WandaVision episode 3, now streamed, bursts into color as the suburban sitcom surrealism hits the '70s. What Easter eggs and Marvel references from Quicksilver to SWORD will the third installment of the Disney Plus series reveal?
New chapters of the nine-part Disney Plus show appear every Friday. Start with Episodes 1 and 2We recapitulate each episode and dive into the mysterious reality of the hilarious Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and the clumsy Android Vision (Paul Bettany).
Here are the Easter eggs we saw in episode 3. But be warned: spoilers for all episodes!
Welcome to Westview
All the signs suggest that Wanda and Vision are trapped in some kind of constructed reality. Like actual literal signs: The billboard welcoming visitors to Westview City highlights this man-made nature with the tagline "Home is where you make it".
For the kids
Vision wants to name the baby Billy after William Shakespeare and offers a further indication of the artificial nature of reality ("The whole world is a stage ..."). Wanda prefers the all-American name Tommy.
You're in luck because it turns out they have twins! In the comics, Wanda's desire for children has resulted in several dramatic (and tragic) storylines. Their twin boys were fragments of the demon Mephisto, who may or may not appear on the show. More recently, Wanda's adult sons Billy and Tommy joined the Young Avengers team as heroes Wiccan and Speed.
In Episode 3, the unusual nature of Wanda's pregnancy is revealed by the worryingly accelerated progression, but there is also evidence that the babies are in some way artificial. During the third episode, Wanda unconsciously brings various inanimate things to life, including paper butterflies and a painting of a stork. It is also in some ways tied to the technology and infrastructure of the Brady Bunch-like environment. Your contractions affect home appliances and blow up the current.
The return
The moment Vision actually expresses suspicion about the strange reality they live in, the show is flawed. Vision resets a few seconds, but this time his guesses are gone. It's not clear how this happened, but when the beekeeper came out of the manhole in episode 2 we clearly saw that it was Wanda doing the rewind. The question remains whether someone else is responsible for reality and blocking vision to see the truth, or whether Wanda herself is in charge - and she will even manipulate her beloved vision to block out the harsh reality.
The ads
In episode 1 we saw a Stark Industries toaster. In episode 2 it was a Hydra watch. And in episode 3, the evil Hydra brand returns with a commercial for Hydra Soak Luxury Bath Soap. The first two ads appeared to be from Wanda's memory, while this one seems to be related to the stress of upcoming parenthood.
The voice-over again points to an artificial reality ("escape into a world of its own ..."). In the meantime, the ad's slogan is "Find the Goddess Within". That could mean two things: Wanda could liberate goddess-like power in herself, or it could mean that a goddess is trapped in something in some way - perhaps in relation to the constructed reality that Wanda and Viz live in.
Again, the actors in the ads are Victoria Blade and Ithamar Enriquez. The recurring presence of the same man and woman in Wanda's memories suggests that it could be her parents.
No home
Geraldine is described as "without a home". We have no idea what their story about marshmallow moon people and their hiccup boss is - the name "Haddox" doesn't appear in the comics we can think of. However, Geraldine is the only person on the show who remembers real events. Wanda remembers her twin brother Pietro (AKA Quicksilver), but it's Geraldine who reminds her that he was killed in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Wanda coldly throws Geraldine out of sitcom reality and brings her past a force field to land on a field where she is inundated by armed agents. It is likely that this official looking installation has something to do with SWORD, the organization that appears to be watching events and whose symbol Geraldine bears.
Geraldine, played by Teyonah Parris, is believed to be a grown-up version of Monica Rambeau, who was last seen in the film as a young girl Captain Marvel. Now, if she's in the real world, we may get some answers in Episode 4.
The songs
Every week a pop song from that time offers a deeper meaning. Though the show seems to have skipped into the 1970s, this week of 1967 it's The Monkees' hit Daydream Believer. Lines like "Cheer up, Sleepy Jean" suggest some kind of forced sleep or that the setting is some kind of dream or imaginary reality. Although the line "Oh what can it mean?" could refer to viewers trying to figure out what is going on.
The color
If you see an object or text on the screen, it is of course worth taking a closer look - this is how eagle-eye fans discovered the central comic reference on the wine bottle in episode 1. In this episode, Wanda paint cans were used for decorating. The kindergarten is called "Simser". Another hint of Marvel continuity? No, it's the name of storyboard artist Jeremy Simser. Not everything is a clue.
New movies coming in 2021: James Bond, Marvel, and more
