The Super Powered Fancast

WandaVision

Disney Plus

Season 1 Episode 1

Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience

Synopsis: Wanda and Vision struggle to conceal their powers during dinner with Vision’s boss and his wife.

The first episode of WandaVision falls immediately into 50’s sitcom tropes that are familiar to anyone who has ever watched an episode of The Dick Van Dyke show or I love Lucy. Not only does the black and white element of the episode emphasize the setting, but the set itself is definitely reminiscent of Dick Van Dyke. That’s one of the more interesting elements of the episode is the familiarity and what lies subtly beneath it.

Even the familiar plot of both Wanda and Vision forgetting that they are hosting Vision’s boss for dinner has undertones that speak to the bigger mystery of the story. The jokes are absolutely corny, but the actors sell them sincerely so they have a dry charm. What makes this first episode so interesting is that it uses the sitcom backdrop as a means of challenging both Wanda and Vision regarding the world they find themselves in.

There is a pretty tense and intense moment in the episode where you begin to see who is actually in control of things and what that means for the people in Wanda and Vision’s orbit. It works really well to showcase that there is a darkness growing inside of the character. Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany are pitch perfect as Wanda and Vision. Their banter and familiarity are comforting and you are engaged with their struggles, especially Vision as he tries to make sense of things around him including a funny bit about what he actually does at his job and why.

The first episode of WandaVision does a great job of showcasing characters we’re familiar with, situations that are classic and a mystery worth seeing unfold, but what makes all that work is the characters and their performances. I cannot wait to see where the series goes, what twists it takes, and how it evolves the characters.

MCU References

Stark Industries – A commercial in the middle of the WandaVision “episode” involves a new toaster from Stark Industries that provides the only splash of color in the episode. Wonder what that could mean? So do I.

Sokovian Greeting – In the episode, Wanda surprises Vision’s boss and the comedic misunderstanding is chalked up to her being from the fictional country of Sokovia, but the meaning is a little more interesting than that considering sneaking up from behind and placing her hands near someone’s head was traditionally how Wanda would infect someone’s mind in Avengers: Age of Ultron.