'Agatha All Along' - For All the Baby Hags Out There 👶🧙‍♀️

Which is it? Is the show wispy or is it kooky? To be honest, the last couple of episodes, even Billie's origin story, felt a little soulless and emotionless—just an exposé of information. But this episode revived the whole series and put it back on the radar, up there with Wandavision. I can transport myself like Lilia back when Wandavision began, and we were all swept into a tornado of mystery. Here, we have such a full circle of a role that kept us guessing for the past six weeks, that it felt like we took that journey, we understood, and we discovered the gaps that had kept us guessing.

"Death comes for us all."

"You say it like it's a comfort."

"It is what we all have in common."

I understood Joe Locke when he said this is his favorite episode. We guessed many things correctly, but that didn’t kill the excitement created by the excellent cinematography, plus the marvelous performances throughout. Patti LuPone came onto my radar during Coven, the third season of American Horror Story, where she played the Christian maniac neighbor. She should have played one of the witches, opposite the big trio that the series had. Since then, she’s appeared here and there, slowly creating this image of a pro in my mind. When I found out that she would join the cast of Agatha, the series started to take shape. What Coven missed, Marvel will fix.

Since the show started, I’ve slowly developed unseen-before admiration for the craft LuPone presented. She is 100% in this performance. This promotional reel is my favorite and exactly where I fell in love with both LuPone and Aubrey Plaza. Listening to The Ballad of the Witches Road made me fall in love with the show. The different variations are incredible, like all the actors here. Debra Jo Rupp is another one who shook me in Wandavision, and now here. Reliving some of her worst nightmares in the second episode created this feeling of uneasiness that often stopped the scripted part of Wandavision and brought creepiness to the show, elevating it to a mystery that, to this day, has no equal in terms of excitement and interactions. Kathryn Hahn is up there with the best, because her performance, along with the script, brought the show to this level, where Elizabeth Olsen, thanks to a multiphase performance, stole our hearts. Hahn’s game is next level, and the mystery around her is still one of the hooks that keeps on giving. The love between her and Aubrey Plaza is next-level acting, and they both excel. Plaza was always on my radar. She made me cringe, allowing me to be the weirdo I am, unapologetically. Her out-of-the-rails persona fits immensely with her character on the show. The visuals Marvel allowed for Death, plus the violent, bloody sword death scene of the Salem Seven this episode, was a surprise. Sasheer Zamata’s character continues to surprise me each episode. She and Ali Ahn were the two actresses I felt were disposable, but the show worked hard to create these arcs for the witches, making them a fitting force for the show, with a lot of story behind them. We need more Wiccan. Joe Locke is marvelous in Heartstopper, and he is even better here—unrecognizable. While watching him here, I never for a second think, "Ah, Charlie." Here, I experience a brand-new performance, which is commendable for a young actor among these legends and titans. Before this episode, the second one, where we followed the trial of the potion witch, was my favorite. It was so creepy and had this disruption, where the Disney formula cracked and another terrifying moment appeared that just boosted the hope that spread right up to this episode—just enough to renew hope for a second season. 

The witches, the women, and the gay boy—Disney is finally doing it right! We have the representation we needed. Two episodes left for us and all the baby hags out there, witches!

If you had the chance to see the finale episodes (8,9), here are my thoughts on them (spoilers: I LOVED THEM)

Iliya Badev