When WandaVision came to a close, it seemed we’d never revisit the now-iconic town of Westview. With Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) gone and Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) trapped in her Agnes persona, there seemed no reason to. That is until late 2021 when it was announced that Agatha: House of Harkness (one of many false titles) was in development. And while the announcement of Agatha’s spin-off show proved we hadn’t seen the last of Hahn’s witch, the door still seemed shut on Westview. However, the first two episodes of Agatha All Along surprised us with an extended return to Westview.
‘Agatha All Along’ Features Some Familiar Faces
Before we’re reacquainted with Agatha, we meet Detective Agnes – the star of her own WandaVision-esque show, Agnes of Westview. Like Wanda reliving different sitcom eras, Agatha (still trapped as Agnes) is stuck in a Mare of Easttown knockoff where she plays a weary, tough-as-nails detective who’s been suspended but just can’t keep away from the action. When she arrives on the scene, she encounters a mysterious Jane Doe corpse and her partner, who you might recognize as Herb (David A. Payton), a resident of Westview. As it turns out, the whole community plays a role in Agnes of Westview, from Norm (Asif Ali) to Dottie (Emma Caulfield Ford) and beyond. But when Jane Doe turns out to be none other than the Scarlet Witch herself, coupled with the familiar appearance of “Detective” Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza) and a nameless, Latin-chanting Teen (Joe Locke), Agatha sheds her false reality only to find herself in another in Westview as we press the play button on WandaVision three years later.
Westview Remembers the Hex and Wanda’s Damage
To everyone in the real Westview, Agatha is still Agnes – but she’s not a sleepless detective. Just a kindly neighbor who’s been acting a little kooky lately, like she’s “been bit by the true crime bug,” as Herb puts it. Including Herb, Agatha spots Phil (David Lengel), Norm, and Mrs. Hart (Debra Jo Rupp), even Dottie, living their modern-day lives unimpeded by the theme of a sitcom TV series. As her memory returns, Agatha discovers that Wanda must be responsible for her situation. But after the theory leaves her mouth, Herb sternly informs Agatha that they don’t say Wanda’s name aloud.Agatha All Along exploring the fallout of WandaVision was unexpected, and it is fascinating when we realize that the citizens of Westview are still trying to reclaim their freedom after Wanda’s grief-stricken imprisonment of the town.
The most tragic event aftermath in the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Blip, was explored in WandaVision through Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), but the series itself also created an equally consequential trauma on a significantly smaller scale. While we knew something was awry in Westview, it was collectively assumed that Wanda had something to do with it, but the full revelation that she had enslaved an entire town came as quite a shock. Although she finally freed the town from her Hex, the residents of Westview remain both terrified and angered by her time there. Along with Herb’s fear of even uttering her name, we also see the plot of land where Vision (Paul Bettany) intended to build their home (and the epicenter of Wanda’s Hex) has been vandalized with graffiti of the Scarlet Witch’s headpiece as well as the words “Evil Witch.” Clearly, there’s no love lost with the residents of Westview as the first episode highlights just how much strife Wanda put everyone in Westview through with her Hex – even sweet Mrs. Hart is bitter when she informs Agatha that Wanda “branded” her with that identity, her real name being Sharon Davis.
‘Agatha All Along’ Provides Some Much-Needed MCU Connectivity
In the years (and phases) following Avengers: Endgame, it’s been no secret that the MCU has been disconnected due to its own creative ambition. The whole reason we’re watching an Agatha-centered show in 2024, nearly four years after the debut of WandaVision, is because of how many TV shows and films were greenlit in the wake of Endgame’s box office domination. But with so many stories rolling out simultaneously, there was little to no possibility to keep the thread of connectivity strung throughout that made the first three phases of the MCU so successful, to begin with. Jumping from space to street to a different street on the other side of the universe was confusing enough, and that’s without the inclusion of the ever-expanding multiverse we’ve come to love and hate.
While that loose threads issue is still being sorted out in the present (and hopefully be somewhat tied up come Avengers: Secret Wars), Agatha All Along is expanding upon MCU lore instead of starting a new thread, which is refreshing and also deeply necessary. The show ties back into WandaVision seamlessly and even follows up on the events of Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness as Agatha grapples with the news of Wanda’s “death” (in quotes because she needs to return). The remnants of Wanda’s presence in Westview and its haunting effects on its residence is arguably one of the most compelling things the MCU has done since, well… WandaVision. The spotlight is, of course, Agatha’s in Agatha All Along but we’re left with some convincing evidence that The Scarlet Witch’s story isn’t quite over yet, because she’s clearly still on the mind of Westview residents, Agatha, and likely Teen (we know it’s you, Billy) too. Agatha may have traded Westview for the Witches’ Road, but it was nice to get some closure and revisit the Westview community (as traumatized as they may be) after what feels like such a long time.
