{"id":191597,"date":"2021-03-01T22:00:44","date_gmt":"2021-03-01T19:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/its-all-connected-film\/"},"modified":"2021-03-01T22:00:44","modified_gmt":"2021-03-01T19:00:44","slug":"its-all-connected-film","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/its-all-connected-film\/","title":{"rendered":"#It&#8217;s All Connected \u2013 \/Film"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2e28c09795c\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2e28c09795c\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/its-all-connected-film\/#Defining_Our_Terms\" >Defining Our Terms<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/its-all-connected-film\/#Its_All_Connected%E2%80%A6_But_Did_It_Have_To_Be\" >It\u2019s All Connected\u2026 But Did It Have To Be?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/its-all-connected-film\/#Looking_Back_and_Moving_Forward\" >Looking Back and Moving Forward<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#It&#8217;s All Connected \u2013 \/Film<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-660009 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/d13ezvd6yrslxm.cloudfront.net\/wp\/wp-content\/images\/wandavision-mandalorian-combo-700x300.jpg\" alt=\"WandaVision and the Mandalorian\" width=\"700\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d13ezvd6yrslxm.cloudfront.net\/wp\/wp-content\/images\/wandavision-mandalorian-combo.jpg 700w, https:\/\/d13ezvd6yrslxm.cloudfront.net\/wp\/wp-content\/images\/wandavision-mandalorian-combo-360x154.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>(Welcome to\u00a0<strong>The Soapbox<\/strong>, the space where we get loud, feisty, political, and opinionated about anything and everything.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This post contains <\/span><b>spoilers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for <\/span><em><b>The Mandalorian<\/b><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the latest episode of <\/span><em><b>WandaVision<\/b><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For better or worse, the debuts of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Mandalorian<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WandaVision<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on Disney+ within just 14 months of each other represent something of a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>-changer in this Streaming Era. Amid so many different shows all competing for the same spotlight in a post-<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Game of Thrones<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> vacuum, here comes the unstoppable might of Disney\u2019s<em> Star Wars<\/em> and Marvel brands to break through the clutter of our current \u201c<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/tv\/tv-features\/decade-of-peak-tv-2010s-essay-sepinwall-911531\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Peak TV<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d reality. Achieving pop culture relevance as these two shows have is no small feat, to be sure, but it\u2019s even more notable to do so while expanding from dominating cinemas to taking over our living rooms on a weekly basis.<\/span><br \/>\n<!-- SlashFilm_300x250_In_Post --><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because of these factors, it\u2019s difficult to compartmentalize one smash-hit <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> from the other \u2013 as divergent as their goals and intentions may be \u2013 when evaluating the ripple effect they both will have (and have already had) on the trajectory of their respective franchises\u2026 and most significantly, on how we as viewers engage with them. Weirdly enough, the stories of a lone bounty hunter looking after his orphan sidekick and a grief-stricken superhero cocooning herself in a television fantasy have become a bellwether for studying the volatile dynamic between pop culture entertainment and audiences on a large scale.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nowhere is this more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>arent than in the many eerie similarities between these two shows: from misplaced complaints about \u201cfiller episodes\u201d throughout both seasons of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Mandalorian<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the first few episodes of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WandaVision<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, to their gradual prioritization of shared universe connections over self-contained narratives.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Defining_Our_Terms\"><\/span><strong>Defining Our Terms<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ah yes, the dreaded \u201cfiller episode\u201d accusation. Increasingly, it appears that modern fandom takes a fickle \u201c<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/I_know_it_when_I_see_it\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You know it when you see it<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d approach to judging entertainment by this standard. Nobody seems entirely sure of its precise meaning, but <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">boy<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> does <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social media<\/a> light up with angry mentions of that phrase when convinced that a popular show has dared to commit such a time-wasting cardinal sin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">first three episodes<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WandaVision<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, for instance, are wholly committed to its genre trappings in a way the Marvel Cinematic Universe has rarely been before. But with only minimal hints as to what the overarching plot might be, impatient fans predictably lashed out (to the point that creator Jac Schaeffer actually had to <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/ustv\/a35351918\/wandavision-jac-schaeffer-show-too-slow-response\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">issue a public response<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), even though much of the show\u2019s appeal in the first place came from seeing how superheroes would fare as sitcom characters. <\/span><br \/>\n<!-- SlashFilm_300x250_In_Post_2 --><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meanwhile, Season 1 of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Mandalorian<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> features a number of \u201cadventure-of-the-week\u201d interludes in which the eponymous hero, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), faces a modest challenge and spends the subsequent runtime overcoming it (or not) before moving on to another standalone quest. