“Agatha All Along” Season 1, Episode 4 Review

(*This article contains some major spoilers. Read at your own discretion.*)

On Wednesday, October 2nd, the fourth episode of the “Wandavision” spin-off, “Agatha All Along,” aired. The episode titled “If I Can’t Reach You / Let My Song Teach You” took its audience on a deep dive into the emotionally turbulent past of a few of the coven members.

After the third episode broke away from riding the fame of “Wandavision” and successfully created its own fan following. This week’s episode fleshed out more of Alice Wu-Gulliver, played by the wonderful Ali Ahn, as she faced her childhood traumas head-on.

The episode begins with the coven - minus Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha - burying a fan favorite: Debra Jo Rupp’s Mrs. Hart. Although Mrs. Hart’s death was predictable, it still didn’t lessen the blow. The coven almost immediately agrees that they need a green witch, and the only logical conclusion is to summon one to the Road.

Now, most witches would be quite apoplectic with rage if they were summoned to the Witches’ Road, which is an almost guaranteed death sentence. However, that was not the case for the unhinged Aubrey Plaza who plays Rio Vidal, the only character who is able to match Agatha’s freak.

If the audience remembers the list of witches Agatha and Teen were instructed to bring on the journey, they would remember that there was a black heart in replace of a green witch’s name. When questioned, Agatha ate the paper and claimed the black heart represented Mrs. Hart. However, the black heart represented Rio Vidal.

Agatha and Vidal share a complicated history, one which seems to heavily imply a romantic past gone sour. When the coven is gathered around a campfire, Rio Vidals tells a deeply personal story, directed to Agatha, ending with “She is my scar.” This story causes Agatha to leave. There are running theories that Vidal is either Lady Death or Morgan La Fey as she claims to be The Green Witch and arises from Mrs. Hart’s grave.

Once Vidal emerges from the ground, the Road has new plans for the coven. Throughout the first few episodes, a complicated past between unlucky Alice Wu-Gulliver and her pop star witch mother, Lorna Wu, has been painted. When the coven enters a 70s-themed house, Alice immediately knows it is time to face her greatest fear.

After a few minutes of bantering, some of the coven members are painfully burned by an invisible spirit. The coven’s protector witch had unknowingly brought a generational curse onto the Road. The curse ultimately will burn its victims to death. The only way the coven can break it? By singing “The Ballad of the Witches’ Road”, originally performed by Lorna to protect her daughter. And who else could be the lead singer except for egoistic, dramatic Agatha?

During the musical number, Joe Locke’s Teen is jamming out on the guitar. But, before the curse is lifted, he realizes that a piece of seemingly magical glass has embedded itself into his gut. Once Alice destroys the curse that’s haunting her, Teen collapses.

While Teen is on the edge of death, Agatha’s motherly instincts overpower her. It becomes clear that Agatha sees, or at least hopes, that Teen is her own son. That hope is destroyed during a high-tension moment with Rio Vidal, when Videl states, “That boy isn’t yours.”

Fortunately, after the coven creates a sigil, Teen begins to recover. There’s a moment of sweet tenderness between Teen and Agatha, until Teen asks, “What really happened to your son?” Agatha deflects the question, throws up an angry guard and tells Teen to heal fast.

While it seems that there is no chance for Teen to be Agatha’s son, rumors are still swirling. A Marvel poster has caused some people to believe that Teen is Wanda Maximoff’s son, Billy, as Joe Locke’s character is dressed similarly to Billy’s comic version. However, others believe he could be an agent of Mephisto, because of a possible red-herring Jennifer Kale, played by Sasheer Zamata, stated in the last episode.

On the plus side, there are still five more episodes to reveal who Teen and Rio Vidal truly are. Perhaps, the whereabouts of Agatha’s son will be revealed soon.

Daniel Selon, the costume designer for this episode deserves a promotion. Each member of the coven’s 70s outfit was perfectly matched with their personalities. The makeup for Lilia Calderu, played by the brilliant Patti LuPone, aligned perfectly with her disheveled psychic abilities, while Agatha’s outfit demanded special attention.

Additionally, this episode held some iconic 1970s shots, which really immersed the audience in the world. The fire was filmed beautifully and highlighted the fears of the coven members, especially Alice, and showcased how powerful their strengths were.

While the Disney+ miniseries began holding onto the fame of “Wandavision,” the third and fourth episodes thankfully stepped out of the limelight and into the new storyline. Hopefully, the plot and acting for the fifth episode will be just as iconic.

Episode 5 of “Agatha All Along” will air on Disney on Wednesday, October 9th, 2024, with an episode premiering weekly. The final two episodes will be released on October 30th, fitting for the spooky show.

Rating: 4/5

Sarah Taylor is a second-year majoring in telecommunications. To contact her, email smt6314@psu.edu.