WANDAVISION [Disney+]

It might not come as a surprise to learn that when the ninth (and final) episode of WandaVision became available on DISNEY+, the web site crashed because of the heavy traffic.

WandaVision stars Elizabeth Olsen as a powerful sorceress who decides to deal with her grief over the deaths of her mother, father, brother, and lover by creating a world where they can live again. Of course, officious bureaucrats want to destroy her haven so conflict results.

 This miniseries was created by Jac Schaeffer for Disney+, based on the Marvel Comics characters Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Vision. Set in a New Jersey town of Westview, Wanda uses her powers to recreate a reality similar to TV sitcoms from the 1950s and 1960s.

Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany reprise their respective roles as Wanda Maximoff and Vision from the MARVEL Avengers film series. I thought the project was innovative and clever. I want to see more of these characters! GRADE: A

32 thoughts on “WANDAVISION [Disney+]

  1. Steve Oerkfitz

    Sounds and looks interesting but I don’t have Disney and I’m not getting it for just one show.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Steve, DISNEY is ramping up their production schedule in 2021. I’m sure some of their content will find its way to DVD/Blu-ray.

      Reply
      1. Jeff Meyerson

        I’m sure you’re right. We were able to get the CBS pay shows on DVD at the library – The Good Fight and Star Trek: Discovery – and I’m sure Disney will be out there too.

      2. george Post author

        Jeff, I yearn for the past days when we had all the stations on cable in one play with one bill. Now, we have HBO Max, HULU, Netflix, AMAZON Prime Video, Disney+, and a couple I’ve forgotten for the moment but you get the idea. Too much confusion!

      3. Steve Oerkfitz

        Don’t hold your breath. Disney is following Netflix’s policy of not releasing their series on disc. No Stranger Things, Godless, Queen’s Gambit on didc. Disney does not plan to release The Mandalorian on Disc.

      4. george Post author

        Steve, I see Disney is exercising their monopoly powers by not releasing content on DVDs or Blu-rays. Big mistake.

  2. Jeff Meyerson

    Ditto. No Disney Plus here either. We recently signed up for PBS Masterpiece and MHz Choice. That’s it for the moment.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Jeff, we signed on for DISNEY+ because Diane wanted to see HAMILTON. But I’ve watched several MARVEL movies and now WANDAVISION. It’s worth the money for me.

      Reply
  3. Jerry House

    The only problem with the MCU is that you need a scorecard to keep everyone and everything straight, as well as a PhD in Easter eggs. WANDAVISION was a refreshing and innovative series that bodes well for upcoming Disney+/Marvel series such as THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER and LOKI. The MCU has always made previously minor characters go to the head of the class in very interesting ways. As long as they keep making television shows and films, I’ll be watching.

    Reply
      1. george Post author

        Rick, I don’t think Natty Bumpo is getting a movie or MARVEL series on DISNEY+ but many “minor” characters in the MCU are.

  4. Patti Abbott

    Despite never having seen the Marvel movies and not knowing who these characters were I loved it. I may not understand the Marvel Universe but I do understand grief.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Patti, Katie–who deals with the grief of many of her clients each day–loved WANDAVISION. “I was so surprised Disney would present a series that dealt mostly with grief,” Katie told me. “And love,” I replied. Jerry’s right about the complexities of the MARVEL Cinematic Universe, but dealing with the deaths of family and a Significant Other is at the heart of this unusual series.

      Reply
      1. george Post author

        Rick, Katie is a Social Worker who works for the PACE Program in Boston to help keep elderly clients in their homes rather than sending them to nursing homes.

  5. Michael Padgett

    I’ve often thought that the sheer impenetrability of the MCU may actually be the point, a feature rather than a bug, which gives its adherents a deeply satisfying feeling of being “in the know”. Patti’s comment could possibly make me rethink that, and I will. But for now, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Michael, the MCU reminds me of the complicated world of STAR WARS with its wonky aspects. Both worlds can absorb audiences with all the characters and world-building. I had students who were obsessed with STAR WARS. One student had seen all the STAR WARS movies 100 times each!

      Reply
  6. maggie mason

    I don’t have it, and would consider getting it, but when I had netflix on the tv I was unable to fast forward and disappointed at the movies available so went back to discs, but only do that a couple of months, due to the Looooong wait for the newest ones. My library has enough things to keep me occupied, so for now, anyhow, I’m content with just hbo and what comes with my cable package. I’m waiting for Hamilton to come on DVD

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Maggie, I’m also annoyed with the inability to fast-forward on some platforms. Our ON DEMAND through Spectrum won’t let us go forward or backward. Frustrating!

      Reply
  7. Rick Robinson

    We don’t have any of the extra-cost channels / streaming stuff, so like Maggie we choose from what is offered in our over-$200/month “basic cable plus” package, the plus giving us ESPN and TCM..

    Reply
  8. Michael Padgett

    All my streaming stuff runs through an Amazon Stick which comes with its own remote that allows you to do pretty much whatever you want to do. And although FFing is allowed, I’m somewhat puzzled as to what you’d watch on Netflix that you’d want to FF through. My Comcast On Demand does not allow you to FF, but I don’t use it for anything that has commercials, so it’s no big deal. The VERY few network and cable shows I want to see get recorded, and with recordings I CAN FF through the commercials. Netflix Disc Delivery worked nicely for years, but a couple of years ago it got virtually impossible to get anything new and I cancelled it.

    Reply
    1. maggie mason

      Michael I fast forward thru chase scenes, fight scenes, and love scenes. On broadcast tv, commercials are at minimum 20% of the shows, so I’ll FFW thru them, though I will watch ONE TIME the movie promos and some of the witty ads. I”m very very tired of progressive with flo and the mean young woman.

      Reply
      1. Michael Padgett

        WHOA! That’s some serious editing. I’ve hated Flo for years, but Progressive has reached a new level of awfulness without her. In the absolute worst one a guy brings his motorcycle into a gym, parks it on a treadmill and starts it up. When the manager tells him there’s a 30 minute limit he cranks it up even louder and says “tell that to the rain”. It almost makes me wish I had Progressive insurance so I could cancel it.

      2. george Post author

        Michael, I agree with you on Progressive commercials. They seem to want to push the envelope. Without Flo, they’d be toast.

    2. Jeff Meyerson

      We have Verizon Fios and can’t fast forward through network shows. Occasionally Jackie misses recording something (or it is preempted here and she can only see it On Demand). Then she has to sit through endless commercials. But other things On Demand generally don’t have commercials.. You can fast forward or rewind. We have Netflix separately, but have Acorn and Britbox and now MHz Choice and PBS Masterpiece all through Amazon Prime.

      Reply
  9. wolf

    Never heard about this series before – but found this by accident:
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/09/wandavision-pentagon-propaganda-marvel-disney-fbi
    So it is intriguing, if not outright suspicious, that the show has chosen to give unnecessary screen time to Jimmy Woo, an FBI agent first introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU, in 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp.

    Marvel and Disney’s long histories of collaborating with the US government, in particular the FBI and the Pentagon, to create propaganda – in exchange for military equipment, location access and consultation – is reason for concern.
    The Guardian is comparable to the NYT or WaPo – the only British paper I read – the others are just cr*p!

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Wolf, most of the MARVEL TV programs and recent movies have been skeptical of government bureaucrats and agencies. Most Americans are leery about them, too.

      Reply
  10. Cap'n Bob Napier

    Just how much do you people pay for all these TV services you get? It must be a small fortune!

    Reply

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