Since “Secret Invasion,” Marvel TV has not been in a great place. While it has seen some hits like “WandaVision” and “Loki” since Marvel started producing canon TV shows for Disney Plus, it’s also produced myriad multimillion dollar series that have underwhelmed. It’s also been criticized by Disney CEO Bob Iger for “diluting” its brand.
“Agatha All Along” stars Kathryn Hahn as the titular Agatha Harkness, the primary antagonist in “WandaVision.” Hahn was a fan favorite and a huge part of what makes that show work — she oozes charisma. Giving her a show of her own seems like a no brainer, as long as she’s supported by competent scripts and direction — which Marvel TV has struggled with especially for “She-Hulk,” “Ms. Marvel” and the aforementioned “Secret Invasion.”
For the show’s first two episodes, so far, so good. Episodes 1 and 2 reveals Harkness has been trapped in Wanda Maximoff’s spell from “WandaVision” for three years, only breaking through it thanks to a young teenaged warlock (Joe Locke), whose name and backstory are obscured by some spell. As such, much of Episode 1 is a procedural cop drama in which Hahn plays a classic loose canon detective who will do anything to solve a murder case — which she knocks out of the park.
However, when she does break free of the spell, she’s immediately put into danger.
Harkness is hundreds of years old and is a witch with an awful reputation. Previously, her possession of the Darkhold (a Necromonicon-like book) kept her enemies at bay. But now that she’s powerless, she has a target on her back, and the first of her assailants is Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza), who only spares her out of a sense of honor, but vows to return once she gets her power back.
The nameless teen warlock convinces Harkness to take him on the Witches’ Road — a perilous magical place at the end of which grants any desire, but it’s also deadly. As such, to have a chance of surviving it, you have to go in with a coven.
Harkness’ coven is long gone, so she has to construct one from scratch, which takes up much of Episode 2. Most of the people she seeks are has-beens whom she manipulates into joining.
It includes Lilia Calderu (Patti LuPone) a 450-year-old witch who specializes in divination who has fell on hard times as a fortune teller; Jennifer Kale (Sasheer Zamata), the owner of a beauty store drowning in litigation, who is also magically bound (unable to use her power); Alice Wu-Gulliver (Ali Ahn), a mall cop Harkness gets fired; and Sharon Davis (Debra Jo Rupp), a mortal from Westview, N.J., who was a victim of Maximoff’s spell in “WandaVision.”
The group has good chemistry, though we don’t know enough about them for anyone to really stick. Wu-Gulliver so far is also the weak link — her recruitment scene comes off as incredibly lazy and Ahn is the least charismatic in the group.
The show is a lot of fun, and it seems like Hahn and company are having a blast. The show strikes a balance between mortal peril and humor that works, though it is a little comedy heavy. That’s not an issue yet, and won’t be as long as the show has enough restraint to let its darker moments shine.
This is a very strong start. If you’ve been unimpressed by Marvel TV’s recent offerings, this will serve as a refreshing salve.
However, especially after watching Disney’s “The Acolyte,” I am concerned that this show will be able to properly utilize its ensemble cast. Most shows certainly need flat characters, but they don’t need four or five of them.
“Agatha All Along” gets an 8.5/10
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