Twins! The intrigue continues- WandaVision Episode 3 review: (Spoilers)

As soon as Wanda uttered the words ‘I had a twin’ Goosebumps shot through me. Episode 3 is set in the 70s style and delivers another fun and confusing episode to the ever intriguing plot of WandaVision. This episode especially causes more theories to circulate the fan base and allows for different viewpoints, which is a stray away from the previous dominating theory that suggests that an entity of some kind is behind the events of the series. Every character in the episode shows a different side of themselves which only creates for intrigue and thickens the plot. Despite all the confusion the series teases us with the main take away from the episode is that Wanda and Vision now have twins- Tommy and Billy.

A comedy masking grief:

Tommy and Billy Maximoff broke the record for quickest birth since conception, as Wanda gave birth what seems less than 24 hours, not the 3 days that Vision falsely predicted. As fans may be aware Tommy and Billy are the children of Wanda from the comics and do possess special abilities to boot. We are yet to see this as they are still infants. For me the powers of the twins are not a concern as of yet. What I want to see is how Wanda and Vision act as parents. We saw them hilariously panic as expecting parents in this episode which provided the episode with the marvel humour we come to expect. The performances of Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen are superb and even without the mystery of the plot; they make the sitcom show watchable like the sitcoms the show is inspired from. From vision changing a diaper to Wanda practising her breathing; these scenes took me away from the intrigue and I just felt like I was watching a normal sitcom. This allowed for the final act of the episode to really step up a gear.

‘Twins’ definitely is the theme of the final act of the episode. Wanda is also a twin and the moment she told Teyonah Paris’ Monica Rambeau we knew something big was going to happen between the two characters. This scene was the first time that Wanda has acknowledged her brother, Pietro Maximoff since his death in Avengers: Age of Ultron. This is something Monica was quick to point out as she said he was killed by Ultron. Whether she knew this before or whether she suddenly remembered this because Wanda mentions it is another mystery that keeps the common theme of intrigue and mystery to the series.

The main take away from this scene for me is Wanda and how she acts. We see tears fall from Wanda’s eyes and then for her to turn on Monica by casting her out of Westview and back into the ‘normal’ world. This scene explores the fantastic depth of character Wanda has by delving into her grief. A massive credit has to go to the writers and Elizabeth Olsen for the portrayal of this.

The 5 stages of grief start with denial, which has been taking place through MCU movies as Wanda has not mentioned Pietro since Age of Ultron. Denial from Wanda is also taking place in Westview as Wanda is living a suburban life with the deceased Vision. We still don’t know how Westview came to be but its likely Wanda had some doing. This proves how Wanda is still denying the fact that Vision is gone as she has brought him back in some way. She has also ignoring her brother’s death until Monica mentions his name.

What this sparks is anger from Wanda as she casts Monica out of Westview. Anger is the 2nd stage of grief. The 3rd stage is bargaining! Does this mean Wanda will bargain to bring Vision and Pietro back properly and not just in the creepy Westview. And who will she bargain with?

What’s wrong with Westview?

Another major development from the episode is the town Westview. In the first 2 episodes the town and its people didn’t feel a major threat apart from the nosy neighbour Kathryn Hahn’s Agnes. Instead the town provided comic relief with the character Phil standing out with his hilarious one liners. However in the 3rd instalment the town definitely feel a bigger part to the series. The character Herb definitely needs to learn how to trim his bushes as he decided to trim a wall instead. Herb was definitely not ok here and poses the question was he possessed or influenced by something else. The later scene with Herb and Agnes speaking also poses questions what was Herb about to tell Vision before Agnes sharply told him to ‘stop it’, which is what Mrs. Hart constantly repeats it in the first episode. From this scene Agnes doesn’t seem her usual joyful self. Instead she looks scared.

