WandaVision Episode 1 Spoilers, Review, & Breakdown: A Newlywed Couple
Hiya, people! Today, I’m going to be reviewing the first episode of WandaVision: a “blend of American sitcom and Marvel”. But first, before I get into any details, I want to put up a big SPOILER ALERT so that none of you have a spoiled show in front of you. We want YOU to be the one who discovers the humor and secrets of WandaVision, then, you can read my review!
However, I have not read any of the Marvel comics yet. That means I can’t actually do an official breakdown of the easter eggs (there may be many that I don’t even notice since I have heard that the series is directly connected to the comics in lots of ways); this is only a review.
For those of you who don’t mind and actually want a review, and have seen Episode 1 (if not all of the show), this is going to be a gas!
The episode begins in black and white; after all, this is the 50s era. It appears Wanda and Vision are a happy married couple now! Interestingly, all the trauma of Avengers: Infinity War has seemingly passed in this sitcom illusion – and Vision is alive. Didn’t he get crushed by Thanos already? Wait…. Does Wanda have the Time Stone?
We can come back to that later since we still have the rest of the episode to review. Going along with Wanda and Vision’s entrance into their new house is a catchy tune properly called “A Newlywed Couple”. It was composed by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, the couple who wrote all of Disney Frozen’s songs, too. The beat and way the song is sung is very appropriate for the time setting. You can look at all the lyrics here: https://genius.com/Kristen-anderson-lopez-sara-mann-jessica-rotter-cindy-bourquin-elyse-willis-laura-dickinson-robert-lopez-eric-bradley-greg-whipple-and-jasper-randall-a-newlywed-couple-lyrics
But, here’s one easter egg I did notice: when Vision enters the house, he doesn’t even have to open the door to get in. Lifting Wanda all the way, he actually drops her on the front porch accidentally and enters by himself. Why? Well, in a Mutants book, the author described Vision as having the power to walk through walls. That’s why he also doesn’t have any trouble when he kicks the ottoman in the living room.
In the kitchen, there’s a calendar with a heart on the 23rd day. Both Wanda and Vision are puzzled, believing that it’s a special occasion, but can’t figure out what it is. Vision puts the matter aside and goes off to work, but not before Wanda changes his face to a human appearance.
Next, Vision’s workplace is shown. Apparently, he has no idea what he does at his office (odd, right?) of Computational Services, Inc. This might be in reference to the fact that he’s not fully human, but actually a “walking computer” like his co-worker suggested upon noticing the speed at which Vision was finishing paperwork.
Suddenly, his boss Mr. Hart comes into the room. That reminds Vision of the heart on the calendar that he and Wanda had seen earlier. This is actually when he invites Mr. Hart and his wife Mrs. Hart over for dinner – but without Wanda’s permission!
And that long conversation between “Agnes” and Wanda. The nosy neighbor is definitely getting to be nosier every second as she asks Wanda questions such as “What’s a single gal like you doing rattling around this big house?”, “Is today a special occasion?”, and, “Where’s your husband?”. Apparently, Agnes doesn’t believe that Wanda has a husband, calling her a “single gal” in one of her first statements.
Look very closely at the collar of her dress. The busy pattern might be to hide the fact that she’s wearing a brooch! It was, in fact, very well hidden among the black and white plaid patterns. And whose brooch is it? Of course it’s Agatha Harkness’ – a powerful witch who actually had some connections to Wanda in the comics. (I know I said I didn’t read the comics, I just got this information from another YouTube channel.) The short name even has “Agatha Harkness” packed inside!
Like real sitcoms, WandaVision has advertisements. But nothing’s ever a boring little thing in Marvel: in fact, this simple commercial has a couple of easter eggs I did notice! The beginning starts off as a slow video of a 50s man and woman talking about how the Toast-Mate 2000 could perfectly crisp the bread, which doesn’t seem like much. Don’t lose patience now and skip it! At the end, the logo of the new product shows up along with the trademark of Stark Industries! A tribute to Iron Man?
If you paid attention to Avengers: Age of Ultron, you know that Vision was the incarnated form of J.A.R.V.I.S. (Tony Stark’s computer assistant). That’s not the only connection to Stark Industries there is: Wanda’s family’s home was destroyed by one of Stark’s bombs in his original weaponry company. It’s likely that WandaVision’s fake ads might be caused by the witch next door to bring back Wanda’s worst memories – Episode 2 is leaning the same way with the Hydra commercial. Read our next review for the whole coverage of the next WandaVision episode!
Also, the “forget your past, this is your future” might again be referring to the explosion of the Maximoffs’ home. It’s telling Wanda to let go of the misery she experienced in her past since that time has already gone by.
Wanda’s now wearing a…fancy, feathered, ’50s appropriate nightgown! If you watched the Behind The Scenes of WandaVision on Disney+, you would have seen it was a very light pink color; a shade of red, the signature color of the Scarlet Witch. During the dinner party, Wanda seems much more nervous than normal (I would feel the same way if some demanding guests just came into my house without me getting notified!), but her actions wearing the nightgown are a little confusing. To me, she looks totally uncomfortable in the long dress as if it were too tight for her. Is it? I’m not sure, but it’s most likely that she’s embarrassed that she’s wearing her pajamas in front of her husband’s boss and wife.
There’s another easter egg here! When both Vision and the Harts ask what she’s wearing, Wanda replies that it’s “traditional Sokovian dress”. What’s Sokovia? It’s her homeland (another reference to Age of Ultron).
Here comes the humorous climax and plot of this episode! Startled by the abrupt arrival of the Hart couple, she hurries madly about the kitchen trying to prepare dinner. To keep the guests occupied, Vision reveals he actually can play the banjo to the tune of “Old MacDonald Had A Farm”.
But the kitchen is a different situation. Chaos ensues as Wanda rushes around to cook the dinner for the Harts. It ends up being a strange meal: breakfast for dinner! Humorously, Mrs. Hart remarks, “It’s very… European,” in reference to Wanda’s explanation that her nightgown came from Sokovia (a make-believe Marvel European country).
Dinner is finally served and the four people seat themselves at the table. Everything goes well, Vision toasts to a happy anniversary and to their guests, but then Mr. Hart unexpectedly chokes. Being the helpful guy Vision is – he’s basically the humanoid form of Jarvis, a helpful system for Iron Man – he uses the Heimlich Maneuver to save Mr. Hart’s life. Saving someone’s life at a sitcom dinner party always makes all the guests happy when they leave, right?
In the final scene, Wanda and Vision are extremely relieved when the Harts leave. As the tense hosts of a stressful feast, they’re sure tired – especially since they had just moved into Westview as newlyweds.
Vision points out that they forgot something for their wedding. In fact, they forgot everything except for the outfits, especially the engagement rings! There’s nothing to worry about, Vision! Don’t you remember that your wife can just create things out of nothing? And she does, using her reality-warping powers to generate rings on her and Vision’s fingers.
In the final scene, the credits begin to roll and Wanda and Vision smile for a picture – but hey, don’t stop the episode yet! It is uncovered that there is actually someone watching their little sitcom. Notice how there is a S.W.O.R.D. logo right beside the TV. What’s going on and why?
