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WandaVision Episodes 5 & 6: Coming Back from Cancellation

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[Caution: This post contains spoilers for Episodes 5 & 6 of WandaVision.]

Grief is a strange thing.

Whenever we lose someone that we love, our feelings can fly all over the place. Misplaced anger, sadness, relief or even joy can come at us in waves without prompting. We can fight with ourselves in disbelief or simply crumble under the weight of our emotions. Because everyone grieves differently, these feelings can be scary, causing us to ask whether or not what we’re experiencing is normal (or even acceptable). 

But WandaVision has taken this to a whole other level.

For those who aren’t keeping up (and, seriously, why wouldn’t you be?), WandaVision follows the marital bliss of beloved Avengers Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany). Playing out through the lens of classic television sitcoms, everything seems right in the world for the couple until cracks begin to appear in the façade that point to something more sinister.

Since it began, the show has literally stormed the globe. (Current reports suggest it’s the #1 series in the world.) What began as a history lesson in television nostalgia has edged ever closer into true horror with a conspiracy angle that’s driving the story forward. All this has blended together into something truly magical that has drawn in new audiences while connecting with those already heavily invested in the MCU. Regardless of your previous interest in Marvel, WandaVision has all of us asking the same question right now…

What’s going on with Wanda?

The most recent episodes have really leaned into the fact that Wanda is heavily involved in the machinations of this world. Neighbours ask her if she wants them to ‘take it from the top’ when things don’t go as planned. She can clearly control elements such as time and repair what’s broken when needed. She’s even brought back her brother from the dead (even if he’s not who she remembers). For her, Westview is a safe space where she has ‘everything that she wanted’ (as she indicated in her brief appearance to the S.W.O.R.D. installation).

But it still seems entirely connected with Wanda’s grief.

In the last few episodes, the series has specifically referenced Vision and Pietro’s deaths (even throwing Ultron’s name into the mix). When confronted with questions about her reality, Wanda attempts to ‘roll the credits’ in an effort to skip to the end of the episode and ignore the conversation (to no avail). And, of course, the sixth episode saw Vision almost vaporized in a Truman Show-esque attempted ‘jailbreak’.

What has become clear though is that Wanda can’t seem to bring people back from the dead. After the death of their dog Sparky, Wanda is called out by Agnes and the twins to ‘fix it’ yet she says she doesn’t have the power to do so. Although her resurrected brother and, of course, Vision seem free to live within the Hex, Wanda seems powerless (as of right now) to be able to keep those she loves from dying.

Apparently, in the Hex, there are rules about death. 

Rules we don’t understand, but rules nonetheless.

In many ways, there’s a strange comfort around death in this way. Though our grief may plead with us to keep people alive, there’s also a sense of freedom that comes from being able to let them go. Although he’s thriving within Westview, Vision feels trapped. Neither Vision nor Wanda seems at peace with this arrangement, even though Wanda seems the most willing to try to maintain the pretense of marital bliss. The loss of a loved one is never an easy experience but, assuming that Wanda is running this show, she seems to have lost all sense of objectivity. If she can have her husband and brother back, she is determined to make it happen. (Admittedly, this is still unclear. While the series is leaning this direction, I’m not convinced this is entirely her decision.) 

But, by being unable (or unwilling) to process her own grief and release her loved ones from her fantasy world, I would argue that Wanda’s really the one in prison. While her time with Vision and Pietro may have been cut short—saving the world comes at a cost—it is the time that she did have with them that matters most.

Like Wanda, we cannot control life and death… but we can celebrate the people in our lives when we have them.

Though the MCU has never hinted (officially) at any belief in an afterlife or specific faith, what seems clear is that Vision is being prevented from taking those next steps by being held on to by his beloved. In the same way, Wanda seems to have become a victim of her own marital façade. For her, hope appears to be deeply connected to her ability to release those she loves from her will by accepting the truth that they have already gone. Like any great series, there comes a time when the show needs to be cancelled. Though she cannot bear the thought of life without them, neither can she keep them alive by forcing them to stay in her fantasy world. In fact, this  release may be the greatest act of love that she can offer them (or herself).

