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By Sophia Doshi
Judging by all of the TikTok edits I've come across of Agatha All Along, I'd venture to guess that many others enjoyed the series as much as I did. I absolutely need a prequel movie or series of Rio and Agatha's love story before she had Nicky. It's a beautiful queer love story that, for the first time in Marvel's long history, doesn't feel forced. This series gave me hope for Marvel's future because if they can take a character as obscure as Agatha Harkness and make her TV series better than that of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, we're heading in the right direction.
Image from Collider
Let's start with the Shutter Island-type of introduction we get to a spellbound 'Agnes Scratch' in episode one. I loved the eeriness of it and Kathryn Hahn would make a great CSI actress with her uniqueness and spunk. The way she grew emotional when seeing the victim/Wanda in the creek (which she pronounced '"crick"–some sort of dialect, perhaps) was touching, especially during these perilous times for women. I write this entry on Saturday, November 10, 2024. This past presidential election week has been tumultuous for everyone around the country and the world.
The detailing of Wanda's blackened fingertips, the corruption from the Darkhold, was what gave away the suspenseful identification for me. However, I must wonder how Wanda's spell on Agatha not break after she "died" in Multiverse of Madness (read my review for the film here). Was Wanda that powerful? this begs the question: did Wanda actually die or is Elizabeth Olsen taking a break from the MCU? I'm sure with her character's popularity, Kevin Feige will come to his senses and write her character back in (if Olsen is willing). I would love to see her in at least one more project, as my heart hurt when I heard her voice on the radio during the car scene in the show.
Alas. This blog isn't about Wanda, it is about Agatha. Yet both of these witches grapple with grief for their sons in their respective media. They're quite alike in many respects. They're just trying to cope with the loss of their sons, and in the process, the Darkhold corrupts them in some way. Wanda's mercy and Agatha's reputation ("They say she traded her firstborn son for the Darkhold."). I suppose it is just part of Agatha's character that she must maintain her fearsome reputation among the other witches.
Image from Medium
There's also the question of morality when it comes to Agatha. We accepted that Wanda had some justifiable reason for enslaving an entire town. Can we accept that Agatha killed generations of witches for the only obvious reason: power? There are theories, of course, about why she killed those witches: to keep Death at bay so she didn't have time to take Nicky, maybe she found them to be unworthy of walking the 'Road', this and that. There's no clear answer. Agatha toes the line between good and evil as an ideal anti-hero, and her arc is yet to be developed. I hope to see a Loki-level arc with Agatha in the next series.
I was shocked by the plot twist of Agatha having made up the Road with Nicky to con witches. We always strive to like the main characters in the shows we watch, but what Agatha did for centuries is villainous. There is no denying that she was evil, even though she turned into a redeemable character. It's hard to walk that line, and that means the writers behind locked doors did a fantastic job. Agatha was a woman in love with Death. She was always destined to walk the line and was eventually killed by it.
I find it interesting as well how the Witch's Road was Billy's Road...all along...haha. It is impressive how he created that hex-like simulation without the Avengers-level experience that Wanda had. It is quite extraordinary, the range of his untrained power. He is Wiccan, after all. Joe Locke did a great job portraying him, though it was funny seeing his transition from Heartstopper to the MCU. He is great in both roles.
Image from LA Times
Oh, and Rio, oh my goodness. I LOVE Aubrey Plaza, and similarly to Jennifer Lawrence, her personality and acting skills differ greatly. When she and Kathryn were on-screen, I didn't see two actresses; I saw two witches deeply hurt by each other, but still infatuated. The Rio-being-Death plot twist was rather predictable, especially because of the way Rio clawed her way out of the ground when the coven summoned her. Her character and powers were fantastic, nonetheless. I'm convinced Aubrey Plaza was waiting all that time to laugh like a witch because her laugh after "Congratulations, my love!" was so good. She needs to be in a dozen more MCU films because we have certainly not seen enough of her. The scene where Rio gives Agatha the 'kiss of death' and accepts her soul in place of Billy's was pure queer art.
I also loved the tangibility of the morals of each character during episode seven when they were in their witchy costumes in the castle. Lillia as the Good Witch (Glinda) from The Wizard of Oz, Jen as the Evil Queen from Snow White, Agatha as the Wicked Witch (Elphaba), and Billy as Maleficent. They fit their costumes well; Lillia at her core is a good person and a talented witch, and all she wanted to do was finish the road with her coven. Jen was always concocting products and potions that would allow her to stay young and healthy, as the Evil Queen does in Snow White. The Wicked Witch is known in almost all of the adaptations of The Wizard of Oz as being a power-hungry schemer with a passion for dramatics. Lastly, Billy feels betrayed by almost everyone in his life: Agatha, Wanda, the coven, and likely everybody else, so his costume is fitting (no pun intended).
My love for Sasheer Zamata as Jennifer Kale is insurmountable. Jen was so realistic and relatable, and with every twist and turn, she reacted exactly how I would react to the craziness on the Road. Hopefully, she'll reach a level of fame from walking the infamous Road that will bring her more popularity and gravitas.
Lilia Calderu? Patti LuPone! I love Patti LuPone. There's a video of her on the internet hungover and giving a very brief tour of her house. I found it on Facebook, here. I love her so much, please watch it. A fun fact before I continue: Aubrey Plaza lived with Patti while filming Agatha All Along to save money and make memories. What a dynamic duo.
Ali Ann played Alice Wu-Gulliver, the daughter of a former famous rockstar whose version of The Ballad to protect her daughter from the curse that Alice ended up defeating. We didn't get to see enough of her but the scenes she was in were a great demonstration of her willpower and courage. She, a protection witch, died protecting someone she valued.
To finish this long entry, I implore you to watch this show. It won't fail you. Marvel was having a tough time filling footsteps with the end of Phase one but they really did a number with this series. As a huge Marvel fan, I was not disappointed (words I was not expecting to write prior to watching the series). 9/10.
Cover image from Collider
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