Summary: Wanda frees her kids. Hayward releases White Vision who comes to kill Wanda but Vision comes to fight him. Wanda battles Agatha and realizes what she's doing to the residents of Westview and lets them go. Hayward and SWORD are able to enter the Hex. Vision talks White Vision into leaving. Wanda defeats Agatha. Monica, Billy and Tommy take down SWORD. Wanda dissipates the Hex and says goodbye to Vision and her kids. Wanda moves to a cabin and studies magic.
The Good: I liked seeing Vision talk his way to victory against White Vision. Wanda defeating Agatha using her intelligence was clever too. I like the idea of everyone being afraid of Wanda and jaded against her after what she did. Wanda's farewells to her family were very sad and were easily the best parts of the episode. The Bad: This episode had countless dumb moments. Agatha and White Vision were essentially just Wanda and Vision if they were evil, which is a trope that the MCU always uses and it's painfully lazy every time. Hayward is even worse, he ended up being a boring bad guy that got taken out like a wimp. Monica ultimately had no role in the story and her character went nowhere. I'm frustrated that we spent so much time with her without any payoff. Fietro just being some guy is a horrible reveal that serves as a slap in the face to both fans and people expecting a real story. The Bohner joke was painful. Agatha's fight with Wanda was horrible and had no sense of stakes or drama. Agatha can absorb energy from the other witches so easily, but with Wanda she just can't. The episode failed to properly convey the morality and horror of Wanda controlling other people's minds with her grief which was a huge disappointment. Monica treating Wanda like a hero saying "they won't understand what you sacrificed for them" is a really stupid moment that makes it seem like Monica is justifying Wanda's selfishness. Wanda should be accepting that what she did was immoral and wrong, not that she was making some honourable sacrifice. The story is all wrong. White Vision never returned which was hugely underwhelming. Wanda's farewell to Vision wasn't as powerful as it could have been since we know that another Vision still exists. A lot of plot threads were resolved poorly or were used as set-up for other MCU movies, which makes their presence in this movie frustrating. Best Moment: Wanda saying goodbye to Vision. Conclusion: This episode completely fell flat and was an incredibly disappointing finale. After a show that felt like such a departure from typical MCU content, having it go back to the status quo in the final episode was a terrible decision. The episode was also very poorly written and offered nearly nothing of substance. A really weak ending to an otherwise solid enough TV show. I've written a full review of the season here. Score: 43
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Summary: Flashbacks reveal Agatha is a witch who absorbed power from other witches. Agatha wishes to know how Wanda made the Hex so she forces Wanda to take a trip through her past. Flashbacks show that Wanda gained something when exposed to the Mind Stone. In her grief, Wanda created the Hex against her will using her powers. Agatha realizes that Wanda is the Scarlet Witch.
The Good: This was a very focused episode and it benefitted from that. The experience of Wanda being sent through the traumas of her past reminded me a lot of some of the best episodes of "Watchmen", which is really impressive. This was a uniquely shot experience that did a lot to connect us with Wanda's inner conflict, showing us the extent of her grief in a heartbreaking way. The episode also did a tremendous job of showing us why Wanda and Vision ended up together, finally making me buy into this relationship. I also really liked the reality of Wanda's time of SWORD with the reveal that she didn't actually take Vision. Her saying she "couldn't feel him" was a nice callback and was suitably sad. Her breakdown in Westview was built up to nicely and was acted incredibly well. The Bad: The ending of the episode was pretty jarring. I wasn't a huge fan of Agatha in this episode because she lost a lot of her personality and got a very basic backstory. She's lacking in motivation. While this episode did parallel "Watchmen", the story being told wasn't even close to as complexly fascinating as those in "Watchmen". This was still a very 2-dimensional episode and I think it could have benefitted from giving Wanda more character depth than just grief or trauma. Best Moment: Wanda's breakdown in Westview was a powerful moment. Conclusion: This episode did a lot of things right and felt unique from everything else we've gotten so far from this show. It still had flaws, but overall it was a really enjoyable experience. Score: 66 Summary: Vision finds Darcy and awakens her, learning about himself and the Hex. He tries to get t Wanda but runs into several obstacles. Monica gets into Westview and gains superpowers. Wanda is depressed and sends her kids to stay with Agnes. Monica contacts her and starts talking to her, but Agnes takes Wanda away. Wanda learns that Agnes is actually Agatha and has orchestrated lots of events.
