WANDAVISION Episode 3: 'Now In Color' Spoiler-Filled Recap and Breakdown
WandaVision episode 3, titled “Now in Color,” came out on Friday, and just like the first two before it, this episode is chock-full of symbolism, clues, and possibilities. Let’s dive in, and I will point out the things I picked up on in the episode. As expected, major spoilers ahead for episode three, and the final paragraph discusses a few characters that we will see in episode four, according to IMDb.
First off, this episode is set in the 70s, and is modeled after shows like The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family. These shows were about families, which makes sense as episode two ended with the revelation that Wanda is pregnant. The first scene opens up with a visit from Dr. Nielsen, confirming the obvious pregnancy. Nielsen could possibly be a nod to the television Nielsen rating system. Vision walks the doctor out, and after some chitchat, he notices that Herb is mindlessly cutting into the cinderblock wall that divides their yards, seemingly glitching in this strange world, much the same way as Mrs. Hart was smiling and giggling while pleading for her husband to stop choking in episode one, hinting that this world is not as it seems.
When Vision returns inside the home and Wanda has noticeably grown larger in her pregnancy, the two get to work on the nursery. Wanda begins to feel the flutter of movement in her belly, and accidentally wills the butterflies in the mobile above the crib to start flying. Wanda then exclaims, “Oh, did I do that? I didn’t mean to,” alluding to her maybe not being completely in control of her powers in this realm, which we see again in the next scene when she experiences Braxton Hicks contractions and causes the power to go out and pipes to break on her block. The couple then talk baby names, with Wanda leaning toward Tommy, and Vision, Billy. This is of course a tie to the pair’s twins in the comics, Thomas and William, who go on to become the superheroes Speed and Wiccan. Vision says he likes the name Billy, after the great William Shakespeare, quoting, “All the world’s a stage, all the men and women merely players,” which could be a nod to the world they’re currently living in.
Vision is now seen practicing his diaper changing speed on a doll, and Wanda is cutting a pineapple in the kitchen. This is possibly the same pineapple seen in the first episode, as we know that the decade has changed, but the time is only moving forward day by day in each episode. This is when Wanda starts having contractions, setting all appliances out of control, and surging the power in the neighborhood. We then see another couple in their home, and the husband is reading a newspaper with a headline that reads, “Two Fire Hydrants Added on Main Street,” that is cut off, and possibly highlighting the words Two Added, and Hydra, which are hints at the two babies about to come, and Hydra, a reoccurring lurking evil, highlighted in the watch commercial, as well as this episode’s commercial for Hydra Soak, a bath soap similar to the ‘70s and ‘80s bath product, Calgon. There is also a lamp behind the seated man with two cherubs on it, and an ad for a TV on the paper that says it’s in COLOR, just as this is our first episode in color.
Vision is now back home after checking out the neighborhood, and Wanda asks him if he thinks the neighbors are on to them, as the neighbors seem to always be on the verge of discovering their secrets. Vision now gets very series, and the whole tone of the scene changes. Vision seems to be deeply worried, and he recalls dinner with the Harts and Herb acting strangely outside. He sits down on the couch and says, “I think something’s wrong here, Wanda.” Vision then is back up and standing a few feet back from the couch, as he was moments before, seemingly rewound, as he was in episode two when they heard the strange noise outside and went out to find the hazmat bee guy coming out of the manhole. Wanda responded to that first scene, saying, “No,” and that brought them back to a normal TV moment inside. This time, she said nothing, but we can assume that she worked the same magic. Vision then becomes very optimistic and wraps up the scene with a perfect TV chat, interrupted by Wanda’s contractions, her water breaking, and the sprinkler system going off inside their home. After the aforementioned commercial break, Wanda dries them out with a breeze, and Vision runs off to get the doctor.
