Cartoon/TV ► WandaVision

[Oracle Spockanort]

 

[Luminary]

Can’t wait to watch tonight!

 

[KingdomKurdistan]

Brilliant!

 

[Absent]

Gotta be brutally honest I’m only watching this show for the unlikely chance of Wiccan and Speed. Didn’t care for episode 1 but I did vibe more with episode 2.

 

[MATGSY]

Gotta be brutally honest I’m only watching this show for the unlikely chance of Wiccan and Speed. Didn’t care for episode 1 but I did vibe more with episode 2.

Episode 1 was clearly about playing the scenario straight so the status quo is established for the later episodes to break. Heard that ep3 is when things really pick up (there's a definite calculated move in having two episodes premiere instead of just one).

Gotta be brutally honest I’m only watching this show for the unlikely chance of Wiccan and Speed. Didn’t care for episode 1 but I did vibe more with episode 2.

At this point I'll be amazed if they even remember Quicksilver.

 

[Absent]

They definitely released two episodes because the first one was too weak even as a pilot/intro.

 

[KingdomKurdistan]

They definitely released two episodes because the first one was too weak even as a pilot/intro.

Disagree. I thought it was lovely. Of the two I preferred episode 1.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

I loved both episodes. I can see people being upset with the first episode. For an opener, it can come off as weak if you aren't into the sitcom part.

I personally loved it because it had the right balance of weird, confusing, and old school.

The little drips of mystery were great too. This is my favorite style of storytelling, in fact. Slow burn mysteries that try to keep you locked in the illusion of the facade? Give me that good shit plz

There is so much to think about, too.

Spoiler Show

MOSTLY ABOUT MEPHISTO. Agnes has referenced him twice. First with her bunny Señor Scratch in which Mr. Scratch is a nickname for the devil (then said her bunny named after the devil played baby Jesus like holy shit y'all I'm laughing too much), and then again when Dottie is like "The devil's in the details, Bev" and she says "That's not the only place he is"

Also on Agnes, she uses a lot of terms that reference magic and seems more aware than everybody else. I think she's absolutely trapped in this world, but I also don't think she's blinded by it as much as the others (and even they aren't 100% trapped. The late Mrs. Hart begging, Dottie's dislike of Wanda comes off as some ingrained hate towards the Avengers, her breakdown..."Geraldine" and her "I really don't know why I'm here" and overall confusion, but we know that is because she was probably sent in by SWORD...) so I hope she is Agatha lol

ALSO POOR..."GERALDINE". I wonder if it is going to be through whatever Wanda is doing that gives her powers?

And now to throw out some (more) theories:

The fact that we still haven't seen some of the trailer moments that should have been in the first two episodes is something I want to touch on. I know that Feige has a thing about having the crews film alternate scenes, but I genuinely think some of those moments will happen. I'm expecting some sort of...loop? Rerun? Syndication? Let's call it syndication. She will syndicate herself so she can keep the illusion going, but when she does, she'll just break the illusion more and more.

I feel like it is easier to follow the lines of Wanda's storyline, but Vision's storyline is more...complicated. So my random theory is that I think wherever his remains are, his body is regenerating but without the Mind Stone, he can't come back to life.

His mind/soul are fragmented like how JARVIS survived Ultron's attack in AOU. Wanda's powers being born of the Mind Stone would give her an intrinsic link to Vision, and it makes me think that she's pulled his consciousness into her mental breakdown pocket universe thing.

Also I have a strong theory that Wanda can't make new life that wasn't already present within the dimension already somehow. Vision would have been linked to Wanda so that is how he is there. The baby twins...well...that can be explained, too, and I feel like they could absolutely go with that storyline considering the Mephisto references.

Can we talk about the commercials, please? The toaster one being so eerie was clever. I wasn't expecting them to reference the Stark missile, and certainly not in that way. It makes me wonder how they will reference Pietro's death.

 

[MATGSY]

Can we talk about the commercials, please? The toaster one being so eerie was clever. I wasn't expecting them to reference the Stark missile, and certainly not in that way. It makes me wonder how they will reference Pietro's death.

People online are pointing out they both feature heavy ticking. Not a coincidence, they're counting down to something.

I'm guessing Ultron will get name-dropped in the next ad.

 

[AdrianXXII]

I quite liked most of the series so far. The mystery is being set up really well and the call backs to old sitcoms is charming. Though seeing I find sitcoms hard to watch, because they're all about misunderstandings and awkward situations, I do find having similar issues with the episodes' sitcom plots.

