WandaVision Season 1 Episode 4 We Interrupt This Program

After three episodes of mystery, sitcom laughs, and the occasional twist, WandaVision's fourth episode takes a step back to offer a glimpse at what's happening outside the bubble of the series' strange TV world. Though the bulk of the episode focuses on a few particular S.W.O.R.D. agents, the biggest character in "We Interrupt This Program" is the show's structure itself.

Following right on the heels of the third episode's final twist, which found Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) giving Metropolis a colorful makeover, "We Interrupt This Program" picks things up from the outside. After the strange energy dome surrounding Westview is discovered, a team from S.W.O.R.D. is assembled to try to get inside. Leading the charge is Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), who comic fans might recognize as the superhero Spectrum from various Avengers series. Like many of the characters in the episode, Monica has a tie to the Marvel Cinematic Universe beyond WandaVision; she was introduced as a child in Captain Marvel as the daughter of Carol Danvers' best friend.

When the S.W.O.R.D. agents finally penetrate the Westview border, the show dials back twelve hours to find out what Geraldine (Parris) is really doing in the town. It turns out that she, too, is from the real world; an agent going by the name of Monica Rambeau. She's a part of the S.W.O.R.D. organisation, set up to keep an eye on the trippy goings-on within Westview. After the S.W.O.R.D. agents try to send mini-drones to investigate the town, Monica volunteers to get closer, only to find herself sucked into the show. As we've seen before on WandaVision, the "real" people in Westview are trapped there under Wanda's powers, unknowingly playing along with her sitcom-ish reality. But as far as Monica's concerned, something's not right here.

It's a weird mix of foreboding and relief to finally see what's happening outside of Westview. We get to see how people in the real-world are trying to figure out what's going on with the strange town encased in a force-field. It's also a relief to see Monica's real-world character turn up - as she's completely taken out of her comfort zone by what she's witnessing, this helps make the whole "sitcom" premise feel a little less like the endgame on its own; though it's clear that Wanda's the one making all of this happen, it's nice to know that not everyone's completely snared by her spell.

As a note too, this episode might as well be titled "Monica Rambeau: Agent of S.W.O.R.D." It's that much of a showcase for Parris's character and her arc over the course of the episode. It's also made clearer as we see the remnants of the snap's "blip" too, with other characters being reintroduced into a society that may once again begin to distrust those they aren't familiar with.

For those who've been waiting for more clues on what's going on with the show's eerie, vaguely dystopian TV world, episodes like this can be frustrating. We see glimpses of what's happening inside Westview, but they're largely filtered through Monica's eyes; after all, she's still in the dark about what's really happening too. Nevertheless, the episode is packed with bits of information we've been waiting for; we get to see more of how Wanda's manipulation of Westview is affecting the real world, as well as a reminder of just how weird the Marvel Cinematic Universe's reality can get.

We're still a ways away from getting the full picture for WandaVision, but "We Interrupt This Program" is an essential and intriguing step towards making sense of one of the most bonkers Marvel stories we've ever seen.