Agatha All Along Eps. 1 & 2 Review: Hahn's Incredible Range Shines

Posted in: Disney+, Marvel, Review, TV | Tagged: agatha all along, marvel, WandaVision

Agatha All Along Eps. 1 & 2 Review: Hahn's Incredible Range Shines

Kathryn Hahn's range strikes the perfect balance between powerfully comedic and dramatic performances in the premiere of Agatha All Along.

Published Thu, 19 Sep 2024 14:37:08 -0500
by Tom Chang
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The first two episodes of Marvel Television's Agatha All Along transition the tone from WandaVision to forging its separate and unique identity. The canvas that they provide series star Kathryn Hahn is the key to making this all work. The premiere episode "Seekest Thou the Road" blends the initial zaniness from WandaVision, where creator Jac Schaeffer, who created both shows, clearly tapped her inspiration from the gritty HBO crime procedurals like Mare of Easttown and True Detective. The following contains minor spoilers.

Agatha All Along Shows Why Kathryn Hahn Deserves to Lead a Season of 'True Detective'

When we find Detective "Agnes," she is led to a mysterious body the audience never sees. It follows the familiar overworked protagonist character – like from the Brad Ingelsby series – where Hahn is about as grizzled and cynical as Kate Winslet's Mare Sheehan. As we get to know her on the job, some things get trickled in, shades of the life Agatha had before Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) took it away in the WandaVision finale.

The bulk of the premiere does a wonderful job with misdirection and tone before the layers of the story start to peel away like an onion. We then get introduced to Aubrey Plaza's character, Rio Vidal, who establishes she's "Agnes'" rival before we discover more of the true nature of their relationship. When we hit the second episode, "Circle Sewn with Fate Unlock Thy Hidden Gate," the pieces start coming together even more (at a pace that I appreciated), with Agatha finally breaking the spell with assistance from Rio and Joe Locke's mysterious character.

After appealing to Rio's ego with the idea that they can have a formal fight when Agatha's magic and strength return, she starts her journey to recruit her coven, which will help restore her powers. Suffice it to say, we find Agatha wasn't exactly loved and adored within magic circles. We're introduced to the supporting characters, and there's enough to go around where each cast member gets a chance to stand out and clearly establish the roles that their respective characters will play in the coven – at least for now. The three standouts aside from Hahn are Plaza, Locke, and Sasheer Zamata, who plays potions expert Jennifer Kale. Nothing gets bogged down and Hahn shines devilishly opposite Plaza, especially in their intense choreographed scene.

Locke has that eager enthusiasm matched by his lost puppy curiosity and inquisitive nature. It's a great start to the series and an unexpected bold decision Disney allowed creatively early in the episode that tells me there are no strings holding back the creative team – which is refreshing. Agatha All Along also stars Ali Ahn, Patti LuPone, Maria Dizzia, Debra Jo Rupp, Paul Adelstein, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and Okwui Okpokwasili and streams on Wednesdays on Disney+.

Agatha All Along Eps. 1 & 2: "Seekest Thou the Road" & "Circle Sewn with Fate Unlock Thy Hidden Gate"

Review by Tom Chang

8/10

Director and creator Jac Schaeffer does a wonderful job shifting audiences from the WandaVision world to the more serialized format of Agatha All Along. It's hard not to be excited with the sandbox that Kathryn Hahn and Aubrey Plaza get to "play" in - and they make the most of it. Joe Locke has this organic curiousity to him, with Locke and Hahn setting the tone for the series.

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