The story of Baba Yaga has been told for years and has been used across many genres, most recently in the John Wick action franchise. In AMC+’s YAGA, we get something different. The folk horror series uses part of the name, wrapped in a supernatural mystery.
The first two episodes screened at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. While the plot is simple, the story is not, and the combination of atmosphere and mystery might make this show a winner.
Carrie-Anne Moss Shines in AMC+’s YAGA
After the mysterious disappearance of Henry Park (Hudson Williams), heir to a commercial fishing company and known as a party boy, the Park family hires private investigator Rapp (Noah Reid). His personal connection to the case annoys local detective Carson (Clark Backo).
The two are forced to work together, and it soon becomes clear that this is more than a missing-person case. Truths have been hidden, and it will take hard work and possibly unorthodox methods to get to the bottom of the mystery.
The first two episodes of YAGA were solid, with a well-told story, good characters, and enough mystery to make them a fun watch. They have you trying to figure out who is lying, what they are covering up, and what the truth really is behind Henry’s disappearance. Reid is the mysterious PI who does things differently but is still good at his job.
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His different style and humor rub Backo the wrong way, but as the two episodes wrap up, their characters begin to see eye to eye on most things. It may be the prototypical opposites-attract dynamic, but it works, at least so far.
There are a handful of characters who come in and out of the story, including witnesses, friends, ex-girlfriends, etc., but none is as captivating as Katherine (Carrie-Anne Moss). Moss’s character, a university professor, is smart, sexy, and very guarded, like most in the show, but she seems to know much more about what’s going on than most.
Her exchange with Rapp at the university was a lot of fun, and that playful, flirty verbal sparring was still more about each character testing the other than anything else.
YAGA’s Coastal Setting Is Shrouded in Fog and Mystery
YAGA is filmed on the coast of Western Canada, primarily in and around Victoria, and it takes full advantage of the setting. Dark, dense, seemingly endless forests, rolling fog, and a vast ocean give the show a strong atmosphere, and at times a sense of dread hangs over the town. It is an excellent setting, especially at night, and adds an extra layer of intrigue to everything.
When you have only 8 episodes, each 30 minutes long, you need to make every minute count. What the show has built around itself is nothing but good.
It seems the show’s supernatural element, while important in its own right, is, at least for now, less central to the story and more of a tool. There are hints of it, real or imagined, and the first two episodes rely on the leads, the atmosphere, and the fast pace.
How YAGA will play out over the final six episodes is unclear, but through two episodes it makes good strides in establishing characters, ideas, mythology, and a good old-fashioned mystery to solve, all of which blend well. Let’s hope this mix of quick-paced episodes, mystery, and good old atmosphere continues to the very end.
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