Looking back at our reaction to the WandaVision series finale

We stayed up past midnight in Los Angeles for the WandaVision series finale, which was released on March 5, 2021, and it was a crazy finale. In the discussion it was called a fantastic final episode.

The finale built like a Marvel film, and we preferred it

One point raised was that the show was structured like a Marvel film, building to a crescendo all the way into the last episode and tapering off only in the final few minutes. That was contrasted with Game of Thrones, where the penultimate episode is usually the big one and the last is the cooldown. We both preferred the WandaVision approach.

There was also a wish for a longer episode given all the action. The thinking was that much of the money likely went there, since "they said it was 25 million dollars an episode." For television, it was felt the show looked stellar, like The Mandalorian, even with some visible compromises.

Wanda's rune trick worked as a psych out

The ending was called a cool psych out. Agatha could absorb whatever power Wanda used, so it was briefly unclear how Wanda could win. Then it turned out she had placed runes around the space so only she could use her magic. That had been set up earlier and was forgotten in the moment.

The weekly release was credited with helping. Waiting a week between episodes let the setup slip from memory, and the suggestion was that bingeing would not give the same gratification. Delayed gratification was described as a win for everybody, with the added line that "binge watching i don't think is actually good for the soul."

The two Visions, and a fight that ended too soon

The show was praised for distinguishing the two Visions through color, look and voice modulation. Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen were called stellar, with Bettany still selling the performance under makeup or visual effects.

The Vision versus Vision fight was described as almost like a Dragon Ball fight, and there was a wish for more of it, something closer to Man of Steel without demolished cities. Instead it moved quickly into a battle of minds. The Ship of Theseus exchange was called a very interesting analogy, raising the question of how much of Vision the restored one is, since the memories came from Scarlet Witch. Comparisons to Baymax in Big Hero 6 and to Groot came up: he would have to rediscover himself, and where he went was a big question.

The goodbye played as a story about letting go of grief

Wanda's farewell to the Vision she manifested was described as "literally like therapy at a god level," a physical embodiment of letting go of grief. What hit hardest was that he was not only her sadness but also her hope, and that "the way he left was just so positive." There was a nod to calling it from the trailer reaction: it was all about grief, letting go and moving forward. The parting line about meeting again was flagged as perhaps foreshadowing, since it is the MCU.

A slow start that became a strong origin story

We were both unsure what to make of the show when it was first advertised, and it took until past episode three for it to take shape. After that, it was a ride all the way through. It was also called a great origin story for the Scarlet Witch, leaving a want to know more about a being who is not born but made.

Looking ahead at the time, it was expected that Monica Rambeau would be part of the next Captain Marvel film, and it had been heard that Scarlet Witch would have something to do with Doctor Strange. The finale left us calling it awesome.