WandaVision is undeniably a high watermark of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). Masterfully directed, acted, and moreover fun to watch, the nine-episode series kicked off the era of Marvel TV in a big way. That is until it stumbled in the final episode thanks to turning from something creative and fresh into a standard Marvel witch-blasting battle. And that’s something the Agatha All Along finale cleverly sidestepped with one simple structural trick.
In the finale of WandaVision, after weeks of dealing with the grief Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) was putting off due to the death of her true love, Vision (Paul Bettany), and the trauma of what happened during Avengers: Endgame, it all crested in Wanda and Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) blasting each other with different colored energy beams in the skies over Westview. There were stand-out moments, for sure, like Wanda putting her children to bed moments before having to seemingly eliminate them from existence. Or when we got to see her in the full Scarlet Witch costume.
But mostly what had been a nuanced, emotionally charged series became your standard superhero battle. And it was a bummer to critics and fans because everything before that felt so fresh and exciting.
Jac Schaeffer, the creator of both WandaVision and Agatha All Along must have heard some of that feedback. The latter series did still include a massive witch blast battle, this time between Agatha, Death (Aubrey Plaza), and Wiccan (Joe Locke). But it also figured out a way to emotionally ground it by switching which episode it happened in.
I’m going to give credit circuitously where it’s due for this, but having interviewed Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa multiple times, he would always note one of the most important lessons imparted to him by uber-producer Greg Berlanti. That lesson was to put the climax of the plot of your season of TV in the second to last episode. That way, you can spend the actual finale dealing with the emotional fall-out, and what it means for your characters… Rather than rushing it in the last five minutes of the finale, or leaving that to deal with in the next season’s premiere.
The Agatha All Along Finale Leaves Time For The Fallout
While WandaVision did take time for Wanda to finish up things in Westview, and the show teed up The Marvels, as well as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, most of that happened in the final few minutes and end credits scenes. Particularly after the CGI-heavy witch battle, it all felt like an extended coda.
Agatha, meanwhile, put all that business into Episode 8, “Follow Me My Friend To Glory At The End.” You got your witch battle. You got Agatha dying, and tying up the plot with Rio. And you even got Billy returning home… Leading to a huge twist, where it turned out Billy created the Witches’ Road they’ve been traveling the whole time.
Episode 9, “Maiden, Mother, Crone,” meanwhile, did exactly what Berlanti suggested. It slowed down considerably to take half the running time to show Agatha in the 1750s with her son, Nicholas Scratch. It fleshed out and explained that relationship, as well as everything that led up to her joining Billy Maximoff on the Witches’ Road. And it dealt with the fallout. Billy is concerned he’s a murderer. Agatha is a ghost, not ready to let go of this mortal coil. Together, they’re going to go find his brother.
While I’m sure there are quibbles and criticisms of this finale, as well, I’d argue that it was far more successful than WandaVision because it put the superhero fight in the second to last episode. That allowed us the time to sit with Agatha and Nicholas, and then Agatha and Billy. To find some sort of closure on the main emotional arcs of the series, tie up a few plot threads, and leave a few more open.
But it’s a smart move from Schaeffer, who had to deal with a number of factors on WandaVision that she likely didn’t need to deal with here (read: COVID closures, setting up movies, etc). It gives the show room to breathe; and feel. And ultimately that’s what we want out of these shows. Sure, spectacle is important. But far more important is emotion. That’s what the Agatha All Along gave us, even as it left the character’s stories open. It gave them closure and then moved them on to the next stage in their lives. And ultimately, that may lead to Agatha being looked at more favorably as a whole than WandaVision, which routinely gets explained as “it’s great… Except the finale.”
Here Agatha All Along was pretty great, well, all along.
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