![]() ![]() We can only hope that this is a design decision to ensure the audience is comfortable with the high-concept premise (which, admittedly, may require some bedding in for more casual viewers). The meta-level reveals present minimal advancement on episode one’s mystery cliffhanger, and so it does feel almost as if the show has stalled for a beat. But as it stands, the second episode - while more amusing and more confident - treads almost identical ground to the first. This would feel less of a quibble if this premiere was not two distinct episodes, and was instead a single hour-long introduction. Because for as enjoyable and mysterious as this two-part premiere is, it does feel all set-up and very little in the form of plot development. ![]() It’s a fascinating way to break the fourth wall that's practically Lynchian in design, and serves as a promise that the show is much darker than much of its twee material would suggest.Īt this stage though, that’s largely what it is: a promise. Director Matt Shakman switches from a classic multi-camera sitcom set-up to a more dramatic single-camera format, bringing the lens right to the dinner table and performing slow, ominous zooms. The best example, however, comes in episode one, when Fred Melamed’s Mr. ![]() This is rather striking when Dottie cuts her hand on broken glass, and her response is muted enough to maintain the mystery as to whether the people of Westview are in on the secret or not. Of particular note are the visual techniques the show uses to deal with this, such as splashes of bright red colour injected into the monochrome palette. While I do genuinely like the sitcom elements and admire the show’s dedication to this unlikely format, the darker side of WandaVision is the thing that really pulls me through this opening act. Perhaps the best example of this is Wanda’s comment on Vision’s indestructible head, which works as a cute housewife quip while also acting as dark dramatic irony, since we as viewers know that his head was torn apart by Thanos in Infinity War. That so many elements in this first half-hour are able to work on both the in-show universe and meta levels is quite a feat of writing. The pair’s confusion about the August 23 calendar date helps provide further fuel for the mystery, while also doubling as a pretty typical sitcom plot to deliver the homage. Through the use of a delightful theme tune and self-aware title cards that use the characters’ names rather than their actors, it firmly establishes the show’s false reality, generating a sense of unease around the vintage styling. In contrast, the ‘50s-set first scenario, in addition to being a loving homage to classics like I Love Lucy, does a lot of heavy lifting to get the show’s rather meta concept off the ground. Of the two episodes, the second is distinctly the funniest, as it spins fewer plates than the opening half-hour, and thus can dedicate more of itself to Wanda and Vision’s talent show ordeal. ![]()
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