Episode 7 was a masterpiece in storytelling, creating a flawless narrative that kept viewers captivated from start to finish. In an episode devoted almost entirely to Lilia and her backstory, Marvel showcased their ability to surprise audiences and do it exceptionally well and through well-thought-out writing. Although the focus was Lilia, the present story still progressed, setting all the characters one step closer to the end of the series. It shows that the show successfully balanced, once again, a character study while moving the overarching narrative one step forward, leaving fans eager for the finale.

Saying Both Hello and Goodbye to Lilia

As mentioned, this episode was not only based on Lilia due to her trial but on her as a character. Lilia, who symbolizes the struggle for older women to be overlooked and thought less of due to their age, proved why she was important and how she has technically been a step ahead of everyone this whole time. Looking at Lilia, her ‘gaps’ as she refers to them made her appear not all there, even a little crazy as Jennifer points out. It made her easy to be overlooked by all the witches in the coven, even though in the end it was her divination powers that were needed for information beyond the trial. Her showing her fears that lie within the power she holds and proving her worth turned the entire perspective of her around, even for viewers, and taught a powerful lesson in not overlooking those who have come before, as they are far more knowledgeable than given credit.

Beyond the lessons taught, Lilia’s episode and trial healed her as a character, allowing her to peacefully accept being a divination witch and a member of the coven before sacrificing herself. Throughout the episode, it was revealed that Lilia struggled with her abilities, specifically after she saw her first coven die at a young age and couldn’t change their fate. It seemed implied that since that point, Lilia tried her hardest to avoid and hide her powers, as she couldn’t handle seeing people’s futures and being unable to do anything. Within Episode 7, her trial went beyond just what we saw with the tarot cards. In reality, her trial has been happening the whole time they’ve been on this journey, through the gaps that she couldn’t make sense of before but have all come together now. Using her abilities, she not only saved her coven from the trial, passing it successfully but chose to sacrifice herself, taking out the Salem Seven with her, to ensure her coven escaped. Lilia learned to accept her gaps and abilities, accepted her title as a witch, and sacrificed herself as a self-proclaimed member of the coven. While it will be sad to not see her again, Lilia made the decision to die when she was ready and on her own terms, taking back the power and making her death one of the most moving moments in this series.

In the End, All Roads Lead to Death

Lilia’s powers also revealed what many have been theorizing about for quite a while, which is that Rio is actually Death. This shouldn’t have come as too much of a shock, since there were many clues, some that were actually highlighted in Lilia’s gaps. Yet, in all the theorizing about who she was, we never stopped to think about what Rio being Death would bring to the story. It’s obvious Agatha knew her identity from their history and that she was, at one point, trying to force Rio to out herself, as seen in Alice’s trial when she turned the Soundbooth mic on. However, Rio on the Road only brings more to the All Roads Lead to Death sentiment and so far, the coven has technically lost 3 members.

The Road may be almost like Rio’s feeding ground for her to capture witches, as witches don’t follow the natural laws of nature and die. Witches use their abilities to expand their lives, living for centuries rather than decades. By doing so, they are indirectly cheating Death, something I’m sure would annoy and frustrate Death themselves. If Rio/Death created the Road or had help from maybe someone more powerful, such as Mephisto, they could use it as a witch trap, capturing witches as they fail to make it to the end. This would explain why no one, except Agatha, has finished the Road because the Road is never meant to be finished. It’s likely. for whatever reason, Rio either took pity on Agatha, fell in love with her, or was impressed by her and spared her, allowing her to leave the Road. This would explain many of the missing ends that we now only have two episodes, and one week, to solve. Additionally, it would explain her involvement here and some of the history that the two of them have.

Billy vs. William

It appears Billy’s identity struggles are not quite over, as this episode once again highlighted how unsure he is of himself. Though the focus was primarily on Lilia, it could easily be seen that the b-plot of this episode remained the inner struggle between Billy’s two souls. It is most strongly highlighted within the tarot card reading, as he uses that as the guiding question. Although she doesn’t finish his reading, as she realizes that he isn’t the right person in the chair, it can’t be forgotten that Lilia still puts a few cards down for Billy’s reading. We also see his inner turmoil when he doesn’t claim Wanda as his mother, instead saying that Mrs. Kaplan is his mom. While I will be the first to admit this annoyed the crap out of me, the truth is this hybrid of Billy/William has only truly existed for 3 years. He doesn’t hold any memories of William’s life from before but also doesn’t remember anything from the Hex. Episode 5 did have me convinced that the crowning of Billy Maximoff was a full acceptance of that soul, but it’s clear that is not true.

Regardless, his struggle remains in question, and with only two episodes left, some sort of answer has to come from the finale. Even though our theory on what the Road is possibly going to give Billy has changed nearly every episode as more information comes out, it now seems possible the Road might help Billy with his identity issue. He clearly has power but can’t control it fully, likely because of his inability to figure out if he is Billy or William. Instead of giving him power, or even Tommy’s location, the Road might simply give Billy his memories back, in the form of Williams, Billys, or both. With some version of his memories back, Billy would have a much better chance of understanding and using his power, on top of then using his full abilities to locate Tommy. Going off last week’s theory of Billy being a coven member, we might also still see a trial for Billy, which could be what helps him get his memories back as well.

