RJ Writing Ink

So, last week on WandaVision gave us a lot to deal with. Pietro’s back from the dead, Wanda’s fully aware that she’s created a sitcom world for herself and told S.W.O.R.D. to stay the hell away. Tommy and Billy are tweens. All the people of Westview are trapped in their own bodies. Did I mention Pietro’s back?

If the last episode blew the Internet’s mind, then this episode throws into a vat of acid. Three things you need to know about this review, people. Firstly, I’m going to unpack as much as I can. Second, major spoiler alert. Thirdly, this episode is peak 90s-2000s and I love it. It’s the millennial sitcom’s time!

Pietro Knows

So, you know how some shows have that character who’s aware of the medium they’re in and actively calls out the tropes? This episode sees Pietro establish himself as that guy for this fake sitcom. He knows that his role is to be an agent of chaos and disruptive influence in Westview because that’s what Wanda wants. So he plays the part, and plays it perfectly, even bringing up the sitcom formula: “Big Guy has a conflict. Twins need a father figure for the night. Don’t sweat it sis. I got the old XY chromosome.”

Pietro fits his role so perfectly, it’s unsettling. Made even more so by the fact that he’s aware of his death, and how he’s suddenly come back. It’s crazy. I’m not even sure if this is the real Pietro or is someone else; an imposter?

Tommy and Billy Have Powers

The title says it all: Tommy and Billy have inherited powers from their parents. Tommy’s got his uncle’s super-speed, and Billy got his mom’s Mind Stone based powers.

This is a big deal as it is, but it could also lead to long-term consequences for the MCU. In the comics, Tommy and Billy become the superheroes Speed and Wiccan. The fact that they have powers only affirms that whatever happens at the end, they’re going to have a role in the future of the MCU

I Don’t Trust Hayward

After the stunt he pulled last episode, any trust I had in Hayward’s good intentions was strained. After this episode, though, it’s gone completely! He makes it clear he’s determined to take down Wanda no matter what, and benches Monica, Jimmy, and Darcy when they object. Then, we learn that he’s found a way to track Vision in the Hex, but kept it a secret! He’s up to something!

Here’s my new theory: he doesn’t actually care about saving Westview. He just wants Vision back for some ulterior motive. I don’t know how S.W.O.R.D. got his body, but I don’t think they had the best of intentions with it. And given how this episode saw Hayward care more about Vision than anyone’s safety, he’s not done with him yet.

The Hex Expands

During the whole episode, Vision takes the opportunity to explore more of Westview and learns some disturbing things. For starters, anyone who isn’t in Wanda’s field of view is trapped frozen in place. Literal background characters without any roles to play. Now partially aware of what’s going on, Vision tries to leave the Hex to get help from S.W.O.R.D, leading to a very disturbing moment in which we see him begin to disintegrate in front of everyone.

So, in response, Wanda expands the Hex. That’s right, she grows the area of the Westview Hex, enveloping the S.W.O.R.D. base and most of the personnel in her fake world.

This is bad. Really, really bad. If Wanda’s capable of expanding the Hex like that, then there’s no telling how far she could take it! What if it gets to the point where she tries to cover the entire world in her spell?

Is Wanda Fully Responsible?

There’s an interesting question that’s been going around since the start of the show: is Wanda the sole person responsible for what’s happening? Her powers have never been this strong before, and while they reached similar levels in the comics, that was because they got juiced up by outside sources. I think the same thing may be happening here.

The evidence? This commercial. While all the other fake commercials have been about key moments in Wanda’s life, this isn’t, and it’s far darker.

I think someone, or something’s, sucking on Wanda’s powers for their own benefit. This would make sense since even Wanda doesn’t know how the Hex came to be. Or this could all be pure conjecture on the fans part. Either way, things are getting insane.

Things are Falling Apart

As we inch closer and closer to the finale for WandaVision, we see Wanda’s attempts to create her dream life begin to fall apart. Regardless, everything’s going to end up coming to a head, and it’s going to chance the MCU.

By the time the dust settles, I think we’re going to be looking back at one of the craziest things Marvel’s ever done. I loved this episode, and its Malcolm in the Middle vibes and sense of humor, and eagerly await to see where things go from here.

I Give “All-New Halloween Spooktacular” a 5/5

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WandaVision Episode 5 Review

“On a Very Special Episode…”. How appropriate of a title for the new episode of WandaVision. In a show that’s already proven to be an insane mind-screw, Marvel just managed to kick things up to newer, crazier heights this week. On a very special episode of WandaVision, the wall between Westview and the world at large begins to crumble before we get a bombshell ending that could change the MCU forever.

THIS IS YOUR FIRST AND ONLY WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD. IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED WANDAVISION YET, DO SO NOW!

Vision Knows

We all knew that Vision would eventually learn the truth. Since episode 3, he’s been becoming aware that something’s wrong in Westview. But in this episode, Vis learns that Wanda’s controlling everyone in town. In a particularly terrifying scene, Vision frees the real personality of the townsperson called Norm, and we learn that the people of Westview remain fully aware of what’s going on, but can’t do anything about it. They’re prisoners in their own body, and it seems that Wanda’s the Warden.

Wanda tries to deny everything at first, but that only makes Vision angry. We’ve never seen him angry before; and he has every right to be. It turns out, he can’t remember anything from his life before Westview; Wanda’s blocking his memories to protect him from the knowledge that he’s dead. That, and this episode confirms why the Avengers didn’t try to bring him back: he didn’t want to be. He won’t be happy to learn that Wanda disregarded his wishes.

Wanda’s Fully Aware of What’s Happening.

