TV Review: WandaVision Season 1 - Episode 1+2
“WandaVision’s” opening episodes take the MCU in a completely different direction while staying Too Withholding itself, for better or for worse
70/100 “sweet/sour”
By Quinn Marcus
This was perhaps my most anticipated series of the year, at least from the MCU of course. I don’t want to say it was exactly a letdown, because that would be lying, but it didn’t quite grab me as much as I thought it would. I was expecting this bold, audacious new turn from Marvel’s formula which was beginning to tire out. To be fair, we are only two episodes in, and it would be treason to judge something based on it’s beginning, especially if it’s the MCU, the god of the superhero genre. There’s a lot to like here, but also some parts to criticize, and without further ado, let’s begin the review. I can’t really explain the story of these past two episodes, it’s basically just Wanda and Vision potentially trapped inside a 50s sitcom or something. Elizabeth Olsen provides her best performance in the MCU yet as Wanda Maximoff, but it’s Paul Bettany who really knocked it out of the park for me. Both have great chemistry with each other and provide some solid humor (with the laugh track of course).
In fact, I discovered that these episodes were filmed in front of a live audience, adding to the overall purpose of the show so far. To pay tribute to all the classic sitcoms we know and love, because we all miss the laugh track, am I right. There are even fake commercials thrown in halfway through each episode which were respectably cheesy. Anywho, the rest of the cast is great as well, including Kathryn Hahn and Teyonah Parris. Perhaps what I love most about the show so far is that it felt warm, easily digestible, and occasionally quite funny. I’m getting the sense that the mystery of the show is going to be a slow-burn because almost nothing is revealed in these two episodes, we have a couple of strange scenes, but I don’t know if the writer’s quite understood how to set up a mystery like this. I don’t feel that intrigued, the episodes kind of came and went. The show’s gimmick was generally enjoyable for 45mins, but it’s easily forgettable. One thing I will say is that I don’t know where the show will go next, I just don’t care as much as I thought I would. I’ll watch the following episodes for the sake of reviewing them, but I’m not biting my nails in giddy anticipation, helplessly waiting for the third episode to arrive. The show’s opening episodes succeeded in entertaining me, but they didn’t make me invested in the story, and while it’s certainly not essential television, it’ll pass the time.
The final verdict is…WandaVision’s first two episodes are just the right amount of lighthearted tv we need, and yet, so far, it’s nothing special…BROWSE IT!