This review contains full spoilers for Agatha All Along Season 1, Episode 4.
Episode four of Marvel’s Agatha All Along sees Agatha (Kathryn Hahn) and her coven continue down the Witches’ Road to face another deadly magical trial, but this time around there are a few bumps in the road. Those imperfections mean that the latest enchanted escape room, focused on Alice Wu-Gulliver (Ali Ahn), ends up being a bit of a disappointment. Luckily, the episode is filled to the brim with colorful characters who carry the show with their big personalities, magical mysteries, and juicy drama, and so Agatha All Along proves it can still be a devilishly fun watch even when it’s not firing on all cylinders.
With the poisonous passing of Mrs. Davis last episode, the first order of business is to fill her vacant slot with a new Green Witch. The group gets more than they bargained for when they unwittingly conjure up Agatha’s arch nemesis, Aubrey Plaza’s Rio Vidal, in the gnarliest summoning sequence I’ve ever seen (complimentary). Coming up from the earth like that certainly cements her title as T̸̛͎̹̀͘H̴̢̧̛͇̘̉͛̉͜É̴̢̩̣ ̵̨̡̭̲̠̑̿̂̀G̷̪̝͌R̵͎̪̻̍̐̕E̷̢̗̖͉̒̅̉E̷̯̠͇̪̍̀̕N̸͎̲͎̭̾͗͠ͅ ̵̨͇̠͔̒̚W̸͉̓̈̑̏I̷̗̰̞̍T̴̮̼̣̦͕̈C̴̤͛H̵̠̺̃̌̚ͅͅ.
The show was sorely missing Rio’s unique brand of psycho-sexy antagonism, so it feels good to have her back in the mix and making everyone uncomfortable. That said, for a witch who acts so unhinged and brandishes a knife while talking about how she’s ready to cause some damage, Rio is surprisingly (and disappointingly) well-behaved in this episode. She even helps the gang out, no questions asked, by playing the drums. There is the moment where Agatha tries to turn the group against Rio by broadcasting their conversation, but the clunky execution has the opposite effect and makes Agatha sound way worse than Rio. Ultimately, Rio is the closest thing we have to a villain in this show, so it would be more satisfying to see she has some bite to back up her bark.
For the trial, the coven enters a ‘70s-era recording studio and gets a groovy makeover. It’s here they must overcome Alice’s family curse by learning the truth behind her mother’s musical career and then face a fiery demon head-on with the power of music. I like the ideas explored here but not how they are executed. All of the details of the generational curse are overexplained yet the concept is still a bit confusing. Also, as I said in my last review, Alice’s character is the most underdeveloped of the group, so it’s hard to feel invested in her big reveals and personal breakthroughs. It doesn’t help matters that Agatha takes lead vocals when it comes time to jam out. Shouldn’t Alice have taken the mic since it was her mother’s song and this trial was her trial?
Alice’s character is the most underdeveloped of the group, so it’s hard to feel invested in her big reveals and personal breakthroughs.
As for the song itself, the wonderfully campy performance of the new ‘70s version of the ballad is great, with some high stakes and lots of fire to keep things interesting. Part of me is underwhelmed with the song being just a new take on a tune we’ve already heard, rather than something brand new, but this version having new story elements for Alice and her mother helps make up for it.
With Mrs. Davis gone, Patti LuPone’s Lilia Calderu has quickly become the new scene-stealer. Case in point: “Well whaddya know? Zils!” Hilarious. Not only that, she has a big heart and a sharp mind, so she brings a much-welcome emotional weight to the story. This is an episode about carrying the pain of those who came before you, and we see how much she bears the burden of what happened to all of the women who were executed during the Salem Witch Trials. Here’s hoping her trial is up next, because I’m dying to find out what’s going on with Lilia when she unknowingly communicates with those from beyond the mortal plane.
While the trial is a bit of a bummer, the drama around the campfire is excellent. It’s clear to see that Agatha has come to care deeply for Teen, presumably because she thinks he is her long lost son. Agatha was barely phased by the death of Mrs. Davis, but she starts crying and fretting when Teen is badly wounded. It’s rare to see her display even a shred of care for anyone besides herself, so that’s how you know Teen really does mean something to her. If it wasn’t obvious already from their intense on-screen chemistry, it’s also been made clear that Agatha and Rio have a romantic history – one that was seemingly upended by Rio, although there’s obviously more to learn about Agatha’s role in that incident. Agatha tends to have her heart guarded at all times, so it’s been a treat watching her interact with these two characters who threaten to break down her defenses. “Agatha, that boy isn’t yours.” Ouch!
Other Thoughts
We learned a new tidbit about sigils: they only go away when they are no longer needed. Something tells me Teen’s sigil will just happen to remove itself when his true identity will inflict maximum emotional damage to Agatha. All of the ‘70s outfits were rad, but Teen’s wig was not it.The lyrics to the ballad mention the four elements and those seem to correlate to the challenges. We’ve had a water and fire trial, so that presumably leaves an earth trial for Rio and an air trial for Lilia. Perhaps there will be a final trial for Agatha in the end?There’s clearly more going on between Agatha and Rio than meets the eye. They tend to communicate in a shorthand where a lot goes unsaid. After the coven enters the house and the pair are alone for a moment, why does Agatha simply tell Rio “No.”? What does Rio want with the witches’ bodies? When Teen was wounded, why did Agatha look at Rio and shout “Don’t!”? At the campfire, Rio reveals she had to do something hurtful to someone she loved because it was her job. Did she have something to do with exchanging Agatha’s child for the Darkhold? There are many fan theories about Rio that suggest she has a secret identity, such as Blackheart or Mephisto. If Agatha already knows who she really is, that would explain all of the cryptic talk between them…
