Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another review/reaction of a VisionQuest episode, “Firewall.” If you want to see my thoughts on VisionQuest’s first episode, “Malware,” check out this link. VisionQuest “Firewall” progresses three of the show’s central characters (Vision, Ultron, and Jocasta) by giving them wants and needs. I like how VisionQuest has set up Ultron as having no connection to the outside world and desperately wanting a connection. We get a comical moment where Ultron surrounds himself with other copies of himself, a far cry from Vision’s family. VisionQuest “Firewall” gives more credence to Ultron. Even though we see everything through Vision’s eyes, this episode is an Ultron episode, and it’s better for it. Ultron wants connection, but he may be doing so in the most destructive way. And while Vision is locked inside his own mind (for most of this episode), “Firewall” maintained my interest.
Quick announcement: A Spoiler Warning is in effect. You’ve been warned.
Honestly, I felt like I’ve been watching a few episodes of Inside No. 9, where most episodes are bottle episodes. I love bottle episodes and don’t mind at least two in five episodes of VisionQuest. It saves production costs. It also makes sure the characters are interesting and focuses on building characters. I even like VisionQuest’s structure of having D.U.M.-E. and U simulate the outside world Vision and the rest watch. The two maintenance AIs set the bar scene and the one at the Louvre. This moments gave me stage technician vibes. D.U.M.-E. and U strike the old set and build the new one in between scenes. This is clever. It also fits with Vision watching most things through a filter of artificiality.
James Spader’s Ultron has been fantastic through VisionQuest’s run (so far). He provided a lot of comic relief early, but now, he serves as a layered villain for Vision. The two have an odd father/son like relationship. Ultron respects humanity. At least he respects the artists. He loves truth, and artists explore truths. That rings true for the MCU’s Ultron. A lot of what we see (in “Firewall”) are the conversations Ultron shares between Tommy, Jocasta, and Vision. Ultron’s relationship between all three of the characters held my interest. This can only happen with an actor like Spader, and VisionQuest’s writing and direction has mostly been great.
The less we talk about Ultron’s jab of “Son of a Witch” the better. Not the best line. In fact, I liked a lot of Ultron’s nonverbal mannerisms, like when Vision yells at him through a simulated prison window, and Ultron points to the phone and to his ear as if he can’t hear what Vision said. We all know what Vision said. You can get it from context. But I love how Ultron goaded Vision in that moment. As far as one-liners go, E.D.I.T.H. took center stage. “Metamussilini” was clever, and I just about fell out of my seat when E.D.I.T.H. reacted to Ultron and Jocasta flirting, or at least what passes as flirting between two synthezoids. “It’s like watching Hannibal Lector swipe right.” Awesome.
Brief detour. Now, we return to Ultron’s relationships in VisionQuest. Ultron and Tommy share a pint. During this interaction, we have Tommy voice what makes Ultron and Vision different. Vision tries to connect with others. He may have a long way to go, but he’s trying, and Tommy trusts Vision will get there eventually. Ultron doesn’t try. We’ll hear this sentiment again near the end of the episode when F.R.I.D.A.Y. claims that Ultron didn’t change, that would’ve taken effort. Ultron did something easier: Wait. I love it when stories have callbacks. Repeating patterns like this and in different ways and various contexts give a story meaning. Great stuff.
This opening scene between Ultron and Tommy also sets up Vision and Ultron’s desires. Ultron wants connection. Tommy insists he’ll never find it, but perhaps Ultron will with what he does next. And Vision wants to reunite with his son. We learn that Ultron stayed in contact with Paladin. This wasn’t a surprise. I expected Ultron to continue messaging Paladin. Turns out, Paladin kidnapped Tommy (while Vision was trying to reclaim his body), and Vision and Coat of Arms–I mean, Lisa Molinari–are on their way to Madripoor. It took a while for Vision to rest control from Ultron, but we end up in a proper place for episode 6. While I don’t care for Marvel releasing these episodes two per week, the release schedule makes sense because of VisionQuest’s bottle episodes or near bottle episodes.
Finally, we get to Ultron and Jocasta’s relationship. Jocasta shares an interesting insight. She claims Ultron has been poisoned with humanity, and she has the cure. Wow! While Ultron believes Jocasta to be his destiny (we are getting a version of Jocasta as the Bride of Ultron, yay!), VisionQuest has sown the seeds for a divide between the two synthezoids. Vision even thinks as much as he gives Ultron a hat for embarking on a journey. Yet another callback to a previous quote. Good. Surprisingly, Jocasta may have lost more humanity than Ultron. I can see Vision and Tommy connecting with Ultron by the series finale. While the two synthezoids share similar interests now, I can see them diverge.
All of this makes VisionQuest “Firewall” interesting. You don’t need to travel the world and have far flung adventures to tell a compelling story. This episode proves why I like bottle episodes so much. “Firewall” packs a heap of character building into a single episode. Like usual, I have yet to watch episode six. I could change my mind with what we see in that episode. I don’t know what to make of F.R.I.D.A.Y. jumping into the same connection as Ultron at the end of this episode; the rest of Vision’s dream team seem to think she’s gone. I also can’t wait to get to Madripoor. That should be fun.
Those are my thoughts on VisionQuest “Firewall.” Let us know yours in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
