S01.E06: All-New Halloween Spooktacular!

[tennisgurl]

Did Wanda really turn dickhead Hayward’s agents into straight up clowns? That’s the kind of super powered pettiness I can get behind. 

[Lassus]

6 minutes ago, bmoore4026 said:

Only two episodes left.

Three.

[Chicago Redshirt]

11 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Did Wanda really turn dickhead Hayward’s agents into straight up clowns? That’s the kind of super powered pettiness I can get behind. 

I am worried that going through the barrier may be a prelude to them getting superpowers, though...Or maybe it takes two trips through the barrier for that. Or maybe Wanda changing the nature of the Hex borders will mean that Monica can get powered up but people who are getting engulfed in it now won't. 

[swanpride]

Quote

My feeling is that these writers don’t do anything by mistake

Well, Americans can be extremely myopic regarding such things….

[Chaos Theory]

If we are talking about incorporating the mutants storylines into the Marvel Universe doing it through Wanda Maximoff not a bad way of going about it,  being such a strong Avenger legitimately capable of punching a hole through the multiverse or even if it wasn’t her and having it be Dr. Strange and sending an alternate version of her brother to test whether or not she crossed a line into outright villainy.  
 

Plus on the other side we have the racism side that was prevalent through the X-Men stories of people just not liking anyone with powers regardless of what side they were on and Hayward is playing that roll perfect.  The douche bag who doesn’t care why Wanda is doing what she is doing or even  if it is Wanda and just wants to rid the world of someone he feels is dangerous. 

I am worried what he will do to get the kids when he finds out about them.

Edited February 12, 2021 by Chaos Theory

[Cobalt Stargazer]

1 hour ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

But in this theory, how would Agnes know or suspect that Vision might even see her at the end of town, let alone come track her down? How would Agnes faking being terrified get Vision to check out the boundary?

That would be my question too. Even if Agnes isn't involved somehow, why would she have been parked right at 'Ellis Avenue'? She couldn't have known that Vision was out walking around by himself, and not even Wanda knew he wasn't on citizens watch with Herb until he told her so.

Also, random, but did anyone have a Roseanne moment when Vision un-glitched Agnes and she said, "Dead! Dead! Dead!" and then just drove off like nothing had happened. "Ralph sends his love." That's not what she said, but still.

[formerlyfreedom]

As per the mod note in last week's episode - general spec is fine in the episode topic, but if you're going to speculate based on the comics, please consider taking it to the MU/MCU topic or spoiler tagging it in here. Some spoiler tags have been added in here, since they bring up questions whose answers aren't in the movies or from the episodes aired so far. Thank you!

[absnow54]

2 minutes ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

That would be my question too. Even if Agnes isn't involved somehow, why would she have been parked right at 'Ellis Avenue'? She couldn't have known that Vision was out walking around by himself, and not even Wanda knew he wasn't on citizens watch with Herb until he told her so.

That's true. My only other thought is that maybe she was following him, and made the move to the edge of town when she saw how close he was getting? It's a stretch, but there's something off about Agnes that makes her seem different than the other trapped residents. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Loved the Malcolm in the Middle elements. Given what a dick Hayward is, I laughed when Wanda expanded outside of Westview and turned his people into clowns and the command center into a circus.

"Hey, it's the guy who almost got murdered by his own murder squad!"

[dmeets]

32 minutes ago, absnow54 said:

It's a stretch, but there's something off about Agnes that makes her seem different than the other trapped residents. 

For sure there is, she's the only non-family member to get promoted to series regular. And ironically, it's probably the least amount of screen time she's gotten yet (or it's neck and neck with the 70's ep).

 

Wanda briefly saw Pietro's corpse but it still had Evan Peters' face and her Pietro's been dead for well over five years (not sure how much time passed between Ultron and Infinity War), so I'm assuming/hoping that isn't really Zombie!Pietro. But I'm pretty sure it isn't X-Men Peter either, which means we probably haven't seen hints of the multiverse just yet after all.

This episode seemed to be pure Malcolm in the Middle. Were there any homages to other shows of the time?

Edited February 12, 2021 by dmeets

[Capricasix]

2 hours ago, starri said:

Yes.  Billy uses the codename "Wiccan" and has Wanda's magic, Tommy uses "Speed" and has Pietro's, well...

Thanks!

[Chicago Redshirt]

Thoughts on rewatch:

The theme song for the episode and the rest of the music is very Malcolm in the Middle. It's also a reflection of Wanda wavering and either her or someone/thing else trying to keep her in the groove.

I think I liked the sitcoms lines in this perhaps better than the other sitcoms. "Not a real dinosaur." and the exchange about Mexican wrestlers/flirting in Spanish/shades of the Addams family (appropriate for a Halloween episode). Pietro was a pretty funny ad to the mix.

But he is also pretty creepy. He clearly is not MCU Pietro nor X-Verse Pietro. He is too aware about what is going on and seems to get pleasure from needling Wanda.

Spoiler

I am fairly sure that he's Mephisto. "You probably suppressed a lot of the trauma," stepping up to be the twins' "father figure, saying "unleash hell, demon spawn!" to the twins and saying, "Damn it, if Westview, New Jersey isn't as charming as hell" would be pretty on brand for big M. It also is worth noting that Pietro notes that Wanda was testing him about the kid at the orphanage and then dodged answering it. 

