Welcome to "WandaVision"

Minor spoilers for the first four episodes ahead. 

"WandaVision" is the first of Marvel's Disney+ series, designed to be tied much more closely into the MCU film franchise, and to tell longer-form stories that aren't a good fit for theatrical films.  This has felt like something of an inevitability for a while, as the MCU has gotten so much bigger, with so many characters who haven't really gotten their due.  For instance, you've got Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany), two of the Avengers who had a sweet little romance and tragic parting that was carried out over two "Avengers" films.  However, the storyline happened so fast, and mostly offscreen, it felt like a waste of interesting material.

So, this was the Disney+ series I was the most interested in from the outset.  "WandaVision," created by Jac Shaeffer and directed by Mark Shakman, runs for nine episodes of 20-45 minutes each, and uses the truly weird conceit of Wanda and Vision living out cuddly sitcom lives as doting newlyweds in the charming town of Westview.  Each episode parodies a different era of television, starting with the 1950s, straight out of "I Love Lucy."  The first few installments are played straight, with only hints that something more sinister might be going on.  Eventually we learn that the lovebirds' antics are being transmitted out of town, and they catch the attention of characters like FBI Agent Jimmy Woo (Randall Park), Captain Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) of the S.W.O.R.D. intelligence organization, and Dr. Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), who proceed to join forces and investigate.

I probably enjoyed the sitcom spoof aspects of the show more than most, and especially appreciated spotting all the little homages and spoofs of various old shows I watched as a kid.  The '50s episode ends with Wanda and Vision's beds being pushed together into a double, to mark the shift to the '60s.  The '80s episode painstakingly recreates the kitchen from "Family Ties," and puts nosy neighbor Agnes (Kathryn Hahn) in workout gear.  Every new version of "WandaVision" gets its own era-appropriate theme song from Robert and Kristen Lopez, wardrobe changes for everyone, and heaps of gorgeous production design.  I liked the meta jokes, the heavy lampshading of various story tropes, and little clues being dropped in the commercials.  The series is also full of easter eggs for comic book fans.  In a Halloween themed episode, Wanda and Vision dress up in the goofy superhero costumes they originally wore in the comics.      

It's great seeing the big budget MCU production values applied to something so much more offbeat and idiosyncratic.  The show is also considerably darker in tone than the bulk of the other MCU films.  The first six episodes, where flaws slowly start to emerge in Wanda's sitcom universe, have some downright disturbing moments that wouldn't be out of place in a David Lynch show.  However, this being a Disney and Marvel project, the third act is exactly as predictable and by-the-numbers as you might expect.  While the show does give Wanda and Vision the space to become more full-fledged personalities, ensures the actors have some strong scenes together, and lets their relationship feel more grounded and mature, there's an awful lot of spectacle and contrivance that has to come with it.  And the spectacle and contrivance is the least enjoyable part of the show.    

All in all I'm satisfied with "WandaVision," and look forward to the rest of the MCU series coming up, but the limitations required to be part of this franchise are all too clear.  There's much more wiggle room when it comes to subject matter and formal conventions, but we still have to have mid-credit and after-credit scenes setting up other MCU projects, consequences are kicked down the road, and everything has to end in a big, loud, fight scene.  

Oh well.  At least we got a few good earworms for our trouble.

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