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The MCU is about to go places it has never been before!
*Spoilers*
I hate how I keep staring off each of my writings with 2020 made life difficult blah blah, but the truth of the matter is the pandemic did impact so so much. One of the odd things that made our culture fall outside of its normalcy was how there was absolutely nothing that came out from Marvel Studios. For about a decade now, at least one Marvel Studios product graces screens, but with the uncertainty of Covid 19, film productions and movie theaters closed down. 2021 is here now, and though things aren't totally back to normal, things are somewhat returning to normalcy with the first Disney+ MCU series. WandaVision's first two episodes are now ready to stream, and after watching both, here are my reviews for each.
Episode #1 Review
Within the first like ten seconds, I could tell this was going to b my new favorite show. I love a good old corny family sitcom, so when I heard that WandaVision was going to parodying old sitcoms, I was immediately intrigued. When I saw the first trailer for the series and the old-fashioned sitcom dynamic were on full display, I was all in for this show and was excited to see exactly what it would be about. In this first episode, there is no real clarification of the direction of the series. However, it is a beautifully charming little tribute to black and white sitcoms, especially one I Love Lucy more than others. From the opening credits theme song to the absurd amount of quirkiness displayed by every character, I fell in love with this show the longer it went on. I knew Paul Bettany as an incredibly diverse actor, but I had no idea the depth of Elizabeth Olsen as I've only seen her in more drama based shows, but her depiction of a dipsy housewife was spot on and hilarious in this episode specifically. The lighter tone of these characters, which I would say are more known as the more serious MCU characters, is interesting and surprising. I also enjoy the new edition of Kathryn Hahn's Agnes as Wanda's gal pal their chemistry seems like something that will possibly highlight this series. Vision's boss and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Hart, were a surprising delight of the episode as the legendary Fred Melamed and Debra Jo Rupp respectfully share their talent for the series. This first episode doesn't have many MCU undertones and is pretty absorbed into the alternate reality or whatever this whole TVLand situation is. However, there is a weird commercial for a Stark Industry toaster by a strange seeming man and woman that I am sure to have something to do with the reality of this all. I give this episode a nice little rating of 6/10 stars as I thoroughly enjoyed it, but it didn't give me any big moments I was hoping for as an MCU fan.
Episode #2 Review
This episode is where things start to pick up in a more MCU manor, all while still being disguised as a charming sitcom. If someone were to write a love story to the Bewitched television show, it would look a lot like this episode from the wardrobe, the opener, and the overall tone. It is reminiscent of the beloved witch show. The highlight of this episode probably comes from Vision, as he is hysterical from beginning to end. There is a moment where he eats gum, and in the form of cute animation, we see it jams of his gears, causing him to act drunk. That whole scenario causes some funny antics that Wanda has to cover up, so the town citizens think they are ordinary people. More characters are introduced as Wanda meets the women of the neighborhood while Vision meets some of the men when he goes looking for the neighborhood watch. Dottie is one new character we meet who essentially seems to be in charge of the town and surely will be a major character in the show as she looks too interested in the MCU power couple. Vision seeks out the watch because he and Wanda hear something rumbling in their tree, to which Wanda discovers a toy airplane in the bushes she suspects was the culprit. The airplane is one of the key moments in the episode as it is peculiarly colored in the otherwise black and white show, and it also has a symbol comic book fans will be familiar with the logo for S.W.O.R.D. Sentient World Observation and Response Department is an organization similar to S.H.I.E.L.D, and it seems like it is going to be an overarching force in the series as it shows up twice in this episode with the plane and then a mysterious person in a beekeeper suit with the symbol on it coming up from the sewers. Another commercial break occurs with the weird people, this time tieing in Hydra, and Baron Strucker, who fans will recall was the one that had Wanda and her brother imprisoned in Age of Ultron. We also hear someone trying to reach out to Wand through a radio when talking with Dottie. The last big moment that happened in this episode is that Wanda becomes pregnant, and the entire show becomes colored. The next episodes seem like they will kick up the notch, and Wanda will become skeptical of her surroundings, but we will have to wait and see for now. I loved the natural climb for these first two episodes and am so excited about this unique series, and for that reason, I give this episode an 8/10.
I, for one, am so ecstatic that I get to watch something new from Marvel Studios every week now and will anxiously be waiting for the next episode to stream. The thing I like so far and hope it continues is that if you take away the fact that this is an MCU product and will have major implications to the universe, these were just fun episodes of television anyone could enjoy.
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