Episode 1: Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience

Should you need it, you can find our synopsis for WandaVision: Episode 1 here.

Is it actually a live studio audience?

This episode is indeed filmed before a live studio audience, but sadly it’s the only one that is.

That’s probably for the best, because the more people that saw the show, the more likely it is to be spoiled.

It might be fortunate that Tom Holland didn’t get to be in the audience!

Is Westview a real place?

There is a real-world location named Westview – but it’s in Canada and not the USA.

Presumably, WandaVision’s Westview was created by Wanda (or whatever/whoever is holding her prisoner, if that’s what’s happening).

However, there’s a Marvel comics location named Pleasant Hill, which is a fake reality used to imprison certain types of villain – perhaps Westview is the MCU version of Pleasant Hill?

Is the number 2800 relevant?

It’s currently unknown if their house number, 2800, is relevant or even just a casual reference. Many of the other numbers appear to be references (like the next entry in this article), so this is more than possible.

Googling the number will bring up the Marvel Earth-2800 universe, but this is a fanon universe, not a canon one.

Is there any relevance to the date of August 23rd?

When using the US date format, the number becomes 23/8, which can be further broken down to 238.

Avengers (Vol 1) #238 is the first time time Vision uses his holographic human overlay/form. The cover also features Monica Rambeau as the superhero Photon, which will become extremely relevant in the next episode.

If that’s a coincidence, it’s a very interesting one.

Agnes seems suspicious. What’s her story?

Their neighbour Agnes is most likely Agatha Harkness, the witch that trained Wanda in the comics.

The next episode will provide a little more evidence for this theory.

Agatha’s husband, Ralph, appears to be an example of the unseen character trope – a character who’s spoken of, but never shown. This dynamic is often seen in other TV shows, like Mr Peanutbutter’s friend Erica from BoJack Horseman’s, or (aptly enough) Kimmy Gibbler’s parents on Full House.

However, if a certain internet theory is right, this will probably change by the end of the show.

Why does Vision use his powers so much?

As shown (or at least alluded to) in the intro, nobody seems to care (or possibly even notice) when Vision uses his powers, even at his job.

Is this because he’s not the real Vision, but is actually part of the simulation/dream/whatever?

Granted, this is just conjecture, but this might be reinforced by one of the WandaVision trailers in which Agnes tells Vision that he’s dead – before writing it off as a joke.

Is there any relevance to the song Yakety Yak being used?

Yakety Yak is about someone being forced to do things they don’t want to do (i.e. chores) before they’re given freedom of choice (i.e. given money, which literally gives the recipient more options in their activities).

Is this somehow relevant to the overall plot?

A lot of the other songs in later episodes certainly seem to be, so perhaps it’s not such a stretch to imagine the same thing here.

What the heck was up with that ad?

The advert in the episode features Stark Industries technology with a blinking red light – the toaster even uses almost the same sound effects as the StarkTech bombs.

This is most likely a reference to an event from Wanda’s past: She lost her parents to a Stark Industries bomb, and was then immediately trapped (along with her brother, Pietro) by another bomb. Being trapped, they had no choice but to look at the weapon and wonder if their next breath might be their last.

Maybe the toaster’s flashing red light signifies Wanda’s fear of death – not hers perhaps, but Vision’s.

Anything else weird about the ads?

Speaking of the ads, they always feature the same two actors – a man and a woman. There’s a popular theory that these are her parents. When paired with the Toast Master 2000’s flashing red light in this episode, this is certainly plausible.

So far, it’s unclear if the adverts are subconsciously created by Wanda or if they’re being used to pacify/control her mind – you know, like real ads do to the rest of us.

Is Wanda looking at us?

A few times in the episode, Wanda almost looks into the camera.

However, if you pause it, you can see that she’s actually looking slightly above it, or sometimes just to the side of it.

She seems to do this whenever she feels like her reality is threatened.

What’s up with the SWORD symbols at the end?

SWORD is, unsurprisingly, an offshoot of SHIELD.

The MCU version of SWORD stands for ‘Sentient Weapon And Observation Department’. Wanda and Vision both qualify as sentient weapons, but that may be a stretch.

Perhaps Wanda isn’t causing all of this, perhaps she’s trapped or imprisoned by technology – just like when she was younger.