WARNING: The following contains spoilers for WandaVision Episodes 1 and 2, now streaming on Disney+.
From the very first look at the promotional material for WandaVision, it was clear the series would be a sendup to old TV sitcoms. With its debut episodes, the series jumps into that concept full force, and to round out that old timey TV feel, there are commercial breaks in both episodes that set the stage for hokey advertisements, sly winks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a support for the ambience of the sitcom era; however, a more sinister undertone hints at a darker force at work.
The first commercial is for the Toast Mate 2000, made by Stark Industries and advertised in a black-and-white 1950s style, kicking off with the sexist line, "Is your husband tired of you burning his toast?" Actors Ithamar Enriquez and Victoria Blade present the product and all its wondrous capabilities with the slogan, "Forget the past, this is your future!" The shot closes in on a red warning light gaining its color, granting the commercial a particular air of menace.
The same rhythm repeats in the next episode's commercial for Striicker watches, once again featuring Enriquez and Blade. Striicker may be a slightly harder reference to catch than Stark, but it proves even more menacing. Baron von Strucker was the head of Hydra in the modern day and oversaw the Infinity Stone experiments, which produced Wanda and her brother Pietro's powers. The Hydra symbol is even emblazoned on the watch's face as the commercial closes in on it.
Most disturbing of all are the similarities between the commercials, with both featuring the unsettling feeling of a bomb about to go off. For the Toast Mate, it comes in the form of the red alarm with its frantic beeping and Blade's face unnerved by its excitement. Even the logo, "Forget the past, this is your future!" feels like it's alluding to Wanda's current predicament, since she doesn't entirely know what's brought her here. Meanwhile, in the watch commercial, a ticking in the background grows similarly frantic as the slogan, "Striicker: He'll make time for you," punctuates the advertisement. The Striicker watch's reference to the woman as an "accessory" also parallels the sexist gender roles within the Toast Mate advertisement.
Together, the commercials create a feeling of unease, menace and possibly imprisonment. Whether it's Strucker making time or Stark insisting the viewer forget their past, both carry a dystopic quality of entrapment and powerlessness that likely plays a part in the larger plot.
It is too early to tell just who the antagonist is, with the possibility remaining that Wanda is trapped in her own mind, some alternate reality or a pocket dimension of her own creation. Whatever the case, the regular installment of these commercials will likely be one of the most symbolically potent moments in the episodes to come.
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+.