...or is it WandaVision?!
I like the most of the world it seems loooove this show! As I write this thereās still just under 12hrs before the series finale is released which is 8am where I am. Annoyingly due to work Iām gonna have to wait to see it and as the internet isĀ āthe internetā Iām going to have to completely avoid any and all forms of social media if nothing else because someone somewhere will post about it and algorithms dictate that content will turn up on one of my feeds somewhere.
As for the show itself I could not have been more blindsided by how fantastic this series is. Of the 4 Disney+ Marvel shows we already have trailers for this was the one I was least excited by. I now find that bizarre because it was when the MCU decided to get more fantastical with its storytelling thatās what drew me in, using directors like Taika Waititi, James Gunn and Edgar Wright (even though he departed Ant-Man and you can still see his fingerprints all over that movie). I feel confident even though the tale is not quite finished that this will be my favourite MCU property going forward.
Just the care and the craft of taking these old American sitcom tropes and using them to pay homage without resorting to cheap parody. Weaving a genuinely moving story about Wanda Maximoffās grief and what her character has had to endure while still producing some genuinely very funny sitcom moments. Also lets not forget theyāve been able to introduce at least 2 new major characters for the MCU going forward in the newly superpowered Monica Rambeau aka Photon or Spectrum and the deliciously naughty Agatha Harkness. They also managed to breathe new life into a couple of side characters with the now Dr Darcy Lewis and Agent Jimmy Woo. Thatās a lot of heavy lifting for the show to do in such a short amount of time and itās a testament to the writing that it has all seemed seamless. For the record I am well and truly aboard the Darcy Lewis & Jimmy Woo X-Files style show train!!!
What has really made the show so memorable though is the amazing central performances of Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany and Katherine Hahn. In a show with such a unique concept, so silly sounding from the outside for the actors to keep the material grounded and truthful, even if they are a cosmic witch and a synthezoid, just goes to show what talent is on display here. I loved finding out that as well as being a brilliantĀ āseriousā actor Paul Bettany is also a gifted physical comedian and that Katherine Hahn has far more range and subtlety than many give her credit for. The MVP though is Elizabeth Olsen, great comedic acting in the sitcom chapters of the show especially in the nuances of portraying the different eras as well as showing us some gut wrenching emotion as her ideal world starts to crumble around her. Every time I see her face crack or that bottom lip start to quiver Iām welling up.
The one thing I am wary of though is the possible backlash, because even though itās been fun joining in all the theorising online some people seem to get so enamoured with their predictions that inevitably when the showrunners go in a different direction they get butthurt and start dropping crappy videos all over the internet about how the show was riddled with bad writing and plotholes etc etc. You know the type I mean, the bespectacled bearded men of YouTube who appoint themselves as gatekeepers for whatever fandom they believe themselves to be the king of! I call it Last Jedi-itus!
Despite the last paragraph I may as well throw a couple of my theories and wishes for how the show will end, but if all or none come to fruition I was glad I was along for the ride
- Wanda is NOT set up to be the antagonist of Dr Strange 2 because I think the MCU is becoming far more nuanced and subtle in itās storytelling and I doubt Marvel and the shows writers want to fall into āemotional woman becomes baddieā trope.
- Hayward, though a dick, turns out not to be simply a baddie but someone acting out of fear and mistrust of superheroes due to the blip. Possibly a continuation of the anti-superpowered story arc started in Civil War?
- Tommy and Billy are real because even though conceived in the Hex through chaos magic Wanda still physically gave birth to them.Ā
- Agatha Harkness will remain a bad guy for the time being (she did kill Sparky after all!), I think sheāll kidnap and escape with the twins at the end, but I can see her long term MCU future becoming more Loki-like, sometimes mischievous, sometimes malevolent but always selfishly motivated.
- Vision will (hopefully) live on using White Visionās body but I think this happens in another MCU project down the line. This is because I think Wanda is left all but broken by the end of the show.
- Monica will kick ass in the final battle but they are saving her spectacular stuff and full power set reveal for Captain Marvel 2
- The cameo is.... I have no feckin idea! I used to think it was Ian McKellen but Iām not sure now.Ā
- This is a one and done show, thereās no second season of Wandavision per-see though there may be spin offs. I hope thats how they do it anyway.
Anyway thatās my two cents worth. Whatever happens Iāve really enjoyed the ride and even if the ending is not what I expect or even want I have absolute trust in Kevin Feige, Jac Schaeffer and Matt Shakman and besides this is only the beginning of the so called Multiverse Saga, so Iām not expecting a neat ending with all loose ends tied up. Thereās plenty of story left to tell.
