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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2023 2:35:50 GMT
With the news of the blu ray release I thought I’d try this again to see if it holds up for rewatch. Watched the first two tonight. As I expected the first episode is still a bit of slog, even more tedious on second viewing. When watching I recalled an excellent review I’d read somewhere that perfectly articulated how it basically fails as a recreation/homage of old sitcoms and fails as a parody of old sitcoms, while also failing as a hook for a surreal mystery. Then by the end of the episode I remembered that ingenious review was penned by none other than the good man Nalkarj ! (I’ll have to find that review on v2) Episode two is much better, A) Because there’s more surreal “what’s really happening here” stuff, like the radio. And B) Because it’s actually a lot more entertaining with drunk gummed up Vision and the magic show. Basically, I still say what I thought the first time: this would’ve worked much better as a movie that got to the big plot points a little faster and didn’t meander through the episodic format and multiple sitcom homages (one would’ve sufficed). Or, at the very least, episode 1 could’ve been merged with episode two and nothing would really be lost except some self indulgent sitcom homages that don’t even really work. |
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Post by Nalkarj on Aug 24, 2023 3:00:55 GMT
When watching I recalled an excellent review I’d read somewhere that perfectly articulated how it basically fails as a recreation/homage of old sitcoms and fails as a parody of old sitcoms, while also failing as a hook for a surreal mystery. Then by the end of the episode I remembered that ingenious review was penned by none other than the good man Nalkarj ! (I’ll have to find that review on v2) Mercy buckets for the compliment! Yeah, I thought the first episode is a complete failure because it’s not funny. For a sitcom—and, even more so, for a parody of sitcoms—that’s a killer. I don’t remember everything I wrote in that review, but I do remember that the show bit off way more than it could chew because its sitcom-imitating, while advancing through the decades, would have to be nigh-perfect to work. And it’s not. |
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Post by Nalkarj on Aug 24, 2023 14:53:49 GMT
Or, at the very least, episode 1 could’ve been merged with episode two and nothing would really be lost except some self indulgent sitcom homages that don’t even really work. I agree, though I think they wanted to do a “straight” sitcom episode with only one moment (the boss’s choking, I think?) suggesting anything wrong. But I don’t think they pulled that off at all. I might have mentioned this in the review, but the animated Justice League episode “Legends” did a great job with basically this same Pleasantville-y plot. It didn’t have the sitcom spoofing, and yet it was actually funny. Thinking of WandaVision now, I’ve got to say that despite my many criticisms of it, I liked it more than every other new MCU property I’ve seen recently. The scene where Wanda says goodbye to her children genuinely tugged at my heartstrings (I don’t know if something like this was in the comics about Wanda, but it reminded me of Alan Moore’s Superman story “For the Man Who Has Everything”). The acting is good—at least from Olsen, Paul Bettany, and Kathryn Hahn (the “real world” scenes are a harder watch). Of course, that’s relative: I think most new MCU movies (and even the non-MCU animated Spider-Man sequel) have been terrible. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2023 0:19:24 GMT
Another four episodes BINGED. I liked these middle episodes the best, although… I wonder if it wouldn’t have been a better series without all the Sword stuff. Just keep it surreal and keep revealing the truth from inside the hex. It feels like they were worried they’d lose the audience if they didn’t ground the premise.
This is also where the bizarre mix of tones regarding Wanda’s actions come in. People remember the “sacrifice” line from the finale, but there’s even sillier one earlier on where Rambau insists that Wanda setting up a perimeter is proof she isn’t bad. “Hey, she only kidnapped a town instead of the whole world!”
Never the less, I am still enjoying the series. Elizabeth Olsen is really good in this.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2023 16:31:14 GMT
I finished my rewatch of Wanda! I’m happy to say that it does indeed hold up on second viewing- in fact, I liked it a lot more this time. Admittedly knowing that it’s actually getting a home release makes me far more open to the idea of Marvel tv. IF every show got a physical release AND was as good as this I could be on board with this model. But…
As good as it is I do still think even this would’ve been better as a movie. The episodic format allows them to indulge in numerous parodies but it also kind of repeatedly cuts the tension by resetting the tone every episode, ending with a big moment, then resetting again with a new sitcom parody only to have to yet again build the tension and end with a bang. They have their cake and eat it too, but at a certain point it feels very awkward and gratuitous. A movie could’ve kept the script tight and built the tension and escalated the conflict continuously without pause.
