Wandavision is a television mini series based on the superhero Wanda Maximoff/The Scarlet Witch, a Marvel Studios/Marvel Cinematic Universe character. On the surface, Wandavision appears to be a satire of post-1950 family sitcoms such as I Love Lucy, The Brady Bunch, Full House, Malcolm In the Middle, and Modern Family.  Wanda and her husband, Vision, play house as a happily married couple dealing with wacky problems such as disastrous dinner parties and adapting to weird suburban culture within the quirky town of Westview. The series takes a dark turn as it is revealed that the characters’ “reality” is actually a metaphysical fabrication of Wanda/The Scarlet Witch’s subconscious dubbed “the Hex”. While Wanda believes she is controlling reality and the people around her, it is revealed that the antagonist, Agatha Harkness, is actually controlling the minds of the people of Westview. In the end, Wanda accepts her role as The Scarlet Witch and defeats Agatha which releases the minds of the people of Westview. 

The lead characters Wanda and Vision struggle with power throughout the entire season. The beginning of the season picks up after the last Avengers movie, where Wanda’s romantic love interest and now husband, Vision, apparently dies. She subconsciously uses her powers to create the Hex as her own reality and recreates Vision. Throughout the season, we learn that the creation of the Hex is a coping mechanism for Wanda to deal with the recent death of Vision, which has left her completely heartbroken and lonely. She created a wacky mystical world full of old sitcoms from her memories as a child. These memories give her a sense of comfort and security. It is ironic because Wanda is seemingly all powerful in the Hex, but she is powerless in reality to save Vision. Vision has amnesia throughout most of the season, which we learn later is because he is actually just a creation of Wanda’s power, and not the actual Vision. Vision’s inability to remember the amazing superhero he was before the Hex leaves him powerless and confused about his origin and purpose in the world other than to be Wanda’s husband. 

Identity is a more lighthearted theme in Wandavision. Each episode is set in a different era of TV, and this allows us to observe the similarities and differences between Americans in popular culture throughout the past several decades. Throughout every episode, Wanda and Vision are husband and wife. As they surf through decades, Vision is always a working man and Wanda is always a stay at home mom. This is representative of popular culture in the Western world: married couples are expected to stay together and men are supposed to be breadwinners. An interesting difference in the different time periods/episodes is how honest and frank Vision and Wanda are with each other about intermarital issues. In the earlier episodes set in the 1950s-1970s, Wanda and Vision sweep many problems under the rug. As time periods grow closer to the present, Wanda and Vision begin to speak more openly about their problems. 

I found this show to be super interesting as a history nerd but also a Marvel Studios fanatic!

The movie The United States vs. Billie Holiday is a true story of Holidays life and song career and how the singing of “Strange Fruit” got her into a lot of trouble. The movie starts off with an interview Billie is having with a white lady and the first question she asks after telling Billie how much she loves her is “what’s it like to be a colored woman” (2.45). This sets the tone to show how people of color were treated and defined by their skin. Throughout it we see the struggles that Black people encountered and the way it effected even Holiday as she was trying to show her view on the situation in America.

We see that because she sings  the controversial song “Strange Fruit” she is targeted by the government because it is “un-american” and shows something negative going on in America. The FBI uses a Black agent to get her arrested and this shows how the government tries to pin Black people against their own community to “better” them. Even when she stops singing the song they still try and frame her because she is a strong Black women and that to the white man is a threat. Throughout the film we see how the white agent wants to take her down and multiple times plants drugs on her to do so. The whole film shows the injustices the Black community has to deal with daily.

The agent that had her arrested on her death bed was rewarded by JFK. “…earned for you the respect of the world community” (2:02:00). This tells us how white men are praised at the hands of Black lives. The film also shows us the lack of progression we have made on this injustice. Stated at the beginning of the movie it says, “In 1937 a bill to finally ban the lynching of African-Americans was considered by the senate. It did not pass” (1:00) and the movie ends by stating, “In February 2020, the Emmett Till anti-lynching act was considered by the senate. It has yet to pass” (2:03:00).

