So here we are at long last, the first Marvel TV show, WandaVision, out of the gate. Perhaps an odd choice because of the surreal nature of the program (which you could easily say has a very un-comic book like story), but these are strange times, anyway.

Based on the promos leading up to Wandavision, it is exactly what I expected so far – from the play on 50s/60s sitcoms, to the nosy neighbor played by Kathryn Hahn, and to the occasional hints that something is not quite right in suburbia. Don’t get me wrong, the show is fine, it just feels a little… expected. This means it often moves slowly, even for something with half the run time of a standard drama. It’s like we the audience are waiting for the show to catch up to us. Perhaps this is the fault of the promos, which spoiled so much about the concept of Wanda and Vision being trapped in a world of TV sitcoms that we’re ready to move on to the heart of the plot – namely what the heck is going on. I was hoping we might get there by the end of the second episode, but I’m starting to feel like we are going to have to sit through several more eras of television first. I’m not sure the gimmick is that sustainable, nor the episodes that funny.

But while the pacing may creep forward, thankfully the actors don’t seem to notice. Without question the acting itself is the best part of the show, as everyone appears to be enjoying theIr part in recreating the programs of yesteryear. The first two episodes play like I Love Lucy and Bewitched. The novelty of it almost makes up for the fact the writers seemed too caught up in recreating these different sitcoms that they, again, forget to move the story along. Instead the show opts for a rinse and repeat structure where Wanda and Vision learn things aren’t right in the first episode and then learn the same lesson again in the second one. Unfortunately, by the end of episode 2 our heroes’ situation doesn’t change much, nor do they gain any understanding of what’s happening to them. This means the second episode feels a bit like a redundant misstep.

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Don’t worry, there’s still enough going on to keep your attention. Without spoiling too much, there are a couple of clever fake period specific commercials sprinkled into both episodes. In addition to being well produced, they appear to offer tantalizing clues as to who or what may be behind Wanda’s situation. There’s also a scene where a “drunk” Vision tries to perform a magic trick as part of a neighborhood contest. It’s a nice attempt at showing a different side of the bot, but I just can’t help but wonder if it would have been funnier if he would have been written to act more like a broken down android than an intoxicated buffoon, considering the causation for the breakdown (which involves a piece of gum mucking up his inner workings).

Still, Wandavision is far better than most drivel on TV these days, certainly anything on network television. And kudos to Marvel for not going “woke” and using the show as a vehicle to attack the “simpler” time in America’s past, during which this show is “set.” It’s refreshing to look back on something nostalgic without having to sit through some writer’s realization that he or she hates America.

Let’s just keep our fingers crossed the plot picks up a bit for episode 3. A glimpse of the villain would be welcomed, and it would be even better if Wanda and Vision had to face them while stuck in, say, a take on Family Ties. If the promos are any indication, though, I’m not getting my hopes up.

You can watch the first two episodes of WandaVision on Disney+ now and episode three will debut this Friday.

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