The Gist:
The first two episodes of Disney’s new MCU based show have hit Disney+. Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch and Vision, the miracle android born from an infinity stone are back! And… they’re in 1960’s style black and white sit-com? Though, perhaps, things aren’t exactly as they seem.
The Review:
I’ll just come out and say it, this show has to keep a lot of balls in the air to work and, two episodes in, it’s doing an excellent job so far. It’s also an interesting thing to review because there’s a lot going on here. As usual, I’m going to avoid any major spoilers but that’s not much of a problem as, two episodes in, there’s not a huge amount to spoil.
That sounds like a criticism, but it’s not, it’s just that there are two separate plotlines going on at once. Front and centre is the situation comedy plot, which is a clear, and competently written homage to/parody of sitcoms of that era. Wanda is magic, Vision is a robot, they’re newly married and new to the neighbourhood. Plots such as Vision’s boss coming round for dinner or the two of them competing in the neighbourhood talent competition. It’s light-hearted and goofy and the quality is enough that, with the benefit of novelty, it could certainly stand up by itself for an episode or two.
But it doesn’t have to stand on its own because this strange, but idyllic, life the two have found themselves in keeps blurring at the edges and it quickly becomes clear that there’s more to this than just a funny little spinoff coming in the wake of Avengers: Endgame. Strange events keep occurring, such as the one towards the end of the first episode, where events seem to briefly get stuck in an odd, but increasingly distressing loop. In the second episode, the black and white colour scheme briefly breaks down when Wanda encounters red (or perhaps Scarlet) coloured objects or substances and it’s something she notices, as well. This stark contrast between the light-hearted events of the episodes and the distressing moments where things seem to break down for a moment adds a real element of horror as you realise that something is definitely wrong. The events at the end of the second episode (which I’m not going to spoil), not only doubles down on this, but makes it clear that a certain character definitely knows more than they’re telling.
With all of that said it is worth noting that, if you started watching this for more Marvel superhero action, you may find yourself a little unsatisfied with what is presented so far. A quick Google search will unearth the many easter eggs lurking in these first two episodes. There seems to be an intriguing mystery to watch unfold, but the bulk of the first two episodes are the comedic adventures of Wanda and Vision; suburban newly-weds.
The Verdict:
The first two episodes are entertaining in their own right and definitely promise more serious plot developments in the future, but not every superhero/action fan is going to be prepared to wait patiently for this to arrive.
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