TV Review: Kathryn Hahn Shines In ‘Agatha All Along’ Premiere
by Frank Martin
Talent has always been a driving factor in Hollywood. An actor can make or break a project. It’s hard to know exactly the driving force behind Marvel Studios’s decision to green light Agatha All Along, but it’s also hard to argue that Kathryn Hahn wasn’t a major factor. What started off as a small inclusion in WandaVision quickly grew into a dominating performance as she was revealed as the show’s main antagonist. Since Agatha Harkness isn’t a dominant player in Marvel Comics, many fans were left scratching their heads as to why a spin-off would be centered around her. But the first two episodes of the show are evidence that its main purpose is simply to let Hahn have fun being a witch.
Very little backstory was given to Agatha during WandaVision. We learn she was a centuries-old witch who stole power from her coven and eventually acquired The Darkhold. Other than that, her life is mainly a mystery. The show picks up three years after the Westview Anomaly, with Agatha still stuck in the Scarlet Witch’s (Elizabeth Olsen) hex . With some help, she breaks loose, but is left powerless. The driving plot behind the show is fairly simple: Agatha seeks to regain her power and intends to do so by recruiting other witches to help.
From a plot standpoint, there’s not much for the show to go on, but that’s perfectly fine. The show’s main draw is seeing Hahn completely immerse herself in this role. Agatha is a smart, sarcastic, no-nonsense witch who is used to being powerful. But removing that power has not humbled her one bit, even as she tries to persuade other witches to help her. Agatha is infamous in the witch community, so there’s a lot of backstory to work with. The first episodes tease it, but more will certainly be explored; seeing how Agatha reacts to this backstory has been a highlight of these early hours.
Agatha All Along is now streaming on Disney+.