It is also weird that Herb was getting reports of Pietro doing things slightly before we saw Pietro doing them. And Herb's

"Do you want something changed?" line seemed...odd.

I wonder what Wanda did when she turned the Hex red. 

"And which of you is the sasssy best friend?" Between the two of them, I would say it's Darcy. But in the whole trio, probably Woo. 🙂

Looking at the commercial again, a few more things stand out to me. First, it is a Faustian bargain/monkey's paw sort of scenario, where the boy essentially wishes for food, gets it, but is unable to eat it and dies. Second, the shark talks just like Pietro does with a lot of bros and dudes. Indeed, Pietro says to Tommy, "Right on, little dude" in the next scene after Tommy shows he has super-speed. I could even be convinced that the Pietro actor voices the shark in the commercial, but I have no way of knowing. Since it's a kid on the island, maybe it's the kids' magic that he is snacking on instead? The tagline of "The Snack for Survivors" made me think of Wanda as a survivor, as in she survived Vision's death. 

The project Darcy is trying to hack info on at the end is code-named "Cataract." That seems to suggest it involves harming Vision, becaue that's what a cataract does.

The Hex barrier is blue on the inside and red from the outside. I wonder what that is about.

Edited February 13, 2021 by saoirse
spoiler tag added to spec based on comics

[tennisgurl]

I definitely thought Malcolm in the Middle when I was watching, which started in 2000 so while things were still pretty culturally 90s, and then transitioned into the early 00s with Even Stevens and a bit of Rosanne, especially the twins talking to the camera and the vibe of "its chaotic, but fun!" that a lot of late 90s/early 00s sitcoms had. The cutaway to Wanda and Pietro's childhood also felt very late 90s/early 00s, and served something of a duel purpose of both being a dumb sitcom joke, as well as another clear indicator that something is very off with this Pietro. That was very obviously not a flashback to the real childhood of Wanda and Pietro, even leaving behind the fact that its pretty unlikely that an Eastern European country, even a fake one, would celebrate Halloween, I highly doubt little old ladies were hanging out old fish while cars were on fire in the background during fake Halloween in the 90s. Wanda even quizzes Pietro on some childhood memories, even if he can tell right away that its a trick question, and whoever this guy is, he doesn't really seem like Pietro, at least the MCU version. He actually seems to have more of the slacker prankster personality that X-Men Peter had, but with some of MCU Pietro's memories of his death. This guy also knows more than anyone else, but still has some kind of Wanda approved memories, so he did get the sitcom memory upload, even if he also knows that this is fake. I also cant imagine either Pietro joking about Vision dying to Wanda, especially MCU Pietro who was so protective of his sister, its way too much of a dick thing to say. Also kind of interesting that, if Wanda is 31, the same age as Elizabeth Olsen (as well as me!) the late 90s/early 00s really would have been her childhood, at least the parts she could most remember. 

Also, when Wanda got pissed at Pietro, she threw him into a fake graveyard. Ouch. 

Woo has really learned how to throw down since we saw him last! He, Monica, and Darcy are a really great team, although they are now temporarily separated with Darcy getting sucked into the sitcom world. Now that we're heading for the later 00s, we'll be getting 2 Broke Girl references right? Oh Kat, you deserved better...

Hayward is not only a dick, being needlessly dismissive of his colleagues and even throwing Monica's mothers death in her face (NOT COOL!) he is clearly a moron. Yeah, keep poking the super powered reality bending person who almost defeated Thanos with a stick, and see what happens. He also clearly has beef with people with powers, which I caught pretty much right away, down to the name SWORD. It presumably wasn't Maria's intention, but the name Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division sounds super sinister, especially after Hydra and the Accords mess. In general, people who refer to other people as "Weapons" do not usually turn out to have the best of intentions. 

This show really is like a fabulous four course meal, endlessly delicious to chew on, digesting every course/episode and really digging the details and tastes of every one. Its so full of great little bits, like the movies being played in the background, and big moments, like Vision being torn apart while begging the agents to help the people trapped inside.    

I am also curious about this person who was in witness protection. Was that just the hook to get the FBI involved, or is that person going to be more important?

Edited February 13, 2021 by tennisgurl

[QuantumMechanic]

7 minutes ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

the exchange about Mexican wrestlers/flirting in Spanish/shades of the Addams family (appropriate for a Halloween episode). Pietro was a pretty funny ad to the mix.

The flirting in Spanish also reminded me of the flirting in Italian and in Russian ("Dostoevsky!") in A Fish Called Wanda.

[Fukui San]

I too loved the Malcolm in the Middle homage. I think it was either that, The Simpsons, or Married With Children, but Malcolm fit very well with what they're doing and the classic comics costumes were incredible. This is just so much fun.

[Featherhat]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

Hayward is not only a dick, being needlessly dismissive of his colleagues and even throwing Monica's mothers death in her face (NOT COOL!) he is clearly a moron. Yeah, keep poking the super powered reality bending person who almost defeated Thanos with a stick, and see what happens. He also clearly has beef with people with powers, which I caught pretty much right away, down to the name SWORD. It presumably wasn't Maria's intention, but the name Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division sounds super sinister, especially Hydra and the Accords mess. In general, people who refer to other people as "Weapons" do not turn out to have the best of intentions. 