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Post by PaulsLaugh on Aug 26, 2023 4:43:52 GMT
I finished my rewatch of Wanda! I’m happy to say that it does indeed hold up on second viewing- in fact, I liked it a lot more this time. Admittedly knowing that it’s actually getting a home release makes me far more open to the idea of Marvel tv. IF every show got a physical release AND was as good as this I could be on board with this model. But… As good as it is I do still think even this would’ve been better as a movie. The episodic format allows them to indulge in numerous parodies but it also kind of repeatedly cuts the tension by resetting the tone every episode, ending with a big moment, then resetting again with a new sitcom parody only to have to yet again build the tension and end with a bang. They have their cake and eat it too, but at a certain point it feels very awkward and gratuitous. A movie could’ve kept the script tight and built the tension and escalated the conflict continuously without pause. I was put off by the first "sit-com" episodes and even stopped watching the series because of it. I later tried it again and once I realized Wanda has retreated into a life of a sitcom that is not funny did those episodes make sense. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2023 5:38:29 GMT
I finished my rewatch of Wanda! I’m happy to say that it does indeed hold up on second viewing- in fact, I liked it a lot more this time. Admittedly knowing that it’s actually getting a home release makes me far more open to the idea of Marvel tv. IF every show got a physical release AND was as good as this I could be on board with this model. But… As good as it is I do still think even this would’ve been better as a movie. The episodic format allows them to indulge in numerous parodies but it also kind of repeatedly cuts the tension by resetting the tone every episode, ending with a big moment, then resetting again with a new sitcom parody only to have to yet again build the tension and end with a bang. They have their cake and eat it too, but at a certain point it feels very awkward and gratuitous. A movie could’ve kept the script tight and built the tension and escalated the conflict continuously without pause. I was put off by the first "sit-com" episodes and even stopped watching the series because of it. I later tried it again and once I realized Wanda has retreated into a life of a sitcom that is not funny did those episodes make sense. Yeah, it works. But the fact that it’s not funny when the first two entire episodes are basically just the sitcom with very little else makes it a bit tedious to get through. |
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Post by Nalkarj on Aug 26, 2023 15:15:53 GMT
I finished my rewatch of Wanda! I’m happy to say that it does indeed hold up on second viewing- in fact, I liked it a lot more this time. Admittedly knowing that it’s actually getting a home release makes me far more open to the idea of Marvel tv. IF every show got a physical release AND was as good as this I could be on board with this model. But… As good as it is I do still think even this would’ve been better as a movie. The episodic format allows them to indulge in numerous parodies but it also kind of repeatedly cuts the tension by resetting the tone every episode, ending with a big moment, then resetting again with a new sitcom parody only to have to yet again build the tension and end with a bang. They have their cake and eat it too, but at a certain point it feels very awkward and gratuitous. A movie could’ve kept the script tight and built the tension and escalated the conflict continuously without pause. I was put off by the first "sit-com" episodes and even stopped watching the series because of it. I later tried it again and once I realized Wanda has retreated into a life of a sitcom that is not funny did those episodes make sense. I’m not sure I understand that. If she was trying to reify I Love Lucy and Dick Van Dyke, wouldn’t she include some of their humor? And if the point is she wanted to live in an idealized world without the jokes, why is WandaVision in a sitcom format with sitcom laugh tracks? Commentary on sitcoms or not, unfunny is unfunny. |
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Post by PaulsLaugh on Aug 26, 2023 19:19:47 GMT
I was put off by the first "sit-com" episodes and even stopped watching the series because of it. I later tried it again and once I realized Wanda has retreated into a life of a sitcom that is not funny did those episodes make sense. I’m not sure I understand that. If she was trying to reify I Love Lucy and Dick Van Dyke, wouldn’t she include some of their humor? And if the point is she wanted to live in an idealized world without the jokes, why is WandaVision in a sitcom format with sitcom laugh tracks? Commentary on sitcoms or not, unfunny is unfunny. But Wanda is not living in funny situation and she’s not happy housewife like Laura Petri. |
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Post by Nalkarj on Aug 26, 2023 19:37:26 GMT
I’m not sure I understand that. If she was trying to reify I Love Lucy and Dick Van Dyke, wouldn’t she include some of their humor? And if the point is she wanted to live in an idealized world without the jokes, why is WandaVision in a sitcom format with sitcom laugh tracks? Commentary on sitcoms or not, unfunny is unfunny. But Wanda is not living in funny situation and she’s not happy housewife like Laura Petri. Sure, but she wants to be and she has the magic power to do anything she wants, right? |
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Post by politicidal1 on Oct 2, 2023 14:47:45 GMT
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Post by politicidal1 on Oct 27, 2023 12:44:52 GMT
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