Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience

*"We are an unusual couple, you know?"
"Oh, I don't think that was ever in question."*
―Wanda Maximoff and Vision**[src]**
***Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience*** is the first episode of the first season of *WandaVision*.

## Synopsis

Wanda and Vision struggle to conceal with their powers during dinner with Vision's boss and his wife.

## Plot

 File:WandaVision Married.jpg
In a 1950s setting, the seemingly newlywed couple of Wanda Maximoff and Vision arrive in the suburban town of Westview. Both try to live as normal a life as possible, with Vision hiding his robotic appearance under a human disguise while Maximoff limits her powers.

One day, the two puzzle over the significance of a mysterious heart on their kitchen calendar. Neither of them can remember the occasion, so they decide they are celebrating something special together. As Vision leaves the house for work, Maximoff points out he has forgotten to transform himself into his human appearance, which he does before heading out. Not long after, Maximoff meets next-door neighbor "Agnes" and gets caught off guard when she cannot answer how long she and Vision have been together or where their wedding rings are. She then proclaims she and Vision are celebrating their anniversary, to which Agnes promptly offers to help plan the special night.

 File:Wanda Maximoff (WV).jpg
At Computational Services Inc. Headquarters, Vision's coworker Norm marvels at how fast he works and jokes that he is like a walking computer, which Vision denies. His inability to understand the significance of what today is resolved when he remembers that he is hosting his boss, Mr. Hart, and his wife, Mrs. Hart for dinner. Mr. Hart, who is looking forward to the evening, explains the importance of the dinner, pointing to former employee Phil Jones, who is leaving because the dinner he hosted was not to Mr. Hart's liking. Vision then calls Maximoff, and the two talk about their plans for the night without ever specifying the occasion they think they are celebrating.

Later that night, Maximoff sneaks up behind Mr. Hart, mistaking him for Vision, and gives him the old “guess who.” Vision scrambles to explain that Maximoff is from Sokovia and lies that this is the customary Sokovia way of greeting guests. The Harts without much hassle accept the explanation.

Eventually, Vision and Maximoff retreat to the kitchen where Vision explains that the heart on the calendar represents his boss’ visit. Wanda snaps herself into a new dress and begins going to work on cooking a home-cooked meal.

 File:Ukelele WV EP1.jpg
Vision speaks with his boss about work and again tries to get more information about what his company actually does. Agnes arrives in the kitchen using the house’s back door to help Maximoff prepare dinner but she drops a pot in the process. The crash in the kitchen is loud enough that Mrs. Hart chooses to offer her help. But Vision is able to stop her. Inside the kitchen, Maximoff hurries Agnes out of their home and begins going to work using her powers but ends up causing another crash. As Mrs. Hart makes another attempt to help in the kitchen, Vision distracts her by singing “Yakety Yak” ,catching everyone off guard.

Maximoff struggles to make dinner, burning the chicken to a crisp at first and then turning a chicken into a basket of eggs while Vision continues to distract the Harts with a sing-along. Unfortunately, as the night wears on, The Harts begin to grow impatient and just as Mr. Hart begins to scold Vision, Maximoff quickly lays out their dinner and they all sit down to eat some breakfast for dinner.

 File:WandaVision 36.jpg
Mrs. Hart asks Maximoff about their story, which neither she nor Vision can come up with. Mr. Hart begins to demand answers until he starts choking on his food. Maximoff looks panicked for a bit before finally telling Vision to save Mr. Hart. Vision removes the food from his boss’ airway and saves his life in the process, which prompts an end to their visit. Surprisingly, the Harts are pleased and Mr. Hart promises to talk with Vision about a promotion on Monday morning.

 File:WandaVision on TV.png
After their guests leave, Maximoff points out that she and Vision have no anniversary, song, or wedding rings. Vision decides that today will be their anniversary, and their song will be "Yakety Yak," after which Maximoff conjures wedding rings for them both. As they share a kiss and the "episode" comes to an end, a mysterious figure observes the strange sitcom from an unknown location, writing down observations in a notebook bearing the S.W.O.R.D. insignia.

