Wow, that was a ride, wasn't it?
The first series from Marvel Studios was launched with a bang, with weekly episodes that collectively broke the internet as fans rushed to make theories and predictions. But was in any good? Did it pay off? And what does the future of the MCU hold? Let's discuss.
First off a warning - this article will contain MAJOR SPOILERS for the entire show, so if you have not seen it through yet, come back here later (but you can still tip now, hint hint...)
The series had a lot to handle, as it dealt with the heavy subject of grief, namely Wanda's immense losses in life, and it was an origin story of sorts for both Wanda (as the full formed Scarlet Witch) and Monica Rambaeu (without a title yet, out of several possible ones she has in the comics). In addition to that, the show tried to pay honorable homage to sitcoms of different decades, it tried to have enough intrigue and action to be interesting, and it tried to balance comedy with sadness. While some would say that's probably too much for one short show to handle (9 episodes in total), it is my opinion that WandaVision completed every milestone it wanted - which makes it a great addition to the MCU and a great start to this new "post-infinity-saga" phase.
So instead of raving about the show as a whole, and there's a lot to be happy about, let's list the best parts of it (and the worst):
The best of WandaVision
Despite fans theorizing about this show to the teeth, no one foresaw what was really going to happen - and that's a marker of clever writing. No one anticipated white-vision showing up, just like no one imagined this show in general was in fact on origin story to a character we know for quite a while (Scarlet Witch)
Emotional as hell - all humans deal with grief that can sometimes overwhelm us, and if we had the power - we would all like to live in our very own fantasy world where nothing goes wrong. Fictional as it is, this show dealt with some heavy and real human subjects and emotion and it did it well. But this show isn't depressing and doesn't feel like a burden, it's fun and comedic and it knows the perfect balance of light and dark.
Elizabeth Olsen - my god, who would have thought that this woman is such a phenomenal actress. While all the stars of this show are great (especially Paul Bettany and Kathryn Hahn), the true standout performance has to be our protagonist Wanda.
Standalone - Not too heavily packed with trying to launch other MCU properties. While it's true that there's a lot of reference to the MCU as a whole, the show wasn't designed to set everything in motion for the future. Like the first Iron-Man movie, it focused on being it's own quality thing while only giving small hints on anything else. You could in theory go in to this show without seeing any other MCU property, and you'd be missing out on a lot of stuff, but you'll still enjoy this show for what it is.
SciFi at its best - while most of us MCU fans love us some action CGI fights, the battle of Vision-vs-Vision is a testament to how real SciFi should be - it should be smart. Vision can only defeat Vision with logic, both being an AI android/synthezoid. We got out dose of action - sure, but the real resolution to that fight came through a discussion in philosophy and metaphysics. It didn't dumb down its content for the general audience. The same goes for the show as a whole, we are left with figuring things out on our own without too much repeated exposition.
Agatha all along theme song, naturally
In contrast, there are some things this show could have done better:
The worst of WandaVision
Inserting Evan Peters as Quicksilver was a bit much, and didn't have any payoff, and left some fans very disappointed.
A lot of fans were theorizing too much on other characters showing up (Mephisto, Mr. Fantastic, Dr. Strange etc...) and I'm glad those didn't appear as it would burden this show too much with fan service and world building. But that over-theorizing was kind-of Marvel's fault - they inserted certain things (like Quicksilver) knowing what insanity and publicity that would bring and creating hype. While it didn't hurt the actual show, it created unreasonable expectations. Really guys I have to ask, would Dr. Strange coming to be a "Deus-ex-Machina" in the final episode be satisfying to you? Why would you want that?
Monica was under-explored. She didn't look at all surprised or shocked to gain super-powers and we have no idea what she is thinking about it. Her presence in this show is the only thing that seems tacked-on and out of place in order to set up future MCU properties and it's a shame - because she is a good character. An additional short episode focusing on her would have been welcome. Hopefully she'll be better explored in the future.
Overall summary
Best couple in the MCU: WandaVision (even better than FitzSimmons - yes I said it)
Best superhero origin story in the MCU (with a close second by Iron-Man)
Second best superhero name drop (The first being "I am Iron Man")
8/10 overall score from me
A must see for the MCU fans
Notable Quotes:
What is grief... if not love, persevering?
Boys, handle the military, mommy will be right back
Who knows what I might be next?
I did not break your rules, they simply bent to my power
It's not like your dead husband can die twice...
Good analysis 😍 keep it up