Contains Spoilers
After the bombshell that was last week’s reveal, fans would have undoubtedly been left reeling with many questions as to what exactly it all meant for the nature of the Marvel Cinematic Universe going forward in its fourth phase. Of course, the following episode was never going to answer it all, but there are certainly enough nuggets of information, and dramatic events in its own right, to keep viewers guessing and intrigued as to where the final stretch of episodes will take us.
It’s Halloween night in Westview. With the aesthetic now firmly in 90’s sitcom territory (there’s some real Malcolm in the Middle vibes this episode), Wanda and Vision have to deal with the sudden arrival of Wanda’s supposedly dead twin brother, Pietro (Evan Peters), with Wanda clearly thrown by his sudden change of appearance. Outside ‘The Hex’, Monica, Jimmy and Darcy’s efforts to get SWORD to take a less aggressive course of action against Wanda sees them sidelined, meaning that they feel compelled to take matters into their own hands. They’re not the only ones who are taking it upon themselves to find out what’s going on, as Vision begins to test the boundaries of the reality he is in, something which has consequences for everyone both inside and outside The Hex.
The biggest question mark people will have following the ‘Evan Peters as Pietro’ reveal of last week is just how this all ties into his version of Quicksilver from the 20th Century Fox X-Men franchise, and whether or not this is any indication of some sort of alternate universe. We do not have clear answers yet, but there are enough suspicious clues here to suggest that this Pietro isn’t either the MCU’s or the Fox franchise’s version of the character. He knows a little too much about the fate of the Aaron taylor-Johnson verison of the character, and also seems to have quite a significant awareness of the fact that he is existing in a reality that is being controlled by Wanda. She is suspicious of him, and it would seem she has every right to be, particularly as it becomes clear that he may be trying to coerce some kind of information about her powers and how it is she managed to do all of this in the first place. Just who was it that put him here, and why did they get his appearance wrong?
The mystery of Pietro is not the only puzzle that takes centre stage in this episode, as it also becomes clear that SWORD themselves are not to be trusted, as they are quick to remove Monica from the equation as soon as the opportunity arises. Monica, whose origins as the comic book hero Photon are starting to be teased more directly, is not one to settle for being sidelined, particularly given she has a sense that Wanda is doing this all for a greater reason. Monica is yet to come round to the same suspicions we have as an audience that Wanda is not entirely behind it all, but that likely won’t be for much longer. It also becomes clear that SWORD is more interested in getting what is left of Vision back, further leading suspicion towards the organisation who were holding on to Vision’s remains before Wanda stole him back.
There’s clearly a lot of wheels turning in WandaVision right now, which can often leave the commitment to the new era sitcom aesthetic starting to feel more and more like an afterthought. There are some fun elements involved in following Wanda and Vision’s kids Tommy and Billy (whose powers keep rapidly developing) as if they’re the leads of the show, akin to Frankie Muniz in Malcolm in the Middle, but it all starts to feel less and less a crucial part of everything that iss going on. It is a shame that one of the purest elements of creativity and fun within the show is being used in more of an off-handed fashion, as the show increasingly becomes more and more of a traditional MCU narrative with each episode. That being said though, there are still some nice period details, with the oh-so-very-90’s fake yogurt advertisement featuring a claymation shark that ends up being wickedly macabre and ominous.
For those who were enjoying WandaVision for its different MCU flavours will likely be starting to get a little more disheartened by the Disney+ series folding back more into the general aesthetic and plot mechanics of its cinematic counterparts. But for those who are very much well and truly converted to the grand narrative of the MCU, everything that the show is continuing to develop and tease will remain undeniably intriguing. There are also plenty of delicious easter eggs for fans of the comic books as well, running from comic accurate costumes to background nods and further hints at the possible presence of Mephisto having a hand in proceedings. As this episode once again leaves off on a tantalising cliffhanger for next week’s episode, what with Wanda expanding the perimeter of The Hex so that the base of SWORD’s operations has become a part of her reality, there is still plenty to make any fan hungry to tune in for next week.
