The Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t been the same since Marvel Television launched WandaVision, the first of many limited series exclusive to the Disney+ streaming service. The show brought a refreshing perspective on grief and loss through the lens of the superhero world. While it bridged the gap to “Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness,” its interconnectedness proved to be a burden than an enjoyment as new shows and films felt more like required viewing. So it should come as no surprise that “Agatha All Along,” led by the bewitching Kathyrn Hahn, who reprises her role as Agatha Harkness, will have audiences under its spell.
The spinoff of “WandaVision” is a refreshing change of pace as it has fun doing its own thing and isn’t concerned about being bound by the rules of the MCU. The result is a bold, hauntingly dark mystery that uses every witchy trope in the book and has a perfect ensemble carving out its own path that is sure to have plenty of exciting twists and turns. And what makes this nine-episode miniseries so different from its predecessors is a celebration of LGBTQ+ representation.
The press was given access to the first four episodes of “Agatha All Along,” with the first two debuting tonight, exclusively on Disney+. Episode one, titled ‘Seekest Thou The Road,’ is molded after a true crime drama called ‘Anges of Westview,’ which is then revealed to be an Americanized adaptation of a Danish Crime Drama, WandaVisdyen. MCU fans will quickly remember how Wanda Maximoff trapped Agatha under an illusion spell that makes the bewitched believe she is a renegade detective without respect from her peers and an unfulfilling home life. The title sequence’s use of mesmerizing rhythms and beats combined with the small-town police investigation imagery tells us that there is a mystery to be solved.
Here’s the twist, though: Agnes isn’t trying so much to solve the mystery of a murdered Jane Doe as she is trying to claw her way out of the hex she’s trapped in. The thing is that the two are connected, and it’s up to Anges to figure that out, or else she will be kept under this illusion for a lot longer than expected. Anges may have been able to solve mysteries and close cases, but she doesn’t have a clue when it comes to figuring out that she is under a spell. So, any resemblance to a true crime podcast or crime drama is very intentional. Showrunner Jac Schaffer scatters clues throughout the episode that would explain who Jane Doe is and how long Agatha has been trapped.
As soon as Agent Vidal (Aubrey Plaza) enters the picture, Anges, who is reluctant to partner up with her rival, gets closer to solving the case. Vidal is the catalyst that helps Anges rethink the reality she is currently living in. “Is this how you really see yourself?” Vidal asks snidely; Anges responds by lowering her eyebrows. And as the episode plays out, the clues that Anges is living in an altered reality become more apparent. Anges can’t remember where she’s traveled to and why she hates Vidal in the first place.
Things start to unravel even faster when a mystery teenager (Joe Locke) breaks into Anges’ home and tries to steal something. Though he is apprehended, he is less forthcoming about why he committed B&E. He uses roasting as a defense mechanism but reveals that he is looking for “The Road, ” a clue that could help Anges regain what she’s lost and just the thing that helps break the spell that’s been cast on her.
Soon, the true crime reality Anges is trapped in shatters. Toe tags reappear as checkout cards, and the names of Wanda Maximoff and Agatha Harkness appear on those toe tags and checkout cards. Photos of the deceased Jane Doe reappear as front lawn flower beds, and Vidal tells Anges that she is asking the wrong questions.
The episode then breaks away from its procedural structure, with Anges literally stripping away every bit of clothing she has to reveal the layers of her past in “WandaVision.” It’s quite the sequence as she rewinds through her greatest outfits back to the 1950s black-and-white episode. As soon as Anges accepts the truth, she returns to her Agatha Harkness ID and searches to reclaim her lost power. With the series confirming Wanda’s death, Agatha’s quest to reclaim her powers becomes the central plot of the series.
Meanwhile, Plaza’s Rio turns up the excitement as a witch with an axe to grind against Agatha. However, despite their explosive fight, they can’t kill each other. Still, that doesn’t stop Rio from trying to put Agatha in a coffin. So Agatha offers Rio to fight again when she regains her power. Though Rio accepts, she warns her opponent that she cannot stop the mysterious Salem Seven from killing her.
By the time we reach episode two, Agathaa and Teen must assemble a crackpot coven of witches to help her walk down the witch’s road and regain her lost powers. However, they know of Agatha and her reputation for being selfish. There’s Patti LuPone’s Lilia Calderu: a 450-year-old Sicilian witch specializing in divination and believes witches like Agatha are the reason why people only see witches as people who poison apples, steal children, and eat babies. Agatha offers Lilia a chance to return to her former glory but only if she joins her coven and journey to walk down The Witches road. Sasheer Zamata’s Jennifer Kale is a witchy potions expert masquerading as an alternative medical practitioner. She can’t access her powers because her magic is bound.
