We Interrupt This Program
"We Interrupt This Program" | |
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WandaVision episode | |
Episode no. | Episode 4 |
Directed by | Matt Shakman |
Written by |
|
Produced by | the Jimi Hendrix Experience |
Cinematography by | Jess Hall |
Editing by | Tim Roche |
Original release date | January 29, 2021 |
Running time | 35 minutes |
Cast | |
| |
"We Interrupt This Program" is the fourth episode of the American television miniseries WandaVision, based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Vision. It follows an investigation of the idyllic sitcom life that Maximoff and Vision are living in the town of Westview, New Jersey. The episode is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. It was written by Bobak Esfarjani and Megan McDonnell, and directed by Matt Shakman.
"We Interrupt This Program" was released on the streaming service Disney+ on January 29, 2021. Critics praised the episode for answering some of the series' mysteries, and also highlighted the episode's opening sequence as well as the performances of Parris, Park, and Dennings.
Plot
Captain
Astrophysics expert Dr.
Production
Development
By October 2018,
Writing
After the release of the series' first three episodes, Schaeffer acknowledged that they would need to provide answers to those episodes' mysteries soon.
Because of the large amount of information that needs to be conveyed in the episode, Esfarjani had only a small amount of time to introduce Rambeau as an empathetic character. The writers discussed starting the episode with a more traditional character introduction sequence such as having Rambeau working out, training, or spending time with a dog, but they felt this lacked emotion. When the idea of her returning to life following
For S.W.O.R.D. and their base outside Westview, Schaeffer was influenced by the film
Casting
The episode stars Paul Bettany as Vision, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff,
Filming
Soundstage filming occurred at
Visual effects
Tara DeMarco served as the visual effects supervisor for WandaVision, with the episode's visual effects created by The Yard VFX,
DeMarco used Vision's introduction in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) as the definitive version of the character when approaching the visual effects for him in WandaVision. Bettany wore a bald cap and face makeup on set to match Vision's color, as well as tracking markers for the visual effects teams to reference.[34] Complex 3D and digital makeup techniques were then used to create the character, with sections of Bettany's face replaced with CGI on a shot-by-shot basis; the actor's eyes, nose, and mouth were usually the only elements retained.[34] The brief appearance of dead Vision was created by Digital Domain,[39] who explained that the hole in the character's head where the Mind Stone was ripped out by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) could not be created with practical effects. For those shots, Digital Domain completely replaced Bettany's head with a digital Vision head based on his appearance at the end of Infinity War. They then match-moved Bettany's facial performance for his eyes, nose, and mouth onto the digital model.[40]
DeMarco and her team looked at the Blip scene in Infinity War as reference for Rambeau's "un-Blip" in the episode, so they could match the general look of the effects to the film, though Marvel gave the team freedom to alter the effect as needed for the series. Shakman in particular wanted to match with the Blip effect that was used for Nick Fury at the end of Infinity War, which he described as "slow and lyrical". Instead of making the "un-Blip" be a direct reversal of the Blip effect, which would mean Rambeau forming out of ash and then regaining her color, the team adjusted the process to bring color into the ash as it was forming so it would be less "creepy".[41]
Music
Composer
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Awakening" | 2:19 |
2. | "Three Weeks Later" | 2:17 |
3. | "Westview" | 2:42 |
4. | "S.W.O.R.D." | 1:01 |
5. | "The Players" | 2:02 |
6. | "Stay Tuned" | 2:28 |
7. | "Everything Is Under Control" | 1:01 |
8. | "Mission Failure" | 1:48 |
9. | "Who Are You?" | 2:35 |
Total length: | 18:13 |
Marketing
After the episode began streaming, Marvel released a poster featuring the characters and events depicted in "We Interrupt This Program".