Jen, the Last Remaining Member

Removing Agatha and Billy from the mix, Jennifer is the last remaining member of the original coven (yes, we’re including Mrs. Hart). She has gone through intense character growth, seen most prominently through her treatment of Lilia in this episode and it’s clear that Jen is important after Lilia’s reading. Yet it does need to be addressed whether Jen will make it through the final two episodes. She left the trial with Agatha and Billy, but scenes not yet seen in the show from the trailers do reveal only Agatha and Billy together. It may be some good editing or that Jen is not directly in that shot, but it’s also something we have to consider means she also doesn’t make it. Although Episode 7 might have just proven that she does.

Lilia’s reading revealed Jennifer as the High Priestess, meaning “Immense Spiritual Power, Unable Or Unwilling To Use It.” We know that Jennifer is bound, but theories have been flying that discuss she may not be magically bound, but instead may be trauma-bound, not letting herself use her powers even though she does physically have them. This is similar to something we discussed with Storm in X-Men ’97 after Forge’s machine to give her her powers back seemingly doesn’t work, even though it should, and it turns out to have been a mental roadblock. This being said Jennifer has not yet gone through the healing she needs to show her apparently immense power, and it can’t be forgotten that her tarot card was pulled under the Path Ahead slot. Could Jennifer regain her power be the key to all of this? While the numbers are against her since all the other coven members have died, Lilia made it clear that Jen is important, something we hope is not a wasted point in the remaining two episodes.

Image: “Agatha All Along Episode 7”, Ashley, Ashley & Company

Taking a small break from the Witch’s Road, Episode 6 primarily focused on the path Billy Maximoff took to get to where he is now, and it’s quite a crazy one. Between body snatching from William Kaplan, journeying as a lost soul in a world he doesn’t recognize, and increasing issues with reading other people’s minds, all roads eventually led Billy to Agatha and the Witch’s Road. In showing all this, the show confirms what many felt from the very start, which is that while the show is still named after Agatha, Billy Maximoff’s story is the one shining through most prominently, and where it goes from now could decide the fate of all the other witches who joined them.

A Family Full of Body Snatchers

The flashback episode began with William Kaplan at his bat mitzvah, celebrating the momentous occasion and not realizing his life would be entirely altered in only a few hours. Or rather, it may be easier to say that his life would end but his body would go on to live with another soul inside of it. Picking up at the end of WandaVision, when Wanda is pulling the Hex down, William and his parents are driving home to avoid the chaos of whatever is happening when they get in a car accident, smashing William’s section of the car up against a tree. The show beautifully shows the moments William’s heart beats for the last time when suddenly he wakes up screaming ‘Tommy’ as Billy Maximoff enters his body. Agatha said it before, just like his mother, Billy, knowingly or not, took William’s body for himself, subsequently allowing him to become a real person and not just a soul within the Hex.

Believe it or not, this is fairly accurate to how Billy Maximoff becomes a real boy, if you will, in the comics. In this case, William’s body just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, as the Hex coming down forced Billy’s soul to flee. It’s unclear how far his soul could have gotten to find another vessel, but in this case, he didn’t travel far before settling into William’s body. However, something that should be remembered is that the whole idea of body snatching, more officially called dream walking, is extremely frowned upon, and Wanda only did it after being under the influence of the Darkhold. It may not have been exactly what Billy was doing, nor was he necessarily aware he was going to do it, but taking residence within a dead body to live again breaks the natural laws. Someone may likely be after Billy to punish him for these actions, maybe even the Salem Seven who didn’t appear to go after Agatha until Billy found her. The other option is Rio, who is still predicted to be Death and might be pretty unhappy that instead of getting a dead body, Billy snatched it away to take up residence.

Who’s Coven Really is it?

The flashback that overtook a majority of the episode also confirmed that Billy had interacted with all the other witches of the coven at least once before meeting them on the Witch’s Road. Beginning with the most important, Lilia is the only one who meets William while working at his bat mitzvah and she is also now confirmed to have been the one to put the sigil on him. Her divination abilities exposed that William’s lifeline was split into two and whatever her vision showed her convinced her she needed to protect his identity from whatever was coming for him. Moving on, directly after William’s crash and Billy’s body takeover, it’s revealed that Alice is one of the police officers who respond to the accident, although it appears there is very little interaction between the two. Lastly, Billy watches one of Jennifer’s videos, meaning that she of all people is likely someone he recognized when they were gathering the coven.

Speaking of the coven, all of this calls into question the actual members of the coven and who the leader may be. The coven consists of Agatha, Alice, Lilia, and Jennifer, with Billy along for the ride but very clearly, as mentioned several times in the series, not a member of the coven. But from the very beginning, the black heart drawn by Lilia has remained in question, along with the missing green witch, with many assuming it was Rio. Agatha used Mrs. Hart instead to fill the void of the missing green witch initially, but a small detail in this episode may say otherwise. In a text exchange between Billy and his boyfriend, his boyfriend refers to him in a text message as his love, using a black heart emoji, calling into question the possibility of Billy being the true green witch and final member of the coven. Otherwise, the other possibility is that the coven, calling back to the fact the other three all interacted with him in his life at another time, could have formed around him rather than Agatha. Calling back to our reactions from Episode 2, is this show Agatha All Along or Teen/Billy All Along?

