TV Review - Agatha All Along Eps 1-3

 

Agatha Harkness in her various guises was the breakout star of WandaVision three years ago and is now back with her own spin off. It’s a fun show that revels in its witchiness so expect high camp, scary moments, and lots of knowing references. Anchored by Kathryn Hahn’s delightfully broad range of gestures and expressions and a script that leans into spooky lore the first three episodes are top class. You don’t necessarily need to have seen anything else, even WandaVision, though I suspect that it is fans of that show who will be most attracted and I don’t think they will be disappointed.

Spoilers beyond this point

The series begins in similar mode to its parent with Agatha assuming she is a detective called Agnes in a Scandi noir drama. The fake credits designate the show as "based on the Danish series Wandavisyen! an early gag that sets the irreverent tone.  Agnes's investigations poke fun at the tropes of the genre and like WandaVision it takes a while for the fiction to be punctured by outside forces. Kathryn Hahn she takes the cliché of the loner bitter police officer to the nth degree and you almost wish they could run with it for more than one episode but it does ease the move between the two series. She has most of the screen time, the other witches don’t really turn up till part two, and she gives an eccentric performance that reminds us why we enjoyed her work in WandaVision so much. Its an interesting turn to have her as essentially the protagonist of this series but both actor and script ensure that Agatha has not lost her wayward tendencies. There are several occasions across the three episodes when Agatha either tries to dodge something, pushes someone else into a risky situation or is insincere. It keeps the character’s edge which is important and sets the comedic tone. 

As Agatha begins to realise that she is not Agnes the detective, pushed by a teenage burglar and then an encounter with a woman she hates but doesn’t know why, the stage is set for her to try to rediscover her powers by way of the Witches Road. Aubrey Plaza makes her presence felt as the Green Witch and their confrontation which ends up as a sort of negotiation as Agatha has no powers is a refreshing change. 

The Witches Road is a mystical place that must be summoned via a song sung by a full coven so part two involves Agatha and Teen finding the witches to walk the road. The latter is a mystery character and whenever he tries to say his real name or give any personal details it is redacted. He’s played by Joe Locke from Heartstopper with an impressive American accent (in real life he is very English). The recruitment scenes are packed with gags and nods to things we may already know and introduce a gaggle of actors, each with a particular penchant. This is an archetypal story of a group of mismatched individuals on a quest and they are a most unusual group consisting of middle-aged women who have each lost something and hope that they can get it back. Plus, they are all familiar faces to some audiences.

I really like the performances, especially Debra Jo Rupp whose character Sharon is a last-minute recruit and not even a witch. Her bewildered reaction to what is happening is a good counterpoint to the others. Sharon is dotty and prone to accidents while still thinking she’s been invited to a party even when they find the road! She appears to die at the end of part three but I hope not. The legendary Patti Lu Pone's role so far is less prominent but I’m sure that will alter. As the sorceress (and candle shop owner!) Jennifer Kale, Sasheer Zamata makes good use of her standup comedy background to provide a feisty push and pull with Kathryn Hahn.

Alison Ahan plays Alice with a such a reluctant look as if the character does not want to be there and gets some good moments. By far the least experienced cast member Joe Locke holds his own in such esteemed company. Gifted a larger role than I expected he would have Teen is a pivotal enabler for the story and, you suspect, he will turn out to be Agatha’s long lost son. Or at least that what an important scene in part three suggests to us.

The series deftly juggles the serious, the conceptual and the silly with aplomb. There are plenty of memorably barbed lines- "I haven't seen you since I made a point of not running into you" - as the group banter and bicker in equal measure. Its sort of like the most inane coffee morning group ever! Yet when it needs to be the show can be creepy- the sequence of the empty morgue is disturbingly rendered while the cadre of cape wearing ghouls who attack the house are genuinely scary.

Visually the Witches Road is deceptively fairytale light in appearance. An impressive studio set it winds into the distance conjuring up a certain yellow brick example though here the colour of the surface is predominantly blue. To reach the end the group have to undergo trials and episode three focuses mostly on the first of these inside a well-appointed house that looks like somewhere from Grand Designs but where some poisoned wine creates a time sensitive dilemma to save one of their number. This is given oodles of tension as it builds up with the regular surroundings not being quite as they seem. The later reveal that the house us now underwater adds to this atmosphere. Never has so much happened from opening a bottle of wine!

Only three episodes are available so far, its being dropped each week with the last two parts on 30 October. This first third of the series is a strong start and provided the tests the coven encounter are as riveting as the initial one it should sail through to become another successful Marvel show.