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We Interrupt This Program

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This article is about the WandaVision episode. For other uses, see We Interrupt This Program (disambiguation).
"We Interrupt This Program"
WandaVision episode
Episode no.Episode 4
Directed byMatt Shakman
Written by
  • Bobak Esfarjani
  • Megan McDonnell
Featured music"Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience
Cinematography byJess Hall
Editing byTim Roche
Original release dateJanuary 29, 2021 (2021-01-29)
Running time34 minutes
Cast
  • Josh Stamberg as Tyler Hayward
  • Alan Heckner as Agent Monti
  • Selena Anduze as Agent Rodriguez
  • Lana Young as Dr. Highland
  • Zac Henry as Agent Franklin / beekeeper
Episode chronology
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List of episodes

"We Interrupt This Program" is the fourth episode of the American television miniseries WandaVision, based on the Marvel Comics characters Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Vision. It follows several government agents as they investigate why and how Wanda and Vision are living an idyllic sitcom life in the town of Westview. The episode is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. It was written by Bobak Esfarjani and Megan McDonnell, and directed by Matt Shakman.

Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen reprise their respective roles as Vision and Wanda Maximoff from the film series, starring alongside Teyonah Parris, Randall Park, Kat Dennings, and Kathryn Hahn. Shakman joined the series in August 2019. The episode is the first to depict the events of the series from the real world of the MCU rather than from inside Wanda's sitcom reality. Filming took place at Pinewood Atlanta Studios.

The episode was released on Disney+ on January 29, 2021.

Plot

Captain Monica Rambeau, an agent of S.W.O.R.D., returns to life following the Blip[a] to find her mother, Maria, has died of cancer three years prior. Three weeks later, Monica returns to work and is told by Acting Director Tyler Hayward that she will be referred to terrestrial missions only, as outlined by her mother before her death. She is subsequently sent to help FBI agent Jimmy Woo with a missing persons case in Westview, New Jersey. They speak to two police officers from Eastview, who insist that Westview does not exist, despite the town's presence behind them. Woo explains to Monica that he can not physically enter the town due to an unknown force. They discover a hexagonal static CMBR field surrounding the town, which Monica is pulled into. Within 24 hours, S.W.O.R.D. establishes a base around the town and sends drones to investigate.

Dr. Darcy Lewis, now an astrophysics expert, is asked to study the phenomena and discovers broadcast signals for the sitcom WandaVision using vintage televisions. They use these to observe events inside the town, learning that the real residents have been "cast" as characters in the sitcom, and Monica has disguised herself as "Geraldine". Darcy and Woo unsuccessfully attempt to use the radio to contact Wanda Maximoff. Meanwhile, as Agent Franklin crawls through the sewer system into Westview, his containment suit transforms into beekeeper attire, and his tether detaches and turns into a jump rope. When Monica mentions Ultron, Wanda casts her out of the town. During this, Darcy and Woo discover that the broadcast is being censored. The sitcom illusion disappears, and Wanda sees her husband Vision appear as he did when he died. Horrified, she restores the illusion. Monica wakes up at the S.W.O.R.D. base and states that Wanda is controlling the illusion.

Production

Development

By October 2018, Marvel Studios was developing a limited series starring Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff and Paul Bettany's Vision from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films.[2][3] In August 2019, Matt Shakman was hired to direct the miniseries.[4][5] Shakman and head writer Jac Schaeffer executive produce alongside Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, and Victoria Alonso.[6][4][7]: 50  Feige described the series as part "classic sitcom", part "Marvel epic".[8] The fourth episode, titled "We Interrupt This Program", was written by Bobak Esfarjani and Megan McDonnell, and shifts the series' perspective to outside the sitcom reality of the previous episodes.[9][10]

Writing

After the release of the series' first three episodes, Schaeffer said they would need to provide answers to questions soon to clarify the events of those episodes,[11] and Olsen said the fourth episode would be "quite a shift. It's a really fun perspective swap and I think a lot gets understood at that moment."[12] The film Arrival (2016) was an influence on how S.W.O.R.D. and their base around Westview appeared, while Schaeffer also felt series like Russian Doll that have "big structural shifts", particularly its fourth episode "Alan's Routine" that "flips the script", inspired this episode's shift away from the sitcoms of the previous episodes to provide answers and a different perspective.[13]

Casting

The episode stars Paul Bettany as Vision, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, Randall Park as Jimmy Woo, Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis, and Kathryn Hahn as Agnes.[14][15]: 29:38–29:55  Also appearing in the episode are Josh Stamberg as S.W.O.R.D. Director Tyler Hayward,[1] Alan Heckner as S.W.O.R.D. Agent Monti, Selena Anduze as S.W.O.R.D. Agent Rodriguez, Lana Young as Dr. Highland,[14] and Zac Henry as S.W.O.R.D. Agent Franklin / the beekeeper.[16][14] An archival recording from the film Captain Marvel (2019) of Brie Larson as Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel speaking to a young Monica Rambeau is heard at the start of the episode.[17]

