VisionQuest impresses in penultimate episode and has just enough time for an historic finale

“Immolation” is perfect in a sense that its greatness comes only from VisionQuest’s protagonist; it does not rely single-handedly in any other productions, characters, or arcs to put forward its remarkable script. This needs to be among the first things I mention here: Paul Bettany gives episode 7 his all. Bettany has been in this game since 2008 and, although he is spectacular in all 10 MCU productions he appears in, this is just a whole other level. If his performance when Ultron took over Vision’s body in episode 4 was already mesmerizing, what happens here is simply unimaginable. In one scene, Bettany plays Vision, the doctor who created the very first AI, Dr. Phineas Horton, and the first AI itself, Jim Hammond all at once — his acting range is proven again and again as all these characters interact. Vision’s outpouring of complex emotions and Hammond’s inability to feel anything make it hard to recognize they are both even played by the same actor. 

The scene where Jim Hammond instigates Vision to feel and, through that, become the same Vision we have known for over a decade, is one of the very best moments in Marvel Television — saying anything else would be an understatement. Bettany’s acting once again impresses as White Vision created by S.W.O.R.D. is forced to confront the amount of grief he holds within himself, for Billy, Tommy, and most significantly, Wanda. Through that acceptance, he understands not only that it was him who suffered “a loss that no soul was ever meant to bear”, but also that he should assume the rightful position of Tommy’s father. 

Now, VisionQuest is headed back in a great direction. Most scenes from episode 7 resemble what was previously done in the most memorable moment from episode 4, with great callbacks that prove that this series can add its own twists to themes explored in the rest of the WandaVision trilogy. I appreciate how they saved the Family is forever for such a crucial point in Tommy and Vision’s relationship which, as a matter of fact, improved significantly in this episode. 

In the end, the audience is so overwhelmed and impressed by the Jim Hammond reveal and Vision’s letter to Tommy that the reveal of Paladin’s client is relatively forgettable, although it had been set up since the very first episode. It is revealed that the client is Ultron. As that is quite literally the episode’s last shot, VisionQuest will surely provide us with details in the finale. Although this episode’s pacing is surely improved, there are still some unsettling questions left unanswered: will Agatha and Billy appear (which is clearly set up in Agatha All Along)? Will the entire Maximoff family reunite? What will happen to the AIs now that Vision accepted his identity as The Vision?