Disney+ launched in November 2019 and became the place for DET to create television expansion series for their various properties. The first original series on the platform was The Mandalorian, a series in The Star Wars universe, but they already announced multiple series in connection with their Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). These would not be the first TV series connected to the MCU, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. famously tied in the HYDRA uprising that was revealed in Captain America: The Winter Soldier only days after the film’s release, but they would mark the first on Disney+. WandaVision wound up the first series to launch this new phase of Marvel television, and it did so with a show heavily rooted in television, with many of the episodes paying homage to classic sitcoms. Many classic sitcoms, for better or worse, had spin-offs of beloved supporting/guest characters, so it is fitting that WandaVision, which drew inspiration from these shows, would have a similar result. Agatha All Along, which aired its series finale this past week, centered on the breakout character Agatha Harkness (played by Kathryn Hahn), who was last seen in WandaVision getting stripped of her powers.
In WandaVision, when Agatha revealed she was the only resident of Westview not truly affected by Wanda’s hex and had been playing along as “Agnes” to attain more power, which backfires. We meet her in Agatha All Along, stripped of her power and fully under Wanda’s parting spell to her, fully believing herself to be “Agnes of Westview,” a homage to Mare of Easttown. This served as the perfect bridge between WandaVision and Agatha All Along because, while it also played a spin on the TV show theme from the original series, it also served as a full-circle moment. Agatha, who was unaffected by the original sitcom hex in Westview, is now the lone resident of Westview affected by the hex (though as we see the initial scenes through her POV, we don’t realize this until the POV flip). Additionally, having it be a detective series sets up Agatha All Along as being rooted in uncovering secrets. And, while it went with Mare of Easttown because the accent play works well for a comedic take, detective dramas are a good basis for procedural elements, and Agatha All Along was heavily structured episodically with the characters tasked to face a new challenge each episode.
This understanding of television structure makes both these series work so well. The episodes don’t feel like they’re part of one big movie, but rather, they can stand on their own while building towards the greater arc. Jac Schaeffer, who created both series, deserves a lot of credit for effectively navigating these waters, especially since there have been a few years and several MCU projects in between, it managed to stay an incredibly intimate narrative that focused on the ripples left behind by Wanda in Westview/Eastview and from Agatha’s life.
The whole series is a detective case, with clues spread throughout each episode that only become clear once you have collected them all. It takes until the finale to understand the greater significance of the earworm that “Agnes” whistles to herself in the first frames of the episode. While the actual plot mysteries were nicely plotted, with good twists and turns, the show also attempts to do some deception on some key characters. These are less effective, with it being fairly obvious from the start who these characters are based on their presentation to the audience, particularly that of the Teen (played by Joe Locke). The confirmation of his character, with the needle drop, more than makes up for how obviously it was tipped.
All episodes of Agatha All Along are available on Disney+.
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