Last time: Wanda and Vision settled into their new house and lives in the quiet town of Westview. They start putting down roots – Vision gets a job and Wanda befriends neighbor Agnes. Hijinks then ensue when Wanda and Vision have to throw together a last minute dinner for his boss and his boss’s wife. But they manage and pass with flying colors. As they bask in marital bliss, someone watches them and takes notes.
The questions continue as our MCU couple heads into another sitcom and further into the 1960s.
Wiggle your nose for SPOILERS!
This time, the opening titles match those from the classic TV show Bewitched, which seems fitting – except Vision is far from your average man who finds himself married to a witch.
We open at night with Vision and Wanda in separate beds, as was customary to show on TV at that time due to the Hays Code. There’s loud banging and Wanda sits up, using her magic to turn on the lights. She listens before deciding it was nothing and goes back to sleep. When the banging resumes, she sits back up and this time Vision wakes up as well. She asks him to go check it out – there were warnings of unsavory characters in their neighborhood. When another bang happens, she uses her magic to push their beds together.
Vision finally climbs out of bed and goes to the window. When he opens the curtain, it reveals that the window is blowing the tree branch against it. They are both relieved to see there’s an innocent explanation and Wanda says she thinks they handled that well. He agrees and notes she took the opportunity to do some redecorating. They flirt and little before she turns off the light, implying some sexytimes.
The next day, Vision and Wanda practice some magic tricks. Wanda, though, does have to remind Vision that they aren’t performing actual magic. She tells them with everyone else, it’s all sleight of hand and misdirection. He promises to remember that. Wanda says that Westview is their home now and she wants to fit in with the neighbors. They’re practicing for a talent show fundraiser and she wants to make a good impression. He promises they will.
They prepare to head out as Wanda is going to a meeting about the fundraiser with Agnes while Vision wants to go to a meeting of the neighborhood watch. He hopes to get more involved after their scare the night before. They share a kiss before heading out.
Vision leaves the yard while Wanda spots something in her roses. She goes to get it and pulls out a toy helicopter. But it’s fully in color – the red and yellow really popping against the black and white of the sitcom. There’s a symbol on it – and those really familiar with Marvel have identified it as the symbol of the organization SWORD.
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| (Wanda looks more concerned than confused) |
Agnes calls out to her and she hides the helicopter before greeting her friend. She gives Wanda her pet rabbit for their magic act, saying that he’s a natural actor and was an amazing baby Jesus in the church’s Nativity on Christmas. Wanda thanks her and puts the rabbit in the house. They walk to a meeting with the other ladies and Agnes warns her about Dottie, who appears to the HBIC of the neighborhood. Wanda asks if she looks okay – she’s now rocking a nice pair of pants like Laurie Petrie – and Agnes says there’s no point in changing now. She says that Wanda just needs to get Dottie’s approval if she wants to have an easy life in Westview and Wanda takes note of it.
The ladies all meet up at a gazebo by the pool and Dottie (Emma Caulfield Ford) reminds them that this is a very important fundraiser. She says they are doing it for the children and everyone repeats “for the children” like they are in some strange cult. Wanda is late in repeating it, earning a glare from Dottie. It’s almost the same amount of ire she directs at another woman in the group, Beverly (Jolene Purdy) and Wanda worries she’s messing up her chance to fit in.
She befriends another woman in the group who introduces herself as Geraldine (Teyonah Parris). They exchange some conversation, mostly about how terrified they are of Dottie. But Dottie keeps calling them out for talking and it’s clear that Wanda is sinking further down her list as the meeting goes on.
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| (Hi, Geraldine!) |
Meanwhile, Vision finds the guys in a library and joins them for the neighborhood watch group. He asks a lot of questions of them before Norm reveals it’s just an excuse to get away from their wives and eat donuts. So Vision settles in and joins them. After accusing one of them of being a communist, everyone has a laugh. Herb offers Vision gum and he tries it, though he ends up swallowing it when someone hits him on the back. We see the gum slide down to his insides and start “gumming” up his internal mechanisms.
Uh-oh.
