I’ll be discussing the show solely in the context of the MCU. This means I won’t refer to organisations, characters or events which may give context but which you’d only know if you’ve read the comics.

Spoilers follow

Wanda and Vision try to fit in with their community.

If you’ve seen A Knight’s Tale (and if you haven’t please stop here and go rectify that error/failing immediately) you’ll already know that Paul Bettany has fantastic comedic timing. Those skills are put on full display in this episode which ostensibly revolves around a fundraiser for the local elementary school.

Yes, you read that right.

Building on the first episode WandaVision doubles down on the 1950s vibe and we meet several characters for the second time, not least their nosey neighbour, Agnes, and Vision’s co-workers.

Unlike the first episode this one is genuinely funny and works, more or less, entirely on its own merits. Alongside Bettany’s role, Elizabeth Olsen continues to impress both with her own comedic abilities but also in the chemistry between Wanda and Vision.

Something missing from the movies in which these two characters appear is a sense of why they’re together and certainly on screen time for that relationship to develop. The show gives time for their normal relationship to be on display and that includes not just the jokes and slapstick associated with the shows they’re pastiching but also moments of tenderness and love.

Vision gets in with the local neighbourhood watch and delightfully it’s entirely full of people who, at that time, would be the kind normally associated with being criminals and ne’er do wells (yes, I mean people of colour like me). While he’s navigating that, Wanda is being introduced to the ladies of the neighbourhood led by the stereotypical controlling alpha mum. These sections are really well delivered and make for interesting television. For such low stakes I felt real tension and was invested in the characters triumphing.

Additionally, the show is doing a great job of juxtapositioning the absurdity of the world in which they’re living with its archaic gender divisions and its expectations with the relationship of Wanda and Vision together with a diverse cast. It’s hard to write about because it’s playing with these expectations and tropes but as yet it’s unclear how much of that is integral to the plot and how much of that is simply the way shows are made now.

The mundane challenges and obstacles run in parallel with stronger hints something isn’t quite right. A malfunctioning radio, splashes of colour against the black and white palette which only Wanda can see. An advert for a watch reveals it is made by Hydra and sold by Strücker Industries.

Is this all a dream or a prison or something Wanda’s created to protect them from a threat she can’t identify?

At one point Wanda is accused of being dangerous, of threatening the neighbourhood and Olsen does a great job of showing she knows it might be true but also looking scared, as if she suspects it’s not her people need to be frightened by.

There is also a mysterious symbol which recurs at least three times in the episode (and which we also saw in episode 1) – a sword. Who is this and what do they want? When Wanda actually sees someone with this logo (admittedly in an eerie and threatening situation) she acts, literally changing the world to remove what she perceives as a threat to an unaware Vision. It’s clear there’s something ‘outside’ of the world in which she and Vision are living. What that is remains unclear except we know they’re being watched, we know someone is trying to communicate with them from outside.

Verdict: The show is laying its groundwork and I’m interested to see where it goes. In many ways it feels like a concept album; designed to be listened to from beginning to end in order to get the most from it. There’s no doubt it’s exceptionally well put together, very tightly plotted and written and I’m fully expecting to look back on the opening with an entirely different perspective once we learn what’s going on.

Rating: 7 Illusions out of 10

Stewart Hotston