Gladiator II Review

Ready to re-enter the Colosseum in ancient Rome? In 2000 Gladiator was released, the historical epic won five Academy awards including Best Picture and Best Actor for Russell Crowe. Twenty-four years later director Ridley Scott has given us a sequel - Gladiator II. Scott had a mammoth task at hand, how do you create a sequel to one of the greatest films of all time? Gladiator II is a four-star exhilarating historical epic. It fails to live up to its predecessor, but that doesn't not mean it is a bad film or even an unworthy sequel. I greatly enjoyed the cinematic experience that is Gladiator II, in all its historically epic style! Read on for my full review, there will be minor spoilers.  Set two decades after the events of Gladiator, you may expect to find a free Rome ruled by a senate that answers to the people, as was the dream of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. a Rome that Maximus fought and died to reform. However, Rome is now ruled by young and cruel twin Emperors Caracalla (Fred He...

WandaVision Review

Happy New Year everyone! Normally I kick off the New Year with an anticipated movies post but with things as they currently stand and the opening of cinema uncertain I decided, instead I would review each episode of the MCU's first TV show: WandaVision. The show premiered with two episodes on the 15th of January and will run until the 5th of March. There will be 9 episodes and I will be reviewing them all, so save this post and make sure to check it on a weekly basis for each review. This is set to be a unique show, with huge set pieces and a sitcom style. I'm most excited to see Wanda explore her powers and evolve further. The trailers so far have given very little away in terms of narrative, so we have no idea what's in store. I am so excited for this show, I have always liked the idea that Wanda would become the next MCU villain, we have watched her lose so many people that we have connected with her, so just imagine the impact of a villain arch? She would be a villain we actually care about!! There will be spoilers throughout - you have been warned. 



Episode 1 Review 

What a way to start a show. Right from the get go you can see commitment to the sitcom through the decades style. The way the screen goes from colour to black and white and wide screen to square screen really pulls us back in time with the characters. The opening theme is brilliant - each episode is going to have a different opening theme all of which have been written by: Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez. The research that went into creating an authentic 50's sitcom is evident, everything from the narrative structure, the light humour, the costume and décor is perfect. This episode revolves around the boss coming to dinner. 

The episode has an overall fun vibe, with light humour surrounding the abilities of Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany). But there is one very unnerving moment where Vision's boss (Fred Melamed) is choking, his wife (Debra Jo Rupp - who is brilliant throughout) laughs and repeats 'stop it' even as he falls to the floor. Vision is completely frozen from the moment they are made to think about their past, until Wanda tells him to save his boss, but it is Wanda that steals this scene, the sheer confused panic on her face throughout this scene is incredible. In fact reality is skirted around throughout the episode, from Wanda's Sokovian heritage to Visions 'I don't have a skeleton' joke. There are a couple of hints peppered throughout the episode, the checked jacket Wanda wears in the present day scenes of the trailer is hung by the door. During a toaster commercial the sound of Ironman's amour is heard and it is revealed that the toaster is a product of Stark Industries, there is also a ticking noise perhaps this is a refence to the bomb that nearly killed her. The last hint is revelled when the episode presumably ends, the scene goes back to widescreen and we are shown someone watching the episode on a monitor: S.W.O.R.D. 

I can honestly say there is nothing quite like WandaVision out there right now, it is refreshing. The light-humoured style hides the darkness lurking beneath in a way thats thrilling. The episode makes you think about everything Wanda has been through and it's almost as if we are just waiting to see her break. Agnes (Kathryn Hahn) is introduced in this episode, she is fun and instantly becomes friends with Wanda, I cannot wait to learn more about her character. WandaVision was a bold move for the MCU but even after only one episode I think it payed off, of the rest of the season is this strong it will be a triumph. 

Episode 2 Review

Episode 2 is somehow even better, now set in what appears to be the early 60s. Once again it is in black and white and square screened. Although there seems to be a slight saturation of colour in the black and white and there are even two moments of actual colour throughout the episode before the full transition to colour at the end. The transition is very reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz. This episode revolves around a talent show, where Wanda and Vision are putting on a magic performance. The fact that Wanda is suddenly pregnant at the end of the episode raises so many questions and breaks the illusion of them being normal and the world they live in being real even as Wanda asks 'Is this really happening'. 