Back at the gazebo, Wanda cleans up after the meeting while Dottie gives her backhanded compliments. Wanda sees through them, even making a face when her back was to Dottie. But when she turns back, she tries to make amends and wants to try to start again. Dottie doesn’t seem too willing until the radio starts acting weird. A voice comes through, calling for Wanda. Dottie grows concerned and things grow tense until the radio explodes. She ends up breaking the glass in her hand and Wanda checks her injury, finding red blood. She offers to clean it but Dottie makes her excuses and leaves a confused Wanda behind.
Meanwhile, Vision leaves the library to head to the fundraiser and the gum really starts to affect him. He essentially looks drunk as he struggles to walk around Westview.
Uh-oh.
We then get a commercial for a Strucker watch. Strucker was the name of one of Hydra’s top agents and Hydra gets a mention on the watch. Is that a clue who is behind this? Or just part of Wanda’s subconscious?
So many questions!
At the fundraiser, there’s a dance routine going on and Wanda waits nervously backstage. She’s worried about why her husband is late and fears this will ruin their chance to be accepted by the neighborhood. Geraldine is the stage manager and tries to comfort her but thankfully Vision finally shows up – looking a little worse for the wear. Wanda doesn’t have much time to question him as they are now up.
What follows is a great visual routine but I’m going to try to give as much justice as I possibly can.
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| (Let the magic act begin!) |
Vision and Wanda start the magic act. But with the gum messing with him, Vision forgets that it’s supposed to be illusion and not actual magic. So whenever he does something that is magical, Wanda uses her magic to cover it up and make it appear to be illusion. When he makes something levitate, she magics up a pulley and pretends to be shocked when the audience spots it. Vision then lifts the piano and Wanda turns it into a carboard cutout, walking off with it as she winks at the audience and Jimmy bemoans that it was his grandmother’s piano.
One trick Wanda isn’t able to help Vision with is the “Pick a Card” trick but that ends up going so poorly, it ends up being so bad it’s good. He eventually gets to Herb’s card and everyone figures it’s part of the “it’s not really magic” magic act.
Agnes’ rabbit gets a starring role that doesn’t involve him coming out of the hat before Vision moves on to making Wanda disappear. Except that he does it before Wanda can get in the box. So she improvises as the audience chants for them to reveal what’s in the box. They open the door and Geraldine steps out, feeling very confused. But everyone is cheering so she joins Vision and Wanda for a bow. She asks Wanda what happened as she was backstage and then she was in the box but Wanda quickly brushes her off.
Backstage, Wanda asks Vision what’s going on but he’s no help. So she gives him a scan and finds the gum. Using her magic she pulls it out of him and he goes back to normal. He apologizes for how he behaved but she’s okay, accepting that maybe they won’t exactly fit into Westview after all. They have each other and they decide to go home.
As they walk home, Dottie calls out to them and says that she had never seen anything like what they had done on that stage. Wanda starts to apologize but Dottie gives them an award instead, saying it was the most entertaining performance that day. Everyone applauds and Wanda and Vision hold up their trophies as they say they did it for the children. Once again, everyone responds in that creepy, cult-like manner.
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| (The faces of people assuming they are about to be chased by a mob) |
Wanda and Vision return home and relax. Or at least they try to. But Wanda suddenly becomes pregnant and they are amazed. Vision goes to kiss her when they hear something outside. He storms out to give whoever it is a piece of their mind and Wanda follows. They get out onto the street and find a man in a beekeeper outfit climbing out of a sewer grate. Bees buzz around him as Vision wonders what is going on. Wanda just says no.
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| (Interesting...) |
In the blink of an eye, they are back in the living room and back at the point where they learn Wanda is pregnant. Vision kisses her this time and the world around them starts to transform from black and white to color. They watch in amazement as the episode ends.
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| (The Magical World of Color) |
Well, that ending certainly gives us a lot to think about. Wanda seems to be cognizant that what she’s experiencing isn’t reality. Does that mean that she’s in more control than we may have thought? The voice on the radio (confirmed to be Agent Woo played by Randall Park) keeps asking her who is doing this to her…but maybe she’s doing it on her own?
Maybe someone (or some organization) does have Wanda and is studying her abilities. And maybe Wanda has learned to manipulate the situation in order to get a happy life with Vision, though I do wonder when she would’ve had time to watch all these American sitcoms. She was taken as a child and raised to essentially be a weapon. I can’t imagine she and Piotr watched much TV. So maybe someone is controlling the situation but Wanda currently prefers it to reality because she has Vision.
So many questions!
Next time: Technicolor!
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