The one word that kept popping up in my head while I was watching the third episode of Agatha All Along was "peppy." From the very first scene, director Rachel Goldberg summons a lively beat that keeps the episode humming with excitement and levity. The mood becomes more vibrant due to the actors' chemistry. Their bickering and suspicions of double crossings are layered with an amusing coating. Sharon Davis, the sweet Westview resident who is now trapped with the witches, gets the best scenes, and the best lines. Sample this: "Okay. I am a member of the Westview Historical Society. All I would've expected to see down here were remnants of our failed public transit system." A few minutes later, when her handbag gets sucked into the ground, she cries, "No, this came from Talbots. You can't have it." Sharon corrects other witches when they call her by the wrong name, like Mrs. Hart. The payoff comes at the end when Agatha says, "Who's Sharon?" The ending sticks out as a blatant attempt at generating suspense. It falls flat because we all know the characters in the Marvel universe don't remain dead. Then again, as I mentioned in my review of Episodes 1 and 2, Agatha All Along has built-in defenses. Point your fingers toward its flaws, and it says, "Well, the effect is intentional."
Episode 3 sends the witches inside a mysterious, magical house that looks grand until everybody consumes poison (i.e., wine). First, their faces contort and swell. Then, their heartbeat increases. After a while, they all experience hallucinations. Jennifer explains, "The fact that the face swelling decreased so quickly means it could be only one type of poison, Alewife's Revenge. Face swelling is just the beginning. Next is dizziness, delirium, and loss of motor function. Also, hallucinations, and eventually... Death." Thank god, Jennifer is an expert at crafting potions. She can brew a cure; she just needs the right ingredients. Fortunately for the characters, the house contains everything they require. Everybody starts searching for the ingredients. Of course, they also face terrifying hallucinations, which sadly aren't that terrifying. Agatha All Along doesn't dive into the depths of darkness, be it visual or personal. The images merely carry suggestions of nightmares without actually embodying the frightening atmosphere. It seems as if the show doesn't want to disturb its audience. It doesn't take risks and chooses to remain in a safe territory where creepiness is imbued with mischievousness. Also, the hallucinations are too literal. They disappear before they can rack your nerves with their spookiness. Even the ticking time element fails to add urgency and tension.
Agatha All Along is charming, funny, and enjoyable. Still, there are moments when you wish it hadn't been a Marvel production. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has no place for bold experiments. Some of the shows and movies might look different, but they only end up checking the boxes. Even with a sitcom-like structure, WandaVision eventually arrived at the Big Superhero Battle. When fans are prioritized over artistic freedom, you get safe banalities that recycle the same story, the same scenarios, and, in the case of the multiverse, the same actors/characters.
Final Score – [6.5/10]