The Good: The Agatha reveal was a big one and it nicely sets up the next episode to give us lots of answers. I'm pleased with this reveal because Kathryn Hahn has been giving a great performance all season and I'm glad that she will be important to the story. The "Agatha All Along" song was really well done and added some stylistic flair to the reveal. The production of this show has always been excellent. The Bad: The rest of the episode didn't work as well. Vision's story was pretty flat and he was given surprisingly little to do despite learning some really important information. Monica remains a completely unengaging character. How she managed to steal major SWORD equipment feels very convenient, but even worse is how she just happens to get superpowers by going through the Hex. It's a dumb moment. Also, Monica trying to relate her grief of losing her mother to Wanda's grief is laughable. Much of what came before the ending reveal felt like it was stalling and there wasn't as much substance to the story. Best Moment: Agatha All Along. Conclusion: This episode had a great ending, but everything before that was pretty unsatisfying. Score: 58 Summary: Hayward removes Monica, Jimmy and Darcy from SWORD. They start investigating into Hayward's actions and discover he is following Vision. In Westview, Wanda gets more comfortable with Pietro but it's not quite right. Vision stays distant and becomes more aware. He attempts to escape Westview and SWORD awaits him. Wanda extends The Hex in response to save Vision. Monica, Jimmy and Hayward barely stay out of range.
The Good: There are parts of this that are really good. The Malcolm in the Middle parody is a ton of fun and this episode has by far the best comedy thus far. Vision's scenes are still a highlight. Following him as he tries to uncover the truth is surprisingly engaging and creepy, and the character's identity crisis is compelling television. Wanda and Pietro's story is really interesting. Casting Evan Peters as Pietro is an incredibly interesting choice that opens up a world of possibilities. There are tons of interesting moments between them and Wanda finally breaking and attacking him at the end was a great moment. The expansion of The Hex was a perfect climax for the episode that shakes things up. The Bad: Hayward looks like he's going to just be another bland government villain. I'm not at all interested. His ejection of Monica, Jimmy and Darcy was a generic and uninteresting story that had little to no interesting moments. Best Moment: Vision talking with Agnes was perfectly unsettling and served as a great reveal for Vision. Conclusion: This was a really strong episode. It's a plot-heavy episode with plenty of twists and some decent character work in there. While not quite as good as the last episode, this was a ton of fun. Score: 65 Summary: Wanda and Vision raise their boys who age rapidly. Agnes appears and seems to not notice the magic. Meanwhile, SWORD gathers information from Monica and Hayward declares Wanda to be a threat, sending a drone to kill her. Wanda emerges and threatens Hayward before returning to Westview. Vision becomes aware that something is off and has an argument with Wanda. They are interrupted when a different looking Pietro arrives at Wanda's door.
