This month on Disney Plus: a Wandavision recap (SPOILERS)

A brief, written version of the new hit mini-series, WandaVision, featured on Disney +.

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Photo by: GC Images

HOLLYWOOD, CA – JANUARY 13: General view of a billboard above the El Capitan Entertainment Centre promoting the upcoming season of the Disney+ Marvel Studios flagship show ‘WandaVision’ on January 13, 2021 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

On April 26, 2019, Marvel released their biggest hit yet, Avengers: Endgame, which topped the box office with over 2.7 billion dollars in revenue.  Nearing the end of the Marvel film, viewers saw a small glimpse into the lives of Wanda Maximoff (played by Elizabeth Olsen) and The Vision (played by Paul Bettany).  Viewers watched as the final infinity stone was stolen from Vision’s head, killing Vision, and allowing Thanos to snap his infinity gauntlet, instantly turning half of the population into dust.  Recently on January 15, 2021, Marvel released WandaVision to Disney +, announcing it as a new mini-series type format, releasing only one episode a week.  The series was planned to have a total of nine episodes, each lasting roughly forty minutes.

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Episode 1 “Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience”

Wanda scrambles to make dinner for what she thinks is her anniversary with Vision. (Photo by: Vulture)

Episode 1 of the series was set as a 1950s sitcom, filmed completely in black and white, themed as The Dick Van Dike Show.  It featured the main protagonist, Wanda, as a traditional housewife and her husband Vision, a working businessman.  The couple had just moved into a new neighborhood, where they must secretly hide their superpowers from their neighbors.  Episode 1 follows the average day-to-day life of Wanda and Vision as they familiarize themselves with their new neighborhood, and meet their awkward neighbors.  The episode revolves around the couple trying to remember what the mysterious heart on their calendar means.  They both think it symbolizes their anniversary when it was actually drawn as an abbreviation for dinner with Vision’s boss, Mr. Hart. 

During what she thinks is her anniversary, Wanda begins to prepare a delicious dinner, where she is then greeted by her nosy neighbor, Agnes Harkness (played by Kathryn Hahn) who helps with food preparations.  Nearing the end of the dinner, Mr. Hart begins to choke on a piece of food, all while Wanda and Vision both stared emptily at each other trying to answer Mr. Hart’s previous questions about their past life.  The episode quickly ends with Wanda and Vision sitting on the sofa, smiling away into the camera.  Just before the real end credits roll in, the screen pulls away to reveal a small tv screening the WandaVision show, along with a small notepad with someone taking notes.

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Episode 2 “Don’t Touch That Dial”

Wanda finds a mysterious helicopter in full color that has landed in her bushes. (Photo by: Daily Express)

The start of Episode 2 continues in black and white frame, and is based off of the 60s sitcom I Love Lucy and Bewitched.  The episode opens with Wanda and Vision practicing their low-budget magic tricks for their community fundraiser.  They decided to participate in an attempt to appear as normal and neighborly as possible.  After Vison leaves to attend a neighborhood watch meeting, Wanda hears a loud crashing sound from outside the house. After investigating, she finds a toy helicopter illuminated in full color that has landed in her bushes, all while the show is in black and white.  Agnes then surprises Wanda causing her to drop the helicopter back in the bushes.  They  then walk off to attend the neighborhood’s planning committee meeting hosted by Dottie, the cul-de-sac queen.

At the meeting, Wanda meets innocent Geraldine (played by Teyonah Parris) who relates to Wanda about not fitting in. After the meeting Wanda helps the host, Dottie (played by Emma Ford) clean up from the meeting. Suddenly the radio cuts out and static noise ensues.  A faint voice whispers to Wanda asking “Who is doing this to you Wanda” creating confusion among Wanda and Dottie.

As the episode deepens, Wanda and Vision begin to perform at the talent show.  Vision spirals out of control when he starts to use his real powers to perform the magic tricks, leaving Wanda to save the show by using her powers to alter the magic tricks, allowing them to appear realistic.  After the conclusion of the show, Wanda and Vision return home.  Wanda looks down to notice she has become pregnant.  As the couple looked at each other lovingly, a loud sound from outside interrupted their peaceful moment.  Wanda and Vision both step outside onto the quiet, dark street to find a mysterious man emerging from the sewer cover.  The man quickly turned his head toward them and stared.  Wanda mumbled “no,” and then the show re-winded itself to the pregnancy scene.  At that moment, Wanda and Vision kissed, and then the scenery around them transformed from black and white to color.

