If you were anywhere near a screen in early 2021, you were probably aware of the hold Marvel’s “WandaVision” had on the internet. Wanda and Vision’s superpowered sitcom suburbia took the world by storm, inspiring countless Marvel movie binges and themed Halloween costumes. Fans especially loved the show’s anti-hero and survivor of the Salem witch trials, Agatha Harkness. This week, Kathryn Hahn reprises her role as the devious witch in the spinoff series, “Agatha All Along.” The show’s two-episode debut hit Disney+ Wednesday night and immediately put fans under its spell.
Harkness’ story picks up inside a parody of HBO’s crime drama “Mare of Easttown,” where our leading witch spends the days as a sardonic, violence-prone detective. She is still without powers, another reminder that we are in the same town “WandaVision” took place, only three years prior. The “Mare of Easttown” imitation ends within the first episode, which is a relief. Hahn’s typical fiery acting is nowhere to be seen in the small-town police department.
Hahn’s lines are delivered in a forced and overly scripted manner, causing the scenes between her and costar Aubrey Plaza’s mysterious FBI agent, Rio Vidal to often fall flat. The clever and mysterious energy from the show’s predecessor is almost there, but audiences are left wanting more from their beloved and infamous witch, Harkness.
The action picks up in episode two, possibly explaining why the decision was made to premiere with two of the nine total episodes expected in the season . Harkness takes the hunt for her powers on the road with a coven including “Heartstopper” star Joe Locke, who plays an amateur witch and a big fan of Harkness’.
Harkness’ coven is made up of a crew of household names, including Patti LuPone, Sasheer Zamata, and Ali Ahn. Avoiding as many spoilers as possible, the coven of beloved actresses finds themselves in a Nancy Meyers-reminiscent world turned house of horrors, filled with wine, musical numbers, sinkholes and narrowly-escaping handbags. Both Hahn’s and Plaza’s characters get plenty of screen time with renewed chemistry to make up for what was lacking in episode one. After a series of what many fans would say has been an underwhelming run of releases from Marvel Studios, “Agatha All Along” has the potential to be both what the fans need to stay invested and what the studio needs to stay relevant in the cinemas and on streaming platforms.
Something that new fans will appreciate is that this series doesn’t require extensive knowledge of the Marvel cinematic universe. Unlike other recent releases, such as “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” this series is enjoyable with little to no background knowledge of the inner-weavings of Marvel characters and plotlines.
Phrases like “the dark hold” and “the witches road” are used, but can be figured out through context clues or a quick search on Google. This series is a perfect mix of mystery that keeps you on your toes and a relaxing watch that doesn’t make you think too hard.
Episodes one and two are available on Disney+ now, and new episodes are released every Wednesday night at 9 p.m. until Oct. 30. Be warned: It starts slow, but if you’re a fan of anything witchy you’ll be enchanted soon enough!
Rating: 3/5