The Search for His Twin

Billy’s initial reason for traveling the Road was supposedly for more power, something many fans felt they debunked early into the show. Episode 5 confirmed that Billy had no need for more power, making the question become whether he was looking for his mom or brother and we have gotten the answer. Billy Maximoff walks the Road to find his brother because he can feel his brother has survived, likely in a very similar way to him, but can’t locate him. This shouldn’t be too surprising, as they are twins and the Young Avengers are assembling across the universe, a group both are members of. Yet, rumors that Tommy is likely going to get his own show similar to Billy to introduce him properly to the MCU, bring into question whether Billy is actually going to find him at the end of the Road.

The simple answer, at least from our end, is no. Billy’s words, as said above are that he has just not been able to locate him. Between Billy’s identity struggles which seem to be causing his magic to fluctuate and the fact he is still very young with little training of any kind, Billy may not have been fully lying about needing power from the Road. The Road is likely going to help him locate his brother or give him the proper tools to do so, but it seems unlikely that Marvel will give us Tommy Maximoff at the conclusion of this show. That being said, it seems plausible that Tommy should still be relatively nearby if he had also jumped into someone who died close to the Hex, although the rules around that are unclear. His soul may have jumped to someone who has since left the area or just straight-up traveled far away to find the proper host. No matter the case, Tommy, if he does get his own show, would likely be found by Billy at the very end of that one, rather than him showing up now at the end of Agatha All Along.

What to Expect in Episode Seven

While this episode spent very little time in the present, the part that it did reveal was that Agatha and Billy are going off on their own journey down the Road. Rio is still MIA after the events of Episode 5 and while it appeared Billy may have killed Lilia and Jennifer, the mid-season trailer drop revealed both are still alive. The coven appears to be splitting up, even though it was been hinted at that the next trial is actually Lilias. Will the group be reconvening?

The timing of the remaining scenes from trailers seems fairly unclear, as it seems both Lilia and Jennifer end up at one point coming out of the ground into Westview, but also Lilia, at least very clearly participates in her own trial. What we propose is that Billy didn’t actually kill them, but instead pretty much sent them back to the starting point of the Road, which is back in Westview. Essentially, the game is restarting for them. The two of them likely renavigate down to the Road, as we know the doors are still open thanks to the Salem Seven crashing down them. Since the other trials have already been completed, including Jennifers, Lilia and Jennifer most likely stumble quite quickly onto the fourth trial. As for Agatha and Billy, it seems they will struggle to find the next trial, as their coven is not complete with the witch who is needed to succeed within the test itself. This delay is what should bring them all back together, even though other scenes in trailers show that Lilia and Jennifer don’t necessarily finish the Road. Scenes that many assume are from the final two episodes only reveal Agatha and Billy, and we can’t forget the suspicious still released early on of Billy doing his own spell on top of the doors to the Witch’s Road. Could this game come out with only one winner, as it did with Agatha? Excitement is mounting for the final three episodes of Agatha All Along as still so much remains unclear.

Image: “Agatha All Along Episode 6”, Ja’Nae Lehman, MXDWN

What an episode. In only 30 minutes, Marvel has completely undone everything fans think they know about Agatha All Along. The third trial has come and not so clearly gone, the coven is in shambles and the big reveal everyone has been waiting for has happened – all in the halfway point of the series. Where the rest of the show goes from here is unclear, although it has proven that this is not a ride you’re going to want off of.

You Can See Me in a Crown

For everyone’s sanity, we’re starting at the end of the episode which featured the big reveal. As many assumed from the start, Teen is, in fact, Billy Maximoff/Kaplan, one of Wanda’s twin sons. The first part of the two-part reveal began with Agatha sharing that Billy is just like his mother. Of course, it didn’t take a big guess to figure out who she was referring to and it seems Agatha either figured it out on her own or might have already known but was just far too hopeful he still could be her son. Billy being able to say Nicholas’ name could have been the final straw for Agatha in confirming who he is instead. If the first line wasn’t obvious enough, it was doubled down when Billy did the most Wanda Maximoff thing ever: used mind control to do his bidding. Unveiling his powers for the first time, Billy uses mind control on Jennifer and Lilia to force them to throw Agatha off the Road and into the quicksand/mud. His anger with the coven didn’t end there, as he then used his magic to throw Jennifer and Lilia off the Road to meet the same fate. Then the cherry on top revealed the crown on his head, a reference to his mother’s look-a-like crown.

Yet the reveal itself isn’t the most critical part of what fans learned. Instead, fans saw that Billy not only has his power, with no issue using it but he doesn’t appear to need more. As we have been theorizing the past few episodes, Billy is a lot more in tune with himself than he has led the others to believe and has his own reasons for being on the Road beyond what he has shared. The innocent act might have worked on the others, but the gloves are now off, making it important to discuss what his true need for the Road is. This show has had such a heavy reference to the Scarlet Witch that it would be remiss to not theorize that she is the reason he needed to walk the Road. Whether he truly needs more power just to bring her back or can simply ask the Road at the end for her return is unclear, but it’s obvious he’s been playing a game from the start. That isn’t to say he is inherently bad, but it’s unlikely he ever had much love for Agatha specifically, considering she did kidnap him when he was a kid and was a foe to his mother. The other option could be the search for his brother, although, with rumors of a Tommy-focused show similar to this one, it feels like Billy trying to bring his mother back could have more weight to it. Not to mention, rumors of her return have been circling in regard to projects like Avengers: Doomsday, and a witchy show like this one could be a perfect way to bring her back.

