by Nick Ferro, Contributing Writer
WandaVision is my favorite MCU show on Disney+. It was the show that took the concept of long-form storytelling and creatively made each episode interesting with a mystery that slowly revealed more each week, until it hit the audience with one banger of an episode about grief, love, and facing those emotions therapeutically. Unfortunately, after WandaVision, the streamer’s decision to just take movie-length stories and stretch them into six-episode TV shows became the norm for most attempts, with the exception of She-Hulk. I personally love the week-to-week format that allows each episode to stand on its own (for the most part), yet still services the greater whole. I am constantly irked by the fact that out of 10 live action tv shows, the MCU has only managed to deliver on this idea twice.
Naturally, when Marvel announced that the follow up to WandaVision would be a spinoff that focused on Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn), set to be written by showrunner Jac Schaeffer, I was all in, on board, and could not wait. The only unknown factor for me was that Matt Shakman would not be returning to direct — I thought he and Schaeffer made a fantastic team on WandaVision. But I get excited about every MCU project and always optimistically hope for the best for all of them, Secret Invasion included (but we all know how that turned out). When it comes to the MCU, I may start out excited, but I tend to get a little to “Anton Ego” with some of the movies and shows. I am notorious for thinking Spider-Man: No Way Home was incredibly lackluster, and I have Captain America: Civil War ranked 36/48 to many people’s surprise and dismay. So please understand me when I say, regarding Agatha All Along, Marvel better be backing the Brinks truck up to Schaeffer’s house to create whatever she wants for them moving forward in perpetuity!
Normally, I am a story-first kind of guy; it is the reason I love movies and TV so much. Tell me a good story with interesting characters, and I can overlook pretty much any flaw. But I would be remiss to start with my praise of the story with Agatha All Along. Hahn as Agatha is by far the number-one reason to watch this show. She not only owns every single scene she’s in, but she also plays off the other actors beautifully. Agatha is sassy and full of quips, which is a must for any MCU property, but Hahn also reaches the deep emotions needed to make Agatha a well-rounded character. She understood the assignment so well when crafting this character that by the penultimate episode I thought I had her pegged just as much as all the characters around her. So when the finale takes a turn that I didn’t see coming, I was floored. The performance turn makes even more sense when I started to think about how Agatha progresses through the story. As I began to realize that her behavior all the way back in episode two actually informs on the results of the finale AND could be interpreted in different ways was brilliant from an acting, writing, and story standpoint. Hahn is herself a marvel, and I loved watching every minute she was on screen.
Part of what makes Hahn so wonderful is the deliciously impish mustache twirling she does throughout, a task that in part couldn’t have been accomplished without the outstanding supporting cast. Kicking it off with the witches of the coven, there’s Patti LuPone as Lilia, the sightseer witch who tends to be a bit flighty and who may or may not have the ability to see the future; Sasheer Zamata is Jenn, the potions witch who has been living a boring life of selling essential oils to rich ladies because her actual powers were stolen about a hundred years back; and Ali Ahn plays Alice, the cursed daughter of a famous musician (and witch) who turn The Ballad of the Witches Road into a rock and roll ballad. These three all bring something different to their roles enhancing Hahn’s performance. Her quizzical nature surrounding all three of these women is a constant source of mystery in the episodes that all play out as they walk the witch’s road. Also joining the team is non-witch Sharon Davis, played by the incomparable Debra Jo Rupp, reprising her role from WandaVision. Agatha has a hard time remembering that she’s Mrs. Davis and not Mrs. Hart, a running gag that never got old for me.
Unfortunately, Ahn doesn’t get a ton to do, but when her trial on the Witches’ Road is front and center, she does a lot with a little. Zamata is also given a bit less to do, but without spoiling where the show takes her character, she has some really great interactions with both LuPone and Hahn throughout the show. She also may be a character to return in future MCU projects, as I have learned that her character is connected to Ghost Rider. LuPone, however, as the veteran actress, receives the meat of the supporting roles. She not only has an expertly written side story that weaves in and out of the episodes as another great mystery element, but she actually is made the subject of her own episode which heavily focuses on her character and resolves said mystery in not only a VERY satisfying way, but in one of the most emotional episodes of the MCU. Currently, her episode is sitting on IMDB as the highest reviewed episode second only to the Loki Season Two finale, and I couldn’t agree more!
Hahn’s interplay with all of these women adds to my enjoyment. However, it is her interaction with the two remaining characters that brings out her best sides on either end of the spectrum. Playing a character named Rio, Aubrey Plaza comes on the scene with a bang at the end of Episode One. She makes her presence known with a chaotically fun and mysterious ex-girlfriend character. Her identity remains a mystery up until the seventh episode, so I won’t spoil that either. If I had only one qualm regarding Rio, it would be by the end of the series, we don’t really get complete resolution or explanation of their relationship. If the rumors are true and Marvel is working on another spinoff that ties into this show, then my hope is that they didn’t reveal more because there is more story to tell. Regardless, I love the Hahn and Plaza together; it really shines through that they have an offscreen friendship from their time on Parks and Rec, because their chemistry is undeniable. And from a story perspective, the way they interact in the final episodes regarding Joe Locke’s character, Teen, makes for some very interesting developments.