Once again this episode has a very fun vibe, Vision particularly embraces the silly throughout. You can just tell Paul Bettany had a fun time creating this. Wanda's self-awareness is tested throughout the episode, first when she mentions wanting to fit in, then when she finds a toy red and yellow plane with the S.W.O.R.D emblem in her rose bushes, then when a transmission comes over the radio asking 'Wanda who's doing this too you' and Dotty (Emma Caulfield Ford) cuts her hand, the blood is red. Then once more when a masked figure appears out of a sewer (That did not exist at the start of the episode) and Wanda reverses time. Even though Wanda reverses time at the end, she looks unconvinced perhaps by the illusion. There are once again a few hints, besides the S.W.O.R.D ones I have already mentioned, there is a watch branded the 'Strucker' - Strucker being the man who experimented on Wanda and Quicksilver, on the watch there is also the HYDRA logo. The bomb that almost killed her was referenced in episode one, Hydra who tested on her was in this one, perhaps there will be a hint to the death of her brother Quicksilver in the 3rd? 

There is a really interesting moment when Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) is introduced, she pauses before telling Wanda her name is Geraldine - almost as if she didn't know her name. Agnes gave me an uneasy feeling this episode when she made guns with her hands - this seemed a little out of character, also where is the husband she keeps mentioning? It was pretty much confirmed that Agnes is in fact the witch Agatha Harkness whose son is called Nicholas Scratch - the same name as Agnes' bunny. Plus Dotty seems to break free of the illusion asking who Wanda is despite them knowing each other. I may be picking up too much, but I think everything in this show has a hidden meaning. I honestly already think this show is brilliant, Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany shine in a show that is so different for the MCU. Yet again the production value is on an other level of brilliance. I cannot believe we have to wait a week before episode 3.

Episode 3 Review


It's been a long week waiting for episode three. This is our first full in colour episode and gives us a lot of new information. The episode revolves around Wanda and Vision becoming parents, Wanda goes from instantly pregnant to full term to giving birth all in the matter of a day. Their children Tommy and Billy are comic book accurate and were magic constructs created by Wanda. The opening song this week has a real 70s sitcom vibe, with 'in colour' added to the title which was common place in the 70s. We get to see Wanda having as much fun as Vision for a good three quarters of the episode which is so much fun to watch. The set and costumes are once again on point, the coloured windows on the house are coincidentally the colours of vision - red, blue and yellow which probably means something. But the stork is the stand out of the episode for me. 

Remember last weeks hints of self-awareness? Good, because this episode more than hints. Within the first few minutes neighbour Herb (David Payton) is cutting through the wall - almost as if he is malfunctioning. Then there is everything that happens with Geraldine (aka Monica), the fact that she is wearing a S.W.O.R.D necklace, combined with Agnes and Herb's deductions that she has no home, no family, no husband - that she appeared out of nowhere. Makes me certain that she did arrive on the colour plane in episode two. Vision begins to piece things together saying 'I think something's wrong here', then it cuts and the scene repeats but without any hint to the pervious version. The sound of a finished record can be heard here - I am yet to work out what that means. Then there are the mentions that: it's impossible to leave and Anges and Herb seeming to know more than they are letting on, in fact Anges seems scared to reveal anything. Also Anges wears the same broach accessory in every episode - I think the image is either the grim reaper or the four horsemen. 

Then there is the mention of Quicksilver, when Wanda mentions that she had a twin. The sadness Wanda conveys in this scene is stunning. But Geraldine almost seems to wake up by saying 'he was killed by Ultron'. This makes Wanda really angry, the record noise can be heard once again, but the score also becomes rather menacing. Wanda herself becomes menacing, she turns cold and then Geraldine is suddenly gone. Wanda is starting to seem a little scary. Geraldine on the other hand has been thrown from the illusion, the screen turns to wide screen as we see a base, army vehicles surround her. The shot widens and we see a giant force field type wall within which the illusion is taking place. Are these people on the outside S.W.O.R.D? Plus since when can Vision run super fast, it seems like Wanda is manifesting her brothers powers into Vision. And let's not forget the commercial, once again Hyrda is mentioned - with the idea of an illusion holiday. Remember in Avengers: Age of Ultron when Wanda gave the Avengers visions? Well I think that is what's being hinted at here.  Overall I think this is another fantastic episode and I cannot wait for episode 4.   

