WandaVision, Episodes 1-3: The Story So Far

A lot has happened in the first three episodes of WandaVision on Disney+. Before you watch today’s release of episode 4, we thought a recap of the story so far would be helpful. And while there have been numerous Easter eggs planted throughout, this article will highlight some important ones while avoiding guesswork or theories. Enjoy!

Episode 1 – “Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience”

The series premiere opens with the image of an old tube TV powering on, black and white in the 4 x 3 aspect ratio. We’re reintroduced to our title characters through the opening credits of a 1950s sitcom. Wanda and Vision, the newly married and “regular” couple, are driving straight from their wedding to their new one-story home in the seemingly fictional town of Westview. They pull into their driveway, come inside the house, and embrace for a kiss as the title appears across the screen: WandaVision.

This episode gives us our first glimpses at Wanda and Vision trying to adjust to a “normal” suburban life. Wanda unpacks using her powers, and Vision prepares for a day at the office. They discuss a heart that’s drawn on their wall calendar for today’s date (August 23rd, 1950), but neither can figure out the significance. They both agree it must be a special occasion, and Vision heads off to work.

Wanda is introduced to their nosy neighbor Agnes, played by the indelible Kathryn Hahn. Agnes makes witty conversation with Wanda, inquires about personal details and gives Wanda some tips on how to be a proper housewife. Wanda mentions that today is their anniversary, and Agnes agrees to help her plan the special evening.

Meanwhile at work, Vision excels at his job but doesn’t understand its purpose. We meet his boss, Mr. Hart, who reminds Vision of their dinner scheduled for this evening. Realizing the meaning of the heart on the calendar and the pressure to impress his boss, he calls Wanda to discuss their plans. Relieved and under the belief they’re on the same page, their call ends and the show goes to a commercial break….

We get a quick commercial for the Toast Mate 2000 toaster, by Stark Industries. “Forget the past, this is your future.”

Back from commercial…Vision returns home in the evening with his boss Mr. Hart and his wife. Wanda realizes their misunderstanding, and now needs to now prepare a meal for their guests. After a series of humorous interactions, and some secret assistance from Agnes to get ingredients for dinner, the Harts begin to grow suspicious about what’s going on. Wanda finally manages to whip up breakfast for dinner, and they all sit down to enjoy the meal, toasting with a glass of wine.

Mrs. Hart begins to ask a number of personal questions. Wanda and Vision both attempt to reply, but realize they don’t have answers. Mr. Hart grows impatient and raises his voice, “What IS your story? Why did you come here?! Dammit, WHY?!” and slams his hand on the table. Mr. Hart begins to choke on his food, and his wife attempts to play it off as though he’s joking.

But the moment grows more tense, Mr. Hart is gasping for air. Wanda looks on in confusion, Vision appearing more uncomfortable as it continues. Finally Mr. Hart falls out of his chair onto the floor. Mrs. Hart turns her attention to Wanda, and through uneasy laughter, tells Wanda “Stop it.” Wanda commands Vision to help him, and through use of his powers, reaches into Mr. Hart’s body to remove the food lodged in his throat.

After this, Mr. & Mrs. Hart act as if nothing happened. They mention what a great time they had, and promptly leave. Wanda and Vision, exhausted from the day’s events, sit down on the couch to relax. They remark about what an unusual couple they are and briefly discuss the personal questions they were unable to answer. Wanda creates wedding rings for them, they both say “I do,” kiss and smile towards the camera.

As the “credits” roll, the camera pans back, breaking the 4th wall and revealing that someone is watching the WandaVision episode in the real world. Surrounded by computers and monitoring equipment, jotting down notes in a S.W.O.R.D. journal, this unknown person picks up a remote and turns off the show.

Episode 2 – “Don’t Touch That Dial”

We’re now in the 1960s, in a two-story home. The episode opens with Wanda and Vision sleeping in separate beds, a common trope of TV sitcoms from that era. They keep hearing a banging noise outside and after magically moving their beds together in a moment of fear, they discover it’s just a tree branch hitting the window. Relieved and happy their beds are now adjoined, they get under the covers and turn off the lights. A new opening credits rolls, this time in an animated format reminiscent of Bewitched.

In this episode, Wanda and Vision make their first attempts at participating in the neighborhood. They’re rehearsing a magic act for the talent show fundraiser. Wanda stresses that Westview is their home now, and she wants them to fit in. Vision heads out to attend a neighborhood watch meeting, and Wanda prepares to attend a planning committee meeting.

As she’s heading out the door, Wanda hears another thud outside. She finds a toy helicopter in her front yard, with a S.W.O.R.D. emblem on it, and it’s in color (red). Confused and concerned, the moment is interrupted by Agnes, who is accompanying her to the planning committee meeting. She stresses the importance of making a good impression on Dottie, the head of the committee, who has connections all over town. Most importantly: school admissions, as Agnes hints at a future with children.

