WandaVision

[Dalisclock]

Gotta admit, I was getting serious SCP vibes in episode 4 when we see the explanation for the field base being there and the weirdness of the reality bending field that is encasing the town. Replace SWORD with The Foundation and you might as well have an SCP entry.

Also, just in case anyone is watching the podcast
https://www.escapistmagazine.com/v2...t-this-program-discussion-a-marvelous-escape/

They floated the idea that Agnes isn't real OR she's Jimmy's unnamed informant who kicked off SWORD becoming aware of this, which is interesting considering she doesn't get mentioned or put on the board, despite getting a bit of focus among the neighbors.

 

[SilentPony]

So that was a neat episode.

Spoiler

So Wanda and Agnes are in this together, all but confirming she's Agatha the Witch, Wanda is fully aware its a fake reality, Vision is dead, and she's more or less controlling everyone. Also wow, Westview has thousands of people under Wanda's control? Thousands?! That's not just taking a small sleepy town off the map, that's taking a major town off the map. And if its true she erased everyone memories of the town, that's like erasing everyone's memories of like...Aspen. Pretty big deal.
And she's sorta gone evil, is a necrophile, stormed SWORD for some reason, and kidnapped an entire town to play dress up. Oh and probably sold her soul and/or the souls of her children to a multiverse devil God in exchange for being able to bang the strung up corpse of her dead robot boyfriend.
Vision knows something is wrong, and has a fight with Wanda, and Wanda tries to pull a Family Guy and force the credits to stop the episode. And then we have both the big twist cameo and also the worst part of the show so far.

Quicksilver is back. Except he's Days of Future Past Quicksilver, which fucking great. We get all the hammy, wacky and down right silliness of the Xmen timeline mixed into our not-rebooted 20 times because we're trying to forget entire movies happened MCU world. Can't wait for Deadpool to call up Robert Downey Jr in the next Avengers movie and ask for him to come back for the final fight. Or lets hope Jennifer Lawrence's broody, bland and terrible Mystique comes back to reboot her character for the 5th time.
The only way they can save this is if the OTHER big cameo is Patrick Stewart as Professor X comes in with Dr. Strange and they spank Wanda several times for trying to pull a Weekend At Bernie's, reset everything to before this show started, and then Professor X is all "I better not have to cross dimensions to save you fuckers ever again. Peace!" and leaves.
And I know that's not going to happen because this show is the prequel to Dr. Strange and the Scooby Doo Adventure, and now apparently SpiderMan 3: We haven't actually watched the Toby McGuire Spiderman movies in decades and oohh boy was it a mistake to bring him back.

One thing I've noticed and its actually very clever is the commercials. Yeah yeah, Wanda's subconscious and yadda yadda and Oh the toaster sounds like a bomb and Stark! But nah, what I noticed and the newest commercial continues it is that each commercial has one of the colors from an Infinity Stones in it. And part of me is wondering if Wanda is pulling a Freakazoid and rewriting stuff, selling her children to devils, what if part of whatever Faustian deal was made to bring Vision and the mind stone back also requires the other infinity stones back, for balance of something?

 

[EscapeGoat]

It's definitely been a slow burn but I love the really unsettling bits to each early episode - Wanda's prolonged eye contact while Mr Hart is choking or her "no" in the 2nd, but definitely after episode 4 it's really ramped up and I'm totally invested in the mystery. Still waiting to see if it does run as an adaptation of House of M or not, but it's exciting either way. Plus, the reveal at the end of episode 5? Amazing.

 

[gorfias]

It's definitely been a slow burn but I love the really unsettling bits to each early episode - Wanda's prolonged eye contact while Mr Hart is choking or her "no" in the 2nd, but definitely after episode 4 it's really ramped up and I'm totally invested in the mystery. Still waiting to see if it does run as an adaptation of House of M or not, but it's exciting either way. Plus, the reveal at the end of episode 5? Amazing.

An homage to, I think, things like Bewitched replacing Darren played by Dick York with Dick Sargent.
Theory

Spoiler

She is going to be in dr. strange and the multiverse of madness. this could be a prequel and she is pulling living vision and pedro from universes where they didn't die

This was a tough one. Without the sitcom spoofing, the reveal would not be as fun. with it? what a slog!
Ton of Easter eggs out there. Examples for those that want to watch em:

 

[Bob_McMillan]

Man, what an ep. So we now know that Wanda didn't do this on purpose, but she seems to be able to control the Hex completely. It also seems that Vision really is just a creation of the Hex, and yet he has his own free will. The kids as well. Pietro seems a little different though. Perhaps a manifestation of her guilt? He says he can remember death though. That's a creepy thing to include in a character you made, especially when he's your dead brother.