When she does, maybe then the healing can begin.

Maybe then she (and they) can truly be free.

The first six episodes of WandaVision are currently streaming on Disney+ with new episodes airing each Friday.

Good Trouble and Bad Trouble

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Sometimes what is going on around us colors what we see when we watch a film. For example, today (I’m writing on January 6, 2021) I chose to watch the wonderful documentary John Lewis: Good Trouble. Part way through, my wife came out and told me to turn on the news, where a seditious mob was occupying the US Capitol. When I resumed the film, the seeming parallels were striking, but in reality, these stories diverge radically.

John Lewis, Baptist minister, civil rights leader, long time Congressman, spent his life in support of liberty. He was beaten on the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma. He was a Freedom Rider, beaten by the Klan in North Carolina. He took part in lunch counter sit-ins in Nashville. He was arrested over 40 times. His main focus in the civil rights movement was voting rights—the ability of all people to be able to vote freely. He understood the power of protest. He was also a strong believer in non-violence. He worked to make the world a better place for all people. His mantra when speaking to groups was that they should get in trouble, “good trouble, necessary trouble”, to do what is right.

I would submit that what I saw on the news today was really quite different from the kind of “good trouble” that John Lewis advocated. The protesters today claim they are there because the election was rigged, and they have been goaded on by the lies of President Trump. They are not being non-violent. They are doing damage. They are injuring others. Whereas John Lewis sought to bring light into the world, this group only brings darkness. Even after they have been denounced by members of both political parties, they continue their mayhem.

When the film I watched showed the events in Selma or other protests Lewis was involved in, the only violence was that which police or mobs used against the marchers. The Selma March was just that—people walking together along the side of the road. In sit-ins, the protesters did not do damage. They didn’t break the store windows or lunch counter equipment. They just asked to be served. (Lewis asked for a hamburger and a Coke.) Lewis and the others in the movement did not attack the institutions of government; they just asked to be able to transform government through the ballot.

Lewis understood what he was doing was a battle for the soul of America. The images on the news today make it very clear that that battle—which is as spiritual as it is political, continues. John Lewis was an optimist. (I think one had to have optimism to fight for Civil Rights.) His final message in the film, spoken directly to the camera, was “We will create the beloved community. We will redeem the soul of America. There may be some setbacks, some delays, but as a nation and a people we will get there. And I still believe we shall overcome.”

Photos courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

Baseball in the Time of COVID – A Fan Considers the Season

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So, a bizarre sixty game baseball season is about to start. It will be played with no one in the stands. There will be no sunflower seeds because there will be no spitting. No one will high five a teammate who just hit a grand slam. Managers will have to yell at umpires from six feet away (while wearing a mask). NL teams will have a DH. In extra innings teams start with a runner on second base.

But there will be baseball!

Before I go on, I should point out that I am an ardent baseball fan. Last year, I splurged on a twenty game package for Dodgers games. That allowed me into the stadium an hour earlier than plebian ticket holders so I could watch the Dodgers take batting practice. I did that a few times. I have played fantasy baseball for decades. When I go to a game, I keep score, because if I’m ever present for a super-rarity (e.g., a perfect game, hitting for the cycle, or unassisted triple play), I want a record of it. I love the rhythm of the game (what many people find boring). It is the perfect summer sport because you can relax as you watch it. Sure, it has its times of tension, but they are spaced throughout the game. I say all that to let you know that this all means something to me. (I won’t go into theologizing about baseball—that’s just too easy.)

My view for 20 games last year.

