Wandavision

[JudicatorPrime]

Well, you're going to have a bumpy ride lol. The entire season is about sitcoms throughout the ages.

Call me when they get to Three's Company. Looking forward to seeing who their analogue to the Ropers would be.

[Force de Phenix]

The Mandalorian this is not.

I feel like the build-up is too slow. Even verbose Shakespeare with his iambic pentameter didn't take this long to convey that there was something rotten in Denmark. With only 8 or 9 episodes in the season, I feel like they wasted an installment. I appreciate callbacks to classic sitcoms like "I Married Joan" and "Bewitched" as much as the next old fart, but come on, move it along. I'm not here for the nostalgia. Quite the opposite. Surely, they could have accomplished in one episode what they delivered in two.

I don't think they're going to make it packed and heavy like Agents of Shield, which is probably the fullest non-MCU Marvel shows. This is for the people that paid billions of dollars to sit through 10 years of the MCU and pay for Disney Plus. The Mandalorian was extremely slow and had lots of filler episodes, but no one could complain.

[Vegeta]

The Mandalorian this is not.

I feel like the build-up is too slow. Even verbose Shakespeare with his iambic pentameter didn't take this long to convey that there was something rotten in Denmark. With only 8 or 9 episodes in the season, I feel like they wasted an installment. I appreciate callbacks to classic sitcoms like "I Married Joan" and "Bewitched" as much as the next old fart, but come on, move it along. I'm not here for the nostalgia. Quite the opposite. Surely, they could have accomplished in one episode what they delivered in two.

I take it you are not a fan of slow burn horror films like "the Vvitch"?

I thought the build up was excellent. (Unlike a lot of streaming series which often have 60 minute episodes, Wandavision only has 30 minutes). People complained about "the Mandalorian" mid season if you recall. That it was "spinning it's wheels when Mando was protecting a village from pirates and an AT-ST. And yet that episode ended up setting up a very important character for future episodes. That's what is happening here. Episode 1 introduces Agnes and Vision's boss and co-workers where as episode 2 introduces Dotty and Geraldine.

The nostalgic "old sitcom" works for me, not just because I love those shows and appreciate the technical skill that has gone into recreating this "old timer comfort food" style television, but it actually serves to amplify the discomfort that there is something horrible lurking underneath the facade. I was on edge for the entire length of both episodes.

While comparisons to "Bewitched" and "Dick Van Dyke" were obvious, was anyone else reminded of the "Twilight Zone" in the shots of the neighborhood gathering? I dunno why, but I just got a "Monsters on Maple Street" or "Stopover in a Quiet Town" or something.

I dunno, I guess it's not for everyone. But I loved it, and I found myself thinking about it all day long, which isn't something that happens too often to me with other shows, even when I really enjoyed them.

[stingray]

I take it you are not a fan of slow burn horror films like "the Vvitch"?

I thought the build up was excellent. (Unlike a lot of streaming series which often have 60 minute episodes, Wandavision only has 30 minutes). People complained about "the Mandalorian" mid season if you recall. That it was "spinning it's wheels when Mando was protecting a village from pirates and an AT-ST. And yet that episode ended up setting up a very important character for future episodes. That's what is happening here. Episode 1 introduces Agnes and Vision's boss and co-workers where as episode 2 introduces Dotty and Geraldine.

The nostalgic "old sitcom" works for me, not just because I love those shows and appreciate the technical skill that has gone into recreating this "old timer comfort food" style television, but it actually serves to amplify the discomfort that there is something horrible lurking underneath the facade. I was on edge for the entire length of both episodes.

While comparisons to "Bewitched" and "Dick Van Dyke" were obvious, was anyone else reminded of the "Twilight Zone" in the shots of the neighborhood gathering? I dunno why, but I just got a "Monsters on Maple Street" or "Stopover in a Quiet Town" or something.

I dunno, I guess it's not for everyone. But I loved it, and I found myself thinking about it all day long, which isn't something that happens too often to me with other shows, even when I really enjoyed them.

Agreed. I loved it too, although I'm old enough to have watched Bewitched in black and white as a kid lol.
Good point about the neighborhood gathering. Totally like 'Monsters On Maple Street'.

[GenericUsername]

The Mandalorian this is not.

I feel like the build-up is too slow. Even verbose Shakespeare with his iambic pentameter didn't take this long to convey that there was something rotten in Denmark. With only 8 or 9 episodes in the season, I feel like they wasted an installment. I appreciate callbacks to classic sitcoms like "I Married Joan" and "Bewitched" as much as the next old fart, but come on, move it along. I'm not here for the nostalgia. Quite the opposite. Surely, they could have accomplished in one episode what they delivered in two.

