WandaVision WandaVision: season 1 Episode 9: “Series Finale” (Spoilers)

[MaceB]

Loved the Season Finale.

If you're upset that your individual theories didn't come true, I don't know what to tell you. That's not how entertainment works.

Paying off set ups is how entertainment works actually.

 

[X Knight]

I just want to get to the twins coming back, Im assuming that was part of Wandas studying of the book, how to get her family back in a legitimate way.

Yes. Which could be the driving force of the plot of Dr. Strange 2.

 

[Gothamsknight]

so as I said in the other thread, I loved the finale and think Lizzie Olsen should get award recognition. I seriously can't wait to see what Sam Raimi does with her. I just really loved the whole experience of this show, and plus it was fantastic to see her in her new outfit. Olsen herself is a phenomenal actress and she's really cemented Wanda as one of my favorite characters.


Now, regarding the Quicksilver reveal, I did find it funny. HOWEVER, I have serious concerns that if Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield are in Now Way Home, that they'll use them as cameos for a gag. If that is actually what happens, that'll be a massive massive letdown, probably bigger than anything in recent memory. For Tobey in particular, I hope it isn't a sign he's been used for a joke.

overall though, a fantastic finale.

 

[Spideem]

Paying off set ups is how entertainment works actually.

Lol, I told you yesterday that we shouldn't expect anything big out of this episode because there weren't really any hints to something larger besides fan theories and rumors, which the creator of the show literally said. Ignoring that is just setting yourself up for disappointment.

 

[Weather Witch]

I'm also expecting Cassandra Nova as a villain. If the multiverse is milked for all its worth, then a sentinel from the DOFP timeline heading back to the past and uploading itself to a cyborg working for SWORD would give us Bastion. SWORD experimenting with the Negative Zone translates to the Fantastic Four. Val Cooper and Mystique working for SWORD can fast-track X-Factor.

I'm not saying this kinda stuff couldn't happen, but it's sort of the kind of thinking that got us in trouble during WandaVision. Let's hear them say the word mutant first.

 

[MaceB]

Lol, I told you yesterday that we shouldn't expect anything big out of this episode because there weren't really any hints to something larger besides fan theories and rumors, which the creator of the show literally said. Ignoring that is just setting yourself up for disappointment.

Then why did they cast the actor who played the same role in a different studio that they just bought?

You expect me to believe that ....."woops! We didn't notice that one!"

I said yesterday that I was open to being wrong. I was wrong. You were right. But do I think it's bad storytelling? You betcha. This casting choice was not to support the narrative.... it was to troll fans. And although I feel super p'owned.... I'm not loving the way the story paid off, personally. Go figure.

 

[Drizzle]

I thought the ending was fine. Honestly my only major disappointment was no Strange cameo but at least we got his theme music during the astral Wanda moment at the end. I was also hoping for a “Scarlet Witch will return in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” stinger.

Wanda’s goodbye to Vision and the boys ranks up there with some of the saddest MCU moments but it’s clearly not the last we’ve seen of any of them since new Vision is roaming around and Billy and Tommy exist somewhere in another dimension.

I had a feeling that Evan Peters wasn't the FoX-Men Quicksilver since that post-credits scene where he ambushed Monica a few episodes back. But the fan theories that he was Ralph turned out to be true. Since Agatha is still around, there’s always a chance he comes back too.

Even though there was no big cameo, I knew Marvel had one more surprise and that turned out to be the Skrull recruiting Monica, presumably leading into Captain Marvel 2.

Overall I think it was a job well done for the first proper MCU series. Olsen and Bettany were the standouts of course. I’m glad they got to expand on these characters considering their screentime in the films was so limited. And I really dig Wanda’s new suit. Now I just want her to go back to her dark haired look.

 

[kguillou]

If Wanda opened the door and we saw, say, Kieran Culkin, your thinking is that would have been an improvement? We would have seen a guy who is clearly not Pietro pretending to be Pietro. YAY!!!

By stunt casting Peters, Schaeffer and Shakman got all of us thinking the same thing - What if this really IS Pietro, just brought over from the Kinbergverse? It got fans and non fans alike thinking and speculating about what, if anything, this means. For most folks it was an awful lot of fun. I think it was well worth it even if a handful of fans took this fun gag waaaaaaay to seriously.

