Thursday, April 1, 2021

Episode 93: WandaVision Review



Topic: WandaVision Review

 

So, there’s this show about a magical woman and he robot husband… and it take place in 1950s… no wait 1960s…. or was it the 90s?  This was a very strange series to watch, but one that was very much a desired fleshing out for the Scarlet Witch, and also for Vision.  And we both has a blast watching it.

  


 

Spoilers – This show will spoil elements and Episodes of Wanda Vision, so you have been warned.

 


 


Wanda Maximoff – Elizabeth Olsen

An avenger who was previously altered by the Mind Stone, increasing her latent magical powers.  Officially now known as the Scarlet Witch, a moniker for the type of witch that can use chaos magic.  Wanda is initially not entirely aware that she created this reality, but has slowly figured out that she has.  She depart at the end of the series, but it rumored to return during Dr. Strange’s next movie, possibly as a villain.  It is revealed that the reason her altered reality mimics sitcoms is because she loved them as a child, watching them with her family.  The character’s growth however has been mostly resolved around her repeated losses of a family, either her parents, Pietro, Vision, and now her altered reality family.

 


Vision – Paul Bettany

An android and former Avenger.  He is fact not the actual Vision, but a creation of Wanda’s magic within her reality.  A later nod to the white Vision, or ‘The Vision’, later appears and they duke it out, but in the aftermath, the second vision disappears and is unknown where he is.  Paul Bettany sited his performance was based off Dick Van Dyke and Hugh Laurie.

 


Billy and Tommy Maximoff – Julian hilliard & Jett Klyne

Manifestations of Wanda’s imagination and powers within the ‘Hex’.  They twins are similar representations as first seen in the comic when they were made up of both Wanda’s magic and the Marvel Satan/Devil: Mephisto.  Similar to their comic origins, both boys have the powers of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, mimicking their comic book origins.  In the comics, both boys come back at Wiccan and Speed, whose souls are the same Billy and Tommy, and though not brothers, share a familiar bond.  Both children’s soul may continue to exist in some form, something which may motivate Wanda in the future.

 


Monica Rambeau – Teyonah Parris

Character was last seen in Captain Marvel, as the daughter of Captain Marvel’s best friend.  As a cause of going through the ‘Hex’ barrier, she has absorbed some level of powers, which gives her super powers.  Which ones are unknown, though in the comics, she has the ability to change in to energy of any kind, which grants her some abilities, but which is unknown and haven’t been properly explored.  The character will return in Captain Marvel 2.

 


Jimmy Woo - Randall Park

An FBI agent who happens to be the first to report to the ‘Hex’.  He was last seen in Ant Man and the Wasp (Ant Man 2), previously as Scott Lang’s parole officer.  One joke returning his time during Ant Man is the card trick he first displays for Monica Rambeau when they first meet.

 


Darcy Lewis – Kat Dennings

An astrophysicist previously seen in both Thor and Thor 2, originally an intern following around Jane Foster for student credits.  She has since upgraded to a full on Astrophysicist in the many years and is now a full time scientist with her own qualifications.  She is the first to discover the TV show hidden in the background radiation. 

 


Ralph Bohner/Pietro Maximoff – Evan Peters

Initially appearing as the twin brother to Wanda, Evan Peters was the X-men version of Quicksilver, who was cast and portrayed as Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver in X-men: Days of Future Past.  It’s interesting for him to be cast as this version’s Pietro, as a wink-and-nod to how sitcoms would recast character without any storyline reason for them changing all the sudden.  It is eventually revealed that he was given his powers by Agatha Harkness and mind controlled in believing he was Wanda’s brother.

 


Agnes/Agatha Harkness – Kathryn Hahn

Originally portraying captured resident Agnes, the nosy neighbor, she is eventually revealed ot be Agatha Harkness, another witch with similar powers to Wanda, but with the ability to absorb magical powers from other witches.  Though different from the comics, as Agatha Harkness is a much older witch in the series, she retains some of the mentor like qualities from her original comic version.  She is the one who informs Wanda of who she is and what kind of powers she really has, as well as giving her early lessons on magic of Witches.

 

 

Illusions to TV Sitcoms

Episode 1 – Dick Van Dyke Show and other ‘American Dream’ style Sitcoms of the 1950s

Episode 2 – Bewitched and other fantasy-sitcoms of the 1960s

Episode 4 – The Brady Bunch and other American Family Sitcoms of the 1970s

Episode 5 – Family Ties & Growing Pains, and other American Family sitcoms of the 1980s.

Episode 6 – Malcom in the Middle and other sitcoms of the later 90s and early 2000s.

Episode 7 – Modern Family & the Office, and other sitcoms of the 2000s and 2010s.

 

 


S.W.O.R.D. (Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division)

A new organization that has replaced S.H.I.E.L.D. as an American peace keeping force meant to deal with superheroes and such.  While S.H.I.E.L.D. does continue to exist, it is considered under the radar and not officially funded by the United States.  S.W.O.R.D. was originally build with the intent of combating and researching extraterrestrial operations and activity, mainly anything happening outside of the Earth Sphere.  In the comics, the organization is an Arm of S.H.I.E.L.D, with its purpose being very similar.

 

 


Infinity Stones continuing role

While they may have been destroyed, the Infinity Stones continue to play a role the story, speaking to the various strangeness of character.  It’s theorized that the individual stones don’t actually give the powers their most known for to people in which it imbues powers to.  IE:

·       Wanda’s powers mimic/mirror the Reality Stone more so than Mind Stone, even in the visual language as her powers are red, not yellow.

·       QuickSilver’s power mimic the Space Stone more than the Mind Stone, even in the visual language as being Blue in color.

·       Weapons created by Hydra using the Space Stone mimic the Power Stone at the end of the day.

·       Same for Captain Marvel, whose powers seem to mimic the Power Stone more so than the Space Stone.

Theory holds that more powered Super Heroes, rather than through technology or science, will be powered due to radiation given off by those who were previously enhanced by the Infinity Stones.  This includes potentially the Fantastic Four.

 

 

Trivia

·       Each Episode reportedly cost around $25 Million dollars, making it the most expensive tv series per episode.

·       Wanda’s voice saying “Previously on WandaVision” get progressively less cheerful as episodes progress.

·       Each of the first 7 episodes are roughly 20-30 minutes long, mirroring classic sitcom episode lengths, with the 8th and 9th episodes being around 40 minutes long.



Agatha Theme Song

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