SuperheroesTV

Agatha All Along: Mark Kermode’s superhero TV review (video).

It’s time for Mark Kermode’s superhero TV review of Agatha All Along. Why? Because Marvel strikes again with Agatha All Along, the latest addition to the sprawling MCU content buffet. If you’re scratching your head and thinking, “Wait, isn’t that the catchy song from WandaVision that got stuck in my brain like a jingle for an evil cereal?”โ€”you’re absolutely right. But because Marvel canโ€™t leave well enough alone, theyโ€™ve turned that 90-second ditty into a full-blown Disney+ miniseries.

I mean, why not?

This time around, everyone’s favourite sarcastic witch, Agatha Harknessโ€”played by the ever-mesmerising Kathryn Hahnโ€”is back. You might remember her from WandaVision, where she was the nosy neighbour/secret puppet master who didnโ€™t just crash the party, she was the party. After Wanda trapped her in a 1950s fever dream at the end of WandaVision, fans cried out for more Agatha. And by fans, I mean anyone whoโ€™s ever heard โ€œIt was Agatha All Alongโ€ and then involuntarily hummed it for the next three days. And so here we are.

Set three years after Agathaโ€™s suburban shenanigans, the miniseries picks up with her escaping from Wandaโ€™s reality-bending punishment, with the help of…a goth teen. Yes, a teenager, because apparently, every mentor figure in the MCU now needs a moody sidekick with deep existential thoughts. Joe Lockeโ€™s character, cryptically named โ€œTeenโ€ (because no one can actually hear his real name due to some magical mumbo-jumbo), is a witchy fanboy who seems just as enamoured with Agathaโ€™s dark arts as the rest of us. Together, the odd couple embarks on a journey down the Witchesโ€™ Road, assembling a new coven and dealing with old enemies because Agatha, of course, has a dark and complicated past. Shocking, I know.

But what really sets Agatha All Along apart is its unabashed weirdness. Think of it as The Craft meets Bewitched, but with more hexes, a touch of horror, and a dash of sarcastic commentary. Oh, and Patti LuPone. Yes, that Patti LuPone, who plays a 450-year-old Sicilian witch because apparently, Marvel now collects Broadway legends like Infinity Stones.

The series also features the welcome return of some of WandaVisionโ€™s key players, including Debra Jo Rupp as Sharon Davis, whoโ€™s gone from quirky sitcom wife to an accidental witch. Honestly, who hasnโ€™t accidentally joined a coven in the MCU at this point?

And then thereโ€™s Aubrey Plaza as Rio Vidal, a warrior witch. Yes, Aubrey Plaza is in this series, and yes, she’s playing exactly the type of snarky, dangerous character you’d want from her. Itโ€™s like the casting director scrolled through the internet and thought, โ€œWho can we cast to match Kathryn Hahnโ€™s dry humour and chaotic energy?โ€ Boomโ€”Plaza enters, stage left, probably carrying a cursed object.

Of course, no Marvel series would be complete without some convoluted backstory or magical MacGuffin. In this case, itโ€™s the Witchesโ€™ Road, a mystical pathway that promises to restore Agathaโ€™s powers. Because in the Marvel universe, no one stays powerless for long, and no journey down a mysterious road ever goes according to plan. Expect betrayals, witches with complex motivations, and an uncomfortably large number of goat sacrifices.

If the series has any flaw, itโ€™s that it occasionally gets bogged down in its own mythology. The Salemโ€™s Sevenโ€”Agathaโ€™s old enemiesโ€”make an appearance, alongside a variety of witches and familiars, each with their own motivations and tragic backstories. But when youโ€™ve got a coven led by Kathryn Hahn, chewing scenery and turning every line into gold, do you even care about the backstory?

In true Marvel fashion, Agatha All Along doesnโ€™t take itself too seriously. The show leans into its campy nature, with spell-casting rituals that look like they were pulled from a goth fashion catalogue and dialogue thatโ€™s dripping with dry wit. Hahn continues to deliver one-liners with the perfect mix of menace and mischief, and the interplay between her and Lockeโ€™s wide-eyed Teen gives the series a surprising amount of heart.

Is Agatha All Along going to change the MCU as we know it? Unlikely. But who needs universe-shattering stakes when youโ€™ve got witches throwing shade, a few musical numbers, and a coven full of weirdos? Itโ€™s fun, itโ€™s dark, itโ€™s wittyโ€”basically, itโ€™s what every WandaVision fan hoped for when they realised they couldnโ€™t get that song out of their head.

So, if youโ€™re tired of multiverses collapsing or yet another superhero identity crisis, Agatha All Along is here to offer you a much-needed breather. Just donโ€™t be surprised if the theme song gets stuck in your head again.

After all, it was Agatha all along.

ColonelFrog

Colonel Frog is a long time science fiction and fantasy fan. He loves reading novels in the field, and he also enjoys watching movies (as well as reading lots of other genre books).

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