Has anyone seen WandaVision on Disney Plus?
If you haven’t witnessed this masterpiece yet, it’s time to get your binge on. I don’t usually promote shows or movies on my blog, but this one has a special place in my heart.
First of all, it’s unique, one of the most unique shows I’ve ever watched and that says a lot these days. But primarily I think I love it so much because the show speaks to me on a personal level.
Not the superhero stuff, I wish I could fly and move things with my mind. I wish I could control others and hear what they are thinking. But then again, maybe that last power would be stepping into dangerous territory.
Instead, I see myself in the main character, Wanda; I see a reflection of my heart in hers. Without giving away any spoilers (because I hate when people do that), I will give away one tiny detail.
Of course, the show contains superheroes, touches on comedy, and even love. But at its core, it’s about something much deeper, something we all have to face one day — something that I know all too well.
It’s about Grief.
Understanding grief like a robot.
In case you haven’t seen the million different Marvel movies, Wanda Maximoff (portrayed by Elizabeth Olsen) loses someone very close to her in Avengers: Age of Ultron. In the movie, we don’t see much of her grief but in WandaVision (the Disney Plus show) it’s revealed.
In the show, we jump back to a scene that’s meant to be an extension from the second Avengers movie. From what I gather, the scene takes place not long after Wanda’s loved one died, maybe a day or two later.
The line: “What is grief if not love persevering?” is repeated by Vision (a robot) to Wanda. Not only is Vision a robot, but at the time, he was a baby of sorts — brought to life the day before. I know it all sounds weird but stay with me here.
Because he’s so green, Vision is in the process of learning how to be human. He doesn’t understand grief or love. But he’s kind, and he’s trying to comfort Wanda and understand human emotions.
So he says what he is thinking: “What is grief if not love persevering?”
What makes his statement so profound is that in trying to understand grief, he somehow taps into its basic property, one that humans have a hard time grasping.
Are we all programmed differently?
For the past 3 years, off and on, I’ve been writing my book. So far I’ve written close to 12 chapters. That’s not a crazy amount of writing, but to me, it felt like writing 30 because each chapter took an emotional toll.
While becoming an author, I’ve discovered something. I realized why, for so long, I felt stuck in my grief, addicted to it.
I felt sad when I was sad, and I felt sad when I was happy. For a while, I had a hard time moving forward from it. Moving forward felt like moving on. It felt like losing my love for Justin, breaking up with him, putting his photo into a drawer, or changing my last name.
I was afraid of falling out of love with him.
WandaVision understands this predicament.
Besides villains and superheroes, the show is about holding on to grief and what happens when we do. It’s also about holding on to that love we have for someone, even after they are gone.
We love them so much that our pain could move mountains. Or in Wanda’s case, re-create a TV show from the 1950s (Seriously consider watching it if you haven’t yet).
I know this feeling; I know it daily. Sometimes, I feel stuck in the past. Other times, I feel stuck in the present. A lot of days, I’m a little scared of the future. I feel it all!
But one thing I don’t feel is regret.
I don’t feel any regret because I know that all of these feelings are normal; they are wrong, and they are right. Because there is no right or wrong way to grieve. We have no path that leads to ultimate happiness.
We have to choose that for ourselves. Despite our pain, we have to choose to move forward with grief instead of getting stuck in its web.
Our grief will never go away. It will always be there knocking us down. It will always be a barrier. And strangely enough, it’s a hug from our loved one saying, “I’m still here in your heart. Thank you for continuing to love me.”
It will always be a Vision of a love we used to know and one we will never forget.
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