Author: Arlyn Murphy

‘WandaVision’ Episode 8 Primer

That last episode of WandaVision was CRAZY!!! All of the previous episodes had been very wild, but this episode was the most revealing so far. For instance, Vision met Darcy and now he knows that he is actually dead. Wanda was having a really bad day, so Agnes took the twins off her hands, we later see that Agnes has LITERALLY taken the kids off of Wanda’s hands as they are gone! That discovery led to the big reveal where we learned that Agnes is Agatha Harkness and was behind EVERYTHING. We also see a tiny glimpse of Monica’s powers. With only two episodes left we finally get an actual idea of what’s going on in Westview.

The first few episodes were told almost entirely from the perspective of Wanda and Vision, with a little bit of S.W.O.R.D’s perspective mixed in. As the series has progressed, we have seen more and more of S.W.O.R.D’s perspective. At this point, it is obvious that these two perspectives are about to collide over the next 2 episodes. When Agent Woo hacked into Hayward’s computer system, there was a project called Cataract which obviously has something to do with Vision. Since cataracts cloud your vision, Hayward definitely has something up his sleeve and may somehow be willing to use Vision to hurt Wanda.

Arlyn’s Assumptions

I have some thoughts on how Hayward might use Vision. I think he might have done something to Vision when they had him in the S.W.O.R.D. lab, like placing some device in his head that will flip a switch and allow Hayward to control him. Or maybe he could’ve taken out the “Jarvis” parts of Vision from Tony Stark making him “more” like what Ultron had in mind for him. Maybe Hayward’s whole purpose with Vision is to destroy Wanda.

Now we HAVE to talk about the twins. What happened to them? I believe that Agnes is going to try to take away Billy’s powers for herself. Maybe she plans to take all of the magic out of both of them. Tommy might not be as powerful as Billy, but given how they were born, he is still “magical.” About a year ago, my super awesome dad broke the news about Doctor Strange showing up in WandaVision. With all of the magic things going on in Westview, what kind of Sorcerer Supreme would he be if he didn’t show up? There are only two episodes left so something BIG has to happen very soon.

The next episode of WandaVision streams tomorrow!

February 25, 2021
‘WANDAVISION’ Episode 6 Primer

Episode 5 of WandaVision was so packed full of great stuff that it overloaded my brain! On one hand, S.W.O.R.D.’s acting director Hayward fully believes that Wanda is in control and up to no good; however, on the other hand, we see that she can’t control the twins at all. And then the episode ended with a huge shocker when Wanda’s dead brother Pietro was at the door. I don’t know about you but Wanda’s reaction didn’t seem staged to me, she was genuinely surprised to see him, meaning she didn’t make him appear. Looks like there is ANOTHER layer to the mystery of this show!

Episode 5 really begins to make it feel like there is more to it than just Wanda being in charge. Let’s look into the clues that this could be true. It was very weird that Wanda suddenly got her accent back after it being “gone” for so long. Director Hayward (who I don’t trust very much) showed his agents a clip of Wanda breaking into S.W.O.R.D. headquarters to get Vision’s body as evidence she’s up to no good. Later, he ordered his agents to kill her. He obviously wants her dead. What if he is not telling us everything? What if Wanda was breaking into “rescue” Vision’s body from S.W.O.R.D.? We don’t know what was going on, maybe S.W.O.R.D. is doing some kind of experiment to rebuild him. Hayward trying to kill Wanda makes me that maybe she isn’t the bad guy afterall and he’s trying to keep her from revealing something about S.W.O.R.D. Finally, Agnes always seems to be around when the kids are growing and are very interested in what’s going on with them. One popular theory that Agnes is a very powerful witch named Agatha Harkness. I think that maybe she is getting close to the kids so that he can steal Billy’s powers for her own.