At the neighborhood watch meeting, Vision meets a few other men from the neighborhood, including Herb. They offer him a danish, and after mistakenly telling the group that he doesn’t eat food (because he’s a robot), he accepts a piece of gum to appear human. Moments later, he swallows it and we see an animation of it getting stuck in his gears.

At the committee meeting, Wanda attempts to copy other people’s behaviors and blend in. Dottie runs a strict meeting and gets annoyed at multiple interruptions. All the members stress that today’s fundraiser is “for the children.” Wanda meets another woman, introduced as Geraldine, who states that she “actually doesn’t know what [she’s] doing” at the meeting.

After the meeting is over, Wanda stays to help clean up in attempt to make nice with Dottie. She asks if they can start things over, but Dottie mentions she’s heard things about her and Vision. After a pause, Wanda assures her that despite what she’s heard, she “doesn’t mean anyone any harm.”

A radio playing on the table is interrupted by a voice calling Wanda’s name, and Dottie’s entire demeanor changes to fearful and confused. She doesn’t know who Wanda is. The radio shorts out, Dottie shatters a glass in her hand. And red blood appears in her hand. Dottie snaps out of the moment, and pretends as if nothing happened. And the show goes to a commercial break….

We get a quick commercial for Strücker Swiss-made watches, complete with a Hydra 1000M rating.

Back from commercial…Wanda is waiting backstage at the talent show for Vision to arrive. When he finally does, he appears to be drunk/malfunctioning. Wanda takes the stage, and Vision misses he cue. Geraldine, working as the stage manager, encourages him to get on stage. They proceed to put on a magic show, but not as a scripted. Vision hilariously uses his powers to perform tricks, while Wanda has to cover up for them using her own magic.

Wanda appears stressed, but the audience is loving the act. For the final trick, which involved making Wanda disappear inside a cupboard, Wanda instead transports Geraldine into the cupboard to her complete surprise. The audience gives them a roaring applause.

Backstage, Wanda figures out why Vision has been acting so strange and helps him remove the gum that is stuck in his gears. Fearing she upset Dottie with their performance, they try to sneak off. But instead she awards them as the best act of the show. While bowing for applause, Geraldine states her confusion as to how she became part of the trick.

Back home, Wanda and Vision celebrate their successful day fitting-in. And it was all “for the children.” As Wanda gets up, she turns and is suddenly several months pregnant. “Vision, is this really happening?” she asks. “Yes, my love” he replies. As they lean in for a kiss, they hear a large bang outside. When they go to investigate, they see a person in a beekeeper costume crawling out of a manhole. The S.W.O.R.D. emblem is visible on his back. Looking on in fright, the figure turns towards them and Wanda says to it, “NO.”

The episode rewinds back to Wanda’s question, and this time they are able to kiss without interruption. Suddenly Vision’s face appears in full color, and as Wanda looks around the room, the rest of it transforms from black and white to color. Wanda and Vision kiss again, and as the episode goes to credits, we hear the mysterious radio voice asking, “Wanda? Who’s doing this to you?”

Episode 3 – “Now in Color”

We’re now in the 1970s. The episode opens with a new opening credits composed of colorful montages, reminiscent of Mary Tyler Moore and The Brady Bunch. We see Wanda and Vision interacting with the neighbors we’ve already met, strolling around town, dancing at home and preparing for their new baby. The interior design of their house has been completely redone to match the era.

In the first scene, a doctor is examining Wanda at home and concludes, she is indeed pregnant. Vision expresses concern over how quickly she’s grown, implying that only 12 hours has passed since the end of episode 2. To avoid further questioning, Wanda suggests that Vision see Dr. Nielsen out to his car. Out front, Vision asks the doctor to keep this news between them, and he agrees. He also mentions he’ll be leaving on vacation later this same day, and bids him farewell. Before returning inside, next door neighbor Herb is trimming the hedges and continues trimming straight through a brick wall. When Vision points this out, Herb thanks him yet continues, acting completely unaware of what he’s doing.

Upon returning inside, Vision is shocked to see that Wanda has grown even more. They proceed to start decorating the nursery (using magic of course) while Vision reads a baby book. Wanda feels her first kick, which based on the book means she’s already 6 months pregnant. Some decisions need to be expedited, like picking a name. Wanda wants Tommy, a “nice, classic all-American name.” Vision wants Billy, after William Shakespeare. Vision estimates that with her accelerated development, the baby will be born in 3 days.

Moving to the kitchen, Wanda starts feeling a tightening pain, which Vision diagnoses as Braxton Hicks contractions. He senses this is a perfect time to practice their breathing methods. The contractions intensify, and all of the appliances begin to malfunction. The lights in the house get really bright, and then all the power goes out in the neighborhood.

