This is Episode 16: Processing Grief in WandaVision
Topics of Discussion
How do we process grief? My own therapist once discussed with me the idea that we always move through it in a linear fashion.
WandaVision to me is filled with an attempt by an all-powerful being, Wanda, trying to deal with unacceptable.
Gianna Amato, in an article Wanda Vision: An Analysis of Trauma and Grief notes that:
“In the end, WandaVision is about healing and moving on from these traumas with hope for what the future has to offer.”
DENIAL
- “We see Wanda [in denial] specifically in the first two episodes which are heavily influenced by the shows I Love Lucy, Bewitched, Dick Van Dyke, I Dream of Jeannie, and The Twilight Zone, (Salem).
ANGER
- “Life has been cruel to Wanda…The [of Westview] people whom she has unintentionally taken prisoner in her town see her, once again, as a villain…
- There is a specific scene in episode seven where Monica says to her, “don’t let [Hayward] make you the villain” to which Wanda replies, “maybe I already am,” (‘Breaking the Fourth Wall’).”
BARGAINING
- “On a Very Special Episode…” “Wanda tells boys “I am trying to tell you that there are rules in life, okay? We can’t rush aging just because it’s convenient. And we can’t reverse death. No matter how sad it makes us. Okay? Some things are forever.”
- This is Wanda speaking “indirectly because she knows deep down that what she is doing in Westview is just a bandage over her wound.”
DEPRESSION
- “Wanda expresses her depressive state by not getting dressed, taking care of her hair, staying in bed all day, and neglecting her children.
- She also shows apathy toward everything in her life, including Westview itself.”
ACCEPTANCE
- “During the penultimate episode of WandaVision, Wanda finally begins to embark on her journey of acceptance, the last stage of grief. In the final act of the story, Wanda travels through her mind and looks back on scarring, unforgettable memories that have shaped her as a person in a therapy-style type of way.
- She also finds out that there is a name for what she is: The “Scarlet Witch”.
- This comic book title reveal is a powerful parallel for Wanda’s self-discovery as this is the first time she is able to put together the intricate puzzle that is her past and is referred to by this name.
- With all of this new information about her identity and life experiences, Wanda is finally able to come to terms with all that she has done and been through.
- Despite having to say goodbye to her family, Wanda doesn’t give up hope that one day they might see each other again because “what is grief, if not love persevering,” (‘Previously On…’).
Premise of Discussion
In what ways does WandaVision serve as a means of better understanding the ways people process grief or does it?
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