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not all of it works as intended<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but it\u2019s also not a coincidence that an episode like \u201cThe Prisoner\u201d \u2013 directed by Rick Famuyiwa and practically a textbook example of so-called \u201cfiller\u201d \u2013 turns out to be the clear highlight of the season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But as with much of internet discourse these days, a fundamental misunderstanding of what constitutes \u201cfiller\u201d or not tends to muddy the waters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Addressing the same sort of criticisms resurfacing during Season 2 of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Mandalorian<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.themarysue.com\/defense-filler-episodes-unfairly-maligned\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Mary Sue<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> cites the TVTropes definition as \u201c\u2026entries in a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>ly continuous serial that are unrelated to the main plot, don\u2019t significantly alter the relations between the characters, and generally serve only to take up space.\u201d Though that might <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">feel<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> more or less accurate, writer Kimberly Terasaki rightfully points out that beloved episodes of any given show would also fall under the umbrella of this rather vague, derogatory description. The most obvious victims of this would be famed episodes of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Avatar: The Last Airbender<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but so too are ones like \u201c<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/sepinwall\/status\/1332791918460358656\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tricia Tanaka Is Dead<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d from <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lost<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Game of Thrones<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019 \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d, or even the highly-lauded (and Rian Johnson-directed) \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fly<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d from <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Breaking Bad<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Each of these three examples take noticeable detours from their respective main plots, add subtle character work that binge-watchers might easily overlook, and could conceivably be skipped entirely while only missing minor plot details\u2026 but any serious viewing experience would undoubtedly suffer for it in the long run.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the heart of this divisive topic, perhaps, is the misguided implication that any chapter of a series lacking in massive plot developments, twists, or expansion of lore simply <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">must<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> be an inherent pacing flaw or structural mistake on the part of the writers. From that perspective, \u201cfiller\u201d merely becomes a convenient talking point \u2013 a proxy for a viewer\u2019s deeper, harder-to-articulate discomfort with not getting what they wanted.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Part of this can be traced back to post-2000s television chasing the overtly serialized trend popularized by prestige shows like <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Sopranos<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Wire<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mad Men<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Breaking Bad<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, leaving younger audiences unaccustomed to the episodic storytelling that used to be the medium\u2019s forte. For instance, it\u2019s not hard to imagine newcomers to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Star Trek: The Next Generation<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> dismissing entire seasons as \u201cfiller\u201d for focusing on standalone adventures instead of furthering the <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PhilSzostak\/status\/1203191579504074752\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sporadic Borg plotline<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The fact that \u201cepisodic\u201d is generally conflated with \u201cfiller\u201d may be no more complicated a mystery than a generational divide.<\/span><br \/>\n<!-- SlashFilm_300x250_In_Post_3 --><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another likely culprit, however, could be the very franchises that <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Mandalorian<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WandaVision<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are but a small piece of. Look no further than the carbon copy instances of highly-anticipated cameos derailing how fans engage with these two shows \u2013 one involving two different Jedi, the other an overhyped \u201caerospace engineer\u201d (though with yet another is <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/cevangelista413\/status\/1363916870248779781\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">still to come<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">). Through years of emphasizing continuity-heavy spin-offs and crossovers, <em>Star Wars<\/em> and Marvel have successfully trained obsessive fans to <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BrandonDavisBD\/status\/1360337995182858248\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">expect outlandish cameos<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FilmClickbait\/status\/1362920159048912896\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">speculate wildly<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> despite very little evidence (textual or <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/krolljvar\/status\/1363336992319180800\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">otherwise<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) supporting these theories.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To a certain extent, both shows have fallen victim to their own hype. Some of this is innocent fun and not inherently wrong, mind you, but alarm bells should sound once these isolated conversations turn into the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">loudest<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> conversations. With <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Mandalorian<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> WandaVision<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, one can draw a straight line between the proliferation of \u201cfiller\u201d complaints and the most outspoken voices hijacking the overall discourse with ignorant demands.