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This review contains spoilers for Agatha All Along episode 4.
The fourth episode of Agatha All Along is the best yet of the series thus far, and dare I say the gayest? “If I Can’t Reach You, Let My Song Teach You” follows the coven, minus poor, sweet Sharon (Debra Jo Rupp) as they continue down the Witches’ Road and face the second trial, this one crafted specifically for Alice (Ali Ahn) and her generational trauma.
Before the witches continue down the Road, however, they do give Sharon as proper of a burial as they can, despite Agatha’s (Kathryn Hahn) insistence that they continue down the Road as fast as possible. The rest of the coven argues that they need to find another Green witch to continue on, as the ballad specifically says that they must traverse the Road “with coven true.”
So the witches gather to summon another Green witch to the road, and who else comes crawling out of the earth like a hot yet creepy little gremlin but Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza). After the Salem Seven’s appearance in the series premiere, this is truly one of the scariest moments of the show so far, both for us and for Agatha, it seems. Once she’s done snapping her joints back into place, Rio coyly gives Agatha a flower despite the fact that she tried to murder her the last time they saw each other, but what can I say, sapphic relationships are complicated!
With not just a Green witch but the Green witch added to their ranks, the coven moves on down the Road to a house that Alice instantly recognizes and tries to avoid. But the Road very clearly has other plans for them. As soon as they enter the house, the Coven looks like they stepped into a Fleetwood Mac music video or an episode of Daisy Jones & the Six.
In this ’70s era house-meets-recording studio, we see vestiges of Alice’s past and her mom’s career, a clue that this trial is about family – specifically Alice’s. The Teen (Joe Locke) plays a record, thinking it’s a clue but accidentally ends up cursing the coven as the song, Lorna Wu’s version of the “Ballad of the Witches’ Road,” plays backwards.
There’s a captivating split diopter shot once the Teen realizes what they’ve done that proves that Marvel can still do interesting things technically, when they want to. It’s quite jarring, not only because we’re not really used to seeing shots like this in Marvel, but because it kickstarts the trial in a really exciting way. It draws us into the tension.
Before this happens, we get a great scene between Rio and Agatha where we finally get some more insight into their relationship. Rio is impatient, seemingly waiting for Agatha to inevitably betray the coven so she can collect their bodies for something, but also wanting to mix a little “work and play.” Agatha broadcasts their conversation to the rest of the coven through the recording booth, likely so she can feign innocence.
The rest of the coven isn’t thrilled by this revelation, but they don’t have much time to unpack whether or not they trust Rio, or Agatha for that matter, before Lilia (Patti LuPone) is struck by the curse. As each member succumbs, Alice reveals that her mom and grandmother died from a generational curse – and that she didn’t want to believe it was real. She casts protection spells on who she can, but not before the Teen is violently thrown through the recording booth window.
They soon realize that the only way to break this curse is to cast the ultimate protection spell by playing Lorna’s version of the Ballad, which she wrote and recorded as a way to protect Alice from the curse. If the “Ballad of the Witches’ Road” wasn’t stuck in your head before, it will be now as the coven plays a rocking, emotional tribute to Alice’s mother that ends with Alice facing the creepy, horrifying entity that’s been plaguing her family for generations. Watching someone break through generational curses both literally and figuratively is incredibly powerful, and it’s hard not to tear up watching Alice connect with her mother, channel her power, and finally vanquish this thing that’s had such a hold over her and her family.
Once the curse is vanquished, the witches are able to leave this blast from the past and return to the road. But once again, not without injury. This time, the Teen is bleeding out from a wound caused by a glass shard from the window he was thrown through. Agatha is uncharacteristically desperate to save someone other than herself, and urges them to do anything to save him. Thankfully, Jennifer (Sasheer Zamata) is able to craft a potion that heals him, and Agatha watches over him while he rests.
Once the Teen awakens, he asks Agatha if she put the Sigil on him, to which Agatha tells him no, but that she can’t be sure if she’s the one who put it on him or not because Sigils also work on the witch who cast it. Sigils can’t be lifted and are only destroyed when they are no longer needed. Their surprisingly sweet and tender moment is cut short when the Teen asks Agatha about her son, to which Agatha replies by walking off.
Agatha joins the other witches as they talk about their scars, before stealing a longing glance at Rio and telling the others she’s going to go stretch her legs. Rio follows, and the two nearly kiss before Rio kind of ruins the moment by telling Agatha that the Teen isn’t her son. This moment, hell this whole episode, is dripping with the tension of ex lovers who can’t stand each other, but also can’t seem to stay away from each other, a dynamic that Aubrey Plaza and Kathryn Hahn play to perfection.
Agatha All Along just keeps getting better with every episode. These trials are more than just a test of the witches’ capabilities – they’re forcing them to confront and overcome their trauma, which is an incredibly powerful thing to witness a group of women do together. The vibes of this episode are immaculate from the costumes to the sapphic tension to the powerful rendition of the “Ballad of the Witches’ Road.” If episode 4 is any indication of where this show is going, I am happily along for this spellbinding, empowering, queer journey down the Witches’ Road.
New episodes of Agatha All Along premiere Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET on Disney+, culminating with the finale on October 30.
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