In recent years, very rarely has Marvel tried to push the boundaries with their content by moving away from your typical superhero film and started blending them into different genres. WandaVision is the first introduction to something that feels completely fresh and new, at least regarding some aspects of it.
As Wanda and Vision attempt to navigate urban life, they find themselves with very few answers to their personal past. Alongside the daily mishaps of awkward dinner parties and hilarious talent-show acts, there is an eerie feeling in Westview’s air. A shroud of mystery hangs over Wanda and Vision’s neighborhood, producing itself in the forms of loud, jarring noises, a mysteriously colorful toy landing in Wanda’s bushes, and the crackle of a man’s voice frantically calling out to Wanda over an old radio.
I have not read the original Marvel comics, and most likely never will, but from learning about the plot of this super relationship, I understand that Marvel is doing their best to stay true to its source material. While a few liberties have been taken here and there, the plot seems well-developed and worthy of its written, predecessor. It’s just the execution that takes it down as the show is unnecessarily dragged and leaves most of its setup unpaid. It’s also important to note that because of the quick pace of modern television today, most viewers are most likely to feel somewhat languid following such calm and relatively uneventful introductory episodes. Many are right to be angry because 95% of it is just exposition dump or fillers. I think the problem is that someone at Disney decided to have a little too much fun with the sitcom aspect, thus dragging it on for way more episodes than was needed. One might also observe that while there is a certain amount of flair to the show, there isn’t much harsh banter or depravity to behold. Being a non-American, the sitcom part of it actually falls flat, though I do understand this is probably a good imitation of the old sitcoms. Moreover, 20 mins episodes are horrible for streaming these days. That is why I usually binge watch it once all the episodes are completed. Another thing which I didn’t like was the final episode. The setup was great in the previous episode with the introduction of Agatha Harkness but she doesn’t have much to do in the end apart from being one of Scarlet Witch’s battle opponents together with White Vision. The writers chose action over story after a good story setup. Disappointing! And what would piss you up, even more, is the line Monica tells Wanda after everything is over. She tells her “They’ll never know what you sacrificed.” Dude, she was the one responsible for everything. She was the one who trapped those people in the first place. Yes, she lost Vision and her children but she caused that problem by including everyone else just to live her sitcom dream. She held an entire town of hundreds of people hostage without their free will and then acted like she was the victim. Wanda was one of my favorite characters before the show but honestly, it just made her unlikeable more than anything. She should answer to the law and pay a price, but no.
On the positive side, the story ties in very well with the MCU movies. Once it finally gets to it, it’s amazing. The acting, of course, is top-notch. The show brilliantly displays the grief and trauma of Wanda and thoroughly explains her history in an empathetic way. If you like old cheesy sitcoms, it’s mimicked so well that you’ll probably even enjoy the beginning episodes. The special effects and visuals, once anything exciting happens, are up there with the stuff seen in MCU movies.
It is a slow but creative start. You can feel the insidious back story plot that is being set up but it leaves only small little glimpses into what we might see. I wouldn’t call it bad but this really doesn’t give you much. Only watch it if you enjoy sitcoms or if you’re a Marvel fan. Even then, I don’t know how anyone would call this great.
K- Score: 59%
STW: 15/30, D: 12/25, C: 6/8, E: 2/5, A: 7/10, PVD: 10/12, S: 7/10
