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Agatha Harkness exposed: the shocking historical identity of Jolene revealed in Agatha All Along

Agatha Harkness exposed: the shocking historical identity of Jolene revealed in Agatha All Along

Actress Kathryn Hahn at the Special Launch Event For Marvel Television's "Agatha All Along" held at El Capitan Theatre on September 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Courtesy of Gilbert Flores/GettyImages

Of all the dastardly stunts Agatha Harkness has pulled across time, the reveal from the latest episode proves she was evil "just because she can" be.

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Agatha Harkness's capacity for evil seemingly knows no bounds.

In the latest episode of Agatha All Along, it was revealed that Harkness was a part of some of the worst moments in history: the 1937 Hindenburg disaster, the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, and that time a radiant red-headed woman dared to flirt with Dolly Parton's husband.

Yes, that's right, Agatha Harkness is the eponymous Jolene.

During the latest episode of the miniseries, "Familiar by Thy Side," a flashback shows Joe Locke's character "Teen" (a.k.a. Billy Kaplan, a.k.a Wiccan) researching Agatha Harkness's vast history. It spans centuries going as far back as the 1690s, when Harkness avoided being killed during the Salem Witch Trials.

There's also a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment where we get a glimpse at an internet post archiving a newspaper article reading "Does This 1972 Surveillance Photo of Dolly Parton Show The Real Jolene?" Underneath are two copies of the photo, showing Parton slapping Agatha "Jolene" Harkness square across the face.

In an interview for The Wrap, Agatha All Along showrunner Jac Schaeffer was asked to officially confirm whether or not Harkness really was the infamous "Jolene." She responded with a laugh, saying, "In the MCU, hell yeah."

A follow-up question was asked about how the writers decided when and where Harkness would show up throughout time, and Shaeffer explained the process. She said that she likes to assign the writers homework, one assignment being, "Give me five low-level, nefarious things that Agatha has done in her deep past."

Neither the Hindenburg or the Titanic would be described as "low-level," and frankly, trying to steal Dolly Parton's man doesn't either! The cheek, the nerve, the gall, the audacity, and the gumption! Shaeffer credited writer Laura Donney for the idea and described when she pitched it to the team.

"That was a Laura Donney idea. And it was one of, I remember being one of the most fun days in the room, was everybody coming in with their sort of low-level Agatha nasties. And that was Laura Donney. She was like, 'She’s Jolene.' And we were just like, everybody fell out. It was so funny."

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