It’s probably just a case of the Monday, am I right?
Caution: Spoilers ahead!
With only a couple of episodes left in the season, Marvel is finally beginning to reveal who’s really pulling the strings in Westview, as a new comic book character is excitingly (and musically) unveiled in WandaVision and the larger MCU.
There’s plenty to speculate over in “Breaking the Fourth Wall”, as Wanda’s (Elizabeth Olsen) idealistic suburban illusion is beginning to glitch and fall apart following the expansion of The Hex. Riffing on the sitcom Modern Family, and in particular Phil Dunphy, Wanda replays recent events with a brilliantly deadpan delivery. It’s great to see Olsen once again be given the chance to flex her comedic muscles with some brilliant direct-to-camera moments.
Meanwhile, Jimmy (Randall Park) and Monica finally uncover S.H.I.E.L.D’s real motivations concerning the inhabitants of Westview and more specifically Vision, which we’ve suspected all along. Yep that’s right, Director Hayward is a chip off the old Alexander Piercein block, using Wanda’s trauma to his gain in the attempts of regaining his “sentient weapon”.
It’s this personal betrayal of both women which sparks the S.H.I.E.L.D agent to embark on a fearless mission to warn Wanda. Once again breaking through the Hex and altering her cells for a third time, her brave actions trigger new powers, as Rambeau begins to exhibit similar strength and the ability to see the spectrum of light as her comic book counterpart Spectrum.
Teyonah Parris continues to shine as Rambeau, bringing a real heartfelt and courageous nature to the role, particularly excelling in the tense showdown with Olsen’s Wanda as she pleads to join her help Vision. I genuinely think there’s a really bright future for Parris in the MCU, with WandaVision proving the springboard for the fantastic actor. (Also, that superhero landing!)
Another brilliant pairing is Dr Darcy (Kat Dennings) and Vision (Paul Bettany) who hilariously run away from the circus in a funnel cake truck(!) Dennings’ Darcy is genuinely one of my favourites from the MCU, so it’s great to see her interacting with more of the big players, and she riffs so well off of Bettany’s confused synthezoid. Much like Olsen, Bettany is also hugely comical in his direct-to-camera Modern Family-esque interviews – the notion of Vision discussing his and Wanda’s bonkers bump in the road just so ridiculously amusing.
However the episode truly belongs to the fabulous Kathryn Hahn, who seems to be having a real blast in the role. Her delivery and timing of the line “I actually did bite a kid once” completely cracked me up, along with her fantastically zany performance in the “It was Agatha All Along” montage. The suspenseful reveal in the closing moments of the episode was a little predictable, however darkly comedic. As soon as Agnes remarked that the boys were playing in the basement, I’m sure everyone’s alarm bells were ringing.
As speculated, Agnes is actually the witch Agatha Harkness who’s usually an ally to Wanda in the comics, so it’ll be intriguing to see how the writer’s will position her motives going forward. Will she have ties to the big bad Mephisto? Or will she want to use Wanda and the boys’ powers for her own gains? There’s so much exciting setup in “Breaking the Fourth Wall” following the creepy items in the basement (and what looks like The Darkhold book) – the final two episodes are sure going to be one hell of a trip!
The seventh instalment also marked the long-awaited return of the Marvel tradition of including a mid-credit scene, with Evan Peters’ Quicksilver sneaking up on Rambeau. Will he prove a friend or foe in the upcoming battle over Wanda and the boys – only time will tell…