 

It could have changed from Worlds to Weapons after the Snap. One thing I caught after looking back at ep 4 was that he said half the remaining Astronaut program quit after the Snap because they lost their nerve which is what he accuses Monica of doing here. Might be nothing but he could have been forcing the non nukey people out of SWORD for a while now. 

The thing is Monica was at no point in that particular conversation advocating holding hands and singing kumbaya with Wanda, just that she thought it was a good idea not to go in there with guns blazing without doing some more observation. Making Wanda part of the solution doesn't mean she gets of scot free. Granted, Hayward might already be gaining other intelligence with Pietro. Literally all she and Darcy said was lets not try and do exactly the same thing again that almost got you murdered by your own squad again. So yep he is a moron.

The fact that Monica has gone through so much in the last three weeks and is still functioning and trying to find a sensible and successful way out is a credit to her. And she has shown a lot of compassion for Wanda's grief which Hayward dismisses but is actually intelligence that SWORD could be using to formulate a plan that doesn't end with the entire town dead and Wanda alive and pissed off. He doesn't seem to care about any of the innocent civilians in there, even though they were his excuse before. 

Edited February 12, 2021 by Featherhat

[Jediknight]

2 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I definitely thought Malcolm in the Middle when I was watching, which started in 2000 so while things were still pretty culturally 90s, and then transitioned into the early 00s with Even Stevens and a bit of Rosanne, especially the twins talking to the camera and the vibe of "its chaotic, but fun!" that a lot of late 90s/early 00s sitcoms had. The cutaway to Wanda and Pietro's childhood also felt very late 90s/early 00s, and served something of a duel purpose of both being a dumb sitcom joke, as well as another clear indicator that something if very off with this Pietro. That was very obviously not a flashback to the real childhood of Wanda and Pietro, even leaving behind the fact that its pretty unlikely that an Eastern European country, even a fake one, would celebrate Halloween, I highly doubt little old ladies were hanging out old fish while cars were on fire in the background during fake Halloween in the 90s. Wanda even quizzes Pietro on some childhood memories, even if he can tell right away that its a trick question, and whoever this guy is, he doesn't really seem like Pietro, at least the MCU version. He actually seems to have more of the slacker prankster personality that X-Men Peter had, but with some of MCU Pietro's memories of his death. This guy also knows more than anyone else, but still has some kind of Wanda approved memories, so he did get the sitcom memory upload, even if he also knows that this is fake. I also cant imagine either Pietro joking about Vision dying to Wanda, especially MCU Pietro who was so protective of his sister, its way too much of a dick thing to say.

Yeah, him joking about Vision is definitely not up Pietro or Peter's alleys.  Peter may have been a slacker prankster, but we never saw anything to suggest that he would make a joke like that.  He would offer to help.  Heck, in Days of Future Past, Peter was holding his sister and sitting still as Magneto was delivering his speech.  And he wasn't the world's biggest fan of sitting still.

Pietro isn't Pietro or Peter.

Edited February 12, 2021 by Jediknight

[swanpride]

Still not sure if that was really Malcolm in the middle but if it was, it was pretty jarring, since everything else was clearly still 1980s. The clothing, the intro (which was practically "Alf, but Quicksilver holds the camera") the only thing which might be odd in the context was the theme song, but it might simply be faster than what was usually used back them in order to fit their idea for an intro...

[RachelKM]

2 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

The Hex barrier is blue on the inside and red from the outside. I wonder what that is about.

I think it's both blue and red from both sides. The barrier seems to be fashioned as a cathode ray tube TV style RGB projection which created the blue hued light we associate with a room illuminated solely by a television. When Monica approached it in Ep. 4, you could see the RGB bars and I'm pretty sure we've seen it look blue from the outside.  It seems to occasionally ripple with or, in the case of expansion, completely display as red as a pulse/surge of Wanda's hex abilities powering it. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

2 minutes ago, RachelKM said:

I think it's both blue and red from both sides. The barrier seems to be fashioned as a cathode ray tube TV style RGB projection which created the blue hued light we associate with a room illuminated solely by a television. When Monica approached it in Ep. 4, you could see the RGB bars and I'm pretty sure we've seen it look blue from the outside.  It seems to occasionally ripple with or, in the case of expansion, completely display as red as a pulse/surge of Wanda's hex abilities powering it. 

As I recall, it had been blue from the outside until last episode. After giving her warning to the murder squad, Wanda turned the Hex red as she was going back in. For what purpose, I don't know.

In the shotss from outside the Hex, the border appears red. But as Vision approaches from the inside, it's blue.

[Dandesun]

Were flashback Wanda and Pietro dressed as Natasha and Fury?

And now I wonder if Wanda increasing the Hex will full on get Dr. Strange's attention. Is it strange that it was Woo who came across this at all in the first place? He was checking in on someone in Witness Protection, no one knows who he is, he comes to check things out because it's all 'hinkey' and stumbles across the Westview that no one seems to know exists. He apparently reached out to SWORD -- or presumably his superiors in the FBI did -- but Wanda had already busted into SWORD to get Visions body? Except that no one seemed to have eyes on the location at all... it took Monica getting sucked in and Woo, presumably, reporting that to get everyone else in.

