Disney+ has finally released the titles for the first two episodes of Marvel's WandaVision, well after their debut on the streaming site.
Though it's not clear when they were updated, Disney+ did not have official titles for the two premiere episodes of WandaVision when the show debuted on the streaming service last Friday. Instead, they were simply dubbed "Episode 1" and Episode 2." Now, they have proper titles, and are listed as "Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience" and "Don't Touch That Dial," respectively.
The reason for the delayed release is unclear as the change was made without fanfare. Since its debut in 2019, The Mandalorian has waited until the day of release to reveal its episode titles, presumably in an effort to avoid spoilers given Disney's notorious secrecy. While the same could be true for WandaVision, the extended delay is especially confounding. What's more, the first two episode titles don't reveal any information about the episodes but rather reference the show's sitcom-centric setting. Perhaps future episode titles will contain potential spoilers or plot details, however.
The history of TV and sitcoms in particular play a huge role on the MCU show. Kevin Feige and director Matt Shakman actually consulted Dick Van Dyke during pre-production for the series. The veteran actor and writer told the creatives to keep things as grounded in reality as possible. Though WandaVision involves magic, synthezoids and superheroes, the bulk of the stories are relatively realistic, even as a more fantastical mystery seems to be playing out.
Of course, the television homage elements are meta as well. While there are no commercial breaks on the Disney+ series, each episode so far has featured a fake retro commercial. The first one, involving a Stark Industries toaster, mixed both MCU elements and an eerie tone with its '50s and '60s nostalgia. In this way, both commercials serve as microcosms of the show as a whole. And of course, they may hint at what's really going on, as Wanda or someone else seems to be constructing the reality that the couple is happily occupying.
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+.
Source: Disney+