Who is she scared of? Theories have suggested that Agnes has been influencing Wanda, but if this true if she is scared? Or does Agnes serve somebody else? The questions about the town are developing and make us want to tune in for answers. The intrigue this provides makes for fantastic weekly viewing.

We are also introduced to another Westview dweller in the episode in the Doctor that helps Wanda through her slightly premature pregnancy. Once again it seems the Doctor is there for comic relief with his remarks to the size of the baby bump being comparable to sizes of fruit. However one line from the Doctor once again shows the importance of the town people to the plot. When he says “small towns are so hard to escape” it poses the questions why can he not escape? This episode highlights that we have to pay attention to every character in the show and that it may be worth re-watching the previous episodes to understand the town and its residents better.

Moreover the confusion on our faces is matched with confusion on Vision’s face. It seems Vision has started to work something out. He was definitely onto something earlier in the episode, but he quickly got glitched backwards like at the end of episode 2. We thought Wanda was behind the rewind in episode 2, but this time it didn’t feel like she did. This would suggest that Wanda doesn’t have complete control of Westview.

The new SHEILD:

After Monica is cast out of Westview we see more of the organisation that is SWORD. The series has done a good job so far of presenting SWORD to us. As SWORD is a new organisation in the MCU they haven’t just assumed everyone knows who they are. Each episode has given us a glimpse of what SWORD is without explaining it. This is smart as it treats the audience with respect and doesn’t just spell it out for them. Hardcore fans will know who they are from the comics whereas more casuals will know them more as a group observing and trying to help Wanda. This is perfect as the small pieces we get at the end of each episode helps set the organisation up in the MCU while also not taking the attention away from the stars of the show.

We still are yet to see the retuning Jimmy Woo and Darcy Lewis in the series but we expect to see them in the upcoming episodes which will help flesh out the role of SWORD. Also we can also expect Monica’s return to the outside of Westview to help with SWORD’s mission to save Wanda.

I feel the fact we don’t actually know that much about SWORD does actually help the series. Yes, we are being introduced to them slowly over the episodes, but it also feels like we the viewer’s part of SWORD. At the end of episode 1 we saw a SWORD agent watching the episode of WandaVision like we were. SWORD, like us are trying to understand what is going on in Westview and are searching for answers.

Monica is the real hero:

I think it’s safe to assume the intrigue will continue throughout the upcoming episodes as we continue to move through the decades. For the upcoming episodes I think the main aspects we will be how much control Wanda has of the reality and what influence the people of Westview have. Questions have been asked if Wanda is the real villain of the series. If she is then the future of the MCU can expect big and bad things considering the powers Wanda has in her arsenal.

A bold theory I have is that the series is a setting up for Monica Rambeau to become her comic book alias of Spectrum. I think this is an interesting theory as in the comics she was exposed to energy that gave her powers to transform into electromagnetic energy. Monica getting cast out of Westview could be how she develops her powers as the energy she gets hit by could trigger her powers.

However my most prevailing theory like many fans still remains that the villain of the series is Mephisto! Teases have occurred throughout the first 3 episodes of the series with Agnes mentioning the devil. Also Mephisto is known for bargaining in the comics and I think the stages of grief Wanda is going through will play out in the series with her bargaining something possibly the twins for her loved ones return.

Another main stay in the show is the Easter egg commercials which provide a look at Wanda’s past as each advertisement has elements from her life in the MCU. Could these advertisements mean something else or are they just there for marvel fanboys like myself to appreciate.

Finals Thoughts:

Theories and predictions aside WandaVision’s 3rd episode continues what the previous 2 continued. The comedy on display in the sitcom format is a joy to watch and does at times take you away from the actual plot. Although the comedy is a joy the plot and its intrigue has me going insane. This is not a slight at the show and is exactly what the show needs to be. The show continues to be mysterious and each episode asks more questions than it answers. We can prepare for more of the same until the finale and the reveal of what is going on in Westview which I’m sure will deliver what the intrigue and mystery has hyped up.