@eggrollko
After going a full year without any MCU content for the first time since 2009, I, like virtually everybody else, was beyond excited to dive back in with WandaVision. As excited as I was, however, I didn’t realize how badly I needed this after how 2020 went until that Marvel intro came on. Then came the intro to WandaVision and within the first few minutes I was floored…
All of the build-up to this show focused on the 50’s and 60’s sitcom setup for the show, but I fully expected it to be some parody or homage, but what we got were basically actual 50’s sitcom episodes starring Wanda and Vision and it was an absolute blast– or “a gas” as Kathryn Hahn‘s character Agnes would put it.
Hahn truly does shine in these two episodes and is every bit as captivating as the two titular characters. However, the surprise of these two episodes is Paul Bettany, who is absolutely hilarious and charismatic in ways Vision has never been in the movies. All that said, the standout so far has to be Elizabeth Olsen. While she does a fantastic job as a sitcom wife, Olsen also adds small, nuanced glimpses of something unsettling within Wanda. At times it seems like confusion and fear, while at others she appears far more menacing.
In the middle of the classic comedic moments reminiscent of those older sitcoms, her change of expression and delivery of lines as simple as “Help him, Vision” and “No” are truly chilling and provide an eerie undercurrent throughout. That all said, after the first two episodes, we still don’t really know what’s going on– other than the fact that something bizarre is happening and there are people monitoring and attempting to help.
WandaVision feels like a really slow burn right now, but it’s hard to even criticize that because of how unique this feels. Even the Marvel Netflix shows felt like 13 episode-long movies, whereas this feels much more episodic. There’s definitely some overarching story that’s progressing, but each episode has also been a standalone story and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it so far. 4.75/5 Marvel Bibles.
-Kevin Palma