“We are an unusual couple, you know,” Wanda says, positioning herself on the couch, relieved to have a moment of rest following the catastrophe that was her first dinner party.

Vision looks over at her, a slight smirk spreading across his face. “Oh, I don’t think that was ever in question.”

Just two episodes in, Marvel’s newest release WandaVision already has fans’ heads whirling with corresponding confusion and curiosity. The superhero TV series premiered January 15, 2021 as an experimental comeback from Marvel’s 18-month hiatus.

Unending Covid-19 restrictions pushed Marvel content farther and farther into the future, including the postponement of planned 2020 film Black Widow to May of 2021. Fans fell into a drought of Marvel content for 2020. 

With the colossal success of Avengers: Endgame in 2019 and the many questions the film brought with it, Marvel sought to craft big plans for another phase of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe.)

The tip of the iceberg to a number of other planned TV shows and movies for the future, WandaVision appeared forefront on Disney+ to start off the new year and Marvel phase. 

The story follows the dynamic duo of powerful, fiery haired Wanda Maximoff (perhaps better known as Scarlet Witch) and mastermind android Vision. Wanda has appeared to create a type of idealized reality in her mind, a suburban life full of overenthusiastic neighbors and chaotic dinner parties.

Wanda serves as the classic stay-at-home wife, utilizing her powers to clean and cook around their new home. Vision finds vague work at a business where he is humorously unaware of what exactly he is working for. The chemistry between this duo is one that is both memorable and amusing.

Despite the newlywed’s happiness, flashes of peculiarities in Wanda and Vision’s everyday lives leave them suspecting that something is terribly wrong in their new town. These moments include sudden isolated splashes of red among black-and-white scenes along with desperate static voices calling from eerie radios. (“Who’s doing this to you, Wanda?”)  

Fans will find themselves contemplating the Marvel universe and its many inner workings after only two episodes of this new Marvel series. The fandom’s detective nature has once again conjured numerous theories about the show’s placement in the MCU timeline. Many fans suspect the show follows up right after Avengers: Endgame, which leads to even more questions that will only be answered in time.

WandaVision’s initial episodes are laced with comedy, romance, and nostalgia, components that are relatively alien to Marvel plots. 

The dialogue, camera work, and punchlines of opening episodes scream Sixties and Seventies clichés, topped off with the B&W screens, accompanying audience laughs and claps, and stylistic camera work. 

WandaVision is truly nothing like Marvel has done before. It balances witty sitcom tropes with mysteriously dark elements so well that fans are sure to be on the edge of their seats for the remainder of the season. 

This delicate balance allows for an unforgettable viewing experience.

While some might find the show too slow-paced or action-lacking, Marvel regulars are only gearing up for when Marvel brings in the fast-moving story. While the storyline seems illogical and confusing at first notice, fans predict the plot will pick up pace in upcoming episodes as the plot deepens.

This pacing strategy and pioneer concept of WandaVision proves to be yet more authentication of the versatility Marvel upholds.

Truthfully, upon first viewing, one might consider WandaVision incredibly odd in a way. Why would Marvel, the superhero hub of the internet, bring up a concept such as this?

But the quirks of the show are perhaps what make it so memorable. The series has an experiment-type feel, accompanied by this nostalgic ambiance of old television styles that once appealed to so many.

And while 60s television-inspired comedy can be incredibly cringey to our generations today, Marvel takes these stereotypes and weaves them into something both incredibly bemusing and animated. 

The vintage setting of WandaVision seems to be a camouflage for something much deeper at hand, as suggested by the numerous Easter eggs interwoven into the show’s “commercials.” 

Dark cinematic themes of the show are flushed with irony, a storytelling strategy that is simultaneously hard to catch and mystifying once discovered. 

The viewing experience is truly what makes the show so fun. Minute hints to the upcoming direction of the show are dropped in the nooks of the comedy, a refreshingly unique journey for Marvel and sitcom fans alike.

The show hints to a world of technicolor in future episodes, suggesting that Wanda’s reality may warp even further as she jumps between time periods.

Dr. Burchfield, principal of Pelahatchie High School, described the series so far as “Fan-tastic,” boasting that WandaVision deserved “two thumbs up” from him.

Whether it is comedy or action that suits your fancy, WandaVision is sure to deliver the full package. The first two episodes will undoubtedly leave you with eager anticipation and a ravenous desire for future story developments. 

The upcoming installments to WandaVision drop today, January 22, at 12:01 A.M. PST on Disney+. 

This show is one not to be missed!

This story was originally published on Hatchie Headlines on January 22, 2021.