WandaVision Review: The Penultimate Episode Wastes A Magnificent Elizabeth Olsen Performance

Dear reader, there is something you should know about me: I prize a story that tries something new or puts a unique spin on an old story. Sometimes to the point of preferring a piece of media that fails at trying something to one that is better but safer. That is why I prefer something that is, at best, just fine like Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice to something I feel is definitively good like Ant-Man. The Marvel Cinematic Universe certainly prefers to play in the latter space, which is fine but often leads to a lack of creativity in format and formula. Because of that lack of creativity, WandaVision is unable to reach its full potential.

Full Spoilers for ‘Previously On’ follow. You have been warned.

The penultimate installment of this miniseries finally gets to the point and advances Wanda’s character. Here she is forced to confront her traumatic past and what she is doing to everyone in Westview. Elizabeth Olsen turns in a phenomenal performance that I would expect Disney to submit for awards, whether or not she receives a nomination or an award. It was truly moving.

Unfortunately, the episode was held back by Agatha Harkness. While Kathryn Hahn continues to be a delightful presence, her character is the epitome of the aforementioned lack of creativity throughout the MCU. You see, it cannot conceive of a story that does not revolve around a nefarious interloper causing the problems the protagonists must overcome despite the early episodes of WandaVision presenting a perfect opportunity to do just.

Imagine WandaVision is exactly the same except S.W.O.R.D. Director Hayward is not a cartoonish supervillain and Agnes is not secretly a maniacal witch. Wanda still did all the things she did. As she becomes more aware of what she has done she begins to lose control of her powers, randomly aging her children and summoning Evan Peters as her brother, culminating in her realization that she has to find the strength within herself to figure out what she has done and how she can remedy it.

The key here is this imagined scenario puts the onus on Wanda to realize what she has done, confront it, and fix it. In the actual version of events, she does so only because Agatha forces her via threats to her sons. She is the passenger in the story of her own trauma instead of being the protagonist.

Of course, the MCU is full of characters that lack interiority and thus the stories cannot be self-reflective enough to deliver this kind of powerful tale of grief and trauma. Instead, they settle for the easy BAM! POW! theatrics Adam West was known for in his heyday, giant space lasers, and cynical self-deprecating jokes.

It is not that those things are inherently bad. I love them, but after 24 films, many of which exhibit the same problems, it is somewhat exhausting. The willingness to do something different is why Iron Man 3 and Black Panther are standout films in the franchise. They have complex stories and nuanced characters with meaningful connections to each other and the events unfolding. Those heroes pilot their narratives.

This was the chance to give Wanda and Vision the exploration they desperately needed. The chance to show this old dog can indeed learn new tricks. The chance to show the MCU can evolve and change along with its format. Alas, it seems the chance was squandered.

One episode remains and while I do not know how it could fix my complaints with the series, there remains some faith inside this writer’s cold, pessimistic heart. Maybe they can craft a satisfying ending. Maybe the show has not misspent hours of our lives telling the weakest possible version of its story. Here’s hoping.