‘WandaVision’ Recap: ‘Previously On’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Eight of ‘WandaVision’.
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If there is one thing that everyone can agree upon, it would have to be that the Marvel Cinematic Universe does indeed follow a fairly baseline formula. One where the hero of the story, goes through some life changing hardships and experiences, and comes out of them stronger and for the better. All so that they can rise up and save the day from some kind of powerful evil and well, this is definitely a formula that everyone enjoys. Since it has provided depth and meaning to everything our favorite Marvel heroes have done on the silver screen and of course, it has also led to some supremely satisfying and epic battles between good and evil and for a time… it seemed as though WandaVision was going to follow this similar formula.
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After all, Wanda Maximoff was clearly going through her own personal hardships, after the events of Endgame, and apparently being manipulated by someone to bring Westview and her own show to life. Which meant that it was only a matter of time before Wanda snapped out of this awful trance and realized that her memories and pain only made her stronger and that she could no longer let one Agatha Harkness continue to manipulate her any further, allowing for that grand showdown to take place. But after this week’s episode, it is becoming inherently clear that this tried-and-true formula is not going to be making an appearance in the fabric of this particular story. Because ‘Previously On’ is an episode that revealed to the audience, that this story is nothing more than a sorrowful journey for a valued member of the Avengers.

Because in this particular tale, Agatha didn’t make any demands of Wanda or fire off some grand speech about taking over the world with magic. No instead, she simply wanted answers as to how Westview was created by Wanda’s power, a request that immediately removed Agatha from the running as the show’s overreaching villain. And that surprise twist allowed for us to learn a lot about Wanda’s past and how trauma and pain are something she has never really dealt with. Because the fact that she had to switch to survival mode when her parents passed, taught her that buckling down and forging ahead and burying that pain was the right way to handle trauma and loss. And if by chance that pain was bothering her, settling in with an escape, such as sitcoms, would also ease her aching soul and she carried that strategy with her for quite some time.

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For she used it to deal with the hard times she experienced in Hydra’s care and after Peitro died and really, the only time she ever thought about the possibility of feeling something more in life than numbness, was the moment she realized she loved dear Vision. And their wonderful time together truly did give her hope and wonder for the first time in her life. All of which was robbed from her as well, thanks to Thanos, and to complicate matters further… the pain of that horrendous moment was only further enhanced by the indignity and indifference that S.W.O.R.D. exhibited in regard to Vision’s body. But even after seeing his remains in such a compromised and disrespectful position, she still tried to push ahead and not let emotion take over. A feat she was able to accomplish for only a little while longer.
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Because a trip to Westview, one that helped her to see what Vision had planned for their future, finally broke Wanda Maximoff, and motivated her to create the Hex and a safe place and that in essence makes her the ‘big bad’ of this tale since it is inherently clear now, that there is no one above her pulling the strings. No instead, this whole mess exists because of Wanda’s strong desire to not feel pain ever again and to find the happily ever after she has been craving for as long as she can remember and that makes this story, officially a grand tragedy. One that sees a hero fall because of unresolved pain and severe trauma and that is incredible when all is said and done. Because that makes this story one of the most relatable superhero tales out there, since we have or will experience strife and struggle when the power of trauma and loss and grief, finds its way into our hearts.

But while we now have a clear understanding of what happened in this story, there is still one question that remains. In that, where does Wanda go from here? Because now she is fully aware of what she’s done and why she’s done it and that does put her at a crossroads. Where she can either choose to stay in this unsustainable world or she can finally face her pain and perhaps try and learn how to use her incredible powers in a new and helpful manner. Which is a mystery that will likely be resolved in next week’s finale, when Wanda undoubtedly will have to face her past once again by way of the White Vision that Hayward has to brought to life. But while we eagerly await to see how this incredible story comes to a close, we can bask in the majesty of one powerful tale. One that let Elizabeth Olsen utterly shine as an actor and one that offered up what could be considered to be the most tragic and human origin story for a superhero… in the history of the genre.

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