News / TV
Let's Talk about WandaVision Episode 1-2
by David Mumpower · January 20, 2021
After the series premiere of WandaVision defied expectations, the second episode leaned into the crazy.
No Marvel fan could have reasonably expected any of the surprises in store for the Avengers.
Let's talk WandaVision episode 1-2.
Warning: I avoided spoilers as much as possible last time. That's going to be impossible this time. So, please don't read until you've watched the episode.
Photo: Marvel/Empire Magazine
No Time Like the Present
The producers of WandaVision revealed long ago that several different popular sitcoms inspired the show. For this reason, we've known that WandaVision would evolve throughout the episodes.
Last time, the season premiere paid loving homage to the classic black and white sitcoms of yesterday.
Photo: Marvel Studios
In episode 1-2, the show still isn't quite ready to leave the black and white era behind. However, some things have changed.
During the 1960s, the standard sitcom format called for a pre-credits scene, usually one where the husband does something stupid while the wife quietly saves the day again.
Photo: Marvel
I couldn't help but laugh at the way that this episode honors the format. The couple hears a noise, but the powerful android is too afraid to investigate.
His wife must act brave for the both of them. It's a staple of this era of television, and WandaVision nails the vibe.
However, the surprises begin almost immediately after this comfortable and somewhat predictable scene.
For starters, the show receives a new, catchier theme song. I suspect this will be a running joke throughout the six episodes, meaning we've got four more songs ahead!
I doubt any of them top the one from episode 1-2, though. WandaVision Wah-WandaVision is insanely catchy, and the cartoon accompaniment is *chef's kiss*.
Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff in Marvel Studios' WANDAVISION. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2020. All Rights Reserved.
The Magic Act and the Shocker
The episode mines another popular storyline, the talent show, as Wanda and Vision must perform a magic act for charity.
Before that happens, Wanda makes a discovery.
She finds a helicopter drone in her rose bushes, one whose colors are unmistakably from Stark Industries.
Importantly, this drone is in color, unlike the woman holding it. Also, the S.W.O.R.D. insignia is once again visible.
Photo: Collider
During the season premiere, the show waited nearly 22 minutes to spring a surprise on the audience. This time, an illusion-shattering shocker occurs during the first act.
WandaVision wants the audience to know not to take anything for granted. We're just along for the ride here, and virtually anything can happen.
Photo: CBR
If you search YouTube, you'll find a slew of WandaVision Easter egg videos, most of which include wild speculation.
I'm not going to engage in that, but I do find three things important about the main storyline in this episode.
Wanda hides in "The Cabinet of Mysteries" as the big magic trick. Seems symbolic. Similarly, Wanda portrays Glamour, while Vision is Illusion in this magic act.
Since the word glamour is a synonym for enchantment, well, you can figure this one out. The show's leaning into the idea that Vision's illusory due to Wanda's magic trick.
Meanwhile, S.W.O.R.D. (or someone else?) appears to use drones to spy on the newlyweds.
That's the meta part of the story, but the comical aspects once again come from Vision.
The Avenger tries to fit in with the neighborhood watch and then learns the hard way that his architecture doesn't mesh well with chewing gum.
This harmless stick of gum clogs his cogs, turning the graceful Vision into a clumsy buffoon.
See how sitcom-silly that sounds? Director Matt Shakman is having a ton of fun playing inside the margins here.
Photo: Empire Magazine
Everyone Lives in Westfield
I didn't touch on any of the supporting characters last time, even though at least one seemed vitally important.
Kathryn Hahn portrays nosy neighbor, Agnes, who demands friendship from Wanda. Vision's boss, Mr. Hart, and his wife, Mrs. Hart were the only other major players last time.
In episode 1-2, Westfield expands a bit more. Teyonah Parris arrives as a character who thinks her name is Geraldine, which we know it's not.
Photo: Screen Rant
Emma Caulfield, whom Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans know as Anya, plays a neighborhood queen bee named Dottie.
This woman's the bully whose approval Wanda needs to fit in with the rest of the cul-de-sac crew in Westfield.
As near as I can tell, every character in the first two episodes lives in Westfield, which isn't at all foreboding and ominous.
Speaking of which, WandaVision isn't giving anything away for free, which explains why the episodes don't come with specific titles.
If 1-2 had a name, it would be "For the Children," a phrase that comes up repeatedly. The neighborhood talent show will benefit the kids of Westfield Elementary…in some undefined way.
As such, if Wanda and Vision don't pull off their act, the charity will fail for…reasons. As is the case with classic sitcom plots, it doesn't make any sense nor should it. And I adore that cheeky concept.
