“WandaVision” immediately sets itself apart from all other “Marvel” media by making the viewer ask one simple question: “What is going on?” (which, of course, I mean in the best way possible). This review will only spoil parts of “Avengers: Age of Ultron and Avengers: Infinity War.”
I will avoid giving too deep of a synopsis and steer clear of spoilers from the show itself. Wanda, a female superhero with telekinesis and energy manipulation abilities, and Vision, an extremely advanced android, had built a romantic relationship over the course of the couple of movies they were in. However, in “Infinity War” Wanda was forced to kill Vision for a multitude of reasons that are not important and too complicated to explain right now.
Immediately, the show sets up the question of how and why Vision is alive. The questions continue when, for a reason not clear to the audience, Wanda and Vision appear to live in an upbeat sitcom world, where each episode is themed in the style of sitcoms from different decades, starting in the 50’s and progressing forward along with the show’s episodes. Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Wanda Maximoff, and Paul Pettany, who plays Vision, not only display convincing performances for their respective characters but also seem to be having fun branching out and exploring how Wanda and Vision would be as a typical, all-American couple.
The show does a fantastic job of creating a mystery that elevates each episode. Often the show will propose as many new questions to the viewers as it answers. The greatest appeal of “WandaVision” comes from theorizing what will happen and why it’s happening.
Each time movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe seem to become a little stale, Marvel Studios always manages to make one product that feels vastly refreshing and reinstates my love for the fictional universe. In short, “WandaVision” is that product. It refreshes MCU and makes it feel new again.
In the age of streaming including Disney Plus, shows are often released all at the same time, so people can binge the whole series in one day. However, “WandaVision” has been releasing the episodes once per Friday. I cannot remember the last time a show has made me anticipate all week for what’s going to happen next, and there is a certain beauty in the way “WandaVision” accomplishes this. “Mandolorian” also released one episode per week on Disney Plus, but those episodes felt far more episodic than those of “WandaVision.”
The only caveat I should point out with the show is that you should not go into it expecting the traditional Marvel action movie because it is certainly not that. Many online reviewers critique the slower pacing of the show, but I personally love the change in style. “WandaVision” creates a slightly eerie mystery box that keeps you guessing every week. While the show has not finished airing all the episodes yet, I cannot wait for what’s in store, and I highly recommend people check it out.
