Matt Purslow
This review contains full spoilers for Agatha All Along Season 1, Episode 5.
Marvel’s Agatha All Along finally delivers the answer to one of the show’s biggest questions, but does so only at the end of a rushed episode. The fifth chapter of the series, titled “Darkest Hour / Wake Thy Power,” is the shortest thus far, clocking in at just 25 minutes before credits, around 10-15 minutes less than prior episodes. That’s a shame, because its many pivotal moments could use a lot more room to breathe.
In what has to be the worst kept secret in Marvel history, we now know Joe Locke’s mystery “Teen” character is Billy Kaplan, the son of the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) who is better known as Wiccan in the comics. The climatic moment where Agatha (Kathryn Hahn) pushes Billy too far and he uses his powers to eliminate the coven is pretty awesome. It was an inspired choice to reveal his identity not through words but by showing him use Wanda’s signature mind control ability and don a crown similar to hers – all punctuated with the perfect needle drop, Billie Elish’s “You Should See Me in a Crown.” That said, it’s unclear exactly how Agatha knows his true identity. Much has been made about the mysterious sigil placed on Billy that makes his real name unknowable to witches, which makes it a bit confusing that suddenly Agatha knows anyway. I imagine this’ll be explained in a future episode, but even so, in this episode it throws distracting questions into the big reveal.
Also taking away from the big moment is Billy’s character being so underdeveloped for so long. He’s had a great deal of screen time, scurrying after Agatha and asking a million questions about how witchcraft works, but aside from the fact that he seems like a genuinely good person who sees the best in people (even someone as wicked as Agatha), we only have a surface-level understanding of him. Again, I’m sure we’ll get to know him better in the inevitable flashback episode that explains his entire backstory in great detail, but it’s hard to feel blown away by the fact that he’s Wanda’s son when there hasn’t been much reason to feel invested in him yet. As a longtime fan of Marvel’s Young Avengers comics and specifically Wiccan, watching all of this unfold has been a bit frustrating.
This speaks to a larger problem Agatha All Along has been suffering from. With each passing episode, the plot not only moves faster but it also gets thinner and thinner. The story is starting to feel like a collection of set pieces strung together by a series of gimmicks and expository lines of dialogue. The trial featuring Alice (Ali Ahn) in episode four was the first victim of this mounting issue and now it’s causing problems again.
At the very least, my prayers for a proper villain have finally been answered. The Salem Seven are following the coven down the Witches’ Road in their uniquely creepy way. Interestingly, we learn that the Salem Seven are the offspring of the witches Agatha murdered long ago, creating a nice tie to the flashback we saw in WandaVision. These black-clad witches are still very much one-dimensional baddies, so I’d like to learn more about them, but until that happens (perhaps in yet another flashback) they are doing an excellent job of adding some much needed danger and excitement to the proceedings.
To my surprise, this episode features Agatha’s trial. I always assumed hers would be saved for last, what with her being the main character and all, so it is a nice subversion of expectations. The throwback horror movie sleepover setting is a fair bit of fun, especially with how the Ouija board leads to a genuine possession of Agatha herself. The whole setup results in some classic schlocky horror gags and a bunch of hearty laughs as the characters freak out and scramble to fix the situation. It’s refreshing to see Jen (Sasheer Zamata) take a stand against Agatha by calling out her BS and suggesting that they ditch her, just like she would do to them. Harsh, yet not unreasonable, considering Agatha’s record.
On the opposite side is Rio, who wants to slit Agatha’s throat one second and save her from possession the next. It speaks to Rio and Agatha’s supremely messed up witchuationship that she yearns to torment Agatha but draws the line when it comes to Agatha’s mother. The scene where the ghost of Evanora Harkness appears echoes the Salem flashback scene in WandaVision. Both show Evanora making Agatha out to be an evil creature that must be killed, while also making Agatha look truly vulnerable and pleading that she can be good. There are still some layers of Agatha’s onion left to peel, but suffice to say that the trauma inflicted on her by her mother is at the heart of it.
At this point it seemed inevitable we’d lose another member of the coven, so it’s not much of a surprise that Alice lost her life. Her death has a big impact on the group, but I wish Alice had received a bit more screen time in the previous episodes so the audience would have reason to feel as sad as the witches do. What’s curious is Agatha claims she couldn’t control her power-stealing ability. Dare I say that makes Agatha appear to be a tad less evil and a bit more misunderstood? I used to think she purposely killed her mother and those Salem witches with her lethal absorption ability, but if she really can’t stop it and it has made her an unwilling killer, it would seem she’s a victim of that power too.
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