After announcing a new sleight of supposedly interconnected series for the Disney+ platform last year, Marvel Studios has finally delivered it’s initial TV offering with Wandavision. Originally the studio planned to kick off Phase 4 of the MCU with the Falcon and Winter Soldier series that looks to explore the future of Captain America, but the pandemic had other plans. With the shooting for all of the shows halted, a different show starring two Avengers was able to enter the foray. Enter Wandavision, the time-hopping mystery and ode to classic television starring Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda and Paul Bettany as Vision. What starts off as seemingly as a cute story of two lovers reunited and happily married, becomes a mind-jumbling tale of mystery, death, and magic.
Episode 1: “Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience”
After a lengthy absence from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Wandavision may be a jarring re-entry to the world with its homage to classic television. Despite not being the standard action-packed fare of the MCU, Wandavision is filled to the brim with the elite world-building and Easter eggs of it’s silverscreen counterparts. The series first episode begins with a cute opening sequence showing the titular couple moving into a suburban home, set in what appears to be the 1950s. Following their move, they begin pondering over a mysteriously heart-marked date of August 23 on their calendar. Oddly inconclusive on the date’s significance, Vision takes off for work where the character’s analytical nature is on display, immediately questioning the curiosities of this greyscale world’s skewed reality.
While Vis is off making computational forms, Wanda receives a visit from her new neighbor Agnes who immediately inserts herself into Wanda’s life, urging the Avenger to try some seduction techniques on Vision. Some Bewitched-style hijinx occurs as Wanda and Vision attempt to make dinner for their guests, the humorous fish-out-of-water sequence expertly precedes the episode’s dramatic turn. After being unable to recall their previous lives after a barrage of questions from their investigative dinner guests, Mr. Hart begins choking with his wife looking on laughingly yet creepily begging him to “stop it.” After the command to help from his wife, Vision is able to save his boss by using his ability to phase through solid objects to dislodge the object. Following the departure of Mr. & Mrs. Hart, Wanda and Vision proclaim their love for one another with Wanda creating wedding bands for the couple as their in-universe credits play. Those credits zoom out, revealing that someone is actually watching Wanda and Vision’s own version of reality play out from afar.
Episode 2: “Don’t Touch That Dial”
Wanda and Vision take a step forward in time as episode 2, a comedic interaction in bed causes Wanda to merge the pair’s twin beds into one, signifying their journey into a new age. The episode’s intro theme draws heavily from Bewitched even going as far as directly mimicking the art style of Bewitched’s opening while including a myriad of easter eggs and potential clues for the astute and well-read comic fan (Wonder O’s, anybody?). In an attempt to assimilate with their neighbors, Wanda and Vision develop a conventional magic act under the guise of “Glamor” and “Illusion,” respectively, as a part of the talent show fundraiser. The two go their separate ways as Wanda goes off to attend the planning committee meeting and Vision heads to the library to join the town’s neighborhood watch group. In leaving their home for the first time, Wanda comes to find a world shattering revelation outside of their home: a colorized toy helicopter lodged in her rose bushes. Just as Wanda begins to process this bright red toy in an otherwise colorless world, neighbor Agnes pops up snapping her back into “reality” as they head to their meeting.
Wandavision not only draws some of it’s best inspiration from the comics, it also deftly handles it’s obvious love for television with Agnes and Wanda’s discussion of the latter’s’ fashion choice being a direct reference to Mary Tyler-Moore’s then-controversial decision to wear pants on the Dick Van Dyke show. Agnes continues her constant pressure on Wanda by introducing her to the town’s popular girl, Dottie (played by Emma Caufield), whom she says controls everything down to school admissions, another of the multitude of references to childbirth in the show and especially this episode. Wanda’s efforts to blend into the group lead to our introduction to Teyonah Parris’ character “Geraldine,” who was revealed to be an adult version of Akira Akbar’s Monica Rambeau from Captain Marvel. Geraldine and Wanda’s bond forms quickly under the stern and demeaning pressure from Dottie.
Dottie hammers home the importance of the children and requests Wanda’s assistance in cleaning up after the group meeting. Dottie and Wanda’s relationship begins on contentious terms with Dottie harassing Wanda about origins. Wanda’s and Dottie’s encounter results in another jarring moment, a voice breaks through the radio asking “who is doing this to you, Wanda?” Despite Dottie’s inquisitive nature, she gives up on her interrogation immediately after the broadcast. While she still has the combative attitude displayed at the beginning of the episode, Dottie completely seems to forget about the events that just occurred immediately prior. Meanwhile, Vision’s attempts to fortify the town lead to his discovery that Westview’s Neighborhood Watch program is, in fact, a gossip club. Vision takes a stick of Big Red gum from one of the townspeople which subsequently (after a cute animated sequence) causes Vision to malfunction right before the magic show and act in a drunken manner.
A commercial advertising a Strucker watch, follows Wanda’s tense encounter with Dottie. The commercial features the same couple that appeared in the last episodes’ Stark toaster commercial leading us to believe these characters have more significance than just characters in an advertisement. The Strucker, the ad refers to is Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, one of the leaders of Hydra, the group that used the Mind Stone to bestow Wanda and Pietro with their powers. The momentary break in the tension helps the show smoothly return to its comedic efforts while also stoking the flames of mystery.
Vision shows up just in time for the show and finds Wanda and Geraldine backstage preparing for the show. Vision’s inebriation leads him to eschew the sleight of hand portion of the magic act and reveal his true abilities causing Wanda to warp reality to make Visions feats of strength appear as if they were done by conventional means. The act ends up being a rousing success with all of the townspeople lauding Wanda and Vision as comedy geniuses and eerie cheers of “for the children” in unison. The two return home and astonishingly find out that Wanda is suddenly pregnant, their celebration is cut short by a loud noise outside that the couple quickly investigates. Outside, they watch in surprise as a beekeeper suit-clad man surrounded by insects enters Westview through the sewer system. Wanda simply declares “no” and the episode actually rewinds back to Vision and Wanda in their home where, as they celebrate their bundle of joy, color floods the world, propelling them even more forward in the “future.”
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