Let's just say that Dir. Hayward's part in this is also super duper hinkey. Also, tracking the vibranium decay to keep track of Vision... was that what they were doing to him? Were they extracting the vibranium from his body given that we know just how valuable that metal is? Vision didn't want to be made into someone's weapon... but if that's what they were doing, were they going to use it for anything else? Cataract is labeled 'Classified Weapons Intel' and Hayward does seem to be the same breed as General Ross who equated Bruce and Thor as misplaced nuclear weapons. By the way, good for Darcy for EMAILING WOO THE CATARACT FILES!! #Shero.

Now, Strange MIGHT have been aware that something was going on and he MIGHT be observing from a distance but there sure as hell isn't anyone left in the Avengers to check it out, really. Tony and Natasha are gone. Steve is gone (wherever Old Man Steve is... I don't know.) Thor took off. Clint retired and got his family back so he's probably back in Iowa and has no desire to leave them. (Hopefully he's in therapy, too.) Scott Lang would have little to contribute. Professor Hulk... samesies and his relationship with Wanda was never great. Rhodey is military so he wouldn't have much to contribute, either. Carol is who knows where, she figures herself more as someone handling off world situations (which may be where Monica's ire comes from.) Sam is in couples therapy with Bucky and is, presumably, doing Falcon & Winter Soldier stuff elsewhere, dealing with Zemo. Who else is there? There aren't any Avengers anymore that I can tell. 

Wanda with Pietro... "I'm not some stranger and I'm not your husband. You can talk to me." That entire conversation was fascinating because it pointed out a bunch of things... How IS Wanda doing this? 'It's a pretty big leap from giving people nightmares and shooting red wiggly-woos out of your hands.' And 'You've handled the ethical considerations of this scenario as best you could.' THAT was interesting. Especially since Wanda still doesn't know how it started other than feeling completely alone and endless nothingness... which makes me wonder if she remembers being snapped somehow. It wouldn't surprise me, given her powers, and that would absolutely fuck her up. And the questions he was asking... was that Wanda questioning herself and allowing herself to express some reservations or was it something else poking at her?

As much as I loved seeing Tommy zip around, I full on gasp-squeed when Billy used his powers for the first time. (Tommy actually showed up in the most recent issue of X-Factor to make out/spend the night with Prodigy but also quiz Northstar like crazy about being a super speedster. It was delightful.) Billy dressed as wee Wiccan was already giving me the feels... when he sensed what was going on with Vision and then stopped Tommy... holy crap I was filled with such delight. (Now age these babies up and bring me some Teddy!!)

Agnes remains a mystery to me. Even as Vision released her from the Hex there was still something VERY night right about the constant "DEAD! DEAD! DEAD!" chant and the maniacal laughter. That shit was OFF.

And Vision breaking out to try to help the people in Westview... is that or is it not very reminiscent of Ultron Vision basically doing the same for the people of Sokovia? Will this parallel to the scene of the grieving Wanda being rescued by Vision somehow?

Damn, this is so good.

[thuganomics85]

Interesting that the sitcom world had more of an 80s setting, but the opening credits where definitely giving me more of a Malcolm in the Middle vibe, and I thought some of the concepts (especially the fourth wall breaking narrations from the kids) were more in line with 90s/early 2000s comedies.  Still, I thought it worked pretty well.  I'm curious to see how many more times we'll have a sitcom world until everything goes back to just the real world.  At the very least, I imagine we'll get some kind of variation of the Parks and Recs/The Office/Modern Family style of "documentary sitcoms."

So, Pietro is basically the show's version of the troublemaking, "cool" uncle, who is always causing mischief.  But he also seems to be aware of what is going on and doesn't have issues with going against what Wanda wants.  And... he seems to be kind of a dick.  He obviously isn't the Pietro from this universe, but he isn't acting like the one from the X-Men films either, so I'm wondering what his deal is.  Maybe a Pietro from another universe (so many universes!)?  Or someone completely different?

Liked how the Halloween theme allowed everyone to dress like the character did in the comics!

On the surface, it looks like Agnes is being controlled as well, but I'm still suspicious.  Mainly because I don't see Kathryn Hahn playing this character, unless something major goes down with her.

Vision now knows about the whole "I totally got killed!" thing.  Oh, boy!

You know, S.H.I.E.L.D. might not have been perfect (even looking past the whole "Oh, we've been infiltrated by Hydra for decades.  Whoops!"), but man, I'm missing them when compared to these knuckleheads at S.W.O.R.D.  Hayward is the worst.  Not only is he making obvious wrong calls, but he's just so disrespectful and even mean to everyone around him.  In comparison, Nick Fury certainly had no issues confronting or butting heads with those he didn't agree with, but I never felt like he was talking down to them or dismissing their concerns without thinking about it first.  But as Monica pretty much said, Hayward seems to be using the "Blip" as an excuse to lash out at everything that doesn't sit right with him, without taking everything into consideration.  And now he's likely made things worse.  Great job, buddy!

At least the Monica/Woo/Darcy trio is still awesome.  Well, they were, but now it looks like Darcy is going to be trapped in Wanda's bubble.  That should be fun!  And I wonder what will come out of those test results concerning Monica traveling through the bubble.  That's clearly going to lead to something.

The claymation commercial started out perfectly 90s-like, but that got dark real fast!

As usual, I already want it to be next Friday! 