I think the director wanted us to think about the criminalization of Black Americans and the way systems are set up against them. This movie makes us think about how many times this has happened and how many people in power have hate on their mind. We also are shown that a century later we are still dealing with the same injustices, the question is what can we do to make the next century different.

All American is a television series involving sports and drama, which features a young All-Star football player, Spencer James. The series lets viewers in on Spencer’s story, which is inspired by true events. Spencer is an African American football player from a small town in California, Crenshaw. He is offered a spot on the Beverly Hills football team, and he accepts the offer because this team allows him to open his profile to big recruiters and top football schools. During the transfer between schools, the viewers are introduced to many characters and close people/friends in Spencer’s life. The TV show does a great job of displaying Spencer’s relationships with many of the characters and expresses the impact that each character has on his life and football career.  

All American puts a lot of emphasis on Spencer’s transition from a small-town school in a rough area of California to Beverly Hills. The TV show proved how much of a drastic difference there is between the two cities. When Spencer arrives in Beverly Hills, we immediately see how wealthy the area was. The first thing we see when he arrives is high school students driving expensive cars, wearing nice clothes, and massive houses in the background. All very different from what Spencer was used to.  

The series talks about several social issues and in(justices) including race, mental health issues, gang violence, addiction, and poverty. All American gives viewers an inside look at all of these very important and relevant issues today. Throughout the show, we can see how much all of these ideas (race, poverty, addiction, violence) affect people’s mental health. I think the show does a wonderful job of spreading awareness and bringing attention to these important topics. All of the topics mentioned are things that impact people’s everyday lives and after watching the entire series, I felt that I had gained knowledge on a lot of these issues and it made me more aware of how common these things are. It also showed how the characters on the show were able to talk about what was hurting them, making the relationships between the characters so strong. All in all, I just really loved how eye-opening this series was and how much it was able to relate to everyday scenarios. 

Alec Estrin

COMPSTD 1100

2021 April 21^st

Text Review Assignment: All-American

     All American is popular TV series that first premiered on The CW network in October of 2018. The series is loosely based on the life of former NFL player Spencer Paysinger and it follows his high school years as a rising football star. When the show first begins Spencer is playing at South Crenshaw High which is located in South LA and this is where he grew up. This is a neighborhood that is a low-income area and is notoriously known for gang violence. In addition, Spencer’s father left him at a young age so he was forced to grow up fast and be a good role model for his younger brother. An example of the violence that occurs in Crenshaw can be seen in the opening scene of the show which depicts a shooting that occurs at one of the football games Spencer is playing in. Following the shooting Spencer is given the opportunity to transfer schools by the head coach at Crenshaw’s rival high school Beverly Hills High. This is a much safer and higher income area that offers Spencer better opportunities for not only himself, but also his family. At first Spencer is against this as he feels he is betraying his home, but after his mother and best friend Coop urge him to accept the offer, he eventually agrees. For this assignment I plan to focus primarily on the first season of the show where Spencer struggles to deal with his newfound identity as a member of Beverly Hills High, and as a member of the Crenshaw community.

A big part of the first season is Spencer’s intersectionality as a member of both the Crenshaw and Beverly Hills community. Although Spencer knows that Beverly Hills offers him a better opportunities for the future, he still finds it difficult to adjust to the new neighborhood. He struggles as he constantly is going back and forth between the two towns and also it does not help that the other football players from Beverly Hills are not very accepting to him at first. The reason they are not initially very accepting to Spencer is that he is transfer that is not from their neighborhood, and they also fear that he will steal the attention of college scouts from them. In addition, they do not view him the same way that they view others that are from Beverly.

It is interesting as the season goes on and they both get to know each other they are able to build a strong relationship and they begin to not only accept each other for each other’s differences, but they begin to embrace them. They both also begin to realize that they actually have many similarities, and they learn from each other’s differences. I think that what this show highlights is a young man as he tries to navigate his contrasting identities as a kid who grew up without a father in a poor and dangerous neighborhood, and his identity as one that is now also a member of a wealthy and upper class neighborhood. As the season goes on he begins to embrace his identity as a member of Beverly Hills, but he also does not forget where he came from and the people that are important to him. I think that ultimately it illustrates that although people may come from different socioeconomic backgrounds, it does not mean that you cannot form meaningful and powerful relationships with others.