The Good: This was easily the best episode yet. The WandaVision scenes are really strong since they are less focused on bad comedy and instead emphasize that something strange is going on. Watching Vision become more aware is fascinating and creepy, and the mystery surrounding Wanda's role in all of this is really compelling. No answers properly add up, so it's exciting to follow and watch these characters attempt to uncover the mystery they are trapped in. The SWORD scenes are also pretty good since we learn a lot and get hints that Hayward may have a deeper motivation than what meets the eye. Wanda's fight with Vision and her confrontation with Hayward were both excellent scenes. The Bad: Nothing I'd call bad. The episode doesn't have anything to make it especially great, but it's consistently solid. Best Moment: Wanda and Vision's argument was impressively done. Despite how little we know these characters, their struggles and conflicts are portrayed clearly to us, so we can understand the stakes of this argument and the motivations of each character. The character writing was really well done. Conclusion: This episode was really good. It enhanced the mystery, had a sense of momentum and gave us some excellent scenes with good character moments. I really liked this one. Score: 67 Summary: Monica reappears after The Blip and learns her mother has died. She returns to SWORD headquarters and is assigned to a missing persons case in Westview with Jimmy Woo. Monica discovers a strange barrier and is sucked in, becoming Geraldine. Darcy is brought in, and she discovers a sitcom about Wanda being broadcasted from Westview, and they unsuccessfully try to contact her. After Wanda learns about Geraldine, she uses her powers to eject her and lies to Vision.
The Good: I really liked the opening of the episode which explored the chaos that erupted when The Blip happened. It was a really well done sequence that neatly captured the insanity of this event. The rest of the episode is a really good formula break, changing up the flow in a brilliant way to star showing us the bigger picture. We got a lot of answers about the oddities in previous episodes and the nature of Westview, but there are still enough important questions left for the show to remain mysterious. The Bad: The characters in this episode were not very strong. Monica, Darcy, Jimmy and Hayward have been flat and forgettable so far, so an entire episode with them isn't as good as it could have been. The episode is missing an emotional core to it, since it primarily thrives on giving us answers rather than telling a story. Furthermore, there is far too much exposition in this episode, and the few character moments are either very shallow moments or bad jokes. Best Moment: The opening minutes showing The Blip. Conclusion: This episode broke the formula and gave us plenty of answers so we could understand the context and significance of the story. The characters were flat and the episode feels like it was too expositional, but it was still a solid step up that sets up the world of "WandaVision" for a good story. Score: 62 Summary: Wanda is pregnant and is going through her pregnancy at a rapid rate. Geraldine arrives and Wanda tries to hide her pregnancy from her. Wanda eventually gives birth with Vision and Geraldine and has twins. Wanda realizes Geraldine is hiding something and ejects her from Westview.
The Good: This is a much more interesting episode. The sitcom fun is still there, but there is a lot more to this one. Wanda gets to show some of her grief in this episode, talking about her brother's death. Meanwhile Vision starts to become aware of his absurd reality and starts asking questions about where he is and who he is. The end of the episode builds tension extremely well, leaving us with the big mysteries of who Geraldine is, if Wanda is controlling everything, and how Vision is alive in this world. The ending marks a turn for the show that lets us know that answers as well as the real story will be revealed to us soon. The Bad: The early parts of the episode still have the air of filler. Seeing Wanda race through her pregnancy is really weird because she has never had this kind of power before. I don't know what to make of it, and the lack of reaction from the characters does not help with how confusing this is. Best Moment: The final couple minutes after Wanda realizes that there is something wrong with Geraldine. Conclusion: This episode still suffers from some of the flaws from the first two episodes, but it ratchets things up in the second half, promising answers and a more meaningful story for the people who were patient enough to get this far. Score: 60 Summary: Wanda and Vision prepare for a talent show. Vision swallows gum and starts malfunctioning. Wanda experiences visions of somebody trying to contact her but she erases them.
The Good: There is a lot of interesting stuff here. Wanda's strange visions that break the immersion are extraordinarily well done. The splashes of colour, the weird beekeeper man and the mysterious voice all provide great mystery. The sitcom spoof is done as well as ever and the creative intros and commercials are a blast to watch. There is better comedy here than in the first episode. The Bad: Something is missing. The show is still frustrating in its pacing, and Wanda and Vision aren't compelling enough as characters to make this slow pacing work. The mystery is definitely intriguing, but intrigue isn't enough to make a good TV episode. I need more investment into the story than what the show is presenting. As cool as the sitcom style is, I can't help but feel that a lot of this content is filler. Best Moment: Dottie starting to bleed and Wanda hearing the voice before the sudden reset was a very creepy moment. The show is doing these immersion-breaking moments in a really unsettling way. Conclusion: This episode made some improvements on the first one, but the show continues to make me impatient with the lack of substance so far. Score: 57 Summary: Wanda and Vision have moved into Westview and have to prepare for Vision's boss to arrive at dinner. However, something seems amiss with the world.