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Episode 3 “Now in Color”

Wanda becomes pregnant overnight. The Doctor informs her she has several months before she is due, but Vision thinks it is a matter of days. (Photo by: Vox)

Episode 3 takes a turn like no other, starting off in complete, vivid color.  The show is now set in the 1970s, based on the sitcoms The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family.  All of a sudden, the lens cap is revealed to show Wanda sitting on her 70s sofa, pregnant.  The episode revolves around Wanda and Vision setting up their new nursery, housed with all of the infant necessities.  It is during this time when Wanda begins to go through her pregnancy phases abnormally fast, almost ready to give birth in a matter of hours.  Throughout the stress and tensions of her pregnancy, Wanda fails to control her powers at times, causing it to rain inside her living room and make picture frames spin on the wall.  All of a sudden, Geraldine arrives at the house, and Wanda rushes to grab a coat, hiding her pregnant stomach.  Minutes after Geraldine’s arrival,  Wanda falls to the floor in a panicked state, sharing that the baby must be on the way.  Geraldine is shocked at Wanda’s hidden pregnancy and quickly begins to help Wanda with breathing exercises. 

 Moments later, Wanda gives birth to a child, and then seconds later another child.  Wanda and Geraldine watch the babies from their cribs where Wanda announces that she was once a twin.  Bells ring in Geraldine’s mind as she remembers that Wanda’s twin, Pietro, had died by a Marvel supervillain, Ultron.  She says this out loud, making Wanda confused, for she was the only one who knew this information.  An eerie silence follows as Wanda demands Geraldine to repeat what she said, followed by an aggressive Who are you.  Within moments, the scene cuts to Geraldine flying through the air, passing through a strange red force field.  She lands into a grassy patch of land and is quickly surrounded by armored vehicles.  She slowly opens her eyelids from her fall and the episode ends. 

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Episode 4 “We Interrupt This Program”

Monica Rambeau and Agent Woo investigate the mysterious force field surrounding Westview. (Photo by: The Verge)

Unlike the previous episodes which are set as sitcoms throughout different decades, Episode 4 is the first in the series not set in a sitcom style. The first scene starts with Monica Rambeau in a hospital.  Viewers watch as she is slowly rebuilt from a dust-like substance.  She awakens, and then quickly runs around the hospital looking for her mother.  The rest of the hospital is surrounded by patients looking for loved ones.  Several others are also brought back to life after Thanos’ snap (The blip), killing half the population. Rambeau is then told by a doctor that her mother died five years ago, a year after she went missing.

The show then cuts to Rambeau partnering up with Agent Jimmy Woo (played by Randall Park) to investigate a “missing towns case” in a New Jersey town called Westview. They run into local law enforcement standing in front of the “Welcome to Westview” sign who claim that no such place exists. As Rambeau curiously approaches the town, she gets sucked into a mysterious void, which would later be known as “The Hex.” The extraterrestrial agency known as S.W.O.R.D. scrambles to find qualified scientists to study The Hex.  The Agency recruits Darcy Lewis (played by Kat Dennings) to help make sense of the signals coming through from Westview. 

After hooking up an old-style television the scientists are able to see “episodes” streaming from inside the town.  The episodes seem to feature the Wanda and Vision, commonly known as Avengers, acting in a 50s sitcom.  Later that night, Agent Woo tries to contact Wanda by sending a message through the radio frequencies.  The message was later intercepted by the vintage radio located beside Dottie while cleaning up from the planning committee. Back in Westview, Captain Rambeau (Geraldine) is thrown out of the town by Wanda when she realizes that Rambeau was not an original “cast member.”  This scene had been overrun by Wanda and was not shown to the public.  The episode ended with Wanda and Vision sitting happily on their couch.

