TV Review | WandaVision (Episode 6: All-New Halloween Spooktacular!)
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Thomas Storai 
This week’s WandaVision is my favorite episode yet. It gets better and better every week!
It’s WandaVision day! Episode 6 is entitled “All-New Halloween Spooktacular!” It’s in reference to the Halloween party taking place in Westview. Once again, we get new opening credits. This one is clearly in reference to Malcolm in the Middle. It has the same type of Rock/Pop song from the 90s/ early 2000s, typeface, and way of moving the camera. It’s without a doubt my favorite opening credits so far!
The humor is very much from that time as well. I love it when Billy speaks to the camera at the beginning and later in the scene you also get a small flashback. It’s very much like Malcolm in the Middle!
Pietro Maximoff
Pietro’s recast in the story is yet to be explained but unlike other characters, he’s clearly conscious of what’s going on. He still remembers dying like the MCU Pietro while he’s not that Pietro. That’s what intrigues me – at the same time he has memories of MCU Pietro while having the behavior of the X-Men Pietro. He’s constantly having fun, almost like a kid. That’s the Pietro I remember from the X-Men movies, apart from the 90s sitcom humor. So far, I still believe my theory from last week that this is indeed X-Men Pietro which was pulled out from another universe so that Wanda could have her brother again.
Anyway, whether I’m right or wrong, I’m so happy Evan Peters is back in the role. He’s really awesome. If you remember in episode 3, we saw a dead Vision for a few seconds and it happens again but this time it’s Pietro. It’s another creepy scene. It all feels like it’s reality trying to catch up with Wanda but she doesn’t want any of it.
Who’s in Control?
There’s an intriguing scene between Pietro and Wanda near the end of the episode where he asks her how she did it. Wanda doesn’t know or she doesn’t remember. She only knows the why. She was lonely. Losing her brother and then Vision, twice. She’s heartbroken. The fact she’s heartbroken could explain why she doesn’t remember how she created the Hex. She’s happy now. She doesn’t want to return to her terrible reality.
But is she really in control of this whole situation? She did say in the previous episode she wasn’t in control of everything, but was it true? There are plenty of examples that show us she controls things. It’s complicated and not as simple as we might think. Just like last week’s episode, there is another character asking Wanda if everything is alright. If changes are needed. This time it’s Herb when he sees Wanda is worried about Vision. You can see he knows Wanda is controlling things at least to some extent. We also had signs in episode 3 that Herb was somehow aware of his situation because of some glitch.
The end of this episode is also quite telling of Wanda’s reach in all of this. She extends the size of the Hex. She has that much power. It’s an impressive scene and quite a cliffhanger! Since episode 3, every episode ends in a way that has you impatiently waiting for the next episode. That’s what I call great writing.
Halloween and things to come …
It’s Halloween this means characters have costumes! Wanda, Pietro, Vision get their old classic costumes from the comics. It’s extremely kitschy but that’s how it was at the time. I think it’s the best tribute they could have paid the comics. Having these costumes as Halloween costumes is the only way this works. However, I will say that the classic Wanda headdress would definitely work on a contemporary costume.
Two other costumes are more than a tribute but definitely a sign of things to come and foreshadowing what’s happening in the episode. Indeed, Billy is wearing Wiccan’s costume while Tommy wears Quicksilver’s classic costume.
Comic fans know well Billy and Tommy. Billy is Wiccan and Tommy is Speed. These are two superheroes who have been part of the Young Avengers team. They still play an important part in the comics nowadays. In 2020, Wiccan played a key role in the Empyre storyline, in which he married his long-time boyfriend Hulkling, the now-leader of the Skrull/Kree alliance. I recommend this story and the Young Avengers by Allan Heinberg.
Billy and Tommy finally discover their powers in this episode. As expected, Billy is a speedster and Tommy has psychic/magic powers. It’s an exciting moment to witness but more importantly, it makes me think of the implications it has for the future of the MCU. In Hawkeye, we are going to get introduced to Kate Bishop. This sounds a lot like Young Avengers are coming and I absolutely can’t wait for this. It’s such a great team of heroes.
Vision and The Witch
Vision is on a quest during this episode. Trying to find out what is going on and escaping the Hex to ask for help. That’s where he encounters Agnes the friendly neighbor. Just like Norm, he has to “wake her up” to speak to the “fully conscious Agnes.”
His whole conversation with Agnes is intriguing. Vision has forgotten his time with the Avengers, he doesn’t even know what an Avenger is. But the most important thing in this conversation is how Agnes acts. Unlike Norm who was in pain, Agnes doesn’t seem to be in a more desperate state. It’s very hard to tell if she cries or laughs, it feels like it’s a bit of both. And that’s why her character remains a mystery. Because there is something off about her in that conversation. She is wearing a witch costume that could also be a sign of who she is – the villain Agatha Harkness or Nightmare? Or maybe not. As I said, it’s hard to be sure with her, she’s really mysterious.
This episode also confirms what I was suspecting – Vision is only alive within the Hex. If he leaves he dies. And poor Vision, he already died twice in Avengers Infinity War, he almost dies a third time in this episode. He does manage to leave the Hex but when he does he starts disintegrating. He can’t catch a break! Thankfully, Wanda saves him at the last minute by expanding the Hex. Is thankfully really the right word because he remains trapped in the Hex.
Meanwhile Outside the Hex
Obviously, like in Episode 5, this week also has plenty of moments outside the Hex with our heroes – Darcy, Jimmy, and Monica. We’re in for some reveals! Monica’s body is changing on a cellular level, you know what that means? She is becoming a superhero but which one? She has had many identities – Photon, Pulsar, and Spectrum. My bet is on Photon because she could take the name using her mother’s nickname which would be a beautiful tribute. I can’t wait to see this happening!
We all know Jimmy Hoo is an FBI agent but we didn’t know he got the moves. He has a pretty badass action scene with Monica where they have to fight SWORD agents. This man can do everything!
They are fighting SWORD agents because Hayward is not a nice person. He has a hidden agenda that involves Vision. After all, Vision’s lifeless body was inside SWORD’s lab. It had to be there for a reason. The question is what is Hayward trying to do with him? He did say in episode 4 that SWORD was making weapons so maybe the answer lies there. He also is not extremely friendly to Wanda, he’s ready to kill her except he hasn’t realized his men and himself can’t do anything against Wanda.
SWORD
By the end of the episode, the SWORD camp has been enveloped by the Hex. A smart person would take it as a sign that they should stop trying to hurt Wanda because it’s not going to end well. But Hayward is not this type of person. Monica is the one who gets it. She thinks if Wanda is the problem, she is also the solution. Darcy Lewis is also part of the group being swallowed by the Hex. It’s going to be interesting to see next week what’s going to happen to her. Her being sent to the Hex comes at the worst time as she was trying to unlock Hayward’s coded files which would have revealed what he’s really up to. Plus, next week we are going to discover who is Monica’s contact!
Verdict
It’s my favorite episode yet. A tribute to the 90s/early 2000s sitcoms is what I was looking for as I grew up during that time and I haven’t been disappointed. There are also a lot of things happening in this episode and many more are being teased. It gets better and better every week!
WandaVision is streaming exclusively on Disney+ NOW!
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