Agatha All Along review: The season of the witch is bonkers in all the right ways

Agatha All Along is off-the-wall. Truly. If you're the kind of person who likes your Halloween entertainment over-the-top, spooky, campy, and a little bit scary, then buckle up because you're in for one heck of a ride with this one.

The Disney Plus show is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; a spinoff of the Emmy-winning WandaVision that sees Kathryn Hahn reprise her role as the bewitching Agatha Harkness. And that right there is all you need to know about the potential of this show; for the veteran actress earned herself an Emmy nomination the last time she played this role. Needless to say, the Marvel fans are ready to see her step into the MCU once again.

Agatha All Along is set three years later as Harkness finally claws herself out of the spell that the Scarlet Witch left her trapped in. But Wanda Maximoff took her powers, rendering one of the most feared, revered, and infamous witches without any form of protection for herself. This, and a run-in with a mysterious teenager, leads her to walk the Witches Road - something that she, and so few others, had successfully done only once.

Agatha All Along is nothing short of pure magic

The concept and premise of Agatha All Along was revealed through the first trailer, and the series itself obviously expands on that more, showcasing Agatha - now known as Detective Agnes O'Connor of Westview - attempting to solve the apparent death of a mysterious woman who we are led to believe is the Scarlet Witch herself, Wanda Maximoff. But that investigation eventually leads her to realization that Agnes is not who she thought she was.

There is a lot to unpack early on and Agatha All Along does a wonderful job of it, giving Hahn the platform to play multiple different types of characters in the first episode. Detective Agnes isn't the same Agnes we met in WandaVision (though she does make a cameo appearance or two) and she certainly isn't the same as Agatha. It all pays off, with the vivid transformation setting the stage for the story to really begin.

Though the show does wear its serious side well, it comes to life whenever it sheds that. That's what makes Marvel's decision to release the first two episodes together such a wise one, because in some ways, it probably would have functioned better as a single episode. Even so, the show really kicks into gear in the back half of the second episode as the coven assembles and we meet the colorful characters who we'll come to know throughout the series.

The show comes to life when it ventures onto the Witches' Road. From the practical sets to the trials that the road itself poses, it's all very whimsical and spooky, which is what a show like Agatha All Along needed to be. This lends itself to the horrors of the road, while also playing nicely into the more light-hearted tone it's going for, because - much like many of our favorite Halloween stories - it's haunting without ever getting too dark for its own good. It's outlandish, it's vivid, and it's ridiculous; and it all works so damn well.

Let's talk about the cast. Its ensemble is its heart and soul, as there are plenty of quirky characters destined to get a reaction out of viewers. Joe Locke is the standout as the mysterious Teen, and not just because of the overarching mystery surrounding the character's identity. From the moment he enters the fray, Agatha All Along comes to life; Locke approaches the role with such enthusiasm, such energy, and the dynamic between him and Hahn's Agatha is the best in the whole series.

That's certainly not discounting the rest of the cast. Patti LuPone is delightfully whimsical in her approach as the kooky Lilia Calderu that you can't help but fall in love with the character in the same way that Lilia's fellow witches gravitate towards her. Sasheer Zamata is commanding as Jennifer Kale, who quickly becomes one of the series' most interesting characters, while Ali Ahn captures your attention with her nuanced portrayal of Alice Wu-Gulliver. I have to give a special shoutout to Debra Jo Rupp, who rounds out the coven by reprising her WandaVision role of Sharon Davis/Mrs. Hart. She's so delightful and endearing, standing out in a show full of larger-than-life characters with a very earnest - and funny - performance.

If you've seen the trailer, you'll know that Aubrey Plaza's Rio Vidal was shaping up to be one of the show's biggest wild cards, and I'm happy to report that she lives up to that reputation. She's so powerful, bursting onto screen with such force that at times it felt like it could have been Rio's show. Her chemistry with Hahn is off-the-charts and you can feel the weight of their history, of what's still unsaid, in every scene they share together.

On that note, you'll notice there is one cast member who I haven't mentioned in depth: Agatha Harkness herself. That much was intentional, because the best needed to be saved for last. Kathryn Hahn is a force, showcasing the depth of character behind Agatha with a nuanced performance that offers up different sides to the cackling one-liner-quoting witch we saw in WandaVision.

But if you're hoping for more of those witchy shenanigans, too, you'll be pleased to know that they are all there as well, as Hahn camps it up like we all knew she would. You can't look away from her as she successfully elevates Agatha from supporting character to leading lady effortlessly. It's exhilarating to watch.

This show was designed to entertain during the spooky season and it pulls it off dramatically well. There's a sense of whimsy to it that's hard to pin down, but it does imbue with a sense of nostalgia. Elements of it wouldn't be at all out of place in a Disney Channel Original Movie of the '90s or '00s (or a big-budget Disney movie in general). But it's also designed specifically for television, and that's one of my favorite things about it.

While some of the other Marvel shows have been six-part movies, Agatha feels like a TV show and that sets it apart from the majority of its peers. There is an episodic approach to it that makes each adventure standalone, but still connected to the overall narrative. Like WandaVision, it's made for TV by people who love TV, so a huge amount of credit to Jac Schaeffer on creating something truly magical.

Agatha All Along is a bewitching installment in the MCU that earns its spot as a spiritual successor to WandaVision. It's funny, it's serious and it's everything in between, setting itself apart as one of Marvel Television's very best.