Agatha’s Trial aka Trial 3

Regardless of the results, the trial itself revealed to be Agatha’s, and for her, it was shockingly docile. The most prominent aspect was the ghost of Agatha’s mother making an appearance, trying to convince the coven to dispose of Agatha, and also letting Agatha know she still has no love for her. The glimpse into Agatha’s relationship with her mother, along with Rio’s reactions to a past she clearly knows quite a bit about was actually a hard watch. No child, no matter who they are, wants to hear that their mother wished she had killed them when they were first born. The worst of it seemingly comes down to the fact Agatha has a rare type of magic that to others likely appears evil, as no witch that can take another witch’s power seems like someone you want in a coven or is a good person. Her mother’s belief she was evil due to the power she held likely only enforced in Agatha that she should be evil and is what led her down her dark path.

Agatha’s mother shared the spotlight, though only briefly with Agatha’s son, Nicholas. It was at this moment that it was confirmed that Nicholas is truly dead and that he seemingly died when he was a toddler. The details of his death are still unclear but he did appear and had they stuck around, he might have actually materialized into a ghost form. His small cameo did prove one thing: Agatha shares deep regret or guilt over whatever happened to him and the role she played in it. This storyline is not over, but it does throw away some of our previous predictions that Nicholas will be the main antagonist in the show.

The largest question regarding the third trial is: is it over? Many fans speculate that the witches did not follow the rules of the Ouija board, which could signify they didn’t truly finish the trial. Additionally, the trial didn’t seem to have a real ending to it. In Jennifer’s, they knew they finished because they didn’t die from the poison and the door opened. For Alice, they all watched her curse be defeated and not kill them, thus causing the door to open. However, this trial didn’t seemingly have a resolution, as Alice’s death seems unlikely to have been what the Road needed to consider the trial passed. Many eagle-eyed fans also noticed that although the song always preaches to go down, down, down the Road, this trial is the only one the witches seemingly left by going up. The behavior of all the witches came across that they might have been possessed by ghosts while inside the trial, all but Billy, who was the only one who actually did say goodbye to the spirits at the end. The rules of the Road are unclear, so it’s possible if the witches were possessed, the Road may have considered it a failure on the witches who were actually walking the Road. In fact, Billy’s actions at the very end might end up being what is needed to reset the trial or Road after the failure.

The Downfall of the Coven

If the coven isn’t possessed, then any team bonding they seemingly had in the previous episode has been thrown out the window. Doing a quick status check of the coven, we first have the death of Alice at the hands of Agatha herself. The second character to die in this show, Alice’s death not only taught the audience a few important things but also is what set off Billy in the final few moments as talked about above. Alice tried to save Agatha from her mother’s spirit, which did work until Agatha’s siphon powers came on, sucking Alice dry of her own power and subsequently her life force. While the others don’t seemingly believe it, this once again proves that Agatha doesn’t actually have control over her abilities, as at no point did it seem she was purposefully trying to one, be blasted and two, kill Alice. Like other heroes with chaotic powers, such as Rogue’s lethal touch, Agatha unfortunately gets a power boost that possibly feels good to her but it makes it impossible for her to stop. The scene of Alice’s death also proved that Lilia’s visions that she couldn’t remember having were of her trying to tell Alice not to save Agatha, as she saw that it would lead to her demise.

Following this, all hell just about breaks loose as everyone turns on Agatha, except for Rio, whose absence towards the end of the episode will be addressed momentarily. Jennifer and Lilia had already seemed willing to sacrifice Agatha during the trial (or again, they could’ve been possessed) but then after Alice’s death, felt empowered by the fact they believed Agatha just proved their point. All of this leads to Billy throwing them all to what appears to be their deaths, leaving the coven torn to shreds. The witches will need to continue on the Road and will need each other to complete the final few trials, making how they all come back and make up one of the bigger mysteries of the episode. If our theory from above holds true and they failed in this trial, a reset might undo a number of the things we saw in Episode 5, including the coven blowing up and even Alice’s death.

Where We Go From Here

The final question remains: where does the show go from here? Starting with what we know, Lilia and Rio both have trials that still need to be seen and the trailers have proven that we do at least see Lilia’s. This being said, it means all the witches, at least one more time, make their return for her trial. How the coven amends itself seems unclear, although this is where Rio might come in. It has been theorized that Rio’s true identity may be that of Death, personified. If that is true, her absence during the end of the episode would make sense, as she could have been taking care of Alice’s body. She may also be the reason the other 3 witches live. If she does embody Death, she could easily resurrect all three of them if they die in the quicksand/mud. Or to simplify, the quicksand just simply doesn’t kill them for whatever reason. Either way, the only two still moving on the Road at the very end are Rio and Billy.

