Agatha All Along premiere review: Agatha Harkness is back with a vengeance (and a whole lot of humor!)

We are back in Westview, Marvel fans, and boy, does it feel good. After nearly three years since the premiere of WandaVision, where the world was introduced to the witchy villain Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn), we are right back in her spooky graces.

Since it has been a while since the events of WandaVision unfolded, let's take a minute to brush up on where Agatha All Along kicks off. At the end of that series, Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) cast a spell on Agatha, basically condemning her to a life where she does not remember who she is while living day in and day out as if she exists in a fictional world of television. The rest of Westview's residents were set free from this spell, but not Agatha, who tried to steal Wanda's powers and suffered the consequences.

It's a pretty awful yet fitting punishment, but the spell is broken with some witchy interventions, which proceeds to kickstart a fabulous two-episode premiere that reminds us that Agatha just might be the best Marvel villain we've ever had.

Agatha All Along Season 1, Episode 1: "Seekest Thou the Road"

From the get-go, there is one obvious aspect of this show that you know will make it work: the duo of Kathryn Hahn and Aubrey Plaza. Their dynamic is incredible and I'm hard-pressed to believe that anyone other than Plaza would have been the perfect actress to play this role.

As the series begins (to a parody of HBO's Mare of Easttown), we find Agatha knee-deep in the role of a cop who is miserable, unhappy, and just living day by day. It isn't until a murder in the small town of Westview that things start to take a turn.

Enter Aubrey Plaza's character, Rio Vidal.

We meet her as a federal agent sniffing around the recent murder, but there is much more to her than that. There is a peculiar discomfort surrounding her, executed flawlessly by Plaza, and soon we learn that she isn't the federal agent we're led to believe (but did we ever really believe that?). She is a witch who has it out for Agatha due to a long-standing history. That isn't clear at first, since Rio seems like she genuinely wants to help Agatha. It is obvious she isn't an agent, but it also appears, at first, that she wants Agatha to jolt out of Wanda's spell.

That moment arrives thanks to Joe Locke's "Teen," who shows up as an over-eager fanboy of Agatha, with all the excitement and joy in the world to be in her presence. He is the one that pulls Agatha out of the Scarlet Witch's spell, which alludes to him being way more powerful than we originally thought. However, his persona is so lighthearted and enthusiastic that you would never pin him as the guy that would transform Agatha's imagined TV-themed character, Agnes, back to the purple witch we all love to hate.

As Agatha returns to her fully-functioning witchy form through a throwback of her morphing into all the television era characters she portrayed on WandaVision, we know we are in for one heck of a ride.

Before "Teen" becomes the clingy helper to Agatha, however, he witnesses the first fight of the season between Agatha and Rio. As Agatha is now in possession of her memories, she remembers who Rio is, and we are informed as the audience, that Rio is not a friend.

Rio comes in with full force and attacks Agatha, which brings the season premiere to a close, but also hints at something very big to come. First thing's first: witches are not allowed to kill each other, so they may fight tooth and nail, but they are ultimately not permitted to take each other's life. This could be interesting as the season goes on. Secondly, Agatha may remember who she is but the spell rendered her powerless, and so she is in active search of how to get her magical strength back.

The fight closes with Agatha manipulating her way out of the duel by saying she is at a disadvantage—but how long will that last?

Agatha All Along Season 1, Episode 2: "Circle Sewn with Fate / Unlock Thy Hidden Gate"

One thing that is really pulling fans into the allure of Agatha All Along is that it is a mystery that is unfolding as we watch it. One remembers all too well how many hours went into theorizing what would happen on WandaVision and all the predictions we made, assuming they would come to fruition. Most of those theories went absolutely nowhere, leaving us in the dust when the real truth was revealed. It's nice to know that Agatha and the rest of the crew seem to be just as unaware as we are of what will happen, including who some of these characters might really be.

If you are like me, you have already started looking into the theories of who Rio Vidal really is and who she might be related to (Mephisto? Are you out there?) as well as who "Teen" is (Nicholas Scratch? One of Wanda's sons?). There are many possibilities, but I just want to enjoy the ride. However, I will say that for all the kindness and aloofness that the show is depicting "Teen" with, I am anticipating he is the one Agatha will have to fear the most in the end.

In the second episode of the premiere, Agatha and "Teen" spent a majority of their time gathering witches for their newly formed coven. This is so they can access the Witches' Road—but they can't do so until the coven has come together.

Best place to find witches, apparently? Going to a psychic.

On their roadtrip out of Westview, Agatha and "Teen" visit Lilia Calderu (Patti LuPone), who immediately figures out Agatha's identity. She's not trying to have any part of their coven. Despite Agatha's attempts to persuade Lilia in the moment, all she does get out of her is a list of witches to recruit.

This takes "Teen" and Agatha to the other witches they hope to recruit in order to go down the Witches' Road including Jennifer Kale (Sasheer Zamata), and Alice Wu-Gulliver (Ali Ahn). Agatha is met with much resistance, because...well, she is who she is, and the witches know all about her past misdeeds.

However, that does not stop them from arriving at Agatha's house and agreeing to join the coven. Agatha may be untrustworthy, but there is a power and pull about her that makes everyone want to follow her down the Witches' Road.

Perhaps the funniest twist in the second episode is caused by Agatha's commitment to ignoring the final name on the list of witches she was meant to recruit. While they don't come out and say who that is, we can all but assume it was Rio that was on the list. In an attempt to avoid bringing her in, Agatha pulls in her neighbor, Mrs. Hart (Debra Jo Rupp) to take her place. She isn't a witch, but she will have to do, and we will love it. Rupp's addition to the bunch its imperfectly perfect, and her naivete about what is happening and willingness to go with the flow leave a lot to be admired.

With the coven together, we finally get to the scene where the series' infamous song, "The Ballad of the Witches' Road," is performed. We've been hearing this song for weeks, since it was debuted at D23 in August. The delivery in the show is everything we want it to be, and more!

As they conjure the gateway to the road, "Teen" is left to his own devices as the Salem Seven descend upon Agatha's house. After the song's conclusion and some witchy arguments, the door appears at the right time as the unwelcome dementor witches approach. It closes behind Agatha, locking her and her coven inside.

What we see next is exciting and thrilling and leaves us wanting more Agatha All Along. They have arrived at the Witches' Road. It gives total Wizard of Oz vibes, and we are here for it!

All in all, I have nothing but great things to say about Agatha All Along's premiere episodes. Hahn's performance is on-point — better even than I remembered it — and her enticing and conniving portrayal of Agatha makes you love this sneaky villain even when you don't want to.

Agatha All Along is the villain story we have needed for some time, and the two-episode premiere more than justified why Agatha deserves her own show. There is so much more to come, and a lot of theories and speculation already making their rounds (don't do it guys, don't go back there!). I can't wait to see what else is in store in the coming weeks!

Grade: A

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and Twitter account, sign up for our exclusive newsletterand check out our YouTube channel.