Honestly, the first time I sat down to watch Agatha All Along episode 1, I thought I was in the wrong app.
It starts as a gritty, grey, miserable police procedural. You’ve seen it before: the "Prestige TV" detective with messy hair, a coffee-stained desk, and a tragic past. Kathryn Hahn is "Agnes," a hard-nosed cop investigating a Jane Doe found in the woods. It’s a pitch-perfect parody of Mare of Easttown and True Detective, complete with a "Based on the Danish series Wandavisdysen" credit that is just chef’s kiss.
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But here is the thing.
Most people missed the sheer level of irony happening in those first twenty minutes. This isn't just a funny bit. It is a literal cage.
The Murder Mystery That Isn't
Agatha Harkness is still trapped. Remember the WandaVision finale? Wanda Maximoff (the Scarlet Witch) stripped Agatha of her magic and forced her to play the role of the "nosy neighbor." Three years have passed. In Agatha’s head, she’s the hero of a crime drama. In reality? She’s a delusional woman wandering around Westview, New Jersey, talking to herself while her neighbors just sort of... let it happen.
The body in the woods is the ultimate Easter egg. If you look closely at the Jane Doe’s fingers, they are blackened. That’s the "Darkhold rot." The soil under her nails? Eastern European.
It’s Wanda. Or, more accurately, it’s the idea of Wanda. Since Wanda died (supposedly) under a mountain of rubble at the end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, her death has trickled into Agatha’s subconscious.
Agatha is investigating the murder of the person who put her in this mental prison. Talk about psychological layers.
Why Joe Locke and Aubrey Plaza Change Everything
The episode, titled "Seekest Thou the Road," really kicks into gear when two people crash Agatha’s fake reality.
First, we get "Teen," played by Joe Locke. He’s a "familiar" (basically a witch’s assistant) who breaks into Agatha’s house. In her detective delusion, she arrests him. In reality, he’s a goth kid who somehow knows exactly how to bypass the spell Wanda cast.
Then there’s Rio Vidal.
Aubrey Plaza as Rio is a revelation. She shows up as a "Federal Agent," but the sexual tension between her and Agatha is thick enough to cut with a sacrificial dagger. They have history. They were lovers, or enemies, or maybe both. When Rio tells Agatha to "claw her way out," it isn't just advice. It’s a challenge.
The sequence where Agatha finally breaks free is visually stunning. She sheds the detective clothes, the "Agnes" persona, and literally peels back the layers of her own wardrobe until she’s standing naked and powerless in her own hallway.
Real Details You Probably Missed
If you’re hunting for the deep lore, you need to look at the library card.
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Agatha finds a library card at the crime scene. It has a list of names. One of them is "W. Maximoff." Another is "A. Harkness." These aren't just names; they are the previous owners of the Darkhold, the Book of the Damned.
- The Anagram: The book Agatha looks for in the library is written by "Andrew Ugo." That is a direct anagram for Wundagore, the mountain where the Darkhold was created and where Wanda met her end.
- The Bunny: We see a "Señor Scratchy" reference. In the comics, Nicholas Scratch is Agatha’s son. In the show, he’s been missing for a long time.
- The Date: The library card has the date October 13. That’s a Sunday. It also happens to be a significant date in witch folklore.
The Power Struggle Is Real
Let’s be real for a second: Agatha is kind of a terrible person.
She’s a villain. We love her because Kathryn Hahn makes being a sociopathic witch look like the most fun you can have with your clothes on, but she’s not a hero. By the end of the first episode, she realizes she is completely powerless.
Her magic is gone. The Darkhold is destroyed. And the "Salem Seven"—a group of terrifying hooded figures—are coming for her.
This isn't a "save the world" story. This is a "save my own skin" story. Agatha needs her power back, and the only way to get it is by walking the Witches' Road. But you can’t walk the Road alone. You need a coven.
What This Means for the Rest of the MCU
For a long time, the MCU tried to explain magic as "science we don't understand yet." Agatha All Along throws that out the window. This is pure, unadulterated witchcraft.
It’s messy. It’s musical. It’s weirdly horny.
The first episode sets a tone that is much darker than WandaVision ever was. While WandaVision was about grief, Agatha is about consequence. Agatha has been a prisoner for three years, and the world has moved on without her.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Rewatch
If you want to catch the stuff the casual fans are missing, keep an eye on these three things when you go back to Agatha All Along episode 1:
- Listen to the humming. Agatha is humming "The Ballad of the Witches' Road" long before she actually knows what it is. The spell is leaking through her subconscious from the very first frame.
- Watch the background characters. Herb and Dottie aren't just being nice. They are terrified. Every time Agatha/Agnes starts acting "detective-y," you can see the sheer exhaustion and fear on the faces of the Westview residents.
- The Wardrobe. The color purple doesn't appear until the very moment the spell begins to break. Before that, everything is muted, blue, and grey. Once the "Agatha" identity starts to return, the purple hues bleed back into the frame.
The biggest mistake people make is thinking this is just a comedy. It’s a survival horror story disguised as a campy romp. Agatha is at her most dangerous when she’s cornered, and right now, she’s backed into a very small, magic-less corner.
To fully grasp the stakes, you should rewatch the final episode of WandaVision immediately followed by the Agatha premiere. The transition is seamless and reveals exactly how much of a nightmare Agatha’s "Agnes" life really was. Pay attention to the way she interacts with "Teen" in the interrogation room; his dialogue is full of clues about his true identity that only make sense if you know the history of the Maximoff family.
Finally, don't ignore the credits. The "Agnes of Westview" opening sequence contains more hints about the Salem Seven than the actual dialogue does. Look for the names on the scoreboards and the signs in the background—they aren't random. They are a roadmap for the rest of the season.