S01.E02: Don't Touch That Dial

[swanpride]

That's the thing...I never watched Lost because even when it aired I had already stopped watching those kind of shows. For the simple reason that I had already caught onto the fact at that point that there is NEVER a satisfying conclusion. But this time around, I think it is safe to say that there will be one. And I enjoy to finally being able to watch this kind of show and put the puzzle together.

Anyone noticed that more and more "red" was creeping in the last episodes? First on the toaster, than the helicopter, than the blood...granted, red is a colour which "pops" so to speak, but it might have a special meaning. Maybe it is related to the reality stone being red.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, swanpride said:

That's the thing...I never watched Lost because even when it aired I had already stopped watching those kind of shows. For the simple reason that I had already caught onto the fact at that point that there is NEVER a satisfying conclusion. But this time around, I think it is safe to say that there will be one. And I enjoy to finally being able to watch this kind of show and put the puzzle together.

I agree. I’ve come to really dislike the US network tv model of finding something that works and riding until the wheels fall off. It’s made people wary after being burned time and time again as quality is sacrificed for quantity. A show like this that is designed with fewer episodes and a definite ending means we will get a conclusion that has been planned out without much time for filler. 

1 hour ago, swanpride said:

Anyone noticed that more and more "red" was creeping in the last episodes? First on the toaster, than the helicopter, than the blood...granted, red is a colour which "pops" so to speak, but it might have a special meaning. Maybe it is related to the reality stone being red.

Maybe. I was assuming it was related to red being Wanda’s color as Scarlett Witch. 

[swanpride]

Also possible.

Another thing...is it possible that the noise in the beginning of the episode was the sound of a crashing helicopter, which Wanda than rationalised into a toy?

[Guest]

18 minutes ago, swanpride said:

Also possible.

Another thing...is it possible that the noise in the beginning of the episode was the sound of a crashing helicopter, which Wanda than rationalised into a toy?

That’s a good theory. I was wondering about the helicopter. It seems likely that it was a real SWORD helicopter that was trying to get in. That raised the question of what happened to the people. That could explain how Monica ended up trapped. It’s likely she’s a pilot given her background. Dottie also could have come in that way. 

[swanpride]

Not sure about Dottie...her role seems to be more sinister. I mean, honestly, what is the "Think of the children" deal? It's like Dottie tries to influence Wanda's reality.

[Guest]

28 minutes ago, swanpride said:

Not sure about Dottie...her role seems to be more sinister. I mean, honestly, what is the "Think of the children" deal? It's like Dottie tries to influence Wanda's reality.

The thing that makes me think she’s not involved was that she directly challenged Wanda. I was thinking Dottie and Monica could be more recent additions because they seemed to have a sense that something was wrong. It made me think they might have spent less time under whatever magic is happening. 

[paigow]

On 1/16/2021 at 9:06 PM, Penman61 said:

OMG.  I truly am obtuse. I did not get that the title was BOTH their names

Edited January 18, 2021 by paigow

[swanpride]

I have the feeling that they are both more aware than they let on. Abigail too.

[Guest]

24 minutes ago, swanpride said:

I have the feeling that they are both more aware than they let on. Abigail too.

Abigail?

Edited January 17, 2021 by Guest

[swanpride]

Isn't that the name of the neighbour? Or am I confusing something?

[Guest]

Just now, swanpride said:

Isn't that the name of the neighbour? Or am I confusing something?

Oh. Her name is Agnes. 

[swanpride]

Ah, sorry, I am REALLY bad with names.

[Racj82]

5 hours ago, swanpride said:

That's the thing...I never watched Lost because even when it aired I had already stopped watching those kind of shows. For the simple reason that I had already caught onto the fact at that point that there is NEVER a satisfying conclusion. But this time around, I think it is safe to say that there will be one. And I enjoy to finally being able to watch this kind of show and put the puzzle together.

Anyone noticed that more and more "red" was creeping in the last episodes? First on the toaster, than the helicopter, than the blood...granted, red is a colour which "pops" so to speak, but it might have a special meaning. Maybe it is related to the reality stone being red.

