“Agatha All Along delivers a captivating episode that unveils the story of William Kaplan/Billy Maximoff. Joe Locke is the definition of perfect casting, he owns this role!”
It’s Thursday so this means it’s time for our weekly dose of Marvel with a new episode of Agatha All Along! Episodes are released weekly every Thursday in the UK at 2 a.m. and on Wednesdays in the US at 6 p.m. PT.
THE STORY OF WILLIAM KAPLAN …
Last week’s episode ended with the reveal we were all waiting for – Teen (Joe Locke) is indeed Billy Maximoff. It was an iconic moment in the history of the MCU. So, now that we know the truth, it makes sense that this week’s episode takes us back into the past and explains how Billy took this body. Fans of the comics know that Billy reincarnates in the body of William Kaplan in Young Avengers. The MCU has taken a similar approach. The original Teen is William Kaplan too.
In fact, the beginning of the episode really dives into William’s life with his bar mitzvah. It’s important to have these moments because you can see the shift in personality once Billy comes in. Additionally, there are also connections to the other witches. This episode goes full circle. It’s the missing piece that we were waiting for to put the puzzle back together. Obviously, the situation is different in the MCU than in the comics so how William becomes Billy is different too. This time, it’s linked to what happens in WandaVision. The team behind these series has found a satisfying way to make it work. It respects the comics while also respecting WandaVision.
Moreover, the flashbacks are in 16:9 widescreen instead of the 2:35:1 cinemascope. It’s not the first time we see a change in the aspect ratio. The ratio changed in the first two trials as well. WandaVision also played with that. Here for the flashbacks, it marks a difference between the past and the present.
… AND THE STORY OF BILLY MAXIMOFF
The rest of the episode is about how William’s life changes once Billy “is part of” him. This brings him to cross path with Ralph Bohner (Evan Peters), the joke character from WandaVision. At every turn, Agatha All Along reminds us that it truly is the spiritual sequel to the beloved series. Bringing Bohner back is not for a cheap cameo but it means something in the story. His conversation is actually a key moment that leads William to Westview and Agatha. This is why this series is so good. It knows exactly how to tell its story and with which characters to do it without feeling like cheap fan service. They have the Dave Filoni approach from Star Wars on how to tell stories.
Little by little, we see William/Billy’s story reaching what really happens in the first episode of Agatha All Along. There are several parallels and we see things not from Agatha’s point of view imprisoned in the spell but from William’s point of view. And things are actually quite different, which makes these scenes even more funny. There is actually a line that is absolutely hilarious when Agatha puts William/Billy into the closet “come on, I don’t wanna go back to the closet.” It’s an inside joke in the gay community and the way the line is delivered with that scene is just great comedy.
William/Billy being gay is also part of the story. It was mentioned in previous episodes but here, he gets to spend time with his boyfriend Eddie (Miles Gutierrez-Riley). It’s not Teddy Atlman from the comics but I have no doubt that we will see him in the MCU one day too. Billy is THE gay icon of Marvel comics. So, it’s a real joy to see him and his queerness represented on screen. We have been waiting for this to happen and it doesn’t disappoint!
VERDICT
Agatha All Along delivers a captivating episode that unveils the story of William Kaplan/Billy Maximoff. Joe Locke is the definition of perfect casting, he owns this role!
Agatha All Along is now streaming on Disney Plus.
Collectables and Anime Editor for Future Of The Force.
Star Wars expert and Japan connoisseur.