[Dandesun]

Today's credits were full on Malcom in the Middle which started January of 2000. But check the lyrics:

Wanda WandaVision

Don't try to fight the chaos; Don't question what you've done

The game can try to play us, don't let it stop the fun

Some days it's all confusion, Easy come and easy go

But if it's all illusion sit back, enjoy the show

Let's keep it going Let's keep it going

Through each distorted day

Let's keep it going Though there may be no way of knowing

Who's coming by to play

 

Dude... the layers!!

[RachelKM]

5 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

As I recall, it had been blue from the outside until last episode. After giving her warning to the murder squad, Wanda turned the Hex red as she was going back in. For what purpose, I don't know.

In the shotss from outside the Hex, the border appears red. But as Vision approaches from the inside, it's blue.

You're right that it was entirely blue on the outside until the last episode.  And I think this was the only time we've seen the barrier from the inside for any length of time and the red was not at all visible. 

At the start of this episode the outside seemed to ripple with red with the RGB visible too.  I guess that is what I meant that it was blue still.  I interpret the blue as "blue light" from a TV screen.  So I was interpreting the whole thing as being blue and only red when pulsing with Hex power. 

Getting back to your original point of the different colors (whether it is only red on the outside), I agree that it likely means something that that the red began after Wanda perceived an attack in the last episode.  Like she's reinforced the barrier perhaps.  If that's the case, she has been dumping energy into this construct hand over fist for the last few episodes - increasing the energy at the border, brining in a Pietro (who may or may not be himself powered by Wanda to create super speed), and now expanding the border and converting an entire temporary base and it's personnel.  Brings a whole new creepy level to the Yo-magic commercial and its depleted and dedicated kid.

Edited February 13, 2021 by RachelKM

[Silver Raven]

Woah, the previouslies had Aaron Taylor Johnson.  Cool.

So everything that happened in town leading up to Halloween including Uncle P sleeping past four and the costumes appearing and the town being decorated happened in the few minutes outside of town while they retrieved the drone for examination.

Damn, Jimmy giving out the punches.

The woman crying as she kept repeating the same movements was creepy.

Loving how little Speed's hair blows back after a speed run.

Where did all of the kids come from?

Agnes was not what I was expecting.

I was hoping Hayward would get caught up.

What was the commercial referencing?

What was the movie that was playing in the Town Square?

 

[swanpride]

I have now decided to interpret the vibes which actually didn't fit (like the title music in the intro and the fact that the cinema shows not just Parent Trap but also The Incredibles - both Disney movies btw) as the "reality" breaking into Wanda's happy sitcom world. I mean we all know that sitcoms were less and less perfect world the more modern they became.

[Wolfprincess]

Hey, just a thought.  How much of Vision's memory loss is from an outside source?  He did die and it looks like part of his head was torn off.  Also, if they could have been experimenting with him enough that his brain was damaged further.  He could also be suppressing his memories of dying like any person might.  He was more than just a walking computer after all.
 

I was just basically pondering how much of his memory loss may or may not be self-inflicted.  I keep flashing back to Hayward being surprised and saying something like "he really does want to get out of there".

Also, maybe other people know better - but CAN Wanda read his mind and make him forget things?  I know that she kind of rewound time before, but it doesn't seem to stick.  And we still aren't sure how much of what's going on is purely her or someone behind the scenes.

[arc]

I have now decided to interpret the vibes which actually didn't fit (like the title music in the intro and the fact that the cinema shows not just Parent Trap but also The Incredibles - both Disney movies btw)

Or, instead of it being the 80s but with 00s references, hairstyles, fashion, maybe it was just the 00s.

Edited February 12, 2021 by arc

[swanpride]

...Alf is a 1980s series. And the intro was so clearly parodying Alf, if you would remove the theme song and play the Alf music over it slightly speed up, it would be a perfect match. The clothes are difficult to judge because nearly everyone is running around in a costume, and hairstyle is difficult to judge too because honestly, is there a big difference between the style from the 1990s, 2000s and 2010? The only thing I really connect with the 1990s is that bangs went out of fashion during that period. And the car models which are seen on the used car shop which is created towards the end don't look like 2000s either (the circus kind of reminded me of the Batman movies for some reason)...the Parent trap is either from the 1961 or the 1998, the Incredible 2005. It was quite a wild mix.

[arc]

But the title sequence not only has the camcorder POV of Alf, but the camcorder POV of MITM, and also the video distortions and scratchy typeface of MITM. Then they had Billy address the camera, Malcolm style. And the whole sitcom was single camera, like MITM but not like Alf.

And used cars, like second-run movies, can be from any era except the future.

Edited February 12, 2021 by arc

[Snapdragon]

Weird that they skipped the 90s and went straight into the 2000s.  Maybe they figured that the 80s and 90s sitcoms had similar aesthetics so doing an episode for both would have been repetitive?  Anyway, I liked all the Malcolm in the Middle stuff (in the intro/theme song, the background music, kids talking to the camera).  I found it hilarious that Agnes had the velour tracksuit with "Naughty" bedazzled on the butt (So glad that fashion trend is over).  Speaking of Agnes, I can't figure out if she's a gigantic red herring who's going to turn out to be just an ordinary person or if she's a minion of the Big Bad.  Though either way, I don't think she's from the town since Vision brought up that it was strange she'd get lost in a town she'd lived in all her life (maybe she's the person in witness protection?).  So good job on you show, you're keeping me guessing.

