Agatha All Along Episode 4: Alice's Curse, Rio's Scar and a Theory That Agatha's Son Simply Died

Of the first four episodes of Agatha All Along, episode four is my least favorite. On its own, I don't think it's as exciting as the others, but as a puzzle piece it fits in quite nicely, because there's a lot of new, important and very interesting information. When I wrote this, I had seen four episodes, the same as anyone caught up, so what came next was unknown to all of us unless you'd seen the Funko leak. I allude to one of those reveals here because it's crucial to some of this episode's developments, but I won't say it outright.

My favorite so far would be episode three. Part of why this one ranks lowest may be that it reminds me of the Broadway play Stereophonic. It's wildly successful, and I think it won the most Tonys of any play ever, or something like that, but it's divisive, and I hated it. Nobody in that play wears their business hat, and I kept wondering where the producer was. I did keep my souvenir cup. I also think this music studio isn't explored to the same degree as the house was in episode three, which makes it a little less fun. The tradeoff is more character development on the road itself, and there's some very nice stuff there.

Alice Gets Her Trial, With a 70s Rock Star Motif and Death by Fire

Episode three's trial on the Witches' Road was about the potions witch. This one is about the protection witch, which means it's Alice's turn to shine, and I actually loved her story. We get a 70s rock star motif to match her mother, Lorna Wu, and the phase of the moon on the door is fire, as in death by fire if they fail the trial. It's also revealed that Lorna died by fire.

There's a new take on the timer too, this time a metronome. Very clever, and I like it, although it's hard to tell when it's going to end. It's not a countdown, it just stops, and I guess it gets closer to the middle. I don't play any instruments, so I'm not as familiar with this kind of room, and maybe that's another issue for me. If they were in a comic book store, I'd be right at home.

Of course there are new makeovers. My favorite is Rio, with Agatha as runner up. They both look fantastic, and surprisingly sexy for Disney Plus. I'm sure the Mouse House was asking where the invisible tape was.

The Tension Between Rio and Agatha Is Palpable Again

Speaking of sexy, the tension between Rio and Agatha is once again palpable. Kudos to these two actresses for building such an incredible bond. It "almost reaches out through the TV and grabs you."

All the witches find themselves attracted to Rio. As Jennifer says, "do I hate her or do I want her phone number." Lilia also calls her a scary name, but I don't think it's totally an insult. Rio delights in the attention, but she only has eyes for Agatha. They're so in love.

The Best Line Is Rio Calling Herself the Green Witch

The best lines in the episode are mostly up front. Agatha admitting that Mrs. Hart was a bad draft pick was great. Then, when they cast the spell to summon a new green witch, Agatha asks for someone not super political, and I felt that one.

The best line by far, though, and I feel bad that they used it in the advertising online, is when Rio says she's less a green witch and more the green witch, with a demon voice for emphasis. It was fantastic. Aubrey Plaza could have done that all on her own, but I appreciated the sound effects boost. It made me laugh out loud the first time.

I also like the line about magic taking the path of least resistance, when Rio admits she's not stalking them, she just happened to be the closest green witch nearby. That's awfully convenient, Rio, but it's an interesting way to describe magic. I felt like I was in a college class for witchcraft, and I wonder whether any of it is true, whether we're actually learning a little bit about witchcraft. That would be nice.

Rio's entrance very much calls to mind Wanda's movements from Multiverse of Madness and the Salem Seven in episode two. That maybe means Rio is also powered by dark magic, which would make sense if you know what some of us know about Rio.

My Theory: Agatha Never Traded Nicholas Scratch for the Darkhold

At the end of the episode, I think you see Agatha really letting her guard down and becoming more of a real person instead of the villain. She wants to connect with Teen, feeling very maternal toward him, and she wants to connect with Rio, who is clearly, I think, and quite touchingly, her life partner. They want to be together.

On that note, I think Agatha might be putting all of us on a bit. She puts her walls back up once the spell is broken with Rio and Teen, but I think that's also a front. Many of you have guessed that she never walked the Witches' Road before. She still insists she did, saying that last time only one other witch survived, Rio maybe, if that's true. Here's what else I think might not be true: maybe she didn't trade her son Nicholas Scratch for the Darkhold. Maybe he just died.

