As Disney+ released the final two episodes of “Agatha All Along” on Oct. 30, the journey down the Witches’ Road with Agatha and her coven came to an end. The season was filled with twists and turns, taking viewers through the trials of the Witches Road.
“Agatha All Along” stars Agatha Harkness, played by Kathryn Hahn, and takes place following the events of “WandaVision.” Agatha’s return was welcomed by fans of “WandaVision”, who were able to return to Westview and see the town’s status following the misfortune brought by Wanda. Alongside Agatha, we have Teen (Joe Locke), Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza), Lilia Calderu (Patti LuPone), Jennifer Kale (Sasheer Zamata), Alice Wu-Gulliver (Ali Ahn) and sweet, innocent Mrs. Hart (Debra Jo Rupp).
Within the first minutes of the premiere episode of “Agatha All Along,” audiences hear a familiar tune that some might recognize from “WandaVision,” which sets a nostalgic tone and captures the same vibe and theme that defined “WandaVision.” “Agatha All Along” felt like a love letter to the fans of “WandaVision” and was like taking a trip back to that time and reminiscing on what that show did for the Marvel franchise when it was first released.
With the series finale, viewers got to see the characters “finish” the “Witches’ Road,” a mythical road filled with trials of the craft that, upon its completion, will reward the traveler with what they desire the most — note the quotation marks, as those who watched know a lot was revealed (spoilers ahead). It turns out that Billy Maximoff, aka Teen and Son of the Scarlet Witch, created the Witches’ Road with his mind; it was never actually real. Like mother, like son. “The Ballad of the Witches’ Road” was a song created by Agatha and her son, Nicholas Scratch. Agatha used the ballad to lure witches to her so she could drain them of their magic. Surprised? Not really — it made sense. Why wouldn’t Agatha be doing what she does best: stealing magic from other witches? After all, she openly said, “It was Agatha All Along.” In a series titled “Agatha All Along,” it’s only fitting that, by the end, everything would be traced back to her. Reflecting on it now does make you feel a little stupid for making comments about Mephisto’s involvement in the creation and upkeep of the Witches’ Road.
For the characters in this show, it is a bit of a shame that, out of five new characters and one returning, three were killed. Billy Maximoff and Agatha received the most development, each getting almost full-length episodes dedicated to exploring some significant event from their pasts. For Billy, it was when he took over William Kaplan’s body, and for Agatha, it was the time spent with her son before he died, or in other words, was escorted away by Agatha’s ex-lover, Rio. While these background episodes provided some insight, they felt a little dragged out and didn’t fill in all the gaps that audiences had about these characters. Perhaps the show’s creators were short on time and couldn’t fully explore the past events leading up to this trip on the Witches’ Road. Maybe they meant to leave the epic love story between Rio and Agatha for season two?
One aspect the show excelled in was its music and costumes. Like its sister show, the great minds behind the music were once again Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. In “WandaVision,” the Lopezes used the same few notes across different songs; in “Agatha All Along,” they took the same approach. However, this time they created variations of the same song in different renditions. Each version added its own flair, matching the episode’s theme and decade. For example, in episode four, the coven’s 80s-inspired cover beautifully complemented the episode’s costumes, hair, set design and story — a true masterpiece. For episode nine, the music and costumes came full circle, bursting with power in a climactic scene. It was truly breathtaking. This rendition of the ballad fits perfectly, matching the climactic vibe of that scene as it reveals that Agatha has been taking magic from the witches for years. Then the creators used the staple costumes from each decade to show that transition through the years. It was amazing.
It was a trip down the Witches’ Road of decades past.
In the big reveal, everything made sense. It made sense that the son of the Scarlet Witch got so overwhelmed by his emotions of wanting to find his brother that he conjured a made-up magical road. That makes sense. Did it feel a bit anticlimactic? Yeah, it did. That reveal made me feel like the show should’ve been called “Billy All Along.”
I loved this show — at least until the finale.
Although we got a two-episode conclusion, it felt rushed. Part of me thinks that airing the episodes a week apart might’ve created more suspense, but instead, there was no buildup to the big reveal. The revelation that Billy created the road also felt anticlimactic because they simply told us. Why not show it? The creators could’ve depicted the characters on the road, watching as it deteriorated due to something Billy did, leading to the chaotic moment where it’s revealed he created it.
I adored “WandaVision,” but the ending left me underwhelmed. Perhaps that is just a common theme of these new shows. They build themselves up fantastically but struggle to create an ending, to tie a bow on all the chaos magic they’ve unleashed.