As for the relationships and the camaraderie of the coven, that seems unclear right now. Even when the witches do return, it seems pretty obvious they will not have been big fans of being put out for death, having someone mind control them, and being lied to all by a teenager who acted as if he meant no harm. The dynamic will clearly be changing unless their resurrection in some way means they won’t remember what happened or, going back to our possessed theory, they were under the influence of a spirit when all this happened, technically making it so Billy saved them. This is that moment when I can only say we will have to wait once again for more answers, although we are hoping to see Rio address what Billy just did at the end of the episode before all the other witches make their returns.

Image: “Agatha All Along Episode 5”, Lewis Glazebrook, Screenrant

Alice emerged as the undeniable star of the show during Episode 4 of Agatha All Along. With the second trial now complete, the witches are quickly becoming a true coven – with a few complications. They have added their real Green Witch to the roster and are bonding over the near-death, traumatic experiences they continue to face while on the Road. In doing so, the coven has strengthened their relationship with each other, even with the addition of another questionable character, which could raise questions about trust and loyalty within the group as they continue to navigate the Witch’s Road.

Trial Two

Even though it was Jennifer’s as a whole, the first trial affected the other witches of the coven in different ways. The second trial took a very different route than the first one. While it began similarly enough with the house popping up on the Road, this trial, specifically for Alice, didn’t stray too far from the person it dealt with. The second trial’s primary point was addressing Alice’s curse, which she inadvertently brought into the house/trial with the rest of the coven. By doing so, the curse was able to harm the other witches, but the end goal and the only way to move on remained the same: the coven had to defeat Alice’s curse.

In another musical medley of the Witch’s Road ballad, the coven sang the version of the song that Alice’s mother had written as a protection spell, an unknown piece of information to Alice herself. It was also revealed that her mother had not died on the Road, but instead had been on tour singing the protection spell to her fans who she considered her coven to both try and open the Witch’s Road and also protect her daughter. In the end, the curse is seemingly what got her in her hotel room, and while she did not appear to ever open the doors to the Witch’s Road, her version of the ballad lived on within her fans to help ensure Alice’s safety. In another successful trial, the coven rid Alice and subsequently themselves of her curse and move on to whatever the next trial holds.

Who Actually is Rio Vidal?

Episode 3 finished with the unfortunate death of Mrs. Hart, who somewhat filled the part of the Green Witch. And while many people were hoping she might get resurrected in this episode, the coven pivoted, as it was clear that you can’t walk the Road without a completed coven. So in true witch fashion, the coven did a spell to summon a new Green Witch and by doing so, answered the question of how Rio Vidal was going to join them on the Road. Rio, in a terrifying, bone-breaking debut, introduces herself as the Green Witch, something that seemingly stuck out along with a comment that Rio made later in the episode. There has been ongoing speculation from the beginning of the show as to who Rio might actually be, but after this episode, it seems more and more fans are believing she may be Death.

Breaking down this theory, it’s important to start at the very beginning. As mentioned, fans have been speculating about Rio’s real identity since before the show began, primarily because Marvel was bringing a very prominent actress in to play a role that seemingly does not have a comic counterpart. This stood out to many, considering every other witch has some relationship with a comic book character. Then Episode 4 happened, and it seems there have been a few more hints that Rio isn’t who she seems. The first begins with her summoning to the Road, as many are theorizing she was actually summoned by Mrs. Hart’s death rather than the coven’s spell itself. Next, was the very clear conversation Rio shared with Agatha, where Rio told her that she would get her power while Rio would get the bodies. Lastly, and likely missed due to the meaning the words themselves had, Rio told Agatha that Teen wasn’t hers. This could be written off, especially depending on their history, or it could be showing that Rio is unaffected by the sigil as she is much more than a witch. With Rio now on the Road, we can expect more hints about her true identity as we reach the conclusion of Agatha All Along.

Rio and Agatha’s Past

With Rio’s return in this episode, more of the past she and Agatha share seems to be coming to light. Three specific scenes give their history away, the first being when Rio and Agatha are together in the Soundbooth inside of the house for the second trial. Agatha was attempting to catch Rio in oversharing something to make the other witches even more suspicious of her, and in doing so, we learned they seemed to have an agreement before where Agatha received the souls/power and Rio received the bodies. Obviously, this has already been pointed out in how this could play into Rio’s true identity, but it also goes to show that the two of them seemingly had some sort of working relationship, possibly before having any other type of relationship. It’s possible Agatha was a follower of Rio’s or a close associate in the past.

Then, likely the largest piece hint at their past was when Rio shared her scar with the coven, mentioning how she hurt someone she loved because she had to follow orders for her job, even when she didn’t want to. Clearly, Agatha is Rio’s scar and this critical piece of information becomes our fifth puzzle piece to add to the four from last week regarding Agatha’s story as well. With this knowledge, a picture might be coming together, one that includes Agatha and Rio’s relationships, plus how Agatha’s son fits into all of this. Agatha and Rio could have been in a relationship when Agatha decided she wanted a child. For obvious reasons, Agatha may have sought another way to have this child, possibly making a deal with Mephisto to grant her, her son. But we can’t forget Mephisto is Marvel’s devil and there’s always a catch when making a deal with the devil. It’s possible within this deal, Agatha couldn’t uphold her end and Mephisto’s employee, Rio, had to take the child from Agatha, not wanting to but having no other option. This then led Agatha to walk the Witch’s Road, looking for the power to get her son back and instead finding the Darkhold, following that and losing her way for all these years.

