc is about accepting the mistakes of his country and question following an ideology that leans close to Fascism, dismantling the Hero symbolism tied to country. Sam becomes a Hero still, but he learns from the FS and paints the World Powers as being closer to villains. I think we will see much more of this in the coming era.

I read something interesting about what MCU will be doing in the future is that they may be causing a distrust between the people and the heroes. Spiderman was framed in Far from Home, Wanda essentially holding a town hostage and what John Walker did as captain America could be setting up people distrusting heroes which could be setting up discrimination against mutants when the x-men inevitably show up

So close to 3 mil!!!

Same sensible pattern ... the blockbuster movies are the tentpoles, upon which the overarching plot hangs and from which it advances. The "side" projects explore the fallout, side effects, of that high-level action, and present "smaller" perspectives.

Just watched The Promised Neverland and I think theres some really good material for exploration! Would love to see a video on it - thank you for all that you do

Insightful!

Somewhere in the MCU's unpublished works is an obscure little comic book called Bohner Boy.

Cool video!

This was a great examination of some of these interesting themes the MCU is delving into! I for one am on board, I don't like cookie-cutter super-hero fare, ask some more meaningful questions on the human experience, it makes stories better!

It'd certainly make for better story for the M.C.U. to explore more gray area, how things can be twisted and framed. I'm loving phase four for this!

When I first watched WV my Netflix was accidently switched to German but because I'd heard it was a bit weird I thought it was just how it was supposed to be and the "joke" would be revealed at any moment, it took me 10 minutes to think to check the settings...

"It's not black and white, it's all shades of grey" Yeah, that's the kind of thing people will thing I'm clever for saying

I enjoyed this take on WandaVision. Its simply amazing on how many levels this show expressed it self. MCU narratives really make you think through some stuff....

Another television period for Marvel's list of superheroes starts with a high-idea salute to exemplary sitcoms?

In a way, Wanda embodies that moral grey area even as she comes into her own as "The Scarlet Witch", a fully-fledged costumed superbeing. While she abandoned villainy to become an Avenger, her ascension into her comic-book identity ironically cements her as something other than heroic, a character who is deeply sympathetic but also incredibly dangerous. She has inflicted massive trauma on countless people, but is not an intrinsically bad person. This seems to be a trend with these MCU shows, of transformative origin stories leading to the creation of anti-heroes. It began with Wanda, continued with John Walker, and is now surely set to carry on with Loki! It's becoming a trademark of the new storytelling model, something which isn't as easy to attain with the standard movie format. I applaud them taking advantage of it!

So many genres in one show!

Hey guys so I’m just rewatching Antz by Dreamworks. And I believe you guys should think about doing a “Philosophy behind” or “Deep or Dumb” take on it. The movie deals with more than just individualism vs collectivism. The rabbit whole goes as far as purpose of life. Easy enough for a kid to engage in and with enough substance for an adult to stay engaged.

This show was a welcomed departure of the MCU formula. I cried so much. I wonder if they're going to delve into the Wanda and XMen storyline in the future.

Hey Wisecrack please do Stowaway!

I really like where the MCU is headed. I’ve always been a fan since Iron Man 1. In fact, it was a tradition for my birthday to watch the new MCU movie for my birthday but I always held them at a “lower tier” than my favorite movies which are typically smaller stories and often art house-y. However, starting somewhere around Cap Am: Civil War and Black Panther where I started feeling like the movies had a sense of a purpose, I enjoy them more. imo through some ups and downs from that point, the movies have only gotten better with the amount of nuance involved. You CAN have all the comic book fan-service and huge CGI fight scenes along with real fkn characters and a discussion evoking message.

Do a "The Philosophy of The Expanse". I really love that show and it has some pretty cool ideas

"Things are about to get really weird" -Julie Louis Dreyfus as Val. That wasn't some throw away line in a wrap up of FatWS, that was a direct message to the audience. Buckle up, because Wandavision and FatWS are just the beginning of what's going to be a wild ride.

Just wanted to say HOPE EVERYONE IS HAVING A FANTASTIC DAY! *(before a billion comments appear)* Love you all!

