It seems as if people have forgotten what TV is. In a recent article for IndieWire, author Ben Travers wrote up the “All-New Halloween Spectacular” episode of WandaVision and stated in his subheader that it was “all dressed up with nowhere to go” and that the episode “offers plenty of colorful distractions without adding much to the story,” which … I’m sorry, what?
In the most recent episode of WandaVision, we were given a look into Hayward’s mindset and how he really feels about Wanda Maximoff and the forcefield she’s placed around Westview. We got to see as Monica Rambeau, Jimmy Woo, and Darcy Lewis tried to figure out exactly what he was doing, and in the end, as Monica and Jimmy were driving to meet her aerospace engineer, we watched as Darcy was consumed by Wanda’s growing sitcom dreamworld.
And that was just what happened on the S.W.O.R.D. side of things. But that’s not why this article in particular is worth calling out. You may have seen it making the rounds on Twitter getting dragged because the article says this: “Aside from its weekly small-screen aesthetics, ‘WandaVision’ still feels far too much like an inflated feature film that just keeps dragging out its story via inconvenient weekly installments.”
So, you know … television? I think that Travers maybe is used to binge-watching television at this point and has forgotten the feel of waiting weekly for the next big reveal. If I can survive all six seasons of Lost, you can survive waiting a week to watch WandaVision when there isn’t much else going on in the world.
What I think is interesting about these types of reviews for the show is that the review itself seems to dismiss everything that did happen in the show just to drive home this idea that each week, nothing happens. I’m sorry, but do you just not watch the same show that I do?
Every week, we learn more and more about this sitcom world that Wanda has seemingly built for herself, and if you care anything at all for Wanda Maximoff, you’re gifted each episode with something new to explore. The weekly format works because it gives us the freedom to explore our theories and talk through what is going to happen without just instantly binge-watching to get answers.
But also, if you want to just wait and binge-watch it all afterward, then go right ahead! But reviews like this one seem to only exist in shows where a female character is the focal point.
For example, I love The Mandalorian so much. It’s my favorite show, but I rarely saw reviews talking about how each episode was Din Djarin just on a mission trying to find a Jedi school for his son. (Something I personally love but fits more with what Travers is saying about WandaVision than WandaVision does.)
Like, it’s okay if WandaVision isn’t for any one person. He can just say that. Instead, he’s blaming the show for boring him despite the fact that he’s leaving out all the important information in his review. Even further, he points out big plot points and then dismisses them because he wants to drive home the fact that “nothing happened.”
A lot of my personal frustration comes from being a woman in a nerd space writing about these shows. I have to be at the top of my game. I can’t fumble the ball or misspell something, I have to know what every little head tilt means, and even then, someone will probably try to fight me and tell me I’m wrong even when I am right. But this man who said the show is only for “MCU obsessives” on his Twitter account and dismisses the facts of this episode gets to proudly give it bad reviews?
I’m tired of this being a constant thing, especially when the property has a female or BIPOC lead. WandaVision might not be for everyone and that’s fine, but stop giving it a “bad” review just because you’re not willing to engage with the universe it’s a part of. It’s tacky.
(image: Marvel Entertainment)
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