Read our reviews for the previous episodes of WandaVision here.

Proceed with caution as there are SPOILERS ahead for the latest episode. 


In an interview with IMDB, Paul Bettany noted that there were plans for an end credits scene in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. It was going to have Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) see what’s left of Vision’s in a body bag drawer. Almost more than any other avenger, Wanda’s life has been marked by loss. She lost the love of her life twice, (once by her hand and then by Thanos). She lost her brother, Pierto (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) in Avengers: Age of Ultron. There’s also the matter of the Lagos Paper Towels commercial as a callback to when she lost control in Captain America: Civil War accidentally killing Wakandian workers.

The lighthearted nature that began this show is molding into something else entirely. When Wanda walks out of the force field after the attempted “drone attack,” she states she has everything she wants. Unfortunately, that’s at the expense of others. While many can resonate with Wanda’s constant grief, there’s still an issue of an entire town of people being held against their will. With that, the house of cards crumbles, one-by-one.

WandaVision’s structure returns to the TV-style audiences knew from the first three episodes. This time, calling upon themes from the 80s from shows like Family Ties and Full House. However, this time, things don’t go off without their hitches. As Wanda and Vision try to acclimate themselves as new parents, the ‘glitches’ happen almost from the beginning. Wanda gets frustrated when she can’t put Billy and Tommy to sleep with her powers. A precursor to her and Vision’s arguments later. Billy (Baylen Bielitz) and Tommy (Gavin Borders) age rapidly, almost in sync with facing an external problem. Agnes (Kathryn Hahn) shows up coincidentally right on cue throughout the episode. If you suspected Agnes and her motives in the beginning, this fifth episode will give you more reason to pause. She’s around when both kids age aggressively and when Wanda uses her powers. Almost flippantly shrugging it off with a sit-com catchphrase.

The synchronicity that was prominent in the first two episodes with scenes such as the diner and magic show is dissolving. Vision is becoming even more curious about how Westview has come about and if this is Wanda’s doing. All the anomalies like no other children being around and Vision’s interaction with Norm at work. Notice that Norm (Asif Ali) pleads with Vision to stop “her,” but not call somebody out by name. This show has a clever way of making us second guess ourselves to go down the rabbit hole of theories. Is it Wanda that’s controlling everyone or other forces at work? Towards the end of the episode, Wanda mentions she will fix things, but even has her doubts about how she got there.

For SHIELD, there’s Director Hayward (Josh Stamberg) views Wanda as a potential terrorist. Even when Jimmy (Randall Park) and Monica (Teyonah Parris) make the case that Wanda has changed and there were other forces at hand in her mental state, he’s still aggressive. After all, her accident leads to the Sokovia Accords being drawn up. Wanda’s powers are of the mind stone and that, of course, powers Vision. Darcy (Kat Dennings) deducts that Wanda’s power has been magnified where she’s making things permanent. The ‘hex,’ as she deems it, wipes your mind if you go into Westview. Monica’s clothes from her time in Westview are real (we haven’t even gone into how Wanda’s attack has changed her). Somehow, you’re going to have to get inside, but how does one keep memories once they do?

Death is a huge theme in the fifth episode. With a town that seems like the perfect dream, even it can’t escape certain fate for this. Or can it? For the family pet, it couldn’t. Suddenly, Wanda is confronted with something that she has done everything in her power to avoid. It was peculiar for the boys to beckon her to raise Sparky from the dead. How did they have any knowledge that she’s done that before? Why did it catch Agnes off guard, even though nothing else seemed to the entire episode? In how Agnes brought out the dog, it felt as though she wanted to see the extent of Wanda’s powers.

With the last shot, Pietro returns. No, not that Pietro from Age of Ultron. It’s Fox’s X-Men Pietro/Quicksilver played by Evan Peters. It’s funny that this happens right at the apex of Vision and Wanda’s contemplation. Almost like a distraction tactic. If Wanda can manifest people back, there were several times in previous episodes where she felt sadness for losing him. You wonder who is continuing these ‘gifts’ to keep Wanda invested in the universe. Not to mention, the implications that this has for the entire MCU itself. We’re integrating other characters in other timelines into the main ones. Then again, it could be an Iron Man 3 situation, where The Mandarin was really a red herring for the real villain behind the scenes. Maybe he’s Jimmy Woo’s missing person.

Some answers and more questions preside. There’s a sadness in Vision slowly realizing what has really happened to him. Wanda presents all the pros of being in Westview for him. Being on the outside, you would definitely choose this over being dead. However, anybody knows that beautiful fantasies can’t last forever.

Photo Credit: Disney/Marvel