Five Thoughts on episode five of WandaVision. What can you even say about such an uneventful episode? Is there a word more fitting than mediocre? Has sarcasm ever been fully realized in writing? I’m sure it has but not in my write-ups, so let’s drop the act. Holy fudge, what a fantastic episode! Remember when Nick Fury showed his one-eyed face at the end of Iron Man? It was a game-changing event that set us on course for the MCU. That single moment, coupled with the iconic line “I’m here to talk about the Avengers Initiative.” changed the course of superhero movies. Dare I say the end of this episode does the same.
But we will get to that. Even before that crazy ending, the actual episode was a fantastic juxtaposition between Wanda’s manufactured reality and the real world. Let’s get into it—five thoughts on episode five. Spoilers ahead, but you have already seen this, so let’s go.
1. So Agnes is part of it. These are facts.
We have been keeping tabs on the sidekick Agnes since she strutted on screen in episode one. Played by the fantastic Kathryn Hahn, Agnes is more aware of her current situation than any other Westview resident. Maybe throw Herb in there as well. There is no better example than Billy and Tommy freaking aging up right in front of her eyes, twice. She acts as if it were an everyday occurrence. She even takes a moment to (I assume) calm her nerves with a drink during the opening proceedings.
I haven’t even mentioned her asking to take her lines from the top. All that is to say, she is definitely involved and not being “controlled” like the other people. Is she Agatha Harkness? It’s still too early to tell she is part of the inner circle. Here is something to think about. After Vision unclogs Norm’s mind, Norm plays the pronoun game and says, “She has to be stopped” and “She’s in my head.” He doesn’t mention Wanda by name. Could he be referring to Agnes? Bum bum buuuuuum.
2. Did everyone in this show also watch all the MCU movies?
These terrestrial characters are all very well versed in the goings-on of giants. The number of references to the Mind Stone, Thanos, Wanda’s powers, and the final Endgame battle is staggering in this episode. I will buy that everyone who wasn’t snapped away knew who Thanos was and what he did. The remaining Avengers probably told everyone, and word spread. But I do not buy that Monica has intimate knowledge of Thanos and the Avengers’ final battle. Who was there to watch it and relay the information?
Even if The Avengers told S.H.I.E.L.D precisely what happened, would that information be disseminated to everyone? Monica just got back from nap land with the other snapped individuals, was part of her debrief a complete rundown of the Thanos battle? She also mentions it nonchalantly, as if debating common knowledge nerd facts with a friend. Also, Jimmy knows what Wanda’s power limits are? Based on what? I call bull. Bull, I say!
3. The simulation is breaking, and it’s interesting
Now that we have the twins as part of this cast, you get to see all the people who can withstand whatever magic is holding everyone hostage. Early in the episode, as Wanda tries to get her kids to sleep, she says, “Why won’t you do what I want ?” The line has an accompanying laugh track, but you can see in her face she is genuinely confused as to why she can’t control the twins. We already spoke about Agnes and Vision. Chalk up Billy and Tommy to that list as they question Wanda’s lies and resit the simulation’s effects on their mind. Not to mention displaying their own weird aging abilities.
4. Why is flying the default reaction for Vision?
It seems like anytime Vision gets surprised, angry, or overwhelmed, he starts levitating. I can’t put my finger on it, but it makes me chuckle. When my daughter gets frustrated, she puffs up her cheeks and flexes her arms, so she looks bigger to try and intimidate me. It’s adorable. That’s what Vision’s levitating is like. In this episode, Wanda floats right up there with him as if to display her own powers, and it all amounts to nothing essentially. When Superman gets all flustered, his eyes glow red, and that’s a big deal because laser beams are the next step in that process. What is Vision trying to say? He is going to fly higher when he reaches his maximum fussiness? I am taking the piss. Mostly because I want to get to the next thought, so let’s do that now.
Continued below5. Long lost bro get to squeeze his stinkin’ sister to death or what?
And thus, the Multiverse of Madness begun. We already knew Wanda would play a role in the next Dr. Strange film, Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. This is how it starts. With the crossover, we all didn’t know we wanted to see. Quicksilver is dead. Long live Quicksilver! Pietro Maximoff, son of Magneto and mainstay of the X-Men First Class films, has made his way over to the MSU (Marvel Streaming Universe). Played by Evan Peters of the X-Men universe, this Quicksilver got to do all the cool mutant things our boy Aaron Taylor Johnson never could. Since Disney bought Fox and received the rights to use the X-Men, we have been wondering how they would get incorporated.
The answer, it seems, is through magic, trickery, and a buttload of alternate universes. With the next Spider-Man film set to include all the old Spidey’s from years past, they set the stage for a full-on Multiverse collision. This is going to be huge for us nerds out there. When everyone looks back on the build-up to this colossal multiverse of madness, we can point to the end of this episode and say, “Remember when Quicksilver showed up in WandaVision and kicked off all of this craziness?”
The wrap-up
This was a huge episode, jammed packed with exposition, movie tie ins, multiverse setups, and the occasional canned laugh. The world of WandaVision continues to grow and morph in the nerdiest consistent way possible. Just the way I like it. These people turn in top-notch performances and deliver a truly unique entry in the Marvel canon of shows. I, for one, can not wait until next week. I need more Quicksilver. Did he bring Storm with him? She got no love in those other movies. But that Storm business is a different conversation altogether. Until next week fellow fans.
To be continued?
Notables:
- For reference, this week’s episode sitcom introduction is referencing Family Ties starring Marty McFly and a bunch of other people no one remembers.
- Did you notice that X-Ray? Monica is made of pure energy! Anyone smell a Spectrum reveal soon? Yea, me either. Still a nice nod.
- Vision dead y’all. Dead and hell. Wanda has the body to prove it.
- Wanda’s accent returns yet again. What is that, three times?
- Yo, don’t kill dogs in shows. Not cool, Marvel. Not. Cool.
- Is S.W.O.R.D a secret organization or just a regular government-funded team? I ask because all the agents have S.W.O.R.D jackets, which would be counter-intuitive to secrecy. They all look like security at a concert with those jackets.
- Vision washes his dumb hands with generic brand dish soap? Only a robot would do that. Have fun with dry skin, you idiot.
- “You can’t control me the way you do them.” “Can’t I?” That’s some cold, sinister shit right there. Wanda cray…
- Anyone else get a Truman Show vibe from the ending? A long-dead relative shows up for no reason other than to muck up the works. Mmhmm.
