Griffin Sendek
multimedia editor
1/28/21
WandaVision episode three “Now In Color” sheds the black and white and plunges itself into a vibrant technicolor display, replicating the look and feel of 1970s sitcoms.
“Now In Color” is filled to the brim with playful gags and charming character moments centered around Wanda’s (Elizebeth Olsen) inexplicable, unnaturally quickly progressing pregnancy.
In terms of delivering answers to any questions posed by the previous two episodes or substantial progression of the plot, this chapter of WandaVision continues to be skimpy.
A third of the way through this nine-episode series, and there is still little clue of where this show is headed.
The best moments the series has to offer are the brief glimpses into the world outside this fantasy land of classic television, and the glimpse “Now In Color” delivers is the best of the show so far.
The playful antics and classic television tropes with a superpowered twist are still lovely to behold; Paul Bettany continues to be immaculately charming in the role of Vision.
The fact that WandaVision is light on the overarching mystery and heavy on the laughtrackable moments is not necessarily a bad thing. Had the show been conceived purely as married life sitcom — no ambiguity, no intrigue, no real impact on the MCU, WandaVision would still be enjoyable and well worth the watch.
Without the hindsight of where the rest of the series will go, this episode is difficult to gauge — if “Now In Color” was the beginning of something new or just more of the same, remains to be seen.
Opposed to Netflix’s binge model, the weekly release Disney+ has implemented for its shows is excellent for maintaining hype, keeping its series in constant conversation. For WandaVision, with its trend of slow burns and subtle hints, it’s unclear if the weekly episode releases were the best choice.
Waiting an entire week for 25 minutes of content, with only five of those precious minutes worth of significant story progression, makes for a slightly underwhelming viewing.
The last five minutes are some of the best yet, they left me wanting more, but their impact is dampened by the brevity and knowledge of waiting through an entire week and more sitcom antics before receiving any worthwhile plot details.
The mysteries of the show have been building for three episodes now, and the expectations for a worthwhile payoff continue to rise.
The show has teased just enough to keep viewers coming back for the next installment, but hopefully the next episode will provide some much needed answers.
Episode four of WandaVision will premiere on Jan. 29 only on Disney+.
