WandaVision Episodes 1 and 2-Emma Caulfield, Von Strucker, Beekeepers, And All The Easter Eggs You Missed

WandaVision Episodes 1 and 2 were full of clues and nods to greater storylines and mysteries to come. Who is doing this to Wanda?

There was a lot of information hidden just out of clear sight in the highly successful two-episode premiere of WandaVision on Disney Plus. The sweet and witty show is hiding a dark heart of manipulation and confinement. Something is holding Wanda hostage, even if she doesn’t know it yet. There is also the glaring problem of Vision resurrecting from the dead. Here is everything you need to know and what you might have missed in WandaVision Episodes 1 and 2.

The Opening Credits

The opening credits of WandaVision Episodes 1 and 2 are charming and completely different. They mark the progression of eras as well as provide clues to what is happening. The most obvious clue is Vision glides through the door in Episode 1 as a ghost. Whether Wanda accidentally ripped a hole through the universe as in House of M, or this is being done to her by an outside force, on some level, Wamda knows Vision is dead. It continues in the first scene when Wanda says to Vision after he broke a plate with his head, My husband with his indestructible head.” Knowing that Thanos took the Mind Stone from him, rendering him dead, the indestructible part isn’t entirely accurate, and she knows it.

In the opening for Episode 2, the series is still in black and white, but we have progressed from the ’50s to the ’60s. A sign for Westview, the town they live in, reads: Home is where you make it. Vision continues to glide through walls, indicating he is still a ghost. In that same sequence, a quick view of a helmet looks suspiciously like the one worn by the Grim Reaper.

In the 2015 graphic series, Vision is living a suburban life, and the Grim Reaper shows up to real havoc. It might be one more nod to the fact Vision is dead. Did Wanda create this place for her and Vision to live, or is someone keeping her here with the promise of eternal love with Vision? Additionally, Bova Milk makes an appearance in the grocery section. The Bova Cow is an evolved bovine that was created by The High Evolutionary. Bova delivered Wanda and her brother Pietro(Quicksilver) in the comics.

The Commercials

The first commercial everyone likely will pick up on. The Stark industry produced Toast Mate 2000 looks cute and era-appropriate until it ominously beeps and flashes first white than red before producing a few pieces of perfectly toasted bread. Knowing that Wanda lost her parents as a child to a Stark generated bomb and was forced to sit in the rubble with her brother, hoping another Stark bomb wouldn’t go off, this is a clear reference to Wanda’s mistrust of all things that beep and go boom particularly made by brilliant billionaires.

The second commercial features a Strucker watch by Hydra. Both are vital names of villains in the MCU. Hydra is, of course, the organization that seeks to bring down all things SHIELD, and really if we are honest, all things good and right. Baron Wolfgang von Strucker is the doctor who warped Wanda’s mind and turned her against the Avengers in Age of Ultron. He is the one responsible for developing her powers. The tag line, “He’ll make time for you.” is especially troubling if it’s taken as a threat. Coupled with the creepy question to Wanda we hear at various times during Episode 2; you begin to consider if someone is doing something to Wanda.

She may be sad over Vision, but probably not enough to destroy reality as we know it as she does in House Of M after losing her children. The second commercial further encourages you to “Forget your past. This is your future.” Someone is trying very hard to make Wanda forget who and what she was before being dropped into the sitcom world.

What’s in a name?

The Beach Boys song Help Me Rhonda plays over the radio when Wanda helps Dottie clean up after the meeting. Is Help Me Rhonda actually Help Me, Wanda? If so, who is trying to reach Wanda? Are they friend or foe, and why can’t they get through to her?

Magical names Glamour and Illusion are the names Wanda and Vision give themselves when they are performing in the talent show “for the children.” They were names of real friends of Wanda and Vision, who were illusionists. They were also super-powered and used their powers to pull off the tricks. Coincidence? I think not.

When Wanda pours wine for her dinner guests, we see the bottle of wine is called Maison de Mépris. That translates to the house of scorn or contempt. This is an obvious reference to House of M. In House of M, the Scarlet Witch becomes so distraught she rips a hole in reality, thus creating an alternative universe.

The Beekeeper

That weird beekeeper scene at the end of WandaVision Episode 2 does not look good for our couple. Right after seeing the Beekeeper climb out of the maintenance hole, Wanda says “No” and rewinds time. Is Wanda controlling everything as in House Of M, or is it being done to her? Does it relate to the fact that Wanda and Vision may be trapped in a hive being observed and manipulated? Or does this have other meaning? In Marvel canon, Beekeeper suits mean one thing only, AIM. Advanced Idea Mechanics or AIM is the group of researchers who pursue dangerous science over traditionally accepted concepts. They always wear bright yellow Hazmat suits because they are always tinkering with hazardous materials. It is a cabal of evil scientists. In the comics, Strucker created AIM for Hydra.

The neighbor to the right named Agnes, played by Kathryn Hahn, is undoubtedly Agatha Harkness, the ancient witch who taught Wanda everything she knows. She is a supremely powerful woman and could be one of Wanda’s allies moving forward.

Agnes says The Devil isn’t only on the details. Is this a hint that Mephisto has taken Wanda and is holding her hostage in another reality? At that same meeting, everyone chants, “For the children.” Ostensibly this is the slogan for the talent show, which is the basis of the episode. What if it points to a darker meaning? Is someone trying to get Wanda and Vision’s babies? Are they trying to make and control a superrace of overpowered children? New friend Geraldine doesn’t know why she is at the meeting, but her confusion looks more profound than just the meeting. Is she another trapped soul? She says her name is Geraldine, but we know she is Monica Rambeau, Captain Marvel’s best childhood friend.

What Lies Below Explained-Lampreys, The Ending, And Red Hair

Who’s watching our gal? Someone is flying drones overhead and lurking around, recording everything in a strange notebook. For now, we know very little, but each time someone from their sitcom world begins to ask the right questions or get too close to the truth, something shuts it down. Mr. Hart practically chokes to death, and Queen Bee Dottie’s radio explodes when a voice begins asking her who is doing this to her.

It’s not as simple as Wanda creating her own world where Vision never died. We have already been told the next two MCU movies will tie into WandaVision. The newest Spiderman movie will have all three live-action Spidey’s gracing the screen, which seems to indicate a definite alt-universe thing, as well as Dr. Strange’s sequel, is literally called Dr. Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness. We don’t know how everything ties together, but as with anything MCU, things are never what they seem.

Lastly, for all you Buffy fans out there….. I have a theory. I have a theory it could be bunnies. Okay, probably not bunnies, but as Emma Caulfields’s deadpan Anya the revenge demon makes an appearance in WandaVision Episode 2, the idea of demons is not off the table. There is one nasty little demon who has messed with Wanda in the past. Mephisto has the kind of juice required to alter her mind, and if there is one demon in town, there are probably more. You know the Hellmouth and all that. WandaVision Episodes 1 and 2 come out strong out of the gate. You can catch a new episode of WandaVision each Friday on Apple TV Plus.

Please don’t break our hearts again MCU. Don’t make us watch Vision die a second time.