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Its_All_Connected%E2%80%A6_But_Did_It_Have_To_Be\"><\/span><strong>It\u2019s All Connected\u2026 But Did It <i>Have<\/i> To Be?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, no individual movie or show can be held fully responsible for outsized expectations stemming from connections to a larger ongoing franchise. But sometimes, just sometimes, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the show itself<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is the one directly feeding into this self-destructive mindset, undercutting its own ambitions for the sake of The Brand\u2122. Unfortunately, both <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Mandalorian<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WandaVision<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have fallen headlong into this same troubling trend, placing more weight on aspects that a cynic might ironically label as <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/io9.gizmodo.com\/our-fascination-with-canon-is-killing-the-way-we-value-1842590915\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">actual <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">filler<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s particularly disappointing in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Mandalorian<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Season 2, as creator Jon Favreau seemingly spent most of the first season figuring out the proper balance\u2026only to sacrifice the previously straightforward focus on Mando and Grogu in favor of a parade of bizarrely Marvel-esque guest stars and cameos. The otherwise lively premiere \u201cThe Marshal\u201d immediately makes it clear that Boba Fett\u2019s (Temuera Morrison) (re)appearance is inevitable and, within a few episodes, <em>Star Wars<\/em> truly goes full <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">#ItsAllConnected<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on us as Katee Sackhoff\u2019s Bo-Katan Kryze and Rosario Dawson\u2019s Ahsoka Tano make their leaps from the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rebels<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clone Wars<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> cartoons into live-action. As someone who has never watched those shows (and shouldn\u2019t be required to), it\u2019s not surprising that their appearances land with a resounding thud here.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To be clear, none of this would be so unsatisfying if only these extraneous characters adequately integrated themselves with Mando\u2019s journey (as, say, Bill Burr\u2019s Miggs Mayfield does in \u201cThe Believer\u201d, also written\/directed by Famuyiwa and also the best episode of the series by far), not constantly distracting from it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Compare how Bo-Katan\u2019s motivation revolves around <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moff Gideon\u2019s (Giancarlo Esposito) Darksaber<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (a plot device from an entirely different show that has nothing to do with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Mandalorian<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) with how Ahsoka insists she can\u2019t train Grogu because, as we find out, she\u2019s too busy hunting <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grand Admiral Thrawn<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (another character who, you guessed it, has nothing to do with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Mandalorian<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">). The pattern is fully established by the time Boba Fett\u2019s plot function loses steam in the finale, as it\u2019s plain he\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">not<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> there to add a single meaningful layer to Mandalorian culture or Din Djarin\u2019s arc, but to blatantly promote his <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">upcoming spin-off series<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. And let\u2019s not even get started on Luke Skywalker, a cameo so excessively intrusive that it undermines <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">three<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Mando-centric moments: the resolution of his confrontation with Gideon, his reluctant fight with Bo-Katan over the Darksaber, and his parting with Grogu.<\/span><br \/>\n<!-- SlashFilm_300x250_In_Post_4 --><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If lugging around dead weight from other parts of<em> Star Wars<\/em> lore with no real narrative justification for being there isn\u2019t egregious enough, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WandaVision<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> puts its own MCU-style stamp on the fourth episode.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Initially, to its credit, the show\u2019s sitcom premise initially appears to serve dual purposes: testing the boundaries of what genres these heroes can adapt to, and playfully acknowledging criticisms of the standard Marvel \u201cformula\u201d by making the shocking intrusions of far more standard MCU tropes an integral part of the text itself. Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) is as unhappy to see a SWORD drone-helicopter (and the typical Marvel storytelling mode that it implies) disrupting the reassuring safety of her heightened sitcom world as we are. Frustratingly, this couldn\u2019t be further from how <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WandaVision<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> unfolds in the aptly-named \u201cWe Interrupt This Program.\u201d Gone are the impeccable attention to period detail and loving homages to sitcoms of yore, replaced by a far more traditional MCU subplot involving rushed superhero origin stories, self-congratulatory metatextual humor, and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">no shortage of building blocks<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">future sequels<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In fact, the repercussions of this course-correction could\u2019ve extended to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WandaVision<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019s other major selling point: the fact that, due to Vision\u2019s (Paul Bettany) tragic death, it\u2019s ostensibly an exploration into a woman\u2019s grief. (There have been hints and feints towards a compelling immigrant metaphor as well, punctuated by \u201cPietro\u201d and Wanda\u2019s discussion of their anglicized accents in \u201cAll-New Halloween Spooktacular!