Arlyn’s Assumptions

Episode 5 showed signs that Monica Rambeau has already gained her powers. The question is when will she start to notice her powers? I think she will get an idea of how her powers work and will use them before the end of the season. Another good question is when will the twins start to show their powers? I think the boys might show it in these next couple of episodes. I thought about this and thought maybe if Pietro isn’t actually Pietro that there might be someone else controlling this reality other than Wanda. In thinking about it, I made a parallel to The Children’s Crusade when Doctor Doom took control over Wanda and I think that this is what is happening here. Not by Doctor Doom, but by someone very powerful.

The next episode of WandaVision streams tomorrow

February 11, 2021
‘WANDAVISION’ Episode 5 Primer

The last episode of WandaVision really cleared things up. In my Episode 4 Primer, I said that the citizens of Westview were real and they were all just Wanda’s puppets in her fantasy world and Episode 4, “We Interrupt This Program“, confirmed it when Monica returned and let everyone know that “it’s all Wanda.” We found out how S.W.O.R.D. became aware of the “Westview anomaly” and were analyzing the happenings in the town, which included watching and recording “episodes” and trying to understand exactly what was going on, including the fact that according to the Sheriffs, Westview isn’t a real place.

This past episode wasn’t only a shift in perspective, it seemed to be setting up what will be happening the rest of the season. The Mid-Season trailer shows S.W.O.R.D. trying to bulldoze into Westview. I don’t think Wanda would be very happy about something like that happening and threatening her reality. With Wanda behind all this weirdness, the trailer seems to be setting up Wanda v. S.W.O.R.D.

Arlyn’s Assumptions

I think that these next couple of episodes will be all about the twins growing up. One of my thoughts was, what if the boys start to get curious? What happens when they start going outside the barrier? Can they even exist outside of the barrier? These questions won’t be answered until we see it happen in the show, but I still think it is a possibility. Is Wanda going to have to put a spell on them? I think she might have to as they grow up. In the trailer, it shows a figure coming out of the bubble. I think this will be Wanda coming to fight, and this will be the start of the action part. Also in the trailer, Vision seems to get curious and goes to the barrier, Wanda being the way she is, could go crazy and maybe even hurt Vision.

Episode 5 of WandaVision streams this Friday on Disney Plus.

February 4, 2021
‘WANDAVISION’ Episode 4 Primer

We can all agree that the third episode of WandaVision, “Now in Color”, had a LOT going on. Wanda’s pregnancy goes VERY fast. Vision senses that something is wrong, but when he starts trying to tell Wanda, the scene rewinds and starts over. By the end of the episode, Wanda and Vision have the two baby boys, formally known as Billy(Wiccan) and Tommy( Speed). In the comics they are part of the Young Avengers. Billy has the powers that his mother has, and Speed has the same powers as Pietro. Let’s go to Geraldine’s role in the show. Right from the beginning, we could tell she was a little weird; Agnes and Herb add to that by saying that she doesn’t have a house or a family. When she was with Wanda she somehow knew about Pietro being killed by Ultron. How does she know this? An angry Wanda kicks her out of whatever reality they are in. At the end of Vision, Agnes, and Herb’s conversation Herb says something like “We’re all…” but never finishes the line. What could he be saying?

I think that Westview is a real town and Wanda just took it over and made everyone puppets in her very own world. She made a perfect paradise for her and her family. She did all this so she could live a perfect life with the twins and Vision. Sometimes Vision starts saying things that might ruin her paradise and she simply makes it so it never happened. So obviously Vision thinks that something is wrong but Wanda makes it so he never gets to finish those thoughts.

Arlyn’s Assumptions

Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany both say this next episode is mind-blowing and something huge is going to happen. Olsen says that it is a change in perspective. These past three episodes have been in Wanda and Vision’s perspective inside this bubble they are in. Maybe in this next episode, the perspective will shift to someone outside the bubble. As seen in the trailer Monica is outside of the bubble and reaches her hand in it. Also seen, the beekeeper guy that shows up is not in a beekeeper suit when he enters the bubble. This shift is mostly likely shifting into what’s happening from S.W.O.R.D.’s perspective.