Episode 4 Review

Another Friday means another Wandavision episode. This episode was hyped up with a trailer and the actors called it the biggest episode so far. But was the episode worth the hype? Yes 100% yes! This weeks episode had a completely different tone, the light hearted fun comedy is gone and that is because for the first time we properly get to see what is happening outside of the illusion. This episode opens up the possibilities to the point where any pervious theories seem redundant, but I am more and more convinced that Wanda is transitioning to a villain. The episode shows us how Monic Rambeau ended up in West View, starting with her return form the snap. Discovering that her mother Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch) had died during the five years was devastating, seeing the chaos in the hospital gave us insight into what happened when the snap was reversed. We get to see S.W.O.R.D trying to uncover what is going on, with the construction of a base and the identification of those in the illusion - but Agnes is not someone they are able to identify which again hints she is Agatha Harkness.

The most shocking part of the episode is when we see what Wanda did to Monic in the pervious episode. Once she has thrown Monica out, Wanda looks almost shocked at what she'd done - perhaps she's not in control of her powers? But when she turns to look at Vision she sees him discoloured with a hole in his head - dead. This was so horrible to watch, because it hit home that Vision really is dead. This raises the question, what happened to Visions body? I think Wanda may have stolen it and is animating him to appear alive. We finally get to see how big the illusion is - and it's in the shape of a hexagon - which could mean a few things. The hexagon could be the logo of A.I.M (an organisation we saw in Iron Man 3), A.I.M could want to replicate Wanda's powers or could want to understand how Vision worked to advance AI. The Beekeeper suit is also reminiscent of the suits A.I.M wear in the comics. It could also reference the number six, which could be 666 aka the devil - Mephisto. Or a reference to the six infinity stones, although this seems unlikely. This is also not the first time we have seen the hexagon shape, in the opening theme in episode 2, 6 stars form a hexagon shape around a circle. 

We also get two characters we have seen before: Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) from the Thor films and Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) the FBI agent from Ant-Man. Both characters add a new level to the show, referencing pervious events and the Avengers, which is fun for MCU fans. This episode feels more like an MCU movie, with S.W.O.R.D monitoring the situation. We also finally get to see what S.W.O.R.D stands for: Sentient Weapon Observation Response Division - however in the comics it stands for Sentient World Observation and Response Department, although this is a slight change the use of the word Weapon would tie into someone trying to perhaps weaponize Wanda or Vision. Next week I think we will return to the sitcom style, with a 70s episode, although we have yet to work out why the show is changing decades, even Darcy points this out. I have never wanted to watch the next episode of a TV show so bad! Big things are coming thats for sure. 

Episode 5 Review

Oh my! Where do we even start with this week's episode, there is so much to discuss and unpack. So, I am just going to start with the final big reveal - Pietro (Aka Quicksilver) is back! But when Wanda opened the door to come face to face with her brother it was not Aaron Taylor-Johnson at the door it was X-Men Quicksilver - Evan Peters. In a twist even has Darcy saying they 'Recast' Pietro - could this be the first sign that Wanda is opening the multiverse? It is also a bold move for the MCU to incorporate a character from the X-Men franchise - perhaps Peters won't be the only star to reprise his role. One question is stuck in my mind - did Wanda bring him back or did someone else? Indeed, Wanda's control over the illusion (renamed The Hex) is questioned throughout the episode, with everyone from Vision, to Monica, to Agnes alluding to it. But I think this might all be a great misdirect - Wanda herself seems slightly confused over what she is controlling and what she isn't. I still think Mephisto may be involved, in fact what if Evan Peters is playing Mephisto but is disguised as Pietro?

