Agatha All Along has already demonstrated itself to take some heavy influence from the best of prestige true crime television, incorporating many distinct tropes and references from the genre into its first two episodes. Agatha All Along‘s place in the MCU timeline means it primarily focuses on pulling story elements from the wider franchise, particularly its predecessor series WandaVision, which introduced Disney+ audiences to Agatha Harkness for the first time. However, the series seems to have also taken a liking to the true crime genre, as evidenced by a coterie of clever references.
Whereas WandaVision homaged the great sitcoms of every decade since the 50s with its charming first few episodes,Agatha All Along seems more content to pay tribute to various true crime dramas. While plenty of generic references to the genre proliferate the first two episodes of the show, some more specific nods to the best true crime series around are also prevalent, demonstrating that showrunner Jac Schaeffer is a huge fan. Even if the police procedural theming won’t seem to be lasting as long as WandaVision‘s sitcom episodes, the show clearly has a reverence for police procedurals of all kinds.
8. Rio Vidal’s Line About A Lady Cop With No Personal Life
Aubrey Plaza’s character points out a running trope of true crime
The archetypal true crime protagonist is, in many cases, a female police detective with a driving passion for her line of work, leaving not much room for a social life. Almost breaking the fourth wall, Aubrey Plaza’s Rio Vidal seems to be well-aware of this trope, or at least, the version of her that manifests in Agatha’s police procedural illusory world is. She comments as much during an early appearance, in which she states “It’s a universally acknowledged truth that a lady cop cannot be good at her job and have a healthy personal life at the same time.”
Sure enough, Agatha’s “character” within the television-show reality she inhabits is a spitting image of this description, seemingly having little to no social life outside of her job. This is only exacerbated by the vacuous absence of a child in her life, one Nicholas Scratch, whose presence is felt in a collection of items seemingly belonging to him in Agatha’s home. This character archetype demonstrates a brilliant understanding of many true crime shows and movies that utilize it, from True Detective to Nicole Kidman’s Destroyer, as pointed out by showrunner Jac Schaeffer (via The Independent).
7. The Subtitle “Based On A Danish Series”
A clever quip making two references at once
Eagle-eyed viewers of Agatha All Along‘s first two episodes can spot a curious subtitle in the intro sequence, paying homage to two influences at once. Shortly after the title card introducing the Disney+ series for the first time, a blurb reads “Inspired by the Danish series Wandavisdysen,” obviously paying homage to Agatha All Along‘s sister series, WandaVision. At first glance, this could easily be a simple visual gag referencing the previous MCU show in a tongue-in-cheek manner, but the subtitle is actually a reference to a prestigious true crime show.
The Killing preceded every episode with a similar title card explaining as much, and Agatha All Along twists WandaVision ‘s title into a hilarious nonsense word that reads vaguely similarly as a reference to the show.
The subtitle might be a familiar sight to fans of the series The Killing, an American crime drama set in Seattle following the mysterious murder investigation of a teenage girl. The Killing was based on a Danish series natively referred to as Forbrydelsen, which roughly translates to “The Crime.” The Killing preceded every episode with a similar title card explaining as much, and Agatha All Along twists WandaVision‘s title into a hilarious nonsense word that reads vaguely similarly as a reference to the show.
6. Agatha Re-Creates Mare of Easttown’s Plot
The 2021 crime drama is a particular point of focus for Agatha
If there’s one true crime drama in particular that Agatha All Along homages the most, it’s the 2021 HBO miniseries Mare of Easttown, starring Kate Winslet. The critically-acclaimed show centers around a troubled police detective in a Philadelphia suburb who investigates a grisly murder in the woods. The opening scene of Agatha All Along re-creates this premise nearly shot-for-shot, with Agatha arriving at a murder scene in the woods.
Even the shots are framed hilariously similar to the early moments of Mare of Easttown.
The appreciation for one true crime series in particular can be explained by showrunner Jac Schaeffer, who became friends with the cast and crew of Mare of Easttown when competing for the same Emmy Awards during WandaVision‘s awards circuit in 2021 (via The Independent). Clearly their company left a lasting impression, and Schaeffer showed her appreciation for the series my parodying it in Agatha All Along‘s opening moments. However, it wasn’t only the plot of Mare of Easttown that was copied by Agatha All Along.
5. Agatha Mimics Kate Winslet’s Character In Mare Of Easttown
From her dialect to her outfit, Agatha is a dead ringer for Mare
While acting out the same events, Agatha Harkness’ illusory world also sees her acting almost exactly like Kate Winslet’s character, detective Sergeant Marianne “Mare” Sheehan, in Mare of Easttown. For one, Agatha’s wardrobe is a dead ringer for Mare’s in the series’ introductory episode, wearing an eerily similar jacket-sweater combo as she strides around the wooded murder scene. However, it’s Agatha’s unique accent in the simulated world that truly gives her away as an imitation of Winslet’s Mare.