January 28, 2021
‘WANDAVISION’ Episode 3 Primer

The first two episodes of WandaVision covered a lot of ground. In episode one, Wanda and Vision got married, Wanda made a new friend, Agnes, Vision got a job at Computational Services inc. In the second episode, Wanda and Vision were making every effort to fit in. Vision went to a neighborhood watch meeting to be “one of the guys.” During that meeting, he swallowed a piece of gum and got all wacky. Meanwhile, Wanda went to a planning committee meeting where she first met Geraldine, played by Teyonah Parris, who we know was cast as Monica Rambeau. Wanda and Vision even won an award at the talent show. Dor most of the time, Wanda and Vision were living the American dream in Westview.

However, there were a lot of weird things in these two episodes. Even though Wanda and Vision’s life seems to be nice and easy, something isn’t right here. Almost Immediately it is obvious things aren’t quite right, such as when they can’t remember why there is a heart on the calendar. They are confused and can’t seem to remember a lot. When Agnes comes over to say hello to her new neighbors, Wanda can’t seem to answer any questions about her life. While at work, it’s obvious Vision doesn’t know what they do at his job. When Vision’s boss comes over for dinner, they can’t answer anything about themselves like when they were married, or where they moved from. At the end of the first episode, things got even weirder when we realized that their “show” was being observed by a S.W.O.R.D. agent.

The strangeness carries into episode two with the loud banging outside their bedroom. It continued when Wanda found a S.W.O.R.D. logo on a helicopter, which was in color when everything else was black and white, in the rosebushes of their house. When Wanda was at the committee meeting she stayed after to help Dottie clean up, during this time the radio started saying “Wanda, who is doing to you?!”. Whatever happened with the radio seemed to make Dottie snap out of some sort of trance. Finally, at the end of the second episode, when Wanda and Vision found out they were having a baby, they were interrupted by another loud bang. Outside they saw a man in a beekeeper suit with the S.W.O.R.D. logo and it was here things got even weirder when we saw Wanda “rewind” time. There are also those creepy commercials that have led fans to develop a lot of crazy theories. Both episodes gave plenty of hints that Wanda and Vision’s American dream might be more of an American nightmare.

Arlyn’s Assumptions

Wanda’s rapidly advancing pregnancy means that the long-awaited debut of Billy and Tommy is going to happen soon. In the comics, the twins have a very complicated back story, so the question is will it play out in WandaVision? Are they going to go into the complicated comic book storyline or will they create their own unique path in the MCU? I think Marvel Studios might make it a little easier and let the kids travel between whatever reality it is that they are into the real world. Wanda hasn’t figured out who Geraldine actually is, but she is bound to find out as we’ve seen in the trailer and it didn’t seem like Wanda would be too happy about it. It doesn’t seem like it’s going to be too long before the happy couple’s bubble bursts.

The third episode of WandaVision streams tomorrow on Disney Plus.

January 21, 2021
‘THE MANDALORIAN’ Chapter 16 Primer
In the latest episode of The Mandalorian, Chapter 15 “The Believer”, Mando and Miggs traveled to an old Imperial Base where a few big things happened. We see that Miggs is pretty messed up from his days in the Empire-he definitely has PTSD. He obviously doesn’t want to see the Empire rise again. The Empire is very much alive and well, even though they were defeated in Return of the Jedi. They are still a danger to the galaxy and Gideon is, right now, the biggest threat. It just so happens he is also a more personal threat to Din Djarin because he has taken Grogu. Mando took off his helmet, implying that Grogu is more important to him than The Way.

This next episode is the season finale, so big things are going to happen but…they are doing a third season!! Also, the newly announced Ashoka and Rangers of the New Republic shows tie into this Mandalorian story, so not everything will be resolved. At this point in time it looks like they have 4 big things set up:
1. Din Djarin’s quest for Grogu
2. Bo-Katan’s quest for Grogu
3. Ahsoka’s quest for Thrawn and her friend Ezra
4. The idea that remnants of the Empire are everywhere
The last two in the list look like they will be handled in their own shows, the first one is the main focus, but it’s possible that Bo-Katan’s quest could overlap with Din’s quest in the final episode.

