Agatha All Along Episode 5 Review

This review contains full spoilers for Agatha All Along Season 1, Episode 5.

Marvel's “Agatha All Along” finally delivers the answer to one of the series' biggest questions, but only at the end of a rushed episode. The fifth chapter of the series, titled “Darkest Hour / Wake Thy Power”, is the shortest to date, lasting only 25 minutes before the credits roll, about 10 to 15 minutes less than previous episodes. That's a shame, because the many crucial moments could use a lot more breathing room.

In what may be the worst-kept secret in Marvel history, we now know that Joe Locke's mysterious “Teen” character is Billy Kaplan, the son of the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), who is better known as Wicca in the comics is known. The pivotal moment when Agatha (Kathryn Hahn) pushes Billy too far and he uses his powers to eliminate the Circle is pretty impressive. It was an inspired decision to reveal his identity not through words, but by showing him harnessing Wanda's signature mind control ability and donning a crown similar to hers – all punctuated by the perfect pinprick of Billie Elish's “You Should See Me.” in a Crown”. However, it is unclear how exactly Agatha knows his true identity. There's been a lot of talk about the mysterious seal Billy carries that makes his true name unrecognizable to witches, which makes it a bit confusing that Agatha suddenly knows it anyway. I can imagine this being explained in a future episode, but still it throws distracting questions into the big reveal in this episode.

The big moment is also marred by the fact that Billy's character has been underdeveloped for so long. He's had a lot of screen time, running around after Agatha and asking a million questions about how witchcraft works, but aside from the fact that he seems like a genuinely good person who sees the best in people (even in… someone as evil as Agatha), we only have a superficial understanding of him. Again, I'm sure we'll get to know him better in the inevitable flashback that explains his entire backstory in detail, but it's hard to feel overwhelmed by the fact that he's Wanda's son when there isn't much There is reason to still feel invested in him. As a long-time fan of Marvel's Young Avengers comics, and Wicca in particular, it was a bit frustrating to watch all of this.

This points to a larger problem that Agatha All Along suffers from. With each episode, the plot not only progresses faster, but also becomes thinner. The story begins to feel like a collection of set pieces strung together by a series of gimmicks and expository lines of dialogue. The Alice (Ali Ahn) trial in episode four was the first victim of this growing problem, and now it's causing problems again.

At least my prayers for a real villain were finally answered. The Salem Seven follow the coven in their own uniquely spooky way. Interestingly, we learn that the Salem Seven are the descendants of the witches Agatha murdered long ago, which provides a nice connection to the flashback we saw in WandaVision. These black-clad witches are still very one-dimensional villains, so I'd like to know more about them, but until that happens (perhaps in another flashback), they're doing a great job adding some much-needed danger and excitement to the proceedings.

To my surprise, this episode is about Agatha's trial. I always assumed that her story would be saved for last, since she's the main character and all, so it's a nice subversion of expectations. The sleepover setting in the retro horror film is pretty fun, especially because the Ouija board leads to a real-life obsession with Agatha herself. The entire setup leads to some classic schlocky horror gags and a lot of hearty laughs as the characters freak out and struggle to make the situation right. It's refreshing to see Jen (Sasheer Zamata) stand up to Agatha by showcasing her stupidity and suggesting abandoning her, just like she would abandon them. Harsh, but not unreasonable considering Agatha's record.

Agatha All Along Episode 5 Pictures