In regards to Pietro, I'm wondering if maybe he's Peter from the X-Men universe but with someone else possessing him?  I mean, having Evan Peters play Quicksilver here and not have him end up being X-Men Quicksilver would just be a weird choice.  And from the perspective of the character, I find it hard to believe that someone would be powerful enough to infiltrate Wanda's make-believe world and mimic Quicksilver's powers but can't change their appearance to look like her actual brother.  There's got to be a reason why he doesn't look like MCU Pietro and right now that's all I can come up with.

As for next week, I'm very excited to see what happens to Darcy.  Is she going to be a circus performer will she end up as something more mundane like Vision's co-worker.

[Abra]

I keep forgetting about the Witness Protection character, and never considered it could be Agnes. I just went back and watched that part of the first episode Woo appears in and it's specifically stated that person is a he, so - unless Wanda's powers have even more reality warping dimensions to them - it shouldn't be Agnes. I think she was either trying to escape Westview or was testing the literal boundaries of Wanda's power, and got stuck in the inertia that everyone else in that part of town was caught in. I hope WitSec guy isn't a red herring the way it's postulated Agnes is - at this point I want them to hit me with all the mystery reveals.

I also got so caught up in the everything of this episode that I forgot we still don't know who Monica's "guy" is. I both love and hate having to wait a week for more answers.

ETA: I never cared for Vision one way or the other in the movies, except where I found him creepy for trying to keep Wanda in the complex in Civil War, but I have to see I am really growing to feel for him here. He's being revealed to be a really decent person/being(?) - Mjölnir-worthy, I guess - and that always gets me. I hope the MCU keeps him alive outside of Wanda's powers.

Edited February 12, 2021 by Abra

[Sakura12]

Well that was a lot. Lol

Definitely Malcolm in the Middle for the credits. I completely forgot about that show for sitcoms. And awe tiny Wiccan and Speed. 

So Pietro is neither X-Men Peter or Wanda's brother. All the questions he was asking makes me think he's the big bad. I'm still unsure about Agnes. Is the she the witsec person that Woo was looking for? 

Hayward is a dick. I guess we need a human villain to go along with powered villain. He'll also have to work with Monica, Woo and whoever Monica is meeting since they are the ones left. Because he keeps poking the super powered bear and making thinks worse.

I wonder what character Darcy will be now that she's in the Hex.  Will she be playing a waitress at diner. Lol I mean they made a Kick-ass mention. 

[blugirlami21]

Amazing episode as always. I love that with the weekly decade changes it's like watching a new show every week. I think last week was late 80's early 90s. This week was def the 2000s, I thought the opening credits were spot on. The commercial also, I thought I had time traveled back in time, it was so on point. It def got dark really fast tho.

Definitely feeling the tension between Wanda and Vision. I thought it was interesting that he didn't know the truth about himself. I never got that vibe before this episode. He has no outside knowledge of any kind. He is a construct of Wanda's at this point tho. He has some autonomy but him being in the dark is in line with Wanda wanting to ignore the fact that he's really dead in real life.

I still don't think that Wanda created this situation intentionally or otherwise. I think she truthfully has no memory of it. She's definitely controlling it but I don't think she would keep doing so if it wasn't constructed in such a way that she felt like she had to play along. She would be lost and aline again. No Vision, no family.

Hayworth seems to be angry with powered people which is prob sadly a common pov if you survived the snap. He's also kind of stupid though. Wanda spared him in the last episode and he learned absolutely nothing from the experience.

I still think that this is Pietro from X-men but semi merged with Wanda's Pietro. I think there are limits to to what Wanda can change. Hence why Pietro is the other Pietro. She doesn't have Pietro's body. I think Pietro was brought back to Wanda to keep her in line when Vision starting unraveling things in the last episode.

There are clearly limits to what Wanda can control, this is why the people on the outskirts of town are barely functioning. I don't know how Wanda is going to control all the of the newly assimilated area. 

I really wish that Hayworth had been assimilated, he deserves it.

 

 

Edited February 13, 2021 by blugirlami21

[Kromm]

So the clear and obvious Malcolm In The Middle episode was fittingly enough, largely a placeholder episode? 

We did learn a few things, although to be fair, they're just as likely meant to fool us. 

I mean do we REALLY trust Fauxietro's version of events?  It seems more like he was pushing Wanda for info than giving it.  Agnes' revised scenario SEEMS more real, but even it can't totally be trusted. 

What we thought we knew about Hayward was just confirmed, and what we thought we knew about what Vision really is was only partially confirmed, since he looked less dead than he did like an imaginary construct loosing cohesion. 

I did like the strong implication that adding the kids strained Wanda's powers enough to create those people without full mobility. 

I will say I think this DID confirm it's all due to her power. The implication that someone is manipulating her is still there, but they're relying on her power. And maybe trying to coopt it for another purpose... thus Fauxietro prodding at Wanda over how she's doing this. 

[Luckylyn]

Agnes continues to be at the exact right place at the exact right time.  I thinking she was play acting for Vision to further push him against Wanda.

Also since Wanda or whoever else is involved Is struggling to control people past a certain point why not just let those people go from the Hex?   Are the people alive and taken over like Monica was or are they dead like Vision which means they can’t survive outside the Hex? 

Also who is Woo’s escaped fugitive?

[Kromm]

Well we know the person Monica is meeting is a he.  So I hope Reed Richards hurries up and gets there soon.