Also they're really good at lulling you into the "this is just a sitcom" vibe then hitting you with the creepiness of the situation. But I am sooo so tired of dickhead SWORD guy who's intent on just being a bastard. Maybe they'll give him some heartrending backstory as to why he hates superhumans so much, but he's still so annoying.

 

[Dalisclock]

Man, what an ep. So we now know that Wanda didn't do this on purpose, but she seems to be able to control the Hex completely. It also seems that Vision really is just a creation of the Hex, and yet he has his own free will. The kids as well. Pietro seems a little different though. Perhaps a manifestation of her guilt? He says he can remember death though. That's a creepy thing to include in a character you made, especially when he's your dead brother.

Also they're really good at lulling you into the "this is just a sitcom" vibe then hitting you with the creepiness of the situation. But I am sooo so tired of dickhead SWORD guy who's intent on just being a bastard. Maybe they'll give him some heartrending backstory as to why he hates superhumans so much, but he's still so annoying.

Well, I mean, there is a lot of collateral damage associated with superheros(The whole premise behind Civil War, other then Bucky is Caps Pal), Wanda was a terrorist for a while before she became an avenger and Wanda is technically holding an entire town hostage so she can play dress up with a sitcom theme, even if she doesn't realize it. She also stole VIsions body and is now Weekend at Berniing him around(not to mention the implied necrophilia that goes along with it). SWORD guy may be a dick, but he kinda has a right to be right now. Unfortunately, his first impulse seems to be the stereotypical military response of "SHOOT IT!" rather then attempt negotiate a release of hostages which isn't helping much.

One thing that got me was Pietro mentioning getting shot in the street, except I seem to remember him being killed by Ultron. So he remembers his death but misremembers how he died? Comes off as a bit wierd. Also appreciated the whole "What happened to your accent?" "What happened to yours?" exchange.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

Unfortunately, his first impulse seems to be the stereotypical military response of "SHOOT IT!" rather then attempt negotiate a release of hostages which isn't helping much.

One thing that got me was Pietro mentioning getting shot in the street, except I seem to remember him being killed by Ultron. So he remembers his death but misremembers how he died? Comes off as a bit wierd.

Exactly, he's so stereotypically the "guy who makes things worse" character. I'd understand being antagonistic against Wanda, but he's an ant trying to bite the foot of a an elephant with magical powers. And I also just realized that this fucker was the guy from the first episode who welcomed Rambeau back? He turned into a completely different character on a dime.

Pietro was killed by Ultron, who used the Quinjet's (or however you spell it) minigun to pump him full of holes.

 

[happyninja42]

One thing that got me was Pietro mentioning getting shot in the street, except I seem to remember him being killed by Ultron. So he remembers his death but misremembers how he died? Comes off as a bit wierd.

Pietro died by getting shot in the street. You can say "at Ultron's order " i guess. but the actual death bit, was shot in the street

 

[Hades]

This episode had some Malcolm in the Middle vibes. One of the boy talks into the camera like Malcolm would, it shows a more dysfunctional family then before, and Vision separating himself from the family for his own sub plot could be a reference to Hal constantly having his own little side adventures independent of the family.

The kids seem kind of suspicious. I know they're based on comic book characters who aren't evil so they probably aren't the main villain, but something is still off about them. The opening is likely sung by the boys and lyrics such as ''Don't try to fight the chaos, Don't question what you've done, Don't let it stop the fun'' doesn't seem like a message from someone with Wanda's best interest at heart. There's also other things like Wanda's powers not working on them,

Spoiler

and one of them conveniently awakening his powers to serve as a trigger alarm for when Vision's in danger.

 

[Dalisclock]

Pietro died by getting shot in the street. You can say "at Ultron's order " i guess. but the actual death bit, was shot in the street

Fair enough then. I haven't seen Age of Ultron since it released and haven't really been in the mood to rewatch it. My bad.

 

[happyninja42]

Fair enough then. I haven't seen Age of Ultron since it released and haven't really been in the mood to rewatch it. My bad.

