History Recap / WandaVisionEpisode5OnAVerySpecialEpisode

But nothing can faze me if you're in my heart''

->''Crossing our fingers, singin' a song\\

We're making it up as we go along''

->''And there will be days we won't know which way to go\\

** When Pietro walks into the house, he points at Vision and says "Who's the popsicle?" Besides being a pun that Vision is a father or "pop", it may also reference that Vision is dead.

-->'''Pietro:'''...Who's the popsicle?
* MythologyGag:

** Wanda's showdown with the S.W.O.R.D agents is very reminiscent of ComicBook/{{Magneto}}'s famous confrontation scene with the police during ''Film/XMen1''. Appropriately, Magneto was her father for much of her publication history. Also, her exchange with Monica and Hayward is reminiscent of Xavier's fatal sitdown with Jean Grey in ''Film/XMenTheLastStand''.[[note]]In both scenes, an emotionally volatile party (Jean Grey/Wanda) is being confronted by a pacifier (Xavier/Monica) and an instigator (Magneto/Hayward) simultaneously. While in this occasion, Hayward's position comes across more foolishly reckless than wilfully provocative, it is later revealed that [[spoiler: manipulating the conflict to justify dispatching Wanda lethally was part of his plans.]][[/note]]

*** A shot in the opening has Wanda and Vision's family running towards the camera, then a couple of shots later is a pan shot of the four having a picnic. Both shots reference the opening of ''Series/FullHouse'' with the Tanners' picnic in San Francisco's Alamo Square Park. Doubles as an indirect ActorAllusion, being the show that put Creator/ElizabethOlsen’s older [[Creator/MaryKateAndAshleyOlsen sisters]] on the map.

** Why are things spiralling out of control in The Hex, with more and more glitches? Is it because Wanda is creating extra characters rather than just controlling real people, is it just the nature of her chaos magic, or is it because Agatha is fucking with Vision and pushing him to figure things out and forcefully confront Wanda, destroying her happy fantasy?

* OohMeAccentsSlipping: InUniverse, Wanda's Sokovian accent briefly slips in when she confronts Tylre.
* TheOtherDarrin: In-universe, Darcy is shocked to see that [[Creator/AaronTaylorJohnson Pietro]] has been [[Creator/EvanPeters "recast"]]. It also doubles as a CastingGag, since Evan Peters played Quicksilver/Peter Maximoff in the X-Men franchise.

* UnexpectedCharacter: InUniverse, Darcy is shocked Pietro showed up. What's more, it's the Pietro from the X-Men movies.

''"Who's the popsicle?"''

** Why are things spiralling out of control in The Hex? Is it because Wanda is creating extra characters rather than just controlling real people, is it just the nature of her chaos magic, or is it because Agatha is fucking with Vision and pushing him to figure things out and forcefully confront Wanda, destroying her happy fantasy?

** Agnes leaning on it so damn heavily all the time is what finally gets Vision to start noticing that things are hinky, given that Agnes knows about things she shouldn't. That gets him sent to work to get him out of the way, which is when he gets an email...

----

** Wanda's showdown with the S.W.O.R.D agents is very reminiscent of ComicBook/{{Magneto}}'s famous confrontation scene with the police during ''Film/XMen1''. Appropriately, Magneto was her father for much of her publication history.

* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Invoked and taken UpToEleven. Billy and Tommy go from babies to five-year-olds to ten-year-olds in the span of a single episode... but it's because they're using RapidAging powers to age themselves up.

Now in the 80s, Wanda attempts to deal with the (rapidly) growing pains of parenting. Meanwhile, S.W.O.R.D. plans their next move against Wanda, and Vision begins to catch on to what's really going on in Westview...

!!Tropes in this episode include:
* TheEighties: Westview has leaped forward by another decade to the 1980s. Wanda and Agnes now sport enormous EightiesHair, and the entire house's design has changed again. Agnes also sports a garish workout suit that's straight from the era. And when who seems to be Pietro shows up at the end, he has the same haircut and civilian outfit Evan Peters donned in the 80s-set ''Film/XMenApocalypse''.

* ActorAllusion: [[Creator/ElizabethOlsen The younger sister]] of the [[Creator/MaryKateAndAshleyOlsen twins]] who played Michelle Tanner is in an [[Series/FullHouse 80s dom-com, complete with sappy life lessons to children]]. The main difference here is she's playing the adult, not the children.

** Did Wanda truly plan this all from the start or was her takeover and imprisonment of the people of Westview just a horrible accident because of some subconscious impulse? Did someone manipulate her into this? Force her? ... just do it ''to'' her? Vision tries to make Wanda answer this, but she dodges the question.

