Agatha is back! On Wednesday, September 18 the WandaVision spinoff Agatha All Along hit Disney+ with a two-episode premiere. The series, which sees Kathryn Hahn reprising her role as the titular witch, has already seen a slew of reviews for the Marvel show that also stars Joe Locke, Patti LuPone, and Aubrey Plaza.
In the series, the infamous Agatha Harkness finds herself down and out of power after a suspicious goth Teen helps break her free from a distorted spell. Her interest is piqued when he begs her to take him on the legendary Witches’ Road, a magical gauntlet of trials that, if survived, rewards a witch with what they’re missing. Together, Agatha and this mysterious Teen pull together a desperate coven, and set off down, down, down The Road.
The series is directed by Jac Schaeffer, Rachel Goldberg, and Gandja Monteiro and is executive produced by Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Mary Livanos, Jac Schaeffer, and co-executive produced by Trevor Waterson. Find out what critics think below!
Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter: “So the scripts rush through the supporting players’ backstories, hand-wave away the details of lore and favor big splashy moments over intricate world-building. To the latter point, this show loves itself a musical moment, and even manages to deliver a real earworm of a portal-opening ballad thanks to Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez. But Agatha All Along lacks the patience and the curiosity it needs to truly make its story sing.”
Erik Kain, Forbes: “So far, I’m pleasantly surprised and I genuinely hope the show continues to be a fun little witchy adventure. Hahn, Plaza and the rest of the cast are a lot of fun, and the pieces are in place for a fresh new story in the MCU.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian: “Although it remains indubitably Hahn’s show – you can’t take your eyes off her as she constantly edges up against scenery-chewing without ever going too far – she is surrounded by excellence. The coven and more peripheral characters (many of whom are returning from WandaVision) don’t have a weak link, and the script is burnished to a high shine and slips seamlessly from comedy to tragedy and back again. There is plenty of action, but plenty of depth too. It’s the perfect show for Halloween season, but an absolute treat any time at all.”
Alison Herman, Variety: “Even when the mechanics of its story aren’t entirely clear to the audience, “Agatha All Along” is never less than thoroughly enjoyable. There’s a sense of fun, not to mention consistent episodic structure, in the coven’s journey down the Road, punctuated by Agatha’s tantrums and waystations set-designed to the gills.”
Joshua Yehl, IGN: “Agatha All Along is a seriously sinister good time that brings back the MCU’s very own wicked witch of Westview, Agatha Harkness. The show is a worthy successor to WandaVision, not only because it gives us more TV parodies and catchy songs, but also its sharp writing, intriguing mysteries, and colorful characters.”
Kelly Lawler, USA Today: “‘Agatha’ is trying to do too many things at once. Buried deep somewhere is a good horror series about Agatha’s journey with real scares and perhaps a mythology that’s understandable. But in true Marvel fashion, more and more stuff just keeps getting piled on the base story. A famous actor here. A new song from the “Frozen” writers over there. A full season premiere re-doing ‘WandaVision’ just to start off with everything as confusing as possible.”
Rachael Sigee, BBC: “If there is occasionally a chilliness to Marvel productions – the green-screen work and sprawling spectacle distracting from character and emotional heft – Agatha proves that there’s no substitute for good old-fashioned chemistry. This is a cast that is deeply – and often literally, thanks to the songs – in tune and evidently delighted to deliver a magical romp of a show that is as willing to get silly as it is dark.”
Mike Hale, The New York Times: “They can’t turn base narrative into gold, though, and “Agatha All Along” slogs down its chosen path, with the coven squabbling and bonding through a series of frenetic but unexciting trials. The virtues of the theme of female empowerment are outweighed by the tired, generic story lines.”
Belen Edwards, Mashable: “That excitement may start slow in Agatha All Along’s earlier recruitment stages, but by the end of the first four episodes sent to critics for review, it was at a fever pitch. Here is a Marvel show that’s unafraid to be campy, kooky, and weird, that ditches the “eight-hour movie” formatting of other MCU series and embraces the episodic power of TV that WandaVision harnessed so well. Add that to the dream team of Hahn and her coven, and you’ve got a show that’s nothing short of magic.”
Christian Holub, Entertainment Weekly: “For now, Agatha All Along makes a fun enough Halloween season watch for those who love witchy classics like Practical Magic and The Craft, but won’t strike most Marvel fans as essential viewing.”
| Photo Credit: Chuck Zlotnick |
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