“A magical and hilarious series,” this WandaVision spinoff veers from “playfully creepy to downright scary.”
It’s been three years since Agatha Harkness was revealed to be the Big Bad of WandaVisiona show that took its cues from classic sitcoms, proving that the Marvel Cinematic Universe was capable of more outlandish storytelling than its formulaic film output might suggest. While Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff was finally confirmed as the legendary Scarlet Witch, it was Agatha (and his much-memoed wink) who stole the show as “Agnes,” Wanda’s nosy neighbor who was actually a centuries-old dark witch. And now the fan favorite has her own solo outing in the form of Agatha All Along, again helmed by WandaVision showrunner Jac Schaeffer.
As befits a spin-off of a spin-off, Agatha All Along initially follows its predecessor’s lead, offering a story wrapped up within a story. This sequel of sorts follows in the footsteps of the genre-bending Wandavision, picking up after Agatha’s attempt to steal Wanda’s powers has left Agatha helpless and trapped in her Agnes persona. Where Wanda processed her trauma via sitcoms, Agatha’s entrapment has led her mind to a darker alternate reality: a prestige crime drama. It opens with Agatha as a straight-laced small-town detective in a Easttown Sea parody called “Agnes of Westview.” As with the WandaVision sitcoms, the show-within-a-show is both self-aware and exceptionally well-executed, with “Agnes” playing a no-nonsense, flannel-wearing, maverick cop who finds herself tackling a gleefully stereotype-filled Jane Doe case.
But the first layer of Russian doll-style storytelling is soon stripped away, with Agatha freed from her spell by the arrival of a witch-obsessed fanboy played by Heart stopperJoe Locke, who convinces her that the path to regaining her powers (and saving herself from the wrath of the terrifying Salem Seven) is to undertake a series of trials known as the Witches’ Road. Here, Agatha All Along departs from WandaVision and, in the first four episodes available for review, begins to take on a form of its own: a puzzle show that employs genuine horror elements alongside the adventurous fun of Scooby-Doo and the Hocus Pocus camp to unravel its mysteries.
Needing a coven to join the Street, Agatha must shed her lone wolf tendencies (or at least mask them for now) and embark on a recruitment drive worthy of a heist movie. The group she assembles is refreshingly diverse—misfits even in an ancient community of outsiders. There’s Patti LuPone as Lilia, a fortune teller struggling with money, Ali Ahn as Alice, daughter of a legendary rock star witch, and Sasheer Zamata as Jen, a witch-turned-wellness expert who sells retinol creams and jade eggs.
‘Hot Chemistry’
But the standout is Aubrey Plaza as Rio Vidal, a green witch with whom Agatha shares a thorny history and frankly scandalous sexual tension. First appearing as a federal agent in Agatha’s fantasy crime drama, Rio taunts, teases, and tries to kill Agatha before joining the coven as their resident agent of chaos. Plaza couldn’t be more in her element.
The pair’s steamy chemistry is at the heart of what the cast and creators have proudly touted as Marvel’s “gaisiest” offering yet, a claim backed up by multiple queer characters, musical numbers, and a series of outlandish transformations for the coven. But the show’s queerness resonates more deeply than the surface homosexuality of a scene in which LuPone performs as flamboyantly as a monotonous (if majestic) drum section. Its themes of otherness, identity, persecution, and chosen family will speak as much to the LGBTQ+ community as to the show’s preoccupation with the cultural history of representation of the witch.
And the witchcraft of Agatha All Along can’t be overstated: this is a show that stays true to its pre-Halloween release schedule. Veering from playfully spooky to genuinely scary, it argues that witches are more complex than pop culture would have us believe, and it ticks off certain boxes: sisterhood, conjuring, generational curses, and the eye of newt (a fancy name for mustard seeds, apparently).
Mostly devoid of their inherent supernatural powers, the coven’s members must rely on the “craft” side of witchcraft and work hard to overcome the Road, but the show’s quest element is underpinned by larger mysteries that have already had fans theorizing: the true identity of Locke’s character known only as “Teen”; whether Wanda (last seen sacrificing herself in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) may still be alive; and what really happened in Agatha’s past, particularly regarding her absent son.
By virtue of being hidden in plain sight on WandaVision, Agatha and thus Hahn had been relegated to the show’s periphery. Here, both character and actor take the opportunity to shine, with Hahn drawing out Agatha’s sarcastic selfishness and revealing her vulnerabilities (and proving the value of employing truly gifted comedians to deliver funny lines).
If there’s sometimes a chilliness to Marvel productions—the green screen work and sprawling spectacle distracting from character and emotional weight—Agatha proves there’s no substitute for good old chemistry. This is a cast that’s deeply—and often literally, thanks to the songs—in tune and evidently happy to offer a magical romp through a show that’s as willing to get silly as it is dark.
Agatha All Along is now streaming on Disney+.
