WandaVision: Why Herb Was Cutting The Wall In Episode 3
Wanda and Vision's friendly neighbor, Herb, is giving his hedges a trim in the latest episode of WandaVision when he bizarrely starts cutting into the wall as well. To make Westview the ideal suburbia that the titular couple moved into after they got married, the Marvel Studios Disney+ series also introduced a cast of supporting characters, all playing their roles in the fantasy world that Wanda has created for herself. This gives her and Vision other players to interact with, but they're also utilized to drive the story forward, hinting that not everything is what it seems in the show.
Marvel Studios remains committed to using sitcoms as the primary storytelling inspiration for WandaVision, but the '70s-themed third episode dropped more clues hinting at the bigger and darker narrative behind Wanda and Vision's family life in Westview. There's the quick progression of time, with Wanda racing through the stages of pregnancy and giving birth in a single day, and of course, the banishing of "Geraldine" (a.k.a. Monica Rambeau) back to the real world. Then, there are also more subtle hints - like Herb sawing through the concrete wall bordering Wanda and Vision's residence.
The bit at first seemed to be played for laughs, and could have passed as an outdated gag from sitcoms of yesteryears, but there's more to it than just comedy. Vision spotted Herb while he was sawing through the concrete wall, and even he found it particularly odd. Herb couldn't explain why he was doing it or stop himself, hinting at how people in Westview do not have complete autonomy since they are under Wanda's spell. A couple of times in the same WandaVision episode it's shown that things go awry when she loses concentration, like when she was dealing with contractions just before giving birth to Tommy and Billy and chaos ensued in the house. Later in the same outing, Herb almost revealed what's really going on in Westview before being stopped by Agnes. Simultaneously, Wanda was dealing with Geraldine, who had reminded her of Pietro's death at the hands of Ultron. Eliminating Geraldine from this fantasy world potentially distracted Wanda from running the whole town, which was why Herb briefly regained some measure of control.
Herb cutting through the concrete wall can also be a metaphor for WandaVision's secret narrative: the slow destruction of the walls Scarlet Witch has created to protect her ideal reality. The end of episode 3 revealed that the town of Westview is enclosed within a high-tech barrier. It's unknown what exactly this mystical border does — perhaps it's preventing people outside from getting in, or vice-versa. In any case, it's clear that Scarlet Witch is determined to keep infiltrators from the pocket reality, as initially hinted by her reaction upon seeing the mysterious beekeeper in episode 2. But, no matter how hard she tries, the wall protecting her fantastical world will eventually be destroyed, just like the wall Herb was sawing through.
Assuming that Wanda is also manipulating the people in her made-up community, it's safe to assume that she's going to have a more difficult time keeping up with the charade as Vision gets increasingly suspicious. Trailers for WandaVision has teased further chaos in Westview, with people seemingly glitching during the Halloween episode. This hints that she could eventually lose control, leading to the collapse of this fantasy world that Scarlet Witch may have created.
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