Agatha All Along Episode 1-4 Review

WandaVision, the first series set in the MCU produced by Marvel Studios for Disney+, set the bar for what can be achieved on television. Paying homage to the history of television, assuming each era in inventive and technically impressive ways, it was ultimately a smokescreen for a story about grief centered around the town of Westview. Taken over by Wanda Maximoff, it and its people were trapped in her fantasy against their will and forced to indulge her to stay alive. As that fantasy began to crumble, she was forced to face her grief as things still found a way to get worse for her by the end, setting up her arc in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Ultimately, the biggest thing to emerge from the miniseries was Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness, a conniving witch who laid in wait for the right moment to steal Wanda’s power, only to be defeated. A scene-stealing turn responsible for many of the finest moments in WandaVision (and earning her an Emmy nomination), with her charisma and stellar comedic timing, it was only inevitable that Agatha would return one way or another. On that note, it is only fitting that she got her own spinoff miniseries named after the song that put her on the map, Agatha All Along.

A sequel to WandaVision, Agatha All Along follows the titular witch as she looked to regain the power she lost at the hands of Wanda. However, she had to find a way to break the spell that she was under since we saw her last. After encountering a mysterious goth teen (Joe Locke), she found herself freed from that spell. Becoming a groupie of sorts, he was infatuated with Agatha and her infamous reputation. Now tied together at the hip for better or worse, the teen, whose identity is deliberately being kept from the others through another spell cast by a mystery witch, suggested a potential solution, the Witches’ Road. Begging her to take him down the road, attempting it would subject them to a dangerous magical gauntlet able to put the strongest of magic wielders to the test. The road, if they were to survive it, had the power to grant witches whatever they were missing. A tough proposition for anyone, it was clear that they couldn’t do it on their own.

Building out the ensemble, Agatha and Teen (at least for now) needed to recruit other witches to join a coven to accompany them down the Road. However, with Agatha’s reputation amongst the witch community, getting other witches to join her cause proved to be a difficult task. Needing witches with specific skill sets, she turned to a set of outcasts with vested interests in what the end of the Road could provide for them. That being said, knowing Agatha, the question of whether or not she could be trusted remained an open one. Outside of Hahn and Locke’s performances and chemistry as Agatha and Teen, most of the fun comes from the interactions between them and the other witches in her coven as they faced the Road and its many trials together. The coven was a blast to watch as their adversity put their chemistry on full display. Just like WandaVision, the series balances tones with ease. Jumping between comedy, drama, and horror. Strong writing and direction (featuring much of the WandaVision team) lead the way, guiding the ship at a decent pace. Through the first four episodes, they begin to establish the relationships between the characters and get their trek started. Essentially other characters in the story, Agatha All Along also makes great use of Westview and The Road.

Seeing that Agatha was without magic, it made sense for the series to tone down the magic in terms of CGI and other VFX, at least for now. Taking a majorly practical approach, that difference could be felt instantly. Bringing back a lot of the WandaVision creative team, they simply roll over their previous experience creating practical sets and VFX to this new series, bringing The Road and its many surprises to life. Joining the WandaVision creative team, famed songwriting team Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez also returned to create new original songs that once again become the heartbeat of the series. Offering some twists and turns already, the most interesting aspect so far is easily the dynamic between the witches of Agatha’s coven and that of her and Teen. Again, only nearly halfway through the series, there is inevitably more to come but the prospects of where it all could go is plenty cause for excitement.

A true ensemble piece, the best part of Agatha All Along is its performances. What more can be said about Kathryn Hahn? Not missing a beat from WandaVision, she is given more room to play as Agatha’s scene-stealing, larger-than-life personality is truly unleashed. Getting to be her true self, perhaps more so than ever before, she was an absolute delight to watch as her charisma could not be denied. Meanwhile, Locke was as strong as Teen, basically a fanboy with an extensive knowledge of witches and their history. He and his energy fit right in with the chaos of the rest of the series, featuring the likes of Hahn and also, Sasheer Zamata, Ali Ahn, Debra Jo Rupp, Patti LuPone, and Aubrey Plaza. The latter, in particular, is perfectly cast as Rio Vidal, a frenemy of Agatha’s for whom she shared a complicated history.

In the end, Agatha All Along is a worthy follow-up to WandaVision that unleashes its titular witch in a fun ensemble piece with an impressive cast.

still courtesy of Marvel Studios

If you liked this, please read our other reviews here and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or Instagram or like us on Facebook.

Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.