Last time: Wanda and Vision navigated parenthood as Westview entered the 80s. The twins grew to 5 years old and then aged themselves to 10 in order to keep a dog they found. Vision continued to notice strange happenings in Westview and tried to discuss it with Wanda, falling out of step with her. He then spoke to the real “Norm” and grew more concerned. The twins dealt with their dog dying before Wanda and Vision argued about what was really happening in Westview, with hints that it wasn’t all Wanda.
Outside Westview, or what Darcy dubbed “the hex,” Monica teamed up with Jimmy and Darcy to try to get more answers. She clashed with Hayward, who saw Wanda as a threat to be neutralized while Monica believed they needed to work with Wanda to end whatever was happening in Westview. Hayward tried to kill Wanda and she left the hex to issue a warning before reinforcing her barrier.
And then in a twist, Wanda and Vision get a visitor – it’s Pietro, though this time he’s played by Peter Evans, and he’s there to visit!
I forgot to discuss this last time – I wonder how SWORD ended up with Vision’s body? Even with everyone at Stark Industries no doubt in mourning, I’m sure Bruce would’ve claimed Vision for them. It’s just suspicious why they took Vision into their possession.
So COVID pushed the release of WandaVision back. Apparently it was supposed to come out in September and that’s why this episode has a Halloween theme. It still works but the timing would’ve been better had there been no pandemic.
This is Halloween, everybody make a SPOILER!
We immediately hope with opening credits invoking Malcolm in the Middle. Tommy runs around the house with a video camera, catching his mother in the bathroom and taking the paper from his father and then finding Agnes rummaging through the fridge. It ends with Pietro getting a special credit as he races around the family before all pose for the title card.
Billy starts narrating for the camera that it’s Halloween and he’s looking forward to participating in the holiday while Tommy is just there for the candy. Billy asks Tommy where his costume is and Tommy retorts that he’s dressed up as the cool twin. Billy almost figures out it’s an insult before they head into the living room to find their Uncle Pietro still asleep on the couch. Tommy thinks Pietro is the coolest while Billy worries he might be a vampire. Pietro overhears them and has some fun with them using his superspeed while the boys yell.
Wanda comes down dressed in her character’s original comic costume and declares that someone better be dead or bleeding with all that screaming. Everyone stops and Tommy comments about his mother’s costume. She says that she’s a Sokovian fortune teller and Tommy says it’s awesome until Pietro says it’s lame.
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| (She looks like she's having so much fun) |
Vision then comes down dressed in his character’s original comic costume, though it’s explained to be a Mexican wrestler costume. He has agreed to wear it to make Wanda happy and the have a moment before Pietro and the boys break it with their video game. Vision says he has some questions about her brother and she admits that she does too, clearly sensing something off about Pietro. But she then she decides just to focus on the fact her brother is back and that it’s Halloween.
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| (They're adorable!) |
But then Vision reveals that he’s not going trick or treating with them. He explains that it’s a night for mischief and the neighborhood watch is the only thing standing between trees and teens with TP so he’s signed up for a patrol. Wanda is upset and stops herself as she starts to say that it isn’t part of the plot. They still have the tension from their fight in the last episode, which Billy confirms in an aside to the camera, and Wanda doesn’t want to appear to be controlling everything. So she agrees especially when Pietro says he’ll go with them. Vision leaves and Pietro uses his superspeed to get Tommy and himself a costume, both of them dressed in their original comic costumes as well (so is Billy).
We cut to the SWORD base. Monica is angry at Hayward’s actions and it’s clear he’s lost his patience with her. She still believes that Wanda is the answer and that killing her could make everything worse rather than just solving the problem. Hayward takes a cheap shot, saying that her history with superheroes (especially Captain Marvel) makes her too biased. He also says that those who were blipped don’t understand what life was like for the five years they were gone and the hard decisions that had to be made. And then he takes a low blow by telling her that it’s good her mother isn’t here to see how Monica is acting.
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| (Monica is done with Hayward) |
I think Hayward’s the lucky one. If Maria Rambeau were still alive, she’d be kicking his ass from here to outer space and back for how he’s acting.
Hayward wants to prepare for a full attack on the hex and Jimmy steps forward, saying that Hayward is now abusing his temporary powers. Hayward orders Jimmy, Monica and Darcy to leave the base and has SWORD soldiers escort them out.