Still the characters are great, I'm really enjoying Agnes and "Geraldine". I do wonder who the neighborhood characters really were, before they were turned into sitcom characters. There's something kind of threatening and almost villainous about Dottie, I wouldn't be surprised if she'd be a hydra remnant.

I'm also curious as to how they'll handle the twins. It almost feels like the creation of the twins was the goal of this pocket reality, if there really is an outside influence that's causing Wanda to do this. After all Episode 2 was all about "for the children" and even episode 1 emphasised the question "why don't you have children yet". I wonder if they'll be born in the next episode or later.

 

[Luminary]

I’m absolutely hooked. Olsen and Bettany are so charming and Kathryn Hahn is just perfect in this role. Can’t wait to see more from Teyonah Parris too.

I do see why the average viewer may not be as enthused about this show right now compared to the first episode of the Mandalorian. This has the least amount of action than anything prior in the MCU, so it’s likely not what most people want or expect from a MCU project just yet. But if you’re in the niche group that loves the tribute to classic sitcoms and loves finding references and clues to the larger story being set up, this is gold. And I think more people will get on board with it as it progresses and the curtain fake reality gets pulled back to reveal what’s really happening.

Spoiler Show

I think Monica may have tried to come in to the reality in a helicopter, but it turned into the toy while she was assimilated into the illusion. That’s why she doesn’t know her name until Wanda makes physical contact with her and gives her an identity.


I’m on board with theory that Agnes was teasing Mephisto and the Big Red gum may have a been a nod to him as well.

There was also a reference to Grim Reaper in the animated opening of episode two where you see his helmet when vision phases through the floor. In the comics, he’s the villainous brother of Wonder Man whose brain waves were used by Ultron in Vision’s creation. I wonder if he’ll be relevant at all or if it was just an Easter egg. I love that’s there’s so much packed in that you don’t know which references will have a bigger meaning and which ones may just be red herrings.

 

[Chaser]

As someone who binged watched all of I Dream of Jeanie about 8 or so years ago, I fully appreciated what WandaVision was working with for the first two episodes. I know that it was more I Love Lucy and Bewitched but Jeanie had the same DNA so I liked it. It also got very Twin Peaks-ey at two moments and I was all for it.

I don't really keep up with the Marvel movies much, I really only watch them if Spider-Man is involved but this being a TV show on a platform I'm paying for I'm glad I gave it a go. Also love me some Kathryn Hahn.

Can we talk about the commercials, please? The toaster one being so eerie was clever. I wasn't expecting them to reference the Stark missile, and certainly not in that way. It makes me wonder how they will reference Pietro's death.

Without knowing their end-game I appreciate the commercials potentionally being references to

Spoiler Show

the comics. I googled the one in the second episode, the ad for the watch, as the time being set to 2:42 was an odd choice so I figured there was something there.

Avengers issue 242's description is "Times are looking bright for our heroes as both old and new members return to the place where all began, the Avengers Mansion. But when the Vision detects a near infinite power approaching the Avengers must rally their troops, for darkness is coming!"

But even if I read the time wrong by a minute, issue 243's description is "With all of his teammates missing in action, the Vision, acting as the Avengers' Chairman must try to quell public panic. But when the absence of his teammates looks to be permanent the Vision declares a new team of Avengers must rise! Enter: The West Coast Avengers!"

They're both Vision heavy comics from 1963. I didn't catch a comic reference from the first episode's ad while watching but after doing the googling for episode 2 I went online and looked to see if someone made a comic book connection from the Stark toaster but couldn't see one on a bunch of easter egg lists (a tweet said it referenced a comic where Vision came back to life but I couldn't find that.)

There's a bunch of deeper meanings in the ads, such as the bomb ticking, Strucker, HYDRA logo etc. but I thought if they were referencing important comic book issues then that's kind of cool.

 

[Alpha Baymax]

Having the very first Marvel Studios Disney+ show be a show that pays tribute to the history of television could not be any more fitting. I'm aware that Falcon and the Winter Soldier was originally going to take that slot but WandaVision just seems more appropriate in retrospect. I loved everything about it and the production quality puts the Marvel Television shows to shame.

 

[Face My Fears]

I liked it, but I definitely think the series would have been more well-received if it was available all at once to binge. It's moving too slow for my taste and I really want to know what's going on - however, it's not engaging enough to keep me coming back on a weekly basis. I will probably wait until all the episodes are available, then watch it all.

Also, I hate that I keep feeling like I have to carefully scroll through the credits to see if I missed anything.

 

[Luminary]

Also, I hate that I keep feeling like I have to carefully scroll through the credits to see if I missed anything.

The credits are so long for a tv project. I really thought there was gonna be a post credits scene just by the runtime. But considering how these were produced like films, I guess it makes sense.

