Jump to content
DVDVR Message Board

WANDAVISION (Massive Spoiler Thread)


JonnyLaw

Recommended Posts

Loved episode 3.

Spoiler

That sinister feeling is only getting stronger, and its clear that even if Wanda didn't start this she is the one in control of it now. Still pretty sure Agnes is Agatha Harkness. I'm guessing she is attempting to get Wanda to free herself and everyone else without pushing Wanda over the edge. I'm also guessing the residents beyond Agnes are only partially/occasionally aware. The spell probably weakens when Wanda is less in control of things.

I don't know all of Wanda's history, but its neat to see people talk about these easter eggs and whether or not they end up playing a part with how this all ends.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Man, I thought this was the worst episode of the 3 so far.  It’s still not even a little bit funny, but I’ve just conceded that they’re either not capable or even really trying at this point.  But the first two episodes at least nailed the rhythm, style, and tone of Dick Van Dyke and Bewitched, respectively.  This one was ostensibly aping the Brady Bunch, but that show was never as hyperactive and manic as this episode was.  It was a really grating and unenjoyable 20 minutes or so.

There seems to be a weird duality at the core of the show.  On one hand, I think director Matt Shakman (who started out as a child actor on old sitcoms!) is shooting this as a loving homage to TV history.  He has clearly put in the work to nail the shooting style of these old shows (and he has been very clever about how he subtly shifts to modern shooting styles to underline the “real world” encroachments).  His direction has been uniformly great.  On the other hand, it’s also very clear that the writing team has no affection for these shows whatsoever.  That’s evidenced in a lot of different ways, but none more apparent than how the only real joke is that “All these old jokes are lame LOL.”  That push-pull between homage and parody has been there since the beginning, but I think it reached its breaking point in this episode.  It couldn’t even manage to be “cute” in the way the first 2 eps were.

I’m still interested to see where all this is going, but this episode was a very long walk for a short drink of water.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am irritated at myself for not thinking of the Twilight Zone connection until I saw it in a review for the 3rd episode

Spoiler

Specifically the "It's A Good Life" episode

Especially since I have seen it aped in other things... including a fucking Fallout game

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If Wanda had thrown Geraldine into a cornfield, I definitely would’ve respected the writing of this episode a little bit more.

 

EDIT:  But I also think that gets at one of the problems with the show:  The people writing it don’t realize that this type of story has been told A LOT already.  They think the premise alone is good enough to support a whole show without iterating on it in any meaningful way (so far) and that what theyr’e doing is a lot more novel and clever than it actually is.

Edited by EVA
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, RIPPA said:

and I kinda now wished I waited till the whole season was done before watching.

I'm really torn between wanting to wait and marathon the entire season over a weekend, or tuning in every week and watching it episodically.  I'm really enjoying the show so far, so I probably don't have the patience to wait six weeks or whatever.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think the “show” is supposed to be funny, I think it’s supposed to be comforting and familiar, as a way for Wanda to escape. There’s a meta-ness to it, as the sitcom homage is something we’re watching at the same time SWORD is watching, but that homage is happening in-universe.  If it’s a construct of Wanda’s powers, it wouldn’t necessarily be “funny,” as she’s not a comedian.

That’s why my lingering question is about why Wanda is seeming retreating to a sitcom homage that rapidly progresses through the decades.  Presumably there’s an in-universe explanation for that.  I have a hunch, but it seems a little cliche and unsatisfying: 

Spoiler

Hydra taught Wanda and Pietro English via old tv shows, so that’s a happy memory of spending time with her brother that she’s trying to recreate.

 

Edited by JonnyLaw
  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@JonnyLaw's spoiler box:

Spoiler

It's entirely possible the man & woman in the commercials are actually Wanda's parents, and maybe they grew up watching old sitcoms via a channel like a Nick @ Nite?

 

Edited by Casey
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It’s an interesting question that I hope they address, at some point.

Regarding the theory of the Maximoffs being taught English through sitcoms, though:  it seemed like most Sokovians spoke English in AOU, though, right?  It’s been, um, ages since I watched that movie, but I feel like most of them understood English pretty well.