This is just my opinion but one I think several share: This is the side of the MCU I do not like, the side that takes potentially big important moments and throws them away as a gag. I was INFURIATED when in Captain Marvel, Nick Fury's eye loss thing turned out to be a cat gag. A potentially cool, dramatic thing, thrown away. One of the most badass characters in the Marvel universe gets his eye scratched out by a cat. And this is something marvel does periodically--the Mandaran thing is another one. I guess your mileage may vary and some appreciate the joke but I always feel disappointed when they go that route.

 

[Zarex]

Yes....! We would have seen the character EXACTLY how Wanda saw her. Instead... we got purposely deceived.

So you agree... the only value that Peters served was as a meta troll on the audience. It wasn't for the narrative... it was for likes and clicks.

I don't watch cinema so I can be pranked or p'owned. I watch cinema for the narrative.... to see things develop and pay off. That didn't happen here.

I doubt very much the goal of Schaeffer and Shakman was to piss off the fans. They wanted to include Pietro in the series, and the fact there is more than one actor associated with the character gave them an opportunity to do it. I thought it was awfully creative and a lot of fun.

I think the lesson here is to enjoy - or not - a series for what it is. Don't get so wrapped up in a head canon that you can't appreciate what was actually put on screen. I never thought that Peters was playing Fox Pietro, but I was okay with the decision either way. I was also hoping there was going to be a big bad above Agatha. I was wrong, but I think what we got was pretty darn satisfying.

If the only way you could enjoy the finale was if Evan Peters ended up joining the MCU as Foxy Pete from the Kinberg-verse, you were setting yourself up for disappointment.

 

[MaceB]

I doubt very much the goal of Schaeffer and Shakman was to piss off the fans. They wanted to include Pietro in the series, and the fact there is more than one actor associated with the character gave them an opportunity to do it. I thought it was awfully creative and a lot of fun.

I think the lesson here is to enjoy - or not - a series for what it is. Don't get so wrapped up in a head canon that you can't appreciate what was actually put on screen. I never thought that Peters was playing Fox Pietro, but I was okay with the decision either way. I was also hoping there was going to be a big bad above Agatha. I was wrong, but I think what we got was pretty darn satisfying.

If the only way you could enjoy the finale was if Evan Peters ended up joining the MCU as Foxy Pete from the Kinberg-verse, you were setting yourself up for disappointment.

You're literally blaming me for assuming that it wasn't a coincidence that Disney cast Peters. Like, "how dare you think that the actor who played the same role a few years back was now cast in a connected role here, even though they share the same name, powers, and origins. You need to keep your expectations in check!"

I didn't set myself up for disappointment.. the show did. The show wanted me to believe in the potential for a crossover. That's why Peters was chosen.

 

[FlareKnight]

One other downside is that this really shows Doctor Strange to not be on top of things. Two magical beings were unleashing literal chaos and he couldn't be bothered to show up or send anyone to check it out? He managed to grab Loki moments after he landed on Earth, but Agatha's antics and Wanda capturing a small town just slipped under his notice?

I know getting him on the show in even a small cameo appearance would have taken some doing. But, this kind of event really does fall under his job. Doctor Strange 2 is going to need to open with him being absolutely swamped with things that he couldn't give the ascension to power of the Scarlet Witch any bit of attention.

 

[javonstokess]

Paying off set ups is how entertainment works actually.

Movies/TV/Books use misdirection ALL THE TIME. This isn't the first time and won't be the last. The entire show was structured to be a mystery with multiple red herrings (i.e. Agnes pretending to be one of the "captured" town residents).

 

[MaceB]

Movies/TV/Books use misdirection ALL THE TIME. This isn't the first time and won't be the last. The entire show was structured to be a mystery with multiple red herrings (i.e. Agnes pretending to be one of the "captured" town residents).

There were set ups all along the way that Agatha wasn't who she said she was. The show was leading us towards that possibility, and then they paid off that expectation. That's how this works. You build up expectations... and you create pay off. Some times thats by misdirection... that's true.

