“Agatha All Along” Season 1, Episode 7 Review

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

The seventh episode, “Death’s Hand In Mine,” of “Agatha All Along” aired on Wednesday, October 23rd. This crucial episode centered around Patti LuPone’s psychic witch, Lilia Calderu. The episode also resulted in another significant identity reveal and major death.

The episode begins with Lilia, dressed like Glinda from the “Wizard of Oz,” falling “Alice in Wonderland” style. The episode throws the audience into Lilia’s shoes; her very confusing shoes.

Quickly, the episode reverts to the Witches’ Road, soon after Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha crawls out of the muck that the magically-infused Teen sent his fellow witches into. Agatha and Teen continue to pettily argue, with Agatha claiming that Teen won’t be able to read her mind, until they spot their next trial, a creepy castle, one perfect for the spooky Halloween season.

The duo assumes it must be Teen’s trial and enter the haunted, medieval castle. They find themselves dressed as classic witches. Agatha as the Wicked Witch of the West, which she proudly claims was created after her, and Joe Locke’s Teen as a fully decked out Maleficent.

Their trial appears in the form of tarot card readings, with swords dropping from the ceiling whenever they get a card wrong. When things start to get hectic, Teen cries out, “I wish Lilia were here.”

The audience returns back to Lilia’s perspective, where she and Sasheer Zamata’s Jennifer are wandering through underground tunnels, having survived Billy/William’s deadly tantrum.

Lilia informs Jen that she has a time-hopping ability and she does not experience time the same way as others. She perceives time in a nonlinear way. Lilia experiences “gaps” where she jumps through different times, ranging from her childhood in Italy four centuries ago to the last sleepover-themed trial on the Witches’ Road.

Jen asks why the time-hopping episodes have become more prominent now, as compared to previous years. Lilia responds with a somewhat vague statement that Jen interprets to mean that Lilia will gain her powers back at the end of the trial. However, Lilia’s expressions tell a different story.

The way Lilia’s time-hopping power is showcased to the audience is marvelously done. Through a trip through the past, present and far past, the audience learns how unique Lilia’s skills are. Many of Lilia’s previously random statements from past episodes turn out to be her figuring out the pieces of a single puzzle but throughout numerous time periods.

After Jen and Lilia hide from the Salem Seven, the Road gives the two of them an option: they can leave the Road and return to reality or they can continue the trials. While Jen debates going, Lilia’s heartfelt appeal to her sister witch convinces her to stay on the Road.

After Teen narrowly avoids getting killed by a falling sword, as a result of Agatha’s poor tarot card reading ability, Lilia and Jen break through a hidden bookshelf on the underground path to rescue them.

Lilia is now decked out in the Glinda outfit she wore in the intro and Jen is dressed as the evil, ugly witch from Snow White, even holding an apple at one point.

Lilia begins the true tarot card reading with Teen as the subject. When Teen asks the question, “Am I Billy or William?” it seems that they are on the right track, as no swords come crashing down. However, Lilia quickly realizes, with help from her Italian mentor and lots of time-hopping, that Teen is not the subject, she is.

As she jumps from one moment in time to another, the audience can see how all of her random statements come together to form a sentence with meaning. In Episode 3, “Through Many Miles Of Tricks and Trials,” Lilia bursts out “Try to save Agatha.” While this seemed slightly odd given the fact all the witches were poisoned, Agatha brushes it off as a pleasant surprise.

However, in Episode 4, “If I Can't Reach You Let My Song Teach You,” Lilia erratically calls out, “Alice! Alice! Don’t.” Combined, Lilia is attempting to warn Alice not to save Agatha through two different moments in time. Lilia’s warning comes too late to save her fellow witch, like many of Lilia’s visions, like the one of her mentors dying from a fever, which resulted in death.

Through her time-hopping ability, Lilia is able to connect the puzzle pieces together and in doing so, she realizes that Rio Vidal is the original Green Witch, Death. Lilia reads the remaining tarot cards, claiming that Jen is the High Priestess.

Lilia saves the coven right before they could be impaled by the swords descending from the ceiling. She realizes that the Salem Seven are close and sends her fellow witches out, but not before she gives them helpful advice for the future, telling Agatha that “when she calls you a coward, hit the deck.”

Jen pleads with her to come, but Lilia smiles and shuts the door, trapping herself with the Salem Seven, who arrives in the form of typically forest creatures. They quickly transform into terribly creepy creatures.

With her incredible knowledge of the tarot cards, Lilia is able to make gravity reverse, causing the Salem Seven and her to fall upon the ceiling’s swords.

Although Lilia is dead, she left her coven with all the knowledge and tricks she could give them.

Over the last couple of episodes, this “Wandavision” spinoff miniseries has managed to break out of the spotlight and develop its own, innovative style. With two episodes left and only four members of the coven remaining, it will be interesting to see what Disney has up its sleeve.

“Agatha All Along” is coming to an end with the big finale occurring this week. Episodes eight and nine of the Disney+ hit will air on Mischief Night, October 30th.

Rating: 4/5

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