I have to say I have mixed feelings about this season. I can understand the owners and players wanting to get some sort of season in. For many that is a financial reason, but it also speaks to their competitive mindset. But I’m speaking as a fan. I could make the argument that baseball should close shop for the year. Sixty games seems like nothing when you think of the normal 162 game season. But at the same time, as a fan, I’m anxious to watch some games on TV (maybe even on my phone if I have to). Let’s face it, it’s been a hard year. We need something to take our minds off all the bad stuff.

At the beginning of World War II, there was talk of shutting down baseball. Some of the best player had already enlisted to fight. There were more important things for able-bodied men to be doing than shagging flies or turning double plays. But, in his ‘Green Light Letter’ to Kenesaw Mountain Landis (the Federal judge who served as Commissioner of Baseball), the President said:

“I honestly feel that it would be best for the country to keep baseball going. There will be fewer people unemployed and everybody will work longer hours and hard than ever before. And that means they ought to have a chance for recreation and for taking their minds off their work even more than before.”

FDR’s letter to Judge Landis

Of course, the employment part of this is reversed in our pandemic setting. Instead, we have been through times when parks and restaurants have been closed; movie theaters are still closed; we have hair that makes us look like hippies; we get excited about a trip to the hardware store. We also need “a chance for recreation and for taking our minds off” our hardships. So, yes, the baseball season, such as it is, is a welcome diversion from the boredom and depression that the last few months have made seem normal.

Of course, there are also some problems. A sixty game season doesn’t really test the mettle of the teams. A hot streak could be all it takes to push into the playoffs. In a normal season, there are some players who have slow starts.

This year, that could mean a really bad season.

On the other hand, there are also players who fade as the season wears on. For them this could be their only shot at MVP. Does that threaten the legitimacy of the season and the eventual World Series champion?

Let’s look again at World War II. Some of the best players (Joe DiMaggio, Bob Feller, Ted Williams, Hank Greenberg) enlisted. As more and more men went to the war, the minor leagues dried up, making the pool of players even smaller. By 1945, Pete Gray roamed the outfield for the St. Louis Browns, finishing the season with a .218 batting average. He lost his right arm in an accident as a child. Speaking of the Browns (the epitome of haplessness), they won their only American League pennant in 1944. (Even after they became the Baltimore Orioles it would be more than 20 years before that happened again.) And World War II was also the reason for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (cf. the movie A League of Their Own). Yes, World War II brought some strange things to baseball, but that is one of the things I love about baseball—it creates wonderful lore. The COVID season will probably add to baseball’s delightful mythos.

But there is also a dark side to this baseball season. The players, coaches, umpires, and various stadium personnel are all placing themselves (and their families) at a certain level of risk. Some players have opted out of the season because of that risk. Others may contract the virus in the course of the season. They (or their families) could get sick. Even if they are asymptomatic, they will have to stay away from the team until they are clear (which requires two negative tests twenty-four hours apart). To try to mitigate these risks players will self-screen before they leave home and be screened again at the ballpark. They will be tested every other day. For the players this is good precautionary action.

But this level of testing does raise one of the big problems in how I view the season. The owners are paying for this testing and have even hired their own lab so that the results are done quickly. But where I live testing is not encouraged unless you have symptoms or have close contact with someone who is positive. And then, you may have to wait a week or more for the results. It smacks of privilege for the rich (and most of the ballplayers easily qualify as that). While many people who need testing have to wait in long lines and then wait several days for results, baseball players get to go to the front of the line. I’m not against the players getting tested. But it reflects some of the flaws in our society that have been exposed by the pandemic.

(I should temper this accusation of privilege with a recognition that many of these very well-paid athletes have been very generous in giving to help people who have been affected by the pandemic—both in and out of baseball. It’s worth noting that for all the debating between owners and players about pay while the season was on hold, that many of these people assume an obligation to care for others out of the wealth the game has generated for them.)

Yet, even though there are things about this season that should make us think twice about affirming the idea of the COVID season, as a fan I’m ready for the shout of “Play ball!” Let’s appreciate the stillness that baseball brings. Let’s enjoy the skills on display. Let’s be thankful that the players are willing to go through the testing and risk for us to enjoy their game. But let’s also push for the changes that are so needed in the real world.