From what I’ve heard, the total runtime will be about 6 hours with next week being another short episode. So after that, the episodes should start getting longer. I like that they’re willing to make the episodes whatever length they feel appropriate to tell the story rather than trying to stretch them to fit a certain quota.

 

[Absent]

We said the same thing about the Mandalorian, and the run became more unpredictable even with sources. Always assume that 10 mins of the episode is for credits, with the Mandalorian it was 5 to 6.

 

[Face My Fears]

The credits are so long for a tv project. I really thought there was gonna be a post credits scene just by the runtime. But considering how these were produced like films, I guess it makes sense.

From what I’ve heard, the total runtime will be about 6 hours with next week being another short episode. So after that, the episodes should start getting longer. I like that they’re willing to make the episodes whatever length they feel appropriate to tell the story rather than trying to stretch them to fit a certain quota.

Well most original shows on streaming platforms have abandoned the 22/40-something-ish minute runtime as with shows on TV, which is great because they're not forced to accommodate commercial breaks or a time slot on TV.

I wish they would let us know there's nothing in the credits because it's so long and a MARVEL production, so you automatically expect something. After the first episode's ending, it has me wondering if I should watch the credits or not.

Anyway, my whole gripe with WandaVision is that I really think they made a mistake with it being a weekly show. I feel like the experience of the show would have been best suited to binge-watching. Unlike the sitcoms that its emulating in these early episodes, the show actually isn't a sitcom, we're here for the grand story at the end. Which means that ending in a sitcom way "see ya next week for another hilarious situation with this couple" isn't what the show is about, so really it leaves you wanting the answer ASAP, then you go into another sitcom episode with the viewer wanting the meat of the show to come out (I hope I explained that well).

So the sitcom thing is a nice introduction tool, but waiting every week will ruin the experience of the show which I think would have worked better in a binge-watch. You'd get the quirky sitcom throwback, then quickly move into the serious stuff. Now it feels like you get the sitcom stuff and have to wait weeks to get to the serious stuff and the sitcom episodes don't really work well on their own after the first viewing. I'm sure there will be more things to pick apart in those episodes once we see the whole show, but right now there is very little to work with or even speculate on, which is kind of a letdown for being two episodes in.

Spoiler Show

The biggest question is "what's going on?" which will probably be something to do with Wanda's mind. The only hint we have two episodes in is someone watching the show on a screen and "Wanda, who did this to you?"

 

[Chaser]

The long credits have become a standard thing with streaming shows due to the credits having to include all of the international dubbing and localisation credits. I stayed on WandaVision's credits the first time around because it wasn't popping off onto the next episode (which, last time it happened, led to the tease at the end of the Mandalorian). If it does turn out that you missed credits then at least it's super easy to jump onto Disney+ and scroll to the credits.

I like that it's weekly. There's no rush to consume all episodes as quickly as possible to avoid spoilers. I remember Entertainment Weekly tweeted out information from the 3 episodes of Black Mirror's fifth season within 10 minutes of those episodes going live. There's always this rush to avoid being spoiled and I do miss being able to talk and guess with people. I think weekly builds up the intrigue and mystery, while also allowing Disney+ to pad out it's "worth" through having something each week for people to tune in to.

I also find with binging that I'll forget so many details of the episodes in-between due to fatigue. Weekly at least lets me digest the information and visuals a lot better than it just going in one ear and out the other.

 

[Luminary]

Well most original shows on streaming platforms have abandoned the 22/40-something-ish minute runtime as with shows on TV, which is great because they're not forced to accommodate commercial breaks or a time slot on TV.

Yes, however most streaming shows still have a somewhat consistent run time from episode to episode though whereas this is going to have a much more varied range. And they usually have to meet a specific episode quota, which can lead to poor pacing like some of the Netflix Marvel shows. So yeah we’ve already seen this trend, but this is taking it even further.

Anyway, my whole gripe with WandaVision is that I really think they made a mistake with it being a weekly show. I feel like the experience of the show would have been best suited to binge-watching.

Like Chaser, I disagree. This is just a personal taste thing, but I like the mystery being set up and having time to think on and theorize about the developments from week to week. I also feel like it gives me time to appreciate each episode more on its own and catch things that I would miss if I binged. It’s also nice having a little something to look forward to at the end of each week.

 

[Absent]

The biggest reason why it’s weekly is because it’s about money. They’re well aware that the Mandalorian ended, and they need to incentivize people to stay with Disney+ since originals are lacking compared to other services.
I know many people(me included) that are going to temporarily ended our subscription after WandaVision until a new and compelling original comes out.