The Good: This is a curious episode. The 1950s sitcom references are tons of fun, and even if the jokes aren't that funny, I was amused by how well put together this was in terms of capturing the feel of the 1950s. It's clear there was a lot of heart put into this show. The highlight scene is absolutely when Mrs. Hart starts creepily staring at Wanda, telling her to "stop it". It's a tense moment that really heightens the mystery of what's going on in this world. The Bad: This is a very slow episode. This is an MCU show, so having this first episode be purely a sitcom is a bold move and I don't think it works. Obviously something is going on, and the more time the show spends acting like it's just a sitcom, the more frustrating it gets. Since this episode spoofed a sitcom, it needed to be funny. Unfortunately the humour is limited to parody and there aren't any worthwhile jokes here. Best Moment: The creepy "stop it" moment. Conclusion: This is a stylistic and unexpected first episode, but the pacing and weak comedy hurt it. Score: 55 Intro: Before tackling this show, I need to address the MCU-sized elephant in the room. I will not be reviewing this show from the perspective of an MCU fan, rather from the perspective of a TV critic. What this means is that I will not be talking about connections to the comics, significance of scenes to the rest of the MCU, Easter Eggs, or any speculation about the future. I will purely be viewing this show as a simple TV show that happens to take place in the MCU. That being said, I am a fan of the MCU and have seen all of the films so I do have the context I need to enjoy this show,. I will be referring to the MCU a couple times in this review as a point of reference.
Summary: Wanda and Vision live in a sitcom world in the town of Westview. She is pregnant and gives birth to twins. SWORD, which rose up after the snap, is investigating Westview after all of its residents have been reported missing. Monica ends up being sucked into Westview and experiences the sitcom world before being ejected by Wanda. Monica wants to resolve things amicably, but Hayward doesn't. Vision begins to realize that there's something wrong with the world and confronts Wanda about it, but Wanda seems to not fully be in control. Pietro appears, looking very different from before and Wanda starts to confide in him. Vision tries to escape Westview and Wanda saves him by expanding the borders. Monica enters Westview again by traveling through the borders, gaining superpowers. Wanda's neighbour Agnes is revealed to be Agatha and kidnaps Wanda's kids. Wanda goes to get them back and goes through a trip to her past, where Agatha learns Wanda is the Scarlet Witch. Wanda learns that she created this world and suppressed her own memories on accident in her grief. Ashamed of what she has done, she cracks open the barrier so the innocent people can leave, but SWORD takes the opportunity to enter. Hayward has an upgraded White Vision with him. The Visions battle while Wanda fights Agnes. Wanda defeats Agnes, while Vision uses logistics to get White Vision to leave. Hayward is apprehended and arrested. Wanda says goodbye to Vision and her kids, who vanish once Westview is freed, with Agatha prisoned within. Wanda goes off on her own to study magic. The Good: Wanda's arc in this show is surprisingly strong, and she is the best part of the entire show. I was very underwhelmed by the announcement of this show initially because Wanda and Vision are woefully underdeveloped characters who I didn't care about going into this show. But both characters were brilliantly written and acted in this series, which is a big reason for why the show was successful. Wanda's arc in particular was really well done. Wanda is a character who lost a lot in the MCU movies, losing her brother, her freedom and her lover before the events of this show. So it's fitting and powerful that the show spent so much time exploring grief and how these losses affected Wanda's life and ultimately led to her creating a fantasy world where she can just be happy. The themes of the show were explored wonderfully, and I really felt for Wanda by the end of the season when she had to lose everything again and finally come to terms with what she had lost. Vision was surprisingly engaging too. Since Vision died in "Infinity War", there is a lot of mystery surrounding how he is somehow walking around in Westview with sentience. What makes Vision so compelling is that he also realizes that something is wrong with the world, so much of our attempts to find out what's really happening comes through the eyes of Vision, endearing us to the character. There were some really good moments throughout the