Bewitching or bewildering?

Episode three of WandaVision series from Marvel is here, streaming now on Disney Plus, how does it move the story forward, here’s our review.

SPOILERS: If you’re reading this then you’ve probably seen the show, but if not there are spoilers ahead.

In color

The first 2 episodes took us through the classic sitcoms of the black and white TV era. In doing so, it established that S.W.O.R.D. is trying to break through the ‘reality’ that Wanda and Vision are existing in. For what reason they’re trying to do this, we don’t yet know.

Episode 3 sees us ‘IN COLOR’, as the reimagined Brady Bunch titles tell us with Wanda and Vision living in The Brady’s house. The coloured windows in the house are the same colours as the Infinity Stones. We discovered at the end of Episode 2 that Wanda is pregnant. And that her pregnancy is the central plot of the episode.

As WandaVision is set in a warped alternate reality, by the end of the episode, not one but two babies have arrived. This comes as a shock to Vision and Wanda, but not to us. As we knew that she would give birth to both Tommy and Billy. The twins will grow up to be Wiccan and Speed, but for now, their birth settled the argument Wanda and Vision were having over names for the baby.

Fetch the doctor

The Doctor who features in the episode is played by Randy Oglesby, who played a friend of Randy Quaid’s character Russell in Independence Day. In that film, he didn’t believe Russell’s assertions that aliens existed. But now, having been transported on Vision’s back at warp speed to assist with the birth, he’s seen alien life for himself! The Doctor was about to go on holiday with his wife as Vision came to tell him that Wanda had gone into labour. But ultimately he decides not to. As he does so, he tells Vision, “Small towns are so hard to escape”. The way he said it, and the way he looked at Vision as he said it, was a clear clue that the world they’re existing in, isn’t real.

After some oblique references to the alternate reality in the first two episodes, the plot is really moving forward now. Wanda and Vision’s neighbours, Agnes and Herb, effectively tell him that what he’s seeing isn’t real. Herb is attempting to cut hedges during the episode but is also seemingly cutting through the brick wall as well. In actual fact, this is someone outside their reality, quite probably from S.W.O.R.D., trying to break in. Vision also says to Wanda that he doesn’t think that their world is real. But like after the appearance of the beekeeper in Episode 2, we rewind. Or jump cut in this case. And ‘normality’ resumes.

Monica Rambeau

One person who has broken in is Geraldine (aka Monica Rambeau). She is a S.W.O.R.D. agent, and is wearing a necklace with their logo on while she helps Wanda give birth. Wanda notices this and asks what it is, after ‘Geraldine’ has mentioned her brother Pietro dying at the hands of Ultron. This happens after Wanda sings the twins what sounds like a Sokovian lullaby, and telling ‘Geraldine’ that she is a twin. Wanda’s demeanour changes completely after she mentions Ultron and she throws her out of the house, and the alternate reality. Vision returns from his conversation with Agnes & Herb, where they warn him to be vigilant around ‘Geraldine’ as she doesn’t have a home there. He asks where ‘Geraldine’ is, and Wanda coldly tells him that she had to leave.

At this point, we return to reality, as the aspect ratio changes from 4:3 to 16:9, and Monica is confronted by a raft of SUV’s, presumably from S.W.O.R.D.

There is another reference to Hydra in the ‘advert’, as the harassed Mum has a relaxing bath using ‘Hydra Soak’. Its strapline is ‘Find the goddess within.’ Does this reference mean The Goddess will appear in the near future in the MCU? Watch this space I guess?!

Picking up the pace

There was no pullback to Darcy Lewis ‘watching the episode’ at the end of this instalment, which was intriguing. But this was a really fast-paced episode and truly set the tone for the rest of the series. Again, it was brilliantly made and with great reverence to the sitcoms of the early 1970s. But I’m not sure if this whistle-stop tour of sitcom history works for a younger audience. I know some younger MCU fans have found the black and white episodes boring. This is simply because they have no knowledge of the sitcoms being used as plot devices to build WandaVision around.

The laughter track has now gone from mildly irritating to downright annoying and completely unnecessary. It’s like having someone laugh hysterically while reading the iTunes terms and conditions.

As Thor: Ragnarok and Guardians of the Galaxy proved, Marvel can do funny. So why has a show based on sitcoms missed out the comedy? It could have been set in the sitcom world as a mystery drama. But this seems to have fallen between two stools.

CULTURE CROSSING SCORE 7/10

Thank you for reading our review of WandaVision episode three. Do you agree or disagree with our points or have anything to add? If so, leave us a comment below.

Read our WandaVision episode two review HERE.

Read IMDB information about WandaVision HERE.