Agatha All Above Average
Before I get into the meat of the spoiler-free review, let me say that the Disney+ series Agatha All Along is quite good, based on the four episodes of the nine-episode show I got to preview. But it does have one flaw that it can’t avoid — it isn’t its parent, the amazingly innovative WandaVision. “Of course not, silly,” you may say, “it is its own thing.” And yes, you, that is correct, except Agatha All Along is a spinoff that makes it very clear it is born from that parent. And while it does quickly find its own tone and voice, when you use the language of your parent, you invite comparison. Simply put, as much fun as it is, Agatha All Along isn’t as innovative as WandaVision.
That, however, is about the show’s only weakness. Read on to find out what works, what works really well, and what barely misses. Again, no spoilers.
Chief among what works for the new show is the cast. The standout is Patti LuPone, which shouldn’t be a surprise. The three-time Tony award-winning Broadway actress brings a level of subtlety to a role that could be played mostly as camp (stick a pin in that thought for later). Joe Locke as the character only (so far) identified as “Teen” is excellent in a role that is based almost entirely on the mystery of who the character is. (Wait, is it a spoiler to tell you that by the end of Ep. 4 you don’t find out the answer to the mystery that everybody excited for this show is waiting for?)
Aubrey Plaza also brings subtlety (and camp) to the role she has been typecast as at this point — the adorable psychopath. And the rest of the cast ranges from good to great. Which brings us to Agatha herself, Kathryn Hahn. Initially Hahn just skates along the line of tongue-in-cheek camp, when every else around her is playing it dead straight. Once the show finds its own tone, Hahn does as well, and — there’s a theme building here — brings a subtlety to Agatha that was sorely missing from WandaVision.
All of that means the writing of those characters has to allow for the subtleties the actors are bringing to the table, and it sure does. Agatha in particular has gone from a one-note (albeit a spectacular note) villain to a much more complex character. But don’t think that making her more complex is done by “softening” a character that was previously just a power-hungry murderer. If anything, this Agatha might be even more reprehensible as we know more about her past.
Sticking with what works, we get to the production design. Like its parent show, Agatha All Along features multiple creative set designs and costume changes, but for very different reasons (mostly) than WandaVision. All of them work and are well executed. The pacing and direction of each episode is solid, and no episode outstays its welcome. At around 35 minutes per, that’s not a surprise, since when you take away the roughly 10 minutes of end credits, you get a tight 25-minute episode runtime — surprisingly close to an average anime show episode length.
In the realm of what works really well are two specific aspects of the performances. Already mentioned is LuPone, and almost everything she does is mesmerizing. Then there is the interplay between Plaza and Hahn, which is often absolutely electric. I don’t want to give out any details of how or why this works because that might be spoiler territory, but man is it a blast to watch them act off each other.
Finally, we get to what barely misses. Again, I call back to something already mentioned — Hahn’s borderline ironic interpretation of her role early on. It’s a great performance that just isn’t in tune with what any of the other actors are giving. Well, maybe one more but it’s not a major role. Then we get to some of the effects. Marvel Television has made a big deal about how the sets and effects were “all practical” and for the most part that is clearly true. And done so much better than in The Acolyte. But it is also clearly false when there are a few points in which some sort of green screen or compositing or even the Volume is used to expand the practical set into a deeper field of view. And those moments, as good looking as they are, clearly show the use of that special effect in a slightly jarring way. A “making of” promotional video from Marvel seems to clearly show the Volume being used, or some updated form of rear screen projection. But I couldn’t find any verification of that. It’s not bad, but it’s definitely not Season One of The Mandalorian good either.
When I say these weaknesses barely miss, I mean it. Agatha All Along is more than just a fun ride into a hardly explored side of the Marvel universe, it is an incredibly well acted, often surprisingly subtle look into a truly complex character. Showrunner and creator Jac Schaeffer, who also created and was showrunner on WandaVision, has another hit on her hands.
I give Agatha All Along (Marvel Television; TV-14; 9 eps.) a 3.5 out of 5.