That's all fair. I don't put as much stock in the final destination of the ride. I'm more about the ride itself. It's super hard to nail a landing that will please most. There is so much focus on how one thinks a piece of entertainment should end. For me, it's more about am I enjoying the ride. It shall end how it shall end. It's not my story they are telling. I'm also more of character person. You get me invested in the characters and keep it that way, I'm in and will stay in. 

I'll be fair in that shows and movies really should put more value in telling a cohesive story instead of just churning out content and making money. But, this is a business. I get how it works. It's always a dangerous game these execs are playing when they keep burning viewers out with their lack of planning and padding out stories. People can only take so much.

[swanpride]

It's less that I am overly hard on an ending, it's more that I want the clues I find and think about to mean actually something more than just being something some writers placed because it was cool at the time, if you get my drift. It makes me feel cheated.

[Sakura12]

I'm one that misses shows I can overanalyze. I haven't had a show like this since Lost. I love the journey of discovering and dissecting every clue. It can be frustrating if it leads nowhere, but I love when there is a plan and being surprised where it goes. 

I think Dottie is Hydra, "Geraldine" is Sword, even Vision's boss could be a psychologist one of them brought in to try to get answers. That's why he kept asking why. 

[foxfreakinmulder]

I was thinking that Wanda probably had to deal with the loss of Vision alone. At the end of End Game, Tony was dead, Cap was an old man and black widow was dead. Who was left that she was close to? Also, since my brain is old I can't remember if she was at Tony's memorial? So I understand why she would want to live in this sitcom world with Vision but I think there are outside forces doing something to her, it's not just her sitting alone in a corner somewhere living in this fantasy world.

[swanpride]

Another thing I noticed upon rewatch: Wanda getting pregnant was literally the result of her and Vision saying together "think of the children".

 

And yes, Wanda was at Tony's funeral, she even got a Scene with Clint who is the Avengers she felt the closest to anyway. He certainly wouldn't have just left her out in the cold.

Edited January 17, 2021 by swanpride

[KnotsLanding]

I enjoyed it, but this show doesn’t work being released weekly. I get why they’re doing it to help spread out content, but this show doesn’t lend to that format. This is MADE for binging because each episode is more of a piece of a puzzle and doesn’t have a clear beginning, middle and end. I feel like in order to understand it I’ll have to rewatch it once it’s over. 

[swanpride]

I disagree. It is MADE for a weekly release in order to give the audience time to indulge in finding all the hints and puzzle pieces they might miss upon the first watch.

[bethy]

1 hour ago, Sakura12 said:

I'm one that misses shows I can overanalyze. I haven't had a show like this since Lost. I love the journey of discovering and dissecting every clue. It can be frustrating if it leads nowhere, but I love when there is a plan and being surprised where it goes. 

I think Dottie is Hydra, "Geraldine" is Sword, even Vision's boss could be a psychologist one of them brought in to try to get answers. That's why he kept asking why. 

Have you watched 12 Monkeys? It’s great for that - time travel! - and, at least in my opinion, has a great payoff at the end.

[Racj82]

5 hours ago, swanpride said:

It's less that I am overly hard on an ending, it's more that I want the clues I find and think about to mean actually something more than just being something some writers placed because it was cool at the time, if you get my drift. It makes me feel cheated.

My words weren't at anyone in particular about endings and stuff. I know not everyone needs the answers to be the answers they want. Just a complete story. That's just not everyone.

[Kel Varnsen]

5 hours ago, swanpride said:

I disagree. It is MADE for a weekly release in order to give the audience time to indulge in finding all the hints and puzzle pieces they might miss upon the first watch.

Yea, I like binging, but at the same time season 3 of Cobra Kai came out a few weeks ago and I watched the whole thing in less than a week. It was good, but a the episodes basically blended together and for the most part I couldn't really tell anyone what happened in one episode versus the next. With this show it appears every episode is going to have a very distinct style. So it is really advantageous to be able to sit with each episode and appreciate it before moving on to the next one.

[Sakura12]

I think there is too much to unpack each episode for it to be a binge show. As other said the episodes would blend together and the discussion would be more about the end, then for each episode. I think Disney wants to keep this shows discussion going until the next one drops. 