Schitt’s Creek: Bloom Where You’re Planted

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One minute you are comfortable. You have all you need and then some. You have freedom to go anywhere, anytime, with anyone. Secure and confident in your situation, you spend your days enjoying unlimited opportunities. And then one day, government agents are at your door, confiscating furniture, jewelry, and you’re frantically trying to pack your wig collection and designer clothes before you lose them forever.

Ok, so maybe that hasn’t happened to you, but that’s the hilarious premise of Schitt’s Creek; the Canadian sitcom gem that is currently topping multiple “feel-good” viewing lists as the world finds itself in the midst of crisis that has forced entire countries into lockdowns. So actually in a way, many of us can understand the day-to-day “rug” being suddenly pulled out from under our feet. Just maybe not while wearing $850.00 pants.

Legendary comedic duo Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara star as Johnny and Moira Rose, whom, along with their children David and Alexis (Levy’s son Dan and newcomer Annie Murphy), lose everything built upon their video rental-store success due to a thieving business manager. As such, they are exiled to the tiny town of Schitt’s Creek – a “joke” of a birthday gift from Johnny to David that becomes their only means of survival…that and determined perseverance to ignore the reality of their situation. 

As of today, Schitt’s Creek is two episodes away of closing out its 6 season run, having only recently garnered the attention and notoriety it so richly deserves. What started as a seemingly superficial struggle from riches to rags has morphed into a deeply personal story of a family rediscovering who they are, and who they are meant to be. Dan Levy’s inaugural foray into writing and headlining is the stuff Hollywood dreams are made of; he brings decency and relatability that is often elusive in mainstream television, especially without the added perks of exuberant budgets. However, Schitt’s Creek has the good fortune of being filmed and directed on a network that doesn’t live and die by instant hits and quick buy-in. It has had time to take root and grow into something special and pretty universal – how to live life from moment to moment. 

It’s pretty impossible to sum up the first 5 seasons and I probably can’t really offer anything “new.” We see the Rose family slowly open up to their unexpected reality, with hilarious “relapses” into old expectations, like David trying to sell his clothes in season 1, or Moira’s extravagance for dehumidifiers and premier gowns in season 5. They never really stop being the Rose’s, but they uncover just how resilient and fortunate they are. David forms legitimate relationships for the first time in his life with best friend and motel-worker Stevie Budd (played by Emily Hampshire), and opens himself up to a real-life understanding of love with business-partner Patrick (played by Noah Reid). Alexis may always be a little superficial with random catch-phrases (“love that journey for me”), but she too learns to look beyond herself and her wants. And through it all, Johnny and Moira cling to one another as the one constant of their ever-changing life together. 

The show addresses topics such as sexuality, prejudice, small-town life, disappointment, anxiety, love, betrayal, and then some, with gentleness and humor and bravery. Dan Levy’s writing matures with each episode and character arc, to where even the “smaller” roles like that of café-owner Twyla (Dan’s sister Sarah) are just as integral to the story as the main characters. I don’t think there has yet to be a character or a scene that felt gratuitous or random. For me, everything and everyone comes together to build this story. I feel like it was written for a time such as this, when we all feel lost and unsure of our next steps, to show us how there is always a glimmer of laughter and light if we let go of what was, and open ourselves to the possibilities of what can be.  

Darrel’s Dozen 2020 – and some bonuses

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It’s time for me to put up my favorite movies of the last year. So here’s Darrel’s Dozen for 2019 (with a few bonuses at the end). This year I’ll only rank the top film; all the rest will be alphabetical. Links are to my reviews, unless noted.)

