Entertainment

'WandaVision' Episode 6 Recap: Season of the Witch

In a Halloween-themed episode, things in Westview get a little scarier.

Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios

This whole time, WandaVision has felt like it’s been building up to something big. Given the short episode lengths and mystery-style storytelling, the show doles out information only a little bit at a time week by week. Ahead of the sixth episode (“All-New Halloween Spooktacular!”), we still don’t REALLY know what’s going on, apart from what was more or less apparent at the start: Wanda Maximoff, overcome with grief at the loss of her brother and husband, has remade a small American town in her image, creating a suburban idyll based on the Western sitcoms of her childhood and forcing everyone else to play along. We’ve learned that she’s managed to create life out of thin air, as she did for her twin sons, and that she can raise the dead, as she’s done in the case of Peter Maximoff (who died in Avengers: Age of Ultron) and Vision (who died in (Avengers: Infinity War). The big revelation in Episode 6-whose intro and look riffs on Malcolm and the Middle-is that Wanda herself has no idea how she did it.

On Halloween, Wanda and Peter are keeping an eye on Billy and Tommy while Vision is supposedly on patrol with the Neighborhood Watch. Dressed as a “Sokovian fortune-teller,” a reference to her life as a child living with her Romani parents (while the costume itself is modeled after her iconic look in the comics), Wanda has a couple of heartfelt conversations with her troublemaker brother. She asks him how he got there, and he tells her he doesn’t exactly know. “Details are fuzzy, man,” says Peter, alluding to his death scene in Age of Ultron. “I got shot like a chump in the street for no reason at all, and the next thing I know I heard you calling me. I know you needed me.”

They talk about whether or not it’s okay for Wanda to be doing what she’s doing without really talking about it, Peter saying that, far from being horrified, he’s impressed, and that, “I think Mom and Dad would have loved it.” The only time Wanda seems really perturbed is when he asks her where all the children came from. There haven’t been any kids on the show besides Billy and Tommy this entire time, and suddenly the whole town is overrun with them. (It’s interesting that we haven’t seen Dottie Jones, the neighborhood matriarch, played by Emma Caulfield Ford, whose edicts were always followed by the phrase, “For the children,” since Episode 2.) 

Most tellingly, when Peter asks Wanda how exactly she managed to take over an entire town with her hex, she replies that she has no idea. “I only remember feeling completely alone,” she says. “Empty. Just endless nothingness.” She’s working with a lot of power here-as Peter says, “It’s a pretty big leap from giving people nightmares and shooting red wiggly-woos out of your hands.” Sounds sinister! It also sounds like she’s borrowing power from something-or someone-else. Plus, this pocket universe can’t help but remind her, Peter and Vision that both Peter and Vision are dead, dead, dead!

Aside from that, it sounds like we’ll be getting a few more superheroes by the end of this. In the comic books, twins Billy and Tommy are better known by their superhero names, Wiccan and Speed. Billy is showing an aptitude for magic like his mother and Tommy has gained speed superpowers like his uncle. Not only that, Darcy Lewis tips off Monica Rambeau to the fact that the Hex has “rewritten your cells on a molecular level twice” after Monica went in and out of the barrier. Monica Rambeau, the daughter of Captain Marvel’s friend Maria Rambeau, eventually gets energy powers in the comics, able to transform herself into any type of electromagnetic wave. Looks like that’s already started to happen, and the new Avengers roster is already getting a little crowded.

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Emma Stefansky is a staff entertainment writer at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter @stefabsky.

Entertainment

Where to Celebrate Lunar New Year 2023 in Australia

And what it means to be in the year of the Rabbit.

where to celebrate lunar new year australia

Starting with the new moon on Sunday, January 22, this Lunar New Year ushers in the year of the Rabbit. We’ve put together a guide on celebrating the Lunar New Year in Australia.

What is special about the year of the Rabbit?

As you might know, each year has an animal sign in the Chinese Zodiac, which is based on the moon and has a 12-year cycle. This year, we celebrate the year of the rabbit, known to be the luckiest out of all twelve animals. It symbolises mercy, elegance, and beauty.

What celebrations are taking place and how can I get involved?

There are plenty of festivals happening all around the country which you can get involved with. Here they are per state.

New South Wales

Darling Harbour Fireworks
When: Every year, Sydney puts on a fireworks show, and this year, you can catch it on January 28 and February 4 at 9 pm in Darling Harbour.

Dragon Boat Races
When: Witness three days of dragon boat races and entertainment on Cockle Bay to usher in the Lunar New Year. The races will commence on January 27 and finish on January 29.

Lion Dances
When: Catch a traditional Lion Dance moving to the beat of a vigorous drum bringing good luck and fortune for the Lunar New Year. The dance performances will happen across Darling Harbour on Saturday, January 21, Sunday, January 22, and Sunday, February 4 and 5, around 6 pm and 9 pm.

Lunar New Year at Cirrus Dining
When: Barangaroo’s waterfront seafood restaurant, Cirrus, is celebrating the Year of the Rabbit with a special feast menu. Cirrus’ LNY menu is $128pp with optional wine pairing and is available from Saturday, January 21, to Sunday, February 5.

Auntie Philter
When: Hello Auntie’s owner and executive chef, Cuong Nguyen will be dishing out some of the most classic Vietnamese street foods with his mum, Linda. All of Philter’s favourites will be on offer, as well as Raspberry Pash Beer Slushies and other cocktails being served at the Philter Brewing rooftop bar on Sunday, January 22 and Sunday, January 29.

Victoria

Lunar New Year Festival
When: Ring in the Lunar New Year with food, music, arts, and more on Sunday, January 22, from 10 am to 9 pm.

Lunar New Year at the National Gallery of Victoria
When: Celebrate the year of the rabbit at the National Gallery of Victoria’s festival of art, food, and art-making activities for everyone from 10 am-5 pm.

Queensland

BriAsia Festival
When: From February 1-19, Brisbane will come alive with performances, including lion dances and martial arts displays. There will be street food, workshops, comedy and more.

South Australia

Chinatown Adelaide Street Party
When: Adelaide is set to hose a fun-filled day celebrating the Chinese New Year on Saturday, January 28, from 12 pm to 9 pm.

Western Australia

Crown Perth
When: Across January and February, Crown Perth hosts free live entertainment, including colourful lion dances, roving mascots, and drumming performances. The restaurants will also throw banquets and menus dedicated to the Lunar New Year.

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