The first two episodes of the Marvel miniseries centered on the WandaVision villain have been released on Disney+. But is it worth it?
Since Marvel got into the series with the astonishing and successful WandaVision In 2021, the studio’s streaming productions initially generated warm enthusiasm from fans before interest waned as the projects became increasingly bland (to the point of failure). Secret Invasion). This Thursday, September 19, the MCU is reborning a character from its first series for Disney+ in an attempt to reverse the trend.
In Agatha All Alongwhose first two episodes are already online, we follow Wanda and Vision’s enemy, the witch Agatha Harkness. Prisoner of the suburbs of Westview without power or memory, she seeks to become again the great witch she was able to become. Even if it means granting herself the help of a coerced coven (community of witches) and a gothic teenager whose identity is preserved by a strange spell.
So where is it located? Agatha All Along in the spectrum of Marvel series? To be honest, we didn’t expect anything from the four episodes we were able to discover before its release on Disney+, as no Marvel series had managed to rise to the rank of WandaVision in recent years. But Agatha All Along succeeds in creating a (good) surprise by proving to be extremely entertaining and very well-performing.
From the first episode, the link with WandaVision is created. Where the parent series paid homage to the universe of sitcoms to show how Wanda locked herself in a comforting and familiar world to avoid facing her grief, Agatha All Along begins with a parodic homage to the sticky police series True Detective…before abandoning the concept as soon as Agatha regains her memories in the middle of the first episode. And that’s all the better.
Because Agatha All Along has its own identity and stands out from WandaVision being a series of witches, Sabrina Or Charmed. Suspense, humor, a touch of fantasy… The series is irresistible and devilishly effective. Kathryn Hahn, who plays the anti-heroine, puts on a show and displays all the charm and repartee that we had already glimpsed in WandaVision. The rest of the characters, such as those played by Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) or Joe Locke (Heartstopper) are equally entertaining and colorful.
Drawing on the aesthetics of somewhat old school witch and wizard films, Agatha All Along also allows to explore a Marvel universe that was previously unknown to fans and that is beginning to be woven into it (the Seven of Salem, the Witches’ Road and its magical trials…) turns out to be delightful, although suffering from rather poor photography, like other productions of the studio in the past.
An entertaining and effective identity quest, always full of secrets and mysteries as Marvel loves (we can’t help but theorize about the characters’ true identities), Agatha All Along will appeal to Marvel fans looking for an entertaining series without any more pretensions. It remains to be seen what direction Agatha’s quest will take, which currently lacks the depth to become a notable series. A new episode is broadcast every Thursday on Disney+.
Now stripped of all power, the infamous Agatha Harkness is a shadow of her former self. Until the day a goth teenager helps her free herself from this convoluted spell. Agatha’s interest is piqued when he begs her to walk with him the legendary Witches’ Road, a mythical path made up of a series of magical trials that – if overcome – reward any sorceress with what she lacks.
What to remember before watching the series
Before you start Agatha All Alongit is not impossible that the finale of WandaVision seems far away. And for good reason, it was released on March 5, 2021. Here is a refresher to help you get started on your viewing. Destroyed by Vision’s death, Wanda Maximoff creates a force field around the town of Westview to ignore her grief and trauma and live in a fictional reality where her lover is still alive. Together, they also have two children, Tommy and Billy.
In this fictional reality, there is an omnipresent neighbor, Agnes, who turns out to be the Salem witch Agatha Harkness: it is she who pulls the strings and manipulates Wanda thanks to the “darkhold”, a grimoire that contains great evil power and allows to shape reality. Finally accepting her grief and renouncing everything she has created, Wanda becomes the Scarlet Witch and loses her family. At the end of WandaVisionAgatha is defeated by the Scarlet Witch and is forced to live in Westview as the invading neighbor, and without her powers. However, Wanda has taken over the “darkhold” and hears the voice of her telepathic son Billy calling for help, suggesting that they are still alive in a fictional universe.
While Agatha is not seen again in other Marvel productions, this is not the case for Wanda and her children. In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessthe Scarlet Witch uses the “darkhold” to control the powers of a young witch, America Chavez, and use them to find her sons in an alternate universe. At the end of the second part of Doctor Strangeaware of the harm she is causing to her alternate universe children, Wanda destroys all copies of the Darkhold across the multiverse and sacrifices herself.
Which actors are in the cast of Agatha All Along ?
- Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness/Agnes
- Emma Caulfield: Sarah Proctor/Dottie Jones
- Debra Jo Rupp as Sharon Davis/Ms. Hart
- Isabelle Fuhrman as Nicole Harkness
- Joe Locke: Heartstopper
- Patti LuPone: Lilia Calderu
- Aubrey Plaza
- Kate Forbes as Evanora Harkness
- David Payton as John Collins/Herb
- David Lengel as Harold Proctor/Phil Jones
- Asif Ali: Norm/Abilash Tandon
- Amos Glick: Dennis the Postman
- Brian Brightman: Westview Sheriff
- Tim Philipps as Nicholas Scratch
- Maria Dizzia
- Ali Ahn
- Sassheer Zamata
- Eric Andre
- Miles Guitierrez-Riley
- Okwui Okpokwasili
Agatha All Along is not broadcast on television and can only be seen in streaming. All you need is a Disney ++ account to discover the first season of the series from September 19, 2024. Remember that a subscription to the Disney + streaming platform is paid, and that the price varies between 5.99 euros per month (subscription with ads), 8.99 euros per month (standard subscription) and 11.99 euros per month (paid subscription).