Oooooh boy! Wow how in the world do I sum this up and all my myriad thoughts? Well, disclaimer up front I did not rewatch Wandavision, I did not read up on the finale of Wandavision, so we're walking into this sorta blind. We kinda kick off in the same fashion where Agatha is now Agnes, a police detective in the town of Westview and by the by I would gladly watch several seasons of that show within a show, before the facade is ripped away and Agatha is on a quest to get her groove back along with a ragtag coven of witches. I...barely know where to start. Deep slow breaths, maintain composure. You didn't have to sell me on this show beyond Kathryn and if you thought I was crushing before this, it is getting plain out of hand at this point! Whatever service or favor I did to get this show and the things therein, clearly I need to double down on my next sacrifice or favor because this could not have hit more of my buttons coincidentally. I do not need to tell you how good of an acting job she does, Agatha is kind of my role model in this and firmly exemplifies why I love villains. Total sassy smartass, out for herself, opportunistic, just flawless qualities. Dare I say, I'm smitten. Joe Locke is our young nà ive witch in training William, sort of taken under Agatha's wing as he seeks The Witch's Road, a gauntlet task that offers any wish to the victor. He has a lot of charm and likability, a very good secondary lead that comes to a bigger role in the end. Then we have our coven comprising of four witches, each with a specific field of magic they are proficient in but have more character than just a role. Sasheer Zatama as Jennifer, a potions heavy witch with a negatively charged past with Agatha, a hard sell on the Road trip but comes in handy a good few times. Then we have Patti LuPone as Lilia, possesing a unique gift of divination but often remembers things the wrong way around, I really liked her backstory and the kindness but realism of her place in the world was a nice touch. Of course we need some muscle in a crew so enter Ali Ahn as Alice, bit more hardheaded and has a rough past with a proclivity for protection spells because of it, I almost felt there was a romance thing between her and William but then I remembered that boy be just 16 and I shot that down quick, I'm a sucker for a strong lady too. And oho Aubrey Plaza madwoman that she is, basically the antagonistic wild card thrown in the mix as Rio, that none of the others trust but have to rely on her earth magic, it's easily the most serious part I've ever seen her in and she does pretty solid work showing she can do dramatic parts but chooses not to. Respect. Actually now that I think about it, the series has a pretty good way of unfolding with 9 episodes (ooh scandalous breaking the rule of 8) each ranging from 30 to 45 minutes, and while the cliffhangers save for one aren't earth shattering it doesn't dawdle. We get Agatha back, she starts up her makeshift coven, and the vast majority is them travelling the winding road with challenges and personalities clashing. They really do not waste a minute of your time and don't even truly have to balance several plots and focuses more on the characters and their situations. That's grand! And the overall production and more importantly the style herein is what made me love it as much as I did, fully embellishing the witch imagery from contesting stereotypes to little nods in the background of witchy cinema from the past made it highly enjoyable to watch. There's even some artsy gorgeous shots at periods, with the love and care present in all aspects of the production. It engrossed me and how many times can I say that about Marvel? The humor, the situations, the characters, the story and themes gave me so much to enjoy. It's funny how I barely ever go out of my way to watch the MCU but all the stuff I do pick hasn't failed me yet from Doctor Strange, to She-Hulk, to Iron Man 1, to Agatha, I don't miss probably because I know my tastes. Very very happy to have watched this and though I doubt there will be a seaon two, this was a nice remedy for me in the post Halloween blues. I give it 3.5 stars, 8/10! And oh yes it is time again to visit Gotham, happy days!
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