Wanda worries that their neighbors will know she’s the cause, due to all the close calls they’ve been having. Vision thinks for a moment, and sits down next to her on the couch. He recalls some of the weird occurrences, and says with concern, “I think something’s wrong here Wanda.” Wanda looks at him alarmingly, but then…

There’s an unexpected cut in the episode, and the scene goes back 30 seconds. Vision’s dialogue is different, and instead of expressing concern, he reassures Wanda. Even though they don’t know what to expect, he’s certain their baby will be perfect. And in this tender moment, Wanda has her first real contraction. The shock sends Vision floating into the air, and using their breathing techniques, she gets him to come back down. Suddenly, it begins raining inside their house. Wanda’s water has just broken. And the show goes to a commercial break….

We get a quick commercial for Hydra Soak soap. “When you want to get away, but you don’t want to go anywhere. Hydra Soak – Find the Goddess Within!”

Back from commercial…the rain finally stops inside, and Wanda uses her magic to dry everything off. Vision realizes it’s time to get Dr. Nielsen, and with the phones not working due to the power surge, he races out the door to fetch him in person. After Vision departs, Wanda hears a strange noise coming from the nursery. Before she can investigate, the doorbell rings. Since she’s trying to keep the pregnancy a secret, she fetches a coat from the closet before answering.

It’s Geraldine, and she’s coming to borrow a bucket since all the pipes in her ceiling have mysteriously burst. Wanda goes to fetch one from the kitchen, but labor pains cause her magic to be uncontrollable, and her jacket spontaneously changes styles multiple times. Wanda instead grabs a bowl of fruit to cover her stomach, another classic TV trope.

Before Geraldine leaves, she sits down to tell Wanda a brief work story. Behind her, the source of the noise she was unable to identify earlier becomes apparent: there’s a stork in the house, signifying that the baby is coming. Wanda attempts to make it vanish multiple times as Geraldine continues telling her story, but fails to do so. Geraldine then wanders into the nursery, and unable to contain the secret (or labor pains) any longer, Wanda drops the disguise. Geraldine is surprised to see that Wanda is pregnant and now in labor.

As she helps Wanda back into the living room to lay down, more appliances begin malfunctioning. Paintings are spinning on the wall, a chandelier crashes on the dining room table, the fireplace roars with flames. Geraldine states that there must be a logical explanation for everything going on. Wanda begins to doubt she can deliver, but Geraldine encourages her. She pushes one more time, and then suddenly all the chaos stops and we hear a baby crying. Geraldine holds up their newborn son.

Moments later, Vision rushes in the door with Dr. Nielsen on his back, who’s clearly confused at how they arrived so quickly by foot (using powers, of course). Geraldine suggests that the doctor join her in the kitchen so the new parents can enjoy their baby. Vision takes the baby from his wife, and says hello to Tommy (Wanda’s name choice). As he leans in to kiss Wanda, she lets out a loud yell right in his face. Bewildered by her reaction, he realizes she’s still in labor: it’s twins. Wanda pushes and delivers their second child, Billy.

After all is calm and settled, Vision assists Dr. Nielsen outside again. Wishing him good luck on making his vacation, the doctor advises that they won’t be going after all. “Small towns, ya know. So hard…to escape” he says curiously, and walks away. Intrigued by the statement, Vision notices Agnes and Herb talking over by the brick wall he cut into earlier. He goes over to make conversation, and notices they’re both acting secretively.

Inside the house, Wanda and Geraldine are remarking on the twins. Wanda mentions that she is also a twin, and she had a brother named Pietro. She begins to sing a Sokovian lullaby to the babies. Wanda is now softly crying and she’s caught up in the emotion of this memory. Geraldine appears to come out of a trance, and says to Wanda, “He was killed by Ultron, wasn’t he?” Taken aback by the question, Wanda asks her to repeat it. Geraldine suddenly acts confused and provides a different answer. Wanda begins to get agitated, and suggests that Geraldine leave. She notices a S.W.O.R.D. medallion hanging on her necklace. “What is that? Who are you?!” Geraldine struggles to answer as Wanda approaches her.

Back outside, Vision begins to walk back to the house to check on Wanda. Agnes asks if Geraldine is inside. Unsure why she’s inquiring, Agnes and Herb begin to discuss that Geraldine is new to town, with no family and no home. Herb starts to say “She came here because we’re all…” and Vision tries to get the rest of the sentence. Agnes interrupts Herb from answering, changes the subject and walks away. Herb also pretends to forget what they’re discussing and says goodbye. Perplexed, Vision rushes back to the house.

Coming in the front door, Vision finds Wanda standing over the crib. When he asks where Geraldine is, Wanda looks up and replies in a robotically sinister way that “she had to rush home.” Wanda looks back down at the crib, and smiles. The 4 x 3 aspect ratio of the episode’s era transforms to present day 16 x 9 widescreen, and the shot moves to a nighttime view of the “Welcome to Westview” sign.

There’s a crackle of electricity, and we see Geraldine fly out of a portal made from TV static and roll across the ground. A number of trucks and helicopters are circling the area. The camera pans back to reveal a military installation outside a static force field surrounding the real town of Westview.