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Episode 5 “On a Very Special Episode…”

In a very 70s episode, featuring a mix of The Brady Bunch and Full House sitcoms, Wanda and Vision spend their time caring for their newborns.  While rocking the baby crib, Agnes stormed into the house and insisted on taking care of the babies.  As Agnes goes to retrieve the babies from the cribs, Vision quickly interrupts and insists that it is not necessary.  An awkward atmosphere falls in the room as Wanda and Agnes stare blankly at each other.  Agnes then asks if Wanda would like her to hold the babies, or would she like Wanda to rerun the scene.  This short moment confuses Vision, but Wanda assures that it was nothing.

The camera then cuts to Monica Rambeau, waking up in the S.W.O.R.D camp laying on a table getting ready to be scanned for tests.  After the doctor announces that the tests came back blank, Monica leaves the table and goes to find Agents Woo and Darcy.  She brings the group to the cabinet where her 70s outfit from the tv show was kept.  She pulled out Agent Woo’s handgun and shot it directly into the shirt.  The bullet instantly dropped to the floor, ricocheting off of the shirt.  Monica recalls that she entered The Hex wearing her S.W.O.R.D. bulletproof vest that had now somehow transformed into 70s clothing, still completely bulletproof.

Wanda discusses the importance of family with her children and reveals that she also has a twin. (Photo by: CNET)

Viewers are now transported back into the WandaVision show, watching as Wanda’s children, Billy and Tommy, instantly transform into five-year-olds.  The two kids are standing in front of the sink hiding a dog they had found.  After further contemplation, Wanda and Vision decided that the children are too young for a dog.  The kids both grin at each other and instantly age up into ten-year-olds.  Moments later, Agnes bursts into the house yet again with a dog crate in hand.  

Throughout the episode, Vision catches onto a growing mystery.  Vision begins to believe that Wanda is controlling the neighborhood and all of its inhabitants.  At the S.W.O.R.D base camp, the head director, Tyler Hayward (played by Josh Stamberg), demands a drone be sent into The Hex.  When Wanda sees the drone perpetrating her home, she angrily destroys the drone and makes her way out of The Hex.  She warns the agency not to mess with her again, for there will be consequences.  The episode quickly comes to an end with Wanda forcing the end credits onto the screen trying to escape fighting with Vision.  

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Episode 6 “All-New Halloween Spooktacular!”

It’s Halloween time in Westview and Vision is on a mission to investigate the edge of town. After an argument about Wanda, Director Hayward fires Rembeau, Woo, and Darcy and are thrown off the S.W.O.R.D team. Regardless, they sneak their way back into the building and start attempting to hack into the S.W.O.R.D system. They discover that S.W.O.R.D knew much more than they were telling the crew and were running a secret mission behind their backs. While back in Westview, Vision starts to notice the residents at the edge of town behaving oddly.  They are stuck repeating the same motions over and over, some stand motionless. He then runs into Agnes sitting in her car mumbling, saying she took a wrong turn in the only town she has ever lived in. Confused, Vision uses his powers to free Agnes of Wanda’s hold and when she comes to her senses she frantically tells him that Wanda has control of everyone and everything in the town.

Vision tries to escape from The Hex but is too weak to make it through. (Photo by: The Ringer)

Vision, in a state of confusion, walks to the edge of town and attempts to walk through the barrier surrounding Westview. He is able to force his way over, but not completely. The barrier won’t let him break through, and it pulls him back. As he resists, he starts to tear apart and is forced back into Westview piece by piece. Tommy alerts Wanda that he can hear his dad dying through a voice in his head. Scared and upset, Wanda uses her powers to expand the reach of the barriers, which allows Vision to stay alive inside Westview.  While expanding her hold on the town, Wanda also claims most of the S.W.O.R.D. team camped outside. Almost all of the S.W.O.R.D. employees including Darcy got pulled into Westview.  When Wanda expanded the barriers, the camp was turned into a circus. Only leaving Director Hayward, a few employees, Rambeau, and Agent Woo outside of The Hex.