To make matters worse, Jennifer is facing legal problems for selling fraudulent products. Then there’s Ali Ahn’s Alice Wu-Gulliver, a former cop turned mall security guard who is a blood witch – a child of a witch – who is seeking closure after her mother died in a fire. Debra Jo Rupp’s Sharon Davis rounds out the cast as Anges’s green thumb neighbor.
Episode three puts the coven’s compatibility to the test as their journey down the Witch’s Road tests their respective skills. It’s something that proves to be a great challenge, considering they don’t have powers, they are fading, or their powers are bound. Not only that, but they can’t trust Agatha because she hides secrets or has an ulterior motive. And Schaffer has a grand old time expanding upon that mystery, even though the actual Witches Road doesn’t offer much narrative maneuverability. These houses have their own set of riddles and challenges for the coven to solve, for the road changes for the coven, including what they wear to match the home they must escape. This helps raise the stakes and get each witch one step closer to their goal. One home, which screams ‘middle-aged second chance at love,’ requires mixing antidote concoctions. In contrast, another requires the witches to participate in a chant inside a 1960s recording studio. The way that the road changes for the coven and presents them with their tests at least makes us forget about how the actual road takes place on a giant soundstage.
Considering that we haven’t had much MCU content in the past year and how much of the Multiverse Saga has changed because of films performing below expectations and legal drama, it’s nice to see how something like “Agatha All Along” operates within a new space that allows the show to stand on its own without having to worry about how it will have an effect on the larger interconnective narrative. Such a place also allows for greater character development while deepening Agatha’s mystery. After all, we only got to see four episodes, and while there are many secrets that are being kept, the one that will have me return is to find out more about Agatha’s child.
Though much of “Agatha All Along” revolves around Agatha getting her powers back after Wanda stripped them away, the ensemble have such electric chemistry with each other. Hahn embraces the wickedness of the antihero Agatha Harkness, yet displays some emotional vulnerabilities which makes her more human than she would like to admit. Plaza’s deadpan routine provides many laughs, and Locke’s Teen is a scene stealer.
While the cast plays their parts well, I can’t help but wonder if things are too structured for their own good. “Agatha All Along” has no problem reminding us of who the title antihero is and what is at stake, but it seems to rush through certain character arcs, which doesn’t allow us to connect with them or mourn their loss. How long can Teen’s silencing sigil spell last before it becomes a bit of an annoyance? How long can Agatha continue to be a devious witch? How long can the mistrust within the coven last? Sure, certain twists reveal the character’s emotional depths, but the series then reverts back to using the same hocus pocus of solving riddles to move the narrative forward. Of course, skipping over that would be a simple solution to those problems, but it wouldn’t be as satisfying without that anticipation and organic build.
“Agatha All Along” is also surprisingly scary. It embraces the nature of the coven and occult and amps up the haunting imagery and chilling sound work. The scares they conjure are genuingly frightening and the deadly stakes in the series are more than enough to puts characters and audiences on the edge of their seats.
Still, there’s so much to enjoy about “Agatha All Along,” and none of it has to do with how it could potentially connect to the larger MCU narrative. What surprised me most about the series is how much of it was a celebration of LGBTQ+ pride. These witches are queer. And like witches and queers, they are outcasts to those who do not understand that way of life. It doesn’t have to make a big thing of it either, as the witches are themselves. As such, it normalizes these characters and treats them as powerful beings if they accept who they are and cast out what society expects them to be.
For all of the missteps that the MCU has taken post “The Infinity Saga,” maybe something like “Agatha All Along” was what “The Multiverse Saga” needed. The needle drops are perfectly on point as we reach the spookiest season of the year, and Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez’s original songs are going to be great additions to any Halloween playlist. While Agatha’s duplicity has us questioning her motives, it only expands the mystery box that has been placed within the series. Glimpses of vulnerabilities give “Agatha All Along” greater emotional depth, while the cast’s comedic timing provides levity to a dark and twisted series. And the surprises will surely have fans and audiences coming back for more.
8.5/10
AGATHA ALL ALONG, exclusively on Disney+. Photos courtesy of Marvel Television. © 2024 MARVEL.
