WandaVision
Cast: Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Kathryn Hahn
Rating 4/5
Marvel's WandaVision, centred around two of its Avengers, Wanda Maximoff and The Vision, has finally concluded. And after nine episodes of comedy, drama, a bit of history and a lot of mayhem, we can finally say that it is exceedingly good.
WandaVision in its essence is a 5-something hour-long movie cut across 9 episodes, each with its own internal plot, with an overreaching arc, perpetually teasing that nothing is quite what it seems in this idyllic suburban house. Of course, that only seems natural when every episode changes the era it is set in - from the 50s sitcom all the way to the 2000s, and then some.
On its own, each episode of WandaVision has interesting revelations, with enough questions to set up intrigue for what comes next, and at its core are Wanda and Vision - one, a grieving Avenger with reality-bending powers, and another a supposedly dead Avenger who had his head torn apart by Thanos in Infinity War.
Wanda is, without any doubt, the heart of the show. Even if her house and the magic around WestView is meant to offer her a way to live her ideal life with Vision, it is, in reality, a heavily exaggerated means of grieving the loss of both her brother and her boyfriend, and this aspect of her helps humanise one that is supposed to be a terrifying force of power.
On the other hand is Vision, an android with no recollection of his life before WestView, who is originally content with his quiet life with Wanda, but as the show goes on, learns just how deep this rabbit hole goes and gains a kind of self-revelation by both living in 'the Hex' and fighting "himself" that is not exactly commonly seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The show's supporting cast is also stacked with well-written characters, but the best among them has to be Agnes, or rather Agatha Harkness. It's plain as day that Kathryn Hahn is having a ton of fun playing this ancient, manipulative witch who is pretending to be under Wanda's Hex in WestView. Both her innocent actor side of 'Agnes' and the witch side of Harkness are a delight to watch.
Beyond that, the best characters would be Monica Rambeau, a victim of Thanos' snap brought back by the Hulk, and an unwitting participant of the Hex - at least till she makes Wanda mad and is literally flung out of WestView. Teyonah Parris expertly portrays every side of the character, both inside the Hex and outside.
Honourable mentions go to Kat Dennings' Darcy Lewis and Randall Park's Jimmy Woo, the ultimate brains-and-comedy duo of the series. Their interactions are always fun and funny to behold, and they have a very good complementary relationship as characters.
The series' effects works are top-notch, bringing everything to life on a level no lower than the mainline MCU films - be it Vision vs Vision, all the magic, or the Scarlet Witch herself. There's nary a reason to question the series here - especially with the ending, for it lends itself to the future of the MCU in several ways.
There is also a solid sense of direction, powered by well-written scripts courtesy of several writers, and a potent soundtrack to accompany it all.
To close, WandaVision is a masterful series and a rock-solid glimpse into what is to come.