REVIEW: Agatha All Along – Season 1, Episode 1, “Seekest Thou the Road”

Review: Agatha All Along – Season 1, Episode 1, “Seekest Thou the Road”

Television Reviews

It’s hard to think of a prologue to a show that I don’t think anyone is really looking forward to, but Agatha All Along has debuted on Disney+, and the world is probably minding its own business. A spin-off of the streaming service's first Marvel series, WandaVision, Agatha All Along That sees the show's villain – who is not Wanda – take center stage in what's billed as a scary witch series that will take the MCU into some dark corners. Whether or not it delivers on that premise remains to be seen, but it's off to a mediocre start. Premiere episode “Sexiest Thru the Road” is a pretty good start, putting some pieces on the game board and letting us dip our toes in Agatha All Along It will happen… eventually.

Agnes O'Connor (Kathryn Hahn), a detective living in the small town of Westview, New Jersey, is called out of suspension to lead a murder investigation. But as she focuses on identifying a dead body in the woods, she has dreams and hallucinations and finds reality warping around her. Why does her new partner (Aubrey Plaza) have a history with her that Agnes doesn't remember? Who is the kid (Joe Locke) who broke into her house? Is she really Agnes O'Connor, or was she always… Agatha? (Everyone on Earth is welcome to this.)

“Seekest Thou the Road” opens up to a world that WandaVisionAt least if you've seen the previous series, which is a prerequisite for viewing Agatha All Along. Once again, we're in a TV show; this time, instead of a classic sitcom, Agatha (I don't have to pretend she's actually Agnes, do I?) is the lead in a modern detective series, complete with woodland crime scenes, a gloomy tone, and lots of blue windbreakers. “Agnes” fits right in with the protagonists of these shows; she's spunky, morbid, damaged, doesn't tolerate bullshit, and will go to great lengths to say something clever in response to a question or comment. It even handles its opening credits the same way WandaVision With visuals and a song reminiscent of today's dull cop shows; it reminded me a lot of JustifiedThough Agnes isn't hanging out in Westview like Raylan Givens used to in Harlan. It's a good setup for the show, and I like how it draws you in, again like WandaVisionWe're confident the audience will know what's going on, because we've been to this rodeo before.

***SPOILER***

What's wrong with fake? true Detective The setting of “Seakest Through the Road” is a tonal shift that Marvel has been using as a prop lately. (Some would say they’ve always struggled with this, but I think their early movies were more adept at executing it.) These scenes should have been played 100% straight and kept dark and dreary. Instead, there are moments of broad humor to highlight how silly some of the crime show tropes are. Agatha All Along It would have been better to just let them say their piece. For example, Agnes always has something to say to anyone, but she struggles to make them all funny. It's a fun idea, and you can see in these series that when the writers can't come up with a good line, they use whatever lame retort they can think of at the moment. But it's presented too broadly Agatha All AlongAnd Agnes makes silly noises in front of the camera and makes a point that everyone could understand. The worst is when she's questioning Teen, whose placeholder name is never revealed; to show that she doesn't approve of his absence, she makes a big show of writing on her notepad – holding it in the air, just in case we didn't realize she was joking – and draws out every word she says. It's really bad, and it's a shame because Kathryn Hahn is good in scenes that seem more natural.

There are some good moments, though. The way the characters carry themselves is excellent, which is probably due to the actresses. Hahn's gait is somewhat tired, just like Kate Winslet's. Mare of EasttownWhile Aubrey Plaza, who plays an FBI agent named Rio Vidal, is constantly leaning against the walls with her hands in her pockets, wearing a smirk that tells the whole room she thinks she’s two steps ahead of them all. Subtle things like this are great, and “Sexiest Thru the Road” needed more of them and less mimicking for the camera. (Agnes has a really funny line about the three goddesses depicted in a piece of jewelry found on a murder victim where she asks why a working professional isn’t a goddess; I could be wrong, but I took it as a jab at the aggressive modern feminism these female detective characters display.) Of course, we know what’s going on here; Agatha is trapped in a TV world, which must be the same place Wanda left her at the end. WandaVision When she took away Agatha's powers as punishment for a crime far lesser than what Wanda committed. And the show doesn't beat around the bush; the knowing smirk on Aubrey Plaza's face isn't just mocking detective tropes but a sign that Rio Vidal knows what's up with Agatha. And slowly but surely, she leads Agatha on a quest and an escape, in a hilarious scene where Agatha bluffs her way through every curious neighbor sitcom character she's ever played WandaVision Until Agatha Harkness is finally revealed to the world.

Well, somewhat. Agatha may have broken out of her TV mind prison and returned to the real Westview, but she doesn't have her powers. Aside from a glimpse of what Westview is like after the psychological torture Wanda inflicted on its residents (they've largely returned to normal, though no one mentions Wanda by name), this part sets up the rest of the series. Rio Vidal wasn't helping Agatha with his kindness; he's the “Green Witch,” and Agatha's enemy who wants to cause her trouble, but after a poorly filmed and carelessly choreographed fight in Agatha's kitchen — that's not quite it. She-Hulk Bad, but it's not good – Agatha convinces Rio to wait until she gets her powers back. As she leaves, Rio warns Agatha that a group called the Salem Seven will visit her at sunset and that a lot of other witches want Agatha dead. And the teen thief is tied up in Agatha's cell. It's mostly just breadcrumbs, and it's not a very satisfying conclusion, but “Sexiest Thru the Road” isn't as bad as I thought. I think the Salem Seven will be the villains, and Agatha will be trying to restore her powers. Marvel's Disney+ series often start with promise but disappoint as they go on, so I'm not getting my hopes up just yet Agatha All AlongBut it's a good start.

Let us know what you think of “Seakest Through the Road” in the comments!

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