The full list of TV inspirations for WandaVision could spoil its narrative. As Marvel Studios’ Disney+ show approaches its midpoint, its true narrative is also getting increasingly clear with episode 4 titled “We Interrupt This Programming,” the first time it featured the outside world. It revealed that Scarlet Witch did force Monica Rambeau aka. Geraldine out of the pocket reality, which could work for the best as SWORD can now have intel with regard to what’s really going on in Westview.
When WandaVision premiered, it’s nothing like any project that Marvel Studios has done before. It leaned fully on its sitcom inspirations, and it stayed that way for several more episodes. But while references to I Love Lucy, Bewitched, and The Brady Bunch were pretty straightforward, it has also dropped subtle clues that the blissful family life that the couple is living in Westview isn’t all that it seems. Given what’s established, WandaVision‘s future storytelling will continue to mine inspiration from more recent small-screen projects, but when asked to name them, its showrunner was reluctant to do so.
Jac Schaeffer has been busy doing the press rounds for WandaVision, and in a recent interview with Hindustan Times, she was asked if she can reveal the full list of show inspirations for WandaVision. She was hesitant, however, as naming all of them could reveal pivotal plot points.
“It’s a tricky question because I would love to do a deep dive but some of it would maybe be too revealing. I would say The Twilight Zone is an enormous influence on the show, Outer Limits, Amazing Stories, a lot of those shows that present one thing and it turns out to be something else, and with the social commentary. And Twilight Zone, especially, was so often in domestic spheres and then would always flip the script by the end.”
So those were very influential, and then there are so many prestige series right now that play with genre and play with the boundaries of what a TV show can be. I have been so just impressed and have so much admiration for these shows that, I don’t know, just throw the rules out the window. So those shows are really our contemporary influences on the episodes.”
While Schaeffer didn’t fully answer the question, the few shows she name-dropped is enough to give a solid idea of what to expect from the rest of WandaVision. The Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, and Amazing Stories all tackle stories that ultimately feature a twist toward the end. Considering all the bizarre things happening in Westview, these references make sense, although it’s curious if there are any particular episodes that they pulled from. Oftentimes, there’s also a moral learned at the end of those shows’ respective offerings, which could be what’s in store for the Marvel Studios series at its very end.
Aside from the shows Schaeffer mentioned, WandaVision will also be mining inspiration from more lighthearted sitcoms such as Family Ties, Roseanne, and Modern Family. These are more straightforward references as the Disney+ project mimic their look and feel, not so much their narrative. Whatever the case may be, Marvel Studios taking such a big swing for their Phase 4 could be an indication that they’re open to more creative storytelling formats which is a good thing after more than a decade of Infinity Saga.
Source: Hindustan Times
Originally from https://screenrant.com/wandavision-show-inspirations-spoilers-twilight-zone/