 I defer to our recently-avowed Ultron enthusiast, Casey, though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Eoae said:

I'm really torn between wanting to wait and marathon the entire season over a weekend, or tuning in every week and watching it episodically.  I'm really enjoying the show so far, so I probably don't have the patience to wait six weeks or whatever.

If you wait to binge, you’re losing the social component.  Like most post-LOST mystery box shows, it’s intentionally designed to get people flocking to social media to compare notes and theories.  What happens online between episodes is an equal component to what happens on screen, in terms of the overall “entertainment” they’re selling with this show.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Apparently, the sermon at mass this morning revolved around the Mandalorian and WandaVision. so the show must be making inroads into pop culture.  Lol, this is what happens when your parish mostly ministers to the University community and the new priest looks to be about 22 (I think he's in his early 30's).

I'm legit curious about what was said and how this relates to today's gospel, but I'll probably never find out.  Wife and I have an unspoken agreement: I agree to not invite trouble by bringing up religion and she agrees not to get angry and lecture me about becoming a godless heathen who has abandoned his faith and is probably going to Hell.

(For those wondering, we've never been on the same page re: faith, but we were able to compromise well enough to keep it from becoming a major issue and raise kids in the church.  But.... when the pandemic started, she became extremely devout and I became Jesse Custer.)

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Matt Dcan give me the confused look all he wants, but these first three episodes have been a waste of fucking time. Man, you thought that the Mandalorian wasted a lot of time, that's nothing compared to Wandavision. I tried, I really tried to rationalize the style of these episodes being good or whatever, but it is a slog. My wife again turned to me during episode 3 to ask how much time was left. These are not long episodes, but the format of them makes them feel incredibly long to get through. My daughter is already done with the series and has no interest in watching it.

I don't want to be the one to say that anything old sucks, but making something old in this way kinda sucks. It's not funny. At all. I may get one chuckle here or there, but that's about it. The rest is just thinking they nailed the look of these older sitcoms, and maybe some of the feel, but that's where it ends.

The final 5 minutes of each episode still remains the most interesting stuff. When the episodes get very weird then I'm digging it. It's just that to get to that point you have to endure 20 to 25 minutes of Wanda and Vision acting like idiots because they're stuck in these sitcoms or whatever.

And episode 3 didn't have nearly enough Kathryn Hahn.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/12/2021 at 11:24 AM, Craig H said:

30 minutes per episode is...disappointing. Less than that, like 23 minutes, even more so. You're trending into web video territory at that point. I already think Mandalorian episodes are too short. These Marvel shows being even shorter than that is something else.

Good thing they didn't listen to you then ?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I still think we're inching closer to longer episodes.

Spoilers ahead, maybe, for episode structures in the future:

Spoiler

supposedly episode 6 she's rapidly progressing through several decades at a time, so by that theory...

E4 = 80s

E5 = 90s

E6 - 2000s/2010s

E7/E8/E9 might be the standard MCU fare that we've come to expect, and be longer than 20ish minutes.

Also I'm still pretty sure Falcon & Winter Soldier will be around 40/50 minutes, but I expect the credits to be about 7-8 minutes long just like this show. We're probably never getting legit hour long episodes, unless it's a finale, so. But I think the people upset with WandaVision will be more happy with Falcon & Winter Soldier since it's not doing something different and criminally short.

Edited by Casey
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Bustronaut said:

I'm still confused because Paul Bettany said last year that WandaVision runs ~8 hours.  Does this mean Episodes 7-9 are going to be 90 minutes each?

Yeah - all the stories I read in the lead up said basically the same thing so... yes????

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To be fair - most old stuff does indeed suck

Now I will say that I agree with a lot of Craig's points... though maybe not as intensely.

That being said what helped me reframe my thoughts was @JonnyLaw point about he didn't think the episodes were supposed to be "comedies"

It made me realize that I had bought too much into what I had read pre-show and think that if I had gone in blind, I would have probably liked the episodes more.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...