Oh sweet, blessed story and context. In the immortal words of John McClane, “Welcome to the party, pal.” WandaVision episode four gives us some much-needed story momentum and clarity on a whole mess of plot points. A strong selling point of all the new Marvel streaming series is their connection to the much wider MCU. “We Interrupt This Program” does a great job of leveraging a few ancillary fan favorites from the Marvel films to expand the world of WandaVision.
Darcy Lewis and Agent Woo from Thor and Ant-Man, respectively, show up with all kinds of charm and spunk to guide us through what is happening in Westview, New Jersey. Not to mention we are officially introduced to Monica Rambeau, daughter of Maria Rambeau. Captain Marvel’s fighter pilot pal from her titular film. I have blathered on enough. Here are five thoughts for you. As always, spoilers ahead.
1. “The Blip”: A retrospective
Was anyone else unnerved by the opening scene? The Thanos snap’s traumatic and chaotic aftermath is in full effect, and it is a doozy. In Avengers: Endgame, we are granted glimpses of a world reborn, families reunited and a sense of normalcy returning. We don’t get that here. We see the harsh realities of people coming to grips with everyone’s return or that they have been dust for the past five years.
Monica catches the raw deal of waking up and realizing not only has she been gone, but her mother has passed in that time. The frantic energy of the hospital as people appear out of thin air legitimately gave me anxiety. Not to mention, a bunch of sick people were snapped out of existence and are now back, with no idea what’s going on. Given the wait times in hospitals, I do not envy them. On the plus side, a bunch of doctors came back as well. Though I doubt they are just going to get back to work.
Also, side note, how lucky was Monica to appear in an unoccupied chair in an empty room? Makes you feel that much worse for that band kid who got smashed by the dodgeball when he came back in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
2. Don’t touch strange shit, my friends
Monica Rambeau is portrayed as a smart, capable field agent with a zest for drones. I say that to highlight the stupidity of her one significant action in this episode. She touches the wavy barrier surrounding Westview. Hey, idiot. Stop touching weird shit! This is rule number one in my house. I am constantly digging random food out of my dog’s mouth on walks because who knows what they are eating. I am on high alert with my daughter to keep her from grabbing on to public nonsense because she constantly puts her fingers in her eyes. Look, people, if you don’t know what something is, especially a magic flipping barrier from a witch’s brain, don’t put your stupid hands on it. Who trained you, Monica? Even Agent Woo knew to stay the hell away, and you, a S.W.O.R.D boss went over and literally stuck your fingers in it. I mean, c’mon. Now you have to be in a sitcom. That’s your punishment. I hope you are happy.
3. So much backstory. Context. Wee!
I loved all the references to the first three episodes in this fourth installment. We learn that this “show” Wanda and Vision are trapped in has been going on before our first episode. The denizens of Westview are very much trapped there against their will, though we still have no idea who they are or how they got there. The Beekeeper is explained, kind of. I get why the agent looks like a beekeeper, seeing as his hazmat suit resembles a beekeeper outfit. My question is, did Wanda actively turn him into that, or does the simulation she has created have the power to do that on its own? Only time will tell, I suppose. We also get a ton of backstory on Monica, from her role in S.W.O.R.D, her connection to Carol Danvers and the wider Marvel universe, to her being an invading organism in Wanda’s reality. Oh, and Wanda is the bad guy! For now, that is. These are all confirmations on things we nerds have been “well, actually”ing for a few weeks now, so I am excited for what’s to come.
Continued below4. Vision is dead, y’all
We knew this. It was clear from the start as Thanos butchered him before the snap occurred. Now we know, in this reality Wanda has created, he is also an actor. My initial theory from way back when this show was announced was Wanda is sitting in a dilapidated room beside the body of Vision and creating a more palatable reality around her. I feel like I will be justified soon as clips from later episodes show Wanda in a broken-down house as the simulation cracks around her.
Vision remains one of the more intriguing characters in this weird play Wanda is putting on. He is clearly dead but exhibits a sentient consciousness that is aware something is wrong. Wanda has corrected Vision’s doubts in past episodes, but by the end of the fourth episode, Vision is clearly an unwilling, possibly scared participant in all of this. Has Wanda found a way to resurrect him in some way? Is he a manifestation of Wanda’s common sense, questioning her actions? I need to know, damn it!
5. The old is new again
I always thought Kat Dennings’s Darcy was a fun addition to the Thor proceedings. She was the irreverent audience proxy we needed to break up all the Shakespearean drama. And along with Agent Woo from Ant-Man, who’s a refreshing addition to the MCU as the insecure FBI agent looking for a friend. It’s great to see them both back and with more agency and smarts to boot. It shows Marvel’s commitment to more than just the superheroes they have established over the years.
Wrap it up, man
I really love this show. Episode four really opens up the streaming series to the much larger MCU, including the references to space threats and allies. Fans know who they are referencing, and it’s great to connect both worlds. The prospect of an interconnected Marvel Streaming Universe, influenced by the MCU, is a universe I am here for. WandaVision continues to push boundaries while dropping sly references to famous comic book stories like No More Mutants or Secret Invasion (check the whiteboard for Skrulls). With each new episode, I find myself drawn further into the mystery. Now, someone, please mention Mephisto by name so we can all collectively exhale and come up with new fan theories already. Until next week friends.
To be continued.
Notables:
- Who named it “The Blip”? That’s a stupid name. No one blipped out of existence; they turned to dust. Call it “The Dusting” or “The Fade.” Let’s go with “The Fade.”
- There is mention of a S.W.O.R.D astronaut program. Perhaps Reed Richards and his crew will be the only recruits?
- The whiteboard reminded me of my notes for each episode.
- That totally wasn’t Agent Woo on the radio in the first two episodes, right? Of course, it was, but it didn’t sound like him at the time, and I won’t go back to check.
- I am pretty confident the simulation has a mind of its own. How else would Wanda not know who Monica was until she mentioned Ultron?
- Darcy arrived with a group of nerds. Where did they go?
- Wanda is cray