WandaVision still sneaks in some significant plot points, though. Agnes rather ominously mentions the devil, whom Marvel fans know as Mephisto.
Since the villain of the show hasn't leaked yet, even after two of the six episodes have aired, that one-liner seems important.
The Westfield Bunch
Meanwhile, Geraldine stresses that she doesn't know what she's doing here. A logical guess is that she's working for S.W.O.R.D. by teleporting into Wanda's universe, but who knows?
Photo: SyFy Wire
All I can say for sure is that she's Monica Rambeau, the little girl from Captain Marvel, whom we know from 1995 in the MCU.
Ergo, she wasn't born when this sitcom takes place and definitely should be there. Then again, neither should Vision.
WandaVision unquestionably follows the Lost playbook of raising tons more questions than it answers each episode.
Photo: The Mary Sue
As for Dottie, her husband is Phil Jones, the dude who got fired in the series premiere. As such, she has good reason to despise Wanda, whose husband is now the boss's favorite.
Phil, the fired guy, is still around as well. He's the unmistakable Mustache Man whom the internet is buzzing about.
Then, there's Herb, the African American gentleman who didn't appear in the previous episode. That's a clever bit of social commentary about early sitcom casting behavior.
Still, Herb has caused a great deal of speculation about his potential connection to a Marvel supervillain. For now, he's just Herb, though.
In fact, the only scary person we've seen (not counting Dottie and Agnes) is the one who shows up briefly at the end of the episode.
A sewer drain opens, and a…beekeeper appears.
This turn of events upsets Wanda so much that she rewinds time and possibly even removes the beekeeper from reality.
Yeah, the last few minutes of episode 1-2 are absolutely bonkers.
Wanda apparently possesses remote control-ish powers, at least in Westfield, that allow her to roll back the tape and start all over again.
Also, the "for the children" statement proves prescient, as Wanda suddenly becomes at least six months pregnant.
Afterward, she waves her magic hand, and the black and white home adds some color, hinting at the next episode's Brady Bunch vibe that we've watched in the trailers.
All three of those things deserve a lot more discussion, and social media definitely has you covered here.
What I will say is that the entire purpose of WandaVision may prove surprising.
Arguably the most significant and impactful comic book moment during the 21st century occurs when Wanda says, "No more Mutants!"
Just like that, 99 percent of Mutants in Marvel Comics cease to exist. In episode 1-2, Wanda simply says "No!"
Suddenly, the beekeeper is no more.
I cannot help but wonder whether Wanda will do the opposite of the comic storyline. Could she trigger the existence of Mutants in the MCU? Remember that there aren't any right now.
As for the pregnancy arc, that's a known I've referenced before. The trailers showed baby cribs in Wanda and Vision's home.
Still, a person really shouldn't turn six months pregnant in a matter of seconds. That's some scary horror movie stuff right there.
I emphasize this because WandaVision is hiding something in plain sight. Sure, it looks like a sitcom on the surface, but it's a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing scenario.
We're watching a horror flick, whether Marvel admits it or not. Bad things are in the offing at the Westfield subdivision.
Photo: Just Jared
Wanda seems so happy at the end of episode 1-2. That's what makes the next aspect so alarming.
The episode ends with an allegedly unknown voice saying the following: "Wanda? Who's doing this to you, Wanda?"
Now, we know (or at least can suppose) two things about this.
Photo: JustJared
The first is that Jimmy Woo, the FBI agent from the Ant-Man franchise, is probably the person asking this question.
Presumably, he's left the FBI and joined S.W.O.R.D., as he appears in multiple trailers.
Photo: KEVORK DJANSEZIAN / Reuters
The other is that nobody's doing this to Wanda. She's likely doing it to herself.
Yes, a supervillain like Mephisto or possibly Nightmare could accentuate her behavior, but these wounds are self-inflicted.
Wanda knows that she's living in an artificial realm. However, it's like knowing that you're dreaming about something that makes you really happy. You don't want to wake up.
While Wanda's in Westfield, she still has Vision. So, she doesn't want to leave.
S.W.O.R.D. appears inclined to pull her out of this pocket dimension anyway. The real question is why.
Wanda isn't hurting anybody by playing house in a dream, right?
There's a remarkable amount in play after just two episodes.
While I quite liked the first episode, I have to say that the second one is substantially better. This was an A+ episode that I've already watched multiple times.
I want to high-five whoever it was that came with the chewing gum gag. That's a killer bit because it's absurd. Bettany really sells it, too.
Tags: marvelMarvel StudiosVisionWandaWandaVision
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