And now back to our regularly scheduled programming. After two long years in the Marvel Cinematic Universe desert, since Avengers: Endgame and its postscript Spider-Man: Far from Home, Marvel's mightiest are back on the air. For the first MCU series on Disney Plus, we have WandaVision, a TV show that is very much about TV shows and what the medium means to us. The comfy-cozy sitcom rhythm of the show, as Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch and Paul Bettany's Vision make-believe they're on the sets of The Dick Van Dyke Show or Family Ties, is interrupted by unsettling reminders of where we left these characters. Wanda was grieving--because Vision was dead. What's going on here? Don't change that channel, because Paul, Arlo, and special guest Michael Holland--currently post-production supervisor on The Afterparty--discuss how showrunner Jac Schaeffer and director Matt Shakman channel grief, capture the nostalgic spirit of old TV, weaponize fan expectations, and more.

NEXT: we'll be back, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.

BREAKDOWN

00:00:50 - Intro / Guest

00:05:53 - WandaVision

01:51:39 - Outro / Next

LINKS

• Michael's Blog - Holland Imaginarium
• How the 'WandaVision' Creator Brought Her Vision (and Wanda's) to Life by Dave Itzkoff, The New York Times
• 'WandaVision' Creator on That Ending, Wanda Criticism, and Why Paul Bettany Is Allowed to Troll by Liz Shannon Miller, Collider
• 'WandaVision': Let's Break Down What Those Commercials Reveal About the Show's Mystery by Tom Reimann, Collider
• 'WandaVision': MCU Easter Eggs You Might Have Missed by Allie Gemmell, Collider

MUSIC

• "A Newlywed Couple" by Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, WandaVision (2021)
• "Agatha All Along (feat. Kathryn Hahn)" by Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, WandaVision (2021)

GOBBLEDYCARES

• Support Black Lives Matter and find anti-racism resources: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
• Help teachers and classrooms in need: https://www.donorschoose.org/
• Do your part to remove the burden of medical debt for individuals, families, and veterans: https://ripmedicaldebt.org/
• Register to vote: https://vote.gov/