Wandavision: Episode Schedule and Early Impressions

Marvel has started the new year with the release of Wandavision on Disney+. The first two episodes for the show have now aired on the streaming platform and the early impressions for the show keep coming in. Wandavision is part of the TV shows and movies planned for Phase 4 of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It is one of the most anticipated shows of this year and the next episodes of the show will release in the next two months of this year. As the title implies, this show mainly focuses on the relationship between Wanda Maximoff and Vision, two important avengers in the films prior. We bring you the Episode Schedule and Early Impressions for the brand-new show, Wandavision in this article.

Wandavision was announced after the Avengers: Endgame, as one of the sequel shows to the MCU films. At the end of the Avengers: Infinity War, Vision was killed after his stone was taken by Thanos. Similarly, Wanda was the victim of the snap that followed after Thanos completed his infinity stone collection. Later, after the events of Endgame as the stones were collected again through time travel, Wanda was revived and she actively participated in the final battle against the Thanos from the past. She held a grudge as Thanos took away Vision from her, bringing all wrath over the titan. We saw how that battle ended, Thanos was killed at the expense of Tony Stark’s life. In the aftermath, Vision was not among the people that survived.

Now, with the TV show Wandavision, we see that Vision is alive and well after the events of Endgame. Wanda is living with Vision in the 1950s, a happy couple living their normal life and enjoying each other’s company. We saw the love dynamic between these two for a long time previously but this is a whole different dynamic. People really love this couple even though Vision is an artificial machine with high intelligence while Wanda is modified to do telekinesis. It is a beautiful couple living in this fantasy but the illusion doesn’t last long. They sense that there is something weird in this setup. Both of them have to face the danger that lies outside the world that they live in.

Wandavision Episode Schedule

With the release announcement, Marvel also revealed that the show is going to be nine-episode long; It is a miniseries for two of the most iconic characters of the MCU. The first two episodes are already available on Disney+ for the subscribers, while the rest of the episodes will release weekly over the span of 7 weeks and the finale will air on March 5th. New episodes will be released every Friday at 3:00 AM (Eastern Standard Time). Here is when the rest of the episodes for the show will release:

• Episode 3: January 22, 2021
• Episode 4: January 29, 2021
• Episode 5: February  5, 2021
• Episode 6: February 12, 2021
• Episode 7: February 19, 2021
• Episode 8: February 26, 2021
• Episode 9: March 5, 2021

Wandavision Episode 1 & 2 Impressions

Spoilers Ahead

Before we even got into watching the series, we knew that this is a new thing from Marvel. Instead of having a flashy super-villain in the first episodes to set up a massive struggle for our heroes, Wanda and Vision are just living normally. They are married and living in a town away from all hassles. Wanda is a housewife taking care of her home while her husband works in a computing office. They carry their secret superpowers while interacting normally with their neighbors. The timeline for the show is set up in the 1950s, long before these two even existed. 

This is obviously based on old American sitcoms, as this couple faces the usual struggles of life. The first episode is the struggle of Vision to impress his boss. While Wanda thinks it’s their anniversary, Mr. and Mrs. Hart come to their home leading to a crisis for the couple. Wanda cannot cook anything so suddenly while Vision is resorting to explaining the mess as the culture of his European wife. Wanda ends up serving breakfast for dinner. Mr. Hart chokes on the food and Vision saves his life. This leads to the husband’s promotion and everything turns out great for Wanda and vision.

In the next episode, the setup changes again. Wanda participates in the community, interacting with the women in the neighborhood. At the same time, Vision interacts with the people from his office. A festival is coming up so both of them want to participate. They get a magical skit to do for the audience. When the day comes, Vision shows up drunk. Instead of having an awe-worthy magic show, most of it ends up being funny. Vision ends up stumbling revealing his powers in the process, so Wanda has to explain each trick with her own abilities. This reveals the ‘obvious’ secret behind the trick but not the superhuman abilities of the couple. People end up loving the show in the end, the couple succeeds. At the end of this, colors are added to the show, the theme changes again.

Both of the episodes were entertaining, very basic sitcom concepts but they were working. The production team wanted to pay tribute to the industry that existed around the classic sitcoms. They were shot in the same way, the jokes were on point and, the episode spanning thirty minutes ended with everything fixed.

Let’s talk about the things that were not so simple in these episodes. While being your average sitcom, there are some key hints into what is actually going on in this story. For example, Wanda and Vision are not sure what they are doing in this world. They understand that they have a life, but why is it like this? There are multiple scenes in the story that let you know that Wanda is not in control. For instance, Wanda finds a toy helicopter that is not supposed to exist in that setup. She also gets a message from the radio, asking who is doing this to her. The final scene of episode 2 showing a man in a bee suit appearing out of the sewer, ending up being the most confusing for Wanda until everything resets.

Read: Marvel’s WandaVision Starting Off MCU Phase Four

What To Expect Next?

The releases till now were only sitcom episodes as they used to be in the old times. They are a tribute to the classics and show us what would it be like if superheroes starred in sitcoms. Elizabeth Olsen as the main character playing Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, her role has remained intense in the Marvel Movies. Wanda and her twin brother were modified by Hydra’s experiment. Wanda can take power from the soul stone to manipulate objects with her mind and hand gestures. Because of that, she is considered one of the strongest avengers in the MCU. 

However, this is not what she is doing in this series. She has no such enemies right now, that will require her to show those incredible powers. Instead, Wanda’s abilities are used in a classic sitcom, to build an interesting storyline.

We know that Hydra is involved. In a scene during the second episode, a television commercial puts a focus on the word Strucker. This is a character that was involved in the prologue of Avengers: Age of Ultron. As a matter of fact, Strucker and the twins were introduced at the same time. Wanda was introduced in the story for the first time as the experiment of Hydra to create superhumans to oppose the avengers through a secret base. However, Avengers pull a full-scale attack on the facility, bringing an end to Strucker’s plans.

Vision played by Paul Bettany was also made during the Age of Ultron timeline. An artificial human was conceived in an advanced tissue-making cradle, with mind stone as the brain and Stark’s A.I, Jarvis, at the core. He was basically a machine that got a human body and infinite power on his head. But Vision was not strong enough to face Thanos and lost the soul stone. He was not moving after that and we saw Wanda crying over his body. After that, Vision was not seen in the endgame. Even if Thanos is gone, Vision doesn’t exist after Endgame.

While we have the context for the hydra hint, the SWORD logo that appears in the after-credits of the show is new. This organization is behind the shows that feature Wanda and Vision in a family sit-com. Wanda is presumably stuck in an illusion, surrounded by people that are all here as the supporting cast for the show, including Vision. As things become clearer, we will find out more about SWORD and the journey of Wanda to get out of this world. While the comedy is great, the show is sure to become a thriller moving forward.

The early response of the fans is expected. They are delighted to see this new endeavor from Marvel. The showrunner Jac Schaeffer has previously worked with Marvel in the 2019 Captain Marvel. Her idea for this show was to build a series that can link to the future of the MCU, while also doing something special with this opportunity. This is a recreated sitcom to the core for nostalgia until things get real and Wanda knows the actual stakes involved. They say, If you liked the first two episodes, there is something new and delightful in this show for you, with every new episode.