This matters because of Rio's reveal when they're all comparing scars, a great scene that I believe references one of the Lethal Weapon movies. Agatha says Rio doesn't have any scars, because she's seen every inch of her. Rio says her scar is a person, and that she had to do her job. She didn't want to, but she had to, and that seems to have hurt Agatha deeply. If you've heard the leak about Rio, you might start to piece it together: a job she didn't want to do, which would make Agatha very angry. That, I think, is when Agatha was drawn to the Darkhold to try to find the power to resurrect her son.

That's the exact same reason Wanda went to the Darkhold, to get her sons back. As many of you have pointed out, in WandaVision Agatha was very intrigued when Wanda's sons suggested she could maybe raise someone from the dead. She did bring back Vision, and I guess robots are easier than people, but maybe not so much, because we believe Wanda has somehow managed to bring Billy back, it seems. That would create yet another bond between Wanda and Agatha, along with both being misunderstood and having horrible gossip said about them. I think that would be fitting for the way women are often portrayed in history and society, which is not kind to them. It would be beautiful, and really moving, if it's not some dark, twisted secret, and her son just died.

Rio Says That Boy Isn't Hers, but Teen Could Still Be Billy

Rio tells Agatha point blank, "that boy isn't yours," and we're all saying don't mess with our theories, Rio. I still think there's a chance that Teen is Billy's soul in Nicholas's body, and maybe that's what Rio means: it's not totally him, or it's not his soul.

I also wonder whether, if this isn't Nicholas Scratch, Agatha will at least get to see him and say goodbye when she gets to the end of the road, because it seems that's what she truly needs. That would be beautiful as well.

There are two blank title cards at the end of the end credit sequence. At the time, everyone thought one was Wanda, and I can see why, although I hadn't heard anything about Elizabeth Olsen being in the show. One of the lines on the other seems to reference twins. Could this be Tommy? If Tommy showed up at the very end, I would totally geek out.

Even Agatha Could Have Placed the Sigil on Teen Without Knowing It

We learn more about the sigil placed on Teen, and that it even works on the witch who cast it. So even Agatha could have placed it on him and not know. I think it would be even more interesting if one of the other witches in the coven placed it. Part of me thinks it wouldn't be Rio, because she asks Agatha why she brought that boy along. I liked that line, and I think Rio asks because she knows Agatha's history and is concerned that this is a blind spot for Agatha that's putting her at risk, that her judgment's not good, and about Agatha's mental health in going down a road like this again.

Here's another possibility: maybe Rio didn't do her job. Maybe she hid Nicholas so well she even hid him from herself. Wouldn't that be great? There are a lot of nice options here.

We also learn that a sigil can't be lifted, only destroyed, and the only thing that can destroy it is it no longer being needed. I wonder what those circumstances will be. It's weird to use a word like destroy, because no longer needed seems like it would gently lift, or fade away.

When they talk about needing a new green witch, Teen is indignant and says you can't just replace people, and I like that Agatha asks whether people can't just be replaced. Maybe that's foreshadowing that even if Teen isn't her son, Agatha will decide to replace her son with Wanda's. There are a lot of interesting questions about who's who, and whether someone is combined. Teen is such a sweetheart, too; he even raises his hand when he wants to talk.

Agatha puts her walls back up when both Teen and Rio remind her of her truth about losing her son. Earlier, she also sets very strong, definitive boundaries with Rio, and good for her mental health. I like that Rio respects those boundaries. Even though they're both evil, they have a healthy relationship, and you could see that in episode one when Rio was trying to break Agatha out. There's real love and respect there.

Alice's Episode Is About the Witches Finding Their Confidence

This is Alice's episode, and maybe now that the curse has finally been lifted from her, the character will really start firing on all cylinders, or be on fire, since fire is the theme. The protection witch is working overtime. She's the one who helps bury Sharon, the one who tells everyone not to eat, drink or touch anything when they get into the house, and she draws the circles of protection.

I think this episode isn't just about the history of her mother's album and a couple of other ongoing stories, but also about the witches regaining confidence in themselves and their abilities. When Jen saves Teen's life, Lilia points out what she did, that even without her power, with her knowledge she's still in some ways formidable. I thought that was really nice.

Alice has seemed the most down on herself, and we find out why: she'd hoped she wasn't a witch, because that would mean her mother was just crazy instead of having sacrificed herself for Alice. There's also a good play on words. Lorna Wu didn't die on the Witches' Road; when they say she died on the road, it means on tour. Clever. And of course she died in a fire.

