WandaVision (TV, 2021)

Creator: Jac Schaeffer 
Stars: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn

Synopsis: Blends the style of classic sitcoms with the MCU, in which Wanda Maximoff and Vision - two super-powered beings living their ideal suburban lives - begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.

Verdict: Out of all the MCU projects that were announced recently (and boy are there many), the one that caught my eye the most was “WandaVision”. Not only was it going to be the first show to premiere on Disney+, but it revolved around my favorite character in the entire universe. Wanda was perhaps the only avenger to have a consistent and subtle arc, which is the reason why I was so drawn to her ever since her proper introduction in “Age of Ultron”. She didn’t lead an easy life, but her haunting past was never spoonfed to an audience who instead was treated with the result of those years of turmoil. But I was a fool to believe even for a second that Marvel would leave any stone unturned, and everything that made her such a special person was thrown out the window in what I consider to be the most disappointing project in the MCU so far.

I’ll try not to spoil much in the next lines, but I’d nevertheless advise you to look away if you’re not caught up with the show.

Following the events of Infinity War, Wanda lost the very last thing she held dear to her heart: Vision. Unable to cope with that loss, she decides to create her own reality by taking an entire city hostage and turning it into one giant sitcom starring herself, Vision, and the residents of Westview. The concept itself is interesting and certainly one that could be played with a lot as it constitutes a quite unique spin on the usual Marvel formula. And I was actually invested in the retro sitcom approach... for about 10 minutes before eventually getting bored with it. Not because it wasn’t well recreated, but rather because it failed to achieve the one thing I expect sitcoms to accomplish: making me laugh. I can’t think of a single joke that properly landed, which is a shame considering that the first three episodes offer absolutely nothing else. The fourth episode finally provided us with some explanations by showing us what was happening outside of Westview where some fancy organization called S.W.O.R.D set camp to free the city from its alternate reality. These scenes probably mark the dullest Marvel has ever been. They lack character, energy, charisma, action, and are just so incredibly uninteresting to watch. By this point, I was ready to significantly lower my expectations for the second half of the season, but a surprise introduction of a character made me reconsider my doubts. As a fan, I was intrigued to see where this reveal would lead. Fan theories started flooding my timeline, but the showrunners had different ideas, deciding ultimately to blue ball the audience and making his appearance one only aimed at providing them with the laziest form of fan-service.

What we’re left with is yet another typical Marvel checklist project, only this time amped up to 100. Instead of getting one hero fighting an evil version of themselves, we get two. Instead of getting one storyline filled with unsubtle exposition and sluggish dialogue, we get two. The action scenes are dull, the supporting characters never find their place within the narrative, the reveals are weak, even the CGI at times reminded me of the one found in CW shows. To me, the 9 episodes butchered what made Wanda such a fascinating character, to begin with. It’s a textbook example of why the phrase “sometimes less is more” is so true in any form of storytelling. However I try to look at it, “WandaVision” was a let-down of massive proportions, and the final episode only proves that it’s just here to exist instead of trying to tell an engaging story or contributing to the arc of its protagonists.

FINAL GRADE: 4/10