WandaVision Writer Addresses Grief of Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff
Warning — This article contains spoilers for “Episode 8” of WandaVision.
As WandaVision is set to end in dramatic fashion during next week's season finale, "Episode 8" furthered the plot of the show while also giving more context to Wanda Maximoff's life up until this moment. In the first MCU Disney+ series' eighth installment, "Previously On" viewers got to relive some of Wanda's most tragic and impactful moments.
Two scenes crucial to her origin were presented, firstly being the day her house was bombed, both her parents died, and she and Pietro were lucky (maybe more than lucky) enough to survive. The other was when Wanda first interacted with the Time Stone, which up until this point was known as the sole reason for her abilities. WandaVision presented a new actuality, that Wanda had abilities or her powers were dormant and just needed the stone to activate them.
A common theme in all of these flashbacks was the Wanda hasn't lived an easy life, and it is all of these traumatic incidents that led her to create the Westview Hex. A WandaVision writer has now elaborated more on the importance of these soul-crushing events.
EMBRACING WANDA'S TRAUMA
WandaVision writer Laura Donney took to Twitter to elaborate on the trauma of Wanda's life shown in "Episode 8". She anecdotally explained that she once told a therapist that her "trauma defined [her]" but the therapist corrected her saying, "It shapes you." Donney said it was "paramount" for the writers to spend time in her past in order "to give space & voice to her grief, to her loss." This traumatic focus was meant to ultimately "watch her take shape."
I told a therapist once that my trauma defined me. She said no: It shapes you.
— Laura Donney (@LMdonney) February 26, 2021
It was paramount to the writers of #WandaVison to not just look at where Wanda has been, but to spend time with her there. To give space & voice to her grief, to her loss.
To watch her take shape. https://t.co/4OPn2Ux7M8
Donney continued, praising showrunner Jac Shaeffer and the rest of the WandaVision writing team. She called the fan response to the latest episode "so meaningful."
The response to this episode has been so meaningful. TV writing is a group effort, & in our case, a beautiful one. Heres to our fearless and heartful leader #jacschaeffer and the entire writers room:
— Laura Donney (@LMdonney) February 27, 2021
THE HEARTBREAK OF SCARLETT WITCH
One of the most heart wrenching moments during the flashback-filled episode was when Wanda visits the SWORD facility after the events of Avengers: Endgame and finds Vision's dismantled body. After forcing her way into the laboratory where Vision's dismembered body parts were she when to him, put her hand over his head, and said, "I can't feel you." This was a heartbreaking moment for fans, especially when considering Vision's famous "I just feel you" line from Avengers: Infinity War.
This episode is an emotional journey for the viewers through the lens of Wanda. It is clear that the writers focused a lot on her grief and how it eventually shapes her. Exactly how Vision puts it, "What is grief, if not love persevering." At the time of Vision's statement, this was in light of Wanda's overwhelming grief of her brother Pietro who died during the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron. This scene, in particular, is so incredibly well done because it both shows how Wanda and Vision fell in love and also how the loss Wanda was facing them has only become so much worse.
Bravo to the writing team of WandaVision, it is clear they really cared about shaping Wanda's tragic history into whom she has become and why she took over Westview. To see how they finish off this story about Wanda's Vision, tune into Episode 9 Friday, March 5 on Disney+.
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