Mare of Easttown was lauded for its use of the seldom-seen-on-TV “Delco” accent, a dialect of Philadelphia English spoken widely in the Delaware Valley. Agatha makes her own attempt at imitating this unique drawl, made obvious by her usage of certain words, like referring to a creek as a “crick.” Hopefully, Agatha All Along can inspire a renewed interest in the HBO series with its loving homages, which could see a surge in popularity leading to a second season of Mare of Easttown.
4Agatha All Along Homages Mare Of Easttown’s Title Card
Even the subtle graphic design details of Agatha All Along homage the series
As if the plot and personality of Agatha All Along‘s opening moments copying Mare of Easttown wasn’t enough, the series even makes reference to the revered true crime drama with the smallest of graphic design details. It’s not just the cold open of Agatha All Along that looks like the series, but the very title card itself is reminiscent of Mare of Easttown‘s own. The first tile card of the series simply reads “Agnes of Westivew“, emphasizing that at the moment, Agatha is stuck as a new version of Agnes the nosy neighbor.
Keeping in line with Agnes’ new life as a grizzled police detective, this title card mimics those seen in Mare of Easttown right down to the last detail. Even the font seems to be the same one used in the HBO series, leaving no stone unturned in setting up the first episode as one big reference. This makes it all the more hilarious when Aubrey Plaza’s Rio Vidal comes crashing into the picture, incredulously asking Agatha if this is how she really sees herself. It’s unclear as to whether Agatha’s own mental image is somehow reflected in Wanda’s posthumous spell.
3. The Opening Credits Parody Other Great Crime Dramas
Agatha All Along pulls its references from many sources
Of course, Mare of Easttown isn’t the only venerated true crime drama that Agatha All Along pulls inspiration from. By episode 2, the title sequence has gone on to reflect a wide deal of other shows, morphing into an atmospheric, fast-paced edit of a series of crime scene closeups. The style of this new intro clearly echoes those of TV crime greats The Wire and The Sopranos, right down to the pacing, color correction, and the grainy late 90s/early 2000s quality of the footage.
The crime series intro also comes with a new song, sung by a vocalist imitating the Tom Waits-like style used in the theme song to The Sopranos and the theme song to The Wire. The singer performs a cover of The Ballad of the Witches’ Road incantation heard multiple times earlier in the series. According to the official MarvelMusicVEVO channel on YouTube, this rendition is the “true crime version” of the song, officially clarifying the series’ intentions to homage.
2. Agatha Brings Coffee To A Crime Scene
Agatha isn’t immune to the most well-worn of crime procedural tropes
Not every true crime reference imitated in Agatha All Along pulls from such specific sources, however. Indeed, one of the new series’ most simple scenes is also a well-worn trope in so many different police and detective procedurals, that listing them all would be an unending task. This occurs when Agatha, as Detective Agnes, brings two cups of coffee to an active crime scene, handing one of them to her supposed partner, Herb Feltman.
The simple act of approaching a crime scene with a scalding cup of joe or two in tow is the opening scene to countless episodes of true crime dramas far and wide, from the CSI series to Law & Order. In reality, Agnes’ partner Herb is really her neighbor, John Collins, played by David Payton returning from WandaVision. It’s quite entertaining to re-watch this scene with the knowledge that the hallucinating Agatha was simply speaking to John over his hedges, begging the question as to if she really handed him a cup of coffee in the first place.
1. The Opening Credits Also Borrow From True Detective
Agatha All Along references true crime in even the smallest details
It’s impossible to discuss the true crime genre in the modern day and age without mention of True Detective, which has had a stranglehold on fans of the TV category ever since its premiere in 2014. A semi-anthology series like American Horror Story,each season of True Detective takes place in a dramatically different setting with new characters, each focused on a new crime altogether. Agatha All Along subtly gives a nod to the series by replicating its peculiar opening credits habit.
True Detective is fond of simply listing characters in its opening credits, eschewing the actors’ names in favor of the role they’re meant to portray. The first episode of Agatha All Along does the same thing, homaging the series by only crediting Agatha Harkness herself rather than Kathryn Hahn. Now that Agatha has broken out of the true crime spell, it’ll be interesting to see how future episodes of Agatha All Along continue to pay tribute to the genre, if they do so at all.
True Crime References
Rio Vidal’s Line About A Lady Cop With No Personal Life
The Subtitle “Based On A Danish Series”
Agatha Re-Creates Mare of Easttown’s Plot
Agatha Mimics Kate Winslet’s Character In Mare Of Easttown
Agatha All Along Homages Mare Of Easttown’s Title Card
The Opening Credits Parody Other Great Crime Dramas
Agatha Brings Coffee To A Crime Scene
The Opening Credits Also Borrow From True Detective
