It seems forever since we were first introduced to Agatha Harkness at the height of the MCU’s dive into Wanda’s story. But now after all that time, Disney+ has dropped a series focused on Agatha’s story just in time for spooky season.

Set after the events of “WandaVision,” Agatha Harkness recruits some unlikely allies on her quest to regain her former powers and uncover the secrets of the Darkhold.

Review

Headlining the new Agatha All Along series is Kathryn Hahn (Agatha) and Aubrey Plaza (Rio). Seeing Aubrey in a role where her character has more depth is something she has been expanding in her filmography for a few years now and the dynamic between her and Hahn is everything. A mix of comedic drama and spooky witchiness is a perfect counter to the darker tone that series like Wednesday (Netflix) take as we enter the fall spooky TV season.

The story follows Agatha as she begins to break away from the mind spell Wanda put on and sets out on a path to regain her powers. It won’t be that easy though, as everyone she ever wronged is after her now that she is weak. But don’t think that Agatha and Rio are the only important characters. Entering the mystery category of characters is a boy, whose name, we can’t hear. Any time he talks about his past or tries to say his name, Agatha cannot hear him, and neither can we. However, when he speaks his name his lips are sealed and a monogram-style letter appears on his face. We won’t speculate here but it’s clear the mystery of his importance to aiding Agatha will be revealed as we go further into the story.

So far there is little for me to complain about with this story. While they have made it clear events from the broader MCU shaped where they are right now, they have kept from trying to drag in the rest of the MCU via tie-ins and teasers. This is a good thing. While the connected MCU has been something Marvel has excelled at and helped built the franchise, people are tired of the multiverse. Here grounded in a localized story, is a fun, dark and action-centered story that can be great without all the background noise.

Agatha All Along dropped on Disney+ Wednesday with the first 2 episodes.

AGATHA ALL ALONG, exclusively on Disney+. © 2024 MARVEL.