In another stand out moment of the episode Wanda exits The Hex to confront the S.W.O.R.D operatives. It seems that there is a strained relationship between Wanda and director Tyler Hayward (Josh Stamberg). Towards the start of the episode, we are shown flashback footage of Wanda breaking into S.W.O.R.D to get Visions body. In the footage it looks like vision had been taken apart and tested - perhaps hinting that S.W.O.R.D was trying to replicate the technology, or weaponize it in some way. Furthermore, throughout the episode Hayward continually positions Wanda as the villain throughout her entire MCU history, which is worrying perception to have. When Wanda exits, she takes control of the soldiers minds having them point their guns on Hayward, however Monica's ally admission seems to convince Wanda and she leaves them all unharmed. Before re-entering The Hex Wanda seems to fortify the boundary - this is all reminiscent of the House of M storyline. Furthermore, the renaming of what's happening by Darcey is very interesting as it refences Wanda's hex abilities, something that has be skirted around until this series.  

Other things to note about this episode, include Visions comic book accurate dog Sparky and the mention of alias'. When Hayward asks if Wanda has a nickname, Jimmy Woo says no - could Wanda finally get her comic book alias Scarlett Witch? There is also some shade thrown at Captain Marvel from Monica this week. My guess is Carol was not there when Maria died. I loved the line about Wanda being able to kill Thanos, something we've all known for a while. Sit-com wise we are introduced to Tommy and Billy this week. It becomes apparent that they can age themselves - something they do twice, and it is revealed that they are real and not a hex creation. Vision is starting to figure out what is happening, in one scene he confronts Wanda and the two square up for a fight. Vision turning on Wanda is the last thing she'll want so it'll be interesting to see what happens when he does eventually fight her. One things for sure Wanda is an incredibly powerful character, with such huge onscreen presence. I cannot wait to see what's next - after all we just don't know what's going to happen.  

Episode 6 Review

It's Halloween in Westview and we are officially in the 1990s, with Malcom in the Middle as the clear inspiration. Although for me the sit-com illusion has started to fade, what with so many of the characters now aware of what's happening. This self-awareness has resulted in the overwhelming assumption that Wanda is solely behind The Hex. But is she? Hayward is certainly captain of the 'Wanda is a villain' club. But there are a few inconstancy's such as Wanda being confused by Pietro's arrival. In this episode she even asks him why he looks different. Pietro who died before Vision also seems to know Vision is dead - Wanda's explosive reaction to his 'It's not like your dead husband can die twice' line is fantastic. Pietro also has memories of the past unlike Vision - which makes me believe there is something suspicious going on. Plus, I did a comparison between the bullet wounds Wanda sees on WandaVision Pietro and Age of Ultron Pietro and they are different. I am now more convinced that Evan Peters is not playing Pietro but someone else. Also did everyone catch the 'kick-ass' line - a refence to the movie of the same name which starred both Evan Peters and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.      

Then there is Vision and his discovery mission. As he moves away from the centre of the Hex people begin to glitch almost as if Wanda doesn't have enough power to control them perfectly. The people close to the border barely move, which is why Vision's encounter with Agnes is interesting. Firstly, why is she sat at the edge of The Hex? I think she was planted there because she unlike the other people at the border is able to talk. When Vision breaks through to Agnes, she directs him to the edge of The Hex - to Hayward who has been tracking him and clearly wants Visions body for his own gain. Agnes is also dressed as a witch and laughs like one too - I am now certain she is Agatha Harkness. Elsewhere in The Hex we see Tommy and Billy develop their own powers which is awesome. We also got to see Wanda is a comic book accurate costume for the first time which I loved. The advert this week seemed to hint at the sceptre aka the mind stone that gave Wanda her powers. Talking of Wanda's powers oh my! We have never seen Wanda use her powers to this extent. When she learns that Vision has gone outside The Hex and is dying, she pauses everything and expands the perimeter of The Hex. Her eyes turn red and the power she exhibits is paramount. Clearly fed up with S.W.O.R.D she engulfs their base turning it into a circus. Only Hayward and a few agents surviving. 

