One of the great struggles in modern filmmaking is what to do with great supporting characters. Sometimes, it's easy; a new series can be made where they're heroes in their own right with a new story, and they can go on a journey that leads them from who we fell in love with to a greater version thereof.
When they're not a hero, though — when they're a lovable amoral scamp or a villain — things get more complicated. We want to see these characters in their own stories, but to tell those stories, the characters need to learn and grow, and, more often than not, they end up on a similar journey to their hero's, but it shifts them toward being someone different.
Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) was one of the antagonists of 2021's WandaVision, an amoral witch manipulating the hero to steal their powers for herself. She's a compelling character, and Hahn clearly had a blast playing her. It wasn't long before people started talking about her getting a series of her own. Marvel responded with Agatha All Along, a series that predictably suffers from the aforementioned problem, at least so far.
The series picks up three years after WandaVision, with Agatha still trapped in Westview. We learn that, when Wanda Maximoff stripped her of her powers and identity, Agatha became trapped in a television-based delusion much like Wanda herself was, except rather than a surreal but fun sitcom, it's an obvious pastiche of HBO's Mare of Eastown. Of course, she can't stay in this delusion, so after some coaxing from Aubrey Plaza's Rio, she reclaims her personality but needs to go on a quest to reclaim her lost power. To do so, she needs to assemble a coven, because no witch can walk the fabled Witch's Road alone.
The first four episodes (out of nine total) Marvel provided critics delivers an uneven structure and takes forever to get moving. The first two episodes, which includes Agatha busting out of psychic jail and assembling her band, are particularly exposition-heavy and suffer from some clunky writing choices. At one point, Agatha tells someone one of her weaknesses, seemingly only because that character needs to know what that weakness is in a later scene.
It's frustrating that the script often feels like it's one or two editing passes away from being great, or at least one away from figuring out how to avoid certain contrivances. In the episode where Agatha gets a coven together, it's implied that this should be difficult because no one trusts her and witches aren't necessarily around, but Agatha only has to drive about 30 minutes out of town, and everyone she approaches joins the quest with minimum fuss.
Once the witches hit the road, the series picks up. The group has to face a number of challenges, each one suited to one of their defined skill sets (one is a warrior, one is a potions brewer, one specializes in divination, etc.). Each challenge gives them a unique setting (including wardrobe), attempting to give every episode a unique feel like WandaVision did, which works on an aesthetic level but not so much in tone or vibe.
All of that being said, the series is still mostly fun once it actually gets moving. Hahn has some great moments as Agatha, but her character suffers the most from the uneven writing, as the scriptwriters don't seem to have nailed down how the character is going to evolve, at least in the first four episodes. Still, Hahn is an excellent performer and she elevates the material constantly.
The rest of the coven is a blast, too. Joe Locke, Sasheer Zamata, Ali Ahn, Debra Jo Rupp, Patti LuPone and Aubrey Plaza each bring something unique to the table. Locke's mysterious "teen" character is a magic fanboy, and he is remarkably endearing as the naïve kid who believes in the innate goodness of people. Lupone's divination witch Lilia takes up the "jaded elder" mantle of the group, and she has a lovely chemistry with Zamata, with whom she bickers constantly.
Aubrey Plaza brings her trademark deadpan vibe to the material as Rio, a witch with whom Agatha has a shared past. It's Debra Jo Rupp, though, who steals every one of her scenes. I can't say why because it would be a spoiler, but she has an energy that suits her character well and leads to some fun moments.
Agatha All Along isn't the best-written thing Marvel has produced, but it's far from the worst. The characters and performances are fun once the quest finally starts, and, after four episodes, I'm curious to find out what happens next.
Disney+ series have a reputation for flaming out before their finales, though, and that's a worry that persists in the back of my mind, but there's enough here (at least in Episode 3 and 4) to keep the viewer on board, and enough to fuel the TikTok recappers and YouTube outrage vloggers through Christmas.
Agatha All Along was never going to change the comic book adaptation landscape. It's super uneven and not exactly original, but not a disaster either. Fans of WandaVision will find a lot to like in the tone and aesthetic in Agatha All Along, as well as callbacks to that series in the village of Westview.
At a minimum, these first few episodes — and watching Kathryn Hahn and Aubrey Plaza competing to see who can be the biggest hambone — have intrigued me enough to carry on.