WandaVision Season 1 Episode 3 Now In Color Review

WandaVision leaps ahead a decade into the 70s, returning with another cute and clean episode as Wanda and Vision journey into parenthood after Wanda’s sudden pregnancy. The 9 months blitz by as Wanda is blessed with twin boys who comic book afficionados will recognize as being Wiccan and Speed. But all continues to not be well in Wanda’s warped reality as the cracks become increasingly more prominent.

Marvel Studios did a great job recreating the 60s in the series premiere and they do an even more splendid job with the 70s. The vintage intro with technicolor popping all through, the show’s palette, the fake backgrounds surrounding the sets, even the score, all were fabulously done. Matt Shakman together with the cast and crew have put in phenomenal efforts to ensure that we feel right at home with the 70s setting.

In terms of advancing the main narrative, writer Jac Scaheffer is still taking things slowly. Most of the episode plays out as Wanda and Vision experience the thrills and perils of pregnancy, yet again a life even they could never experience. And while the jokes don’t quite land as well as they perhaps did for the sitcom audience, it’s still kinda fun to see Wanda freak out about her situation while Vision does the very best to keep things together. Add a spice of Geraldine and you’ve got yourselves a good old PG-13 setup that’s apt for family and friends.

The intrigue however deepens as Kathryn Hahn’s Agnes makes an appearance in a different avatar as Geraldine snaps out of the alternate reality for a moment to remind Wanda of Pietro. As she fondly remembers her brother, Geraldine reminding her about Pietro’s death at the hands of Ultron makes Wanda wary and she sends her back to the real world with a cool aspect ratio transformation effect. The entire sequence kept the suspense quotient up and was well handled, using minimal dialog and relying largely on building up tension to lead us to the dramatic reveal. At this point, I don’t think anyone doubts that something fishy is going on and Wanda has constructed an elaborate maze keeping her and Vision inside the town, secluded from the outside world. Is it a coincidence that the town’s name Westview is reminiscent of Westworld?

As smoothly as the episode flows by, there’s nothing deeper to dig into really at this point. WandaVision is having a jolly good time and is intent on evoking great nostalgic memories of the past era sitcoms while setting up teasers that will eventually reveal what’s really going on with the world. And it’s really a delight seeing Paul Bettany relish the chance to play Vision as humanly as possible; he totally owns the goofy, less serious version of his character and completely gives in to the setup. But audiences will decide whether these facets are enough to make up for the lack of any overarching progress.

For now, WandaVision is coasting along with its rhythm quite set. I’d like them to shake things up a bit and devote a little more time to what’s happening outside of it all. And while the Hydra commercials and the introduction of Wiccan and Speed help keep the MCU connection alive, WandaVision is indeed at a sweet spot at this point in that it could be enjoyed without a deeper knowledge of anything that came before it. All in all, another sweet episode with a throwback to the 70s, a dash of vibrant colors and a day in the life of Wanda and Vision.