Agatha All Along: quality over controversy

Beware: this article contains spoilers for WandaVision, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Agatha All Along. However, I’ve hidden the spoilers for Agatha All Along in pop-out info boxes. That way, if you’re still planning on watching the series, you can read on without worrying about ruining it for yourself.

Every time Marvel Studios makes a new live-action TV series, the TV gods seem to flip a coin. Heads means a gripping story and depth, while tails means mediocre special effects and lame characters. Sadly, the coin’s clearly landed on tails more often in recent years.

The second season of Loki was a glimmer of hope. Echo, on the other hand, was an utter snoozefest. Secret Invasion was a damp squib dressed up as a hard-hitting thriller. Moon Knight and Ms Marvel started strong. But then, as Gamestar’s Sören Diedrich put it so beautifully (in German), the series got lost somewhere between giant animal deities and colourful glitter battles with Djinn. And the less said about She-Hulk, the better…

Having belonged to Disney since 2009, the studio churned out nothing but superhero smash after superhero smash from 2010 to 2019. Since Endgame, however, all it seems to be good at are superficial characters, forced Disney Channel-esque gags and unnecessary political messaging.

Or am I mistaken?

More than just family entertainment

I hardly dared hope. But with Agatha All Along, the coin really has come up heads again. And I don’t seem to be the only one who thinks so. On Rotten Tomatoes, a database that collects film ratings from across the internet, the series gets a whopping 83-per-cent approval rating from both critics and audiences – more than the second season of Loki.

And that’s saying something.

The story begins pretty straightforward. Three years have passed since Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), the Scarlet Witch, robbed Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) of all her powers and banished her to a mind prison. The goal? To put a stop to Agatha’s evil doings for all eternity. But since Wanda died in Dr Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the prison has weakened. Just enough for a mysterious teenager (Joe Locke) to break in and free Agatha.

Together, they now have to enter the fabled Witches’ Road with a yet-to-be-founded coven of witches. If they survive the many miles of tricks and trials – as the ballad serving as both a warning and a guide goes – it won’t just be glory waiting for them at the end. It’ll be what they desire most: power.

Sounds exciting. And terrifying. Perfect for the darker days around Halloween. However, it also sounds like a story with potential to be royally screwed up. Especially when it’s unfolding on Disney+. A platform which, for better or worse, is geared towards family-friendliness. Is that really a good fit for a scary horror story?

Plus, we’re seeing another coven – a bit of a red flag since «the power of maaaany!». And queer actors in leading roles. Homoerotic relationships. Disney adding those points to its story checklist in a bid to demonstrate their new moral superiority, despite them neither making sense nor being necessary for the plot, is nothing new. I mean, remember Strange World? That’s exactly why I feared the worst before watching Agatha All Along.

But then…

Halfway through the season, things get dark – and there’s one twist after another

Nine episodes in, it’s clear to me that Agatha All Along’s never been as tame or as overtly political as I’d feared. Quite the opposite, in fact. The series is good. Really good. But not perfect.

After episode four, fellow editor Patrick Vogt and I were complaining over coffee that Agatha All Along has its dire moments. Such as when the Salem Seven begin pursuing the coven, bodies contorted, with spiders, maggots and worms bursting out of their mouths. But that’s another example of Marvel’s classically childish humour, which unnecessarily interrupts the gritty tone again and again.

Argh!

From the season’s halfway point onwards, however, the plot really turns up a notch. Penned by WandaVision writer and Agatha All Along showrunner Jac Schaeffer, the story’s dramatic, uncompromising – and actually really sad. Characters die. Several of them. The ballad warned of exactly that: those who fail to pass the tests will pay with their lives. At the same time, others find life…in a bittersweet way. I won’t give away any more than that.

There are also plot twists that even I, an old Marvel comic and series veteran, didn’t see coming. One of them actually made me want to start watching the series from the beginning and keep my eyes peeled for subtly hidden clues. Clues that suddenly seem so obvious that I wonder how I could’ve missed them. Those are the best twists.

It’s as if Marvel’s read my article about what’s going wrong for the MCU and taken it to heart. The Disney Channel humour dwindles until it disappears completely. As does my impression that Marvel’s trying to pander to an increasingly younger audience. The plot in general turns out to be much cleverer than I would’ve expected, especially in the second half of the series. And the new characters? They’re finally more than just brand ambassadors promoting Marvel’s next movie or series. I feel emotionally invested in their fates, and they leave me feeling moved.

What can I say? Marvel’s still got it after all. Even though it touches on controversial issues, leading to shitstorms and rage-baiting among fans and in (unfortunately increasingly toxic) internet discussion forums. This isn’t the case with Agatha All Along. Jac Schaeffer’s creation feels unique. Fresh and not overdone. All without the OTT multiverse shenanigans. Fans on most review portals have blessed it with very good ratings.

And that’s exactly how it should be.