* AmbiguousSyntax: Abilash (aka Norm) begs Vision, "You have to stop her. She's in my head. Make her stop! Just make her stop!" Though Vision asks him "who?", he never specifies if he's talking about Wanda or someone else.
* AnachronismStew: Justified since this is not actually a period piece, ''but:''
** The episode of the show-within-a-show is filmed in widescreen, despite HDTV not fully becoming the standard until the mid-2000s.
** While the internet and e-mail were available in the 1980s, particularly in high-tech corporate settings like Vision's workplace, Vision talks of "surfing" the net, a term which didn't appear until the mid-90s.
** Dennis is wearing the USPS logo that was introduced in 1993.

* BreakingTheFourthWall: After Vis and Agnes lean on the fourth wall a little too much, he gets sent to the office (on a Saturday?) to give him some time off. Then their brand new computers intercept an internal email from S.W.O.R.D., which [[SpeakInUnison everyone in the office reads aloud]]. Vis has finally had enough and uses his powers to break Norm out of the MindRape and get some real information about what's happening in Westview.

* BullyingADragon: Knowing that Wanda was capable of taking out ''Thanos'', Hayward [[DidntThinkThisThrough tries to kill her with a drone-mounted missile from the 80s.]] She responds by coming out of Westview, tossing the destroyed drone at his feet, warning him to leave her alone, and to make her point clear, mind-controlling about twenty S.W.O.R.D. snipers into pointing their rifles at him before freeing them as she heads back into the anomaly.

** When he hits his RageBreakingPoint, Vision yells at Wanda to, "STOP '''LYING''' TO ME!" with the same cadence and emphasis Bruce Banner uses when he yells at Black Widow in ''Film/TheAvengers2012''.
** Jimmy Woo mentions that Wanda resurrecting Vision violates Section 36(B) of the [[Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar Sokovia Accords]]. It was previously mentioned in ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'' that creating/bringing to life a sentient AI android violated the accords, so as to prevent another Ultron.

** The commercial in this episode is about a paper towel by a brand called [[Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar Lagos]], with the advertising slogan being "For when you made a mess you didn't mean to."
** Monica recalls that [[Film/AvengersEndgame Wanda almost defeated Thanos on her own]] before he ordered his ship to rain fire. Woo then mentions that Captain Marvel came close as well, and the camera lingers on Monica's face for a moment, recalling [[Film/CaptainMarvel their connection]].

* CurseCutShort: Whispering to Woo, Darcy calls Director Hayward a "d–" before the camera cuts away from her to Hayward himself.

* DeathGlare: During the climactic confrontation with S.W.O.R.D., Wanda clearly has a vendetta against Hayward specifically (due to events that will be revealed in later episodes). When Wanda’s focusing on Monica, she remains wary but visibly softens to her. But when she’s focusing on Hayward, she scowls, especially when saying she has what she wants and no one will ever take it from her. It concludes with Wanda aiming all the agents' guns at Hayward.

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Period appropriate sexism in the Lagos brand paper towels.

** Norm assures Vision that the email from S.W.O.R.D. is just a prank, and adds "None of this is real!". He's referring to the email, but Vision, who's already suspicious of the nature of Westview, seems to interpret it another way.

** When Pietro walks into the house, he points at Vision and says "Who's the popsicle?". Besides being a pun that Vision is a father or "pop", it may also reference that Vision is dead.

* EmotionBomb: Monica describes falling under Wanda's control as being buried under her unending grief.

* FiveSecondForeshadowing: Wanda opens the door to reveal Pietro, who is shot from behind, blocking out view of his face until the WhamShot. Attentive viewers will immediately notice that something is off, as the MCU Pietro had white-blond hair but the man standing in the doorway has silver-grey hair like the Fox version of the character.

** The 80s drone that S.W.O.R.D. sends into the anomaly is made by Stark Industries, which can be seen when Wanda tosses it at Hayward’s feet.

* GoshDangItToHeck: Befitting his calling as [[Film/AntManAndTheWasp a youth pastor]], Jimmy's reaction to finding out that the twins are now aged 10:
-->'''Jimmy Woo:''' Holy Christmas, at this rate they'll be empty-nesters by dinnertime!

* GotMeDoingIt: As Monica is discussing how her clothing shifted to period pieces, but made up of the material that she was wearing when she entered, she absentmindedly calls the Westview anomaly "The Hex." Darcy immediately calls her out on it, "Ha! You called it 'The Hex!'"

* IfIWantedYouDead: Wanda tells S.W.O.R.D. that she already has everything she wants and so she isn't a danger to anyone (outside of Westview at least). To prove her point, she mind-controls Hayward's soldiers into pointing their guns away from her and towards Hayward himself. Then she returns to Westview without commanding them to fire.
* ItsAllAboutMe: A tragic case. Unable to cope with the grief of her losses, Wanda has decided to forcibly take control of Westview and create an entire fake life for herself and Vision-- and she won't let anyone or anything, not S.W.O.R.D., not the inconvenient reality she's working to block out, not even Vision himself, get in the way of that. Jimmy Woo even points out that Vision wouldn't have wanted to be used like this. The fact that the people she's cast as their neighbors and friends have their own families whom they can't get in touch with? Not important-- she got what she wanted, and everyone else just has to deal with it.