Arlyn’s Assumptions

In this last episode, I believe that they will get Grogu back but then they will have to deal with Moff Gideon on their way out. The fight would probably be between Mando and Gideon. Mando has the Beskar spear and it can’t be cut by lightsabers, right? Well maybe because the Darksaber is different than other lightsabers it can cut through the spear. I’m thinking Mando and Gideon will have an actual all-out fight. It seems like a fight between those two should be pretty one-sided for Mando but the build-up to it, which has taken 2 full seasons, has been pretty major. So I think there’s a little extra spice that Gideon will bring to the fight.

Additionally, it’s possible that Grogu already chose his path before the Dark Troopers got him; there is no way to tell but, maybe a Jedi will sense him, like Ashoka said, and they will go to the base and try and get Grogu too. It’s a stretch but it’s possible. I don’t think anyone will die in the final episode because Boba Fett is brand new in the show. Cara Dune is in the new show Rangers of The New Republic so she probably won’t die. They are making another season of The Mandalorian so Mando can’t die. Ahhhhhh!!!! It seems like someone should die, but I don’t know who it’ll be!

The final episode of The Mandalorian streams tomorrow.
December 17, 2020
‘THE MANDALORIAN’ Chapter 15 Primer
In the latest episode of The Mandalorian, Chapter 14 ” The Tragedy”, Grogu and Mando arrived on Tython immediately. Grogu got to the seeing stone to do his Jedi business and then Slave I arrived, distracting Din Djarin and taking his attention away from Grogu. After a bit of a standoff with Boba Fett and Fennec Shand, he teams up with them to fight off Stormtroopers that were sent by Moff Gideon. While all of this is happening, Grogu is by himself and gets taken by the Dark Troopers back to Gideon. The Razor Crest was blown up, giving Din only one option: to go with Boba and Fennec. He starts trying to form a team with Cara Dune and is on his way to Miggs Mayfield when the episode ends.

Last season, Miggs and Mando went on a mission together, Mayfield backstabbed Mando but Mando turned it around and left him locked up in prison. Mayfield may not want to work with him given what happened the last time they saw each other. If Miggs joins the team, he may not be the final piece. We’ve met some other characters along the way who would be perfect additions to the Grogu Rescue Squad. Among those he might call on for help are:
- Bo-Katan and her group
- Greef Karga
- The Mythrol
- Ahsoka
There are also a couple of other characters from Chapter 6 who could come back and help if it gets them a Get Out of Jail Free card.

Arlyn’s Assumptions

I don’t think Ashoka will be back for the team. Bringing a former Jedi back on the team might make the fight for Grogu a little unfair and a little less exciting. I would believe they will set it up so he wants her to be on the team but can’t find her, sidelining her for this episode. It’s most likely that Bo-Katan will join the Grogu Rescue Squad because it gets her close to achieving her goal of reacquiring the Darksaber.

I also think that like last season, it will take 2 episodes to resolve the conflict and to retrieve Grogu. Will the Grogu Rescue Squad leave in one piece? I don’t think so.

Chapter 15 of The Mandalorian will stream tomorrow.
December 10, 2020
In 5, 4, 3, 2…iCarly is Back with A New Season Headed to Paramount +

iCarly, one of the most popular kid’s shows of late 2000s and early 2010s, is coming back for a brand new 7th season! According to TV Line, original series stars Miranda Cosgrove, Jerry Trainor, and Nathan Kress are all returning for the new season streaming on CBS’s Paramount+. The new season is expected to stream at some point in 2021.

The original series is centered around teens Carly(Cosgrove), Sam(played by Jennette McCurdy, who is not reported to becoming back), Freddie(Kress) and Carly’s older brother Spencer, played by Trainor. Spencer served as the father figure to Carly, introduced us all to spaghetti tacos, and became one of the most loveable goofball characters.