Nah it's fine, I just happened to see that clip recently due to YT recommendation weirdness, and he died because Hawkeye and a little child were about to be gunned down by said gunship, and he speedy ran them away, but he got shot in the process. So the statement is accurate, if bland. "I remember being shot by a gunship being controlled by an insane robot army, while in a city floating 2 miles above the surface of the earth....in which I got shot in that street."

 

[laggyteabag]

Really, really enjoying the show so far.

I think the biggest achievement so far is making the characters of Wanda and Vision more than just background characters, or plot motivators.

I genuinely care what happens to these characters in this show, and im super interested to see where they end up. Amazing what happens when they actually dedicate some time to these two.

Im thinking that Wanda didn't start what is happening in Westview, but is more than happy to keep it going. She seems to be in complete control, and could end it if she wanted to, but is more than happy living in her fantasy world, despite the collateral damage.

Honestly, I would be more than happy if Wanda comes out of this as a villain, because the MCU hasn't done the "good character turns bad" trope yet, and this would be an amazing opportunity. Im all for it.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

Honestly, I would be more than happy if Wanda comes out of this as a villain, because the MCU hasn't done the "good character turns bad" trope yet, and this would be an amazing opportunity. Im all for it.

Maybe she and Mordo will team up and do the heelturn together in the next Dr Strange movie.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Honestly, I would be more than happy if Wanda comes out of this as a villain, because the MCU hasn't done the "good character turns bad" trope yet, and this would be an amazing opportunity. Im all for it.

Disney wouldn't do that in a million years.

 

[laggyteabag]

Disney wouldn't do that in a million years.

Why not?

Scarlet Witch turning evil is one of the biggest storylines for her character, and a lot of the pieces are already in motion for an MCU adaption.

If Disney had no problem with the Avengers fighting each other in Civil War, or killing half of the Avengers in Infinity War, or *actually* killing Black Widow and Iron Man in Endgame, Scarlet Witch having a quick stint as the villain in would be relatively small fry compared to what they have already done.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Why not?

For the same reason Rey didn't.

If Disney had no problem with the Avengers fighting each other in Civil War

A "war" in which nobody is trying to kill anybody and ends with no real winner and without any lasting consequences.

killing half of the Avengers in Infinity War

Let's call it what it always was: the second act plot twist. Can't believe anybody thought they'd stick to it.

or *actually* killing Black Widow and Iron Man in Endgame

Black Widow (2021) ⭐ 6.6 | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

2h 14m | PG-13

m.imdb.com

And I don't believe for a second that RDJ won't return as Iron Man in some capacity at some point.

 

[Hades]

For the same reason Rey didn't.

I don't really think Disney Star Wars has anything to teach us about Disney Marvel. Those two sides of the company have always been incredibly different.
-It was clear Star Wars never had a real plan for the sequels but the MCU seems very planned out. The directors in Star Wars spend a lot of time undoing each others work but aside many changes in Ragnarok getting undone the MCU team seems to work pretty well together.
-Aside from TLJ the Stars Wars sequels seem designed to take as little risks possible. That's why we're back to Rebels vs Stormtroopers despite this inherently no longer making sense after the empire fell. The MCU on the other hand seems to gladly take both big and small risk. Focusing on such obscure characters as the Guardians of the Galaxy was a risk, even if it would be undone killing off half the cast was a risk and I'd even say basing their entire project around relative B level superheroes like Thor or Captain America without a Spidey in sight was a risk in and of itself.
-The Star Wars sequels have a complete disinterest in world building and while I wouldn't say the MCU has stellar worldbuilding the outcome of most movies do directly carry over into the rest of the setting.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I don't really think Disney Star Wars has anything to teach us about Disney Marvel. Those two sides of the company have always been incredibly different.
-It was clear Star Wars never had a real plan for the sequels but the MCU seems very planned out. The directors in Star Wars spend a lot of time undoing each others work but aside many changes in Ragnarok getting undone the MCU team seems to work pretty well together.
-Aside from TLJ the Stars Wars sequels seem designed to take as little risks possible. That's why we're back to Rebels vs Stormtroopers despite this inherently no longer making sense after the empire fell. The MCU on the other hand seems to gladly take both big and small risk. Focusing on such obscure characters as the Guardians of the Galaxy was a risk, even if it would be undone killing off half the cast was a risk and I'd even say basing their entire project around relative B level superheroes like Thor or Captain America without a Spidey in sight was a risk in and of itself.
-The Star Wars sequels have a complete disinterest in world building and while I wouldn't say the MCU has stellar worldbuilding the outcome of most movies do directly carry over into the rest of the setting.

