'Agatha All Along' Review: Marvel's Mix Bag of Tricks
- Details
- Category: New Series and Movie Reviews
- Published: Thursday, 19 September 2024 10:22
- Written by Lupe R Haas
Marvel Television's Agatha All Along gives off witchy chick vibes with Kathryn Hahn leading the coven in her usual quirky energy with Aubrey Plaza stealing some of her thunder in later episodes.
Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) left Agatha Harkness without any powers and memory in WandaVision. We find Agatha still under the Scarlet Witch’s spell at the start of the first episode. When a suspicious Teen (Heartstopper's Joe Locke) enters the picture, the spell is broken but Agatha remains without powers. Along with the Teen and a new coven, Agatha sets out to find the legendary Witches’ Road that will test their survival skills and earn back the coven’s powers.
Agatha All Along is essentially a treasure hunt. The group encounters different escape room scenarios to test their loyalty and unique skill set.
The first episode is the strongest with Hahn reminding audiences of the reasons why we fell under her spell with her evil yet endearing ways. Aubrey Plaza’s introduction is equally fascinating as a witch perhaps more evil than Agatha. Plaza’s intense look spices up her scenes with penetrating, seductive eyes that say one thing but mean another.
Other notable performances come from Sasheer Zamata as Jennifer and Joe Locke as the Teen.
The first two episodes move along swiftly with the introduction of characters and scary entities. The third episode drags a bit and the fourth starts to feel repetitive. However, what maintains the intrigue of the Marvel series is the mysterious identity of the young character known as the “Teen." The teen’s name is muted whenever he speaks it due to a spell.
Agatha All Along is an entirely different show than WandaVision under showrunner/creator Jac Schaeffer who also produced the previous Disney+ series. There is a brief connection to WandaVision in episode one but no references in the next three. However, the Teen may have a connection to the past.
The Emmy and Oscar-winning team of Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez are behind the music in Agatha All Along. "The Ballad of the Witches Road” sung by the cast is memorizing and catchy. The Lopez’s knew the assignment and delivered as did the actor's melodic rendition of the theme song.
Agatha All Along brews up a premise worth sticking around until the end of the ninth episode. What will happen when the witches regain their powers and who will the Teen turn out to be? Some online speculation predicts the Teen will turn out to be one of Wanda’s children.
Marvel Television’s Agatha All Along’s first two episodes are now streaming on Disney+ and new episodes drop every Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. PT/9:00 p.m. ET>