In Westview, there are children! Everyone is dressed up and running around collecting candy as Halloween continues. Pietro asks Wanda about costumes their mother made them and how they got typhus one Halloween. We side swipe to young Pietro and young Wanda trick or treating in Sokovian and getting a raw fish from an elderly woman. Wanda says she doesn’t remember it that way and then asks Pietro if he remembers someone from the orphanage they were first sent to after their parents dies. But she can’t “remember” the name, trying to get Pietro to fill in the gap. He’s onto her, though, and calls her out for testing him.
Wanda then spots Herb and goes to say hi. She asks how its going and he says that all is quiet so far. She then makes a comment about Vision being on patrol but Herb says that Vision isn’t on duty that day. Wanda realizes Vision lied to her and it shows on her face. Herb then asks if she wants him to change anything and she insists that everything is fine. He then gets word that all the candy has been stolen as Wanda realizes her brother is using his superspeed to help her sons steal all the other children’s candy. And smash pumpkins. And cover everyone with silly string. Herb excuses himself and Wanda stops the terrors, giving them all a stern look.
Busted.
Outside Westview, SWORD agents are escorting Jimmy, Monica and Darcy somewhere. But with a look, Jimmy and Monica overpower their guards and knock them out. Darcy is a little annoyed they didn’t tell her the plan so she could kick some ass too. They steal the guards’ clothing and go to find out what Hayward is hiding.
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| (Action Jimmy!) |
They find the technological heart of the camp. Darcy hacks in and starts to download all the classified items Hayward is hiding. As she does, Monica starts to call in some reinforcements and they figure out their next steps.
Wanda makes the children return all the candy they stole as they arrive in the center of town. And I notice the movie theater is playing The Incredibles and The Parent Trap. A movie about a family of superheroes and a movie about twins trying to reunite their parents. Hmm…
Tommy says he heard about a house giving out full sized candy bars and asks to go. Before Wanda can agree, he speeds off an returns with candy. Pietro is proud that his nephew has superspeed like him and Tommy starts racing around the town. Wanda stops him, impressing Tommy. She says that if he’s going to go superspeeding through the neighborhood, he needs to take Billy with him. Tommy grabs onto Billy and with a warning from their mother not to go past Ellis Street, they race off, leaving Wanda with her brother.
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| (Look at Tommy go) |
Pietro compliments Wanda on her handiwork and asks what she’s done with the children until then. He figures they were asleep in their beds, safe and sound, until needed for the holiday episode. He praises her for doing that but Wanda is confused. She asks him where his accent is and he asks where hers is. That catches her off-guard and he says he gets it, that he’s shown up looking different from how she remembered. She latches onto that and asks him why he looks different. He says that one minute he was being shot in the street for no reason and then he heard her calling for him. He sensed she needed him so he appeared in Westview.
He then starts asking her how she’s doing it, showing some knowledge of magic that someone who supposedly got his powers through experimentation with the mind stone probably shouldn’t have. Wanda doesn’t seem to pick up on this and says she doesn’t know. Pietro pushes her, telling her that he’s her brother and not her husband. Wanda says she remembers feeling an overwhelming sense of grief and loneliness then she was in Westview. She really doesn’t know what happened.
Back at the SWORD tech command, Darcy is still trying to get through all the layers of Hayward’s secrets. She’s already found that he does have eyes in Westview as he’s tracking Vision’s signal. They realize the dots representing the people inside Westview behave differently based where they are. Those closer to the center of town are moving faster than those who are located closer to the outskirts of town.
Monica then gets a message saying her contact is approaching with her way back into the Hex. She’s excited but Darcy is hesitant. She shows Monica all the medical tests they’ve run on her since her return and reveals that passing through the Hex has rewritten her cells and DNA. Darcy’s concerned about what another trip will do to Monica but Monica doesn’t care. She’s heard a lot about cells – especially cancer cells – and will take whatever the repercussions are. Monica and Jimmy prepare to leave but Darcy wants to stay behind to finish downloading everything. They tell her to be careful and to get out of there as soon as she’s done before leaving.
