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‘WandaVision’ Episode Three review

Now playing on Disney+.

The mystery of the seemingly cosy suburb of Westview gets even stranger in the third episode of Marvel Studiop’s first foray into the streaming world of Disney+. A word of warning up at the top, this review contains spoilers for both the first three episodes of WandaVision. 

The first two episodes last week revelled in recreating sitcom settings of 50’s and 60’s TV shows, as Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul bettany) do their best to integrate themselves in their new neighbourhood, all the while concealing their super abilities. The last moments of episode two began to hint more at the idea that Wanda may not be trapped in this sitcom fantasy by some other force, but is in fact constructing it herself. 

This idea begins to be explored even more in the third episode, which has shifted the aesthetic once again to a 70’s family sitcom aesthetic, in colour! Wanda is now miraculously pregnant, and it is a pregnancy unlike any other. It quickly becomes apparent that their super power dnature means that this pregnancy isn’t going to last nine months, it’s only going to last a couple of days. As they rush to prepare for the faster than expected new arrival, fissures in the environment start to come to the fore, particularly in the form of the slightly too inquisitive neighbour Geraldine (Teyonah Parris). 

There’s a strict formula that seems to be in place within these first three episodes, that of committing to the sitcom riff for the majority of the episode, before breaking away near the tail end of the half hour to peel back more on what exactly is going on behind the scenes. The details of sitcom homage once again remain outstanding as the show shifts its focus to shows of the 1970s. A couple of details that I forgot to mention last week include the inclusion of episode unique theme tunes and credit sequences that do an exceptional job at capturing the spirit of their respective homage. The second detail feels much more pertinent to the mystery at its centre, as each episode contains a fake ad around the halfway mark, focusing on products with details hinting at both Stark and Hydra. Simply random products conjured by Wanda’s psyche, or could they be hinting at something more? 

The way the show uses its sitcom stylings to construct a warm, fuzzy and funny environment continues to be incredibly affecting when the curtain starts to shake on the fantasy. It is an exceedingly charming world that occupies the majority of the episode, propelled by Bettany and Olsen’s adorable dynamic, so when the fissures show, it makes for a genuinely unnerving reality check. It is probably because deep down we know this is Wanda struggling with the grief of losing Vision in Infinity War. With the show doing such a good job at making them a much more engaging and funny pairing than the films ever did, it is only going to make the inevitable tearing down of this fantasy even more devastating. 

The way that the show is revealing more and more about what exactly is going on and who is doing the monitoring makes your appetite to consume more episodes insatiable. It is smart to be releasing this in the now seemingly old-fashioned model of week-by-week. Not only does it fit the homage to classic television, but it makes the mystery far more tantalising. You’re made to sit and ponder and speculate, not rushing to consume and find out the answers straight away. It feels more substantial this way, and much less throwaway, and the creators of WandaVision clearly enjoy drawing it out. It’ll be interesting to see how long this pattern maintains, as while it’s interesting for now it’s clearly not going to be sustainable (something I do not doubt the creators are fully aware of). Reality is creeping in, and when the walls of the studio set do eventually come tumbling down, what will remain? 

Wandavision is now playing on Disney+.

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