season which highlighted Vision's frustrations and how difficult it is for him to exist without knowing a thing about his past or how he even got to Westview. Since we care about both Wanda and Vision in this series, it makes it really easy to buy into their romance, which really surprised me since I thought it was a really flat storyline in the MCU films. But they were really well written here, and I especially appreciate getting the flashback scene that shows us exactly why they got together. Wanda was searching for a cure for her loneliness and grief while Vision yearned to experience these human emotions. This is really good storytelling that resulted in the show having a really strong emotional core. The mystery in this show ended up being really engaging. The way this show was executed is nothing like any MCU film, giving this a sense of uniqueness and intrigue that no other MCU property has had. It was a joy to tune in each week to see what details we would get about what was actually going on in the sitcom world of Westview. Eventually the answers were given, and not all of them worked (see: The Bad), but the intrigue of Westview is one of the primary hooks of the show and it is what kept me interested to keep watching the show. I really adore the presentation of this show. It's high budget so it looks fantastic and there is a lot of really strong camera work, editing and style to compliment the visuals. The sitcom style was a creative idea, and it gave the show charm and uniqueness that made the mystery even more fascinating to watch. And as a TV fan, I really enjoyed the homages paid to sitcoms of all the different eras from the 1950s to the 2000s. The custom intros and commercials were especially memorable delights, and the "Agatha All Along" song was a perfectly executed reveal that is still stuck in my head weeks after it was first shown. The Bad: Not everything about the show is great though. When the show was being its own thing, that was when it really excelled. However, as the show goes on it begins to introduce more and more typical MCU tropes and that weakened it significantly. The SWORD storyline was never interesting after all the major answers were given to us in "We Interrupt This Program". This is primarily because of how the story fell into typical MCU tropes that have been entirely played out. Quipping side characters are not interesting to watch, and I didn't find their lines funny at all. Furthermore, Monica, Darcy and Jimmy were all really weak characters with nothing memorable about them. If we were gonna spend so much time with SWORD, we needed better characters to make the experience more engaging. Hayward was another terrible character, but I'll get more into him later. The early parts of the show were somewhat frustrating in how slowly they were paced. I don't have an issue with slow pacing ("Better Call Saul" is one of my favourite shows), but there isn't much of substance in the first three episodes outside of a couple creepy moments and the sitcom comedy. And unfortunately, the sitcom comedy isn't very good. I get that the show is heavily borrowing from real sitcom storylines when coming up with its jokes, but it doesn't end up being that funny. While I appreciate the effort and the passion put into it, it's not gonna be good if I don't enjoy watching it. But the biggest issues with the show came with how it ended. The one biggest word to describe the ending is unsatisfying. Wanda's arc was wrapped up nicely, but the show's big twists did not have much impact, a lot of plot threads went unresolved, and the ones that were resolved were given entirely unsatisfying answers. I would compare this ending to the likes of "Lost", but at least "Lost" answered its most important questions satisfyingly. This show was unable to do that in its final act and that really dampened my enjoyment of the show. The villains ended up being terrible. Hayward is the most generic bad guy you will ever see, and there ended up being absolutely no depth to the character after he was introduced. Having him be taken out by Darcy was laughable, and it cements that Hayward was a bottom-tier villain. White Vision was a boring nothing character who did more bad for the story than good. It makes Wanda's tearful goodbye to Vision mean less since there's another Vision out there somewhere anyways. And where the hell did he go anyways? White Vision did not get a satisfying resolution. "WandaVision" fell for one of the MCU's trappings by choosing to set up for a later movie instead of just telling its own story. Agatha unfortunately also ended up being a lame villain. Kathryn Hahn gave a great performance and the character showed a lot of personality