VisionQuest Episode 2 Review: Jarvis Makes His Choice and Ultron's Plan Takes Shape

Episode two of VisionQuest, "Theseus," is going in a really good direction, and we're liking it a lot. It digs into Tommy's past, introduces the bounty hunter Paladin and ends with a sacrifice from Jarvis that we didn't see coming.

Going in, the point was made that the first episode did a good job establishing the world and who Vision is now, with all of these different entities living inside his mind. The show has given each of those AIs a personality. The silent one called You is a highlight, and there was a theory that Tony calling one of them Dummy in the original Iron Man was something Robert Downey Jr. came up with that then stuck, though that came with the caveat "I could be completely wrong."

Tommy's flashback shows how his friendship started

The episode opens a year earlier, with Tommy on a bus after his psych evaluation, being sent away. That's where he meets the pickpocket who becomes his friend, and they get off the bus by jumping out the back. The reaction was that it was surprising they got out without injury, and there was a feeling the bus would have stopped in time to chase them, especially once the guard went to the front to tell the driver.

Paladin is a bounty hunter with a contract on Vision

Paladin is described as the last in a centuries long line of hunters, trained in every weapon. The comparison that came up was that he's a bit like a Black Widow, or a mercenary. Asked whether he'll be in that suit by the end, the answer was "I hope so." There was also a question about where Ultron got the money to hire him, with the guess that he could hack his way to it, maybe through crypto.

Jarvis, Edith and the trap that was really Tommy

When Jarvis warns Vision to keep his emotions at bay, the reaction was "Logically, I feel like I side with Jarvis." Edith spotting the guards' tactical boots and military time watches got a quick "Oh, I like Edith." Seeing Vision kill without hesitation prompted this: "I like what you're doing with the show." The trap they didn't see coming was Tommy. The guess was that it worked like an inhibitor to Vision's powers, possibly a big enough electromagnetic pulse, and there was frustration that the AIs didn't figure that out.

Will Jarvis come back?

Jarvis deleting himself was the unexpected part, and it was sad. "Who doesn't love Jarvis?" There's a feeling that somehow he'll be back. One theory is that his code went into Vision; another is that it was a fail safe and he's in stasis until power is restored. The counterpoint was that this might dilute the sacrifice.

Ultron saying Jarvis "wasn't my first choice or my second" suggests this was planned. The guesses were Friday or Edith, or that Ultron wanted to keep Jarvis for something bigger since Jarvis was once part of him. It's also interesting to see Ultron evolve, though there was a sense that the murderous intent is still there. Then there's the painting that looks like the old Vision on fire, and the female robotic version of Ultron from the trailers, which may or may not be in the present or inside Vision's mind.

The pacing doesn't waste time

The dialogue and the way it moves came in for praise: the show isn't dragging anything out, with eight episodes to get where it's going. With so much left to speculate about, this is going in a really good direction.