Bee keeper: Advanced Idea Mechanics
Yeah, I wouldn’t call either episode filers. This is the story.
There are intense scenes in both episodes. They just don’t involve zapping or punching bad guys. Like the boss choking as he was forcing Wanda to address the faux reality and the wife saying stop it to Wanda over and over. That scene after the relative placidity beforehand where the unreality was only hinted at (like Vision trying to figure out what his company does). And in episode two, we get the first clear hint that Wanda is not a victim of the deception but might be the driver of the situation. I found all the main scenes in episode two really engaging - Vision in the library, the social circle, the bedroom, the manhole, the ending twist ... all of that intrigued me a lot.
I loved it. It felt like the most spot-on, unironic homage to mid-century sitcoms I've ever seen. Like, it wasn't even parody. There was no winking at the audience about old-fashioned social norms or how corny the old sitcoms were. It was just . . . being an old-fashioned family sitcom. Which made it creepier when things would go wrong for a moment.
I mean filler in the way that no real action happens. Filler isn't always negative. It's usually when you learn about other characters. In those episodes we are basically being introduced to Wanda's support cast. It was the same in Mando. It wasn't forwarding the main story and there wasn't a lot of action in some of those episodes, but they fleshed out other characters.
I've thoroughly enjoyed both. I think this will touch on an old hallmark for Wanda. About her persevering through tragedy. Which was an approach that Englehart had back in the day. To some that will come off as slow, because they had built up expectations.
Love is for souls, not bodies.
Yeah, that's one thing I found really charming about it. The corniness was in things like the laughter on the soundtrack and the stock sitcom plots they chose ("dinner with the boss" and "talent show"). But they really did seem to want to get laughs from the actual jokes and situations, and they came up with some new twists on it, like Wanda using her magic to make it look like Vision's tricks are fake.
Kathryn Hahn definitely is the best at nailing that sort of tone where she's parodying hammy sitcom acting but also just doing it really well.
I'm not used to watch series, but I gave it a try because I like both characters, and I really enjoyed it.
The comedy and different atmosphere (and a bit bizarre at times) is very refreshing.
I thought the black and white filter was just part of the teaser, after the first episode I thought it would continue until the end lol
The end of the second episode left me... very curious and maybe scared? about the next one and how things are going to go.
It's also the debut of the adult Monica Rambeau, hence also leading into Captain Marvel 2.
Appreciation Thread Indexes
Marvel | Spider-Man | X-Men | NEW!! DC Comics | Batman | Superman | Wonder Woman
So, two parts that really stuck with me on a 2nd watch of both episodes (likely to do a 3rd before next Friday):
spoilers:end of spoilers
During the entirety of the 1st episode Vision's powers are demarcated with animated stars or twinkles. While it's obvious that during the choking scene there is a "peek behind the curtain" of Wanda's reality, but what's more, Vision is using his powers and the effect is far more like it normally is presented with him phasing without the animated star effect. I point this out because 1) it really highlights that there is a reality being laid over another reality that still exists, and 2) it may mean that in some capacity Vision isn't just a construct of Wanda's powers but is still, somehow Vision.
The second was a blink and you'll miss it moment, but I haven't heard discussed and that's during Dottie's planning meeting when she remarks to Bev "The Devil is in the details" and Agnes (who I am just assuming at this point is Agatha Harkness) quips "That's not the only place he is." It really makes me wonder if maybe Mephisto actually is involved in some way. That Agnes/Agatha may be giving a subtle warning (within the strictures of Wanda's reality) to Wanda. Obviously pure theorycraft, but still, it made me think.
Last edited by SonofScarlet; 01-17-2021 at 06:53 AM.
spoilers:end of spoilers
I have to say I really like Emma Caulfield as Dottie Jones, Fred Melamed as Arthur Hart and Debra Jo Rupp as Mrs. Hart. They are SO funny. I liked the exchange at that women's meeting:
Wanda: "I'm Wanda."
Geraldine: "I'm Geraldine."
Dottie Jones: "And I'm irritated."
I laughed out loud at that. I'm SHOCKED that this show is WAY more risque than it has a right to be. If Herb indeed turns out to be the High Evolutionary, why the fuck would he care if some dudes think he "masticates" a lot in his spare time? Shouldn't he be a little bit more concerned about creating master races and shit? And I like how the series is subverting gender stereotypes from that era. All the guys in WandaVision want to do is gossip and badmouth other people. They're WAY worse than the women here. And I'm loving the fact that Vision is basically an android answer to Rodney Dangerfield.
I do think Wanda is way more assertive and daring than Vision here. She's definitely in control of that relationship and I enjoy that very much indeed. Let's be honest, Vision is bit of a p-word in this show thus far. If he continues along this path, a certain President will probably appear in episode six and try to "grab" him.
Last edited by Albert1981; 01-17-2021 at 11:45 AM.
It's quite obvious that many of us aren't used to the idea of an MCU property drip-feeding us information rather than dumping it all right out the gate. That's understandable, given the formula we all got used to with the films and even some of the MCU-adjacent Netflix series.
While this isn't the content rollout Marvel Studios wasn't hoping for, I personally think WandaVision is exactly what the MCU needed right now: a completely unique and fresh take on the formula. For more than a decade the MCU has pumped out hit after hit movie that closely stuck to the familiar. Yes, some directors like Taika Waititi and Ryan Coogler did get the chance to have some of their artistic sensibilities shine through in Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther. But the franchise is going into a new medium now, and the last thing they needed to do moving into the new decade was do the exact same thing over again. They need to be the pioneers again, and this is how they should do it.
I think WandaVision so far is fantastic. Many MCU films dip one foot into another genre -- like Captain America: The Winter Soldier having a slight spy/conspiracy thriller feel and Ant-Man imbuing itself with heist film tropes -- while the rest of the body's just a superhero film in all the familiar ways. But WandaVision isn't that: it is a sitcom. A sitcom with the quirky idea of moving through the iconic decades of television and promises something isn't entirely all it seems beneath the surface. So it's also a bit of mystery show. It isn't a superhero TV show (at least not yet) and that is a great thing. It's actually a risky and bold vision (no pun intended) and the fact that it might be turning some people off because it hasn't immediately peeled away and revealed itself as such means Marvel Studios is asking for a much higher level of trust than ever before. That's the kind of artistic creativity the franchise's most staunch critics have been asking for all these years.
I think it might be a bit premature to say the show is too slow after just premiering and we have yet to see if the weekly rollout format will actually be a benefit or detriment. It is too early to call these things. But I also think that if the promise and the idea of WandaVision isn't for you, then it is fine too. I think with all the unprecedented and enormous success the MCU has had for eleven years (twelve if we count 2020, but with planned content pushed back it might be unfair to add it) gives them a right to try something a little more niche. Maybe their attempts at mass appeal no matter the cost needed to be pulled back a little.