Hey! Hallie here!
I don’t think any episode has been quite as eventful as this one was. We basically got all the answers we’ve been looking for during the last three episodes. Everything from who’s doing this to what the different SWORD appearances really were. Plus, we got a look into all of the characters involved with SWORD (Yay Darcy!). This episode was really crazy and there’s plenty to talk about, so I’m going to jump right into what I liked, and didn’t like, about this episode. SPOILERS ahead.
The Good:
Monica Rambeau. The first half of this episode belonged entirely to Monica Rambeau. As someone who really wanted the show to pull Monica to the forefront as quickly as possible, I loved seeing more of her story. We started out with Monica returning after the “Blip” or the period of time that occurred after Thanos’ snap. Monica disappeared along with half of the population, and the moment she returns she wakes up to the chaos of various people reforming from dust pieces. Three years earlier she had been waiting for her mother to get out of surgery related to cancer, but now that she’s been gone for three years she finds that her mother is deceased. Still, Monica returns immediately to SWORD, an intelligence agency that her mother created seemingly to replace SHIELD. Monica is instantly given a mission to check out a town that, according to local residents, doesn’t exist. Quickly she’s sucked into the energy field around the town, and as the viewers we know where she went. She doesn’t appear for much of the remaining episode because she’s stuck in the reality Wanda created. However, the moments we do get only make her character more interesting. I’m excited to see her take on a larger role soon!
Darcy Lewis. I forgot how much I loved Darcy, and then her first scene was her making light of being taken to an unknown location for an unknown purpose by making fun of the awkward scientists around her. Once Monica disappears, Darcy seems to be the only person who can actually get things done. She very quickly realizes what’s wrong with the town of Westview, manages to tune into ‘WandaVision’, becomes just as invested as all of us are, and is able to help Jimmy Woo contact Wanda. It’s even revealed that the hand on the notebook in the first episode belonged to Darcy! Darcy’s wit is one of the major things that carries this episode. I hope this is only the start of more Darcy appearances in the MCU.
SWORD. In general we get to see more of SWORD’s operations in this episode. We are told that the toy helicopter that appeared in episode 2 was actually a SWORD drone that was turned into a helicopter once it passed the threshold of Wanda’s reality. The beekeeper was a SWORD agent in a hazmat suit who was attempting to discover what happened to Monica, but his suit was changed once he entered Wanda’s reality (What happened to that guy, anyway?). We also know that SWORD has been making a list of reported missing people that appear in ‘WandaVision’. SWORD isn’t a mysterious logo anymore. We now know who they actually are.
Wanda. There are so many interesting reveals in this episode about Wanda. For one, we get to see what really happened between Wanda and Monica when Wanda lost her temper last episode. Wanda unleashed her full abilities. Not the fun, cute version we’ve seen in every episode so far. The red energy we’ve seen since her first MCU appearance. Wanda accuses Monica of trespassing and forces her through several walls until Monica lands outside of the barrier around the town. Once Monica comes back in contact with SWORD, she immediately tells them that Wanda is responsible for everything. Not only that, but when Wanda greets Vision when he comes back inside, her perception of him temporarily alters. She sees a gray, lifeless Vision with empty eyes and a crushed forehead. The way he was when Thanos killed him. She’s obviously shocked by the imagery and quickly shakes it from her mind. All of this confirms that Wanda is completely aware of what she’s doing and that Vision is dead, but she created this reality to live out the happy ending she wanted. Considering the fact that Wanda’s effectively keeping hostages in order to live her fantasy, I doubt SWORD will leave her to her fake life.
The Bad:
Too Much Too Fast. All of our questions were answered. All of them. Which leaves me to question, are the last five episodes going to simply show SWORD vs Wanda, or is there more to explore? I almost wish the mystery would have gone on a bit longer. This is a small gripe, though, because I don’t think we know everything yet. There’s still five episodes, after all. It could be that Wanda isn’t the only one pulling the strings here. There are plenty of people who could either be helping her or manipulating her. Still, I have no theories about what’s coming next because all of the mystery has been, as of now, solved. I hope this show catches me off-guard!
Overall I really enjoyed this episode. I know a lot of people who weren’t enjoying the sitcom aspects of the show consider this to be the best episode so far. I’ll say it’s a satisfying episode for sure, but I don’t think it’s the best. I definitely think there’s a lot to enjoy in the happy sitcom formula laced with a darker mystery. I look forward to seeing both the real world and the world Wanda created, collide. Now that we know what SWORD is really trying to accomplish, the scenes from the trailers that imply Wanda and Vision will fight to protect their town are far more frightening. Especially with how powerful Wanda is. I’ve expressed how much I want them to be respectful over the mental challenges Wanda is facing, so I’m holding out hope that she won’t be completely villainized by the end of all this.
Don’t do anything fun until I get back!
Hallie
Oreos & Peanut Butter 