The latest offering from Marvel has arrived with the Disney+ series Agatha All Along which stars Kathryn Hahn as the title character who finds herself still impacted from the events of WandaVision and lacking her powers after awakening from a spellbound reality.
When a mysterious teen (Joe Locke), enters her life; Agatha attempts to walk the dangerous Witch’s Road in an effort to regain her lost powers. Since Agatha is the only person who has successfully completed the walk and lived to tell the tale; she organizes a hastily assembled Coven made up of those who are down on their luck and lacking ability. While they all deeply distrust Agatha, forces compel them to embark on the deadly mission where they will face unique challenges that will require their special skills in order to survive.
I was given advanced access to screen the first four episodes of the series and I was captivated him start to finish. While I’ve enjoyed the Marvel series: I have often found them to be lacking the impact of their cinematic brethren as despite the high production values; the dramatic emphasis doesn’t hit quite the same for me when it’s spread out over several episodes versus a 2 1/2 to 3 hour movie.
This series takes its time to introduce the characters and Hahn is absolutely over-the-top with their gleeful and maniacal portrayal of the selfish and power obsessed Agatha. As the series unfolds; we learn more about her mysterious past including some shocking choices she made in the pursuit of power.
Aubrey Plaza plays Rio Vidal who clearly has a history with Agatha and loads her to the point that she wishes her dead while unable to kill Agatha due to ancient rules; she certainly is not about attacking her when the opportunity arises and telling her that she wants to leave her wishing for death.
The ensemble cast works really well with one another and I was pleasantly surprised at the inclusion of musical numbers along the way which delighted me but in no way detracted from the darker and more ominous tone of the series.
I look forward to seeing how the rest of the season unfolds because this was simply the most enjoyable Marvel series in recent memory from my viewpoint.
The series airs on Disney+ starting on September 18th.
