[Please note: there are FULL spoilers for the entire sixth episode of season 1, as well as all preceding episodes.]
Sometime in the early 2000s, Young Billy and Tommy Maximoff are getting ready for Halloween, with conflicting viewpoints about whether it’s about family and friends, or simply candy and scaring people (but mostly candy). Billy is dressed in some sort of wiccan style costume, while Tommy opts to simple be “the cool twin”. The two find Pietro asleep on the couch, and worry about waking him, before he overhears them and decides to scare them, utilising his super speed.
Wanda emerges from upstairs in her Halloween costume, that of a traditional Sokovian fortune teller, to mixed reception from Pietro, Billy and Tommy. The twins note that Wanda has ben acting straigne since Pietro arrived, but Vision’s arrival downstairs lightens the mood. Vision notes to Wanda with a not-so-subtle jab that there are no more clothes in cupboard to choose from. Before things escalate, Vision changes the topic of conversation, and reminds Wanda he has to patrol as part of the neighbourhood watch. Wanda, Pietro and the twins decide to trick or treat on their own. Pietro and Tommy run to get their costumes on, but Wanda makes it clear that there is to be no funny business from the speedster.
In the S.W.O.R.D. base outside, Director Hawyward and Monica Rambeau argue over Hayward’s actions with the drone, and S.W.O.R.D.’s intentions for Wanda and Westview as a whole. Hayward has Rambeau, Agent Jimmy Woo and Darcy Lewis expelled from the base. The trio incapacitate their guard excorts and head back into the main base area to find out what Hayward is hiding.
Inside Westview, Tommy and Billy compete to se ewho can get the most Halloween candy, as Wanda and Pietro discuss their past, with Wanda specifically seeming to test Pietro’s memory, and determine if he is who he says he is. Pietro openly acknowledges that he looks different, but he is the same brother Wanda knew, and while he knows what Wanda is doing, he is not under her control. Wanda runs into her neighbour, Herb, who is working for the neighbourhood watch, and he tells her that Vision took the night off. Herb asks if he can help Wanda, or if she “wants something changed”. Around them, Pietro and the twins steal everybody’s candy. Meanwhile, away from Wanda, Vision sees townspeople acting strangely, including repetitive actions, seemingly still aware of their surroundings.
An advertisement is shown for Yo-Magic children’s snacks, in a claymation style, showing a shark and a young boy on a desert island: “Yo-Magic! The snack for survivors.”
In Westview, Wanda is making Pietro and the twins return their stolen candy, while Wanda cannot get a grip on why Pietro is here. Pietro lays it out: “Come to town unexpectedly, create tension with the brother-in-law, stir up trouble with the rugrats, and ultimately give [Wanda] grief.” Wanda notices Pietro accent has slipped, but Pietro says the same about Wanda. The twins come back, wanting more candy, before Tommy reveals he has super speed, like his favourite uncle. Wanda lets the boys go, but reminds them not to go past Ellis Avenue.
In the S.W.O.R.D. base, Rambeau, Woo and Lewis infiltrate a server room, where Darcy hacks into the base’s secure network, before accessing Director Hayward’s private data. The trio notice that Hayward has been keeping track of Vision, and his location in the town. Agent Woo notices that the closer to the edge of town, the less the people appear to be moving. Darcy informs Monica that heading back inside Wanda’s Hex could do irreversible damage to her entire cell system. Rambeau and Woo head off ot meet Rambeau’s mysterious contact, but Darcy stays behind to learn more of what Hayward is up to.
Reaching the outskirts of Westview, Vision comes across a cul-de-sac where nobody is moving, nor do they respond to his questions. Shedding his disguise, Vision flies into the sky, before noticing that the majority of all power in Westview is centred around the Town Square, with almost complete darkness covering the outer areas. Seeing the lights from a sole car, Vision flies down to find Agnes, in a state of confusion, apparently having become lost in her own town. Awakening Agnes as he did Norm previously, Agnes recognises Vision as one of the Avengers, and begs for his help. Vision has no memory of being “an Avenger”, and Agnes realises Vision does not know he is dead. Seemingly losing control of herself, Vision puts her back under Wanda’s spell, and she drives back into town. Vision wanders out into the field past Ellis Avenue.