So, what happened outside The Hex? We are given some clarity on Haywards motivations. It would seem that he has a slight stigma towards superhero's due to the snap. His drive to possess Vision's body says to me that he intends to create weapons using Visions technology - perhaps so he can protect himself from superhero's or so he can kill them. Captain Marvel is once again mentioned - a second mention of a character is certainly something to note - although I'm not sure what to think right now. Monica, Darcey and Jimmy are banished from the base, however, fail to leave, which leads to Darcey's discovery that Monica's DNA is changing due to The Hex. It would appear that Monica is well on the way to gaining her Electromagnetic Spectrum powers. The DNA changes could also hint at the beginnings of mutants. With the expansion of The Hex, we see Darcey taken in however the fate of Monica and Jimmy are currently unknown. Throughout the season I have been convinced that Mephisto is involved but another villain is mentioned twice this week (although not as a person). Both Hayward and Pietro say the 'Nightmare' - Nightmare is a fear lord and the ruler of a dream dimension. Considering Wanda has now seen dead versions of both Vision and Pietro - it could be revealed that Nightmare is involved. Overall, another fantastic episode. WandaVision is quickly becoming my favourite TV show and one of my favourite MCU projects. Till next week.

Episode 7 Review


With only a few episodes left, WandaVision is still gaining momentum. After last week's Hex expansion Wanda seems to be not only exhausted but depressed. Her fights with Vision, parenting, the illusion, and her powers seem to have taken their toll. This week's advert was a clear hint at Wanda's mental state, her depression slowly becoming a clear motivation for the creation of The Hex. The style of this week's episode is clearly Modern Family and WandaVision captivates it so well. The hidden filming, the interviews, the cuts, the cinematography where all perfect. Vision drive home not only worked narratively but could have been a scene straight from a Modern Family episode. I loved it. If it wasn't clear by the odes to Modern Family, the mise-en-scene makes it perfectly clear we are now in the 2000s. Billy and Tommy playing on the Wii was reminiscent of my childhood which made me feel nostalgic. But it does mean that Wanda is running out of decades in which to set her sit-com, meaning the sit-com will probably be completely dropped for the final episode. 

The reveal we have all been waiting for finally happened. Agnes finally revealed herself as Agatha Harkness, this is something many of us have theorised from the start. But the show went further than just a name reveal, we got a lot of answers! The biggest piece of information is that Agatha has never been under Wanda's control, quite the opposite actually. Agatha has been manipulating events for her own undisclosed reasons. She killed the twins' dog, she brought Pietro back and she did indeed send Vision to the border of The Hex. But shockingly she seems to be able to control Wanda, taking advantage of her depressed state. So, is Agatha the 'bad guy'? I think not, I am now certain that Nightmare or Mephisto is involved and that Agatha is working with one of them. This reveal also confirms that Quicksilver has not been pulled from an alternate reality, which again could be another misdirection on Marvels part. The biggest Agatha questions I have are: what is that room below her house? and, what did she do with the twins? Billy certainly seemed to know something was up with Agatha, she's quiet on the inside, unlike everyone else who is under Wanda's control. 

Not only did we get a massive reveal this week, we also got a superhero origin story. Monica after crossing into The Hex once again now has her Electromagnetic Spectrum powers. In a brief scene we see Monica and Wanda face off, neither wanting to harm the other. But we get a glimpse of blue energy when Monic hits the grown and we see Monic trying to clear her eyesight. Monic may not know she now has powers, but we do. Outside of The Hex we get confirmation that S.W.O.R.D sees Vision as a weapon and wanted to bring him back to life as one - S.W.O.R.D clearly has a plan ready to set in motion. I'm sure we'll see what that plan is next week. Monica also meets up with an army division that was loyal to her mother. The symbol on their hats is similar to the one on Captain Marvels costume. Also, the space equipment reminds me a lot of the Fantastic Four. In the comic's Monica goes to the Fantastic Four to help understand her powers and we are still waiting for Monica's aerospace contact too show up. I know everyone wants it to be Reed Richards but as this is such a strong female cast, I'd love it to be Sue Storm. Vision spends the episode with Darcey learning about his past with Tony, Jarvis, and Ultron. Darcey makes the comment that Vision and Wanda have true love, which touches Vision. So, I think it's unlikely Vision and Wanda will come to blows again. Overall, another fantastic episode, this show is easily one of the most captivating, intricate pieces of TV ever made. Next week's episode is once again sure to be a big one. 

