Disney+ released VisionQuest Episode 3 & 4 this week, continuing the story of Vision (Paul Bettany, Avengers: Infinity War) reconnecting with his son, Thomas Shepherd (Ruaridh Mollica, The Franchise).
Episode 3 introduces a new threat: Butcherbird — a serial killer who leaves wings around their victims’ bodies. Vision and the A.I.s collaborate to find the connection between these deaths, discovering a link to the team that created the first Synthezoid.
When we’re not spending time in Vision’s head, we’re seeing Vision grapple with how to tell Tommy the truth about his memories. There’s also the first signs of Tommy’s powers, which we get to see more of in episode four.
Episode 4 is where the other A.I.s really get to shine. Before, Ultron (James Spader, The Black List) was the most prominent of voices in Vision’s head. Now, we get to see Friday (Orla Brady, Into the Badlands) and Edith (Emily Hampshire, Schitt’s Creek) in action. Brady and Hampshire add some much-needed personality into Vision’s consciousness.
While the AI gimmick has finally found its footing, it’s still not perfectly balanced with the real-world plot. The mysterious “client” hunting Vision has briefly been sidelined, and Tommy’s development seems too quick considering his screen time. However, considering WandaVision pulled off the slow burn plot extremely well, there’s no reason that VisionQuest can’t do the same.