Inside Westview, Vision has arrived at a cul-de-sac far away from the center of town. He notices no one appears to be moving and asks people if they are okay. No one responds and he keeps looking through the town, coming across a couple who appear to be decorating. However there is a glitch in the matrix and the woman keeps trying to hang up some ghosts but never does so. As Vision watches her, he sees a tear rolling down her cheek.
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| (No need to keep up the costume) |
Concerned, Vision drops his costume and takes to the skies to get a better view. He slowly rotates and sees that the center of town is brightly lit as well as noisy. But when he turns away from it, it gets darker and unnervingly quiet. He then spots a car just sitting at a stop sign and flies down to check out the occupant. Agnes sits in the car, dressed as a witch. She appears to be in a trance and he asks her what’s wrong. Agnes says she got lost trying to get somewhere and that strikes Vision as odd – how did Agnes get lost in the very town she grew up in? He decides to “unlock” her as he did Norm and Agnes gasps as she returns to reality.
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| (Wakey, wakey) |
She looks up at him and gasps that he’s an Avenger. Agnes asks if he’s there to save them. Vision says he is but doesn’t know who or what an Avenger is. That unnerves Agnes but he keeps pressing, asking who is doing this to them. Agnes says he needs to stop the pain and then asks if she’s dead. He assures her that she is not and asks why she would think that. Agnes says that he is dead. She then keeps yelling the word over and over until a disturbed Vision puts her back under. He promises her that he will find a way to save them all and she returns to her usual perky self, pulling a U-Turn and driving away. Vision starts walking in the direction that Agnes had been staring and the camera pans to reveal that he’s crossed Ellis Street.
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| (This is disconcerting) |
Vision approaches the Hex and finds the barrier separating Westview from the rest of the world. He starts to walk through it, fighting as it tries to keep him inside the Hex the entire time.
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| (Vision wants to see behind the curtain) |
Darcy finishes downloading everything and hears a commotion going on outside. She races out there and sees Vision struggling against the barrier. He starts to decompose and grows weaker, dying all over again. Darcy rushes forward and demands that SWORD help him. An agent captures her and handcuffs her to a truck.
Billy senses something is wrong with his own powers and rushes over to his mother. He tells her that something is wrong and that he thinks his father is in trouble. Pietro makes some smartass comment and Wanda knocks him away with her powers. She tells Billy to concentrate and tell her what he sees. He says he sees soldiers and that he thinks Vision is dying. Wanda panics before using her powers to stop everything.
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| (Don't mess with Wanda) |
She then uses her powers and expands the barrier. It sweeps over Vision’s body, saving him. But it doesn’t end there. She swallows up the SWORD base. Armored vehicles became a used car lot. Most of the base becomes a circus and the agents become clowns and the like. Hayward escapes with a few people and Monica sees something happening in the rearview mirror as she and Jimmy continue to drive away. Darcy, though, remains trapped and is swallowed up into the Hex herself.
Wanda stops, certain everything is fine now as the episode ends.
Hayward is definitely up to no good. And he knows that Monica is the only one who could really challenge him and ruin his plans – whatever they are. It seems Maria really trusted him since Monica was not surprised he was the director so I wonder if he was just playing the game until he could get some power.
But I bet he’s going to regret making an enemy of Monica, especially if the results of her scans are laying the groundwork for her to become a superhero herself like in the comics. She might really be able to kick his ass to outer space and back.
Poor Darcy, though I do think it’s going to be fun to see her in the sitcom world of the 2000s. Dennings has experience on a sitcom, though 2 Broke Girls started in 2011 and aired until 2017, so she’s a little off the next decade we’re visiting.
So the twins each have their own powers. This isn’t terribly surprising because Wanda and Vision’s twins are featured in the comics and have powers there. But it will be interesting to see how these powers affect the rest of the show.
Pietro is definitely suspect. He kept asking probing questions and as I noted, seemed to have a better grasp of the situation than he should. After all, he noted that everyone in Westview got better jobs and she kept families whole, meaning that Pietro somehow knows about their lives before Wanda hijacked the town to participate in her very own Nick at Nite lineup. How does he have this knowledge? Who is he really? Is the Quicksilver from the X-Men universe? And if so, how did he hear Wanda’s call? Why did he answer?
Still so many questions to answer and a few episodes to go!
Next time: Wanda struggles as her fantasy starts to collapse around her.
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