Don't Touch That Dial

By October 2018, Marvel Studios was developing a limited series starring Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff and Paul Bettany's Vision from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films.[2][3] In August 2019, Matt Shakman was hired to direct the miniseries.[4][5] Shakman and head writer Jac Schaeffer executive produce alongside Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, and Victoria Alonso.[6][4][7]^:50 Feige described the series as part "classic sitcom", part "Marvel epic",[8] paying tribute to many eras of American sitcoms.[9] The second episode, titled "Don't Touch That Dial",[10] was written by Gretchen Enders[11] and pays homage to 1960s sitcoms Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie.[12][13][14]

External video
Strücker | Marvel Studios' WandaVision | Disney+ presents the full Strücker commercial from the episode, YouTube video from Marvel Entertainment's channel

The series features fake commercials that Feige said would indicate "part of the truths of the show beginning to leak out",[15] with "Don't Touch That Dial" including a commercial that is advertising Strücker watches with the slogan "Strücker. He'll make time for you."[16] The face of the watch says "Swiss Made", "Hydra", and "1000M", along with the Hydra logo.[17] Strücker is a reference to Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, who experimented on Wanda to give her her powers.[18] Brenton Stewart at Comic Book Resources said the watch ticking in the commercial gave it an "unsettling feeling of a bomb about to go off", and pointed out the sexist nature of the commercial, similar to the one in the first episode.[19]

The episode stars Paul Bettany as Vision, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, Teyonah Parris as Geraldine, Debra Jo Rupp as Mrs. Hart, and Kathryn Hahn as Agnes.[20][21]^{:30:47–31:05} Also appearing are Asif Ali as Norm, Emma Caulfield Ford as Dottie, Jolene Purdy as Beverly, Amos Glick as the mailman Dennis, David Payton as Herb, David Lengel as Phil Jones,[20] Zac Henry as S.W.O.R.D. Agent Franklin / the beekeeper,[20][22] and Victoria Blade and Ithamar Enriquez as the commercial woman and man.[20] Randall Park has an uncredited voice cameo as Jimmy Woo.[23][1]

Soundstage filming occurred at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Atlanta, Georgia,[24] with Shakman directing,[4] and Jess Hall serving as cinematographer.[9] Backlot and outdoor filming occurred in Los Angeles when the series resumed production after being on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]^:50[25][26]

"Don't Touch That Dial" was filmed in black and white with a laugh track,[12][13] with Hall using tungsten lights that were common for the 1960s era.[27]^:6 When shooting scenes in black and white, Bettany was painted blue, rather than Vision's maroon color, since the blue appeared better in the grayscale image.[28] Because the laugh track was not from a live audience as with the first episode, Shakman said they "were not super conscious" of it when filming to get necessary pauses for when the track would be added in later.[25] On set, the special effects team moved props with wire rigs and used camera tricks to create the effect of Maximoff's magic, as was done in series like Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie.[28] As another reference to Bewitched, Olsen unsuccessfully attempted to wiggle her nose like star Elizabeth Montgomery did in that series. Instead, Olsen uses a pointing motion whenever Maximoff uses her magic.[29] Shakman used lenses, lighting, and sound design to change the mood for moments when something goes wrong with Maximoff's illusion, inspired by The Twilight Zone. He felt the transition to these moments from the sitcom scenes was "very dramatic".[30]

The episode features an animated opening title sequence, as well as several animated moments throughout, created by Titmouse, Inc.[21]^:33:11[31] The opening is in the style of Hanna-Barbera's animated Bewitched opening,[18][17] with the sequence's characters designed by Marvel Studios' director of visual development Andy Park.[31] Visual effects for the episode were created by Monsters Aliens Robots Zombies, capital T, Framestore, Perception, RISE, The Yard VFX, SSVFX, and Lola VFX.[32][21]^{:33:06–33:21}

The episode's theme song, "WandaVision!",[33] was written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. "WandaVision" is the only lyric in the song, as Anderson-Lopez and Lopez wanted to emulate the minimalist, repetitive, "cool jazz Bebop-inspired" theme songs of 1960s television series. They also gave "Mah Nà Mah Nà" by Piero Umiliani and the works of Dave Brubeck as influences.[34] The episode features "Help Me, Rhonda" by the Beach Boys.[11] A soundtrack for the episode was released digitally by Marvel Music and Hollywood Records on January 22, 2021, featuring composer Christophe Beck's score. The first track is the theme song by Anderson-Lopez and Lopez.[33]

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average score of 8/10 based on 12 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "'Don't Touch That Dial!' or you may miss one of WandaVision's myriad Easter eggs—or a clue in its slow building mystery."[42]

The A.V. Club's Sam Barsanti called the first two episodes of the series "an absolute delight, with hoary old sitcom gags that somehow kill" and "a nicely weird, novel way to have fun with these characters",[14] while his colleague Stephen Robinson gave the episodes an "A–", particularly highlighting Olsen and Bettany's physical comedy during Wanda and Vision's magic show.[11] Rebecca Iannucci of TVLine felt the episode's cold opening was delightful.[16] Christian Holub at Entertainment Weekly was pleased with the Hanna-Barbera-style animation in the episode as well as the fake commercial, which he felt made the series more interesting than previous Marvel TV series. He also speculated that Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.) could be behind the sitcom illusion, given the "beekeeper" who appears in the episode looks like A.I.M. members in the comics and the commercial for Strücker watches alludes to A.I.M.'s comic book founder Baron Strucker.[18] Reviewing the first two episodes for Den of Geek, Don Kaye gave them 4 out of 5 stars, saying that while the plot was incidental, the breaks from reality added "gravitas to the surreal and otherwise amusing proceedings". He also praised the comedy from Olsen, Bettany, and Hahn.[43]

IGN's Matt Purslow rated the first two episodes 7 out of 10 and called the second episode the funnier of the two since it was able to dedicate itself more to Maximoff and Vision's talent show act. However, he felt the episode covered "almost identical ground" to the first, with little additional plot development in the second episode".[44] Writing for Vulture, Abraham Riesman gave the episode 3 out of 5 stars and said it was "just a prelude to the real plot, a prelude filled with intentional artifice and homage. There's nothing beneath it other than a mystery, one that's not particularly compelling yet." He was intrigued by the presence of S.W.O.R.D., but viewers unfamiliar with the comics might not feel the same. For those viewers, Riesman believed there was "not a ton to grab onto here" besides the performances from Olsen and Bettany and the homages to past sitcoms.[17]

Bettany was named TVLine's "Performer of the Week" for the week of January 11, 2021, for his performance in this episode. The site highlighted Bettany's "fearless physical comedy and a top-notch 'drunken' performance" since it was a departure from the character seen in the films, adding that the "old-fashioned, nostalgic charm" was a delight to see.[45]