Here is an image of Daniel Ezra (Left) who plays Spencer James and Spencer Paysinger (Right)

The 2002 film, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, highlights an encounter between people of different cultures. The movie focuses on Toula Portokalos, a young Greek woman who falls in love with Ian Miller. Ian is not Greek, which is surprising to Toula’s family. Throughout the movie, Ian learns more about Greek culture through the family and even becomes a member of the Greek Orthodox Church in order to marry Taoula. Many ideals and practices in Greek culture are shown in the movie. Ian experiences these events and learns about them with the intention of implementing them into his life, as he becomes a part of Taoula’s big family. This film highlights interactions between people of different nationalities and religions. 

Many aspects of Greek culture are showcased in the film. For example, the food and strong family relationships. Taoula’s family owns a restaurant together, which illustrates Greek food and the family dynamic. Food is a major part of the family and Greek culture. In Ian’s case, he only ate Greek food when he visited the family’s restaurant for a meal. But after meeting Taoula, he enjoyed it for almost every meal. As far as family relationships go, in the movie they demonstrate strong family values. These values included seeing each other almost every day, spending holidays together and playing big roles in their children’s future. The biggest difference between average American families and Taoula’s family is that the extended family is almost considered immediate. 

As illustrated in the movie, religion also plays a big role in Greek culture. After Ian proposed to Taoula, her father did not like the fact that Ian was not a member of the Greek Orthodox Church. Due to the fact that it was such a big deal to Taoula’s father and that they were planning on getting married in an Orthodox church, Ian became a member of the church.

Taoula’s identity is also a big part of the movie’s storyline. When it came time to introduce Ian to her family, she felt embarrassed and nervous. Taoula wanted more for her life than what her parents had planned. Her parents’ expectations included finding a Greek husband for their daughter and helping her raise her children. On the other hand, Taoula wanted a career and a chance to meet someone she could be truly happy with. By the end of the movie, Taoula comes to accept her family and the woman has become with their help.

The Murmer of Bees is a historical fiction novel written by Sofia Segovia that follows a family in Linares, Mexico, and the journey they have with a little boy who comes into their family after he is found under a bridge surrounded by a swarm of bees. The boy’s name is Simonopio and he has a clef deformity and is unable to speak. The townspeople of Linares label Simonopio as a devil, but his adoptive parents, Francisco and Beatriz Morale still bring him into their home like their own son. When Simonopio is around age ten, the Morales have a son named Francisco Junior. As Simonopio and Francisco Junior grow up together, they form an amazing connection and bond despite the age gap and communication barriers. Despite Simonopios’s physical inabilities, he is able to protect his family by predicting both good and bad endeavors through his senses. 

The character development between Simonopio and Francisco Junior is my favorite aspect of the book. Although Simonopio is unable to speak, he still is able to connect and form a strong and unique bond with Francisco Junior. Readers can learn a lot from the relationship between these two very different individuals, although they are from different families, and cannot communicate- they still find ways to get along and help each other. As I read this book, I focused heavily on Simonpio’s identity. He was adopted into a family and was looked down upon by others in his town because of his inabilities. As I began reading I figured Simonopio would fit the character mold of a subaltern, as he was unable to speak and make his own story. As I read on, it was quite clear that Simonopio could speak, just in a way I hadn’t imagined would be possible, his way of communicating is what protected his family through tragedies occurring at the time. In the reading Recitaff, it was interesting to see how much someone without a voice can make an impact on other characters, I looked at Simonopio’s influence on his family and townspeople similar to Maggie from Recitaff. Although the two couldn’t speak, they had huge impacts on the people’s lives they were in. Simonopio is first abandoned and then welcomed into a world that fears and judges him for his differences, through his family’s support and personal embrace he defies the odds and is able to build a strong identity and protect the people he loves and leave a lasting impact. There are many things that can affect communication between two individuals, some being; cultural differences, language barriers, incapabilities, distance, and as seen in Simonopios life: not being able to speak- how does Sofía Segovia show readers that it is possible to communicate with anyone, no matter how similar or different, even when a voice can’t be heard, and what can this tell us about two individuals or cultures?