[kiddo82]

Feels weird to say this but good on Disney for making this and the Mandalorian weekly shows.  Maybe there's a financial benefit to it too (which wouldn't shock me because, well, Disney) but artistically, releasing whole seasons all at once seems like treating your property as disposable.  This is a series that deserves to be savored.  I'm loving it so far.  They are nailing both the classic sitcoms tropes and aesthetics.  And Elizabeth Olsen, who I could take or leave before this, is a treat in this style.  Not sure if this was intentional but when Wanda got her radio message the song Help Me Rhonda was playing.  Rhonda rhymes with Wanda so Help Me Wanda?  Reach?  Maybe.  Also the helicopter in the beginning not only had the SWORD logo, but was also in Iron Man colors.  And a friend of mine pointed out that Anya from Buffy and a bunny were in the same episode.  Looking forward to seeing what's next.

[Jenniferbug]

I don't have a coherent "here's what I think is happening" theory just yet. I think it's clear that Wanda had control, but to what degree is unknown. She's clearly susceptible to suggestion - all of that "for the children" stuff made it clear that SOMEONE really wanted her to have children. She wasn't pregnant until she and Vision said "for the children" at the same time, which I don't think would have happened without it being drilled into their heads. 

I do think "Geraldine" came in on that helicopter. She didn't show up until after it was found, and one of the first things she says to Wanda is "I'm not really sure what I'm doing here" (or maybe it was "why I'm here"), which kind of indicates to me that anything or anyone who breaches the world is assimilated to fit. 

I'm looking forward to seeing it play out weekly, even though I really want to know what happens next and would binge if it was an option. 

[Amethyst]

So much to unpack, so many theories.  I'm not well-versed in the Marvel lore at all, so I'm just going along for the ride.  But as someone who didn't care about Wanda and Vision as a couple, this show does sell me on them.  Wanda and Vision know the lingo of whatever decade they're in, but you can tell that they know this isn't normal.  It's like they're acting.  I agree that some of this creation stems from Wanda's grief at losing Vision and the events of Infinity War/Endgame, but there's clearly someone else interfering.

I noticed that the actors from the 50's commercial with the toaster were the same actors in the 60's commercial for the Strucker watch.  And there was a HYDRA logo on the watch.

I think Marvel/Disney is smart spacing out the episodes.  I've noticed over the past year that when something new comes out, everyone watches it and discards it a few weeks later.  Only a few shows are currently filming (and many of them have a Covid plotline because there's no other way they can explain the masks) and no major movies are in theaters.  People are desperate for new entertainment.  So new content gets released, people binge it for a week or so then lose interest a few weeks later.  Tiger King was huge when it came out, but a couple months later people had gotten bored with it.  Bridgerton made a big splash a couple of weeks ago, but the hype is already dying down.  It's not their fault; there's a major lack of entertainment variety compared to what we're used to, and you can only watch the same thing so many times.  Drawing out the season will keep people talking about WandaVision longer.

[swanpride]

Tiger King only got attention because it was so strange and everyone told each other how strange it is (though for the record: I haven't watched it and I have no intention to do so). Bridgerton was fine, but THAT'S a story which could have used two episodes less, and the so called mystery has such on obvious solution, I knew it after the first episode. It's a typical binge show you watch when you want to be distracted a little bit, but nothing more.

Sure, drawing out the season will keep the buzz around WandaVision going, but that mostly works because there is actually something to talk about.

 

[arc]

On 1/17/2021 at 8:51 AM, swanpride said:

Another thing I noticed upon rewatch: Wanda getting pregnant was literally the result of her and Vision saying together "think of the children".

I assumed it was from the offscreen stuff after she merged the beds the previous night.

[Kromm]

On 1/17/2021 at 11:51 AM, swanpride said:

Another thing I noticed upon rewatch: Wanda getting pregnant was literally the result of her and Vision saying together "think of the children".

Literally? No. Because, of course, it's not real. But if this is a mass delusion driven by Wanda's Mind Stone powers, then that part of the delusion is certainly a direct result of her processing those comments which had been repeated to her. 

28 minutes ago, arc said:

I assumed it was from the offscreen stuff after she merged the beds the previous night.

It's a hard call, since none of this, including Vision, is real. It's a mass shared delusion, with Wanda having the "Starring role". And Vision's also not human anyway.  No little swimmers capable of fertilizing Wanda exist, even if he was alive.

