Cinematically progressing through the decades, the first five episodes of Marvel’s new show, “WandaVision,” were released on Disney+ on Jan. 15. Directed by Matt Shakman, the show is the newest installment of the notorious Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, with new episodes released every Friday. The structure of the show being popular sitcoms for each decade, is a very different approach from the rest of the MCU which is a welcomed artistic change.
Episode one opens up as a black and white 50’s sitcom. We are introduced to Wanda, who can move things with her mind, and her robot husband Vision. The newlyweds have just moved into the city of Westfield for a fresh start. The extraordinary couple, appearing normal to everyone else, must get through the day catering to Vision’s needy boss without revealing their secret powers to anyone else. But, throughout the episode, we pick up cues that there is much more to this picture perfect city than originally shown. In episode two, we are introduced to a neighbor named Gereldine, and she and Wanda click instantly over the shared hatred of another neighbor.
At first the show seems unrelated to the MCU aside from using two of its characters, but as the show progresses viewers slowly start to pick up on the bigger picture. While “WandaVision” takes on the form of a light family sitcom, new eerie details begin to emerge from all over Westfield that lead viewers to believe that there is a dark secret hidden deep in the town’s roots.
Something we really enjoyed about the show was that each episode was based off of a new decade, beginning with the 50’s in the pilot and with sets and costume designs that portray the time periods very well. The way the filming and style changes with each episode, has viewers wondering and anticipating what the style of the next episode will be. Plot twists occur frequently, keeping the content engaging and suspenseful and you never know what’s going to happen next. However, because all of the episodes have distinctively different premises, it can be hard to figure out what’s going on at times. Additionally, the concept of the show can be a bit hard to grasp without any prior knowledge of the MCU.
However, we are very pleased with the direction that “WandaVision” has taken. The cinematic variety in the series keeps viewers on their toes and it just goes to show the artistic talent of the crew. The first few episodes of this exciting story definitely gave us something viewers haven’t seen before and we are excited to see where the rest of the season goes.