But was this particularly satisfying to you? Was this the payoff you hoped for? Hey...let's spend 4 episodes toying with who this super fast guy could be (who also happens to play the same character in previous films). And..............oh, it's a dude. How'd he get super speed? Ehh....who cares. Doesn't matter.

Quite the payoff indeed. They traded good storytelling for a meta moment. It fell flat, because the idea super sucked.

 

[Donner]

This is just my opinion but one I think several share: This is the side of the MCU I do not like, the side that takes potentially big important moments and throws them away as a gag. I was INFURIATED when in Captain Marvel, Nick Fury's eye loss thing turned out to be a cat gag. A potentially cool, dramatic thing, thrown away. One of the most badass characters in the Marvel universe gets his eye scratched out by a cat. And this is something marvel does periodically--the Mandaran thing is another one. I guess your mileage may vary and some appreciate the joke but I always feel disappointed when they go that route.

I completely agree. I absolutely hated that Fury's eye was scratched out by a cat. It makes his whole "the last time I trusted someone I lost an eye" line a joke and I will always hold a grudge over that.

Wanda looked sexy af in the outfit.

The finale was underwhelming with White Vision just disappearing. That didn't seem realistic. And Monica not being surprised at her powers. Or any of the military guys. Or Hayward. Seems like something they would tell everyone.

I think part of the problem is coming to this forum after every episode and reading the theories and overexpecting things.

 

[Donner]

I also hated that Pietro had super speed, but he was just an actor hired by Agatha. Did she put a spell on him to create his speed? What happens to him now?

 

[Venom 1988]

But was this particularly satisfying to you? Was this the payoff you hoped?

Yea it was actually. Sorry it didn't work for you. If it was the other way around and he was Fox Quicksilver, I would have been a little disappointed but I imagine they would have managed to make it work that I probably would enjoy it regardless.

 

[LauraT]

One other downside is that this really shows Doctor Strange to not be on top of things. Two magical beings were unleashing literal chaos and he couldn't be bothered to show up or send anyone to check it out? He managed to grab Loki moments after he landed on Earth, but Agatha's antics and Wanda capturing a small town just slipped under his notice?

I know getting him on the show in even a small cameo appearance would have taken some doing. But, this kind of event really does fall under his job. Doctor Strange 2 is going to need to open with him being absolutely swamped with things that he couldn't give the ascension to power of the Scarlet Witch any bit of attention.

It's possible that this was something that got lost in the pandemic. But even if he was never going to cameo I think it's just one of those things that you have to let slide in a shared universe with real life constraints. Which sucks.

It definitely is highly possible that he'll be swamped with things when DSMOM opens or he'll make a comment on why he or Wong weren't around to help out.

 

[MaceB]

Yea it was actually. Sorry it didn't work for you. If it was the other way around and he was Fox Quicksilver, I would have been a little disappointed but I imagine they would have managed to make it work that I probably would enjoy it regardless.

So when Pietro was introduced at the door, you were like, "gee, I sure hope he winds up a nondescript neighbor who gets his powers inexplicably." ?

I'm not saying that I can't enjoy other aspects of the story. It's not like I'm planning a boycott here. But no - this was a terrible pay off. It was no payoff. It was Iron Man 3 all over again. Blame me for that if you want to. I'm just following the cues that the story gives me. Maybe you like it when expectations are set and subverted for their own sake... I don't. Bad storytelling.

 

[The Caped Knight]

I believe that Dan Murral definitely understands the premise of this series and the finale. Seed have been planted in this series and I don't think all the pieces left unresolved were by accident I think it was intentional

 

[Steyin]

In this case, it does. There was a clear indication that Pietro was important. That he was different than the other neighbors. There is no explanation on how he became super fast.

I assumed it was a temporary ability bestowed by Agatha after the reveal, not hard to to assume.

No explanation on how he wasn't identified by SWORD.

His appearance was slightly changed, and at this point in the story it didn't seem like SWORD was still attempting to identify the residents, so it made it easier to say they overlooked it, especially since they were, like us all, assuming it was actually Pietro.

No explanation on why he was introduced at all. Did he help Agatha in some way? How? Why was he created in the first place?

