The latest episode of “WandaVision” was surely a treat, and it happened to have a few tricks wrapped inside of it.
The sixth episode — titled “A Very Spooktacular Episode!” — is just what you’d expect from a show with that sort of title: spooky, Halloween-themed and a little corny. Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), Vision (Paul Bettany) and her brother Pietro (Evan Peters) all dress up for Halloween. Wanda and Pietro attend a town Halloween celebration as Vision seeks out answers to what’s going on in the town.
Like other episodes in this series, there’s nothing wasted here. Each moment matters for the general discourse of the show. We learn more about what’s happening in the town of Westview, we’re teased about what’s to come in the future and we get a few little Marvel Easter eggs along the way.
It doesn’t rank as one of the best “WandaVision” episodes. You could argue it’s one of the lower-tier episodes because it doesn’t include major revelations, big action scenes or spectacular moments. But the episode might be remembered more for being a really good Halloween television episode, and that’s nothing to shy away from.
Let’s get into some takeaways.
The Halloween theme worked perfectly
I was a little hesitant when I saw the most recent episode centered around Halloween. It is March, after all. I’m over the whole fall/winter holiday schtick for a bit. But this episode delivers in ways I never thought it could because of the Halloween theme.
For one, the episode allows Wanda, Vision and Pietro to dress up for Halloween. And in doing so, they wear costumes that they previously wore in comic books. You can see that here. It allows a brief connection between the modern Marvel Cinematic Universe and the comic books of old, one more nod to the hardcore fans of the franchise.
But it also allows the show to dive into the theme of grief. Pietro died in “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” so his return is nothing but unsettling for his sister, Wanda. Vision died in “Avengers: Infinity War,” so questions about his return pop up in the episode, too. We see Wanda challenged by her brother to talk about grief, which hints that the entire series may be about Wanda processing what happened to her.
In the end, it’s great that this episode focuses on Halloween. No other holiday allows us to think about the dead, especially in a memorializing way. And the spooky elements of the episode — which gives us hints at what’s really going on in Westview — align perfectly with that theme as well.
Halloween episodes are a staple of sitcoms and cable television shows. The best shows always have one. “WandaVision” can center its episode in that pantheon.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is expanding
I don’t want to spoil too much here, but this episode definitely expanded the Marvel Cinematic Universe in multiple ways. The franchise has always been about introducing new characters who either appeared in the comics, or who have a distinct role in this universe. For example, we met Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) in “Ant-Man” only for him to return in this show as an FBI agent. Time and time again characters from previous movies return to the franchise, linking them together.
This episode featured a lot of teasers for possible expansion. New superheroes, main characters and future storylines are all in this episode. So while it may have been an episode that revealed some core elements of what’s going on in Westview, I’d say there were at least four different character moments that hint at where Marvel could go in the future, if not more. “WandaVision” does a great job of setting up future episodes and potential new series and movies, just like the films of the MCU.
One key thing to watch
I don’t think this is a spoiler, but in case you want to be totally free of spoilers, turn away here. But there’s one thing you should pay attention to as we move forward this week. Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) reveals that she wants to reenter Westview even though it will have an impact on her body. She mentions that she knows a guy who is going to come to help her enter Westview.
This is the second week in a row that she has mentioned this unknown man, saying he’s going to come help them out. Keep an eye on that storyline. It’s been mentioned in two separate episodes, so clearly Marvel is setting up something important with this character. There are some fantastic theories about who the man is.
And with this much hype around the character, I wouldn’t be shocked if we see a major reveal.