Release
"We Interrupt This Program" was released on the streaming service Disney+ on January 29, 2021.[50] The episode, along with the rest of WandaVision, was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray on November 28, 2023.[51]
Reception
Audience viewership
Nielsen Media Research, which measures the number of minutes watched by United States audiences on television sets, listed WandaVision as the fifth most-watched original streaming series for the week of January 25 to 31, 2021. 431 million minutes were viewed across the available first four episodes.[52]
Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 92% approval rating with an average score of 8.10/10 based on 26 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "'We Interrupt This Program' takes a break from Westview to give the excellent Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau some welcome backstory while introducing a few familiar faces to the world of WandaVision."[53]
Charles Pulliam-Moore at io9 was thankful that the episode switched perspectives to Rambeau, calling this an effective way to answer the audience's questions and show the previous episodes in a new light. He also highlighted the horror of the opening sequence.[54] The A.V. Club's Stephen Robinson said the episode both provided answers and ramps up the suspense, giving it an "A−". He compared it to The X-Files as well as The Prisoner episode "Living in Harmony", and said the appearance of deceased Vision made him "gasp in horror". Robinson felt this visual hit "even harder after seeing a funny, lovable Vision over the past three episodes".[55] Matt Purslow at IGN believed the episode's title was a very accurate description for the episode. He noted that learning Maximoff had created the reality to deal with her grief lined up with initial fan theories about the series, and said the reveal was "strongly presented" with Olsen's portrayal of a darker Maximoff being similar to when she faced Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. Purslow gave the episode an 8 out of 10.[56] Entertainment Weekly's Christian Holub also felt the episode's title was perfect. His colleague Chancellor Agard said he was normally not a fan of episodes that recap past events such as this one, but enjoyed this because it meant the series was not withholding basic information from the audience for too long and also that the mysteries were not "the point" of the series.[10] Writing for /Film, Evan Saathoff was positive that the episode "breaks the whole thing open", but was disappointed that the series' sitcom format would potentially not remain for the rest of its episodes.[57]
The Hollywood Reporter's Richard Newby praised Lewis and Woo's character growth since their last appearances in Thor: The Dark World (2013) and Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), respectively, which he felt was one of the benefits that comes from the MCU's long-form storytelling.[58] Agard said the episode was the one he had been waiting for due to its focus on Lewis and Woo, and felt Dennings returned to her role effortlessly,[10] while Purslow enjoyed seeing Rambeau, Lewis, and Woo solving the mystery, as well as the other references to the MCU.[56] Alec Bojalad at Den of Geek highlighted the performances of Park and Dennings, and gave the episode 4.5 out of 5 stars. Bolalad described the episode as "wildly thrilling and entertaining" and the most coherent episode of the series so far, which he felt made it the best.[59]
Analysis
James Whitbrook at io9 said the opening scene, in which Monica Rambeau returns from the Blip, was "brilliant" and felt it was the closest thing to horror within the MCU. Whitbrook contrasted it with what was shown of the Blip in Spider-Man: Far From Home, which played the moment for comedic effect, noting instead the claustrophobic nature, Rambeau's confusion, and the scene's soundscape of screaming against the sound of Rambeau's heartbeat. He felt the scene established Rambeau's state of mind for the rest of the series and also reflected WandaVision's tonal shift from sitcom homages to the "dark, stark reality".[61] Newby believed the scene offered a new perspective on the Blip from what was seen in Far From Home, and opened up "myriad storytelling possibilities" for the MCU with a "new status quo, new agencies of power, new adversaries, and familiar supporting faces ready to emerge as more prominent heroes". He said the Blip was the "greatest storytelling decision" in the MCU since Nick Fury appeared in the post-credits scene of Iron Man (2008).[58]
Newby said having Rambeau, Lewis, and Woo serve as surrogates for the audience in the episode showed how much the MCU had changed for its human, non-superhero characters.
Notes
- ^ As depicted in Avengers: Endgame (2019).[1]
- ^ As depicted in Avengers: Infinity War (2018).
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