Who's ready to get weird?
Alright, it’s time to tackle my
latest Everest, WandaVison! Before we get started, I will warn you that the
first few episodes of the series are very much a slow burn. Like, if you didn’t
know something was hinky going down from the get go, this episode I’m about to
cover will sound like a 50s era sitcom that just so happens to star Wanda
Maximoff and The Vision. Well, except for one scene. But I’ll get to that in a
few minutes. So yeah, it’s a slow burn, but I’ve really enjoyed it thus far.
The situation as it has unfolded with Wanda is a twisted quagmire and I’m
curious to see how it’ll unfold. Let’s begin, shall we?
Ah, they look so happy. Which is impressive for
The Vision... because... you know... corpse.
We open with a 1950s style opening
credits, in the vein of the Dick van Dyke show so I’m told, with The Vision and
Wanda Maximoff arriving in the city of Westview as a newlywed couple. The world
is black and white for… some reason. The show proper opens with Wanda using her
powers to do the dishes, telekinetically lifting them, cleaning them and
putting them away. She’s not paying attention, and neither is the Vision, so he
walks headlong into a plate, shattering into pieces. They play it off, as the
Vision’s skull is almost literally indestructible, and Wanda rebuilds the plate
with a wave of her hand. Vision notes that there is a heart on their calendar
and for whatever reason neither of them can remember what that means. This is
weird in part because Viz is a machine, and thus should not be able to forget
things without purposely deleting said information. Wanda’s human brain is somewhat
more excusable for forgetting dates, but it’s odd that neither of them know. Vision
leaves for work, transforming his face into a human look to hide the fact he’s
an android.
Oh, look, it's the quirky neighbor.
Wanda continues to ponder what the
heart might mean, when she hears a knock. She opens the door and meets her
neighbor, Agnes. Agnes is one of those nosy neighbor characters that wants to
help her. After crossing off a few possibilities, they “realize” that it’s her
and Vision’s anniversary. I put quotes around that, because it’s clear Wanda
has no idea still and the anniversary is just a shot in the dark guess. Agnes
decides to help Wanda plan and she goes along with it.
At the Office, Vision powers
through his paperwork like… a machine processing data. After he finished going
through what has to be a month worth of figures for anyone else, he asks his
coworker Norm what they actually do here. He gives a lot of gobbledygook that
boils down to “no idea,” but does say that productivity has gone way up since
Viz started working here. It’s at this point where his boss comes out and
reminds Viz that he’s hosting his boss and his wife for dinner. Ah, they’re the
Harts, so heart symbol = Hart, go it. Dinner with the Harts is one of those
things that makes or breaks a person’s career, as a comically fired coworker
points out as he walks out with his stuff. It’s funny because he’s suffering.
Mr. Hart says that Viz shouldn’t worry so long as he doesn’t have any skeletons
in his closet, to which Viz nervously says “(He) doesn’t have a skeleton.”
Agnes and Wanda are planning what
they think is an anniversary dinner. Vision calls up his wife and the two have
the comic sitcom misunderstanding, both saying the “right” thing but causing
the other to misunderstand further. Oy, sitcoms.
There’s a brief commercial break
where a 50s era sales rep talks about the wonder of the Toastmate 2000, a fancy
looking toaster by Stark Industries… huh…
Stark Industries and Maximoffs really don't mix.
That night, Viz arrives with his
boss and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Hart. The lights are turned down low, which Viz
says is for atmosphere. Wanda walks up in a frilly little nightgown, and
accidentally “guess who’s” Mr. Hart. They play this off as a Sakovian greeting,
and the two excuse themselves to the kitchen to regroup. In the kitchen, they
have a quick “what the hell is happening here?” conversation, and agree to try
to make tonight work. She magics herself into a more appropriate dress and
tries to make a meal. A situation complicated by the fact Viz doesn’t eat,
because robot, so their options for meals are somewhat limited.
In the living room, Viz is trying
to distract his boss and wife and also get info on what he actually does, but
Mr. Hart isn’t helpful. In the kitchen, Agnes shows up with the ingredients for
a multi course meal for four, because 50s housewife, and after a bit of dance
to get rid of her, Wanda starts using her powers to make a meal. In the living
room, Mrs. Hart, played by Debra Jo Rupp aka Kitty Forman from That 70s show (I
brought this up because I thought it was brilliant casting), is getting antsy
and wants to help Wanda prepare. Viz is able to distract her from seeing Wanda
telekinetically moving food around via a kitchen window thing (?) by singing
Yakety Yak by the Coasters. Still slaps… what? My father conditioned me to the
music of his era. Wanda recloses the blind and gets back to work.
After distracting the Harts with a singalong
of Old McDonald, Viz goes to check on Wanda. He surprises her and she
accidentally throws a lobster out the window. She has Vision tenderize the meat
while she checks on the Harts. Agnes drops off a pineapple for some reason, and
Wanda tuns back to relieve Vision, whom Pulverized the meat instead of
tenderized it. Having had enough of the 50s stye sitcom antics, Mr. Hart starts
yelling at Viz, but then Wanda comes out with some cereal, breakfast for
dinner. The group sits for the meal and toasts.
The Harts ask for details about
the… Maximoffs, I guess, since Vision doesn’t have last name, but neither
remembers any details about their lives before coming to Westview. Mr. Hart
asks them “what is your story?” and it causes both of them to freeze up. Mr.
Hart gets more insistent about them telling him where they came from, but
starts chocking. Bizarrely, Mrs. Hart keeps laughing and saying “stop it,” over
and over again. Wanda eventually shakes her head and tells Viz to save Mr.
Hart. Viz phases the blockage out of Mr. Hart’s throat. The Harts laugh it off
but leave abruptly. Mrs. Hart does the “Guess who?” thing to Wanda as they go,
thinking it was also a Sakovian goodbye. Somehow the lobster they threw out the
kitchen window ended up on their front door. How odd.
If only there story could be this happy.
Once they’re alone, Viz reverts
back to his normal robot face and he and Wanda sit on the couch. They discuss
how they’re an unusual couple, and note the oddity that they don’t have rings.
Wanda magics them up a pair of wedding bands and they kiss as the credits roll.
The screen pulls out a bit, and we’re shown the show playing on an antique TV
in a much more modern room. Someone is making notes about the broadcast…
spooky!
Okay, so this is a strange start to
the series. With few exceptions, this episode might have just played out like a
50s era sitcom. Just Viz and Wanda having a comic misunderstanding about their
dinner plans and having to fumble there way through their evening. But there
are a few moments within that hint at the more sinister situation they’re in.
Wanda and Vision not knowing any of the details about their lives before moving
to Westview. Vision working at a company and not knowing what he actually does.
The fact they’re in a fifties setting. All point to something much more unusual
than just two people living their lives in suburbia. It was indeed a strange
start, but it successfully got me hooked for more. Oh, and Agnes is fun. Not
sure if the character is just extremely well written, or because Kathryn Hahn
is delightful. It’s probably both. WandaVision is shaping up to be a fun ride.
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/47851141
Twitter: @BasicsSuperhero
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