Ever since Agnes knocked on Wanda’s door, houseplant in hand, during WandaVision‘s first episode, Hahn has rightfully garnered praise for her versatile, scene-stealing work as the titular couple’s nosy neighbor. And it’s no surprise, really: Hahn has been the secret weapon of countless comedy episodes during her career, and the kind of acclaim she’s gotten for WandaVision is well overdue.

But after weeks of nailing the sitcom neighbor role in each new decade, Hahn got to go full villain in Friday’s finale, and she clearly relished every moment of it. We can’t remember the last time we had so much fun watching a baddie wreak havoc, but Hahn had us hooked as her line readings — “Ooh, this is awkward: Your ex and your boyfriend together at the same party!” — oozed with wicked delight.

And though Agatha hurled plenty of purple-tinted magic at Wanda during their climactic fight, Hahn’s performance was just as effective without all those fireworks. Agatha’s cruel power was made clear through Hahn’s acting choices, like the way her eyes lit up just before her old coven turned on Wanda, or the pleasure she took in revealing that the Hex couldn’t actually be fixed with a new spell. Plus, that witchy cackle of hers? Top-notch.

It was in her final scene that Hahn did perhaps her best work of the show. Wholly defeated by Wanda (now the Scarlet Witch) and drained of her own magic, Agatha was permanently transformed back into busybody Agnes — but the words she spoke didn’t have Agnes’ previous cheerfulness, nor did they carry the gravitas of Agatha at the height of her powers. This was a new Agnes trapped somewhere in between: seemingly aware of her bleak new existence, but powerless to escape it. And with every sitcom-cheesy line she delivered, Hahn mastered the delicate balance of cheer and pain in Agnes’ voice; the words, “Okey-dokey, artichokey” have never sounded so tortured, proving once more that Hahn is magical in her own right.
https://tvline.com/2021/03/06/kathry...atha-harkness/