Cultural Junkdrawer – Season’s End: WandaVision pt 2: Quibbles, Trolls and The Future!

GameStop, Inc.

 

  SEASON’S END: WANDAVISION

Pt 2: Quibbles, Trolls and The Future!

 

 Season’s End is a less than regular feature I do for Cultural Junkdrawer where I take a season of a TV show, break it down, analyze it to death and ramble on about what worked and what didn’t. I occasionally make dumb jokes and do call backs to other entries in my three columns that you haven’t read.

If you haven’t read Pt 1: (Hex)Nuts and Bolts… What the hell is wrong with you? Go HERE you big dingus! You don’t really need to read part 1 to understand part 2 but my feeling will be hurt.

 In Part 1 I talked about the technical aspects of the show and gushed about the things I did like and thought the show did right. This part will get a tad more pissy over things I didn’t like and fall into the speculation trap that Marvel constantly baits us with.

 I also must warn you that THERE WILL BE SPOILERS! This might seem obvious simply because this is Part 2 of a recap of WandaVision but if I’ve learned anything in the last 5 years is that obvious doesn’t occur to large swaths of people… ever. So from here on in it’s all on you!

 STUFF I DIDN’T LIKE – Didn’t like doesn’t really accurately describe the things that I have small issues with. Mainly because some of it was out of the production’s control. For example Darci kinda vanishes in those last few episodes. A situation created by the pandemic, she couldn’t be there for pick-ups and re shoots. The same explanation is probably a factor in the Vision taking two episodes to fly to his house from the edge of town. I know that the two story lines were taking place at the same time but the way it was cut, probably due to not having 100% of what was needed to put the scenes closer to the climax, it FELT like it was taking forever. Minor quibbles. I mean it would make less sense to kill the momentum of “Wanda: This is your Life!” by showing Vision flying across town.

 WHITE VISION (Cataract) – It’s smart of Marvel to leave stray plot threads dangling. White Vision just going “Hasta Bro!” and jetting outta there did feel a tad anti-climatic, though.

 

 

 Trolling the fans – I think Marvel Entertainment realizes that it has a bit of a following. The little details of a Marvel Project are what fans obsess over. Anybody with access to wikipedia could find out the whole Mephisto/Twins connection easily. Introducing Mephisto or Nightmare or any of the other supernatural big bads wasn’t in the cards. The show’s structure was too strong to drop something that big into the show with as little set-up as was there. Aside from the “Devil in the details” quip from episode 2 there was little indication that there would be someone behind Agatha’s shenanigans. This didn’t deter wild speculation on the countless blogs and youtube channels breaking down the show on a weekly basis. Having all those fans keep stoking the fires of interest with breathless theories and connecting the imaginary dots to a fascinated audience. I’m guilty of this too (see below and “Part 2”). It can’t be helped. It’s expected at this point. Some excellent marketing Kung-Fu there. Well played, Marvel, well played.

Add in the wild speculation over Monica’s “I know a aerospace engineer” and Bettany’s comment about “Wanting to work with this actor all my life” you got a weekly checklist of talking points for the youtube crowd. Sure, it COULD’VE been Reed Richards that designed the rover but seeing as how the Fantastic Four movie is in the scripting stages, and a year (at least) from any type of casting news, we were never going to see him in the show. The Blue Marvel is too obscure a candidate but there were plenty of people in that camp too. Another rogue theory was Dottie being Arcanna. Also a stretch, but that wouldn’t even have been a consideration except for the news that Kevin Feigie wanted final word on the casting. 

 Bettany’s comment was so damn cheeky in retrospect that it might qualify as the most British thing ever said after “Doctor, The Daleks are attacking Big Ben!”. But many geek-centric podcasts and channels tossed around names like “Patrick Stewart”, “ Ian McKellen” (never in the cards, guys. When the MCU has those characters they won’t be actors in their 70’s) pushing a mutant introduction in the show. Also “Benedict Cumberbatch”.  The only one that made even a little sense would’ve been Doctor Strange because we already know Wanda is a major player in his sequel (maybe). That and there was an eight mile wide magic spell about a dozen turnpike exits away from The Sorcerer Supreme’s home turf. But having a dude float in and resolve all the problems Wanda was dealing with would’ve been pretty tone deaf to say the least.

 The one truly tangible troll, having Evan Peters guest star as Quicksilver, was a doozie for sure. The Nerdsphere collectively lost its shit when she opened that door and Peters was standing there claiming to be her brother. Maybe we WERE going to get Mutants introduced into the MCU sooner than later. All the chatter about “Multiverses” and “House of M” inverted really seemed to be validated by a recast Pietro on Wanda’s doorstep. Kevin Feige, the producers and writers knew what they were doing by having Peters play that role. As if the mysteries and questions building up in the show weren’t enough already.  Quicksilver; arguably the second most popular character from the defunct Fox “X-Men” universe showing up sent speculation into orbit! Ultimately it played out as a meta-joke about sit-com stunt casting but how tantalizing the potential was!

 Future MCU setups –  Billy and Tommy – Future young Avengers, Wiccan and Speed, vanished with the Hex but we all know that isn’t the end of their story. Especially considering the end credit sequence with Wanda at the foot of a mountain (Wundergore? See still doing it!) astrally perusing the Darkhold. And hearing them call for help.

 Monica “Photon” Rambeau – We all saw this coming since “Captain Marvel”. Even with her power set not explained to any great extent, the MCU has a new, very powerful hero on deck. Teyonah Parris has charisma to burn mixing strength, empathy, vulnerability and humor. Let’s hope we see her again before “Captain Marvel 2”.