He’s Not Yours

The chilling final words of the episode confirmed what many already knew: Teen is not Agatha’s long-lost son. It also enforces the possibility of him being Wanda’s son, Billy, as many predicted from the very beginning of the show. This leaves Teen still a mystery, for now, and heightens the possibility that Agatha’s son, Nicholas, could make an appearance later in the show. Theories surrounding these two and their paths in this show can be found in our Episode 3 breakdown but what is really important from this is the fact Agatha not only was beginning to think Teen was hers, it’s clear she has begun to form an attachment to him. Based on our theories that Teen is planning to betray her/has been using her, it seems we may be seeing Agatha set up for another villain arc as long as she makes it off the Road. She doesn’t seem to care for many people, and the betrayal from someone she looks at as a son figure may be what sets Agatha off another spiral in the coming future. Of course, all this is based on theories but for what we know for now, Agatha’s care for Teen may end up being her downfall.

Image: “Agatha All Along Episode 4”, Ethan Anderton, Film

The third episode of Agatha All Along brought poison, hallucinations, and death to our coven, setting the standard for what to expect as they continue down the Witch’s Road. With the first trial out of the way and passed relatively successfully, the coven is ready to continue to the second trial with the learned knowledge that you can’t get away with cheating the Road. As for Teen, his strange excitement for being on the Witch’s Road has seemingly ruffled more than a few feathers and has sent red flags off around the fanbase.

The First Trial

As implied by the Witch’s Road’s needs (aka the different types of witches), each trial the coven will face will be tied to a member of the coven itself. The first trial was Jennifer Hales, the potion witch of the group. There are two parts of the trial that need to be broken down, the first being the impact and test it had on Jen herself. As the group enters the trial/home without any way of escaping, they each unknowingly drink poison that gives them 30 minutes to make an antidote. Clearly, this task is made for Jennifer to form the antidote, forcing her to own up to her own mistakes and giving a hint as to why/who bound her. The audience learned in the previous episode that Jen’s business was suffering from various legal issues and calls back the fact Jennifer was defending her products but then during the trial, was forced to admit her ‘all natural’ products were not quite as natural as she said. This moment was meant to symbolize a growth moment for her and her character, admitting to her own mistakes. On top of all this, she does make the antidote in time and saves the coven, successfully making it through her task to help along the Road.

The other half of the trial is the hallucinations that the witches were all experiencing during the time they were poisoned. Holding off on Agatha’s for now, probably the creepiest hallucination was Lilia’s, who followed a girl to find what appeared to be dead witches. Then we saw Alice, whose hallucination dealt with her mother who kept screaming that someone was coming for Alice. Lastly, Jen’s hallucination is what gives a nod to how she ended up bound, as a man attempts to drown her in the kitchen sink. She later then makes reference to that hallucination and it being traumatic because it’s part of how she ended up without her power. The witches were tested in different ways, even though the trial itself was for Jennifer, and in doing so, the audience could capture small hints about the members of the coven. While it is unclear if the hallucinations were based on their nightmares, feelings of guilt, or memories, each of the coven members has skeletons in their closet that it appears each trial will provide another puzzle piece for figuring them out.

Agatha and the Darkhold

The main reason it was critical to hold off on Agatha’s hallucination is because hers has a lot more depth within it to explore. In our last reactions episode, we briefly mentioned wanting to understand Agatha’s past, including how and when she became in possession of the Darkhold. Between Jennifer sharing some gossip and Agatha’s hallucination, some answers are starting to pop up. Beginning with the little story Jen shared with Teen, it appears rumor has it in the witch world that Agatha actually traded her child for the Darkhold and while no one has seen him, some think he could be an agent of Mephisto. There it is folks, Mephisto has officially been mentioned after 3.5 years of fans from WandaVision throwing the name around constantly.

Then this gets deeper as the episode loosely confirms at least the first part of the tea, which is that Agatha did have a child and the hallucination she experiences does imply she traded him for the Darkhold. In an eery vision, instead of a baby in the bassinet, the Darkhold was tucked in. This also helps check off why Agatha had a child’s room in her home while trapped under Wanda’s spell. The theories behind the details of this are still very unclear but it does seem we might have a couple of pieces that go together. Agatha had a child she gave up at some point, she received the Darkhold, she has walked the Witch’s Road once before in search of something, and Mephisto may be involved. The order of events here is still unknown but I think we’re all hoping Agatha isn’t pure evil and instead, was maybe manipulated into exchanging her child. Everyone saw Wanda’s downfall to the Darkhold, so for a siphon witch without any of her own power, dangling something so powerful in front of her when she is already morally gray might have been all it took. Hopefully, next episode more details are exposed on the order of events regarding Agatha’s past and child.