\u201d However, crediting this as an intentional throughline instead of a happy accident would\u2019ve likely required leveraging her shared history with the actual Pietro, previously portrayed by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, not using Evan Peters\u2019 headline-grabbing iteration to play meta games about Disney owning Fox\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">X-Men<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> movies.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last week\u2019s episode, \u201cPreviously On,\u201d helped put to rest some concerns that since all indications suggest this is little more than just another MCU installment while exacerbating it in other ways, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of course<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> we shouldn\u2019t have wondered whether Wanda is solely responsible for her sitcom fantasy. Presuming it doesn\u2019t walk back the questionable (<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/wandavision\/status\/1363911433025556480\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">but admittedly delightful<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) reveal without denying Wanda\u2019s agency or her responsibility for the creation of Westview\u2019s fantasy world, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WandaVision<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> avoids becoming a watered-down show about how there\u2019s always an external threat waiting to manipulate superheroes <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/2021\/2\/19\/22291450\/wandavision-grief-mourning\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">while grief is only an incidental obstacle<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Instead, for really the first time all season, it reinforces<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> how survivors of trauma can withdraw into themselves and, in some ways, become the villain of their own story.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Granted, much of the information in this episode could and arguably should\u2019ve been doled out earlier in the series to clarify character motivations and, at times, it plays like an extended reel of MCU Greatest Hits references that dilutes some of the emotional hits. But for the most part, the penultimate chapter inspires confidence that the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WandaVision<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> conclusion will at least fare better than <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Mandalorian<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019s latest season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although we thankfully aren\u2019t done with Wanda\u2019s storyline hijinks just yet, the series has unmistakably shifted gears and now devotes far less time to its once-bold experimental approach with each passing episode. The format of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Mandalorian<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can\u2019t quite be considered as radical (relative to the genre, at least), but the end result is sadly the same. Having stumbled onto a formula for success early on, the gunslinger and the witch are ultimately let down by storytellers who themselves gave in to the conventional \u201cfiller\u201d mentality.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Looking_Back_and_Moving_Forward\"><\/span><strong>Looking Back and Moving Forward<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If any of this feels unnecessarily harsh towards two smash-hit shows with an undeniable pop culture impact, think of it more as a plea to raise the bar for how we talk about these sorts of watercooler events. At the end of the day, nobody can diminish the very tangible impact <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WandaVision<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Mandalorian<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have had on devoted fans and mainstream audiences alike. As a result, even their biggest defenders would agree they deserve better than to be reduced to little more than X-Men or Fantastic Four connections and fodder for spin-offs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So let\u2019s approach these stories with a deeper level of nuance \u2013 even on infamously nuance-less platforms like Twitter. What if terms like \u201cfiller\u201d are just too subjective and ill-defined to casually throw around as definitive takes on why an episode might feel lackluster? Maybe it\u2019s time we retired other commonly-used barbs like \u201coverrated\u201d or \u201cLet people enjoy things\u201d that say a lot without really <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">meaning<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> anything. Star Wars and superheroes \u2013 the closest modern artifacts we have to a universal, shared language \u2013 can, do, and should inspire a higher class of conversation surrounding them. Let\u2019s start here.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                            <strong>Cool Posts From Around the Web:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>                            <!-- \/post -->\n                        <\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social Media category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.slashfilm.com\/mandalorian-and-wandavision-problems\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#It&#8217;s All Connected \u2013 \/Film&#8221; (Welcome to\u00a0The Soapbox, the space where we get loud, feisty, political, and opinionated about anything and everything.) This post contains spoilers for The Mandalorian and the latest episode of WandaVision. For better or worse, the debuts of The Mandalorian and WandaVision on Disney+ within just 14 months of each other&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":191598,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/d13ezvd6yrslxm.cloudfront.net\/wp\/wp-content\/images\/wandavision-mandalorian-combo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[1568,1570,1418,26348,26110],"class_list":["post-191597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa","tag-featured-stories-sidebar","tag-features","tag-the-mandalorian","tag-the-soapbox","tag-wandavision"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=191597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191597\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/191598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=191597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=191597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=191597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}