## Cast

**Main Cast:**

* Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch
* Paul Bettany as Vision
* Debra Jo Rupp as "Mrs. Hart"
* Fred Melamed as "Arthur Hart"
* Kathryn Hahn as "Agnes"
* Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis (uncredited)

**Guest Stars:**

* Asif Ali as "Norm"
* David Lengel as "Phil Jones"
* Ithamar Enriquez as Commercial Man
* Victoria Blade as Commercial Woman
* Amos Glick as Dennis the Mailman

## Appearances

### Locations

* Westview, New Jersey
	+ Vision Residence
	+ Computational Services Inc. Headquarters
	+ S.W.O.R.D. Response Base
	+ Agnes' House (mentioned)
* Sokovia (mentioned)

### Items

* Vibranium
* Infinity Stones
	+ Mind Stone
* ToastMate 2000
* Maison du Mépris

### Sentient Species

* Humans
* Synthezoids

### Creatures

* Chickens
* Lobsters
* Yaks (mentioned)
* Turtles (mentioned)
* Pigs (mentioned)

### Organizations

* Computational Services Inc.
* S.W.O.R.D.
* *Westview Herald*
* *Glamorous*
* Stark Industries (logo)

### Mentioned

* Vision
* Bolshevism
* Ralph Bohner
* Dottie Jones
* Babs Digby
* Abe Brown
* Leonard Hooper
* Pamela Brewster
* Sammy Addison
* Miriam Norton
* Felix Rizzio
* Cathy Collings
* Delia Kane
* Ralph Bohner's Mother
* Old MacDonald

## Trivia

* The episode was initially titled as "Episode 1" upon release.
* This episode pays several homages to homely "American Dream" style sitcoms of the 1950s, most notably *The Dick Van Dyke Show*.
* The fake closing credits seen on S.W.O.R.D.'s monitor lists Abe Brown as director. A character with the same name previously appeared in *Spider-Man: Homecoming*.

## Behind the Scenes

* *Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience* was indeed filmed in front a selected live audience, similarly to a stage play. Teyonah Parris, who plays Monica Rambeau in later episodes of the series, was in the audience. Producer Jac Schaeffer expressed the desire to film all nine episodes of the series with live audience, but this was piped down very quickly.
* Additional shooting took place without the studio audience for moments when something goes wrong with Maximoff's illusion, such as in the episode' dinner scene. Shakman used lenses, lighting, and sound design to change the mood for these moments, inspired by The Twilight Zone, and felt the transition to these moments from the multi-camera sitcom scenes was "very dramatic".
	+ In the dinner scene, Mrs. Hart repeatedly says "stop it", for which Shakman instructed Rupp to act as if she had one emotion on the inside and another on her face. Rupp said balancing the levity and horror of the scene was "one of the more interesting things" she was asked to do, and described these moments in the series as "genius".

## Music

 If I Could Make You Mine
 Ella's Tune
 Old MacDonald Had a Farm  | Paul Bettany & Debra Jo Rupp | * Vision leads "Arthur Hart" and "Mrs. Hart" in a sing-a-long to "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" while he plays the ukulele in order to give Wanda Maximoff time to prepare dinner.

## Videos

Calendar - Marvel Studios’ WandaVision - Disney+ToastMate 2000 - Marvel Studios' WandaVision - Disney+A Newlywed Couple (From "WandaVision- Episode 1"-Audio Only)Wanda's Theme (End Credits from "WandaVision") (From "WandaVision- Episode 1"-Audio Only)
## References

File:Transparent AOU Logo.png
The *Marvel Cinematic Universe* wiki has a collection of images and media related to ***Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience***.

1. ↑ Honey, I'm Chrome: Marvel prepares to take over TV with *WandaVision*
2. ↑ *WandaVision*: How a Nonsensical Audition Led Teyonah Parris to 'Geraldine'... and *Captain Marvel 2*
3. ↑ https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/wandavision-considered-filming-all-episodes-front-live-studio-audience-jac-schaeffer/ WandaVision Creator Considered Filming All Episodes in Front of a Live Studio Audience
4. ↑ How ‘WandaVision’ Director Matt Shakman Went From Starring in Sitcoms to Helming a Superhero Sitcom Love Letter - Slash Film
5. ↑ Debra Jo Rupp Interview: WandaVision - Screen Rant

## External Links

* File:WP favicon.PNG Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience on Wikipedia
* File:Imdb2.PNG Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience on IMDb
* File:Disney+ favicon.png Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience on Disney+
* File:Marvel-favicon.PNG Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience on Marvel Database