WARNING: The following contains spoilers for WandaVision episodes 1 & 2, now streaming on Disney+.
WandaVision has been an incredibly important Marvel Cinematic Universe project, kicking off the franchise's transition into streaming television. But it has also been MCU's most elusive, with cast and crew alike refusing to provide any major details about the series' content. And now that the first two episodes of the show have arrived, it's still tough to describe what WandaVision is as much as what it isn't: Straightforward.
After the Marvel Studios intro, we're taken back to a simpler time of black-and-white, laugh tracks, and 4:3 aspect ratios. As the chipper theme song plays, Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) pull up to their new idyllic home, decked out in wedding regalia. While the couple's life together doesn't start off picture-perfect -- Vis phases through the door and accidentally leaves his blushing bride behind -- they seem very much in love.
The next morning, the two banter about Vision's literal lack of appetite until they both notice a prominent date on the calendar -- August 23 -- that neither can remember the significance of. As Vision heads off to work (using Wanda's assistance to make him appear human), nosy neighbor Agnes (Kathryn Hahn) drops in to introduce herself. True to her role, she immediately inserts herself into the drama, convincing Wanda that the date in question is an anniversary. The two then plot to give Vision a night he'll never forget, though Agnes takes notice of the fact that newlywed Wanda is not wearing a wedding ring.
We then cut to Vision at work, flying through paperwork at Computational Services despite not knowing the purpose of his job. His boss Mr. Hart (Fred Melamed) suddenly reminds him of the date on the calendar, as this the night the Hearts will be visiting them for dinner. Mr. Hart sets up the stakes for his employee, remarking on someone who was previously fired for not meeting his extraordinarily high service standards. Fearful of the skeletons in his closet (or lack of a skeleton) coming out, Vision frantically calls Wanda to cement the plans for tonight, but in true sitcom fashion, a miscommunication has them walking away from the phone with different ideas in mind.
After a brief, strange in-universe commercial break for Stark Industries' ToastMate 2000 toasters, Mr. Hart and his wife (Debra Jo Rupp) arrive for dinner. Believing it to be her man, Wanda struts in with a revealing (for the time) nightgown, only to find the person she's flirting with is her husband's boss. Vision attempts to cover for the faux pas by chalking it up to a Sokovian custom, which intrigues Mrs. Hart.
Finally getting on the same page, the couple frantically leaps into a flurry to get everything prepared. Wanda gets cooking in the kitchen, with a last-minute assist from Agnes (who proves tough to remove from the house). Vision, meanwhile, keeps the Harts distracted with a performance of "Yakety Yak." Things hit a farcical peak as they sprint around the house searching for meat tenderizers and ways to keep the visitors at bay. Just as tensions boil over, Wanda reveals the dinner she magically prepared, saving the night.
As everyone sits down to eat, Mrs. Hart begins to interrogate Wanda and Vision, asking when they got married and how many kids they intend to have, all of which Wanda seems to have no answer to. Just as she asks, "Why did you come here?" Mr. Hart begins to choke. Suddenly, things begin to shift. We go from multi-cam to close-up, tensely focusing on each person's face as Mr. Hart hits the floor. Wanda looks directly into the camera, begging Vision to do something. Things hold in suspense for a few long moments, before Vision complies and phases through Mr. Hart's throat to pull out the offending piece of food.
Oddly, things seem to proceed as normal from that moment on. Mr. Hart gets up and thanks them for a wonderful evening, giving promising words to Vision on his way out. As the couple collapses on the couch in relief, discussion turns to whether they can truly be a "normal" couple. But Vision points out that the night gave them a series of firsts, making this an anniversary after all. As Wanda magics them wedding rings, Vision declares this their "happily ever after", and the iris closes in as the credits roll.
While that's the end of the show-within-a-show episode, it isn't of the WandaVision episode proper. The final shot widens out to reveal that an unseen person is watching things play out on their own TV screen. They're writing notes in a journal in a room surrounded by security equipment, all of which bears the S.W.O.R.D. logo. The person closes the notebook, but the book of WandaVision is just getting started.
