(series review) [STREAMING] - Agatha All Along

 

When WandaVision started, it was after the film 'Endgame' and within the timeline and also set after the events of Endgame. Spoilers Alert...but Vision did not make it out of the fight with Thanos, so it was a wonder what the storyline for this show was going to be. From the trailers, Wanda and Vision live in a suburban home with children. How does that work? They introduce a variety of other characters AND...Spoiler Alert (Again), the big bad of the show was a woman named Agatha. WandaVision was set up as different television shows through the ages of television, and this was all explained by the end of the season. At the end of WandaVision, Wanda confines Agatha to a Hex, which this show continues from, but also after the events of Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.

From the very beginning of this season of 'Agatha All Along', we pick up with Agatha in the hex playing out a TV show. Her "co-worker" invites her to help investigate a dead body, and not long after, she is visited by an old friend. Agatha stops a thief and, upon investigation, she realises that things are not quite what they appear to be, so she must form a covenant and travel the 'Witches Road' to get her powers back.



By the end of episode 2, the witches are now on the Witches' Road, where they will be tested. They find themselves inside a house with a puzzle they will need to solve before the time runs out, or they will all die! By this point in the show, I was already sold on the mischievously evil character of Agatha and how Katherine Hahn sells the character to us. You want to follow her, but you cannot trust her, and in the episode, this is alluded to several times. There are a few times I actually burst out laughing due to the things Agatha and Sharon said or did. I actually feel like Sharon stole episode 3 and has done, ever since the beginning of the series, but by this point, we still do not know who the Teen is, but we do get a bit more insight into these other characters.



By the time we get to episode 6 and after the reveal in episode 5, the show gives us a heavy-handed flashback that is full of exposition, but done in such a way that the episode was still entertaining and answered a lot of questions that were on our lips. Who is the Teen? What is their purpose, and where did the Teen come from and why? Who put the protection spell on the teen and why? Does Agatha know who the teen is and what will their relationship be like now since the mystery of who the Teen is has now been revealed? Will we learn who Rio is and what happens at the end of the Witch's Road? There are still a lot of questions that require answering but by this point, I would not be surprised if we are given more questions as this show winds down, we will learn a lot more about Agatha, her abilities, the Teen and the rest of the covenant and their role in this show going forward.



Episode 7  is where everything is running full steam ahead, and without going into spoilers, the only thing I kept thinking whilst watching this episode was, how did they do that? This episode connects with a lot of the previous episodes that came before it and moreover, the big reveal (which was guessed or figured out earlier in the show if you are savvy enough) hits you with so much crystal clarity, that it makes sense as to why and how things happen the way they did. Your many questions throughout this season get answered slowly through these last few episodes, and this episode is the icing on the cake for a particular character. At this point in the show, I had my theories on whether the Witches Road was ever a real thing and who might have put it there, because a lot of what seems to be going on seems to have been initiated or thought of by specifically one person.

The last two episodes were a chef's kiss to TV production and a well-done from Marvel. Say what you want about comic book fatigue. Say what you want about Marvel falling off. Say what you want about 'Agatha All Along' not being any good, but these final two episodes off the very back of the phenomenal storytelling, wrap this season up in a nice bow leaving only a few questions to be answered and the fans wondering where do we pick the rest of this story up from?

We get answers earlier in the season as to who the Teen is, but now we know who Death is. Agatha, the Teen and Jennifer try to continue on the road, but after another trial, Agatha and the Teen come face-to-face with Death themselves.
The final episode explores Agatha's past, and we finally get to see someone Agatha actually cares for. It explains how Agatha has lived for so many years and what happened to the son, which was alluded to in WandaVision. Everything is explained with another big reveal, and the show concludes, leaving the viewers with the question, "So where do we go next?"



This show has a lot to say about trauma and letting it go. Most of the characters in this show have trauma, and part of the show dealt with identity, who we are, emotional baggage and confidence in yourself. Masterfully crafted, from the very first episode until the very last, we spent time with these characters understanding what happened in WestView during the events of WandaVision with the neighbours during and after. We understand where Agatha came from, why she is the way she is (to an extent) and why she was drawn to WestView. We understand who the Teen is, his skills, how he came about and what his goal is, along with his own personal trauma. We understand all the other witches' roles and a backstory on each of them. If you are savvy enough, you will also notice the sequence of the trials on the Witches Road is in the same order as the Infinity Stones and how they were introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If there is any criticism I have with the show, is that we do not get much from the Salem Seven, but considering everything story-wise that is going on, it actually makes a lot of sense.



Without going into spoilers, 'Agatha All Along' is a direct sequel to both 'WandaVision' and 'Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness', which may lead to upcoming projects such as 'VisionQuest' or something else like 'The Young Avengers'. Although these are not necessarily a "need to watch", the show and film may help with the understanding of the characters going in, how things have come about and the fleshing out of the world within the MCU on Magic and Witchcraft. The acting, whilst somewhat difficult to gauge at first from Kathryn Hahn and what the show is trying to achieve, combined with her multi-layered performance, once you understand that some of the actings are purposely performative along with understanding the character of Agatha, the show becomes easier AND it helps that, episode by episode, more of the story, the characters and the many questions you have are answered episode by episode making the show stronger from week to week, just like WandaVision. The performance of Aubrey Plaza is great, and her dynamic with Agatha plays a lot better at the end of the season. Joe Locke is great as the Teen and he plays the character very well. There are many layers to him and a duality he pulls off superbly. The dynamics between him and Agatha, including their banter, is great and also towards the end, you get to understand Agatha's behaviour and her choices. It cannot be stressed enough, that the thought processes behind this show and the execution are up there with the likes of WandaVision (but better [in my honest opinion]) and Moon Knight and is definitely a show you would want to re-watch as there will definitely be bits you missed in earlier episodes as they continuously drop breadcrumbs in plain sight leading you to realise that certain imagery or phrases/sentences make more sense on the reveal at the end and likely on the rewatch.



If you are not sure of the series, you may need to give it a 4-episode birth to understand what you are getting yourself into. If you are open to watching WandaVision, that will give you the tone/theme/direction of the show and Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness will give you more of the story after WestView. Either way, the show does not hold your hand, so you can go in without seeing these as they loosely let you know what is going on, but this is an excellent watch. Marvel may actually be back on the rise.