WARNING: The following contains spoilers for WandaVision Episodes 1 & 2, now streaming on Disney+.
The first two episodes of WandaVision actively use classic sitcom plot lines, such as impressing a boss over dinner and performing in a talent show, to achieve what many are calling a love letter to television. However, there have also been multiple indications that something isn't right, from the voice looking for Wanda on the radio to the beekeeper emerging from the sewers. While much still remains a mystery, this combination of television tropes and odd, unexplained occurrences could indicate where the show is headed, and the film The Truman Show may have the answers.
The Truman Show starred Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank, a seemingly regular man living in an idyllic suburbia reminiscent of The Andy Griffith Show and Leave It to Beaver. After the initial set-up, the audience quickly learns that Truman's life is actually the basis of a 24/7 television show produced by Ed Harris' Christof, making his entire town an elaborate set and and all his loved ones paid actors. Though Truman himself is none the wiser, having grown up in the town since birth, a gradual series of clues slowly push him to realize the truth, leading to his attempted escape into the real world.
The parallels between the film and WandaVision are striking, and the end of the first episode makes it clear that someone is watching the married couple on a screen, much like Christof watches Truman from his control room. There are also hints that at least some of the residents may be in on the ruse, much like Truman was surrounded by cast and crew members posing as townspeople.
Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau has already indicated something is amiss by introducing herself as Geraldine, and trailers have shown that Kathryn Hahn's Agnes is aware that Vision died in Avengers: Infinity War. The beekeeper emerging from underground and the way reality is suddenly rewound when Wanda and Vision see him is the clearest indicator that someone, or something, is controlling the world of the titular protagonists.
Even if these suspicions are confirmed, the question remains: what purpose does the effort to construct this fake world have? For Truman, the fake reality was a vehicle to manipulate a person's life and elicit a genuine response for increased television ratings and advertising revenue. However, it's highly unlikely that someone would make a television show out of two superheroes known worldwide, and it's unlikely that the other Avengers would condone it, so there must be another reason.
One symbol that has shown up both on the beekeeper and the colorful toy helicopter may present a clue, and that's the logo of S.W.O.R.D., the space equivalent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Additionally, one commercial shown on the show advertised Strucker watches, a possible reference to Wolfgang von Strucker, the Hydra scientist responsible for giving Wanda and her brother, Pietro, their powers. Perhaps the artificial reality has been created for the benefit of a group of villains who have infiltrated S.W.O.R.D., not unlike how Hydra infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
If this is the case, as Wanda and Vision slowly unravel the wool that has been pulled over their eyes, they may face roadblocks in their attempts to escape, as the producers of Truman's show engineered freak accidents and the miraculous reappearance of his father to prevent him from leaving. This will likely culminate in a final, dramatic escape attempt after the duo actively reject the bubble they have been placed in, as Truman also did when he sailed to the horizon and discovered it was just a wall.
As more episodes air, it will be interesting to see if more parallels to the film can be spotted. If they do, tracking them may prove to be a major clue as to where the series is headed, and what it may mean for the rest of the MCU.
Written by Jac Schaeffer and directed by Matt Shakman, WandaVision stars Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Paul Bettany as Vision, Randall Park as Agent Jimmy Woo, Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau and Kathryn Hahn as Agnes. The series premieres Jan. 15 on Disney+.
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