 Jimmy Woo – I love Randall Park but I’ll confess I was a little bummed out at his dorkiness in “Ant Man and the Wasp”. He did NOT seem like the Jimmy Woo: master tactician, brilliant leader and all around bad-ass the comics version is in “Agents of Atlas”.  A team I would dearly love to see in the MCU. Wandavision took several steps toward making this Woo, if not a superbad ass, at least a believable version of the AoA leader. Just give me Gorilla Man and M-11 the Human Robot as part of the team and I’ll be happy.

 S.W.O.R.D. – Seeing Nick Fury up in that space station at the end of “Spiderman: Far from Home” prepped us for more of this organization. Having “Weapon” instead of “Worlds” may have been a feint. Dialogue certainly seemed to indicate there was a space component to the organization. Maybe the whole grounded dialogue from Hayward was another lie (seriously, fuck that guy!) The question now is: :By the end of this phase of movies and TV will there be an A.R.M.O.R. in place in the MCU?

 Skrulls – Dovetailing with S.W.O.R.D. and the foundation for the upcoming “Secret Invasion” series. The one theory about the “Aerospace engineer” that made sense to me was Talos’ daughter that Monica became friends with in “Captain Marvel”. 

 The Darkhold – If you look at the runes inscribed on the cover and the pages we see Wanda examining in the show they magically spell out “Maguffin”.

 Well, I think I covered the majority of what I wanted to talk about in this “Season’s End”. In truth there will probably be 50 other things that occur to me moments after I upload this column. That’s the territory WandaVision occupies in our cultural map: a piece of art that will encourage continual discussion and mean something different to everyone that views it for years to come.

 Not bad for lowly “funny book” stuff.

 

Things tangential to the column that I couldn’t work in organically.

Though this fits better with part one I hadn’t cleared permission in time for that posting. I said how WandaVision resonates with many people on many subjects. Katharine Conrad and I are part of a fan group on Facebook. She pointed out a particular facet of the show’s themes which I felt landed perfectly. Especially pertaining to Wanda and Monica’s dynamic…

 On the subject of brushing past women’s pain, this is a huge reason why I loved WandaVision so much.

This character has been through so much trauma that was just sort of skimmed over in the movies. As a woman dealing with lifelong depression and anxiety, it was heartbreaking and wonderfully relatable to see this exploration of grief and depression in a woman who’s carrying this huge emotional burden with a support system that’s either dissolved completely or is oblivious to what’s happening.

It’s a type of “strong” female character we don’t usually get to see – one who suffers an emotional and psychological crisis and somehow comes back from the brink of oblivion.

And that’s thanks in no small part to the support of another woman – a total stranger – who recognized her pain, empathized, and refused to give up on helping her. No Clint. No Bruce. No Steve. Just Monica and her shared experience (with help from Jimmy and Darcy, of course).

Some people, including our beloved boys, have argued Monica lets Wanda off too easy at the end of the series. My take is that Monica’s the one person who knows she doesn’t have to berate Wanda – she knows Wanda knows she massively screwed up, that she took it upon herself to punish herself better than anyone else could, and to fix what she’d done to the best of her ability. Maybe more importantly, Monica’s smart enough to know that everyone else on the planet will villainize Wanda whether she deserves it or not. Monica endangered herself repeatedly to earn Wanda’s tenuous trust, and she’s sharp enough to know that maintaining it is going to be more helpful at this point than risking breaking it with a redundant, functionally unnecessary scolding.

The MCU is short on leading/supporting female characters, and in this case that’s had arguably in-universe consequences: not that guys can’t be empathetic, but if there were other lady Avengers running around the compound after Nat was killed, maybe someone would have noticed or recognized what was happening to Wanda before a whole town got sucked into a nightmare.

To further drive the point home, the villain in this series isn’t a punchy guy with big punchy powers. It’s another woman – another stranger – and unlike apparently every male ally, like Monica she spots Wanda’s emotional and psychological vulnerability. But unlike Monica, she tries to exploit it. She’s the bitchy faux friend that maybe all of us ladies have had at one point: the high school girl who acts like your friend to your face and earns your trust, but talks trash about you behind your back and eventually guts you with your own insecurities.

Basically, WandaVision is the solo female superhero film I’ve been waiting for, one that puts women and traditionally women-centric struggles front and center alongside their relationships with other women (and without resorting to angsty love triangles).

Thank You Katharine for contributing. G8M8s 👍🏻

 

 The Darkhold already popped up in Season 4 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. but that show doesn’t quite count as in continuity after season 2. I think that divergent timeline is called “The Perlmutter-verse” by absolutely nobody. Mostly because Perlmutter isn’t well liked and “Inhumans” is part of it.

 I’m reluctant to promise anything for next Cultural Junkdrawer but maybe I’ll take on “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” as a season’s end. Lord knows I don’t want to take on “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” anymore than I already have because I dislike death threats. And my thoughts on this new version aren’t overwhelmingly positive.

“Funny books” are what my grandmother called them. Of course at the time I was reading a comic about a space explorer mating with a sentient planet. “Funny” didn’t quite describe such a thing.

 In keeping with tradition here is the picture of Maitland Ward (an excellent Scarlet Witch if there was ever a porn parody) and Angela White (an excellent anything in any porn)

 

Welcome ladies.

Like I said… wait what was I saying again?

 

See ya soon!

 

Anytime Costumes

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