![]() ![]() We quickly realize, if we’re TV-literate, that we’ve moved on to the sitcoms of the 1960s. Becalmed, it is then implied that they bang.Ĭue the opening credits, these ones done as broad-stroked animation in the style of Bewitched, with Wanda and Vision floating around their little town, grinning. Vision remarks that he “did overhear a few of the lads at work remarking on a few unsavory characters settling in the neighborhood,” which prompts Wanda to point out that those colleagues may have been referring to them.Ībruptly, the beds slide together and Wanda opens the drapes with her powers revealing (seemingly) that it was just a branch hitting the window. There’s a thump of some kind, and Wanda (whose hair and makeup for sleepytime are, of course, impeccably done up, as is appropriate for a period sitcom) and Vision (adorned with an adorable sleep mask) are startled. We then cut to the happy couple asleep in separate twin beds, with a lot of room for the Holy Ghost in between them. We begin, naturally, with Olsen’s voice cheerily declaring, “Last week on WandaVision” and are shown a set of reminders about episode one that feel almost random (why include Agnes saying she’s Wanda and Vision’s “neighbor to the right?”), but which will likely be relevant in the episodes to come. There’s nothing beneath it other than a mystery, one that’s not particularly compelling yet. As I said in the recap of the series premiere, it feels almost unfair to be judging these episodes as stand-alones, because they’re so clearly just a prelude to the real plot, a prelude filled with intentional artifice and homage. Luckily, both actors are pretty much up to the task and keep things both amusing and (somewhat) intriguing.īut what purpose does the acting serve? So far, WandaVision has yet to make much of a case for its existence. We get lingering images of their distinctly un-CGI’d faces and forms. They do the cheesy punch lines they do physical comedy. Olsen and Bettany get plenty of room to breathe and do their beats, most of which in the second episode are simple sitcom doggerel with little twists here and there. ![]() The only way to get us to have an interesting ride on WandaVision is by letting us fall in love not so much with the characters as with the performers. This is a wise move because the characters of Wanda and Vision have been tremendously bland and artistically useless in the MCU up until this show’s advent. ![]() In a stark contrast, WandaVision relies almost entirely on the acting prowess of its titular stars, Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany. When you actually watch the flicks, there are moments of comedy or pathos, for sure, but they’re mayflies, quickly perishing as the action ramps up again and the rapid-fire cuts and CGI bodies that the enterprise is built on keep us from dwelling too much on the work of an actor. The megafranchise has been historically populated by some of the world’s finest living film thespians, from Mark Ruffalo to Tilda Swinton to Cate Blanchett and beyond, but those people are largely just means to an end, a way to juice up the movies’ credibility and star wattage. I will say this about WandaVision: It’s nice to get to see some Marvel Cinematic Universe actors get to actually, y’know, act. ![]() Don’t have Disney+ yet? You can sign up here. ![]()
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