Agatha All Along reviews: 'knowing and exceptionally well-executed'
Marvel's delectable witchy spin-off series is a perfect treat for Halloween season

Kathryn Hahn's turn in Marvel's "WandaVision" as Agnes/Agatha, a dark witch masquerading as a nosy sitcom neighbour, was "too deliciously devious and charismatic" to "not be unleashed on a bigger scale", said Empire's Sophie Butcher. And in this nine-part Disney+ spin-off from Jac Schaeffer, the creator of "WandaVision", Agatha is back, having lost her powers after her climactic stand-off with Wanda.
Not only that, she is trapped in an alternate reality, where she believes herself to be a "'Mare of Easttown'-esque detective in a Scandi-inspired crime drama". It is only when "mysterious foe" Rio (Aubrey Plaza) and a young burglar known as Teen ("Heartstopper"'s Joe Locke) arrive that Agatha wakes up to reality and claws herself back to the real world. This "show-within-a-show" is both "knowing and exceptionally well-executed", said BBC Culture's Rachael Sigee.
To regain her powers and save herself from the Salem Seven, a band of irate fellow witches hell-bent on seeking retribution after Agatha destroyed their coven, she must "walk a gauntlet of trials" known as the Witches' Road. But to open the portal to reach the road, Agatha needs her own coven, leading her to "embark on a recruitment drive straight out of a heist movie" for a new gang of sorcerers.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The coven and surrounding characters "don't have a weak link," said Lucy Mangan in The Guardian. Indeed Hahn, is "surrounded by excellence." The new gang of witches is "pleasingly rag-tag", said Sigee. They include Patti LuPone as Lilia, a financially challenged fortune teller, and Sasheer Zamata as Jen, a witch-turned-Goop-style wellness expert, who is facing lawsuits after selling dodgy products. "Historically, our kind don't do well in courtrooms," she muses.
It is Agatha's relationship with Plaza's green witch Rio Vidal that is the "most attention-grabbing", though, said Sigee. They share both a "spiky history and frankly outrageous sexual tension". Plaza could "not be more in her element." The cast and creators have proudly declared "Agatha All Along" as Marvel's "gayest" offering yet, and its queerness certainly "resonates more deeply than the surface-level gayness of a scene where LuPone flamboyantly performs as a one-woman percussion section".
The script is "burnished to a high shine and slips seamlessly from comedy to tragedy and back again", said Mangan. And although there is the expected amount of action from a Marvel property, it has "plenty of depth, too". The series also leaves Marvel fans guessing as to the greater significance of the narrative within the Multiverse. For example, what is the true identity of Locke's character, known only as "Teen". And is Wanda still alive?
The magic in this production is in the dynamic between the cast and the "frankly fabulous aesthetic, with costumes to die for", said Butcher. Alongside the "silly, spooky, wonderfully camp vibe", there are "flashes of true horror and darkness". It is, said Mangan, the "perfect show for Halloween season", but an "absolute treat any time at all."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
June 25 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons include war on a loop, the New York City mayoral race, and one almighty F-bomb
-
How generative AI is changing the way we write and speak
In The Spotlight ChatGPT and other large language model tools are quietly influencing which words we use
-
How long can Nato keep Donald Trump happy?
Today's Big Question Military alliance pulls out all the stops to woo US president on his peacemaker victory lap
-
See the bright lights from these 7 big-city hotels
The Week Recommends Immerse yourself in culture, history and nightlife
-
8 recipes that require minimal effort for the best kind of summer eating
The Week Recommends It's the season of grilling and smart desserts
-
7 places across the country to experience the best of summer drinking
The Week Recommends Stops include a Basque-inspired spot and a bar where the menu overhauls twice a year
-
6 smart, surprising food books to drag you through the summer months
The Week Recommends BBQ and why we consume the way we do are just two of the tackled topics
-
Hot for summer with these 10 tours from some of music's best artists
The Week Recommends Get ready for sing-along sunshine
-
10 upcoming albums to stream on the beach this summer
The Week Recommends Ring in the sunshine with a selection of new albums
-
These 8 superb cocktails welcome summer with open arms
The Week Recommends Everything required to get you through warm — or sweltering — weather
-
7 touring theater productions that are out to bring the joy
The Week Recommends 'Hamilton' and 'Wicked' never die, and neither does ABBA