Teen and Agatha have a very interesting relationship. His identity is also a secret until the end of Episode Six; however, may fans of WandaVision and the comics can probably guess who he ends up being. Like Star Wars: The Acolyte‘s recent “secret” man in the mask reveal, I knew who Teen was from the first episode. But unlike The Acolyte, I never felt like the incredibly obvious secret was detracting from the story, nor was it used as a crutch. In the end, Teen’s identity is not meant to be a huge gasp moment, but more of a triumphant exclamation. Even without Teen’s identity reveal, his character serves a greater purpose. He is there to remind Agatha of her son, Nicholas Scratch, who we learn more about as the season goes on. This para-mother/son/familiar relationship takes on many different twists and turns, but it settles on a satisfying, earned resolution. Locke and Hahn have equally great chemistry, which ranges from comedy in the early episodes to drama in the later. The way their relationship pans out in the final two episodes will be your love-it-or-hate-it moment. If you can get on board with the where the unconventional finale takes you, like I did, then I think you will really appreciate how their relationship plays out.
All of the character work aside, this show is a fantastically fun ride from start to finish. I will concede that the finale doesn’t pack nearly as big a punch as the finale of Loki Season Two, nor does it have as emotional a hook like Wanda’s therapy episode in WandaVision. Nor does it have an iconic line like, “What is grief, if not love persevering?” However, Agatha All Along does deliver a consistently well-thought-out story that is focused and entertaining from start to finish. Loki meanders in it’s second season, trying to stretch the story to justify six episodes, completely fumbling the ball with how it implements the time travel twists. Agatha, on the other hand, gives us a wonderful example of how to properly lay the groundwork for a time travel twist with breadcrumbs sprinkled in each episode that actually add up. Other MCU entries have moments where the story isn’t quite as cohesive due to some behind-the-scenes COVID constrictions or Disney+ mandates. But Agatha All Along feels like a story that had a clear vision from start to finish and does not stray from the road that was laid out before it.
The story sets up many mysteries, and every single one of them is answered in one way or another. It opens with a clever transition episode that is straight out of WandaVision. Agatha is trapped in a crime procedural à la Mare of Easttown called Agatha of Westview. This one episode serves as a creative bridge to help state that this is a spiritual sequel to WandaVision, but is also its own thing. After collecting their new coven members, Agatha and Teen set out with them on The Witches’ Road, a fabled mystical road where it is prophesied that if you reach the end, you will be rewarded with whatever you seek. Each episode follows a similar format with a few variations: A house appears where inside a test is given to one of the witches of the coven. Pass the test within the time limit and proceed to the next trial; fail and die.
To go along with this delightfully creative story are nine full episodes of outstanding set design, costumes, and makeup. Each trial allows the creative team to add new and interesting elements, like an ‘80s slumber party, a ‘70s style recording studio, or a medieval castle complete with a dungeon. Each new setting comes with a wardrobe change, which adds a fun aesthetic to each episode. The costuming for each of the different witches’ trials is another great nod to how WandaVision plays with different time periods. It is really nice to see some of the creative aesthetics transfer from series to series, almost as a way to be a little mini-MCU inside a greater MCU. The prosthetics used in the third episode, as well as one that is worn by the villain in the penultimate episode, are really well done, to the point where I wasn’t sure until I saw behind the scenes images if they were digital effects. There are also some makeup effects in the fifth episode that pay homage to The Exorcist, which is freaky and disconcerting — it totally plays. The Witches’ Road is beautifully decorated with an epic Halloween aesthetic of a dark leaf-covered road with dead creepy trees. There is a moment where the actual backdrop is used to have a character cut through it as though they are cutting a hole in reality, and I was blown away by how cool it looks. They literally just cut a painted tarp, but prior to the cut it looks like it could just keep going.
Lastly, I would be doing this whole show a disservice if I didn’t give proper praise to the music. First and foremost, “The Ballad of the Witches’ Road”is by far the biggest and best absolute banger of a song that slaps beyond all sigma-rizzler moments, NO CAP! Sorry my 12-year-old got hold of my computer for a minute… Lack of Captain America aside, this song has been stuck in my head on and off for the last six weeks, and has been downloaded and played on repeat during multiple car rides. But being a good song would have been fine if that’s all it was. The song also serves a fantastic story purpose on multiple levels. It starts as a call to action, then transforms as a song of empowerment and protection, then turns into a song of fellowship, before the finale reveals how it came to be and its legend progressed throughout the years.
I also love Chistophe Beck and Michael Paraskevas’ score. They previously teamed up to do the Hawkeye theme, which I like a lot, and Beck’s work on the Ant-Man and WandaVision themes are two of my favorites in the MCU. I never skipped past the end credits of Agatha, because I loved listening to that music. And the person who put the visuals of the credits together also gets an A+ from me, as the integration of all the witch-themed pop cultural and historical imagery is the cherry on top of this very awesome cake.
I am quite aware that I have been gushing, and that the MCU has had its share of ups and downs over the last several years. I am also aware that many people’s MCU mileage may vary. What I find unique and different in the MCU, others find weird and unwelcome. Some people want world-ending stakes and big fantastical fights. Others might prefer the more grounded realism of a vigilante in the gritty streets of New York. But if you are in any way a fan of the supernatural, of mystery story telling with twists and turns, and of escape rooms with a bunch of sassy women putting forth strong female and queer energy, then I can guarantee you will have a good time. But mostly if you are tired of the MCU pumping out drawn out shows with a scattershot plot that really could have been a two-hour movie, then I implore you to give Agatha All Along a chance. This show is the most focused of any MCU show to date, and as a result is a fun storytelling experience with excellent acting talent.
Rating: Loved It
Agatha All Along is currently streaming on Disney+
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