The #1 film for 2019 (according to me) is A Hidden Life. Terrence Malick uses his visually poetic storytelling to bring a story of deep faithfulness and commitment. He tells the story of Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian conscientious objector during World War II. It is also a beautiful love story of Franz and his wife Fani. Much of the narrative is taken from the letters they wrote back and forth while Franz was imprisoned. The story focuses on what it means to be faithful to God and stand up to evil. It’s three hours long, but well worth the time.

The rest of the best:

Amazing Grace. Footage of a 1972 two-night gospel concert by Aretha Franklin. The footage was unusable for decades, but now we get to see this marvelous entertainer as she returned to the roots of her talent. How good was the concert? How often do you get to see Mick Jagger rocking out in a church pew?

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (reviewed by Steve Norton). A cynical reporter is assigned to do a piece on Fred Rogers. It transforms his life. Based on a true story, it reminds us of the beauty we can find in other people and ourselves. While many people think this is a movie about Mr. Rogers, keep in mind that Tom Hanks is considered a supporting actor in this film.

The Biggest Little Farm (reviewed by J. Alan Sharrer). A documentary about a Hollywood couple who want to build a sustainable farm (and life). There are lots of  poblems along the way, but the results are uplifting. It is not just about growing food. It is about growing in harmony with the world around us.

By the Grace of God. A fictionalized version of a real-life scandal in the Catholic Church. A group of victims are not satisfied with the way the Bishop of Lyon has responded to issues of sexual abuse. They keep up the pressure until change is made. The real issue addressed in the film is how the institution, in seeking to protect itself, is really damaging itself.

Clemency. A prison warden who oversees executions must deal with the emotional and spiritual fallout of capital punishment. While she believes she is in control of her life, we see that in reality she is falling apart.

The Irishman (ScreenFish podcast). Martin Scorsese returns to the gangster genre with an epic story of a hitman, those he works for, and those he kills. It isn’t glamorous violence. It is the story of a man who has gained the wealth of the world, but loses his soul in the process.

Little Women. Greta Gerwig’s version of the Louisa May Alcott story of sisters and their journey to happiness. Although it is set in the eighteenth century, it has a very current feel for what it means to be a woman, especially a woman with ambitions beyond marriage. (Although it still affirms that as a way to happiness as well.)

Luce (reviewed by Julie Levac). It’s classified a thriller, but it’s a very thought-provoking one. It is about racial stereotyping from a very different perspective. A very intelligent black young man brings confusion to his black teacher and his white adoptive parents. Anger and violence is constantly just below the surface, but never truly erupts. But will it?

Parasite. Bong Joon-Ho’s exploration of the haves and have-nots in Korean culture. A mixture of comedy, tragedy, and horror, the film captured the Palme d’Or at Cannes. (That’s almost as good as making Darrel’s Dozen.)

Styx. The global immigration crisis becomes personal for a doctor on a solo sailing vacation. After a storm she discovers there is a stranded trawler filled with immigrants near her boat. She radios for help, but it never comes. How can she turn her back on dying people? How can the world?

Yesterday (reviewed by Steve Norton). A wonderfully enjoyable frolic in the music of the Beatles, but in a world in which the Beatles never happened.

And now for some bonus picks in special categories!

Something from a previous year that I just discovered this year: Dawson City: Frozen in Time. It’s a bit ironic that I didn’t see it when it came out because it’s a doc about the Yukon gold rush city that was the end of the line for movies in the early years of last century. Now they’ve found a treasure trove of unknown films. But it’s also about the life and trials of the gold rush days.

Best movie I hope you get a chance to see: Antigone (Canada’s official Oscar submission for Best International Feature Film). I give it this category because I saw this at AFI Fest, but as far as I can tell, it doesn’t have a theatrical release planned yet. It is an updated version of the Sophocles tragedy. An immigrant teenager hatches a plot to get her brother out of jail and ends up there herself. A story of the importance of family in difficult times.

Best TV binge of the year: Russian Doll. Think of it as an adult-only version of Groundhog Day. A young woman keeps dying and going back to a party, but each time there are minor changes. How does she break the cycle and move on with life (or death)?