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Post by mr. excellent on Jan 15, 2021 15:57:57 GMT -5
So, my hype got a little out of hand before the release, I will admit. Even still, I don't think I'm super wowed by what we got. That said, I enjoyed the first 2 episodes.
First with the "negative": I thought the comedy could've been better in episode 1. I know comedy is subjective, so it goes without saying that this is just an opinion. For my wife, the comedy landed. However, it just felt to me like they were more focused on the characters fitting the era than the jokes landing. This isn't a criticism on Elizabeth Olsen as she's fantastic. Honestly, all of the actors did a fine job from what I've seen so far. It's just that Wanda has only ever been the "straight man" in her limited comedic scenes in the MCU. Since they're going full blown "I Love Lucy" and appear to be maintaining the core of Wanda's personality in that first episode, they should've given her someone to be the straight man for. Someone to bounce off of her comedically. With Vision, they were able to play to that "fish out of water" trope AND he had people to bounce off of so I thought the comedy with him worked better.
For the positives: In episode 2 I will say they did better by Wanda comedically because they gave her more to work with. They really didn't make her the "straight man" in that one, and at the same time they didn't turn her into a comedian. We got a real kick out of the commercials during the show and I was hoping they would've incorporated more for each one. The mystery is definitely intriguing and I think that will be the thing casual fans tune in for each week more so than the sitcom trope. We'll see. Here's hoping the show continues to engage.
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Post by mr. excellent on Jan 19, 2021 18:45:02 GMT -5
They sure did do a great job at making the show authentic and true to the period. I enjoyed watching a lot of older shows on Nick at Nite while at my grandparents too. I guess I just feel like the actual shows from those days were funnier. That said, I look forward to rewatching the first two episodes again.
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Post by mr. excellent on Jan 29, 2021 15:54:48 GMT -5
So, I really enjoyed episode 3. Episode 4 was great, my favorite episode thus far. The way the episode opened with Monica Rambeau unblipping. The effects were so beautifully done, and in 4k it was one of the more stunning moments I've seen in the MCU. While I am a Far From Home defender, I have to say, this episode really hammers home what they left on the table for that film. Many people complained that Marvel played the return from the blip off for jokes instead of treating it seriously. While I maintain that their handling of the blip was in line with the film's tone and I enjoyed the humor throughout, I think a more serious take would've fit too. Imagine we see Peter re-atomizing on Titan, confused, looking around and finding his allies are doing much the same. Then, Doctor Strange shows up and pulls them all into the final battle in Endgame. It's jarring for Peter, and even though he showed up like a champion and handled business, perhaps we see the scene from a different perspective. This time we see first person, Peter charging against Thanos's alien hoard of world enders... if we had had that, and THEN an abrupt scene change to Peter on stage with Aunt May at the charity event, I think that would've fit just as well. As you will recall, the scene ended with Peter becoming overwhelmed by the expectations of the world for him to be the next Iron Man. This could've added a layer of PTSD to the mix. I enjoyed what we got for sure, but this would've been much more epic and I think it would've gone a long way to restore faith from the fans that MCU Spidey is being taken seriously. Anyway, back to WandaVision, this episode was so much fun! Anyone else up to speed?
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Post by BackinBlack on Jan 29, 2021 19:22:29 GMT -5
Holding off until the final week so I can watch it all together; it's just how I do things when it comes to streaming shows. It can be challenging avoiding spoilers, but I've succeeded so far.
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Post by mr. excellent on Jan 29, 2021 22:51:32 GMT -5
In that case, I'm glad I put the spoiler tags on! Sometimes I can get a little lazy with that because we get so little traffic around these parts. Much respect to you, and it's good to see you around these here parts *hat tip*
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Post by brotherandbassist on Feb 13, 2021 1:29:17 GMT -5
Excellent, how do you think Quicksilver got there? Is it the same one from the X-Men verse? He seems a lot more self aware than the other entranced residents.
