Mild spoilers for first two episodes of Agatha All Along
Agatha All Along, the highly-anticipated spinoff to Disney+’s WandaVision, came out on Wednesday, September 18. Marvel hasn’t had a hit movie or TV series in a hot minute, so a lot is riding on this one’s success. From early reviews, critics (and me, but more on that later) love it. They’ve called it “insanely fun,” “absolutely bats— crazy in all the right kinds of ways,” and praised lead Kathryn Hahn for nailing it. It’s also backed up by an amazing supporting cast that critics are loving as well.
Kathryn Hahn has made her grand return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the witch Agatha Harkness, and members of the press appear to be delighted. “Agatha All Along,” the nine-episode sequel series to 2021’s “WandaVision” is being called “insanely fun” and a “bewitching follow-up” in first reactions.
“The Movie Podcast” host Daniel Baptista called Hahn’s performance “spellbinding” and “deliciously devious.”
“[‘Agatha All Along’] is the PERFECT show for the spooky season and filled with BIG WITCH ENERGY,” Baptista wrote on X/Twitter. “Kathryn Hahn is iconic as ever and delivers a deliciously devious and spellbinding performance. Joe Locke is a scene stealer. This is the most fun you’ll have feasting on a show this year.”
Bam Smack Pow’s Michael Patterson said that the series is “absolutely bats— crazy in all the right kinds of ways.”
“Kathryn Hahn is a force, camping it up as Agatha Harkness like we all knew she would,” Patterson wrote on X. “The rest of the cast is also divine, and Joe Locke is a gem. Vivid, outlandish and brilliant.”
Many viewers also praised Joe Locke and Aubrey Plaza’s performances in “Agatha All Along.”
“The first 4 eps are a delightful mix of ‘Hocus Pocus’ & ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ with a hint of horror and loads of comedy,” ScreenRant’s Joseph Deckelmeier wrote on X. “This series is insanely fun and engaging. It’s got that same captivating vibe as ‘WandaVision.’ Absolutely love the ensemble cast portraying the Coven, and Kathryn Hahn is brilliant & Aubrey Plaza is outstanding.”
“Marvel has outdone themselves with [‘Agatha All Along’]!” said FanSided’s Cody Schultz. “It’s an absolutely bewitching follow-up to WandaVision with lots of fun Easter eggs along the way for fans Kathryn Hahn’s performance is perfection, Joe Locke is iconic & the full ensemble is spectacular. One of Marvel’s best!”
“Agatha All Along” picks up after the events of “WandaVision,” in which Agatha (Hahn) was left powerless thanks to Scarlet Witch, aka Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen). In a mission to get her sorceress powers back, Agatha creates a makeshift coven of her own but not every member has the same intention. Hahn is joined in “Agatha” by Locke, Patti LuPone, Plaza, Sasheer Zamata, Ali Ahn and Debra Jo Rupp. “WandaVision” showrunner Jac Schaeffer is behind the spinoff. Brad Winderbaum, Marvel Studios‘ head of streaming, television and animation, recently appeared on the “Official Marvel Podcast” and said “Agatha All Along” will only be fun for so long until it starts scaring viewers.
“‘Agatha’ is really fun, but it’s really scary. And it gets quite dramatic,” Winderbaum teased. “She’s an amazing anti-hero. It lures you in with the fun of Halloween, and before you know it, you’re crying. It’s a Marvel brand of scary. It’s a Halloween show. There are deadly stakes in this series. It’s a fun ride, but it’s a dangerous one.”
Y’all, I watched the first two episodes, and they’re really good. I wish I could binge the entire series at once because I have a feeling that we are not going to be disappointed. Kathryn Hahn is absolutely killing it as Agatha. She understands the campy-wicked-witch assignment and all Marvel fans really should be here for it. I’m also so intrigued by the backstory of each witch that Agatha recruited and especially want to know what the deal is with Joe Locke’s character, simply known as Teen. The Internet has theories, but I don’t think they’ve come together around one just yet.
I absolutely LOVED the scene where Agatha’s ragtag team of outcast witches sang together in harmony to unlock the door to The Road. Pump those Patti LuPone vocals into my veins, all day, every day. And what about Debra Jo Rupp’s Mrs. Hart? Is she under the same type of memory-affecting spell that Agatha was and Teen possibly is under? Aubrey Plaza kicked ass, too. After watching the first two episodes, I’m really excited for this show and just love how female-centric it is! I hope the rest of the season, which fittingly ends on October 30, is just as much fun as these first two episodes were.
Photos credit: Dave Starbuck/Future Image/Cover Images and Getty, PA Images/INSTARimages