Recap and Review of WandaVision, S1E3: “Now in Color”

With last week’s second episode of WandaVision ending in an unexpected pregnancy for Wanda (and the move to technicolor), we aren’t sure what exactly is happening as Wanda and Vision have settled into Westview with their first two comedic episodes.

Recap of WandaVision S1E3 “Now in Color”

This week shifts us forward into the Brady Bunch era of wacky 70s television. But it also serves as a bit of a bottle episode as it centers mainly on Wanda and Vision at home, where we see the Scarlet Witch’s powers glitch with her pregnancy. But it doesn’t just impact their home…

We open with the doctor, verifying their pregnancy to Wanda and Vision but declaring her to be about 4 months along to a flummoxed Vision, who is just not sure how this happened and what exactly is going on. Wanda assures him that nothing is unusual and the doctor, who has pledged his silence on their pregnancy is off to a vacation in Bermuda.

As Vision walks the doctor to the door (this was an era of doctor house calls), he encounters his neighbor Herb, who has trimmed the hedges but also cut into the small block wall that splits their properties. But Vision quickly forgets this strange event when discovering Wanda to be even more pregnant than when he left.

In the meantime, Vision reads lots of books on pregnancy and Wanda is decorating the nursery with her powers, including another glitch when her powers turn a butterfly theme toy into actual butterflies.

This first kick means she is 6 months along and then they start their debate between Tommy and Billy as the name of the child. And Vision calculates the child is due in 3 days.

Wanda has more strange sensations and we get the classic pregnancy breathing exercises scene. But when it hits again, the kitchen goes crazy and power goes out. Vision verifies that it has gone out for the whole block.

Wanda worries that the town folk of Westview are on to them, in terms of discovering their secret powers and abilities. This puts Vision to listing the things that have been odd, as the soundtrack of the show likewise shifts and we get a strange ominous music when he declares, “There is something wrong here, Wanda.”

But it shifts.

At the closing of episode 2, we saw a rollback of tape and a change being made. But this time, it is like a glitch, where the conversation with Vision and his suspicions resets and Wanda appears to be having her first contractions, albeit way ahead of schedule.

The powers glitch yet again and rain comes into the house, symbolizing that Wanda’s water has broke. They decide it is time for Vision to get the doctor.

As Vision is running to get the doctor, Geraldine decides to visit. Comedically, we see Wanda use a variety of tropes used in television history to hide her pregnancy. Coats (that change with every contraction), a bowl of fruit held over her stomach, and creating distractions to try to make sure Geraldine doesn’t see – you are reading this right – a random stork that has arrived.

But Geraldine posts up and tells a story of her helping her boss at her temp job. It is mainly silly as the stork is moving around all over the place. Geraldine hears a sound from the stork that Wanda tries to explain as a new ice maker, but eventually we get a reveal of the pregnancy to a very surprised Geraldine.

Meanwhile, the Vision arrives at the doctor’s house, having run there. Conveniently, the doctor has been delayed by car trouble.

Geraldine preps Wanda for her baby’s birth, getting the bucket, the water, the towels and doing breathing exercises. And when time comes, out comes Wanda and Vision’s son.

Vision drops his suburban disguise to meet his son and everyone seems to be fine, as Vision goes along with Wanda’s name choice of Tommy. But immediately there is another baby coming and it is Tommy’s brother Billy.

Vision walks the doctor out and the doctor declares that he likely won’t be making a vacation after all as small towns are “so hard…to escape.” As Vision is thinking on that Agnes and Herb are outside, eventually asking questions about Geraldine.

Inside Geraldine and Wanda are having a conversation when Wanda reveals she is a twin. Geraldine talks about how he was killed by Ultron, as Wanda sings a lullaby over her newborn sons.

This is interposed with the neighbor’s questions regarding Geraldine, who doesn’t have a husband, a home, a family. Meanwhile, Wanda is angry, turning on Geraldine, seeing her necklace with a sword logo.

Agnes stops Herb from revealing something major, as he was saying Geraldine came because they are all…something.

Amid the crying of babies, something happens. But on returning home, Vision is left asking where Geraldine is. Wanda says she had to rush home and we see the sign for the city of Westview, and the aspect ratio of the episode literally changes as Geraldine is pushed out some kind of energy wall into the real world.

Agents seem to swarm her body as the Monkees music is muffled and muddy, playing through the credits.

Thoughts on WandaVision S1E3 “Now in Color”

The mystery of Westview is definitely thickening in this episode, but we also see some major things set up as well. So, if you don’t want to think about what might come from this point forward, look away, as I am going to be doing some speculation from the comics and potential storylines.

So, Herb’s secret that he wanted to tell? I am assuming that it is that they aren’t real, just figments of Wanda’s imagination formed up from the television shows that broadcast on the air waves of her native Sokovia. Or, at the very least, some of them are. And, sadly, I think Vision is going to fit that list.

But, I also think that we may get to see a new, resurrected Vision at the end, maybe who comes in to save the day. He has certainly been rebooted and reimagined several times in the comics. Can you imagine the ghostly spectre version that existed in the West Coast Avengers flying in to confess his love? Or, even more complicated, his lack of love, as he is now just an android?

Even bigger pieces of the puzzle were dropped in the case of Tommy and Billy. In the comics, it is a long and convoluted story but it was simpler when we are introduced to two young men in their teens in the Young Avengers comic.

Those were Wiccan, whose powers very much resemble the Scarlet Witch’s and Speed, whose powers are similar to Wanda’s dead twin brother, Quicksilver. Adding these two characters into the MCU makes total sense as a setup for a future Young Avengers property.

Another key thing to pay attention to moving forward is the aspect ratio. If you notice, on most modern televisions, the show is cutting off your whole screen, using just the square of the middle. When Geraldine gets shoved outside the Westview bubble, the screen goes wide. I suspect this is to help out the audience know moving forward what is real and what is Westview.

Finally, it appears we will be getting more of that starting in next episode. Set photos have revealed at least one more set and costumes. Plus IMDB reveals two characters from other Marvel films showing up and them being present for 6 episodes, which is all we have left after this week’s episode.