Though Wandavision Episode 2 ties things into the premiere with a "Previously on" segment, things are noticeably different than before. The decor and style has transitioned from Dick Van Dyke to Bewitched, including a brand-new house and hairstyle for Wanda. Wanda and Vision are sleeping in separate beds--a sign of the times--and are jolted away by a scary noise from outside. Though it turns out to merely be a branch, it frightens Wanda enough to make their twin beds into a single king, taking them into a cute animated intro.
The next day, Vision and Wanda are practicing an elaborate magic routine for the local talent show fundraiser, with the couple set on not using Wanda's real powers. After Vision leaves to look into joining the neighborhood watch, she again hears a strange noise. Heading outside, she finds a toy helicopter, also branded with the S.W.O.R.D. logo. But more strangely, it's colored in vivid red and yellow, the lone spot of color in this black-and-white world.
Agnes suddenly appears to distract Wanda from the oddity, lending her rabbit for the magic show. The two then go to a meeting led by talent show organizer Dottie (Emma Caufield Ford), the so-called queen of the cul-de-sac. The stakes are high for Wanda, as she is "the key to everything in this town" according to Agnes, and must be impressed if she intends to keep her cover.
Unfortunately, she gets off on the wrong foot at the meeting when she is called out for applauding and talking out of turn. While Dottie mercilessly digs into the lineup for the talent show, Wanda finds solace in a fellow attendee: Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris). Strangely, she chooses not to give her real name, introducing herself to Wanda as "Geraldine." And despite her confusion on how she got into this world, the two appear to hit it off immediately.
Meanwhile, Vision attends the neighborhood watch meeting. However, he's quick to find that their get-together is an excuse for the men to eat danishes and gossip. He's able to ingratiate himself well to the other men, endearing himself with his unintentional humor. But when he takes up someone for an offer of gum, he ends up swallowing it accidentally, literally gumming up the works and jamming his inner machinery.
Back at the talent show meeting, Wanda stays behind to help Dottie clean up. Now alone, Dottie looks her dead in the eye and tells her, "I've heard things about you." Despite Wanda's insistence that she means no harm, their conversation is interrupted by the radio springing to life. A voice calls out to her on it, asking, "Who's doing this to you?" Emotionally overwhelmed, Wanda's magic goes haywire, glass exploding in Dottie's hand. She gets cut, oozing bright red blood, but she still appears to be "in character."
We take a break from the proceedings for another commercial, starring the same actors from the premiere's interstitial. This time, they are hawking a watch from Strucker, with the motto "He'll make time for you." A close-up on the product reveals an alarming Easter egg, as the watch appears to be made by the villainous Hydra organization.
The action then cuts back to the talent show, as the gummed-up Vision arrives acting very different. He stumbles and slurs, almost as if he was drunk. His behavior causes the magic act to go awry immediately, and Wanda has to jump in quickly to save the day. As Vision starts displaying his powers to the crowd, she covers them up, using her own magic to make explanations for his "tricks." It all culminates in the "magic cabinet" trick they were practicing before, which they pull off with an assist from "Geraldine." As Wanda removes the gum from Vision backstage, Dottie stops them, and they think the jig is up. But it turns out they've won the "Comedy Performance of the Year" award!
At home, the couple talk through the day and revel in their ability to fit in. Wanda stands and says she should prepare popcorn "for the children." Suddenly, the camera reveals she is suddenly visually pregnant. She asks him, "Is this really happening?" He calmly responds, "Yes, my love." But their reverie is interrupted again with another loud bang outside. They rush out to find a man in a beekeeper suit coming out of a manhole, a S.W.O.R.D. logo on his back. Instantaneously, Wanda's expression hardens, and she gives a succinct, "No."
With that one word, the episode suddenly "rewinds" back to the couple's conversation inside. This time, after he reaffirms her of their reality, they kiss, and Vision's face turns its familiar shade of maroon. All of a sudden, their world begins to fill with color, and the couple is all smiles as their life continues to travel forward into another decade of television. There are many questions to be asked at the end of these two episodes, the most pertinent coming from the repeated radio voice into the end credits: "Who's doing this to you, Wanda?"
Written by Jac Schaeffer and directed by Matt Shakman, WandaVision stars Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Paul Bettany as Vision, Randall Park as Agent Jimmy Woo, Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau and Kathryn Hahn as Agnes. New episodes air Fridays on Disney+.