WandaVision Review (Spoiler-Free) - CULTURETAP

In an aptly timed move given the current world circumstances, Marvel has begun their rollout of several new shows that are all set to stream exclusively on Disney+. Unlike previous TV efforts from the media giant (such as Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, among others) the majority of this next set of shows are set to be heavily based on their preexisting Marvel Cinematic Universe characters. WandaVision is the first of these, featuring the two title characters living an idealized, sitcom-inspired life in the town of Westview - although their life together isn't as picture-perfect as it initially seems. They are Avengers, after all.

The final episode of the show aired this past Friday, so it's time to wonder: is Marvel's television presence back? Will this new lineup of shows suffer the same hit-or-miss fate that killed its predecessors? Are they really necessary connecting pieces to the movie universe, or are they just something for us fans to suck on at home while we wait for theatres to return? While we might not find all the answers today, WandaVision certainly gave us a strong starting-off point for discovering them. Let's get straight into it.

ACTING PERFORMANCES, PLOT & DIALOGUE

This first section will probably be the heftiest of the entire review, because holy moly, there is a lot to unpack here. Fortunately though, that's because there's a lot to praise about this gem of a show.

Let's start with the pros. We're familiar with the talents of stars Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany from their previous Marvel works, but I feel that I have to stress how their performances in this show took their characters to the absolute next level. This ties quite a bit into the writing, but I also heavily credit the acting as the aspect that allowed audiences to view sides of Wanda Maximoff and the Vision that have yet to be seen on-screen. (Side note: throughout this post, you'll come to notice that while I love Bettany and his portrayal of Vision, I more so have a massive lady-boner for Elizabeth Olsen, and I adore the character that she plays. I try to keep unnecessary bias out of my posts, but like...yeah, she's awesome.) Another absolute gem of this cast is Kathryn Hahn as Agnes the Neighbor, but come on, I probably didn't need to tell you that. Those three were the ultimate standouts for me, but to give credit where it's due, I also think that the entire rest of the cast was very strong in their performances.

The story and dialogue are where the show really shines as well. The narrative at play here was crafted in a way that forces audiences to constantly ask a million questions while simultaneously answering previous ones, making for an incredibly engaging viewing experience. The show does not necessarily fit into the category of "mystery", but it borrows this strategy from the genre in a risky, yet effective move. In short, I've never been so happy to be slightly unsettled and not know what the hell is going on until the very end. Additionally, I knew going into WandaVision that I was going to enjoy the blend of retro sitcom television themes with the contemporary Marvel formula, but I didn't expect the writers to blend both backgrounds so cohesively and engagingly into a rich story. I was super impressed with their ability to do this and avoid making it look cheesy and contrived in any way at all.

However, not all is sunny in the town of Westview. While the above praise for the storytelling style holds true, it does come with one considerable downside. When you're trying to make audiences wonder what's going to happen next to the degree that was at play here, some details end up being sloppily wrapped up or left without explanation. However, I can't say this aspect bothers me too much since WandaVision is just a single piece in the MCU puzzle, and some of these loose ends could be tied up in future shows and movies. Still, I have hope for some aspects more than others.

Finally, I must mention that while I loved every episode in the series, I could easily pinpoint the two episodes I disliked more than others, and those two just happened to be the second-to-last and last episodes. And again, while I don't think they did a bad job with those ones by any means, I also think that having your finale be one of the weakest episodes is a pretty unfavourable scenario. I believe that in order to fix this, the showrunners could have shortened the length of the events in the second-to-last episode and instead have the climax take place over an episode and a half. Alternatively, the show could have benefitted from a tenth episode (which I heard on Twitter was the original plan, but was scrapped for unknown reasons. Oh well.)

Division of time aside, I want to again emphasize how much I enjoyed the acting and narrative choices in the show, and I don't believe that the cons I listed above take away from that in a significant way.

CINEMATOGRAPHY, VISUAL EFFECTS, TECHNICALITIES

This might sound like a fairly random starting-off point, I'm not sure if it exactly fits into this category, but I'm going to say it anyway: the costume design in WandaVision is TO DIE FOR. Not only did I absolutely love the incorporation of different trends and styles throughout television history into the wardrobes of the characters, but the ways the wardrobe on this show drew from older comics for some of the contemporary designs is absolutely incredible. I won't detail it here (because, duh, spoilers) but this show features what is likely my favourite costume seen in the MCU thus far, period point blank.

Cinematography and visual effects are (perhaps obviously) kept up to the high standard we always expect from Marvel, but I want to also highlight how the references to television tropes throughout history extend past the story and into the way the show is actually shot. You can tell that the folks who were in charge of these decisions really did their research, as every given time period mimicked in the show feels completely genuine and immersive, shifting between things as seemingly insignificant as aspect ratio, for example. I always say that with Marvel it's always the same great effects and shots (mostly because I'm not a visual effects artist and I secretly don't really know what I'm talking about...ha ha...), but once again, WandaVision takes this to the next level.

BIG TAKEAWAYS

I credit WandaVision for singlehandedly reigniting the love I forgot I had for both of these characters, especially Scarlet Witch. While the show might have its peculiar choices (and while some potential flaws might remain to be seen), as a narrative crafted to connect the events of the MCU and highlight Wanda and Vision's individual story, this series is every hardcore Marvel fan's wet dream and every casual fan's gateway drug into discovering the deeper lore of where MCU stories come from. It beautifully incorporates tropes spanning many genres and makes for a cinematic superhero story of which the likes have never been seen before.

My biggest worry at this point? How the other MCU shows are going to measure up to this one. WandaVision is an absolute joy to watch.

Rating: 8.8/10

Images retrieved from Disney+.