This article contains spoilers for WandaVision episodes 1-8
Before I get into this, as the title says, WandaVision is great!
I'm far from the first person to give this show high praise - in fact, as I write this I'm currently the last person to do so - and deservedly so. It is the perfect pallete cleanser between the end of Marvel's Infinity Saga and whatever is to come. Somehow the studio continues to prove those people wrong who fear that the genre is becoming stale and that superhero-fatigue will be settling in soon.
Marvel was smart to release the first two episodes together, to make sure people came back the next week. Whilst the first episode plays its sitcom format very straight, aside from the evil-doings of an unchewed piece of sausage (potential last minute villain reveal?), the second episode ramps up the intrigue within minutes by showing some of the cracks already appearing within the fictional world of Westview. I personally know multiple people who were put off by the style of the early episodes, often saying they didn't want to watch something in black and white or that it seemed tame.
It's one of the difficulties of advertising a high-concept show like this, that the studio needs to convey the tone of the story whilst avoiding spoiling the big reveals. Luckily, thanks in large part to its quality, WandaVision has spread by word of mouth, turning these tier-two heroes into fan favourites (though if Vision wasn't already your favourite character then you don't get to have an opinion, sorry).
What is particularly admirable about what Marvel has achieved here, is how the tropes of the different eras are rarely played for laughs. Instead of parodying the different styles and pointing out how outdated or flawed they are, the show pays homage to them with incredible precision. Throughout its run I have been stunned by the level of detail which has gone into making the shots look accurate. Somehow, a tree branch brushing the window in episode 2 just looks authentic to the era in a way I don't even know how to describe.
Personally, I was a big fan of Malcom in the Middle growing up, so for me episode 6 was by far the most nostalgic. One shot that particularly stuck out to me came at the start of the episode with Quicksilver laying on the sofa in the foreground and the twins in the background, in which all three are in focus with a faint blur down the centre where two shots have been stitched together. It's just a small inclusion, and yet its such a perfect observation and replication of the style of the time, and its this incredible and refreshing attention to detail throughout which has let the show evolve authentically over just eight episodes.
Having said all that... now the potential downfall.
I have high hopes for the finale. If it was 3 hours long I'd still switch it on at 8am when it drops and settle in for the ride. I'm also fairly certain I will enjoy it overall, and I very much look forward to seeing how it sets up future MCU installments. However, two things do have me concerned.
Namely, Agatha and the new, white Vision. Here's why...
Marvel has often had a problem with its villains, particularly in the early days. Obviously there are exceptions and they've had some truly fantastic menaces throughout the years. However, for every Loki, there's a Whiplash. For every Thanos, there's a Malekith.
One of the biggest criticisms Marvel has faced with its villains is that all too often, the hero seems to end up facing off in a climactic battle to save the world, against someone with essentially the same skills or abilities as themselves.
The problem is usually at its worst in a hero's origin story. For example...
It makes sense in an origin film to do this. The plot doesnt necessarily have time to introduce the newest superhero, as well as developing a villain with unique skills to match up against our protagonist.
Other films in the franchise have done this to great success. In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Cap is pitted against Bucky, a fellow super-soldier. However there is obviously so much more going on here. Knowing the relationship these two built up seventy years previously, with Steve believing his best friend to have died, and watching him struggle to re-ignite whatever spark in Bucky will allow him to re-access his memories is genuinely affecting and incredibly engaging.
So what about Wandavision?
Well currently its looking like the show may be following the same trajectory. With the reveal of Agatha Harkness a few episodes ago, which confirmed many fans belief that we were dealing with other witches, and the subsequent unveiling of white Vision (Nega-vision? Bizzaro-Vision? Pasty-Vision?) last episode, it seems our two heroes have met their matches.
Assuming the new Vision was created by SWORD for some evil purpose, its likely we're going to get some spell-casting action on the ground between the girls and some laser-beam action in the sky between the boys. Hopefully Marvel has learnt their lesson and will manage to change up the format a bit. Hell, I'd be happy if its just a few scenes of Wanda against Anemic-Vision, and Vision against Agatha. Seeing how the witches' magic can be used against the Vision's robot powers and vice versa could easily add enough variety to satisfy that itch.
Whatever happens, the show is about far more than its fight scenes. It will surely be remembered as one of Marvel's most mature and nuanced explorations of two of its most essential characters and their relationship. The show is moving Marvel in interesting new directions and pushing boundaries - literally at the end of episode 6 - at a time when it‘s most essential for Marvel to do so.
And honestly? I'm more interested to know if we're actually getting that cool cameo we were promised or if the actor Paul Bettany admires so much and has such great chemistry with is actually just paler-Paul.
For now though...
Comments