Mandalorian took two seasons to return Grogu to the Jedi. This is only two episodes in and those episodes have been shorter than the Mando ones because of the sitcom format.

[stingray]

Bees?

spoilers:

I was thinking of the MCU creature, Hive, which was created by Hydra. That combined with the Strucker watch advertisement signaled whose behind this.

end of spoilers

But happy to be wrong about that as it is most predictable.

I really think this was a nod to A.I.M., whose agents (because of their uniforms) are referred to as "bee keepers".

[Dipter]

Olsen and Bettany were always the most underutilized actors in the films, so it’s great that they have a chance to demonstrate the full range of their talents. The writers committed to these retro sitcom recreations in a way that makes the episodes unironically enjoyable to watch, even without the mystery element attached.

[Flash Gordon]

Elizabeth Olsen is fantastic and Scarlet Witch is wildly underused.

I hope the majority of this series is in these strange sitcom environments and that the MCU plot mechanics don't derail it too much.

[JudicatorPrime]

Mandalorian took two seasons to return Grogu to the Jedi. This is only two episodes in and those episodes have been shorter than the Mando ones because of the sitcom format.

Each episode of The Mandalorian was a self-contained treat. It's not about the entire story arc. Both of the first two episodes of WandaVision so far are completely forgettable imho.

[GenericUsername]

Each episode of The Mandalorian was a self-contained treat. It's not about the entire story arc. Both of the first two episodes of WandaVision so far are completely forgettable imho.

Both of those episodes are their own thing too. They are going through the eras. Which reflect the different eras of Wanda as a character starting in the 60s.

They are gonna go through the decades with this reality crashing more and more. So if that isn't your thing it's not. But Mando had a lot of filler episodes. I liked it but it's a fact about it and was for Clone Wars and Rebels too. So it's weird to me that you think this was too much filler for you. When we had longer episodes of nothing really happening in Mando.

[Ascended]

Bees?

But happy to be wrong about that as it is most predictable.

That crossed my mind too but I think it's too literal. Everything about this fantasyland of Wanda's is metaphor and metacommentary and illusion. I think we have to look at what things represent more than what they could be as direct analogues. But who knows? Maybe I'm the one who's wrong about this and you're correct. We'll find out in seven episodes (or sooner).

[Frontier]

It's an unconventional take on a Marvel/Superhero show. It's not like Falcon/Winter Soldier is going to be where they go in guns blazing and have actual action like The Mandalorian, this is a slow-burn to that point.

[JudicatorPrime]

When we had longer episodes of nothing really happening in Mando.

It ultimately comes back to personal preference. I'm not against fillers, that's an entirely different discussion. I realize the importance of pace, decompression and "setting the table," so to speak. For my tastes, I didn't need two consecutive episodes of it, let alone at the inception. But for the fact that this is Marvel, I don't know that many stick around for that sort of thing. As it stands I stopped midway through the second episode to watch re-runs of the 1960s The Twilight Zone series followed by Alfred Hitchcock Presents. I get what Wandavision is attempting, but I just hope that they get better at it.

[GenericUsername]

It ultimately comes back to personal preference. I'm not against fillers, that's an entirely different discussion. I realize the importance of pace, decompression and "setting the table," so to speak. For my tastes, I didn't need two consecutive episodes of it, let alone at the inception. But for the fact that this is Marvel, I don't know that many stick around for that sort of thing. As it stands I stopped midway through the second episode to watch re-runs of the 1960s The Twilight Zone series followed by Alfred Hitchcock Presents. I get what Wandavision is attempting, but I just hope that they get better at it.

I liked it because it's setting up the characters. And teasing who they might really be.

[Albert1981]

So Vision's a big fan of Senator Joseph McCarthy and Roy Cohn and hates communists? All kidding aside, I have to say this show is REALLY weird and quirky. I'm really enjoying it, much more than I thought I would. Wanda's hilarious. Agnes is really funny. And Vision is just a total goofball. I almost forgot it was an MCU project and stopped caring about how the series affects the Multiverse of Madness. In fact, I liked the fact Wanda and Vision were not busy figuring out ways to try and save the world just yet. And the music for WandaVision has been AMAZING. Way better than I anticipated. I agree with GenericUsername. They should call Vision "Victor" outside of their home. Might as well make him fully human in public with a "normal" name.

I can't wait for the Who's the Boss/Perfect Strangers phase of WandaVision!