My read is that within the world of the sitcom script, that's the justification though. Even with Wanda going from flat bellied to majorly pregnant in seconds. Repeated appeals about why they don't have kids, then subliminal reminders about children + the script steering them towards a double bed = sitcom pregnancy. 

I think the possibility of these fictional kids disappearing will be used against Wanda at some later point.  Perhaps with a reminder that while the Infinity Stone she CAN access can create a shared delusion, it would take all of them to make this real. 

Edited January 18, 2021 by Kromm

[Guest]

14 minutes ago, Kromm said:

It's a hard call, since none of this, including Vision, is real. It's a mass shared delusion, with Wanda having the "Starring role". And Vision's also not human anyway.  No little swimmers capable of fertilizing Wanda exist, even if he was alive.

It’s not the “real world” but it seems to be more real than a mass delusion. Original Vision wasn’t human but it’s impossible to know how real anything we’re dealing with is. 

[Joe Hellandback]

So far greatly enjoying this, rather reminds me of 'Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes'. Wonderful to see Emma Caulfield again, 18 years after Buffy she still looks fabulous and perfectly cast. 

[Spaceman Spiff]

On 1/17/2021 at 1:41 AM, swanpride said:

Anyone noticed that more and more "red" was creeping in the last episodes? First on the toaster, than the helicopter, than the blood...granted, red is a colour which "pops" so to speak, but it might have a special meaning. Maybe it is related to the reality stone being red.

The gum Vision swallowed was also Big Red, that nasty cinnamon flavored gum.

Also there is this about the show on Wikipedia.

Filming began in early November 2019,[55] at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Atlanta, Georgia,[56] with Shakman directing,[27] and Jess Hall serving as cinematographer.[57][34] The series was filmed under the working title Big Red

 

[kirinan]

On 1/16/2021 at 11:09 AM, Kromm said:

I think the general assumption is it's a one-off. That said, there's certainly an open door to use a different premise as a Season 2. They've been open that this leads into Doctor Strange 2 (now filming). Logically that suggests that a second season could just follow up the events of Doctor Strange 2.

What mystifies me, though, is if that happened how could the show be called WandaVision anymore? Because if she’s creating the world to deal with events or someone is taking advantage of her to create it, reality will eventually intrude. (Plus I’m enjoying it and don’t want it to be just a one-off.)

ETA: I saw after I wrote this that someone suggested the double meaning of WandaVision as Wanda + Vision or Wanda's Vision, so that kind of negates my question. But I still don't think I'd enjoy the show as much without both of them.

Edited January 19, 2021 by kirinan

[peachmangosteen]

1 hour ago, Spaceman Spiff said:

The gum Vision swallowed was also Big Red, that nasty cinnamon flavored gum.

Gasp, this big red gum slander!

I am, I guess, kind of in between a casual fan and a diehard. I've seen most of the Marvel movies/shows since CATFA but I've only watched them once and I barely remember most of what happened in any of them. But I love them all the same so I was pumped for this show. I loved Wanda and Vision in whatever movie it was where they got together lol. Anyway, I didn't love this as much as I hoped I would but I did really enjoy it and I definitely look forward to the rest of the eps. I assume it's gonna get better and better.

[FnkyChkn34]

On 1/15/2021 at 10:00 AM, Captain Stable said:

The sofa changed from the previous episode!
I don't know if it means anything, but I noticed, mainly because I thought the sofa in Episode 1 looked a bit too modern for the setting.

Didn't the whole house change?  The were stairs where there weren't stairs, and the kitchen was totally different.

[Kel Varnsen]

3 hours ago, kirinan said:

What mystifies me, though, is if that happened how could the show be called WandaVision anymore? Because if she’s creating the world to deal with events or someone is taking advantage of her to create it, reality will eventually intrude. (Plus I’m enjoying it and don’t want it to be just a one-off.)

ETA: I saw after I wrote this that someone suggested the double meaning of WandaVision as Wanda + Vision or Wanda's Vision, so that kind of negates my question. But I still don't think I'd enjoy the show as much without both of them.

It is also a play on the word television. So Wandavision could be a show starting Wanda "produced" by someone else.

[AnimeMania]

4 hours ago, Spaceman Spiff said:

The gum Vision swallowed was also Big Red, that nasty cinnamon flavored gum.