Filming and visual effects

Soundstage filming occurred at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Atlanta, Georgia,[18] with Shakman directing,[4] and Jess Hall serving as cinematographer.[19] Filming also took place in the Atlanta metropolitan area,[20][21] with backlot and outdoor filming occurring in Los Angeles when the series resumed production after being on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]: 50 [22] Dennings spoke to acting against the monitors showing the WandaVision sitcom, since the footage was added in post-production, calling it "difficult". While Dennings loosely knew what the footage would be, she imagined most of it saying "it kind of added to the mystery because when you see [Darcy and Jimmy] solving a mystery, we really are solving a mystery".[23]

Visual effects for the episode were created by The Yard VFX, Industrial Light & Magic, Rodeo FX, Monsters Aliens Robots Zombies, Framestore, Cantina Creative, Perception, RISE, Digital Domain, and SSVFX.[24][15]: 31:54–32:10 

Music

"Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience is featured in the episode.[1]

Marketing

After the episode's release, Marvel announced merchandise inspired by the episode as part of its weekly "Marvel Must Haves" promotion for each episode of the series, including t-shirts, accessories, houseware, and jewelry, focusing on S.W.O.R.D. and Monica Rambeau.[25]

Release

"We Interrupt This Program" was released on Disney+ on January 29, 2021.[10]

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 93% approval rating with an average score of 8.44/10 based on 15 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, ""We Interrupt This Program" takes a break from Westview to give the excellent Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau some welcome backstory, while introducing a few familiar faces to the world of WandaVision."[26]

In giving the episode an "A−", The A.V. Club's Stephen Robinson referenced the series The X-Files with this episode, but unlike that series, "WandaVision doesn’t leave us hanging [with providing answers], while ramping up the suspense". He also was reminded of The Prisoner episode "Living in Harmony" while watching this episode. Vision appearing deceased made Robinson "gasp in horror", feeling the visual "hits even harder after seeing a funny, lovable Vision over the past three episodes".[27] Matt Purslow at IGN believed the episode's title, "We Interrupt This Program", was "the most accurate description possible" for the episode and called it "a statement". He said learning Wanda had created the reality to deal with her grief lined up with many of the theories for the series heading into its premiere, and called the reveal "strongly presented", pointing out Olsen portraying a darker Wanda similarly to when she faced Thanos in Avengers: Endgame (2019). Purslow enjoyed seeing Monica Rambeau, Darcy Lewis, and Jimmy Woo interact to solve the mystery of Westview, and the additional references to other parts of the MCU, saying, "anyone looking for some reassurance that WandaVision is a show about the universe they care about will certainly find it here". Purslow gave the episode an 8 out of 10.[28]

Alec Bojalad at Den of Geek described the episode as "wildly thrilling and entertaining" and "the most coherent episode of WandaVision, which also makes it its best, almost by default", highlighting the performances by Park and Dennings. Bojalad gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars.[29] Entertainment Weekly's Christian Holub also felt the episode's title was perfect. His colleague Chancellor Agard called the episode the one "I've been waiting for" given the focus on Darcy and Jimmy in the episode. He felt Dennings "effortlessly... slipped back into Darcy's wisecracking, sarcastic shoes". Agard indicated he normally was not a fan of episodes that recap past events such as this one, but enjoyed this one because of its placement as the fourth episode of the season, stating "it helps WandaVision avoid frustrating the audience by withholding basic information about the show's world for too long in favor of creating a mystery, and ... it assures the audience that the mystery isn't the point".[10] Writing for /Film, Evan Saathoff believed "We Interrupt This Program" "breaks the whole thing open", but was disappointed the nature of the previous episodes in their sitcom format would most likely not remain for the rest of the series.[30] James Whitbrook at io9 called the opening scene, which sees Monica Rambeau return from the Blip, "a brilliant scene" and "the closest thing Marvel has done to horror fiction". Whitbrook contrasted it to what was shown of the Blip in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), which played the moment for comedic effect, noting instead the "claustrophobic" nature, Monica's confusion, and the scene's soundscape of screaming against the sound of Monica's heartbeat. He felt the scene "says something about Monica's state of mind coming into what she's about to experience in WandaVision as well as a reflection of the show at large's own tonal shift between sitcom homage and the dark, stark reality acting as that homage's subtext. It takes this big-picture idea and presents it as something deeply personal and traumatic."[31]

Vulture's Abraham Riesman was disappointed to learn that the sitcom reality was being created by Wanda, and was not being done to her, with this decision "feeling like Marvel Studios took the easy way out with this rich and fascinating character" and adding "the choice just seems dull and predictable, not to mention questionable on gender-stereotype grounds". He also felt the jokes in the episode were "flat" and did not land, calling them "a parody of MCU humor: all dumb punch-up asides and 'soooo, that happened' buttons". Riseman gave the episode 3 out of 5 stars.[1]

