Before anything was revealed of “WandaVision”, speculation told of it possibly changing the face of the Marvel cinematic universe. For lack of a more elegant way to describe its impact and importance, it has. 

“WandaVision” as a whole is unprecedented. This is a feat of creative lucidity, executed like a controlled explosion. It is pure madness. For something of this caliber to be done and have the cult following it has, despite existing on a fairly new streaming service further affirms the future of television as one that is entirely digital. Owed in no small part to its cinematic success, its budget and star cast, what they made could have turned out to be a flop either way. That is merely show business. 

This review, however, is not a recapitulation of the show. If one desires to know the reasons behind its mystery and its success, then it is available via Disney Plus. The mystery will not be revealed in any part, each potential purveyor is deserving of that respect. Only a description of what was will be given. There will, however, be information revealed about the movies that led up to the show. 

 Proceed with caution. 

At its start, and the first thing one sees, is its blurb:

“Two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives suspect that everything is not as it seems.”

It is not indeed. Over the course of several movies, viewers have seen the birth of Vision and the various little deaths of Wanda Maximoff. 

Vision was to be the newly-inhabitable body of one robot megalomaniac, Ultron. The villain’s plan was foiled and The Vision was born. In his time from birth to near-immediate death, he learned of his worth as an Avenger, friend and companion.  

Wanda Maximof, however, endured a life beset by troubles. In her youth, her parents were destroyed in a war she had no part in. Her brother was taken away from her in the same immediate fashion, despite her burgeoning redemption by fighting in a different one. Stability is already in short supply when her love, Vision, had his life-force stolen from him by the intergalactic tyrant Thanos. Keep in mind the weight of this on the average person’s psyche, let alone one with incomprehensible power.  

What follows is the beginning of “WandaVision”, an ode to television’s history and its impact on the everyday person. In this case, ordinary people with extraordinary powers. 

Apparently the big ideas for these things come from — or at least are loosely based on — limited comic book series. Who knew? This one is supposed to have been made with “The House of M” storyline in mind, an eight-comic series about Wanda’s psychological knee-jerk reaction to loss. . 

The show has proven to be epochal for television history. It is not every day that something like this comes along, a thoroughly executed sit-com dramedy with a sci-fi twist that manages not to get lost in the years of available comic and TV history it pulls from. That is, entertainment of this nature only seems to come around when companies with money to spare are at the helm. This success is parallel to the reality of cable shows only lasting a season because of lack of viewership and quality. This new leaf that Disney has turned may soon sound the death knell for cable television.

“WandaVision” does not do a bad job of keeping viewers tuned in as well. As is customary for Marvel works, there are the obligatory easter eggs — hidden hints and clues scattered as one would with the physical objects they are named after — to keep them on their toes. To say that there are many would be an understatement. Disney also spent up to $25 million each episode to recreate the movie-style effects as well as immerse the viewer in the fictional town of Westview where the events of “WandaVision” takes place.

All-in-all, it just goes to show that some people seek solace in television, while others use it as the base for their false reality that they have constructed out of the fear that they have lost everything and everyone that they have known. Others golf. 

Marvel is in its fourth phase of production with over a decade’s worth of projects under its belt. They have attempted (and succeeded) in creating shows across multiple television networks and streaming services. This is the first one directly tapped into their cinematic universe and it will not be their last. As it stands, the next show to premiere will be “Falcon and the Winter Soldier”,coming out Friday, March 19 on Disney Plus. 

Tune in next time.