In what is seemingly tradition now, Disney and Marvel sent the first four episodes of Agatha All Along, their latest Disney Plus show, for the press to preview. It’s enough to provide a small glimpse into what the series offers, but with Agatha, it’s a nine episode show, with many of the episodes running 40 minutes to an hour in length, meaning the first four episodes only really provide the basic setup of the series.
Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) returns in the series, which picks up after the events of WandaVision. Harkness is still under Wanda Maximoff’s (Elizabeth Olsen) spell, as the series begins with Agatha as a police detective. There are a few nods to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, as well as a name drop here and there that could get fans’ attention, but for the most part the first four episodes feel very detached from the rest of the MCU.
It’s likely there will be some sort of connection to the wider MCU by the end of the nine episode run, but for now all you really need to watch to understand what’s going on is WandaVision. Watching four episodes of Agatha means we’re not even halfway into the series. So far there’s a little bit of WandaVision flavor, but otherwise the show is very basic. Lilia Calderu (Patti LuPone) is the most interesting of the characters introduced up to this point, but the writing feels more like a CW show than a solid entry in the MCU.
Joe Locke plays a mysterious teen (that’s literally his name in the show… for now) who would fit right in on Arrow, or even Dawson’s Creek. Jennifer Kale (Sasheer Zamata) has a long and storied history in Marvel Comics, but her introduction into the MCU feels extremely limited at this point. Kathryn Hahn offers more of the Agatha Harkness who wowed audiences in WandaVision, but without the deceptive nature we saw of the character in that early Disney Plus show, even she feels a bit bland in comparison. Meanwhile, Aubrey Plaza feels as though she’s playing the same character she’s been playing for decades, only now she’s a witch.
The first episode in the series catches us up with Agatha after the events of WandaVision. The second episode is where the series truly begins for Agatha. Heading into the third episode, there was enough intrigue to keep my attention, but by the end of the fourth episode, I started to question where the show was heading. Almost nothing of real significance happened in the fourth episode, and if the series continues along those lines, there likely won’t be anything to hold audiences’ attention until the final episodes.
A mid-season lull has haunted many of the Disney Plus Marvel shows, but it’s too early to tell if the same fate will fall upon Agatha All Along. The first three episodes were a little basic, but decent enough. However, the fourth episode felt like more of the same. At this point, it’s easy to see the show continuing down the path the fourth episode presented until it gets close to the final episodes. If that happens, this could be another dud for Disney Plus and Marvel. Hopefully episode five or six will mix things up and provide something more to keep audiences entertained.
The first two episodes of Agatha All Along premiere on Disney Plus on September 18, with one episode following every week until October 30 when the final two episodes (eight and nine) will air. The show does feel spooky enough to binge watch on Halloween, but you’d have to be vigilant to avoid potential spoilers until then.
About Agatha All Along
Synopsis: A spell-bound Agatha Harkness regains freedom thanks to a teen’s help. Intrigued by his plea, she embarks on the Witches’ Road trials to reclaim her powers and discover the teen’s motivations.
Creator: Jac Schaeffer
Writers: Jac Schaeffer, Laura Monti, Jason Rostovsky, Giovanna Sarquis, Laura Donney
Stars: Kathryn Hahn, Joe Locke, Sasheer Zamata, Aubrey Plaza, Ali Ahn, Pattu LuPone
Number of Episodes: 9
Average Runtime: ~40 Minutes
Bryan Dawson has been writing professionally since the age of 13. He started his career as a video game writer and has since worked for Random House, Prima Games, DirecTV, IGN, AOL, the British Government, and various other organizations. For GNN, Bryan taps into his passion for movies.
