Gather all witches obsessed with the new Marvel hit show, Agatha All Along. I call upon thy power to help me thoroughly write this review and not rant too much about how this show is giving us everything we needed. Now, before we dive into all of it, let’s get some context as to where this show is in the MCU timeline and universe. But be warned, for the path ahead is full of challenges and contains some spoilers.
Agatha All Along takes place three years after the events of Wandavision, and shortly after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. We start the series following our favorite witchy villain, Agatha Harkness, who is trapped in a spell cast by Wanda Maximoff herself. She is still in Westview, the same town Wanda put up her hex in Wandavision, but now its citizens are free, except for her.
Episode 1 starts in a similar way to the episodes in Wandavision, where Agatha believes she’s a detective working a case of a mysterious dead woman found in the woods. This, of course, is only an illusion created by the spell she’s under, and later in the episode, she manages to break free. She still has the same humor that we loved from her previous appearances, and that is thanks to the amazing work that Kathryn Hahn is doing when portraying such a character. Seriously, this woman is a phenomenal actress, being able to capture all of the character’s depth, whilst still giving us fun moments and mannerisms, like all the moments where Agatha just sways her coat around while turning.
Later, in episode 2, we are introduced to the rest of the coven: Lilia Calderu, a divination witch that has strange and random visions about the past and future. She is played by the queer icon herself, Patti LuPone. Jennifer Kale, portrayed by Sasheer Zamata, a potions witch who had her magic bound by a mysterious man. Alice Wu, a protection witch with dark family secrets, played by Ali Ahn. The amazing Aubrey Plaza as Rio, a scary but cool green witch (or so we think) that has an unknown past with Agatha. And finally Teen, or Billy Maximoff, or William Kaplan, or as Agatha likes to call him, Toto, Wanda’s son, who is now 16 and in the body of another teenager. He is played by Joe Locke, famous for his role as Charlie in Heartstopper, who is now starring in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
They all come together to walk down the Witches Road, a magic path full of challenges that in the end will grant you your greatest desires. And to do so, they need to sing a song that is also a spell to open the passage. And it’s a hell of a catchy song at that.
This show has everything we loved about Agatha in Wandavision and more: magical and mysterious trials, great costumes and designs, amazing camera work and dialogue, as well as a lot of funny and sarcastic moments. I also want to highlight the diversity portrayed in the series. Alice’s generational curse could be a metaphor for generational trauma, Jennifer’s relationship with her magic and her ancestry, as well as working with root, a kind of magic practiced by black people that is also heavily focused on ancestral connection. It’s fairly well known that Billy Maximoff is gay, and as the show goes on, we also learn about Agatha’s past relationship with Rio, and how she is, in her own words, not a straight lady. All of this is presented in a way that is so touching to the audience, with heavy moments balanced by light and funny moments like this one.
One of my favorite episodes is episode 7, where we learn more about Lilia, her character and the issues she has with her powers. The entire episode, we see first hand what Lilia was going through, how she doesn’t experience time in a linear way because of her visions, and how the trial made her finally come to terms with her magic. All of her mentions of tarot cards in the show come into place, the way each card represents each character’s essence, for example, Agatha being Three of Swords, a card that is all about heartbreak, loss and the inability to trust other people. The way all of her visions are stitched together, revealing her predictions and messages. It was a total masterpiece, and the cherry on top was Patti LuPone’s acting and how she portrayed Lilia’s emotions throughout the episode.
The time has come to talk about the series’ double finale episode, and I will say that it could not be more perfect than it already is. It’s so beautifully written, the way it all comes together. Jennifer getting her powers back, Agatha and Billy fighting Rio, and how we learn about Agatha’s past. How the Ballad was actually created by Nicholas as a way to cope with all the things he and Agatha had to do in order to survive. Her saying “I want more time!” and then singing “I bury my own heart, here with you my child” and “With every bend, beyond the end… Your mother loves you so” broke my heart in a thousand pieces. Learning that all of the stories about her sacrificing her child weren’t true, but that she let them all believe it because the truth was unbearable for her. This show truly is a masterpiece.
This review has come to an end, but we know that Billy’s journey isn’t over, now that Agatha, in her ghostly style, will act as a teacher of sorts to help him find Tommy. This show will surely be in my top 3 Marvel series/movies, and I can’t wait to see how it’ll all connect with upcoming Marvel stories. Now, my coven, I’ll see you all at the end of the road.
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The article above was edited by Fernanda Miki Tsukase.
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