Agatha All Along episode 4 review: Alice's curse lands, but it could have been creepier

Episode four of Agatha All Along, "If I Can't Reach You / Let My Song Teach You," is one we liked, though we liked the previous week's episode a little better. The Disney+ series (2024), starring Kathryn Hahn, Joe Locke and Aubrey Plaza, gives Alice a heartfelt backstory here.

Mrs. Hart's death came earlier than expected

Coming off the first trial, a potion challenge against the clock, we were sad that Mrs. Hart died. The expectation was that if the show was going to kill her off, it would happen much closer to the finale, once the witches had grown closer and her death could carry more meaning than a trip down the slide.

Why the antidote failed was a guessing game. Maybe the poison was too strong for a regular human. Or maybe her hair never went into the potion, since the show didn't make a point of showing it. That one is only a guess.

Rio arrives as the green witch, and Alice's trial begins

The coven summons a replacement green witch, and Rio shows up, "less a green witch, more the green witch." The road shifts to fall colors, and the next trial is Alice's. The house in front of her looked like it might be her mother's childhood home. Inside, the 1970s look and the decor showing the ways witches have been killed suggested that history could come into play.

Lorna's ballad is a protection spell

The question came up of whether Alice's curse is generational, and the reveal that her mother Lorna's version of the ballad is a protection spell was a smart touch. The more people play the song, the more protection it gives. The demon itself reminded us a little of Insidious.

In the verdict afterward, the line was that "it's very heartfelt" that her mom's song works this way, with its promise to see her at the end. Lorna's idea was to become a rock star so that somewhere in the world someone is always playing it. Alice was protected, but she still had to learn to lift the curse herself.

Agatha's reaction to Teen sparked a theory that didn't last

Agatha normally doesn't care about people dying, given how she reacted to Mrs. Hart, so her urgency over Teen's injury suggested he means something to her. That pushed the thinking toward him being her son, or someone who reminds her of her son, or even Wiccan, Wanda's kid. That was only a theory.

Then Agatha is told "that boy isn't yours," which curbed the theory fast. Given their history, that line may simply have been a reminder to Agatha that her kid is gone. Jen also stood out, using moonlight and water to heal Teen despite being bound by a sigil.

Rio and Agatha's past and the trial count ahead

The show laid it on thick that Rio and Agatha were romantically linked, likely ex lovers, which could explain why Rio wants to kill her, though maybe not really. It was good to have Aubrey Plaza back already, and she completes the circle.

At the time, the series was at episode four of nine. There was curiosity about whether Mephisto might show up, and whether Teen would be revealed as Wiccan. Counting the remaining trials for Agatha, Lilia and possibly Rio, one trial per episode could leave room for a two-part finale, unless Teen also gets a trial. The preference was clear: no trial for him, one episode to set up the finale, then the finale itself.

The overall verdict was simple. The previous episode was a little creepier, and "I think they could have gone creepier in this one," but so far it's fun, with a tentative sense of liking where it's going.