WandaVision - Episodes 1 and 2
By Ephraim Belnap
Wanda and Vision are superheroes; everyone knows that. And Vision is dead. Everyone knows that too. But the show we're presented with has him alive and well. And the story we're given is of the two of them as a married couple, not superheroes saving the world. Being so far from the norm, it can feel jarring, but the performances of the two leads and the slick, retro writing render it the same fun ride that Marvel always delivers.
The premise of the first two episodes is charming; Wanda and Vision are a working man and a housewife in the 1950's; their problems are as simple as hosting his boss for dinner and dazzling at the local talent show. Paul Bettany (Vision) exudes a Dick Van Dyke charm, and Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda/Scarlet Witch) is his Mary Tyler Moore. But as the episodes end we see a shift in the setting, and it seems like they won't stay in the Golden Age of TV long. Marvel is doing what they're always doing; using a new genre and its trappings to keep their formula innovative. The fact that it feels like a breath of fresh air but also the same world we've always known shows how much this works. After ten years of action-packed boomfests, Marvel's first Disney+ show is a slow-boil mystery that combines great production with infectiously charming performances.
It's too early to tell much of the plot right now, but it has all the signs of being a good one. In a mystery like this, it's easy to think of solutions: they're stuck in a fantasy-granting machine, or all of this is a figment of Wanda's imagination. But the show clearly knows what we're expecting and is making us work for it. It's not so easy to guess as that, for comic fans and casuals alike. With the new episode coming out Friday, we'll be able to guess more. But for now, all there is to do is sit back and wonder.
The first two episodes of WandaVision are now available to stream on Disney+
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