8 True Crime References in Agatha All Along

Agatha all along has already demonstrated itself to take some heavy influence from the best of prestige true crime television, incorporating many different tropes and references of the genre in 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 windovision, which introduced Disney+ audiences to Agatha Harkness for the first time. However, the series seems to have also loved the true crime genre, as evidenced by a coterie of clever references.

Whereas WandaVision Paying homage to the great sitcoms of every decade since the 50s with its charming first few episodes, Agatha all along Seems more happy to pay tribute to various true crime dramas. While plenty of generic references to the genre litter the show’s first two episodes, 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 procedural theme of the police will not seem to be lasting that long WandaVisionsitcom episodes, the show clearly has a fear of police procedurals of all kinds.

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Rio Vidal’s line about a lady cop with no personal life

Aubrey Plaza’s character shows 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, which doesn’t leave 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 it that manifests in Agatha’s police procedural illusory world. She comments as much during an early appearance, in which she says “It is 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, the “character” of Agatha in the reality TV show she inhabits is a spitting image of this description, seemingly having little to no social life outside of her job. This is only reinforced by the vacuous absence of a child in her life, one Nicholas Scratch, whose presence is felt in a collection of things that seem to belong to him in Agatha’s home. This character archetype demonstrates a brilliant understanding of the many true crime shows and movies that use it, from true detective To Nicole Kidman destroyer, As pointed out by showrunner Jac Schaeffer (by The Independent).

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The subtitle “based on a Danish series”

A clever headline makes two references at once

Eagle-eyed viewers of Agatha all alongThe first two episodes can find an interesting 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 Wandavisdysenobviously pay respect to Agatha all alongs sister series, WandaVision. At first glance, this could easily be a simple visual gag referencing previous MCU shows in a tongue-in-cheek manner, but the subtitle is actually a reference to a prestigious true crime show.

The subtitle may be a familiar sight to fans of the series The murder, An American crime drama set in Seattle following the mysterious murder investigation of a teenage girl. The murder was based on a Danish series born as ForbrydelsenWhich roughly translates to “the crime”. The murder Each episode was preceded by a similar title card explaining how much, and Agatha all along twists WandaVision‘s title in a hilarious nonsense word that reads vaguely similar to a reference to the show.

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Agatha re-creates more of Eastown’s plot

The 2021 crime drama is a particular point of focus for Agatha

If there is one true crime drama especially that Agatha all along The most homages, this is the 2021 HBO miniseries More from Easttown, Starring Kate Winslet. The critically-acclaimed show centers around a troubled police detective in a Philadelphia suburb who investigates a gruesome murder in the woods. The opening scene of Agatha all along Re-creates the premise almost shot-for-shot, with Agatha arriving at a murder scene in the woods.

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 More from Easttown When competing for the same Emmy Awards during WandaVisions awards circuit in 2021 (by The Independent). Their company clearly made a lasting impression, and Schaeffer showed her appreciation for the series I parodied it in Agatha all alongs opening moments. However, it was not only the plot of More from Easttown which was copied by Agatha all along.

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Agatha mimics Kate Winslet’s character in More 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 Marian “Mare” Sheehan, in More from Easttown. For one, Agatha’s wardrobe is a dead ringer for Mare 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 really gives her off as an imitation of Winslet’s mare.

More from Easttown was praised for his use of the rarely-seen-on-television “Delco” accent, a dialect of Philadelphia English widely spoken in the Delaware Valley. Agatha makes her own attempt to imitate this unique drawl, evident by her use of certain words, such as referring to a river as a “sick.” hope, Agatha all along could inspire a renewed interest in the HBO series with its loving homagesWhich could see a surge in popularity leading to a second season of More from Easttown.

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Agatha all along Homages Mare from Easttown’s title card

Even the subtle graphic design details of Agatha All Along honored the series

As if the plot and personality of Agatha all alongs opening moments copying More from Easttown is not enough The series even references the revered true crime drama with the smallest of graphic design details. It’s not just the cold open Agatha all along That looks like the series, but the very title card itself is reminiscent of More from Easttowns own. The first tile card of the series simply reads “Agnes of Vestiv“, emphasizing that at the moment, Agatha is stuck as a new version of ​​Agnes the stupid neighbor.

The title card is in keeping with Agnes’ new life as a grizzled police detective, and mimics the one seen in More from 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 establishing the first episode as one big reference. This makes it even 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 is unclear whether Agatha’s own mental image is somehow reflected in Wanda’s posthumous spell.

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The opening credits parody other great crime dramas

Agatha All Along draws its references from many sources

of course, More from Easttown is not the only award-winning true crime drama that Agatha all along Pulls inspiration from. In episode 2, the title sequence continues to reflect a wide range of other shows, morphing into an atmospheric, fast-paced edit of a series of crime scene closeups. The style of the new intro clearly echoes that of the great TV crime The ruler And The SopranosRight down to the pacing, color correction and the grainy late 90s/early 2000s quality of the footage.

The intro to the crime series also comes with a new song, sung by a vocalist who imitates the Tom Waits-like style used in the theme song. The Sopranos And the theme song to The ruler. The singer performs a cover of The Ballad of the Witches Way 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 pay homage.

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Agatha brings coffee to a crime scene

Agatha is not 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 most simple scenes of the new series 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, and gives 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 fact, Agnes’ partner Herb is really her neighbor, John Collins, played by David Payton returning from WandaVision. It’s quite entertaining to watch the scene knowing that the hallucinating Agatha was simply talking to John over his hedges, begging the question of whether she actually gave him a cup of coffee in the first place.

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The opening credits also borrow from True Detective

Agatha All Along refers to true crime in even the smallest details

It is impossible to discuss the true crime genre in the modern day and age without mentioning true detective, Which has a striking effect on fans of the television category since its premiere in 2014. A semi-anthology series like american horror story, Every season of true detective Takes place in a dramatically different setting with new characters, each focused on a new crime. Agatha all along Subtly gives a nod to the series by replicating its odd opening credits habit.

true detective Is fond of simply listing characters in his opening credits, avoiding the names of the actors in favor of the role they are meant to portray. The first episode of Agatha all along does the same thing, paying homage to the series by only crediting Agatha Harkness herself rather than Kathryn Hahn. Now that Agatha has broken out of the true crime spell, it will be interesting to see how future episodes of Agatha all along Continue to pay tribute to the genre, if they do it at all.