10 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

I am worried that going through the barrier may be a prelude to them getting superpowers, though...Or maybe it takes two trips through the barrier for that. Or maybe Wanda changing the nature of the Hex borders will mean that Monica can get powered up but people who are getting engulfed in it now won't. 

I'm thinking three trips. One is handleable.  Two starts to alter them. Three completes it. That would be why Monica gets powers but nobody else, assuming that's her superhero origin. 

Or it's what creates all of the X-Men and we have to live with the hilarious reveal that all of the X-Men are either soldiers, or from New Jersey. Okay. Just joking.

15 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

“Uncle Pete” going all meta and not even pretending to go along with the show proves that he’s NOT Wanda’s Pietro.

He also outright told us the kids are "Demon Spawn". You know... like in the comics. 

[TimothyQ]

Anyone saying the intro is an ALF parody has to look past the handheld camera thing. That’s the only thing that ties it to ALF. Everything else - music, cuts, credits, just the whole feel - are obviously Malcolm in the Middle/early 2000s single camera sitcoms. Besides, the original showing of Family Ties (last week’s intro parody, 1982-1989) and ALF (1986-1990) overlap . If they are skipping ahead in time (which they’ve been doing each episode), it has to be MitM. 

[calliope1975]

I've was bummed when Vision died in Infinity War, but I felt gutted when he was getting torn apart by leaving the Hex. Let his undead self live!

I want to give a special shout to the kid actors playing Billy and Tommy. I've seen some questionable kid actors in my time, but these two are almost making me want them to stay this age even though I'm really, really looking forward to their eventual teen/young adult story.

[AimingforYoko]

Everyone looked appropriately goofy in their comic-accurate costumes...except Elizabeth Olsen. For some reason the Scarlet Witch costume just really worked on her.

I heard somewhere that all the Disney+ series are a total of 6hrs, so the last 3 eps should be hour-long.

[Kromm]

8 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

Looking at the commercial again, a few more things stand out to me. First, it is a Faustian bargain/monkey's paw sort of scenario, where the boy essentially wishes for food, gets it, but is unable to eat it and dies. Second, the shark talks just like Pietro does with a lot of bros and dudes. Indeed, Pietro says to Tommy, "Right on, little dude" in the next scene after Tommy shows he has super-speed. I could even be convinced that the Pietro actor voices the shark in the commercial, but I have no way of knowing. Since it's a kid on the island, maybe it's the kids' magic that he is snacking on instead? The tagline of "The Snack for Survivors" made me think of Wanda as a survivor, as in she survived Vision's death

I think maybe we're supposed to take this particular commercial somewhat literally. At least the part about starving. 

The people at the edge of town are frozen in place. They're likely LITERALLY starving. 

People talked in previous episode threads about a ticking clock on the story and had theories about radiation killing people. But don't let Monica and possible consequences of her soon to be third trip through the barrier misdirect us. I think the ticking clock could LITERALLY be those people starving to death. 

That said, it could have the alternate meaning that Wanda is drawing the energy for her magic from the townspeople. She's the shark and their life-force is the snack. 

[Kel Varnsen]

8 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

Looking at the commercial again, a few more things stand out to me. First, it is a Faustian bargain/monkey's paw sort of scenario, where the boy essentially wishes for food, gets it, but is unable to eat it and dies. Second, the shark talks just like Pietro does with a lot of bros and dudes. Indeed, Pietro says to Tommy, "Right on, little dude" in the next scene after Tommy shows he has super-speed. I could even be convinced that the Pietro actor voices the shark in the commercial, but I have no way of knowing. Since it's a kid on the island, maybe it's the kids' magic that he is snacking on instead? The tagline of "The Snack for Survivors" made me think of Wanda as a survivor, as in she survived Vision's death. 

The thing I found interesting is the snack is called Yo-magic, but MCU Wanda doesn't have magic. She has powers she got from the mind stone but not actual magic powers like Dr. Strange and Wong have. Maybe trying to open the snack is something about how she is trying to unlock those abilities.

[ShadowHunter]

6 hours ago, Jediknight said:

Yeah, him joking about Vision is definitely not up Pietro or Peter's alleys.  Peter may have been a slacker prankster, but we never saw anything to suggest that he would make a joke like that.  He would offer to help.  Heck, in Days of Future Past, Peter was holding his sister and sitting still as Magneto was delivering his speech.  And he wasn't the world's biggest fan of sitting still.

Pietro isn't Pietro or Peter.

I agree. Evan Peters is definitely not acting like the Peter/Quicksilver we saw in the X-Men movies. The guy who loved his Twinkies is not here lol. Nor he is acting like the one in Age of Ultron. He dodged her questions and was very manipulate when asking Wanda how she created the world. He could be the bad guy or just a mole lol. You would think they casted Peters for a reason probably dealing with the Multiverse but maybe this is just a misdirect. 

[Morrigan2575]

I really liked Wanda's old school Scarlett Witch Costume, it looked awesome. I liked the kids that played Tommy and Billy they were actually pretty good. 

Tommy appears to be a telepath, while Billy got Pietro's powers...if this was GoT I'd accuse them of being Lanisters 😂

Watching Vision fall apart trying to get help for the townsfolk was heartbreaking. We barely got any Woo, Darcy and Monica but, I loved what we got. I look forward to Woo/Monica trying to save the day from the outside.

I think the commercials are more about Wanda's real life than what's going on in the Hex. I like the idea that it's a reference to Wanda on the arc. 

