This Halloween, can we take a moment to appreciate Agatha All Along, the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) limited series? The show has just wrapped this week on Disney+, with a two-episode finale arriving on 30 October (31 October in South Africa) to cap off its nine-part tale.
Honestly, this piece began life as a simple showcase of Agatha All Along’s fun, self-aware poster set. However, it seems criminal at this point not to talk a little about why the genre-spanning series is one of the best things ever to come out of the MCU – proving the point that it’s more than okay to put the spotlight on smaller stories set within the grand Phase-shaping universe. That said, we were already of that opinion, thanks to the likes of Moon Knight, She-Hulk and Werewolf By Night.
For those who need a refresher, Agatha All Along is a spin-off/follow-on from the very first – and still arguably best – MCU series on Disney+: 2021’s WandaVision. On paper, shifting the focus from Wanda Maximoff/the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) to her series antagonist, rival witch Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn), sounds creatively bankrupt; a desperate search for content to fuel the streaming-and-subscription-model machine.
The thing is, WandaVision was, for the most part, very intelligently constructed and loaded with surprises. With WandaVision’s showrunner Jac Schaeffer back for Agatha All Along, the latter is no different in that regard. For a heartbeat, you might think otherwise, as Agatha All Along opens with a Mare of Easttown themed episode that just retreads WandaVision’s TV Genre of the Week formula. However, this opening, with Episode 2, are simply laying the foundation for Parts 3 and onwards, which are very much their own beast.
You see, before anything else, Agatha needs to break free of the delusion Wanda left her under, and assemble a coven of witches who have something to gain by braving the deadly Witches’ Road. In Agatha’s case, her proclaimed heart’s desire is the return of her stolen magic.
To start with, Agatha’s coven includes potions master Jennifer Kale (Sasheer Zamata); protector witch Alice Wu-Gulliver (Ali Ahn); divination expert Lilia Calderu (Patti LuPone); and green witch Sharon Davis/Mrs Hart (Debra Jo Rupp). Rounding out the mismatched collective are the mysterious, unhinged Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza), who has an undisclosed history with Agatha; and Teen (Joe Locke), a goth teenager immersed in witchcraft and shielded by an identity-protecting sigil.
As Agatha All Along settles into its basic structure of a series of Trials – essentially a set of magical escape rooms that test each member of the coven – the show develops its own identity. Agatha All Along is quirky, campy, comedic, emotionally affecting, musical, and unnerving in equal measure. For the record, the latter is primarily served up by The Salem Seven, a vengeful band of witches whose contorted, unnatural movements tap into the same sense of discomfort provoked by demonic possession media.
The two absolute best things about Agatha All Along, though?
One: No deep knowledge of MCU lore is required. It certainly will help if you’ve seen WandaVision to grasp all the references, but apart for Agatha, Mrs Hart and a few cameo appearance from WandaVision supporting players, the show is populated with new characters. You don’t need to be up to speed with every Marvel movie and series released since 2008. Hell, if you were unaware of it, you wouldn’t probably even associate the supernatural-driven show with the usual costume-wearing, world-saving superhero crowd… which brings us to the next point.
Two: The show has found its own fan coven, and it’s a very different group to the usual MCU crowd. To be fair, on-screen Marvel always seems to have broader, more mainstream appeal than, say, Star Wars, so it’s possible to go out on a limb and claim that its fanbase is generally more pleasant and less hyper-protective to begin with. That said, with Agatha All Along featuring a cast of older women and queer characters, the show has drawn an audience that mirrors those side-lined demographics. Over the past several weeks, social media has been full of passionate Agatha enthusiasts spouting theories and expressing their shared love for the show. That reaction has been heartening to witness in a typical sea of social negativity and gloom.
Even better, after initially picking up their pitchforks and torches, the naysayers and culture wars mob seem to have lost interest in Agatha All Along, or simply couldn’t find anything to rant about. It’s hard to, when the series has received consistent, if not actually climbing, acclaim. Plus, Episode 7: Death’s Hand in Mine is arguably one of the finest ever onscreen depictions of a character existing outside of chronological time.
It’s dangerous to oversell Agatha All Along. It won’t be for everyone, and with episodes typically clocking in at 40 minutes – and some barely touching half an hour – there is a definite sense of rushing at times. Audiences would have been happy to spend more time with all these characters, and that is denied in certain cases. Plus, this article has been written before watching the two-part finale, and by the sounds of it, Agatha All Along suffers from the same wild and not entirely satisfying sprint to the end that affected the conclusion of WandaVision.
Still, flaws aside, Agatha All Along is fresh, smart and different. Proving what can be accomplished with well-thought-out creative at every level, it has arrived at the perfect moment to reignite excitement in the MCU after a few years of escalating superhero fatigue. This when the small and big screen Marvel line-up is looking stacked for 2025.
P.S. You’ll be able to buy your very own Agatha All Along Tarot Deck, modelled on the cards used by Lilia in the series, from July next year. Pre-order here.