I agree that the MCU is better planned than Star Wars by virtue of having a plan at all. But I wasn't talking about that all. I'm talking about how Disney doesn't really take risks, and when it looks like they do they're nothing but hot air with the shelf life of a publicity stunt.

Was Guardians really such a big gamble? Disney was 9 movies deep into the MCU, had just knocked out the third highest grossing movie of all time and was simply going through the motions of yet another ragtag teamup movie led by yet another white chad.

As for world-building I see it more as Disney knowing how to create several isolated plots that don't step on anybody else's toes. Their TV stints have never mattered as far as the movies are concerned and I doubt they're going to start now (or maybe they will because now they own an actual streaming service instead of renting a dumping ground on Netflix). But I'm sure WandaVision will wrap up without any real significant impact on anything else.

 

[laggyteabag]

For the same reason Rey didn't.



A "war" in which nobody is trying to kill anybody and ends with no real winner and without any lasting consequences.



Let's call it what it always was: the second act plot twist. Can't believe anybody thought they'd stick to it.

Black Widow (2021) ⭐ 6.6 | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

2h 14m | PG-13

m.imdb.com

And I don't believe for a second that RDJ won't return as Iron Man in some capacity at some point.

I mean, Scarlet Witch's stint in villainy is only temporary, anyway, which, as you have just pointed out, is directly part of the MCU's MO.

And Disney has taken much more significant risks, by implying that half of the MCU was dead at the end of IW, and (for the forseeable future) retiring the characters of Iron Man, Black Widow, and Captain America. Having a character be evil for a film or two pales in comparison to those.

As for the comparison with Rey, I feel like that is a more apples/oranges comparison. The House of M plotline is an established and well-liked story, which a lot of people were expecting Disney to adapt at some point, whereas the Star Wars sequels were completely original. There was no expectation that Rey would actually turn evil, and Ep VII and IX were played super safe, for external reasons. I genuinely feel like if VII wasn't coming off the back of the prequels, and IX wasn't coming off the back of TLJ, a Dark Side Rey could have been a possibility.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I mean, Scarlet Witch's stint in villainy is only temporary, anyway, which, as you have just pointed out, is directly part of the MCU's MO.

And Disney has taken much more significant risks, by implying that half of the MCU was dead at the end of IW, and (for the forseeable future) retiring the characters of Iron Man, Black Widow, and Captain America. Having a character be evil for a film or two pales in comparison to those.

As for the comparison with Rey, I feel like that is a more apples/oranges comparison. The House of M plotline is an established and well-liked story, which a lot of people were expecting Disney to adapt at some point, whereas the Star Wars sequels were completely original. There was no expectation that Rey would actually turn evil, and Ep VII and IX were played super safe, for external reasons. I genuinely feel like if VII wasn't coming off the back of the prequels, and IX wasn't coming off the back of TLJ, a Dark Side Rey could have been a possibility.

I never bought the "half the MCU is totally dead" bull in Infinity War. Those movies were called Part 1 and Part 2 for years during production. And long before either came out there were/are sequels scheduled for Spider-Man, Black Panther, Loki, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy, Winter Soldier and the characters on this very show. So not only was Infinity War always clearly nothing but act one, the stakes were never that high in the first place.

Even if the MCU's roadmap wasn't spoiling things years ahead of time, look at the MCU's history and count the number of times a character dies to tremendous dramatic impact only to resurface somewhere else - sequel, TV spin-off, sometimes even within the same movie. Coulson. Bucky. Loki. Nick Fury. Pietro. Vision. The entirety of Infinity War minus what, Heimdall?

Black Widow is getting her movie. RDJ and Evans wanted out for years. I felt nothing for either of the characters by Endgame. Just 2 contracts not being renewed until it's convenient.

And no, Disney would never turn their protagonist into a villain. Rey would have never fallen to the dark side not in a million years - not as the lead anyway. Wanda has a higher chance but only as a side character and only if she doesn't do anything truly villainous. But they're not gonna. And "Dark Rey" is just another Funko Pop.