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Previously On

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For the phrase in television, see Recap sequence.
"Previously On"
WandaVision episode
Episode no.Episode 8
Directed byMatt Shakman
Written byLaura Donney
Cinematography byJess Hall
Editing byNona Khodai
Original release dateFebruary 26, 2021 (2021-02-26)
Running time47 minutes
Cast
  • Julian Hilliard as Billy
  • Jett Klyne as Tommy
  • Josh Stamberg as Tyler Hayward
  • David Payton as John Collins
  • David Lengel as Harold Proctor
  • Amos Glick as a pizza delivery man
  • Selena Anduze as Agent Rodriguez
  • Kate Forbes as Evanora Harkness
  • Ilana Kohanchi as Iryna Maximoff
  • Daniyar as Olek Maximoff
  • Michaela Russell as young Wanda
  • Gabriel Gurevich as young Pietro
Episode chronology
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List of episodes

"Previously On" is the eighth episode of the American television miniseries WandaVision, based on the Marvel Comics characters Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Vision. It follows Wanda as she relives moments of her past that lead her to create the idyllic suburban 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 Laura Donney 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 Debra Jo Rupp and Kathryn Hahn. Shakman joined the series in August 2019. Filming took place in the Atlanta metropolitan area, including at Pinewood Atlanta Studios, and in Los Angeles.

"Previously On" was released on Disney+ on February 26, 2021. Critics celebrated the performances of Olsen, Hahn, and Bettany, and also extolled the backstory and reveal of the name of Scarlet Witch.

Plot

In Salem, 1693, Agatha Harkness is put on trial by a coven of witches led by her mother Evanora for practicing dark magic. As they attempt to kill Agatha, she drains the life from them.

In the present day, Agatha interrogates Wanda Maximoff, demanding to know how she is controlling Westview, threatening her with her children's lives. Agatha forces Wanda to relive key moments in her life, including when she and her brother Pietro were trapped in rubble next to an undetonated bomb the day their parents died. In this memory, Agatha deduces that Wanda was born a witch who engaged in basic hex magic as a child, reinforced by Wanda's inadvertent use of a simple probability hex to prevent the bomb from going off.

In the next memory she relives, Wanda watches herself as she is experimented on by Hydra. As she approaches the Mind Stone, it reacts to her presence, activating and augmenting her latent magical abilities. Wanda witnesses an apparition in the Mind Stone's light before passing out. She then relives her first fond memory of Vision, back at the Avengers Compound, as they bond over being individuals who have come to be alone.

Later, it is revealed that Wanda visited S.W.O.R.D. to try and recover Vision's body. When Director Tyler Hayward shows her the mutilated corpse, Wanda loses her temper and breaks into the lab, but leaves without Vision's body after failing to feel his presence. Finally, Wanda drives to a dilapidated lot in Westview that Vision had bought for her intending to live there together. In a fit of grief, she creates a house on the lot, manifests a new version of Vision, and ultimately extends the Hex across the entire town.

Back in the present and coming out of her trance, Wanda runs outside, only to be confronted by Agatha, who is holding her children, Billy and Tommy, captive. Agatha mocks Wanda for not knowing the full extent of her own abilities, calling her dangerous, before revealing that her powers are actually chaos magic, which ultimately makes Wanda the mythical "Scarlet Witch".

In a post-credits scene, S.W.O.R.D. reveals Hayward's "Project Cataract": the original Vision, now white, activated using chaos magic energy from a drone previously destroyed by Wanda.

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.[1][2] In August 2019, Matt Shakman was hired to direct the miniseries.[3][4] Shakman and head writer Jac Schaeffer executive produce alongside Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, and Victoria Alonso.[5][3][6]: 50  Feige described the series as part "classic sitcom", part "Marvel epic",[7] paying tribute to many eras of American sitcoms.[8] The eighth episode, titled "Previously On", was written by Laura Donney.[9]

Writing

"Previously On" reveals that Wanda's father Olek sold DVDs of American sitcoms to make a living, which helped form Wanda's love of them. Sitcoms shown or referenced in the episode include The Dick Van Dyke Show and its episode "It May Look Like a Walnut", I Love Lucy, The Addams Family, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Who's the Boss?, The Brady Bunch and its episode "Kitty Karry-all Is Missing", and Malcolm in the Middle and its episode "Health Insurance".[10] In exploring Wanda's past grief, Donney said the writers were cognizant "to not just look at where Wanda has been, but to spend time with her there" in order to give "space [and a] voice" to her grief, allowing it to shape, not define, her.[11] Ahead of the series' premiere, Feige said that Wanda's powers were never fully defined during the Infinity Saga, with the series exploring the true origins of her powers, and whether the Mind Stone unlocked them;[12] "Previously On" confirms that Wanda was born with her powers, with the Mind Stone amplifying them, which was considered a retcon of Wanda's backstory in the MCU. Phil Owens of TheWrap called this "huge" since all previous human superheroes in the MCU had been believed to have been born normal, acquiring abilities later on.[13]

