WandaVision

“What is grief, if not love persevering?” As the first MCU Disney + show, WandaVision is a very solid starting point. It’s very different to what we’re used to, but it’s immensely entertaining and gives us a deeper look at Wanda and Vision. Elizabeth Olsen gives her best performance as Wanda Maximoff here. She really gets to showcase the pain and trauma side of the character which is so great to delve into, especially following the events of Infinity War and Endgame. We see how Wanda is dealing with losing Vision and it’s great to delve into her psychology. We also see the origin of the Scarlet Witch, all while setting up the future conflicts of of the MCU. Paul Bettany, much like Olsen, also gives his best performance as Vision. Unable to remember his past before Westview, it’s very fun to see Bettany portray the sitcom tropes with his character. I also love how Vision is constantly trying to figure out the dark secret behind Westview, leading to some great conflict between him and Wanda. Katheryn Hahn is an absolute scene stealer as Agatha Harkness. Throughout the series, she’s been the nosey neighbour, to which Hahn portrays really well. She has amazing comedic timing and really plays off Olsen well. I do think once she’s revealed as the antagonist, she weakens as a character, but overall she’s really great. Teyonah Paris is a great older Monica Rambeau. Her character, much like Wanda, lost someone very close to them due to Thanos, but both come out of it different people. Kat Dennings returns as Darcy Lewis and is actually pretty great here. She’s no longer the annoying intern and it a pretty important inclusion. She’s definitely improved as a character and her dynamic with Monica and Jimmy Woo is fantastic to watch. Speaking of which, Randall Park remains a scene stealer. Returning from Ant-Man and the Wasp, Jimmy is no longer just the comedic FBI Agent, but he’s actively attempting to uncover the incident at Westview. I love the little callbacks to him now learning up close magic and it’s amazing. Julian Hilliard and Jett Klyne are amazing as Billy and Tommy Maximoff respectively. I love their characters and they’re so entertaining to watch. Evan Peters was a very surprising addition to the cast. Portraying a “recasted” version of Pietro Maximoff, or so we initially thought, it was a very clever move to make Evan the fake Quicksilver despite already portraying him in the Fox movies. I don’t hate the Bohner joke like most as I knew that Evan was most likely never going to stick around. Director Hayward is a pretty generic villain, but at first you do see yourself aligning with his views. He makes some interesting points, but as the series progresses, you start to see how he himself is a bad guy, wanting to use Vision for his own gain. He’s a very serviceable villain, but the series was never really about its antagonists. Matt Shakman’s direction is amazing here. As the director of the first MCU Disney + show tie-in, Shakman had a pretty big role and he mostly succeeds. He perfectly manages to capture every sitcom vibe and I love it. There is very little action within this series, as it is mostly a sitcom type show. Obviously there is the standard Marvel action, but that doesn’t start to reveal itself until later down the line. When it does appear, it’s very well shot, allowing the audience to see everything going on, all while showcasing Wanda’s and Vision’s powers really well. It makes for some pretty interesting action, but it could be better. The show’s story is very engaging. Starting out as a standard 50s sitcom, it’s really fun to watch our characters in this strange new environment. I loved the mystery aspect running throughout, not knowing what is fully going on. It was a magnificent way to move the story along. Episode 4 allowed the audience to see an outsider perspective into the events occurring as Westview and it was great. Seeing more of the impact that Thanos’ snap had was truly great, I love that as there’s so much potential to be explored. I also love Monica, Jimmy and Darcy all putting together the pieces with Wanda’s show. It’s very cool to watch as it’s like the X-Files meets sitcoms meets the MCU. Episode 8 was another highlight of the show, showing us Wanda’s extremely traumatic past. I’m glad we’re finally able to delve into her backstory as up until now, we’d only learnt new information through snippets of dialogue. It’s really great to be shown it and it makes her character even more interesting. The finale drops the ball a little, but its still really fun. It goes back to the classic MCU formula, ending with a hero vs villain fight. I wish they had done something a little more creative, taking the whole show into account, but I do enjoy what they did. Some loose ends weren’t tied up perfectly well, but again I still enjoyed it. The sitcom energy was truly fantastic to watch, but when the show delved into the drama and emotional sides, it elevated it even more. The ending of the show, forcing Wanda to sacrifice everything she wants is truly heartbreaking. Seeing her watch Vision and her children fade from existence is amazing. Truly an emotional ending that is very fitting for these characters. The visuals are really great. There’s not as much CGI present as you’d expect, deciding to utilise more traditional effect techniques, which I think really added to the sitcom vibe. The aesthetic of each decade was truly marvellous. Seeing how the sets, costumes, make-up, etc all changes from the 50s to the 70s was really cool and drove the series home better than I anticipated. The costume design is another highlight. They really fit in with whatever decade they’re supposed to and it looks perfect. I also love the costumes for Vision (both his regular and White Vision attire), Agatha’s and the classic comic book costumes shown in the Halloween episode. But, by far my favourite costume is Wanda’s new Scarlet Witch look. It looks absolutely incredible and really fits in with the whole witch look. The cinematography was also really great. I think it shined in Episode 8 as there’s some really beautiful shots there, especially when we get our first glimpse at the Scarlet Witch and Agatha’s past. Again, some truly magnificent cinematography for this show which sets it apart from other MCU projects. The score for this show is another highlight. Each episode that utilises a sitcom setting has its own theme tune taking inspiration from popular sitcoms during that period such as the Dick Van Dyke Show or the Office. It really added to the aesthetic and I love it. The rest of the composed music was also amazing, adding emotional weight to the scenes when required and truly elevating the scenes it’s used in. I do have issues with WandaVision though. Like stated earlier, both Agatha and Hayward fall victim to being average antagonists in the final episode. They have generic motives and aren’t as interesting as they were towards the beginning of the season. That may be due to Covid preventing the show from having 10 episodes, so a lot of stuff was left on the cutting room floor. Some characters get sidelined in the finale like Woo and Darcy, again probably due to Covid. The MCU formula begins to show near the end of the season, and I would’ve liked it to maintain a certain sense of uniqueness to further set it apart, but it’s not too big of a deal. Certain shots with CGI in the last episode can be a little bit off, but it doesn’t detract from the overall viewing experience. Some of the comedy doesn’t work too well, but on the whole, it’s mostly great so it isn’t a big deal. Overall, WandaVision is a very creative and unique entry into the MCU, allowing us to delve deeper into the characters of Wanda Maximoff and Vision, while also laying the groundwork for future instalments into the universe. It’s by no means perfect nor my favourite MCU Disney + show, but it’s a solid starting point that’s thoroughly engaging and constantly keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat.