‘Agatha All Along’ review: ‘WandaVision’ sequel lacks the same spark

TV review

It would be hard to top Disney+’s “WandaVision,” its first Marvel series that remains its best Marvel show largely because it eschewed the worst Marvel impulses (those CGI-powered showdowns). “WandaVision” deftly aped the conventions of multiple decades of American TV for a nostalgia-fueled unraveling of the mystery of how episodes styled after “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and “The Brady Bunch” fit into the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Disney+’s sequel series, “Agatha All Along” (from the same writer as “WandaVision,” Jac Schaeffer), has some appeal, but it’s not as creative as “WandaVision” and threatens to feature the same plot over and over, episode after episode.

“Agatha” begins by again plopping viewers into a familiar milieu — this time, a contemporary crime drama called “Agnes of Westview” (a play on the title of HBO’s “Mare of Easttown”). This “Agnes” program is based on a faux Danish series, “Wandavisdysen”; see what they did there?

In this rendering that again plays on TV stereotypes, Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) is known as Agnes O’Connor, a hard-charging cop with no personal life who’s mourning the loss of her son. But even early on it’s clear Agnes realizes something isn’t quite right. (Take note of the tune Agnes hums in the premiere’s opening moments.)

But unlike “WandaVision,” which kept the ruse going over multiple episodes inspired by different decades of TV situation comedies, “Agatha” dispenses with the crime show device almost immediately. By the end of the 35-minute first episode, Agnes comes to realize she’s actually Agatha, still trapped in Westview after Wanda put a spell on her at the end of “WandaVision.”

There are elements in the first “Agatha” episode that might be confusing for viewers who haven’t seen the 2020 Marvel film “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (my children had to clue me in on some precursor MCU events). But mostly “Agatha All Along” stands as its own story. Two episodes are now streaming; the remainder of the nine-episode season will drop weekly on Disney+ on Wednesdays. (The last two episodes drop together on Oct. 30.)

In the premiere, Agatha also encounters Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza, snarkily charming as always), who initially presents as Agnes’ FBI agent rival. The pair have an adversarial relationship and clearly share a past, but specifics remain murky through the four episodes Disney+ made available for review.

After she encounters a teenager (Joe Locke, “Heartstopper”) who she refers to only as Teen, Agatha spends Episode 2 gathering a coven of witches that includes Lilia (Patti LuPone), Jennifer (Sasheer Zamata), Alice (Ali Ahn) and non-witch Mrs. Hart (Debra Jo Rupp). They embark on a “Wizard of Oz”-style journey along The Witches’ Road in Agatha’s quest to reclaim her powers. “The road promises that what’s missing awaits you at its end,” Teen tells Agatha, after revealing he’s a superfan. “Power is what I’m missing. Sounds like it’s what you’re missing, too.”

Hahn is a hoot, clearly relishing the opportunity to return to a character who’s at turns comedic, impatient, petty, self-absorbed, callous, devious and dastardly. Her chemistry with Locke and Plaza, especially, makes “Agatha” watchable.

The show’s scripts lean into Hahn’s facility with witty asides (when they encounter a witchy party with wine, Agatha quips, “If you’re waiting for charcuterie, I don’t think it’s coming”), bringing welcome levity to a Marvel story that also explores the dark idea that Agatha traded her son for power earlier in her life.

Once on The Witches’ Road, the witches face a new trial, one per episode in episodes 3 and 4 — and here’s where “Agatha” starts to become frustratingly repetitive. The coven comes upon a house, goes inside, experiences a costume/hairstyle change, gets trapped and has to find a way to escape, which sometimes involves a jam session. If this stale story repetition persists in future episodes, it may prove challenging to make it to the end of the that road with Agatha and her crew.