Cast: Paul Bettany, James Spader, Ruaridh Mollica, Todd Stashwick, T’Nia Miller, Lauren Morais, Orla Brady, Diane Morgan, Polly Frame, Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, Emily Hampshire, and James D’Arcy
VisionQuest is meant to be the conclusion of the MCU sub-arc that began with WandaVision and was continued with Agatha All Along. The two shows focused on Wanda’s grief, Agatha’s redemption, and Billy Maximoff’s ascension. Here, Vision must find his place in the world and connect with Tommy while figuring out what to do with Ultron. The show doesn’t stand on its own, with many plot elements drawn from WandaVision and Avengers: Endgame. That is usually true for most MCU shows, such is the interconnected nature of this franchise. But despite that, most recent MCU shows have been good standalone watches, be it Loki or Falcon and the Winter Soldier. VisionQuest fumbles the ball there. It only works when the plot points and elements from the previous titles are at play. Whenever the show introduces new characters, arcs, and connections, it begins to lose steam. You don’t connect with these new characters and their backstories despite them being very intricately woven into the MCU’s fabric. From the Paladin’s arc to the whole sub-plot (later central plot) about the serial killer, they all feel like segues, unnecessary ones at that, too. WandaVision was about grief. Agatha All Along was about redemption. Both these shows handled the growth and/or degeneration of their central characters with great finesse. That is why this series has often been called the heart of the MCU. Along with Loki, these shows have been Marvel’s finest in terms of delving deep into the emotional depths of the characters, while using the superhero setting as garnish. Here, garnishing is all we get for the most part. Terry Matalas’ show attempts to dive deep into Vision’s identity crisis, Ultron’s confused state, and the grief shared by multiple characters. But it all comes off short. The heart just isn’t there. The trouble with VisionQuest is that even the show doesn’t know what it wants to be – what its central theme is. Shows always have multiple arcs and characters dealing with their own lives. But no show will allow one subplot to dominate all others for two episodes, only to have another frontrunner for the next couple. VisionQuest takes this puzzling route, flitting from Vision’s quest for his soul to his distance from his son, and in between, somehow finding time for Ultron’s love story (this is not a typo). If it wasn’t for the sparkling chemistry between Paul Bettany and James Spader, VisionQuest could very well have been the weakest MCU show since Secret Invasion. The two actors reprise their roles beautifully. Spader even overcomes the lack of aura that his human avatar leaves him with to make Ultron more mysterious, if less terrifying. Paul Bettany battles the script to give Vision some depth. Among the support cast, James D’Arcy, Emily Hampshire, and Todd Stashwick also leave their mark. But with the rest, it is largely a forgettable affair.
Rating: ★★.5
The central premise of VisionQuest is simple. The ‘new’ Vision, whom we first saw at the end of WandaVision, is struggling with his identity. He knows he isn’t Vision, but feels he is him in some way, too. But he grapples with who he wants to be. All that applies to both the character and the show. Terry Matalas’ conclusion to the Wanda-Vision trilogy creates an intriguing premise, packs the best actors, and then flounders and fumbles with a plot that barely registers on the emotional scale and sacrifices what has worked best for the MCU shows – character development.
