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Jan 15, 2021 · WandaVision on Disney Plus is perfectly timed, kooky comfort viewing just when the epic escapism of big-screen Marvel movies is denied to us due to the coronavirus pandemic . The first two half...
Jan 14, 2021 · Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany star in “WandaVision,” the first Marvel series to premiere on Disney+. The show marries loving TV spoofs with a darker mystery. Disney+. By Mike Hale ...
Jan 14, 2021 · After a far too long Marvel drought, WandaVision is finally here to make things right. Well, sort of. Critics are loving the new series so far, but it might not be the huge superhero hit you ...
- Brooke Bajgrowicz
- brooke.bajgrowicz@mashable.com
- The Wanda Years
- Every WandaVision Episode Review
- The Evolution of Scarlet Witch and the Vision's Relationship in the Comics
- How would you score the full season of WandaVision?
- Verdict
By Matt Purslow
Updated: Nov 3, 2022 8:46 pm
Posted: Mar 9, 2021 4:43 pm
This is a mostly spoiler-free review of Marvel’s WandaVision, which is now streaming in its entirety on Disney+. Some themes and characters are alluded to, but no main plot points are discussed in detail. For a deep dive into the show, you can read our spoiler-filled individual episode reviews:
•WandaVision Season 1, Episode 1 and 2 Review
•WandaVision Season 1, Episode 3 Review
This is an unusual choice for Marvel, especially considering the importance of young audiences among its demographic, but the concept plays out successfully. Aside from creating a genuinely unique approach for both the MCU and TV in general, it provides WandaVision a new delivery format for its all-important humour that allows for fresh interpretations of similar jokes each episode. While knowledge of the original shows does help make those jokes more successful, the humour generally manages to transcend the homage. Episodes set in earlier decades can come across as charming more than laugh-aloud funny, but there’s always something to admire, even if it’s just the replication. Most importantly, though, all this creates a sharp tonal contrast with the other half of WandaVision’s design.
You see, WandaVision is not a sitcom set in the MCU. The homages are merely a mechanic to deliver - and often disguise - its true intentions. WandaVision is actually an exploration of grief, acting as an extended epilogue to the trauma experienced by both Wanda and Vision during the events of Avengers: Infinity War. This emotional darkness plays off against the wholesome sitcom comedy, creating frequent moments of turbulence. This manifests in numerous different ways but starts in earlier episodes by delivering a sense of unease through dramatic irony, as the audience understands Vision to be dead, despite his seemingly very much alive on-screen actions.
WandaVision is not a sitcom set in the MCU. The homages are merely a mechanic to deliver - and often disguise - its true intentions.Both Vision’s mortal state and the couple’s existence in the ever-changing sitcom town of Westview is initially presented without context or explanation, which makes the show as much of a puzzle box mystery as it is an emotional drama disguised as a comedy. The balance between these elements is particularly interesting, and continually recalibrates as WandaVision progresses through its nine episodes (which vary in length between 30 and 50 minutes). Some chapters ignore the idea of a world beyond the comedy almost entirely, while others drop the sitcom homage to allow more familiar MCU elements to come to the fore.
On a week-by-week basis, as WandaVision was originally delivered, this fluctuation of the familiar and odd could be confusing. It was difficult, especially in the first handful of weeks, to assess what the show truly was, with the tonal balance occasionally feeling out of equilibrium. But, seen as a whole, WandaVision makes sense. It’s not a formulaic show, and so therefore does not need a formula for each episode to adhere to. In fact, in hindsight it's important that some episodes are imbalanced. While there is conventional logic in its overall storyline, showrunner Jac Schaeffer and her team of writers plot out the individual episode journeys on their own terms. This lack of guaranteed consistency from chapter to chapter is what makes each installment feel like a genuinely new adventure. This is in direct contrast to the MCU-adjacent shows, such as the procedural Agents of SHIELD, and even most of the MCU’s movies. There’s very little out there in mainstream television that’s quite like this, and that demonstrates Marvel’s absolute confidence in both the production talent and the audience.
That’s not to say WandaVision won’t lose some people - even some who expected to like it - along the way. Its experimental nature means it is juggling many ideas at once, and the half-hour format means there’s much to deal with in a very short amount of time each episode. Furthermore, this isn’t just a show about Wanda and Vision; as the story expands we’re introduced to a whole new Marvel government agency - SWORD - and a secondary protagonist in Teyonah Parris’ Captain Monica Rambeau. There are links to other Marvel storylines as well, with the presence of Ant-Man’s Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) and Thor’s Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), along with WandaVision’s new original supporting cast, spearheaded by Kathryn Hahn’s nosy neighbour, Agnes. WandaVision does an admirable job of supporting these multiple threads, but very often something has to give. Sometimes this has long-term repercussions; a character that is a vital part of the final episodes is mostly sidelined for the first two thirds of the show, and one villain in particular is given so little growth that they come off incredibly cartoonish by the finale.
