After going through many title changes and months of speculation, Agatha All Along made its debut in the early fall of 2024, perfectly timed for the spooky season. The series quickly soared above the ranks to reach the top ranks of MCU TV-series.
After making her debut in WandaVision, Agatha Harkness, brought to life by actress Kathryn Hahn, captivated fans far more than anyone at the studio thought she would. The spin-off delves into the conditions our iconic antagonist was left in after Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen, trapped her mind in a hex.
The premiere episode of the show was truly spectacular. It set the tone of the series with a mix of comical, mystery, suspense, and many more elements. We start off by watching Agatha struggle within her mind as she’s stuck in a detective sequence trying to uncover the mysteries of the Scarlet Witch’s fate and her own.
We’re also introduced to two crucial characters: Teen, played by Joe Locke, and Rio Vidal, played by Aubrey Plaza. Plaza excels in her role as Rio as she gives the perfect amount of comedy, sass, and has great chemistry with Harkness herself. It was evident that this role was tailored for her only.
Many fans were skeptical of Locke as this new and vital character, since his only prior role was that of one in the Netflix show Heartstopper. Though regardless of the various hate comments and posts made towards him, his embodiment of his character was phenomenal, surprising fans all around.
With Jac Shaeffer as showrunner and lead director of the series, it was no surprise that the writing and storyline would be outstanding, just as it was in WandaVision. The writing styles between the two shows are similar as they both include comical moments with dark undertones, this especially works well for Agatha’s character.
Under Schaeffer’s writing, Agatha’s arc is deepened to an extent some would have never thought imaginable, challenging her with new external and internal conflicts that allow her to grow as a witch and as a person.
For starters, she is now forced to work with a group of witches who only know her for her infamous reputation. The coven consisted of a divination witch, Lilia Calderu — portrayed by broadway star Patti Lupone, potions witch, Jennifer Kale, played by Sasheer Zamata, protection witch, Alice Wu-Gulliver, played by Ali Ahn, and their green witch, Mrs. Hart, played by Debra Jo Rupp.
This group of covenless witches were essential to walk down the road together and were intertwined by fate as they struggled to form bonds with each other over their countless arguments and bickering.
The show highlights various themes and portrays them all through each and every one of the characters; power, trust, redemption, and many more. But overall, Agatha All Along is a show wholly built on redemption and redemption arcs as it focuses on Agatha confronting her past and moving on to forge new bonds with her coven.
While the series is progressive, the pacing does falter at times. The premiere episode was able to masterfully balance the elements of comedy and action. Though, as the series goes on, many episodes feel heavy by slow writing or uneven subplots. This is truly shown in the two-part finale as the end feels severely rushed and a lot of the character actions don’t seem to benefit the plot in any way.
On the note of the finale, it was unfortunately one of the worst episodes of the series. Despite being the end and most awaited, it seemed more as a filler to excel some character storylines and leave others mindlessly wandering.
Additionally, the CGI in this episode especially was severely poor. Only half of the final fight was portrayed, considering the low budget of less than $40 million. Though despite being the lowest budget film, they do rely heavily on simpler practical effects in most of the series which make it more authentic and does somewhat save it from its poor CGI.
Audiences were surprised and left jaw-dropped at the end of the series, as the final moment conveyed an unexpected twist that truly redefined the entirety of the series and what it has been leading up to. The shocking twist truly enhanced the aspects of how magic is portrayed in the MCU and how powerful each type truly is.
Despite its flaws, Agatha All Along is truly an appealing exploration of Agatha’s character and shows how even some villains deserve to have their story told and deserve second chances. Its strongest moments do exude from the captivating acting, especially shown through Hahn and Plaza. The finale did leave so many questions unanswered and fell short of a few expectations, but, it does open up more opportunities for the characters throughout the rest of the cinematic universe.