Notes

  1. ^ As seen in Avengers: Endgame (2019).[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Riesman, Abraham (January 29, 2021). "WandaVision Recap: While You Were Blipping". Vulture. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  2. ^ Kroll, Justin (September 18, 2018). "Loki, Scarlet Witch, Other Marvel Heroes to Get Own TV Series on Disney Streaming Service (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on September 19, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  3. ^ Sciretta, Peter (October 30, 2018). "Falcon/Winter Soldier TV Series Planned for Disney Streaming Service, Scarlet Witch Show May Co-Star Vision". /Film. Archived from the original on October 31, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Fischer, Jacob (August 21, 2019). "Matt Shakman In Talks To Direct 6-Episode Marvel Studios Series For Disney+ (Exclusive)". Discussing Film. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  5. ^ Reinstein, Mara (December 16, 2020). "Not Your Mother's Suburbs". emmy. Archived from the original on December 19, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; December 20, 2020 suggested (help)
  6. ^ Dinh, Christine (November 13, 2019). "What's Next For The Marvel Cinematic Universe After 'Avengers: Endgame'". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Reinstein, Mara (2020). "Not Your Mother's Suburbs". emmy. Vol. XLII, no. 12. pp. 42–50. Archived from the original on December 20, 2020.
  8. ^ Couch, Aaron (August 23, 2019). "Marvel Unveils 3 New Disney+ Shows Including 'She-Hulk' and 'Moon Knight'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  9. ^ Ellard, Andrew (January 29, 2021). "WandaVision episode four: is Scarlet Witch the villain of her own story?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c Holub, Christian (January 29, 2021). "WandaVision recap: A very special announcement". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  11. ^ Baysinger, Tim (January 25, 2021). "'WandaVision': Jac Schaeffer Promises Answers Are Coming for Trippy Marvel Series". The Wrap. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  12. ^ Seddon, Dan; Tanswell, Adam (January 23, 2021). "WandaVision's Elizabeth Olsen teases "shift" in Marvel show from episode 4". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  13. ^ Pearson, Ben (February 3, 2021). "'WandaVision' Showrunner on Red Herrings, How the TV Broadcasts Work For Darcy and Jimmy, Episode 4's Hospital Scene, and More [Interview]". /Film. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  14. ^ a b c Hood, Cooper (January 29, 2021). "WandaVision Episode 4 Cast Guide: Every New & Returning MCU Character". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  15. ^ a b Esfarjani, Bobak; McDonnell, Megan (January 29, 2021). "We Interrupt This Program". WandaVision. Season 1. Episode 4. Disney+. End credits begin at 28:20.
  16. ^ Perry, Spencer (January 29, 2021). "WandaVision Reveals The Beekeeper's True Identity". Comicbook.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  17. ^ Silliman, Brian (January 29, 2021). "Monica Rambeau (And Some Old MCU Friends) Just Pulled Back the WandaVision Spoiler Curtain". SyFy Wire. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  18. ^ Barnhardt, Adam (September 9, 2019). "WandaVision Reportedly Beginning Production in November". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on September 20, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  19. ^ Radish, Christina (November 25, 2020). "Paul Bettany & Alan Ball on 'Uncle Frank,' 'WandaVision,' & Having Similar Directing Styles". Collider. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  20. ^ Walljasper, Matt (December 30, 2019). "What's filming in Atlanta now? WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Queen of Soul, The Tomorrow War, and more". Atlanta. Archived from the original on March 2, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  21. ^ Walljasper, Matt (February 29, 2020). "What's filming in Atlanta now? Loki, WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Samaritan, DMZ, and more". Atlanta. Archived from the original on March 2, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  22. ^ Davids, Brian (January 15, 2021). "How 'WandaVision' Director Matt Shakman Went from Westeros to Westview". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  23. ^ Agard, Chancellor (February 1, 2021). "WandaVision star Kat Dennings discusses her 'unexpected' MCU return". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  24. ^ Frei, Vincent (January 5, 2021). "WandaVision". Art of VFX. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  25. ^ Paige, Rachel (February 1, 2021). "Shop Marvel Must Haves: 'WandaVision' Episode 4". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  26. ^ "WandaVision – Season 1 Episode 4". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  27. ^ Robinson, Stephen (January 29, 2021). "WandaVision returns with a wallop to the Marvel Cinematic Universe proper". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  28. ^ Purslow, Matt (January 29, 2021). "WandaVision: Season 1, Episode 4 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  29. ^ Bojalad, Alec (January 29, 2021). "WandaVision Episode 4 Review: We Interrupt This Program". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  30. ^ Saathoff, Evan (January 29, 2021). "The New Episode of 'WandaVision' Breaks the Mystery Wide Open". /Film. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  31. ^ Whitbrook, James (February 1, 2021). "WandaVision's First Major MCU Connection Was a Fascinating Moment of Terror". io9. Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
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