I've loved much of the content released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and I was intrigued when it was announced some of the characters from the films would be starring in their own TV series on Disney+. Most intriguing of all the shows announced was WandaVision.
The series begins as a sitcom with Wanda and Vision living in the New Jersey town of Westview. I thought the sitcom aspects were really well done, paying homage to things like The Dick Van Dyke Show to start with and moving right forward in time to shows like Modern Family later in the series. So much effort by the production team went into making these feel really authentic, including the sets and the costumes. It's also fun to have "commercials" in the middle of the episodes too which feel like commercials from the time the show is representing whilst also including a few Marvel Easter eggs.
There's a mystery involved which gradually becomes more and more a part of the show. Just exactly what is going on in Westview- why are Wanda and Vision living in a sitcom and how come Vision is even alive after being killed by Thanos in Infinity War? Further questions are teased as suddenly Evan Peters turns up as Pietro, Wanda's brother, only he's now played by the actor who played an alternate version of the character in the X-Men films.
Gradually, these things are gradually explained with the help of FBI agent Jimmy Woo (from Ant-Man and the Wasp), scientist Darcy (from the first two Thor films) and Monica Rambeau (last seen as a child in Captain Marvel). These three make a great little investigative team and become more significant than simply the minor supporting character they have been previously. Randall Park and Kat Dennings are both great but Teyonah Paris is fantastic and I really hope we see a lot more of her character in the future.
Fans have been endlessly speculating about what various things might mean with many convinced this was going to open up the possibility of the multiverse but no-one ever said that was going to happen. It's really a small story about Wanda dealing with the grief of losing Vision, having already lost her parents and her brother, and the loss of the life they could have had together. The romance at the centre of it is really convincing but the joy of the earlier episodes fades towards the end and it becomes much more about the loss of that romance. The finale is heart-breaking.
If I have a criticism it's that some things were dealt with very swiftly in the finale, including the head of SWORD's shenanigans being swiftly dealt with and Darcy not really getting a proper ending. Having said that, I do think it's important to recognise like everything in the MCU this is just part of an ongoing story and the threads left hanging at the end will undoubtedly be picked up at some in the future.
It's great to see Marvel attempt something different and focus on characters that have had limited screen time so far. The concept was superb and the effort has been made to make it work. It also works because of the performances of Paul Bettany and especially Elizabeth Olsen who just gets better and better with every episode.
If the other MCU shows come anywhere close to the quality of this we really are in for a treat!
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