Last week we wrote a little preview of WandaVision, heading up to its initial release on Friday, January 15. We, along with no doubt millions of other Marvel fans watched the first two episodes (all that were released initially) ready for some MCU content for the first time in over a year. So, what did we think? Check out our review below - but, be warned it does include some spoilers.
The Premise
The first official MCU series on Disney Plus, WandaVision takes the MCU in a decidedly different direction as the series kicks off. The two titular characters, Wanda Maximoff and Vision find themselves living in what appears to be a version of a 1950’s sitcom, complete with an entirely shades-of-gray reality. Classic TV comedy ensues, similar to The Dick Van Dyke Show or Leave it to Beaver as Wands meets new neighbors in their 50’s suburban, white-picket-fenced neighborhood, Vision gets to know his co-workers and boss at the company where he crunches numbers. There is a classic dinner party fiasco and a talent show performance for the local community parent’s organization.
But, underneath the TV sitcom veneer, we know that things can’t be all as they seem. The viewers, in this case, know more than the characters in the show. We know who Wanda and Vision are, even if the characters on screen seem to have forgotten. They do know they are ‘different’ and have strange powers but don’t initially question these facts or find them to be strange. As of the end of the second episode, we are given clues to something strange going on, but our heroes haven’t really started to question what’s happening or try to put the pieces together for themselves or us.
What we Know
Wanda and Vision still have their powers and are still the superheroes we know and love from the MCU. In each episode, we noticed a few strange occurrences on the fringes. In one instance a toy helicopter crashes in the rose bushes. While this is odd enough on its own, it stands out as the helicopter is red - bringing color into the show for the first time. (Think Pleasantville, if you have ever seen that movie.) . The helicopter also has a logo on the side, that MCU fans may recognize as being the logo for SWORD, a subdivision of SHIELD in the comics, that has yet to fully materialize in the movies or TV series.
The SWORD logo makes another appearance at the end of the episodes, when the traditional sitcom ending pans out and we see that it is am old fashioned black & white TV screen being watched by someone at a desk, with various old-school radio equipment, but also a more modern computer monitor off to the side. At the end of episode 2, color is fully integrated into the series as it sweeps across their reality and we now see Wanda and Vision in color for the first time.
We are also given a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of the second episode, when quite suddenly as color is added to the story, Wanda is suddenly visibly pregnant. The characters are surprised, but immediately accept this new reality, bringing up further questions about their grip on what is actually happening to them.
Speaking of children… despite a focus on ‘the children’ that is mentioned multiple times in the second episode (the creepy “for the children” chant), we never see any children. Where are they? Or is this actually in reference to the fact that Wanda is suddenly pregnant?
What we Think we Know
Here we get into some speculation. If you’ve watched any of the trailers, we do know a bit more, from scenes in later episodes. But, we’re going to rely on just what we should know from the first two episodes at this point, which is very limited.
We assume the show is taking place after the end of Avengers: Endgame. However, we also know that Vision died in Avengers: Infinity War and was not brought back to life. So, how is he alive? We think it might be related to Wanda’s magic/mutant powers, but honestly, we have no idea.
We know that SWORD is somehow involved but since SWORD hasn’t really been fleshed out in the MCU yet, this doesn’t tell us much. The show appears to be taking place in some separate reality or location and that some sort of ‘real world’ is watching and perhaps trying to communicate with Wanda. This comes from the scene where the music on the radio breaks up and we hear a voice asking if Wanda can ‘read’ him and ‘who is doing this’ to her before the radio stops working. There is rampant online speculation as to the identity of the voice. In fact, there are tons of articles speculating in great detail about every little easter egg in the first two episodes. So, if you want to go down the rabbit hole, you will find a lot of fun articles to read online.
What we Don’t Know
Honestly, what we don’t know is the bulk of everything about the show at this point. What is really going on? Why is it happening? Is Vision really alive again? Is Wanda actually pregnant? Is Wanda causing this with her own powers or is there another super-villain off camera directing the events? We’ll just have to tune in next week for another chapter, as WandaVision will release one episode per week.
The Verdict
This new direction for the MCU is a lot of fun. Fans and critics alike seem to be getting into it, as it has positive ratings from 97% of reviewers and 82% of fans. We’re hooked and looking forward to watching it every week!