for the first seven episodes, making Agatha one of the most unique villains in the MCU so far. But after the "Agatha All Along" bit, the character sharply changed to become a typical condescending, monologuing, weakly motivated villain who has nothing special about her at all. Agatha was remarkably boring in the last two episodes of the show, and I was let down by that. So many storylines were given disappointing answers. The character of Fietro is probably the most egregious example of this. Casting Evan Peters ended up purely being a cold-hearted tease for fans, and it should not be surprising that a lot of fans were angered by this. But even looking at it from a storytelling perspective, the reveal of who Fietro is was disappointing. There's no explanation for how he has super speed, how Agatha had the ability to create him or anything like that. The character's resolution comes from an awful boner joke and a dumb moment where Monica takes him out and somehow manages to separate him from Agatha's influence. The entire purpose of the character was seemingly just to be taken out in an empty and unsatisfying way by Monica. If that's all Fietro was going to do, he shouldn't have been there to begin with. Monica herself added nothing to the story. The character isn't given any arc at all, which is awful considering how big of a role she has. The actress also doesn't do a very good job and the character falls flat as a result. Plus her superpowers make no sense, and the way she got them was as boring and uninspired as possible. One of the show's biggest mysteries was how Wanda created the Hex and why she didn't know that she did. The writers completely fail to answer this question. Apparently Wanda created this world but in her grief, she suppressed her own memory or something. The reasoning is incredibly vague and can easily be ripped to shreds. If Wanda had no idea of what she was doing, then how was she able to confront Hayward and the other SWORD agents? How was she able to reverse time the way she did? Hell, the time reverse thing just makes no sense anyways. There are plenty of other holes I can poke, and I'm sure others have done the work for me. The point is, the answer we got makes no sense and is not consistent with the show, which is horrible since this is the defining mystery of the entire show, and it is ignored. Best Episodes: E05 On a Very Special Episode...: This episode was entirely centered around the Wanda/Vision relationship and the tensions building between them as a result of SWORD's interference and Vision's growing suspicions. The tension is built up extremely well and the end of the episode features the best scene of the show, as Wanda and Vision finally have a full blooded argument which is interrupted by the shock arrival of Pietro. E06 All-New Halloween Spooktacular!: This episode had some really strong comedy, some of the most unsettling visuals of the show, and a really intense and dramatic ending. E08 Previously On: This episode was an engaging experience taking us through Wanda's past and showing us exactly what happened to get us to the events of this show. It felt like it took a lot of inspiration from "Watchmen", and though it doesn't come close to reaching those heights, it's still a really good episode. Worst Episodes: E01 Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience: This is an amusing episode but there really isn't much to it. E02 Don't Touch That Dial: Again, this episode is amusing and does the sitcom inspirations well, but it's lacking in substance. E09 The Series Finale: Here is where all of the worst reveals and answers were, and outside of Wanda's arc, this entire episode fell flat. Character of the Season: Wanda. Conclusion: In the end, "WandaVision" was a mixed bag. It did a lot of things right and had heart in most of its run, but the unsatisfying ending as well as fundamental problems with the SWORD storyline and the sitcom setting hurt the show and prevents it from being as great as it could have been. However, I am very glad that the MCU decided to take a risk with this show, and honestly the show was much, much better than I had expected it to be. It may not be a particularly great show, but it was better than my expectations, so it does have that going for it. My fear is that this show will be the best out of all of the new Disney+ MCU shows. I will try to review them all, but I might not have the time or motivation to do so. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will be starting soon so we'll see what the future for MCU television will hold with that show. |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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