Agatha All Along Divalicious Review! Kathryn Hahn And The Girls Are Having A Witchy Time
By Caroline Cao | September 19, 2024 | Celebrity & Culture
Great villains trick the ignorant into doing the work for them. Yes, that’s the witch Agatha Harkness of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But she also has the childish attitude of a school snob who sits back and tries to fool her group to finish the project for her. And she’s so obvious about her ploy that they notice it but can only begrudgingly work with her.
That’s the vibe that Agatha’s actress Kathryn Hahn is going for. And she’s glorious in its own catty way.
Post-WandaVision, a magicless Agatha is looking to regain her powers. She also can’t do it alone. Hahn isn’t just shouldering the fun of the latest Disney+ MCU installment, Agatha All Along.
Being awakened from the Scarlet Witch’s spell, Agatha can ditch her suburban prison and recruit a coven of witches. Why get a coven? It’s required so she may venture into The Road. So she is joined by a likable Sasheer Zamata as the potions brewer Jennifer Kale, Ali Ahn as a sullen Alice Wu-Gulliver, Patti LuPone as the doltish divination Lilia Calderu, and Debra Jo Rupp as the hapless Sharon Davis (a poor suburban widow that Wanda manipulated earlier).
They’re also joined by charmingly bubbly Joe Locke as an unnamed Teen, a fanboy of the witches. He’s a gay guy who loves hanging with his adored gay icons and seems to carry a curse of vague qualities. Agatha seems intrigued by his mysteries enough to take him for the ride.
Agatha also has an old frenemy (or old flame?) in Rio Vidal, who Audrey Plaza imbues with growly sexuality. Plaza’s performance also seems to be a bar set for the Horny Levels in an MCU production. Agatha and Rio’s dynamic appears rooted in the aura of bittersweet history and severed affection.
At first, Agatha All Along throws you in for a “psyche!” opening that operates as shrewd exposition and character development—a priceless True Detective homage that plays with Hahn’s dramatic and comic range.
While it’s not as stringently experimental and committed as the genre-hopping WandaVision, Agatha still brews a cauldron of genre and setpiece surprises. Agatha can’t hog the spotlight; her Coven have their compelling backstories too. They take us along the Witches’ Road.
This review is based on viewings of episode 1-4 screeners. Agatha All Along is streaming on Disney+
Photo credit: Disney
