'WandaVision'... Marvel's Bold New Start to a Brand New Year
WandaVision. Was it good?
Reception:
WandaVision is bold and different. So, there was always the possibility that it would be taken with a grain of salt. It certainly isn't what we are used to. I mean, the first two episodes are in black and white. I don't know about you, but I can't remember the last time I watched something in black and white other than the classic Christmas movies. But we are past Christmas already, so this just feels different. It feels new, even though it has an older spin.
Rotten Tomatoes has given WandaVision an average Tomato Score of 97% as of 1/18/2021. This is actually good for the MCU debut to TV. Overall this means that critics were receptive of the show. For fans however the meter was marked at 81%. This might mean that fans are just a bit more skeptical. But overall a good score from both ends.
IMDB on the other hand has WandaVision coming in at a 7.5/10. IMDB is notoriously more critical than Rotten Tomatoes in nearly every case. So, in actuality this is a pretty positive score. Most reviews say that you should not give up on the show that it will take time to develop. Which I definitely agree with. These are just the first two episodes. We still have six more and a whole lot more story.
If black and white was not your thing, we will be getting colorized episodes very shortly. If you need more action, I have a feeling you might get that eventually as well. If you are skeptical simply because it is not what you are used to with Marvel, I want to challenge you to power through. This is just the beginning of their journey. Marvel is giving us something different and fun, all while working their content magic in the sub-plot of the story. Undoubtibley this will become the main plotline by the finale, but until then we may just get things in pieces.
YOU ARE NOW ENTERING SPOILER-ZONE.... CONTINUE AT YOUR OWN RISK
Speculation and Easter Eggs:
There were many Easter Eggs in the first two episodes. But I am going to point out some of the bigger ones that stood out to me and the ones that may affect the overall story.
In the first episode we are introduced to a few characters and reintroduced to our titular characters. We see from the very first moments that Wanda and Vision are married. This is a callback to their comic days. It has been hinted at in the MCU, but ultimately got halted due to Thanos prying the life out of Vision and snapping away all our beloved heroes. Unfortunately they could not pick back up where they left off since Vision was not snapped away but rather murdered by Thanos during his quest for the stones. Now we get a chance to see what could have been. Is Vision alive? Maybe, but that is only speculation as of now. Wanda can alter dimensions and is ultimately much more powerful than she knows. We see this hinted at through both episodes. She may even be causing this state she is currently trapped in. So Vision being brought back through Wanda's powers is definitely in the realm of possibility.
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We also see commercials in the episodes we are given. One is a lovely reference to Stark Industries. It is a toaster labeled as the Toast Mate 2000. Classic Stark name. I guess this is what they would be doing if the world were as chipper as a sitcom without the need for advanced weapons and suits of armor.
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The second commercial we actually get a nice homage to Age of Ultron. There is a commercial for the Strucker Watch. Strucker was the Hydra agent that experimented on Wanda and Quick Silver, in order to give them their powers. Vision also debuted in Age of Ultron, just much later in the story. So this is a nice call back to both Wanda a Vision's origin story as we know it in the MCU.
The next Easter Egg is pretty major. So far at the end of both episodes we have heard someone trying to reach out to Wanda. Who this is, hard to say. It could be any number of current characters. Or someone completely new. However, when we see the TV screen we can see what looks to be the S.W.O.R.D. insignia. This TV may also be where our "mystery voice" is seeing all this take place. S.W.O.R.D. is significant because its first appearance is at the end of the last MCU movie to take place- Spiderman: Far From Home. So maybe Wanda is being held in their base orbiting Earth while she is kept in a trans-like state. Maybe this also means that she is facing a universal scale threat or she is the threat. Pay attention to the computer and the book in the image below. The S.W.O.R.D. insignia seems to appear on both.
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The guy in the beekeeper suit may have something to do with what happened to Wanda. She is clearly suppressing something that happened. This might be because she is scared, or maybe because she has to keep certain information away from someone and the only person that knows of it is her. I would expect to see more moments like this moving forward. Whatever she is hiding or hiding from will probably be revealed by episode 8.
the last Easter Egg I wanted to touch on is the era of each episode. Each episode takes place in a specified decade of sitcoms. They will be playing off and making fun off the classic tropes that go along with each era. the first two episodes are black and white because they take place in the 1950's and 1960's. By the end of episode 2 we have moved into the 1970's and now can watch in vibrant colors. Wanda is even first seen in the color red when the switch happens. This is a reference to her bright scarlet costume in the comics. Hence the alias "Scarlet Witch".
My Review:
Personally I loved these two episodes. It was fresh and exciting. I loved getting to see even the Marvel Studios logo pop up on screen. Yes, there was less action and things looked a bit different. But, Marvel is being bold and creative. they are not giving us something we have seen before. With how wild some of the plot has been, it is like watching a comic book on your TV. They have dove into their roots for this series and added a creative spin to it. I am excited to see where the plot takes us and pumped to see how this will affect the multiverse and the MCU as a whole. But mist importantly, I am excited to see Elizabeth Olsen make a joke about her twin sisters and their time on the series Full House. I am expecting that in episode 4 or 5 when they are supposed to mimic of sitcoms from the 1980's and 1990's.
Thanks for reading!
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