In the town square, Wanda and Pietro talk about what Wanda has done to Westview, and Pietro is once against quite blasé about the fact Wanda has been hiding the children, and controlling the townsfolk. Wanda asks Pietro if he thinks what she is doing is wrong, but Pietro says he is impressed more than anything. Asking Wanda how she even did it, Wanda doesn’t know – before suddenly Wanda sees Pietro as she last saw him: riddled with bullet holes, and clearly dead, before snapping back to reality and Pietro questions her. At the S.W.O.R.D. base, Darcy notices Vision approaching the barrier, and Director Hayward and his squad move to intercept him.
Pushing his way through the large barrier surrounding Westview, Vision begins to deteriorate, and Darcy rushes him to provide aid, but is handcuffed to a truck. Billy, inside Westview, develops his magical powers, and senses Vision’s pain, and Wanda asks Billy where he senses Vision to be. Pietro coldly tells Wanda not tow orry, as it’s not like Vision can die again, before Wanda uses her powers to blast him away. Wanda uses her full power to freeze the inhabitants of Westview, and begins to expand the Hex, absorbing Vision, the S.W.O.R.D. base, numerous soldiers and the still handcuffed Darcy, warping them into era appropriate versions of themselves. Driving away, only Hayward and a few of his lackeys escape the same fate.
+ Pietro’s (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) death scene from Age of Ultron in the opening montage was the first time we have sene his face since that movie. All of Wanda’s life seemed to revolve around Vision from approximately that point forward
+ the opening and episode was clearly themed around the early 2000s family sit-com, Malcolm in the Middle, including Tommy and Billy talking directly to the camera. It’s interesting that they skipped the 90s and went right for the noughties. Unless that is being counts as the nineties, but then how was The Incredibles playing at the cinema?
+ Tommy’s calling Pietro’s speed, “Kick ass”, and Wanda’s confusion, is a fun little in joke to Evan Peters’ role in that film adaption (also amusingly, as the side character to Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s titular character – there were jokes at the time of casting, too)
+ that advertisement for Yo-Magic was probably the most straight-forward one yet, and seemed to have a sinister message: “Wanda, even Yo-Magic won’t save you from death.”
+ so I guess Agnes is in fact under Wanda’s control after all? The last few episodes made it appear as if perhaps she was just playing along, or at least had the power to notice things being strange
+ WHO IS MONICA RAMBEAU’S MYSTERIOUS CONTACT? It has been given too much build up to be nobody exciting, but at the same time someone like Doctor Strange doesn’t really make sense. She has hinted as it being a scientist, but someone like Reed Richards (aka Mister Fantastic) should not be introduced as someone’s lackey
+ Pietro getting yeeted through some decorations was the last we see of him in this episode, and I can’t imagine his words will leave Wanda in a particularly good mood. Their next interaction will be very interesting
+ I wonder what happened to Darcy? Maybe it’s no coincidence that she (or more precisely, Kat Dennings) would be absorbed into TV-world just before some more 2000s era shenanigans take place
– once again, I feel like Darcy’s computer skills are not quite befitting of her doctorate as an astrophysicist. Maybe they forgot to mention her other degrees?
– I wish Pietro’s zombie jump scare had been as portrayed by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, not Evan Peters, just to keep things interesting. But that’s just me
> oh lord, Wanda in her comic accurate outfit was doing it for me.
Final thoughts: The reveal of Pietro in the previous episode didn’t really go anywhere here, but this outing was seemingly mostly about Vision’s escape attempt, and setting up the twins’ powers. Some developments with Agnes and S.W.O.R.D. have me scratching my head, but that just makes me want to keep watching.
MoshFish Reviews 