Rent WandaVision: Series (2021)

WandaVision: Series (aka The Vision and Scarlet Witch / Big Red) review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

As the first of Disney’s Marvel TV shows that was more directly connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (not counting the spin-offs of Agents of SHIELD and Agent Carter), WandaVision had some high expectations. To try to expand on the characters last present in the biggest superhero movie of all time, the characters of Wanda and Vision are presented in a refreshingly mysterious light. The dedicated audience will recall that Vision died during the events of Infinity War, and Wanda was revived in Endgame. So, seeing them reunited in a 1950s-style sitcom presented a fascinating premise of trying to figure out how they got here.

The show starts brilliantly by tossing the audience into a completely different premise. The sitcom premise of Wanda acting as the housewife and Vision as the husband with both of their powers present is clever. It’s unique in that the series opens as though this were just another episode of their developing antics as a married couple. They have a laugh track presented over their black-and-white life, along with the dated effects and common plotlines to emerge within the fully I Love Lucy vibe. But a darkness lurks in the background. When it feels like we’re getting too close to the truth, Wanda finds a way to lock that door again and switch to another sitcom.

As a metaphor for grief, the episodes present Wanda and Vision within different sitcoms of different decades. This progresses from the comical antics of 1960s Bewitched to the relatable anxieties of 2000s Malcolm in the Middle. In terms of direction and evoking each era, the show does a masterful job of wrapping the viewer into Wanda’s eerily accurate representation of TV families. Only when the curtains are further pulled back does the show feel like it’s falling back on the old MCU handbook of resolving matters quickly with some superhero fights.

The problems of WandaVision would become the problems that plagued much of the following MCU TV shows. The show starts great, looks dazzling, and offers intriguing characters worth following. By the show's end, however, the ultimate resolve doesn’t feel like a fitting payoff for a character who comes to a bittersweet conclusion about her loss. There’s a lingering notion that only a portion of this saga was reserved for Wanda coming to a revelation and the rest for setting up more MCU storylines. This becomes apparent with the new reveals of the witch Agatha being defeated, the cosmic hero Maria Rambeau gaining her superpowers, and the blank slate of White Vision (who is so underutilized he sticks around for one episode before flying off into the ether for if/when the MCU needs him). There’s also the lack of usage of Evan Peters in the role of Quicksilver. Initially, seeing this actor from the X-Men movies by Fox playing the same character killed in Avengers: Age of Ultron was a shock. His ultimate reveal is a wasted opportunity, considering the absurd reveal of who this character is.

When considering what followed, WandaVision is one of the better MCU shows, but it still arrives at a frustrating stop by the final episode. It’s worth watching for the design and intrigue alone, even if it does decay over time. But once the allure of the sitcoms wears off, the resolution for everything feels like a tacked-on conclusion that could be done without. The show seems almost to be a struggle between the stylish desires of framing Wanda in different hues and the obligatory interconnectivity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Considering that the show already feels like a have-to-watch item before watching The Marvels (to understand Monica), it’s unfortunate that such a remarkable show falls in line too easily with the Marvel machine, making for a good show that falls short of becoming something more beyond its product line.