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Post by mr. excellent on Feb 13, 2021 18:14:25 GMT -5
I think he's an imposter playing a part. I dunno if he's Mephisto per se, but he's definitely a powered individual. Is anyone else super jacked up on Wanda's power levels? The MCU has never shown this kind of power, except for Ego, but he's a Celestial. Speaking of which, I think it's crazy that Ego isn't really considered a villain who had much consequence. He was planting the seeds to rule over the entire galaxy and more had he succeeded. While he failed, the fact is he was a Celestial. No villain or organization before or after matches his power except for Thanos with the Gauntlet, and now Wanda.
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Post by mr. excellent on Mar 7, 2021 16:12:30 GMT -5
So, what did you all think of the finale? Personally, I quite enjoyed it. Then, after some time, reflection and other people's perspective I... still enjoyed it. The thing is, WandaVision got a crazy boost from a variety of factors. Number 1, it is the first true Phase 4 MCU content, coming off of the highest grossing film of all time (I know that Spidey did come out between them, but still). Two, there has been such a shortage of content this past year, and even movie news for a good chunk of that time. Three, it's the only other big show from Disney+ so far. Now, we pretty much have Marvel turning them out for the rest of the year, but they REALLY made us wait for this one. So all that said, there were a lot of eyeballs on this one and people getting hyped and blowing things out of proportion and taking part of this wonderful and unwieldy thing called fandom.
I felt the show's successes were being blown out of proportion every week, which lead to countless fan theories, which of course leads to disappointment because they can't all be right. However, I don't think this show is deserving of too much criticism. As a whole, it's not without its flaws, and yet I think Marvel told us what this show was from the beginning. Even though there were a lot of twists and turns and red herrings, they always maintained that this would be a sitcom about Wanda, Vision, dealing with grief, and that it would culminate in a spectacular MCU kind of big finale. People wanted to go down this rabbit hole all the way to crazy town. I did too, and found myself a little letdown, but that must be acknowledged that they gave us what was advertised.
What else is there? Kathryn Hahn. So, everyone is talking about Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, but for my money Kathryn Hahn made this show. 100%. She absolutely killed it. Yes Olsen and Bettany are awesome here, but I am leaving this show wanting to watch everything Kathryn Hahn (who was also Octavia in Spiderverse) has ever done.
Honestly, there's everything left to talk about. I don't even know where to begin. How do you all feel about the series and what it all means and where we go from here?
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Post by BackinBlack on Mar 7, 2021 19:09:17 GMT -5
Watched it all through the last week and quite enjoyed it. Funny, emotional, and great acting all around. They did a good job with the sitcom settings and were able to create an unsettling feeling when the real world started creeping in. The ending was fine if a little clunky in my opinion. I try not to pay too much to fan theories. It's fine to have them, but don't obsess and think that's it's the only way the story should happen. You get Last Jedi level reactions if you do that. And I agree about Kathryn Hahn. She's really surprised me between this and Spider-Verse. Have you watched the Bad Moms movies? She's pretty funny in those. Also, I'm gonna have "Agatha All Along" stuck in my head for at least a week.
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Post by brotherandbassist on Mar 16, 2021 23:22:59 GMT -5
I had to watch the finale twice before I really appreciated it. There were a few subverted expectations I had to come to terms with. One in particular I'm sure you can guess.
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Post by mr. excellent on Dec 11, 2021 15:11:46 GMT -5
Dang it, it has been so long since I've seen the show that my mind is a bit fuzzy. What was the subverted expectation you were talking about coweatsquilt? The one that we are supposed to be able to guess.
Now that I think about it, WandaVision wasn't that long ago, but we've had soo much content between then and now that it feels like longer. What's crazy is that WandaVision ended up being my favorite of the shows so far. Hawkeye is... okay. I like it well enough, but it's just not hitting the mark for me. Falcon and Winter Soldier didn't do it for me. Loki started off great, but then just kind of dragged. It was fun to talk about, but in retrospect I don't think it reached its potential. Some big, exciting things happened in it though and I am excited for the future. However, it's WandaVision, that stands out to me the most. While Hawkeye still has 2 episodes left, none of its episodes have impressed me as much as the least of those in WandaVision. I have to go back and see WandaVision again. Can't wait for Wanda's return.
Oh, and Agatha Harkness is getting a show! How 'bout them apples?
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Post by brotherandbassist on Dec 12, 2021 3:12:25 GMT -5
No Mephisto and the whole Quicksilver being Ralph Boner thing
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