But perhaps WandaVision’s biggest flaw is its dogged determination to hold to its puzzle box formula. Throughout its run it insists that viewers don’t know the whole story, but more often than not the elements are so clear to see that the reveals lack impact. From the very start it is reasonably obvious what is going on, even if you haven’t read the Marvel Comics source material it loosely draws from, simply by virtue of the surreal nature of the sitcom format and the fact that a character we all know to be dead is walking and talking. This means viewer interest comes more from the emotional motivations of its characters rather than the many ‘what?’ and ‘how?’ questions the show continually poses. While all this builds to a finale that’s suited to the story, the presentation seems to promise some kind of subversion that never plays out. This means WandaVision becomes less satisfying just as it hits what should be its most engaging moments. A slightly more straightforward and honest telling of the story could have prevented this, as well as provided more time to explore the mindset of its characters, at the cost of some of its novelty.
Doubling down on the mystery elements also has a negative effect on WandaVision’s pacing. Big reveals are often positioned as cliffhanger endings, rather than weaved into the episodes’ actual plots. (Some key moments are even hidden in mid-credits scenes, which is an odd choice to say the least.) This makes for a couple of episodes that feel as if they’re killing time waiting for their last few minutes. Annoyingly, that occurs mostly in the latter end of the series, which leaves the wheels spinning when the story seems like it should be accelerating. Additionally, a cynical mindset could imagine that some of these cliffhanger reveals have been engineered to generate social media discourse and provide free marketing for the show, especially those that turn out to be far less significant to the future of the MCU than we seem to have been meant to believe they would be.
But even in WandaVision’s faltering moments, it remains an engaging watch. This is, for the most part, due to its charming leading couple. Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany’s characters were largely used as plot devices in prior MCU movies, and so it’s new ground to see them fully embrace Wanda and Vision as living characters. Furthermore, they are characters directly affected by the era of their environment, which makes for some delightfully funny moments. Bettany effortlessly takes to the comedic skits, playing this version of Vision as bright and almost bumbling. This contrasts against his traditional, more ethereal personality, and helps generate some uncertainty about the situation. Meanwhile, Olsen deserves particular praise for her chameleon-like ability to replicate performances from yesteryear, capturing the delivery and mannerisms of the likes of Mary Tyler Moore and Lucille Ball, and - later on - a perfect Julie Bowen. After four MCU films playing a dour and troubled character, it’s fantastic to see Olsen bring a whole new side to Wanda.
Being unafraid to question its protagonist’s actions is one of WandaVision's most notable strengths.Of course, that’s just one side to her story. With a life of tragedy behind her and the death of her beloved Vision fresh in the memory, there’s also a more emotionally brutal side to Wanda. And when it's called for, Olsen absolutely delivers the heft required. This often comes across as desperate and barely clinging onto control, which helps solidify the conflict within Wanda. It also makes for a character who isn’t always sympathetic in the ways that she deals with her problems, bringing legitimate questions as to who the real villain of the story might be when you take a step back from it. That WandaVision is not afraid to truly question its protagonist’s actions on occasion is one of its most notable strengths.
Vision also gets his fair share of heft, with Bettany delivering some really rather beautifully written lines in the character’s more traditional moments. While WandaVision will likely have an uphill battle against TV’s most prestigious dramas come awards season, the couple’s most emotional and tender moments are a good reminder of how far the MCU has elevated popcorn writing standards.
It would be natural and easy to assume the MCU’s ascension to the status of the biggest movie franchise on the planet would rob it of the courage to take risks. And yet Marvel’s first Disney+ television show is arguably its riskiest endeavor yet. Almost devoid of action for most of its run and nearly impossible to fit neatly into any specific genre...
- Matt Purslow
Jan 15, 2021 · After sad movies filled with the mourning of heroes lost in Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision is the weird, trippy and mysterious side-quest that serves as a Marvel palate cleanser on our way to...
Jan 14, 2021 · ‘WandaVision’ Review: Marvel’s First Disney+ Series Is Good, All-Too-Fleeting Fun. A classic sitcom with a twist, the MCU's first foray into streaming hides a bloated movie behind a veil of lush...
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92% Avg. Tomatometer 200 Reviews 88% Avg. Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings Living idealized suburban lives, super-powered beings Wanda and Vision begin to suspect that everything is not as it...