Agatha Harkness calls Wanda the "Scarlet Witch" in the episode,[14] which Wanda had not been known by in the MCU until this point.[15] Commentators believed the "Scarlet Witch" name was more of an inherited title or lineage for witches, rather than a superhero moniker;[16][14] recent versions of the character in the comics have also made this change.[16] The appearance of S.W.O.R.D.'s white Vision was inspired by the character appearing as such in the comic book storyline, "Vision Quest".[9]

Casting

The episode stars Paul Bettany as Vision, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, Debra Jo Rupp as Sharon Davis, and Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness.[17][18]: 39:16–39:31  Also starring in the episode are Julian Hilliard as Billy and Jett Klyne as Tommy, Wanda and Vision's sons,[18]: 41:36  Josh Stamberg as S.W.O.R.D. Director Tyler Hayward,[17] David Payton as John Collins,[18]: 41:36  David Lengel as Harold Proctor,[17] Amos Glick as a pizza delivery man, Selena Anduze as S.W.O.R.D. Agent Rodriguez, Kate Forbes as Evanora Harkness, Ilana Kohanchi as Iryna Maximoff, Daniyar as Olek Maximoff,[18]: 41:36  and Michaela Russell and Gabriel Gurevich as young Wanda and Pietro Maximoff.[17]

Filming and visual effects

Soundstage filming occurred at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Atlanta, Georgia,[19] with Shakman directing,[3] and Jess Hall serving as cinematographer.[8] 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.[6]: 50 [22] Visual effects for the episode were created by SSVFX, Framestore, Mr. X, Industrial Light & Magic, The Yard VFX, Digital Domain, Cantina Creative, RISE, Rodeo FX, and capital T.[23][18]: 42:42–42:57 

Release

"Previously On" was released on Disney+ on February 26, 2021.[24]

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 93% approval rating with an average score of 8.22/10 based on 15 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Kathryn Hahn looms large and seriously in charge of her craft in "Previously On"—thankfully Elizabeth Olsen proves more than up to the challenge with her own magnetic performance."[25]

Giving the episode 5 out of 5 stars, Abraham Riesman at Vulture was enthralled with "Previously On", forcing him to "reevaluate everything" he previously felt about the series, saying the episode "was everything you want out of an outing with the MCU, but done in a way that felt fresh, creative, and filled with genuine emotion". While he loved Agatha saying "Scarlet Witch", Riseman felt the moment could be slightly confusing to viewers who were unaware that is her name in the comics. He was slightly disappointed with the additional information learned about "Pietro", concluding that Evan Peters' appearance amounted to "mere stunt-casting, rather than a multiversal tease".[26] Ben Travers, writing for IndieWire, spoke to Vision's line "But what is grief, if not love persevering?" during his scene with Wanda, saying it was "such a powerful statement [and] such a succinct encapsulation of a profound feeling" and the moment WandaVision had been building towards. He felt the series should have acknowledged Wanda's love for sitcoms earlier in the series to help the audience accept the sitcom homages, but conceded the larger question of "What happened to Wanda?" mattered the entire time and was answered in the episode "with resounding pathos"; Travers gave the episode an "A–".[9]

Reviewing the episode for The A.V. Club, Stephen Robinson gave it a "B", saying a character-driven episode could have been "a momentum killer", but he was glad the series was able to explore Wanda's motivations and answer some questions raised since her introduction in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). Robinson called Hayward "a more banal villain than Agatha" but "no less sadistic" after the episode showed he had previously lied about Wanda attempting to steal Vision's body from S.W.O.R.D., while also pointing out the change in Hahn's performance at the end of the episode.[17] Den of Geek's Rosie Knight called "Previously On" the series' "most heartbreaking episode" and praised Hahn's performance, saying it created the possibility that Agnes was an antihero rather than a full villain. For Wanda, Knight felt this was a "full reset" for the character, allowed "a Wanda with nuance, defined by love and rage more than trauma. She’s a whole human being and Olsen sells every tear, lip tremble, and horrified gasp." Knight concluded with enthusiasm heading into the final episode, and felt WandaVision was "turning into one of the MCU’s best projects ever".[16]

Alan Sepinwall at Rolling Stone pointed out that, with this episode, much of WandaVision appeared to be drawing inspiration from the comic book storyline "Vision Quest" written by John Byrne. Sepinwall said the series was adapting the storyline "to reassemble [Wanda and Vision] into something stronger that draws upon all the fragmented pieces of the MCU films". Initially Sepinwall felt the episode would follow the similar structure to the fourth episode "We Interrupt This Program" showing earlier events through the eyes of Agatha, but when it shifted to "a more expanded and coherent biography of Wanda than the MCU films have been able to provide", he felt it proved to be one of the upsides to writing in a shared universe: "getting to tie together a lot of older ideas that weren't necessarily meant to match". The scene between Wanda and Vision at the Avengers Compound was the episode's highlight for Sepinwall, likening Olsen's performance to her appearance in the Facebook Watch series Sorry for Your Loss, and calling it "incredibly moving". Sepinwall concluded that if the series intended to make Wanda a villain by the time it concluded, she would be "a much more well-rounded villain, and one who feels far more complex than she's been allowed to be through her strange, winding MCU history to date".[10]