Wanda is left at home, and the doorbell rings. She opens the door with a coat on to hide her pregnancy, and Geraldine is there to borrow a bucket because the pipes burst in the ceiling of her home. Geraldine then wants to tell Wanda about her job, and Wanda is trying to keep her from seeing the stork that inexplicably appeared behind her. After a fluff scene with the bird and Wanda fighting off labor pains, the two go into the spare room, and Geraldine finds the crib. Wanda then reveals what she can’t hide any longer, and she lays down on the floor. Geraldine barely notices everything in the house going haywire, then tells Wanda to start pushing. Baby boy arrives, and Vision and the doctor walk through the door Wanda presents him to her husband. Vision concedes to Wanda, calling the baby Tommy, and they share a sweet moment just before she starts pushing again. The next baby arrives, and before you know it, Vision and Wanda are hanging out with their twin boys.
Vision walks the doctor out, and asks if he is still planning on going on vacation. The doctor responds, ominously saying, “Small towns, you know, so hard to escape…” seemingly referring to being trapped in this weird parallel universe. After the doctor walks away, Vision notices Herb and Agnes talking next door, and it seems that they are talking about him. He walks over, and makes small talk. The pair seem to teeter between fake sitcom dialogue and anxious tension, and as Vision starts to walk away, Agnes calls to Vision, asking if Geraldine is in the house with Wanda. Vision says yes, and Agnes says Geraldine is “new in town,” and says she doesn’t have family, or a home. This is strange considering Geraldine came over with the intent to borrow bucket for the busted pipes in her house. Is this a lie or another glitch? Vision asks what they mean when they say she doesn’t have a home. Herb then says, “She came here because… she came here because… she came here because we’re all…” Vision asks what he’s trying to tell him, and he once again says, “She came here because we’re all,” and Agnes interrupts him, as if to warn him off what he’s about to do. The two disperse, and Vision is left without answers.
Sidenote: We also get a better look at the necklace that Agnes is wearing in this episode, which she wore as a brooch in the first two episodes. It features the silhouettes of three women, which could be a tie-in to the fact that many believe Agnes to be Agatha Harkness, a Marvel comics witch who was present at the Salem witch trials. Agatha is a mentor to Wanda in the comics, and it would make sense that if Wanda was going to create a world for her and Vision to live in, she would consult a witch to help make that happen.
Meanwhile, Wanda is inside with Geraldine, watching the babies. Wanda reflects, confiding in Geraldine that she is also a twin, and that she had a brother named Pietro. She then sings the babies a Sokovian lullaby, and gears seem to be turning in Geraldine’s head. Then Geraldine says, “He was killed by Ultron, wasn’t he?”, and Wanda responds, saying, “What did you say?” She asks her again, and Geraldine tries to redirect the conversation, but Wanda is on to her. Wanda asks her to leave, and things get tense. Wanda then notices the symbol on Geraldine’s necklace, and asks her what it is. Wanda says, “Who are you?” and walks toward her menacingly.
Vision then goes inside, and asks where Geraldine is. Wanda says she had to hurry home. Then we see a sign for Westview, the city they live in, and Geraldine bursts through the pixelated TV sky, seemingly thrown by Wanda from their reality to a more present time. She is glowing red as she flies, and after landing, she is swarmed by a militarized group we can assume is S.W.O.R.D., the symbol we’ve seen throughout the series so far on the helicopter Wanda finds in the bushes, the back of the suit of bee guy, and in this episode, on Geraldine’s necklace.
We already know from leaks before the series began that Geraldine is Monica Rambeau, the daughter of Maria Rambeau, the best friend of Carol Danvers, a.k.a. Captain Marvel, who eventually went on to become a superhero and Avenger Photon. Could this be the event that led to her receiving her powers?
The episode wraps up here, and it seems like things are beginning to unravel in this universe. Both Vision and Wanda are seemingly becoming more aware and less able to ignore the surfacing troubles within this reality. I can’t wait for episode four to drop this Friday, and it seems that the upcoming episode will drop us into the ‘80s, and Dottie will be back in this episode, as well as Kat Dennings’ character, Darcy Lewis from the first Thor movies, as well as Randall Park’s character Jimmy Woo from Ant-Man and the Wasp, and new characters “tactical S.W.O.R.D. agent.” and “Agent Rodriguez.” Bring it on. I can’t wait!
Did you enjoy this episode? What hidden gems did you catch?