It would be nice if Wise crack made a video regarding " To your eternity" anime once the first season is complete. I feel like " To your Eternity" has some deep thing hidden behind ( I have read up to chapter 139 manga)

In sitcoms, you get the "Happy Ending" It's all she wanted

But what is grief if not love persevering... Hands down Best line in the marvel cinematic universe

Any chance of some more books v film episodes? Maybe Trainspotting, Persepolis, Misery or Catch-22 (just examples I pulled from top of my head)

I couldn't put my finger on why I loved this show so much, but now it makes sense! Absurdism really resonates with me.

I felt what you were saying for the majority of the show, but the Agatha thing kinda brought back the dichotomy.

maybe the real sitcom was the friends we made along the way

How is it I had now noticed this when I had just read Three Top Hats before watching the show!

I actually had to prepare a theme for an exposition in college and did it in Waiting For Godot from Becket. I like this video too much for bringing up absurdism.

I would argue that "Kiki's Delivery Service," "Flying Witch," or "Izetta: The Last Witch" holds a more prominent position ^^

When you mentioned the blurry line between hero and villain, I instantly thought of FATWS. That’s basically what that show is about.

Take example, that ad was from his heart

Hi there! If you accept requests to discuss shows, I would love to see this channel's take on Infinity Train! All 4 books in one, or as 4 different videos, they'd both work! Book 2 in particular could easily tackle the concept of individuality, for obvious reasons (to people who watched it already). Plus that show deserves some love! :)

My audience as a creator is mostly just one person too. Still worth it.

I hope so

Not first

I loved the sitcom aspect it was so fun and unique and it was a great addition thats why i dont like the finale, it felt like a forced marvel formula that was bland and broke away from the absurd rather than embrace it

I want to see a Kakegurui analysis - either a vanilla format, or Deep or Dumb!

It woul've been so much informative to viewers if you had used Marcuse and the Frankfurt School to analyse that program.

Costumed kick-assery!

Yeah that’s te idea, dah! Next video

I am not a big fan of sitcoms but that reference to Malcolm in the Middle was awesome. I watched from ep. 4 or 5.

Wisecrack: Sitcoms are Absurd Albert Camus: What isn’t ?

yes

I really loved how they played the morality on TFATWS

Yes, however, the Theatre of the Absurd now only results in a conclusion for the audience like unto the end of the Bucket of Truth episode of the "Upright Citizens Brigade".

Theatre of the absurd wasn’t the first to think up that idea

I believe the MCU as a studio can and should take more risks in its form and presentation. Essentially, given how the pandemic has affected society’s future less and less certain, the MCU’s entries in phase 4 suggests a similar mindset.

I'm wondering if Rosencrantz and Guilderstern are dead might have been an influence

In some respects, WandaVision’s theater of the absurd is an inverse of the 1966 Batman show. What was Adam West’s Batman if not an absurdist patriarchal sitcom figure who knew everything and had a utility belt tool to resolve any problem?

Please do Invincible when the first season is over!

One thing annoying with that Sokovian part (which I assume stood for ex-Yugoslavia/ex-URSS) was how the kids would be pining to watch some obsolete American sitcoms instead of bootleg Disney copies (or the pretty great Soviet ones). (Also the time inconsistency with Malcolm and the DVD player instead of a VHS one.) But I guess that Disney couldn't go *all in* : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-djsfIj03jDk.html

I was kind of turned off by the series when, in the last episode the townspeople just asked her to kill them. It was a fun little twin peaks like show up to that point

She didn't consciously choose to make her own universe, it was a traumatic subconscious reaction that she was fully and then partially unaware of through the series.

Do a Brouto video please.

Infinity war, Civil War, Black Panther have all shown sympathetic villians and heroes that are fallible. They have already introduced the gray world way before WandaVision. Heck Iron Man 1 and Thor 1 were all about showing how these "heroes" are not that great and need to learn a lesson or two before they can be considered heroes. TV shows are just making the messaging more blatantly obvious.

Do "The Expanse" next!

I wouldn't characterize ANY part of the MCU as "moral absolutism." That going too far in the other direction from relativism. The closest they came to that was Captain America: The First Avenger, and that was due to the movie being a throwback to older war pictures from the 1940s, which were usually very blunt.

MCU has to evolve or it will get boring stale. And the timing is perfect because the real world just went through a pandemic that changed our whole way of life similar to the Thanos snap. Kind of spooky.

Wait? I can’t remember wisecrack is analyzing MCU? Unless analyzing the disney... interesting