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Episode 7 “Breaking The Fourth Wall”

In this very laid-back episode, viewers watch as Wanda wakes up from a long sleep, still dressed in her Halloween costume from the night before.  She is awakened by her children, who are in a panic after noticing that their gaming system is going crazy.  When Wanda goes downstairs to see what the ruckus is about, she notices her house, and all of the items in it begin to shift throughout the decades.  Chairs begin to turn black and white, and light fixtures turn into previous decades.  Wanda is confused by the chaos and blows it off as a case of the Mondays.  The scene then switches to Vision, waking up in a grassy field, where he once tried to escape The Hex.  He quickly scurries around to find a circus and looks for Darcy.  Darcy, however, does not remember Vision because she is under Wanda’s spell.  Vision puts his fingers onto her temples and quickly casts her out of the hallucination.  They quickly storm off from the circus and go to find Wanda.

Outside of The Hex, Rambeau and Woo rush to find the other survivors, who have started to rebuild the S.W.O.R.D. base camp.  Rambeau instantly wants to go back into the force field and try to save Darcy, along with the rest of Westview.  To her assistance, Rambeau is accompanied by a large space rover, assuring her a safe passage into The Hex.  However, after ramming full speed into the force field, her rover is instantly thrown back, the front half turned into a vintage truck.

While Wanda slumps around her home in her pajamas, Agatha stops by and offers to watch over the kids for the day, giving Wanda a much-needed break.  While Wanda takes time for herself, Vision and Darcy are rushing to get to Wanda, however are slowed down with several road delays such as construction, children crossing, and broken stoplight.  Vision thinks that the delays are Wanda’s doings, and is creating them because she no longer wants to see him.

Agent Monica Rambeau is able to penetrate The Hex, and gains a superpower on entry. (Photo by: The Post Athens)

During this time, Rambeau is able to penetrate the force field by walking through, and while doing so, gains a superpower on entry.  She quickly rushes to Wanda’s house, barging through the front door, and insists she listens.  She tells Wanda that Hayward is trying to kill Vision, but instead of listening, Wanda uses her powers and hoists Rambeau in the air.  In doing so, she draws the attention of her nosy neighbor Agnes, who quickly rushes over to help.  Rambeau’s attempt to save Wanda had failed and she was sent away.  Agnes then takes Wanda to her house.

While at Agnes’ house Wanda remembers her kids were there and asks where they are.  Agnes jokingly replies, saying that they are probably playing in the basement.  Intense music ensues as Wanda slowly begins to walk down the creaky basement stairs.  She follows along a dark hallway, covered in black vines.  When she walks through the doorway, she notices that she is in some kind of dark magic ruin.  The large wooden door instantly slams behind her and Agnes begins to cackle.  “You didn’t think you were the only one with superpowers did you Wanda?” said Agnes as she walked around to face Wanda.  She then announces that her real name is Agatha Harkness, and the episode ends.  A shortcut scene overlaps the screen showing the title Agatha All Along along with evil music overlapping.

A small Easter egg that most viewers may have missed is an additional cut scene after the end credits.  The scene shows Monica Rambeau standing above Agatha’s basement cellar doors.  She looks into the hallway and then turns around to see Pietro, and he says “Snoopers gonna snoop.”

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Episode 8 “Previously On”

Building off of the previous episode, Agatha has Wanda trapped in her basement where her powers are no good due to a magic spell cast over the basement.  Agatha then gives Wanda an option: she can either walk through a magical door with Wanda’s greatest fears, or she could not. When Wanda hesitates Agatha politely reminds her that she has her children locked up in the basement. 

Behind the first door, Wanda steps back in time to her childhood where she would watch sitcoms with her family. Seconds later, the screen then cuts to Wanda’s past, where a Stark Industries bomb sat counting down about to go off, just three feet from Wanda and Pietro’s faces. The two later found that the bomb was defective and failed to go off, allowing Wanda and Pietro to get away safely. The next-door Wanda is forced to walk through takes her back to a time when she volunteered to be a test subject for Hydra, the fictional terrorist organization. After passing the test Wanda then walks through another door.  She is taken back in time to the first room that she and Vision ever shared back at the Avenger’s Headquarters. 

Wanda releases all of her built-up stress, creating her own simulated town and reviving a modified Vision. (Photo by: Marvel.com)

The last door Wanda walked through took her to a time when she broke into the S.W.O.R.D. facility and had to watch the Vision being dismantled and analyzed by a team of scientists. After leaving the building, she drives into old Westview, which is free of her magic.   She finds the empty plot of land that she and Vision dreamed of growing old in. Out of her pain, sadness, and loneliness, she builds the force around Westview, turning it into her own 50s sitcom.  In building her new town, she reconstructs her own Vision so that she can live out her fantasy life with him.