Nicholas Scratch

It would be remiss if we didn’t discuss Agatha’s child in all this. While we know nothing about them, we do have a name, which we sort of have had since WandaVision. Nicholas Scratch (also referred to as Scratchy the bunny in WandaVision) is accurately Agatha’s son in the comics. His father is unknown, although it is speculated there is a demonic origin, dare I say possibly Mephisto? Yet before going further, now is an important time to remember that MCU Agatha and comic Agatha are quite different. In the comics, Nicholas is raised in New Salem, a town created by those fleeing from Salem during the witch trials and is populated by primarily magical beings. Agatha eventually leaves the town, which begins his resentment towards her. He turned the entire town of New Salem against his mother and attempted to put her on trial for betrayal until the town turned against him and banished him to the Dark Dimension. A whole lot happens with the Fantastic Four and Dr. Strange/Kamar-Taj but an important topic to note is that Nicholas is the father of the Salem Seven, which should sound pretty familiar.

All this being said, the show might be on the path to becoming a family affair. If Nicholas is indeed a factor, he may end up being the main antagonist of the show, filling the void that is currently there. On top of that, he would make a solid villain, as he would fit into the category of one that the protagonist of the show created themselves. With the Salem Seven showing up in the first episode and Agatha’s clear fear of them, it makes a strong case that she knows they’re technically her grandchildren and that her son is coming for her to make her pay for abandoning him. The puzzle pieces are all there, but it will be interesting as we go throughout the show to see how new pieces will fill in the bigger picture.

Death on the Witch’s Road

Episode 3 also gave us the first death on the Witch’s Road. Everyone’s favorite character, Mrs. Hart, has seemingly not made it through the first trial. As many eagle-eyed fans noticed, the coven failed to put a piece of Mrs. Hart’s hair into the antidote, so although she drank it, the properties did not save her as her DNA was not in it. While fans mourn her death, as with any of these types of shows, it also has to be theorized she may not actually be gone. Starting with the simple fact that Debra Jo Rupp has hinted in an interview that she will make it past Episode 4 (although she already seemingly hasn’t made it past Episode 3), there are also the two prevailing theories from the last episode that could still apply.

The first theory is the possibility that Mrs. Hart is in some ways magical herself or in general, is a witch. Now, how that may save her at this point is unclear, considering whether she is a witch or not, the coven still would have failed to save her. The next theory is that Mrs. Hart is actually Rio Vidal in disguise. While this one feels more possible due to the knowledge that Rio is joining the coven in Episode 4, it would still fail to explain how she passed the first trial without being saved. If Mrs. Hart is to live, it’s more believable that it is due to magical means either from the other witches or from the Road itself, maybe to trick the coven later on. It also can’t be forgotten that there is a clear horror element to this show, so raising someone from the dead may not be far out of the realm of possibility. Otherwise, it will take an interesting explanation to show how she didn’t actually die.

Image: “Agatha All Along Episode 3”, Katie Campione, Deadline

Everyone’s favorite purple witch has returned in the highly anticipated first two episodes of Agatha All Along. Picking back up 3 years after Wanda trapped her in a spell at the end of WandaVision, fans returned to Westview for the first time since 2021, and let’s just say, it did not disappoint. The narrative seamlessly moves between Agatha being trapped in the spell through the current day, then right to the Witch’s Road, setting watchers directly onto the main plot of the series, as shown in the trailers. Agatha All Along has already proven that it can capture fan’s attention with a beloved anti-hero as a main character and the interesting dynamics that are forming already among the Coven, leaving fans wanting more as they wait for a new episode each week.

Returning to Westview

It should come as only a small shock that the series, a sequel to WandaVision, takes fans back to Westview. Returning to exactly where Agatha’s character had last been left, under Wanda’s spell, not only allowed fans to easily get right back into the WandaVision story but also continued the strange TV-inspired story that Wanda created. The first episode starts off as a nod to a different, real-life TV show, showing Agatha is trapped similarly to how Wanda was in her own spell. While Wanda was stuck in sitcoms, Agatha appeared stuck in a crime show, symbolizing that Agatha knows she’s searching for something (aka a way out), represented even within the spell. Turns out, she really is searching for a way out of her own mind, which she has been trapped in all these years.

Another smart move by the production team was bringing back several returning characters from WandaVision, just to help fill gaps in the story, which again helped to make it a seamless transition from one show to the second. Even within the spell, we saw Herb, Dottie, Phil, and Mrs. Hart all make appearances playing a part just as they had done before. The big difference that is shown later is that, unlike Wanda’s Hex, residents of Westview aren’t stuck inside the spell with Agatha and instead are only playing these roles within her own mind. Herb is actually the one to later explain this to Agatha, in simpler terms, as he tells her she’s been a fine neighbor, albeit a little off, especially the last few days as the spell she was kept in was slowly coming apart. It’s also interesting as this return to Westview through Agatha’s eyes allows us to see how the townspeople have recovered from Wanda’s Hex and the animosity they all hold toward her, with seemingly zero knowledge of who Agatha herself truly is. With the story taking Agatha on the Witch’s Road, it’s unclear whether characters like Herb will once again make a return later in the show or if this is the last fans will see of them in Agatha All Along.

Teen All Along?

