Now we’re in my era.
What They Say:
Wanda’s pregnancy fritzes her powers as she and Vision prepare for an accelerated delivery.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
There was a lot to cover with the first two episodes we reviewed at once for WandaVision as it went into the show’s design, the concept behind it, and how all of it ties into a lot of different things. Thankfully, as the series goes on with its remaining seven episodes including this one, the episodes are a bit lighter to go through in a way but that also means that you might be left craving more than what we get. I’m thoroughly enjoying something like this with it working differently than it might have otherwise and the 30-minute running time is a plus. It’s a taste, a tease, and it’s something that I think is going to make even more sense when you can view it in full and pull the whole storyline together.
With this episode, we’re thrust into the 70s – and in full color – and this hits when I was growing up and watching more directly the shows that it’s riffing from, such as Brady Bunch. This period of the story is one that takes on a lot of interesting looks with the shift to full color and that allows for more nods and winks to things in the greater interpretation of the show, especially the use of red for a lot of different things here. The main thrust of this episode is that after the first two showed Wanda pretty much in control of the world and a lot of what was going on, craziness and all, but that seems a lot more tenuous this time around. We see the rain coming in from the ceiling, we get her bringing the butterflies from the baby mobile to life when not really thinking about it. There are a lot of instances where, because of the pregnancy that Wanda isn’t as focused as she usually is and we see these breakdowns occurring, even with someone like Herb and his hedge trimming into the concrete wall.
The pregnancy, and how fast it moves here, is a disconcerting element within the show that does change up how things progressed in the first two. In show, it’s only been a couple of days since things started and there are callbacks to the first episode such as the pineapple so that we know not a lot of time has passed even if Wanda is continually rewriting the look of the space she lives in. If the general theory is true that she grew up on American sitcoms as a kid and her mind is trying to find peace here with a form of Vision because of whatever event is going on in the real Westview, it definitely makes sense while also just understanding how strangely structured dreams are. Wanda’s pregnancy ends so quickly here, however, with the twins being born that it’s almost surreal and doesn’t really click at first. But there’s so much great imagery throughout the episode that helps to prod it along and make clear these elements in the background that it manages to work.
Vision, for his part, is just trying to do right by Wanda every step of the way. He’s the panicked dutiful husband with nerves of steel but the realization of two babies definitely shakes him a bit. Similarly, we get time with him outside with Agnes and Herb and he really does know that something is wrong here but he can’t pin it down. Especially since every time he thinks of it while with Wanda, a new distraction pops up that keeps him occupied as part of Wanda’s subconscious. When it’s more egregious, however, she simply rewinds and starts again or is able to do far better editing this time around and just cuts that scene out and starts again. It’s nicely done and definitely fits with the period, something that episode did really well as I spent so much time watching the Brady Bunch. They got so many fun details right while also applying their own senses toward it.
I really like the aesthetic of the episode but it also gets to play one of my favorite tricks. There’s a decent bit with Geraldine here where Wanda is realizing she doesn’t belong in any of this and basically boots her out of WandaWorld. When that happens, we get the effect of her going into “reality” and the aspect ratio changes from the old 1.33:1 to the 1.78:1 of today. I loved when the Galaxy Quest film played with this ages ago because it was so rare and it’s still not used a lot. But it definitely adds a nice twist here and gives us an idea of what’s going on outside as Geraldine begins to wake up from the experience and we see how many resources are being put there to watch over Wanda and whatever it is that’s happening to her. I do love the speculation – including up to Mojo being involved – based on how Geraldine is tossed. And I’m wondering if there’s a twist in story for her in how some of Wanda’s energies may have gotten into her system, though that may be asking too much to see Photon this early in the game.
In Summary:
I continue to understand why this show would frustrate some folks for very different reasons but I absolutely love how it’s coming together. If we’re dealing with a broken Wanda that’s trying to piece things together through her childhood adoration of American sitcoms that were exported the world over in a big way, it makes a lot of sense. The nods to Sokovia that we’ve gotten have been great and I like some of the other teases we get here, including the first mention of her brother in what, almost six years? This was a good bit of fun overall and it’s the kind of episode that makes it clear it will start moving faster going forward with what’s really going on and expanding from there. I think the safety of the sitcom world is going to be chewed away from the edges a lot quicker but that there’ll still be some really solid material within it as well.
Grade: B+