December 9, 2020
‘THE MANDALORIAN’ Chapter 14 Primer
In the latest episode of The Mandalorian Chapter 13, “The Jedi”, a lot of exciting stuff happened. The Child got a name, which I think we all love. I have been waiting for him to get a name for a while now and I was expecting something closer to Yoda, but Grogu is pretty cute, too. We got Ahsoka! Her first live-action appearance happened in the first few moments of the episode; she was so awesome and powerful and it felt pretty cool to see an awesome female Jedi character in the show. We also learned that beskar, which is the material Mando’s armor is made out of, can’t be cut with lightsabers. Ashoka gets a beskar spear which she gives to the Mandalorian. Ashoka says she won’t train Grogu, she sends them off to an old Jedi temple on the planet Tython to let Grogu choose his own path.

There are only three episodes left and there are a lot of things that have been set in motion along the way in Season 2, but the question is how many of them are going to be resolved before the end of the season. Some of the things that could possibly get resolved before the end of the season are:
- Boba Fett is alive!
- Bo-Katan is after Moff Gideon
- Moff Gideon has created Dark Troopers and is tracking Mando to get Grogu’s blood
- Grogu has to contact other Jedi and determine his future.
Any of those things could be followed up on in the next few episodes or they could become arcs in other Disney Plus Star Wars streaming series or in Season 3 of The Mandalorian.

Arlyn’s Assumptions

We can all agree that every time that the Mando tries to make it somewhere, there is a bump in the road. So I think this week’s bump in the road is going to be that Moff Gideon will find the Mando and the two will face off in a brutal battle for Grogu! We have learned that the beskar spear can’t be cut by lightsabers, but maybe the Darksaber can break it. If this happens and Mando gets defeated, Gideon can steal Grogu, changing the game and putting Din Djarin back in the position of hunter instead of hunted!

The Mandalorian Chapter 14 streams tomorrow!
December 3, 2020
‘THE MANDALORIAN’ Chapter 13 Primer

In The Mandalorian Chapter 12, “The Siege”, Mando arrived on Nevarro where he met back up with Cara Dune and Greef. Because Din Djarin rid the land of Gideon’s Imperial remnant at the end of last season, it has become a safe haven for bounty hunters to come to again. Greef told Mando that he needed help with a mission, but the place they are going is not any place for a child, so they drop The Child off at a school. Here the ever-hungry child gets his first look at space macarons in what was my favorite part of the episode. Mando, Greef, Cara and the Mythrol had to fight off a bunch of stormtroopers at an old Imperial base. When they got inside, they found a hologram of Doctor Pershing talking about The Child’s blood and why they want it. He is working with Gideon to create clones that essentially can use the Force; this is why they need The Child’s blood, which is high in midi-chlorians, to make Force-Sensitive clones. Finally, we heard at the end of the episode, Moff Gideon has a tracker on the Razor Crest as Mando heads to Corvus to find Ahsoka.

Din Djarin meeting Ahsoka will kick-start the second half of the season. Every scene from the trailer has been in the first 4 episodes, so that means we never saw anything from the second half of the season. While we are so excited to finally see Ahsoka, she may not be alone on Corvus, as you can read here in Joao’s article. Since Gideon is tracking Mando’s ship, we can assume that the Moff is not far behind him. That means that Ashoka will end up in Gideon’s crosshairs soon. Also, Bo-Katan is chasing Gideon, right? It seems like all of these characters are meant to collide with each other in the second half of the season.

Arlyn’s Assumptions

When Mando meets Ahsoka, she will be stubborn just like Luke stubbornly refused to help Rey in The Last Jedi. Once Ahsoka realizes that Din has The Child, sees what species it is and what it is capable of, she will be curious enough to give him a chance to talk with her. Seeing that she is a former Jedi she might end up training The Child one day in the future.

Chapter 13 of The Mandalorian streams tomorrow!

November 26, 2020