Agatha All Along Episode 4 Review
Agatha and her coven continues their path in the fourth episode of ‘Agatha All Along’, encountering a badass rock concert trial down their path down The Witches’ Road. Agatha’s old flame Rio joins them on the path, raising not only questions about her identity but deepening those audiences already had about the Teen. It’s a brilliant episode showing the willingness of Marvel to embrace the crazy that can arise from not only dealing with witches but also the kookiness of Kathryn Hahn, her fellow cast members and showrunner Jac Schaeffer.
The episode’s trial focuses on the need to put on a badass rock performance for Ballard of Down the Witches’ Road, complete with costumes plucked straight out of the 1970s. The song is a fun rendition of the witchy style that the series kicked off with, showing the musical talent of the cast, but Hahn in particular. The first two trials have been unconventional interpretations of traditional witchy practice, the first all about poisons and potions but set in a beautiful and normal house, and the second all about dealing with generational curses in the form of a rock band.
These concepts help elevate the series from being about generic witchy stuff, and help draw audiences into the situation. Of course the more traditional witchy stuff will come, but it’s after Marvel Studios have proved their creativity, making it easier to accept the familiar when it arrives.
At the start of the episode, to replace poor old Sharon (her burial is a nice moment of respect for the character, even if Agatha doesn’t care), the coven summnons a new witch which turns out to be Aubrey Plaza’s Rio. Plaza matches Hahn’s mad energy in every scene, understanding the over-the-top nature of the show she’s in and acting accordingly. Audiences are again teased with who Rio is and her previous run-ins with Agatha, one moment for example sees the two witches plot that they want to kill all the others in the coven. It’s unclear who Rio truly is at the moment, one theory is that she could be Death herself, and audiences will have to wait for more episodes before Rio’s identity is revealed or there are enough clues to piece it together.
Another mystery where audiences will have to settle for only a few breadcrumbs is the identity of the Teen. There’s a brief bit explaining that the Sigil placed on the boy will only be destroyed when it’s right, a trick that enables the writers to reveal the identity of the boy whenever they want without interrupting the plot. Rio tells Agatha that the Teen isn’t Agatha’s son, but it’s hard with a show that floods the audiences with so many mysteries whether this should be take at face value. Rio’s unknown identity makes her unreliable.
After the trial is completed, the witches get some rare downtime, enabling them to speak of past scars, and fleshing them all out as characters. It’s a welcome moment of restbite, something that is uncommon in a series as fast moving as this. These witches are still people after al.
One thing that hopefully audiences will be caught up on in the coming weeks is the presence of the Salem’s Seven, who were a brilliant piece of horror back in the second episode. It’s understandable why they didn’t make an appearance in the prior two episodes, as they weren’t horror focused, but forgetting the group entirely would be a huge mistake, especially as it’s unlikely they’ll return in different Marvel Studios series.
‘Agatha All Along’ continues with its devilishly crazy and charming feel, putting the main characters in unique situations yet still resolving them in a way that makes sense and earned. Plaza’s expanded role is a joy to watch, and only deepens the mystery this show already has. It’s still captivating, and the show is bound to have more exciting trials to come.
