Since its beginning, “WandaVision” has blocked viewers from seeing all the answers about what’s going on in the show. But in the latest episode, the walls came down, and the answers waiting there were slightly underwhelming.
The seventh episode — titled “Breaking the Fourth Wall” — focused on Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) staying home for the day with her children. She appeared to be dealing with grief of some sort, so she wanted a day alone. As she spends her day alone — her children spend the day with neighbor Agnes (Kathryn Hahn) — she notices everything in her house begins to short circuit. Her couches and chairs glitch out to appear like they’re from earlier episodes. Sometimes the wall looks like it’s from the 1950s or the ’60s. Everything is breaking around her.
This episode was good in the sense that it gave us answers. We learned more about the show’s main villain and how that villain has been manifesting everything going on. But the results were a little disappointing. There are still two episodes left in the season so we’re bound to receive more answers that will likely improve what we know now. But for the moment, we’re left with relatively disappointing answers.
That said, there were some cool moments in the episode that definitely added hype to the season. So let’s break down what we saw and talk about where we might go from here.
The ‘Modern Family,’ ‘Office’ format worked
“Breaking the Fourth Wall” relied on a format similar to “The Office” or “Modern Family” where the camera films what’s going on in a documentary-style manner. Wanda holds confessional conversations with the camera, similar to how characters did on those two aforementioned shows. The moments provided comedy in the early part of the episode, and it definitely added a lighthearted feeling to a show that likes to dabble in the darkness. At points, I found myself laughing because I’ve become so accustomed to that style of show. I love “The Office,” so the brief moments where this show reminded me of it had me excited.
The format offered a tinge of nostalgia. For the first time, I could directly identify with one of the show’s formats and it truly paid off. Sure, I have seen reruns of shows from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, which were mimicked in earlier episodes. But this is the first time a more modern show format got the spotlight — and it paid off.
It’ll be interesting to see how the rest of the season shapes out in formats. We might be at the end of the line as far as different sitcom styles are concerned. If that’s true, then “WandaVision” ended the run of different sitcom styles on the right note.
New heroes and villains
I don’t want to spoil too much here, but Episode 7 did a great job of expanding the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We saw hints of future heroes and villains in previous episodes, but those hints finally came to fruition in this one. I don’t want to spoil those reveals too much , but it’s nice to see some new blood being injected into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only that, but the reveals made a lot of sense. They weren’t just random characters pulled from the comic books. In fact, at least one of the new heroes presented in this episode has been set up for a long time in the MCU, so it’s nice to see the payoff.
“WandaVision” is the first project of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s fourth phase, which we’ve heard will deal with multiverses and alternate realities. Things are going to get weird. And this show has done a wonderful job setting up new characters that can only expand Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward. Marvel has set itself up for new Disney+ series, movies and cameos that will have fans cheering for the foreseeable future. As characters like Tony Stark exit the franchise, new ones come in just when fans need them most. The future looks bright for the MCU.
The episode left me feeling disappointed
All of that said, there were some disappointments with the seventh episode — specifically tied to the answers we received. Monica’s much-hyped “aerospace engineer” friend didn’t get revealed, nor was the friend even mentioned, which makes me think there was all of that hype for nothing. Maybe we get an answer in the next few episodes. Then again, maybe we were thinking a little too much into that whole saga.
And the major reveal of the episode — again, I don’t want to spoil it — left me feeling a little ... meh? Maybe we’ll get even better answers on that to reveal in the next few episodes. But it seemed like an obvious twist that, on the surface, made sense. But at the same time, it made a little too much sense. I know that sounds ridiculous. But you’ll understand if you see the episode. Everything made sense. It fits neat and tidy. It works. But it’s not what I’d expect from a Marvel project. Usually, there’s something more — a twist within a twist.
Maybe this is only the beginning. Maybe we’re learning about what’s happening now to set up the bigger reveal later.
We have two episodes left. To think this is the final twist would be silly. But if it is, I can’t help but feel Marvel might have missed opportunities for a better reveal.