Episode 8 Review

WandaVision episode 8 is full of big reveals, gasp worthy moments and raw heart wrenching emotion. In a nutshell it was magnificent. The episode took us back through Wanda's life, looking at the moments that turned Wanda into the Scarlet Witch. Yes, we finally got Wanda's alias and I couldn't be happier. The series of moments in Wanda's life we see are moments we have never seen before, her parent's death, her experiment days at Hydra and the begins of her relationship with Vision. The pain and torment in these scenes are paramount but nothing compared to the scenes we see of Wanda post Tony Starks funeral. Wanda, wanting to bury Visions body peacefully enters S.W.O.R.D only to discover they are taking him apart for the value of the vibranium (although more on that later). Despite seeing what Hayward was doing Wanda leaves S.W.O.R.D without violence and without Vision. She then travels to Westview where Vision had brought them a plot of land, an already broken Wanda faced with what could have been her future finally let's all the emotion out. The release seems to awaken her powers further as she builds the house, then as she creates The Hex finally, she reanimates Vision out of thin air. Wanda literally creates life, none of this is done intentionally either, so whilst she did create The Hex she didn't intend to. Elizabeth Olsen delivers a heart wrenching performance, full of emotion that is often glazed over in superhero films/shows. I am in awe of her talent. 

Then there is Agatha, a Salem witch from the 1600s which links to the comics. In the opening we see her drain the life of eight witches, which is presumably how she has lived for so long and kill her witch mother. When we see Agatha's mother use magic, she wears a crown made of magic. I wonder if Wanda's famed headdress will actually be magic rather than a physical headband. Agatha takes Wanda through the life moments to learn about her power, revealing multiple things: Wanda is a witch, she has chaos magic and that she is the Scarlet Witch. Wanda has power that Agatha wants and I'm betting she'll do just about anything to get it if she can. There are also multiple mentions of the Mind Stone this week, just when we thought the MCU was over the infinity stones. We see how Wanda gained her powers from the mind stone, which revealed to her a vision of herself as Scarlett Witch. Then Later when she creates Vision her red powers turn to yellow, almost as if she is channelling the stone. Honestly, I'm really not sure what all of this means yet, but it does confirm that Wanda is possibly the most power character in the MCU. 

If you missed the after credits scene you might want to go back and watch it. We learnt early on this week that Hayward lied about Wanda stealing Visions body but the after credits scene reveals what his true intentions have been all along. Hayward has been trying to reanimate Visions body himself, taking him apart and putting him back together over and over with no success. Until now, where he seems to have been able to syphon some of Wanda's magic and awakened Vision as White Vision. White Vision is Vision without the infinity stone, a Vision without emotion. Hayward is going to send him in, and I'm think Wanda, Vision, Billy and Tommy are going to have to face down White Vision and Agatha. But maybe we won't have to watch Vision die again - something many of us have feared. What if somehow Wanda can combine the two versions of Vision, the original now white version and the recreated no memories version? Now that would be cool. 

A few other things we learnt this week: Pietro is not Wanda's brother from another universe but a deep fake, Agatha having possessed him, necromancy is mentioned so it is possible for Aaron Taylor-Johnsons Quicksilver to be brought back, the actors in the adverts are not Wanda's parents and Scratch the bunny is as brutal as Agatha. I also think that Nightmare and Mephisto are likely not involved at this point but who knows. Let's be honest WandaVision is becoming a jewel in the MCU's crown, each week it gets better and better, the Sit-com style playing out beautifully. A bold and original show that is paying off week after week. With one episode left everything could still change substantially and I cannot wait. 

