Agatha All Along Review: A Much Needed Win for MCU Television

When Marvel first revealed Agatha Harkness’s true nature in WandaVision, she was a fresh spark in a world that has often gravitated toward heroic origin stories and epic battles. Agatha All Along taps into that spark, setting it ablaze with a story that is as twisted as it is enchanting. Set in a world where magic lurks in shadows and the stakes have never been higher, the series combines character-driven mysteries with a tale of power, sacrifice, and identity, creating a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) experience unlike any other.

The series opens in an unexpected way: Agatha, still ensnared in the Hex that once bound Westview, exists in a pocket reality warped by her own mind. With a crime drama feel, she takes on the role of a detective embroiled in a murder mystery. But this is no ordinary case. Joe Locke’s character, known only as Teen at first, arrives and triggers a series of events that unravel Agatha’s carefully guarded past. As they set out to find the Witches’ Road, a mythical path of trials offering power to those who survive, Agatha assembles a ragtag coven of witches, each bringing a unique strength and personality to the journey. It’s an unlikely team united by ambition, yet fractured by their own secrets and suspicions.

As Agatha and her new coven travel the treacherous Witches’ Road, the show balances a complex, character-driven plot with nods to iconic witch aesthetics. Each trial is inspired by cultural touchstones of the occult, with witches garbed in the Bohemian styles of Stevie Nicks or drawing from the gothic glamour of Maleficent. These trials, each as visually striking as they are perilous, offer a captivating look into how the myth of witchcraft has embedded itself in different ways across cultures and media. The Witches’ Road itself, dark and twisted, becomes a place where magic and danger intertwine—a setting that shifts according to the fears, desires, and even the subconscious of those who walk it.

While the series captures the thrilling uncertainty of each step down this magical path, it never loses sight of its characters. Agatha, portrayed once again by Kathryn Hahn, is ruthless, flawed, and captivatingly unpredictable. Hahn’s performance balances wickedness and charm, keeping us on edge as we see her manipulate the world around her without ever fully revealing her true intentions.

Her chemistry with Locke’s Teen is intriguing, especially as the series builds up to reveal his identity as Billy Maximoff, Wanda’s lost son. His quiet desperation to find his brother, Tommy, underpins each encounter, adding a somber layer to the show’s otherwise sinister tone. Together, Agatha and Billy are a study in contrasts: she’s selfish and hardened by her past, while he’s earnest, vulnerable, and grappling with a newfound power that he doesn’t yet understand.

The coven itself is composed of a memorable cast, although some of its members receive more attention than others. Patti LuPone’s Lilia Calderu stands out as a divination witch whose temporal disconnect brings a touch of tragedy to the show. Her arc is especially compelling; with each line, she hints at a larger understanding of the universe, her foreknowledge both a gift and a burden. Lilia’s tarot trial in the seventh episode, “Death’s Hand in Mine,” is one of the season’s most memorable moments. Here, we see her struggle to interpret a deadly tarot reading, each card pulling her closer to her fate. LuPone’s performance is strikingly evocative, and the tension in this scene reinforces the perils of the Witches’ Road, as well as the high cost of foresight. Other witches, like Ali Ahn’s protection witch Alice and Sasheer Zamata’s potion witch Jennifer, bring a mix of humor and tension to the group, although their storylines don’t reach the same depth. Zamata’s Jennifer, in particular, offers moments of levity that add a needed break from the show’s darker undertones, even if her arc remains secondary to the main plot.

As with many Marvel shows, Agatha All Along isn’t content to stay predictable. The coven’s journey is complicated by the arrival of Agatha’s former lover, Rio Vidal, played by Aubrey Plaza, who commands the power of the “Green Witch.” What starts as a subplot about romantic betrayal morphs into something far more menacing, as Rio reveals her true identity as Death itself, drawn to the Witches’ Road by an imbalance in the natural order.

Plaza brings a fierce energy to Rio, who oscillates between seduction and menace, ultimately serving as both a temptation and a threat to Agatha. In many ways, Rio embodies the price of power—something Agatha has pursued without thought for its consequences.

Yet, even Rio is given moments of empathy, a credit to Plaza’s nuanced performance.

The tension escalates with each trial, yet the series manages to retain a thread of mystery until its penultimate reveal. Billy’s sigil, which keeps his identity hidden, initially feels like a classic Marvel plot device, but it gains significance as it’s tied to his painful journey. His search for Tommy and Agatha’s memories of her lost son, Nicholas Scratch, bring a sense of poignancy to their relationship. And just when it seems Agatha’s selfish nature will win out, she chooses to sacrifice herself, allowing Billy to live on, free from Death’s grip. This moment, while powerful, is somewhat undercut by the twist that Agatha’s sacrifice isn’t entirely permanent. The final scenes of her as a ghostly figure joining Billy on his continued search for Tommy suggest that Marvel might not be ready to let her go entirely.

Despite some narrative pacing issues, the series succeeds in delivering a story that feels true to Agatha’s nature. Her manipulative tendencies remain intact, but she’s also given a depth that goes beyond villainy. Hahn’s performance, coupled with the unique, visually rich storytelling, grounds Agatha All Along in a distinct Marvel style that celebrates both the dark and the whimsical sides of magic.

By the time the series reaches its climax, the true nature of the Witches’ Road is revealed. The road, it turns out, is a construct of Billy’s reality-warping powers, a subconscious manifestation that Agatha had used to lure in unsuspecting witches over centuries. This twist recontextualizes the legend of the Witches’ Road as a clever device Agatha wielded in her quest for power, while also exposing the vulnerability of Billy’s desire for connection. This narrative choice, bold as it is, may not sit well with all viewers, especially given Agatha’s seemingly endless schemes. But it’s a fitting capstone to her character—a final, ironic twist in a story filled with deception.

Agatha All Along stands as a refreshing take on Marvel’s growing lineup of television shows. It’s a series that combines the eerie and the extravagant, using Agatha’s morally gray character to explore the costs of ambition and the allure of darkness.

The finale, though open-ended, serves as both a resolution and a promise of more to come—a testament to Agatha’s unrelenting nature. While it may not capture the lightning-in-a-bottle phenomenon of WandaVision, it successfully carves out its own darkly enchanting space in the MCU.