He was an inside spy to get info out of Wanda (easier to do if she thought he really was her brother) than Agnes attempting to do so herself without screwing things up and being outed.

Why couldn't she masquerade him as the real brother? ....She can transform a bunny, but not a stranger's face?

I can only assume she didn't know what he really looked like since he was, you know, dead and buried somewhere outside the US. Sure if she tried maybe she could have found video of him from those protests shown in AoU, but maybe only SHIELD had that, who knows?

As it is.... we know why they did what they did.... to screw with viewer perceptions in a meta way outside the narrative. These questions were never meant to be answered... only asked. The narrative took a backseat.

Marvel using EP for misdirection was great to me and worked like a charm. Really, all of this isn't hard to answer or decipher if you stop to think about it for a second. I'm sorry if it angered you, but I thought they played their hand extremely well.

 

[javonstokess]

Yea it was actually. Sorry it didn't work for you. If it was the other way around and he was Fox Quicksilver, I would have been a little disappointed but I imagine they would have managed to make it work that I probably would enjoy it regardless.

Exactly my point. When creating anything, you give the customer what they NEED, not necessarily what they WANT.

The "Fox Quicksilver" was a red herring to the fans, same as Agnes faking being a townsperson and Vision changing into the "Broken version" when he breached the barrier. The point of the show was to be a mystery for both Wanda AND the Fans.

Like I said, being upset because your theory was the right one is like being upset that the person who you THOUGHT was the murderer ended up being the butler. You're missing the point.

 

[Weather Witch]

I assumed it was a temporary ability bestowed by Agatha after the reveal, not hard to to assume.

I figured it was Wanda since she did the same for both Speed and Vision.

 

[TheFuture]

so as I said in the other thread, I loved the finale and think Lizzie Olsen should get award recognition. I seriously can't wait to see what Sam Raimi does with her. I just really loved the whole experience of this show, and plus it was fantastic to see her in her new outfit. Olsen herself is a phenomenal actress and she's really cemented Wanda as one of my favorite characters.


Now, regarding the Quicksilver reveal, I did find it funny. HOWEVER, I have serious concerns that if Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield are in Now Way Home, that they'll use them as cameos for a gag. If that is actually what happens, that'll be a massive massive letdown, probably bigger than anything in recent memory. For Tobey in particular, I hope it isn't a sign he's been used for a joke.

overall though, a fantastic finale.

Well you've hit on something interesting there as this is the second time the Multiverse rug has been pulled from underneath us. You get to a stage where you wonder if it's all misdirect and Marvel are just using it as a phase gimmick. Would be humorous to see them go a step too far and to see the same fans being so dismissive here lose their heads over something.

I'm over it anyway, I won't be watching FATWS on a weekly basis. All that wasted time arguing over smokes and mirrors here has me exhausted.

 

[Flash525]

Disappointed by the lack of a Strange cameo, though it was interesting to hear that Wanda has more power (potentially) that Stephen Strange will ever have.

Disappointed that the two Visions didn't merge; I can't help but wonder why real Vision just flew off, rather than aiding Wanda. Maybe the coding within his programming is in conflict and he needs to find himself again, but he's still around in some capacity, so that's good. He'll be back.

Kinda' felt like a Skrull cameo was, well, something of nothing really. Didn't really add or take away from anything.

Curious to know more about Wanda's destiny here too; presumably something has been misread as I doubt she's actually going to be the harbinger of doom. Last I checked too, we last saw the dark hold when Ghost Rider took it away (right?) so how did he lose it? Really hope we get a surprise cameo from him sooner or later - well overdue.

The biggest disappointment, as obvious as it probably was going to be - Quicksilver. I just don't get why they had to use that actor for that character if they weren't going to 'go there' with him. It's sad.

 

[KillerMcQueen]

Movies/TV/Books use misdirection ALL THE TIME. This isn't the first time and won't be the last. The entire show was structured to be a mystery with multiple red herrings (i.e. Agnes pretending to be one of the "captured" town residents).

misdirection only works when the ultimate conclusion is still satisfying, or the question is left intriguingly open ended, this was a case of the answer being a huge let down for the sake of a stupid joke, this was the Mandarin all over again.