Well, I think we can put together just what went down between Rio (or is it Blackheart?*) and Agatha all those years ago – leading to their estrangement and everything that has happened to Agatha since. And even without that major revelation, this was a stellar installment of Agatha All Along, providing a number of nifty character beats (sometimes sitting around a fire chatting is more interesting than big set pieces) along with a lovely showcase for Ali Ahn as we got to see more into just what happened to Lorna Wu.
*I’m sure the internet will be awash in theories now that Rio seemed to reanimate from Mrs. Hart’s buried corpse, but just to throw my own hat in the theory ring: Yes, her name was actually Sharon Davis, however Agatha continued to call her Mrs. Hart after her identity in Wanda’s Hex-reality. And if Rio really is Blackheart – more on that in a moment – perhaps there’s a link there as well. Lots of H(e)arts.
Let’s dive into the big revelation – or, at least, insinuation – from Rio’s confession and Agatha’s reactions. It appears that Rio, at some point in the past, was in a romantic relationship with Agatha and things were pretty serious – they were in love. Good for them. However, Rio was required to take something from Agatha – presumably her son, Nicky – as part of her job. Now, if Rio is Blackheart, who is Mephisto’s son in the comics (here, we’d have a gender swap on the character, so daughter), perhaps Agatha really did make a deal with the Devil for control of the Darkhold: the book for her son. And, being Mephisto’s child, Rio was required to take the boy for her father to complete the deal, in the process shattering her relationship with Agatha. And, perhaps now that Wanda has destroyed all Darkholds in all realities, Rio has been sent to take something – or someone – from Agatha as payment for losing that precious gift? The members of the new Coven, perhaps? I know Rio is meant to be our villain of sorts, but man, I wish she and Agatha could patch things up and get back on track. The chemistry there is unreal (although Aubrey Plaza would have chemistry with a broom handle).
As for Teen, well, Rio’s statement that he’s not Agatha’s boy was telling. There’s been plenty of speculation as to just who Teen might really be – Nicky, Wanda’s son Billy, Bill “Wiccan” Kaplan – and if we take that statement at face value, it appears this isn’t really Nicky. Which isn’t a big shock in my book – having Teen be some form of Nicky would be a tad too perfect from a storytelling angle. Now, having Teen turn into some sort of surrogate son for Agatha – that’s something I can see happening. I mean, she clearly does care about him, even if she’s terrified to show it. Really, she’s scared to let anyone in the Coven know she cares – and I don’t blame her. She’s hidden behind her power for so long – stealing it from other witches, hiding in plain sight, refusing to deal with the emotional trauma of losing her son over a deal with the Devil – that she’s walled herself off to any real human connection. And Rio’s betrayal was something that one doesn’t necessarily come back from, emotionally. Kathryn Hahn was masterful in that final sequence this week, showing the cracks in Agatha’s exterior as people started reaching out to her and calling her on her bullshit.
But slow and steady emotional growth from Agatha wasn’t the only character growth we saw in this episode. Alice was asked to face her fears – a Cowardly Lion moment – and stare her generational curse in the face to vanquish it. Like Agatha, Alice started breaking down her tough exterior to remember that her mother’s song was a protection spell for her daughter, keeping her alive when the curse should have killed her years ago. Stagnant and unable to move past the trauma of her mother’s death, Alice had wandered without any purpose, scared she might make connections that would end with her untimely death from the curse. But, here she is, alive and well, and starting to forge bonds with those along The Road. She’s more than earned it.*
*In interviews, cast members have stressed that this might be the queerest MCU property to date (which, since there’s been next to no queer representation in the MCU, isn’t a high bar to clear). But, boy, were they not joking. Aside from Teen, Agatha, and Rio all being canonically queer as of this episode, we also got Alice and Jen saying they were not sure if they hated Rio or were attracted to her – although after she said she was going to take their dead bodies, I’m guessing that attraction as waned. Anyway, yup, this is a pretty damn queer series. And about damn time.
In the “also important but doesn’t really fit in a particular theory” realm, it looks like Jen has some potion making abilities now, post-first trial. Does this mean the binding is breaking? Something to note. And then Lilia is continuing to throw out non sequiturs throughout the episodes, which I’m assuming will come into play further down The Road. Something to absolutely keep a pin in. And Rio’s statement about Agatha getting all the witches killed so she can take their bodies – we need to keep that at the forefront of our minds as well.
It was nice to get a chance to see our characters interact outside of the task. Learning a bit more about them outside of their designated tasks is something that we need to have to keep the series moving forward and not turning into a task a week story. This was a fun one – Rio’s return was a welcome one, we got some interesting Agatha backstory, and it’s always a blast when we get a ‘70s rock performance. Cannot wait until next week.
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