It’s no secret that the post-Avengers: Endgame MCU has been subject of the ire of many Marvel fans, with some describing it as messy, unfocused, and frankly, less compelling than Phase 3, introducing too many characters too quickly, with uninteresting plot lines. I have to admit, a few new releases ago, I’ve come to lose interest in what Marvel has been putting out recently.
However, when Marvel announced that they were following up 2021’s miniseries Wandavision with an Agatha Harkness-centred show, Agatha All Along, my interest peaked. My relationship with Marvel since they killed off my two favourite characters in Endgame can be likened to someone experiencing Stockholm Syndrome, so I went into the first two episodes of Agatha All Along with the scepticism of a Roman emperor surveying food that may or may not be poisoned.
I’m happy to report that the food is not poisoned, and it is, in many aspects, surprisingly delicious. It’s fun, wicked, a bit spooky, and retains some of that “right off the bat mystery” that Wandavision excelled in, while also quickly leaving behind that sitcom. It has an almost idyllic feel to it, as we delve into Agatha’s story outside of Wanda Maximoff’s hex, where Agatha is still trapped, until a mysterious teenager frees her in episode one. The pacing quickens in episode two, where a newly freed Agatha realises she is being pursued by the vengeful Salem Seven and lets herself be convinced by Joe Locke’s “Teen” to walk the Witches’ Road in hopes of retrieving her powers at the end of the path. In order to do that, she must first assemble a coven of witches.
“Historically, we as a group don’t do very well in courtrooms.” : The casting of Agatha’s eccentric new coven is superb, with Aubrey Plaza, Joe Locke and Patti LuPone delivering wonderful performances, from obscurely funny to deliciously evil. But the real kicker in the show is Kathryn Hahn’s performance as cynical, witty, and unapologetically self-preserving Agatha Harkness which brings the story to another level. Compared to the “nosy housewife” we had in Wandavision, this Agatha is much more complex. Abrasive, sharp, cunning yet tragic, and haunted by her decision to sacrifice her son for the Darkhold, I could not take my eyes off this version of Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha throughout the entire first five episodes.
While Agatha All Along may suffer from the occasional Marvel-associated quirk (such as wonky CGI, for example, or not delving enough into certain characters) it does stand out from anything Marvel has come out with in all its phases, diving head-first into a much more unique and darker genre while also being a funny, camp-esque, “popcorn horror” that has me wishing I could walk the Witches’ Road hand in hand with Kathryn Hahn and Aubrey Plaza.
“Kathryn Hahn at the 2022 TIFF Premiere of Glass Onion- A Knives Out Mystery (52357925887)” by GabboT is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.