WandaVision - Episodes 1 and 2

 After ten years of action-packed boomfests, Marvel's first Disney+ show is a slow-boil mystery that combines the best production possible with infectious leading performances. Source: Disney.

Wanda and Vision are superheroes; everyone knows that. And Vision is dead. Everyone knows that too. But the show we're presented with has him alive and well. And the story we're given is of the two of them as a married couple, not superheroes saving the world. Being so far from the norm, it can feel jarring, but the performances of the two leads and the slick, retro writing render it the same fun ride that Marvel always delivers. 

The premise of the first two episodes is charming; Wanda and Vision are a working man and a housewife in the 1950's; their problems are as simple as hosting his boss for dinner and dazzling at the local talent show. Paul Bettany (Vision) exudes a Dick Van Dyke charm, and Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda/Scarlet Witch) is his Mary Tyler Moore.  But as the episodes end we see a shift in the setting, and it seems like they won't stay in the Golden Age for long. Marvel is doing what they're always doing; using a genre and its trappings to keep their formula innovative. The fact that it feels like a breath of fresh air but also the same world we've always known shows how much this works. After ten years of action-packed boomfests, Marvel's first Disney+ show is a slow-boil mystery that combines the best production possible with infectious leading performances.

It's too early to tell much of the plot right now, but it has all the signs of being a good one. In a mystery like this, it's easy to think of solutions: they're stuck in a fantasy-granting machine, or all of this is a dream of Wanda's sad mind. But the show clearly knows what we're expecting and is making us work for it. It's not so easy to guess as that, for comic fans and casuals alike. With the new episode coming out Friday, we'll be able to guess more. But for now, all there is to do is sit back and wonder.

The first two episodes of WandaVision are now available to stream on Disney+

Legend of Korra Book 2 - 1-4

The odd middle child of the series. Wasn't the first season where we were all happy it was back. Wasn't the later seasons where they fixed everything and made it awesome. Just following up from the weirdness of season one and continuing the show's limp into "ehhhh"-level storytelling with flashes of brilliance and weird takes on things from the original. 

Good points - the show looks as awesome as ever. There's some gorgeous stuff with the bike chase and the spirits and the snow and the Water Tribe architecture. It's just beautiful. It's great to see Aang and Katara's other kids in action. It's great to see Katara. It's great to get into spirit lore. It's great to see the new characters 'cause they're pretty cool. And it's nice to see Varrick, who ends up a fun long-term addition to the franchise that works great. He's like Tony Stark meets Groucho Marx. Wonderful.

Bad things - Ehhhhhh, it's got a lot going for it, but we end up seeing more of the same problems from Season 1. The antagonists are all right, but not too complex, and they end up making the heroes dumber so they don't beat the baddies too quick. Not to hop on this train too fast, but the baddies from Airbender worked because they always had a real reference point, and then had some significant sympathy moments. Season 2's got all this great subject matter with spirituality and heritage and history and exploring the universe's lore a little deeper like a classic fairy tale. But it squanders it with mediocre character beats and a propelling character (Unalaq) who never really becomes complex. 

And the other prong in this bad decisions fork is how they start devaluing the original characters' legacies. Like I said back in the first season opener, the show feels satisfying 'cause it shows the original characters succeeded and have been honored for their deeds. It's very satisfying to see they've grown up and received the happy ending we, the audience, always knew they deserved. But then the sequel goes out of its way to devalue them. Firstly, Katara is nowhere to be found in the Civil War plot, even though she's always been a player in Water Tribe politics and is part of the ruling family. And then worse, they somehow make Aang out to be a bad father, like shamefully and neglectfully bad, even though loving his kids seems like it would be the easiest thing in the world for him. I also touched on this in the season one review, but Aang and Katara feel like they would be pretty good parents. They're very nurturing, they're great partners and friends, and they have positive role models all over the place. We've literally seen them parenting a kid. It would be one thing if they were like, "oh yeah, he gave Tenzin more attention 'cause he's the airbender and sometimes we felt left out." But this is like, serious levels of dysfunction. Like with the previous season, it's a decent idea that gets half-baked and poorly executed since there's two people doing the job of ten.

There's more stuff to go on but there's already too many words in this review. Next section!