Welcome back to the blog readers. While not the best series on television at this particular moment (that honor is reserved for The Penguin (2024) which is killing it), Agatha Al Along has been a really nice pallet-cleanser that is delivering while also being fun as well. Last week's episode was especially awesome as we got the backstory for the return of Billy Maximoff and a fragile alliance being set. Would we be able to continue the momentum with this episode, titled "Death's Hand in Mine," written by Gia King and Cameron Squires, and directed by Jac Schaeffer? Stick around to find out.
NOTE: I will be using spoilers for my thoughts, so DO NOT read ahead if you have not seen the episode.
Like I said, Agatha All Along is not nearly the best show on television but I am genuinely surprised that this show has been as enjoyable as it is. I have fallen in love with the characters and the surprises are fast and furious right now. In his review of this episode, John Campea called this the best episode of the series yet, and what was done with Lilia was brilliant. And I absolutely agree and will add that I think Patti LuPone's performance in this episode was brilliant. Long live the legend.
Just like whenever Jason Kelce talks to his brother Travis about his extremely high-profile girlfriend, we gotta talk about it. And by it, I mean Patti LuPone and her performance as Lilia Calderu. LuPone, as the oldest member of this cast, brings a veteran presence that I think many of the other actors rub off of in this series. In other words, I think that whenever she shares the screen with her castmates, it is pure magic. However, this episode is a brilliant look at this character and her motivations, as we learn a lot about Lilia in this episode. This is the most invested I have been in this character, and LuPone's veteran presence only makes you feel for the character by the end.
In terms of story in this episode, I think we have one of the trippiest stories I have seen not just in a Marvel show, but in a show period. We start with Agatha and Billy approaching their next trial as Billy asks if Wanda is alive, to which Agatha kind of shakes off the question. They make it to the trial and Billy understands the trial involves tarot cards and believes it is for him. He does it wrong and swords begin to fall from the ceiling. Meanwhile, Jennifer and Lilia have to take the tunnels after Billy pushed them off the road as they eventually make it to the trial while evading the Salem's Seven. It is here we learn that Lilia has been living her life out of order as she learns that "Teen" is the son of the Scarlet Witch and the trial is not Billy's, it is hers. She is successfully able to complete the trial before they are killed by the sword ceiling as Lilia informs the group that death is her destination and that Rio is the personification of Death. She convinces the three surviving members of the coven (Agatha, Billy, and Jennifer) to move along as she stays back to hold off and kill the Seven, seemingly at the cost of her own life.
I love the story element of someone living their life out of order because if done right, it can make for some brilliant storytelling, and this series did it about as flawless as I could have imagined. Not only does it give the random outbursts Lilia has been having throughout the series meaning, but it makes each episode better because it feels connected in a way, and it takes a talented group of writers to be able to pull off. I honestly did not think this would have been able to happen if there wasn't a showrunner, especially one who is not as gifted as Jac Schaeffer.
That will do it for my review of Agatha All Along's seventh episode. Stick around for the newest installment of Theory Time.
Welcome back to Theory Time, where we go in depth regarding certain aspects of this series and what it could mean. This week, we got the reveal that I was starting to believe in, as we still have some questions that need to be answered.
Let's start with the reveal that Rio Vidal is indeed Death. I know the Funko Pop for this show kind of spoiled it, but I don't care; the reveal was fucking awesome. We even got confirmation that some of the clues we had picked up on were indeed true, such as Rio laughing when the coven spelled out death on the Ouija board in the fifth episode. This begs a very interesting question to me that I hope gets answered. In the first episode, when Rio shows up to kill Agatha after Wanda's spell was broken, what did they mean when Agatha told her that she couldn't kill her and that it wasn't allowed? Why would Rio not be able to kill Agatha if she is Death herself? I think we will get an answer in the final two episodes coming out this week.
Another question I have regarding this involves why Agatha hates Rio so much. We have speculated that Rio is the one who took Agatha's son Nicholas Scratch away from her when she made the deal to sacrifice him for the Darkhold. Is that the case, or do we yet have more to learn about this scenario? We have heard the voice of Nicholas Scratch in the fifth episode when he asks his mama to stop. So was Nicholas aware that his mother was sacrificing him for the Darkhold, and could that possibly be why Rio doesn't like Agatha? Could she hate her because Agatha tried to back out of the deal and Rio wouldn't let her, which led to Agatha going after Rio? That could explain when Rio told the coven inn the fourth episode she did something she did not want to, but was her job. These are things to ponder about as we head into our final week of this show being on.
The next question I have regards what's missing (no pun intended). We know Billy is on the road to try to find his missing brother Tommy and claims he can sense him but just cannot find him. This should beg the question of if Tommy even possessed another body like his twin brother did. I would be surprised if this was not the case because it seems like they are setting this up. Like I just said, Billy told Agatha last episode that he could sense Tommy but could not find him. In the comics, Tommy Maximoff does inherit a body and takes on the superhero mantle of Speed, so could they maybe be setting something up here to lead us into the untitled Vision series? That definitely is a possibility.
That will do it for this installment of Theory Time. Unless this series ends on a massive cliffhanger to set up something else, this should be the second-to-last installment of Theory Time, so I will see you for the eighth episode.
Agatha All Along's seventh episode makes for a thrilling time with a brilliant performance from Patti LuPone, a beautiful message about time and a brilliant story element that honestly makes this series better. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.
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