In recent years, Marvel Studios has been streaky at best with original shows, but the newly released “Agatha All Along” will be an unexpected win if the first few episodes are any indication.
As the series begins we see Agatha Harkness, a detective in Westview, granted back her badge because of her unique abilities that she uses to solve cases. For her newest case, Harkness’s abilities are necessary since this is not an average investigation. She is now tasked with harnessing the powers of the Scarlet Witch.
The show has an eerie tone with hints of weird humor integrated throughout. Upon watching, I was surprised by these qualities, as other Marvel shows on Disney+ don’t necessarily employ such a tone. Some fans have argued that Marvel has been in need of a darker style, so for these people, I say checking out this show is worthwhile.
Kathryn Hahn’s portrayal of Agatha Harkness is one to remember. For once in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it seems as though a main character has more of an edge to them. Agatha’s personality is easy for all ages to grapple with. She is a strong-minded detective, but she is also uniquely humorous at times. She has her own goals, with which the rest of the show’s characters may or may not agree with.
There are a few characters in the show that should be seen as dynamic, and not static. This is something that many other shows have trouble doing, but not this one. “Agatha All Along” shows that it is possible to have a respectable level of care for more characters than just the lead. Hahn’s Harkness is fascinating in terms of how she interacts with others and the methods she uses to get information from them. She is a bit of an oddball at times, but that fits with the persona of a witch detective.
The show focuses on the idea of witches and the use of magic, which is nothing new to watchers of “WandaVision” or other connected Marvel projects. It may be hard for some people to grapple with the idea of magic if they are expecting a simple crime thriller.
“Agatha All Along” also does well in its serious moments. It’s easy to tell when a scene was made with the intent to be especially weighty to the overall plot. The show’s fight scenes are well choreographed in ways where it isn’t easy to tell who will win. The series uses different techniques to emphasize the importance of certain scenes, including the dolly zoom camera technique. The directors obviously wanted to include the lightheartedness of other Marvel projects, but also add a touch of a respectable witch-oriented plot with the hopes of bringing new life into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Still, “Agatha All Along” continues to fall into a lot of the same traps as previous Marvel shows. Some of the humor can fall flat, and sometimes the show can have trouble with pacing. It can feel like episodes are dragging on at times, or characters are doing too much talking. Sometimes the most interesting parts of an episode are at the end. With all of this known, “Agatha All Along” can still prove to be a positive step for Marvel’s shows, and it is worth a watch.
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