** The stock surprised applause from the StudioAudience when it first shows Creator/EvanPeters' face is deliberately mirroring how most of the viewers probably reacted to this moment.
** Agnes leaning on it so damn heavily all the time is what finally gets Vision to start noticing that things are hinky, given that Agnes knows about things she shouldn't. That gets him sent to work to get him out of the way, which is when he gets an email...
** The mailman observes to the boys about their runaway Sparky, "Oh, I wouldn't worry about him. Your mom won't let him get far. Ma'am."

* MagicAIsMagicA: Because the Hex transforms outside objects to fit into the setting, Monica bypasses it by using a drone from the 80s, allowing it to retain functionality as she uses it to attempt communication with Wanda (and for Hayward to attempt to take her out).

* MindRape: Anyone in the Hex is overwhelmed with (presumably) Wanda's grief and pain to the point that their personalities are suppressed, compelling them to play out the sitcom. Hayward even explicitly calls Wanda a "victimizer" and Monica calls it "a violation."

* MissingReflection: As part of her post-Hex check-up, Monica's x-rays come back a blank white silhouette and apparently her blood tests are just as inconclusive.
* MoodDissonance: Cheesy 80s sitcom credits play through the first half of the very serious argument Vision has with Wanda about controlling Westview.
* MoodSwinger: The moment Wanda saw the drone, she went from playing with her kids to UnstoppableRage, barging through the barrier and breaking character just to confront S.W.O.R.D.

** Sparky is the name of a synthezoid-dog created by Vision in ''ComicBook/TheVision2015''. Additionally, Agnes claims that he died from eating too many azalea leaves, similar to how in the comics Sparky died shortly after eating a leaf from a Wundagore Everbloom.

** Monica's dislike of hearing about Captain Marvel is one to her being Captain Marvel at one time. Comics!Monica did not like hearing that Carol took up the name without talking to her about it.

* NarniaTime: When S.W.O.R.D. sends the 80s-tech drone into Westview, it is Saturday (no, Monday, no Saturday...), but clearly during the day time. After Wanda brings the drone out, real-world time is sometime after sunset.

* NeverSayDie: Wanda tells her sons that her brother is "very far away", which becomes {{foreshadowing}} when a "recasted" Pietro somehow appears on her doorstep at the end of the episode.

'''Wanda:''' I don’t know what you’re talking about!\\

* TheOtherDarrin: In-universe, Darcy is shocked to see that [[Creator/AaronTaylorJohnson Pietro]] has been [[Creator/EvanPeters "recast."]] It also doubles as a CastingGag, since Evan Peters played Quicksilver/Peter Maximoff in the X-Men franchise.

** Nine days before the beginning of the series, Wanda broke into S.W.O.R.D. headquarters and stole Vision's body (or did she), which she somehow brought back to life.

** Wanda is consciously aware of what's going on and in control of herself to the point where she can go outside of the hex, confront Hayward, and return.

** Vision has been reading UsefulNotes/CharlesDarwin's ''The Descent of Man'' to Billy, trying to make him fall asleep.
*** This is also an ActorAllusion to Creator/PaulBettany's portrayal of Darwin in ''Film/{{Creation}}''.
** This episode’s sitcom opening is a homage to the opening of ''Series/FamilyTies'', and the living room set is based on the set of that show.

*** A shot in the opening has Wanda and Vision’s family running towards the camera, then a couple of shots later is a pan shot of the four having a picnic. Both shots reference the opening of ''Series/FullHouse'' with the Tanners' picnic in San Francisco's Alamo Square Park. Doubles as an indirect ActorAllusion, being the show that put Creator/ElizabethOlsen’s older [[Creator/MaryKateAndAshleyOlsen sisters]] on the map.

* SoundtrackDissonance: Wanda essentially threatens Vision "Can't I [control you]?", followed by canned laughter and 80s closing credits theme music playing, and it continues with Vision not letting the argument end.
* SpellMyNameWithAThe: Hayward consistently refers to Vision as "the Vision". It's probably a sign of [[JustAMachine his views on AI.]]
* SplashOfColor: The 80s-era drone doesn't have a full-color display, but that doesn't stop Wanda's eyes from glowing red on the monitors.

** In addition to all his other suspicions, Vision points out to Wanda how he noticed that there are no kids in Westview, since he walks past the entirely unused playground every day on the way to work. He also notes Agnes' [[DropInCharacter conveniently-timed entrances]] and [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight lack of concern]] about Billy and Tommy's RapidAging.

* StockPhrases: Subverted by Agnes. The twins age from [[BlatantLies newborn infants]] to five years old while she reclines on the counter, chugging Wanda and Vision's whisky. Instead of "Ah, kids, they grow up so fast", we get:

** Agnes is far more openly aware that she's living in an altered reality. When Vision freaks out about an outsider helping with their rapidly aging boys, Agnes turns to Wanda and asks for a rewind. "Do you want to take that from the top?" This helps Vis realize that reality is inherently wrong somehow.