My theory for Pietro, he's not Pietro or Peter. I did wonder if he was the soldier sent in back in episode 2/4. We never did find out what happened to the beekeeper.

Edited February 13, 2021 by Morrigan2575

[rozen]

1 hour ago, Luckylyn said:

Agnes continues to be at the exact right place at the exact right time.  I thinking she was play acting for Vision to further push him against Wanda.

Agnes could be bad, but I'm starting to suspect she's a little like Monica. Aware that she's trapped and desperately working all available angles to try to achieve autonomy. Agnes plays the role of the cheesy neighbor perfectly, perhaps in the hopes that Wanda lifts some of the heavy mindwipe on her. Then she tries to make a run for it when she thinks Wanda will be heavily distracted, such as orchestrating an entire town through the motions of Suburbia Halloween.

Hayward is a jerk, but honestly if we'd seen the widescale massive destruction that the Avengers have caused (purposefully or inadvertently) over the years there would absolutely be large swaths of people who hate their guts. The Avengers forced people to face the idea that they are not alone in the universe, and, not only that, they are hopelessly outgunned. I can absolutely see lots of people used to wielding power going "enough" especially when some washed superheroine decides to work through her grief by (seemingly) taking an entire town of innocent people hostage. Sure he almost certainly has a nefarious plan to make Vision into a robot supersoldier or something. But I don't find the blind seething hatred of "powered" people unrealistic .

I think Pietro is the bad guy. He's absolutely goading her over and over into making poor decisions and all his deflections about their past gaslight her about her own choices. "Why don't you remember?" "Where's your accent?" "You know the folks you love are already dead" He appeared the SECOND Vision was making Wanda start to question the ethics of what she is doing ("the man is in pain"). The only positive thing he says to her all episode is that the way she's running Westview is 'ethical'. 

[Guest]

6 hours ago, TimothyQ said:

Anyone saying the intro is an ALF parody has to look past the handheld camera thing. That’s the only thing that ties it to ALF. Everything else - music, cuts, credits, just the whole feel - are obviously Malcolm in the Middle/early 2000s single camera sitcoms. Besides, the original showing of Family Ties (last week’s intro parody, 1982-1989) and ALF (1986-1990) overlap . If they are skipping ahead in time (which they’ve been doing each episode), it has to be MitM. 

I agree. There were also Growing Pains and Full House references last week and both continued into the early to mid 90’s. Sitcom eras, as well as other trends, tend to straddle decades so it make sense to jump to the late 90’s/early 00’s. 

The similarities to Alf were also clear enough that it had to be deliberate but I think that was more about representing the transition from the wholesome family sitcoms to the edgier sitcoms. Maybe it represented Wanda’s idyllic vision of this family being pulled into reality whether she likes it or not. In Alf’s opening those similar scenes played out in a wholesome and mischievous way while here the had a more cynical tone. Whether she created it or not, she’s holding on to the perfect sitcom life and it’s coming apart at the seams. 

Edited February 13, 2021 by Guest

[Snapdragon]

18 minutes ago, Morrigan2575 said:

My theory for Pietro, he's not Puerto or Peter. I did wonder if he was the soldier sent in back in episode 2/4. We never did find out what happened to the beekeeper.

Ohhh, that would be interesting!  Like Wanda accidentally recast him as Pietro but didn't get the look quite right?  Even if that's not it, I hope we find out at some point what happened to the beekeeper.  Even if it's just a quick line of "Hey, is that Agent Beekeeper in the background there?  We'll just have to rescue him at the same time as all the other townspeople."

[arc]

In previous episodes it was a little unclear whether Vision or Wanda provides his human disguise, but here Viz just used his own powers to go from Halloween costume to his real look, definitely without Wanda. Or at least definitely without her conscious participation. Which suggests all his clothing is also fake, or at least that regardless of Wanda boxing him in on the costume near the top of the episode, he always had the option to opt out. But on the other hand, given the raw and unresolved fight at the end of ep 5, the little friction over his Halloween costume felt more like an echo of that fight than just regular family sitcom shenanigans.

[Snapdragon]

Quick question: Was anyone able to catch what Quicksilver had tattooed on his upper arm at the beginning of the episode?  I could see it was a word but I couldn't make out what it was.  

[bettername2come]

13 hours ago, phalange said:

Also, the movies on the marquee were The Incredibles, which is about a family of superheroes, and The Parent Trap, which is about twins who were separated. Nice.

I also took it as a nod to the blended decades, since the Lindsay Lohan Parent Trap was 1998 and The Incredibles was 2004.

I liked 2 Broke Girls. I can take some references. Darcy can bake cupcakes and wear an outfit with some cleavage. Just keep her away from diner-y characters and all should be well. Also, I'm a fan of Kat Dennings, so I'm loving all this new Darcy footage. I appreciated her worrying about Vision and trying to help. I look forward to seeing her in sitcom land. If Vision recognizes her from trying to escape, even better. Ooh, if he does the mental thingy and she explains what's happening more clearly, even betterer.

Vision literally being torn apart and still trying to get the agents to help people? Things like that are why he can wield Mjolnir. 

I'm glad we got info on where the children have been. 

Jimmy Woo feels like the new Coulson. Badass illusionist who can hotwire a car. Go, Jimmy!

Stop throwing gray animated corpses into the show!