The title of the show clearly states who the main character is, yet another character introduced in the first episode might just steal the show. Teen, who many already suspect to be Billy Kaplan/Maximoff, aka Wiccan when he becomes a Young Avenger, has been a topic of conversation from the very beginning. The only character nameless in IMDB, along with the magic that is clearly blocking him from saying both his name and anything about his past, puts the spotlight on who he really is, especially if he is, in fact, one of Wanda’s sons we met in WandaVision. Yet beyond who he is believed to be and the theories with that, Teen has already proven himself to be the driving force behind the plot of the show, which is Agatha and her assembled coven walking the Witch’s Road. He helps Agatha break out of the Scarlet Witch’s spell, which is no small feat and then is the person who convinces her to walk the Road with him, as he wants to walk it himself for more power. These facts quickly point to Teen being arguably the most important character in the show.

Let’s focus on the critical aspect of Teen’s motivation for walking the Road, which is that he wants to gain more power. A simple enough request, it could be easily overlooked if Teen wasn’t the assumed son of the Scarlet Witch and wasn’t requesting the help of Agatha Harkness, who we can’t forget kidnapped Billy and Tommy in WandaVision. It’s clear Teen has no idea who he might actually be and doesn’t recognize Agatha either, which will likely be the driving force behind the outcome of the series. He wants power he should arguably already have and it’s very possible that instead of power, the spell that is holding him back from revealing his true identity/remembering who he is will fall at the end of the series, revealing to him and Agatha the truth behind his identity. The revelation of who he is may mean he is the one responsible for stopping Agatha from regaining power or halting her in her attempt to leave the Road after reaching the end. Agatha herself may not fully make it out of her own series, as the only character that a clear path is laid out for them after this show is Teen if he is Wiccan, as the Young Avengers are forming.

Introduction to the Witches and the Missing Green Witch

Before Agatha All Along’s premiere, we covered who each of the new witches is. Now, we have officially met each of the witches and have had some light shown on why they each are so important for traveling the Witch’s Road. Beyond Agatha, the first magical being we interact with is Teen, whose assumed identity was already addressed. However, the important thing to address with Teen is that his nickname, aka Wiccan, may come from Wicca, known as a modern pagan religion that’s part of a nature-based spirituality movement. That being said, he may be seen as a Green Witch due to their tie to nature, although the possibility is also that he is a Blood Witch, as his assumed mother is the Scarlet Witch herself. Either is possible, but it is important to note that the Witch’s Road door did not open until Teen entered the basement and the witch they were apparently missing was a Green Witch.

The second episode introduces fans to Lilia, Jennifer, and Alice. Agatha and Teen go to recruit each of them and in the process, two important pieces of information are provided. The first is how/why they decide to join the coven and the second is the type of witch they are, which is critical to the needs of the Witch’s Road. Lilia is introduced as a Divination witch, Jennfier a Potion witch, and Alice as a Blood witch. The titles provided mix with something else the show has started to use: color to describe witches. The most obvious is the Scarlet Witch, but we also have a Green Witch, and then Agatha refers to her magic as purple, making her a Purple Witch. This is the first time in the realm of magic that real titles are being provided and it will be critical to understanding why some witches are described by power or area of study, while others are described using the color of their magic.

The final concept that has been getting danced around here is the issue of our missing Green Witch on the Witch’s Road. The theory was thrown out above that Teen may have the abilities of a Green Witch. Another important point is that Rio has been referred to as a Green Witch, although the issue here is she is not currently on the Road and was not with Agatha or the rest of the coven when they were opening the door, or was she? Could Rio be disguising herself as Mrs. Hart, who has joined the witches on their adventure? Or is Mrs. Hart just good old Mrs. Hart, along for the ride until Rio shows up to truly fulfill the role of the Green Witch? All eyes will be on Episode 3 to see if we get an answer to these questions.

The Salem Seven and Agatha’s History

Lastly, the horror element came in strong when the Salem Seven showed up to kill Agatha. The running theory with this group is that they may actually be the witches that Agatha siphoned the power from hundreds of years ago when she still lived in Salem. It is assumed that a witch’s lifeline is tied to one’s power, with Agatha being an outlier since she does not inherently have power unless she has stolen it from another witch. Either way, Agatha killed several witches when she stole their power and the Salem Seven may now be returning to life in their demonic state to take her life.

Beyond the Salem Seven clearly trying to kill Agatha, Rio and Agatha share an interaction that makes it obvious the two share a past. Whether their shared past is platonic or not, Rio just as much wants to see Agatha seemingly perish, although the key word here is seemingly. While she does attack Agatha, the altercation proves she can’t kill her, likely due to a witch guidebook that frowns upon the taking of another witch’s life or the fact she cares about her enough to spare her. She also warns her of the Salem Seven coming, which may have shown her soft spot for Agatha, in whatever capacity that still exists.

Lastly, Rio is not the only witch to bring up Agatha’s connection to the Darkhold. Something that we’re hoping the show explores further is Agatha’s history both before and with the Darkhold. WandaVision confirmed that she had it when she was first introduced but it appears she had relationships with some of these characters, including Rio, before discovering the Darkhold and succumbing to its power. Hopefully, with the Darkhold gone, it opens up the doors to seeing how Agatha fell under the spell and maybe if she will be a different/better version of herself without it.

Image: “Agatha All Along Episode 1 and 2”, Kevin Erdmann, Screenrant