An MCU series worth watching but not prioritizing
It is finally the premiere of the next series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that in the form of “Agatha All Along”, a spinoff to “WandaVision” (2021). Here we get to follow Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness in her attempt to find her way back to her former glory, after the clash with Wanda Maximoff.
The new Marvel series “Agatha All Along” absolutely dripping with charm, with a lovely cast that works well together, plenty of humor and an abundance of wonderfully creative choices. But during the journey it is still impossible not to ask what the point really is here.
Agatha All Along is a spinoff that screams it’s a spinoff, afterthought and distraction from something bigger. In the end, it simply becomes difficult to justify anything more than a passing grade.
Photo: Disney+
The same playfulness as in “WandaVision” – but without depth
In “Agatha All Along” we follow the witch Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn)which we first got to know WandaVision (2021). In my opinion is WandaVision one of the few really successful ones MCU-project in the wake of Avengers: Endgame (2019). The series was a creative triumph with its focus on dealing with grief in a setting of the sitcom genre’s evolution through history.
Therefore, I felt both concern and hope for the new spinoff series Agatha All Along. On the one hand, it felt like an impossibility to imitate WandaVisionon the other hand it is again Jac Schaeffer behind the helm, so maybe there would be some unexpected surprises this time too?
Surprises indeed await on whoever sits down to watch Agatha All Along. When we step into the series, we do so in a true crime and Nordic noir satire that claims to be based on “the Danish series WandaVisdysen“. However, that facade is quickly shattered when Agatha is awakened from Wanda Maximoff’s spell by a mysterious teenager (Joe Locke) without name.
However, the return to reality is anything but peaceful for Agatha, who has been deprived of her powers and is being hunted by the most powerful of the witch world. The only solution to all her problems appears to be the so-called “Witch’s Road” – a magical street race of life-threatening trials that promise granted wishes if you make it to the end of the road. Agatha gathers a motley crew of witches together with the teenager and then they set off to walk the Witch’s Way.
Once the adventure begins, each new challenge offers more creative surprises, throwing us into different eras and genres. It offers everything from glimpses of horror to musicals and much of the playfulness that did WandaVision so successful is also in Agatha All Along. The big difference is that in this case it feels much more like a gimmick. IN WandaVision was the flirtation with the sitcom genre part of the world itself and a direct comment on what the main character was going through. IN Agatha All Along had all the creative detours been filed away without significantly affecting the plot. At least during the journey.
The world we are welcomed into i Agatha All Along in other words, is quite lovely to stay in, but it lacks a depth that was there WandaVision.
Aubrey Plaza as Rio Vidal in “Agatha All Along”. Photo: Disney+
MCU stamp hampers ‘Agatha All Along’
The charm flows in “Agatha All Along” and it is amplified of that Hahn, Aubrey Plaza and the rest of the ensemble are allowed to take turns, but in addition to a lack of weight, the series also suffers from its MCU stamp. We are reminded every now and then that the series is part of Marvel’s film universe, but mainly as something on the periphery. It leads to a feeling that the series isn’t allowed to fully stand on its own two feet, while also making it hard to see its purpose in the wider MCU world.
Either had Agatha All Along needed to play harder on its connection to the MCU, or it should have been toned down entirely. The middle-of-the-road that the series is in now means that in the end I can’t help but find the whole thing a bit pointless.
By all means watch “Agatha All Along” if you like the MCU, witches, or fantasy with charm, but don’t feel pressure to make the series a priority. The series is now available for streaming Disney+.
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