Back in real time, Wanda storms out of Agatha’s basement, where she finds Agatha in the street holding her children hostage yet again.  Agatha realizes what Wanda is capable of, and who she truly is.  After a very climactic scene, Agatha reveals that with dark power like hers, Wanda must be the Scarlet Witch.  The episode goes black and the end credits roll on.  Minutes into the credits, some viewers noticed a shortcut scene.  It shows Director Hayward creating his own version of The Vision.  Inside a scientific tube, viewers watch as the white Vision wakes up.  The episode is then over.

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Episode 9 “The Series Finale”

The Maximoff family stands together, ready to fight S.W.O.R.D., Agatha and white Vision. (Photo by: Blog de Hollywood)

On the final episode of WandaVision, viewers watch as the scene picks up from Episode 8 in a standoff with Agatha and Wanda.  While Wanda’s children are held hostage, she hits Agatha with her superpowers, however, they are absorbed, making Agatha stronger.  Wanda becomes aware of Agatha’s true power, which is absorbing other people’s powers.  Interrupting their standoff, a white Vision comes flying down from the sky, instantly breaking into a fight with the real Vision.  Both groups of superpeople began to storm across the town in fiery battles.  While in her battle with Agatha, Wanda watched as all of the townspeople were released from her spell, returning their memory.  The people storm towards Wanda, all pleading to be set free.  In an effort to liberate the townspeople, Wanda uses her powers to open the hex.  However The Hex is too strong and Wanda is only able to open it slightly, letting in the outside S.W.O.R.D. members, including Hayward.  As the people scramble to escape, only a few make it as Wanda is not strong enough to keep it open.  

Vision and White Vision begin their battle in the town’s library, breaking through several walls.  White Vision tells Vision that he was programmed with Vision’s real memory, and was designed to destroy the Vision.  Over the course of a few minutes, the two Visions discuss which one is the real one, never actually coming to a complete decision.  Vision and White Vision come to a consensus and join forces.

Wanda fulfills her duty as the Scarlet Witch by taking all of Agatha’s powers. (Photo by: Sportskeeda)

 

However, Wanda and Agatha continue to fight in the sky.  Agatha continues to absorb Wanda’s powers, making Wanda weak.  Wanda begins to hit Agatha with her magic, constantly missing her, throwing it to the walls of the Hex.  When Wanda becomes too weak to continue, Agatha steals all of her powers.  As Agatha is about to absorb the remaining powers, her hands go empty and no powers come out.  All of a sudden, Agatha is powerless.  The camera flies around The Hex, showing large, red symbols.  Agatha realizes that Wanda had cast her own runes, making her the only one with powers.  She takes back all her powers, making herself the Scarlet Witch.

After the battle, Wanda traps Agatha back into her character of  “the nosy neighbor” and begins to reverse her Hex.  Hayward is caught and arrested after being rammed into by Darcy driving a circus truck.  The ending shows Wanda’s barrier finally come down, reversing the town back to how it once was.  She tucks her children in bed, and says one last goodbye to Vision, just before the barrier surrounds them.  When Wanda looks up, she is no longer in her suburban home, but instead standing on the empty plot of land.  She no longer has her family, and makes her way to the town square, where the townspeople angrily watch her.  She thanks Rambeau, and flies away.  The episode ends.

Minutes into the end credits, yet another cut scene appears.  Monica Rambeau is asked to meet someone in the theater.  Upon entering, the S.W.O.R.D. member transforms into an alien-like creature and informs Rambeau that she is a friend of her mothers.  They both look up to the ceiling, looking at something, and then the screen goes dark.  However, the episode is still not over.  Continuing into the end credits, viewers are surprised with another cut scene.  In the final scene, Wanda is shown living in a small cabin in an arctic area.  Inside, viewers watch as Wanda is dressed in her Scarlet Witch outfit, floating in the air and practicing spells from the dark book.

Following the end of the WandaVision miniseries, viewers are shocked at the evil twists throughout the show. WandaVision is just the first in a line of many that Marvel plans to release to Disney+.