Wandavision 1.4: The Grass is Always Greener...

Ok, wow. Do you want to know what smart writing looks like? I'll pose a question. How do you explain the most bizarre happenings of a reality that exists within another, well-known reality? The answer is, you don't. Episode four establishes that what we are experiencing as viewers of the show is the same thing that the S.W.O.R.D., FBI, and other relevant agencies are experiencing. They even go as far as identifying the citizens based on the characters they're playing in the show, further expanding the now meta nature of the series. Using a notion of "meta" in a show/movie can only come off as good or cheap, there really is not much of a gray area, and WandaVision falls very hard on the good side. In establishing that EVERYONE not in Westfield can only experience Westfield as a distorted TV sitcom, the mystery and intrigue of the show stays very much maintained.

This was an entire episode that took place outside of Westfield and centered around Monica Rambeau/Geraldine, FBI agent Jimmy Woo (Randall Park; Ant-Man and the Wasp), and Doctor (proud of her) Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings; Thor: The Dark World). Of course it was important to see how Westview currently exists within the rest of the world, but I think the two most important things that the episode established was: 1) the time line and 2) S.W.O.R.D.'s background. Seeing Monica Rambaeu returning from the snap, learning that her mother, Maria Rambaeu (Carol Danvers best friend from Captain Marvel) passed away during the 5 years between snaps, and returning to S.W.O.R.D. sets this show not too far after Endgame. Actually, about three weeks after Tony's sacrifice, as that's when Monica returns to duty. Her first mission, of course, is to assist the FBI with a situation in Westfield, New Jersey (of course this cockamamie shit is happening in Dirty Jersey).

In regards to S.W.O.R.D., it does not have the cleanest fit in the MCU, as it has clearly been around for some amount of time. Maria Rambaeu herself helped build S.W.O.R.D., no doubt inspired by her relationship with Captain Marvel, and that Monica was an agent prior to the snap in Infinity War. I have confidence that the writers at Marvel will find a way to make S.W.O.R.D. fit the best it can, but this episode does pose the question of where in all hell were they during IW/EG?! There is a brief evolution to the organization that we learn during a conversation, with its initial development focusing primarily on space and manned missions, now having shifted to include "robotics, nanotech, AI, and sentient weapons like it says on the door" as well as the duties of "observation" and "response," as Monica insinuates is a departure from pre-snap S.W.O.R.D. Taken from nothing but the little conjecture provided, but it seems MCU S.W.O.R.D. was once a space exploratory agency, akin to NASA, who also developed a certain range of weaponry. Since the snap, it has taken a more active role in responding to situations in a similar way the S.H.I.E.L.D. once did.

Due to the nature of the series, it never felt tethered to the rest of the MCU. Sure it had characters we know and relevant references, but there was such a grounded (or as grounded as you can get in a comic-based world) approach to the MCU that WandaVision almost felt too different. Now that this episode has given us what's happened outside of town during the events of the first 3 episodes, there is a better fitting for this piece in the overall puzzle. We sew the entrance to and exit from Westfield of Monica Rambeau, who was communicating through the radio and how, and even the lead up to the beekeeper. A large part of tying WandaVision back to the known reality comes from the familiar members of the supporting cast, a group of individuals that Marvel Studios continues to cast/use well. Jimmy Woo's never knowing when to stop talking and Darcy's witty confidence was all it took to be pulled right back to a world full of Avengers, which is a testament to the impact they've had in supporting roles. Now that the show has finally landed back to a more familiar place, I'm hopeful in seeing how the show moves the MCU forward and how it will impact the continued introduction to the Multiverse.