Segovia, Sofia. The Murmur of Bees. Amazon Publishing. 2015.

The text that I wanted to review an analyze would be the first chapter of The Hunger Games film, directed by Gary Ross. This is a science fiction and action film that was meant to display a futuristic and dystopian society to an extent. There are twelve “districts” which can be related to states and once a year, two people are chosen from each district to fight in a game to the death, ending once only one person remains. Throughout the film, there are many instances which signify power, which is often in the hands of the wealthy, as well as injustices against the poor. For example, the wealthy population of individuals live in the nation’s capital of Panem, which holds all of the power over the other districts. When the selection of the Hunger Games start, no one from Panem is selected, since they only view the games as a sort of entertainment. This puts power in the hands of the wealthy, specifically for the people of Panem, since they are using their wealth and status to avoid being put into the games. Power at the hands of the wealthy can also be seen throughout districts. District three is the closest related to Panem, since that district has a background of innovation and tend to hold the wealthier of the populations. Because of this, the people selected for the games in this district tend to get more sponsorships (more help for the games) and these sponsorships tend to hold more value over sponsorships compared to district twelve. District twelve receives essentially received no help since they are a poor and overlooked community, and the help the tributes do receive is generally a placeholder who acts as a sponsor from Panem. Because of this, there is a clear advantage for the wealthier, since they tend to hold more power than the poor communities. The same can be said for injustices between the wealthy and the poor. There is always a feeling of superiority of the wealthy, and they tend to treat the poor as if they aren’t even human. This once again relates back the sponsorships each district receives; the wealthy receive more substantial benefits compared to the poor. By doing this, the author of the book / director of the film wants the audience to relate this to our modern-day society and look at how the rich and the poor act. People who are wealthier tend to feel like they are superior to those who are poor, which can be seen through both the movie and through society.

Do the Right Thing directed by Spike Lee

            In the 1989 film, Do the Right Thing directed by Spike Lee, it covers some very important topics about identity, power, and social injustices. The film takes place in Brooklyn, New York, where the main character Mookie (Spike Lee himself) works at an in town Italian owned pizza shop. Since the demographic of the town is mostly African American people, a character named Buggin’ Out questions why African American’s aren’t being represented on the Italian owned pizzeria wall full of Italian actors. This raises some racial tension between the shop’s customers and the owners. In the end of the film, a brawl breaks out between a character called Radio Raheem, who joined Buggin’ Out in a protest against the pizzeria, and the Italian owners. Radio Raheem was then tragically murdered by the police who were breaking up the fight.

To begin with, an example of a social injustice that was present in this film was the tragic death of Radio Raheem. When the cops showed up during the fight, the cops strangled Radio Raheem when they were holding him back and sadly passed away. This showed police brutality due to the fact that they held extreme force and showed violence when it was uncalled for. This topic is especially relevant in today’s society and addresses an important issue.

Along with the idea of social injustices being present in this film, so is the idea of power and identity. There is a lot of tension between races, especially between the Italians and the African Americans. In one scene, each race was throwing out explicit racial slurs to one another. I also think the idea of power is present within this film through the police and the Italian pizzeria owners. The white police held power and put fear into the African American neighborhood, which exemplified the idea of white supremacy. The Italians in this film also showed power by refusing service to anyone they wanted and feeling superior over the African American people. This idea of power also resembled the idea of the ‘One’ and the ‘Other,’ where the one would be considered the white police because of the power they held over the city and the pizzeria Italians because they felt superior over the other races. The other would be considered the African American residents that lived in Brooklyn because they were powerless against the police and were inferior in the eyes of the Italians. One very important scene that was present in the film was Radio Raheem explaining how there is conflict in society about love verses hate and, in the end, love will always beat hate. I think one of the biggest messages Spike Lee is trying to convey is that in order for society to make peace, the hatred must be overcome by love. This film was to send the message to stop the racism, the hatred, and discrimination, and to overpower it with love.

Figure 1. This photo represents a scene in the film “Do the Right Thing” directed by Spike Lee, where Radio Raheem talks about the idea of love verse hate.

Figure 2. Pictured shown represents the cover of the film, “Do the Right Thing” that was directed by Spike Lee.