Alice Lived With a Demon on Her Shoulders, and Lorna Wu's Ballad Kept Her Safe

So this is apparently what actually happened with Lorna Wu and Alice. The women of the family are indeed cursed by a demon perched invisibly on their shoulders, which leaves that scar. That's why the other witches cry out once they're all cursed by the record playing backwards, which is very famous lore in music. The demon starts flying from witch to witch, standing on their shoulders, causing them pain and leaving the scar. The demon looked pretty good, a nice mix of what I'm sure were some digital effects, but I think nice practical effects and makeup too.

That's why Alice suddenly says she feels lighter. This whole time she had a demon on her shoulders, but because the curse was suddenly shared, it started flying from witch to witch. That's very subtle, but very clever.

Why did Alice live so long when the demon had killed all the other women in her family? Because of this Witches' Road ballad, Lorna Wu's variation of the song. When she was alive, Lorna tried to use the song through her concerts to open up the road, maybe to lift the curse that way, just as Alice finally lifts it on the road now. They say her fans were her coven, which is beautiful, but it didn't work. Follow the instructions: a pentagram has five corners, and she had tons of fans. After her death, though, the song had become so popular it would always be playing somewhere, and since it's a protection spell, that would keep Alice safe.

I thought that was a really clever, amazing and touching story, and a really nice way to look at a popular song, and I'm not even a big music fan. It's also a nice line that the only way to end a curse is to face it, which is some good real life advice. Alice didn't die, but she was still cursed, her life was a mess, and the demon was constantly bringing her down, so I'm curious what the character will be like now. And they exit not stage left, but through the piano.

Lilia's Trances, Inquisition Paintings and a Vampire Tease

Lilia continues to be quite interesting. It's got to be a good role, because Patti LuPone signed on to play it. She keeps getting possessed and saying things about the group. Here she says "Alice don't," and later says something like they kind of hated each other in the beginning but now, which seems applicable in the moment, but no, she's having another trance. I bet these are all direct lines from a later episode toward the end.

In the house, Lilia also seems to see paintings of witches being killed in the style of the Inquisition. And when they compare scars, she says she has a vampire bite. When is Blade going to show up? With this vampire tease and Werewolf by Night, the spooky corner of the MCU continues to expand. I hadn't thought of Wanda in this group; I usually think of her with Doctor Strange and Loki, but it's a Venn diagram, and she can be in a couple of groups.

Jen's 1920s Trap and Agatha's Knitting Needle

We learn more about what happened to Jen in the 1920s with the doctor glimpsed in her hallucination in episode three. She was a midwife invited to a new obstetric facility, but it was a trap, and she wonders how a doctor with no magic was able to bind her. I liked her line, so much for do no harm, a reference to the Hippocratic oath. I think this plays nicely into a conversation we're having today, and unfortunately probably always will be having: other people, particularly men, trying to control the power of women, not just through their bodies but in many other ways, sometimes even claiming to act on their behalf.

I loved Agatha saying she took a knitting needle to the arm, then asking if they'd ever heard of the Daughters of Liberty. They say no, and she says exactly. That was fantastic. Let's add Agatha to Liberty Square at Disney World; she was in California but hadn't shown up in Florida. Around that time it was also announced that Disneyland Paris would get a Wanda stage show with Doctor Strange, which is where I usually think of her. Let's throw Loki in there.

The Sound Booth Hints at How Rio and Agatha Became a Couple

I love hearing about Agatha's Salem days, and it was nice to see her genuinely bonding with the other witches, but that makes her vulnerable, because her fellow witches tend to turn on her. It could be argued with good reason, but I bet it's more complicated than that. I bet Agatha is in some ways a victim of vicious lies and perspective, and then maybe she just decided to play into that.

Finally, there's the give and take between Rio and Agatha in the sound booth, where Agatha, on the face of it, is setting Rio up to look bad in front of the coven. What Rio tells Agatha is that she expects her to do what she always does: kill all the witches around her, so Agatha gets her power and Rio gets her buddies. If you know the leak about Rio, that might also play into it, and might explain how they first met and became a couple, and why they might have had a good time for a while. They could almost have been like an LGBTQ Bonnie and Clyde. I wouldn't be surprised if that flashback we've seen about Rio stems right out of Agatha's origin story from WandaVision, since it would be the same time period.

As for what's next on the road, when I wrote this none of us knew, but I was very excited. Lilia, Agatha and Rio had yet to be challenged, with five episodes to go.

Which theory about Teen and Nicholas Scratch do you find most convincing?