Agatha All Along Episodes 1 & 2 Review
Agatha has returned to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in their latest series, ‘Agatha All Along’ that sees her break out of the spell that Wanda traps her in at the end of ‘WandaVision’. The first episode takes the form of a quirky police procedural, but when Agatha breaks out of the trappings, the series follows her, and is a theatrical witch show.
The first episode follows a day in the life of Agnes, the character that Wanda trapped Agatha Harkness in at the end of ‘WandaVision’. She’s a police dective, and the episode takes the form of a ‘True Detective’ episode or the ‘Mare of Easttown’. It’s similar to ‘WandaVision’ took on the form of several comdies. The difference here is that the audience this time are in on what’s happening, so they understand the subtle references to the events of ‘WandaVision’ and ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’. It’s a effective start.
Episode two however reveals the true tone of the series as it will be going forward, as a over-the-top, theatrical comedy with some light horror and mystery. This over-the-top tone is pushed by Agatha actress Kathryn Hahn who commits to the bit of being a witch with her cackles and a mischievous nature. She’s allowed to fully unleash this in a series all on the audience, after only giving them a taste in ‘WandaVision’.
Hahn is joined by Aubrey Plaza, who plays witch Rio with an as of yet undefined past with Agatha, but because of the palpable sexual tension between the two, it’s likely there’s romantic issues. The other witches audiences find likely aren’t as conventional as they might expect, relying more on their skill and knowledge rather than magic. It adds to the precarious situation Agatha is in as well as helping to save on the VFX budget.
This tone that the show has is certainly a big departure from what audiences can expect from the MCU, which has both pros and cons. If audiences are expecting a typical action affair like usual MCU films, it’s very likely they’ll walk away disappointed, but if they’re looking for something else, fresh and Halloweeny, then it’s likely that the first two episodes will delight fans.
Once Agatha is freed from her trappings, she realises she has no magic, and so must assemble a coven to travel down The Witches’ Road, a treacherous path fraught with danger. She’s also joined by a mysterious teen, whose identity is masked by a number of witchy spells, no doubt that will be lifted by the end of the season. Hopefully it’s better than the Ralph Bohner reveal from ‘WandaVision’.
It seems like the primary antagonists of the series will be Salem’s Seven, a group of magic useres who have appeared in Marvel Comics before but not as scary as this. These beings are the source of the show’s horror, as they stalk Agatha and attack her home. It’s unclear if they will retain their comics’ relationship to Agatha, or if it will be altered. They seem to be another mysterybox that the show will explain later, as it’s unclear why they want to harm Agatha.
‘Agatha All Along’ starts off with an impressive introduction to the new series, with the first episode playing off the mysterybox nature of ‘WandaVision’, and a second episode that introduces the true over-the-top nature that fans can expect going forward. Kathryn Hahn is terrific as the titular Agatha, joined by a cast that shares strong chemistry and likeability with each other. Hopefully this is kept up as future episodes arrive on Disney+ in subsequent weeks.
