ATTENTION -- MILD, MILD SPOILERS AHEAD:

We have seen the folks at Marvel go above and beyond to create their universe and we thought long were the days were they'd need to overexplain things to tell a great story. Everything about this show screamed psychic madness, magic extravaganza, fun old TV show callbacks and a dark storyline to deepen the character of Wanda; and yet we are left with a well-introduced engaging mystery that leads to what seems like a bland resolution to such an enticing premise.

I was aware Marvel would not risk telling a story that would shift the pieces of their expertly crafter universe right off the bat. But when they showed the weird teasers for WandaVision and knowing what I know about the character... It was on. I thought that after a huge event such as the Infinity Saga they'd go for a more "down to earth" story. However, comicbook fans that know what this story is (or was meant to be in the comics) and its relevance to not only the character of Wanda but many other characters Marvel has yet to introduce to the MCU...; would understand how this could have been a missed opportunity for that very purpose. And by saving it only at the very last minute (literally) doesn't make up for it.

Masking itself with tenderly family everyday-life TV callbacks to develop a much darker story of loss, the tones don't mix. The devastation of what happened with Thanos left a shockwave in the universe and one of the most affected person was Wanda. The outcome of this 9-episode story was too little to make this sitcom-runtime length of laughtracking bland episodes bearable. You cannot tell a dark story such as coping with death while trying to build a mystery surrounding a reality-altering story filled with TV references centering in humor. And not even funny humor but a charming quirky one that almost makes this show a Disney Channel Original. Not to mention the slap on the face it gives to fans of the character of the Scarlet Witch at the very end.

It reminds of the Civil War storyline adaptation. It was a great movie and well suited to the conflict that was brewing in the team, however the conflict set up was understandably ignored once Thanos came into play, leaving no lasting effect on the team; something which had the complete opposite effect on the comicbook storyline. I am aware these are "adaptations" and because of that they never meant to tell the same exact stories as in the comics. But I ask you, where do we draw the line between an adaptation faithful to the intent and purpose of the storyline it is adapting and the crafting of a completely knew one? When does the later changes so much as to become a new and different story masquerading as the old one but devoid of the same intent?

You all remember that Dumbledore scene in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, he wasn't angry in the books because it doesn't fit the character to get angry like that. Marvel Studios: you can make your own Marvel Universe with your own interpretations of the stories and characters, but mind the fact that if you want to pull them closer to their comicbook counterparts beware, at some point you'll be faced with a hard choice. Comicbooks have been and are still weird, and it's not surprising that some of the more lore-y stuff will not be apt for the average viewer. Not unless it's done properly. And again, so far the numbers have spoken: the audience can understand pretty messed up things. There's been some really conceptually complex stuff introduced in the MCU and so far everyone is on board, let's keep that up. Don't pander to the audience, don't treat them like dummies, we know what's up. Don't use 3 episodes to tell us that Wanda is in pain for the loss of Vision, that we already know. Tells us what she does about it in an uplifting heroic tale or let us wallow in her grief in a dramatic dark story, but don't try to mix both and expect a strong emotional reaction to both.

WandaVision had so so much potential, and it is receiving a 7 because this is not a bad show, not at all. THe story is engaging, the artistry and vision behind it, cinematography and narrative was engaging and original. It really did feel like you were watching and MCU movie. However, when you give a runtime of 9 episodes with a couple of them with more than a 30 minute runtime (not 38, because 7 minutes were for credits) it's a lot of minutes to tell more than what we actually had. I would have totally buyed into this "going from sitcom era to sitcom era" sort of storyline and perhaps dig more into those TV callbacks, however there were more storylines being told here and all of their tones were not juggled with very well.

And that was perhaps the biggest mistake people like me did. We were expecting too much of this show. I personally thought it would explain and introduce many concepts that could revolutionise the MCU, and in a way it did. But I asume it left out the best part for another occasion and that is playing with the expectations and, in my case, the patience of the audience. I am not going to watch 3 seasons of Frodo and Sam walking to Mordor. Extending the story will damage the pacing of it and that's a nono. Don't make us waste our time with slow narratives, these only work for deep and complex storylines that need pauses and silences to be impactful. Make short stories or make each episode be its own thing, have its own message, but if you are telling an overarching storyline WITH a mystery brewing, you need to give more. I really ended up finding onlt 30% of the chapter was actual substance, the rest was decor and presentation.

IN CONCLUSION, it's an interesting and engaging story that uses a very unique way to present its conflict. The cinematography is decent for a TV show and the characters, storyline and effects are well-realised. Not a bad first Marvel Studios TV show. We'll see what the rest of the shows have in store for us. I personally think this show was potentially one of the more interesting ones and it has been, I only hope the rest keep up the quality of this one. However, I will say that the pacing of the story was dragged by the runtime and that it mostly felt like a filler show, presenting characters that will play a bigger role in the future and with a big bombastic final showdown that lacked any stakes; and left almost no consequences to its outcome. Perhaps a too "down to earth" story after the epic Thanos time-travelling quest that changes the universe forever we had just witnessed. I guess anything now will look a bit bland in comparison. And at least this show had magic involved which is still uncharted territory to dig more into, I don't want to know about the rest of the shows. I guess time will tell.