When the show started, it was left ambigious as to how aware Wanda was of what’s going on. Some thought that she’s doing everything without realizing it. This episode, though, eliminates that ambiguity for good. After S.W.O.R.D. uses an old drone to talk to her (and the director tries to off her) she leaves Westview to confront S.W.O.R.D. directly.

Her only message to them: stay out of Westview or she’ll tear them all apart.

If you’ve followed Wanda’s journey through the MCU thus far, then you’ll know that her life’s been one big conga line of trauma. She lost her parents at age 10. Her brother was killed by Ultron. She tried to be a hero, but became a fugitive, only to find love with Vision. Then Thanos took him away from her.

I saw the look in Wanda’s eyes: she’s done letting the universe take things away from her. Now, she wants to take back from the universe, something I’d understand. That said, she’s dragged an entire town of innocent people into her despair and pain. She needs help before she crosses a line that she can’t turn back from.

Unfortunately for the multiverse, she may have already done that.

“She Recast Pietro?!”

Here it is, folks: the moment that could change the MCU forever. In the final moments of the episode, Wanda, Vision, S.W.O.R.D., and viewers at home got the mother of all bombshells when a very special episode ended with a very special new arrival: Pietro, back from the dead.

Except, it’s not the MCU’s Pietro.

Somehow, instead of the MCU Pietro, we got a new one, played by Evan Peters. If you’ve never seen the X-Men films, then Peters plays Pietro in that now-defunct franchise. The fact that there were two Pietro’s was due to Fox being its own separate entity at the time, but now that Disney owns them (and thus the rights to the X-Men), fans expect the X-Men to eventually join the MCU. The question was how, though? Would they be new iterations of the X-Men, or would the original franchise somehow migrate to the MCU. Given how Marvel seems keen on making Phase 4 the time to explore the greater multiverse, it may end up being the latter. And we could have just seen the first step to that.

I’m serious. People are going crazy all over the Internet, coming up with theories that somehow, the X-Men franchise is in a separate universe that will merge with the MCU, giving us the Mutants and X-Men. However, does this mean that this their Quicksilver, or an illusion constructed by Wanda’s powers. Or is Kevin Feige and Marvel trolling us? I have no clue, but I’m more invested in ever with this show!

A Very Special Episode, Indeed

There are so many ways that WandaVision could end right now, and all of them will change the MCU forever. One way or another, Marvel’s going all in with the next phase of their cinematic universe, and I am loving it. This is the kind of show that fans will be talking about for years to come.

If you haven’t watched this show yet, then go get Disney+ and watch it. It’s worth every penny!!

I Give “On A Very Special Episode” a 5/5

Stray Observations

• Okay, I know these commercials are recapping important and traumatic moments in Wanda’s life, but this is stretching it.

• I was very disturbed by how Tommy and Billy magically aged themselves up.

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WandaVision Episode 4 Review

We interrupt this program of your weekly dose of WandaVision to bring you this important news bulletin: I TOTALLY CALLED IT ABOUT WANDAVISION!!

No, seriously. I was right about my theory about the show: Wanda’s created a sitcom fantasy world to live out her dream life with Vision, who is still dead! The truth. Will. SHOCK YOU! Prepare for spoilers from beyond this point.

S.W.O.R.D. and the Rambeau Family

The episode starts off concurrently with the events of Avengers: Endgame, as we learn that Monica Rambeau (who we last saw as a kid in Captain Marvel) was one of the people Thanos snapped away, only to come back. In the chaos that followed, we learn a sad truth: Maria Rambeau, died of cancer in the five years between Infinity War and Endgame.

It was lightly touched upon in Spiderman: Far from Home how the actions of Thanos and their reversal had unimaginable socio-political fallout. Families were torn apart, never to be put back together. Jobs were lost, homes were lost. It’s just flat out cruel. I hope that, in the future, the MCU will explore the social fallout of “the Snap,” but for now, Monica has a job to do.

Quick background: S.W.O.R.D. is a sister organization to S.H.I.E.L.D., but the former focuses on threats from deep space. In-universe, Maria Rambeau founded it after Captain Marvel. But after the events of Thanos, they switched focus to dealing with sentient weapons and AI. Which is what leads Monica to Westview, New Jersey and for this to happen.

We Interrupt this Program

As a result of Monica’s disappearance, S.W.O.R.D. and every branch of the armed forces show up. And as the events of the previous episodes progress, they piece together everything that’s going on.

Firstly, we learn that all the characters are, in fact, the residents of Westview. They’re unwilling actors in this “show”. Secondly, any attempts to enter Westview result in objects or people conforming to the setting of the show. Finally, we confirm something that I already knew: Wanda’s fighting against any incursions into her perfect life. Case in point, she throws Monica out of the bubble world.

I’m still not sure if Wanda’s aware of what she’s doing, but on some level, she knows. She knows that Vision is dead, but she’s in denial. And that denial has led to her creating this sitcom world for herself, complete with a reanimated Vision. It’s a sickening sight to behold, and I won’t show you the image.

What’s the Plan Now?

So, now that S.W.O.R.D. knows that Wanda’s the one behind this sitcom, what will they do now? They have to find some way to interrupt this program and turn everything back to normal. But that’s the thing: I don’t know how.

No, seriously. I knew going in how this came about; it’s resolving it that I’m in the dark over. I mean, I have a few ideas, but that’s about it. I do know one thing, though: as WandaVision heads into the 1980s, things are going to keep falling apart even further.

In the meantime, I recommend you watch this show. It’s the first big show of 2021 and it needs to be nominated for an Emmy ASAP!

I Give “We Interrupt this Program” a solid 4.8/5

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