Matt Purslow of IGN was more reserved on the episode, giving it a 6 out of 10. He felt, being the series' penultimate episode it would "ramp up the pace" rather than "an exercise in taking stock". He added, the flashbacks feel "akin to pre-flight checks, ensuring the audience is fully informed before heading into the show’s final take-off. There are a few fun twists to be found, as well as some emotional value, but for anyone fully invested in both WandaVision and the MCU, it feels like the brakes have been applied when it should have been the accelerator." Purslow felt having the "Scarlet Witch" within the MCU seemingly indicate a prophecy or lineage for witches was "an interesting spin", and felt the vision Wanda sees in the Mind Stone "was a particularly strong method of adding a feeling of legend and weight to her story". He also enjoyed the scene at Avengers Compound with Wanda and Vision.[14] Entertainment Weekly's Christian Holub enjoyed the structure of the episode, but was unsatisfied with some of the explanations given, believing the series still had many more questions to answer before it concluded, such as the true nature of "Pietro" and more information on Billy and Tommy. As well, Holub felt ending the episode by calling Wanda the Scarlet Witch "felt pretty weak", but said the mid-credits scenes created "a pretty exciting possibility" for the final episode of a potential confrontation between Wanda and S.W.O.R.D.'s Vision. Holub's colleague Chancellor Agard was "torn" on the episode, given he enjoyed Olsen and Hahn's performances but felt the series could have integrated the flashbacks "in a bolder and more interesting way". He wished the series had stuck with the sitcom homages, referencing one of the dramas or "sad sitcoms" from the mid-to-late 2010s rather than the "memory palace with many doors gimmick" which felt "conventional".[15]

Accolades

Olsen was named TVLine's "Performer of the Week" for the week of February 22, 2021, for her performance in this episode, along with Lydia West for It's a Sin. The site admitted that Olsen had been worthy of their "Performer of the Week" for the entire series, and for "Previously On", said her performance was "no less compelling, if tonally different, than her many weeks spent as a TV housewife". During Wanda's journey through her flashbacks, Olsen was able to portray her sadness without saying many words at all, and her visit to Vision's corpse at S.W.O.R.D. left an "indelible impression" on the site and proved Olsen could "shatter us with her voice barely above a whisper" with her line "I can't feel you".[27]

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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)
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ a b 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.
  9. ^ a b c Travers, Ben (February 26, 2021). "'WandaVision' Review: The Ghost of Grief's Past Ushers in the Series' Best Episode Yet — Spoilers". IndieWire. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Sepinwall, Alan (February 26, 2021). "'WandaVision' Recap: Some Assembly Required". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 26, 2021. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= requires |archive-url= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ Donney, Laura [@LMdonney] (February 26, 2021). "I told a therapist once that my trauma defined me. She said no: It shapes you. It was paramount to the writers of #WandaVison to not just look at where Wanda has been, but to spend time with her there. To give space & voice to her grief, to her loss. To watch her take shape" (Tweet). Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ Travis, Ben (November 23, 2020). "WandaVision Explores Scarlet Witch's 'Ill-Defined Power-Set', Says Kevin Feige – Exclusive Images". Empire. Archived from the original on February 21, 2021. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  13. ^ Owen, Phil (February 27, 2021). "'WandaVision' Just Retconned the MCU in a Really Big Way". TheWrap. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  14. ^ a b c Purslow, Matt (February 26, 2021). "WandaVision: Season 1, Episode 8 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  15. ^ a b Holub, Christian (February 26, 2021). "WandaVision recap: The one where they explain things". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  16. ^ a b c Knight, Rosie (February 26, 2021). "WandaVision Episode 8 Review: Previously On…". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  17. ^ a b c d e Robinson, Stephen (February 26, 2021). "The Scarlet Witch stands revealed in the penultimate installment of WandaVision". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  18. ^ a b c d e Donney, Laura (February 26, 2021). "Previously On". WandaVision. Season 1. Episode 8. Disney+. End credits begin at 38:00.
  19. ^ 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.
  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. ^ Frei, Vincent (January 5, 2021). "WandaVision". Art of VFX. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  24. ^ Griffin, David (February 26, 2021). "WandaVision Release Schedule: When Does WandaVision Episode 9 Come Out?". IGN. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  25. ^ "Previously On". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  26. ^ Riesman, Abraham (February 26, 2021). "WandaVision Recap: Big Trauma's House". Vulture. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  27. ^ "The Performers of the Week (Tie): Lydia West and Elizabeth Olsen". TVLine. February 27, 2021. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
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