Episode 9 Review

I have no trouble saying that the WandaVision finale is Avengers level quality. A fantastic end to a fantastic show. Wanda no longer one of my top five Avengers but my number 1. Over the past 9 weeks WandaVision has sublimely subverted expectations, gone beyond our fan theories to create a well-loved masterpiece. One thing that is striking about the finale is that all the fan theories materialised into nothing which was honestly perfect. This show knew what it wanted to achieve, and it did just that. It delved into Wanda's powers, helping us understand how they work, how powerful she is and prepared Wanda for the next MCU phase. The show didn't need Avengers cameos, Fox X-Men or any outlandish villain to give us one of the most unique MCU instalments of all time. We pick up where episode 8 ended, Wanda ready to battle Agatha. Vision takes on White Vision, Tommy and Billy get involved and we even get a quick team up shot with almost the Avengers theme. If you were looking for a large-scale fight sequence then the finale give you just that. I think it was so bold of Marvel to give us a fight scene between two flying witches, but it is sensational. Monica also gets in on the fight action stepping between the twins and Hayward as he tries to shoot them. We see the bullets pass through Monica without harming her. But we've only seen small glimpses of her powers which I think will develop in Secret Wars (which is hinted at with the appearance of a Skrull in the first after credits scene).

It is Wanda that steels the action this week. We learn that she has more power than the sorcerer supreme aka Dr.Strange which is why it would have been odd for him to show up and save the day. Wanda seemingly giving her powers to Agatha instead embraces her witch heritage and casts runes. It was great to see some of Wanda's creepy magic from Avengers: Age of Ultron again, with the speed run and mind illusions. All of this leads to her finally becoming Scarlet Witch. Wanda creating her own sensational superhero costume from magic. After defeating Agatha, Wanda forces her to live as Agnes stuck in Westview. This euphoric triumph comes to a quick end when Wanda decides to bring down The Hex. Meaning she has to say goodbye to Billy, Tommy and once again Vision. In heart-breaking scenes, Wanda and Vision say goodbye to their children tucking them into bed before they venture downstairs to say their own goodbyes. Vision saying the powerful line 'we have said goodbye before. so it stands to reason' Wanda finishing 'we'll say hello again.' If we weren't all crying already, we see Wanda and Vision hold each other as the magic is pulled back, the house flickering through its many styles as Vision disintegrates. Wanda has once again losT everything, and it's devastating. 

But there is still hope for Wanda. Vision manages to access White Visions (the real Visions) memory bank, so it would stand to reason that he will back at some point. Moreover, in the second after-credits scene Wanda has done a Thanos and has retreated to a cabin. Where she has created an astroform and is reading the book of the dammed. It is here she can hear the voices of her children so I would argue that we will see Billy and Tommy again. I have a theory regarding the location of Wanda in this scene - she is possibly on Mount Wundagore. Elsewhere Darcey gives us a great one-liner 'Have fun in prison' as she crashes her ice-cream truck into Haywards armoured truck. Then there is Evan Peters, and I was right he is a deep fake, not Quicksilver from the Fox X-men films, not Nightmare or Mephisto but Ralph, the real person that lived in Agnes' house. 

Overall WandaVision has surpassed every expectation I had. It's reminded me of how great the MCU can be especially after a year of no content. For me WandaVision is as good as Avengers: Infinity War. Going forward we are about to see Wanda hopefully at the very centre of phase 4, we know she is going to play a central role in Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Previously I thought Wanda may have been the villain of that film but now I think Strange will be calling on Wanda for help. WandaVision not only showed an Avenger at her very strongest but also at her emotional lowest and that level of pain is not something that is often addressed in superhero movies. A perfect show, full of emotion, power and intrigue. Elizabeth Olson is spectacular and the whole world knows it. 

Thank you for reading. xx

Please let me know what you think of WandaVision in the comments below.  

Comments

  1. Great post and yeah, this show is fantastic but SUPER CREEPY! I can't wait to see what happens next.

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    1. Thank you for reading. The creepy undertone is so intriguing! I can't wait for the third episode.

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  2. Brilliant review once again..ep 5 OMG

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    1. I know such a good episode! Thank you for reading

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