Also there is this about the show on Wikipedia.

Filming began in early November 2019,[55] at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Atlanta, Georgia,[56] with Shakman directing,[27] and Jess Hall serving as cinematographer.[57][34] The series was filmed under the working title Big Red

Big Red is a cinnamon flavored chewing gum introduced by the William Wrigley Jr. Company in 1975.

[Spaceman Spiff]

1 hour ago, AnimeMania said:

Big Red is a cinnamon flavored chewing gum introduced by the William Wrigley Jr. Company in 1975.

Living in Chicago my whole life, I am very familiar with all things Wrigley. 😀

[Kromm]

3 hours ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

Didn't the whole house change?  The were stairs where there weren't stairs, and the kitchen was totally different.

Yes it went from "Almost Dick Van Dyke's house" to "Almost the Bewitched house". 

[FnkyChkn34]

1 hour ago, Kromm said:

Yes it went from "Almost Dick Van Dyke's house" to "Almost the Bewitched house". 

That's what I thought.  I think part of the weirdness and the "what is going on?!" factors are that the time period clearly changes, and the house and neighborhood change... but the people stay the same.  Like I said in a different post - I have no idea what's happening, and I love it.  I wouldn't be able to figure out what is going on even if I tried, so I'm just along for the ride. 🙂 

[arc]

In this director interview (Marah Eakin of the AV Club had watched three episodes before the interview and there are some brief glimpses of ep 3), Matt Shakman says it’s the same house, evolving with the eras, rather than becoming a different house. (My loose paraphrase.) He also said the goal was never to perfectly mimic an old show, so the pastiches are intentional, but maybe not in a “the Big Bad is doing this and is bad at mimicking Bewitched, etc” sense. It sounds like it’s more that Jac Schaeffer and Matt Shakman just wanted Wandavision to be more an homage than a re-creation.

[AnimeMania]

 

3 hours ago, Spaceman Spiff said:

4 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

Big Red is a cinnamon flavored chewing gum introduced by the William Wrigley Jr. Company in 1975.

Living in Chicago my whole life, I am very familiar with all things Wrigley. 😀

I was trying to point out the date. Big Red wasn't around at the time this is supposed to be occurring.

[Kel Varnsen]

5 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

 

I was trying to point out the date. Big Red wasn't around at the time this is supposed to be occurring.

It is pretty easy to explain that away. Either the "showrunner" controlling the world (either Wanda or someone else) doesn't know when Big Red was invented. Or in a world where they had flying cars in 1943, Big Red gum was also developed much earlier.

[tkc]

14 hours ago, Kel Varnsen said:

It is also a play on the word television. So Wandavision could be a show starting Wanda "produced" by someone else.

It could also be interpreted as seeing what’s happening inside Wanda’s mind — viewing within Wanda, hence WandaVision.

[Kromm]

1 hour ago, tkc said:

It could also be interpreted as seeing what’s happening inside Wanda’s mind — viewing within Wanda, hence WandaVision.

I think we covered that saying it might represent her delusion, even if we aren't sure if that delusion is still all inside her head (I'm dubious) or now projected outside of it. 

The main point remains that the title is meant to befuddle us just as much as everything else here. 

[Silver Raven]

So their address is 2800?  A reference to the Earth-2800 universe?

 

[Chaos Theory]

If I remember correctly “Bewitched” was the first American show that had an American tv married couple share the same bed.  It got away with it because it was considered a fantasy.  So I loved the scene with Wanda and Vision in separate beds until they got scared and then suddenly having Wanda move their beds together.

[QuantumMechanic]

Minor thing given everything else in the radio scene, but did anyone else hear them change one of the chorus repeats from "Help me Rhonda" to "Help me Wanda"?

[Kromm]

12 hours ago, QuantumMechanic said:

Minor thing given everything else in the radio scene, but did anyone else hear them change one of the chorus repeats from "Help me Rhonda" to "Help me Wanda"?

Yes, that happened (you can actually check on subtitles).  I do think it was meant to sound a bit like both at the same time though. It wasn't overt. 

[Pj3422]

I GASPED when I saw that radio — my brother & sister had the very same radio when they were growing up. Kudos to the props dept.