Agatha All Along season 1 episode 3 “Through Many Miles and Tricks,” sees this group of witches face their first trial. And honestly it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It isn’t a battle of physical strength but more about a battle of how strong the coven bond is and if they can face their fears separately but also together. And if I thought that in episode 2 of Agatha All Along, was hitting its stride, I think episode 3 just builds up steam while also affording every single witch to have their own moment to help blossom their characters into individuals. Also, we got Sharon, that felt like the viewer personified. It’s just such a shame that she didn’t make it. We needed more of her.
Personally, the most interesting part of episode 3 were the hallucinations. Jennifer has a hallucination of someone she cares about or the person that bound her trying to kill her. It was a traumatic event and it made her have this visceral reaction that Agatha had to step in and eventually ground her. It showed us the viewer that Jennifer is still plagued by specific trauma but that there is also still a bond between her and Agatha. This all adds to the complexities of these relationships between the witches. Because it isn’t drama and trauma like with regular humans that live a human time span. These witches have been around for centuries and look at betrayal and heartache with different eyes.
Then there’s Alice. We got to see how much she loved her mother. Because so far we’ve seen her kind of skulking around and trying to make herself smaller. But in episode 3 we saw her pain cracked open, giving hints that her family is actually cursed. Lilia also had a traumatic revelation/vision through the poisoning trial. She carries guilt around for someone she let down. It could be her daughter or it could be another family. But it goes to show you that as tough as all of these witches act in Agatha All Along, they have regrets just like anybody else. And just because they’re brave and bold in the face of certain terrors, doesn’t mean that they don’t carry pain within. They’re just better at hiding it.
Now Agatha, she’s number one at hiding her pain. Episode 3 felt like it revealed Agatha in a way that WandaVision never did. I’m very much of the fact that we don’t have to give villains a tragic backstory to make us understand them. Sometimes villains are just villains. And I do believe in many respects that Agatha is a villain within the Marvel space. Nevertheless, she has regrets and things that she might have done in the past in the name of power that time and contemplation have made her regret. And if you’ve read the comics or taken a peek around at all the amazing editorials and pieces that have come out about Agatha All Along, there are major hints that her son and his offspring are the ones knocking on the Witches Road door trying to kill her.
As for the Teen, I can’t help but think that maybe we were wrong that he was Wiccan. For months people have been theorizing who he plays with a lot of “certainty.” But I don’t know if they’ve actually clocked the truth or if it was a red herring. Because I can’t stop thinking about why Agatha would stop him from drinking the potion. She doesn’t care for anybody. But she is better at hiding her pain than anybody else in this coven. And maybe a tiny tiny part of her fears that he is her son in a different form and back for revenge. So she’s following the saying of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer. Except she doesn’t have friends. So those who hate her are her closest and those that she’s most suspicious of, are even closer.
Ultimately Agatha All Along season 1 episode 3 feels like seeing the beginnings of the coven bond start to truly take shape. These current bonds are wisps of smoke. But they are there. And if there’s anything that’s going to bring people together, something we’ve learned across all media types, it’s trauma and danger. I’ve got a feeling that this first trial is only the beginning and it’s just going to get worse and worse. But at the same time the true challenge is going to be hidden and they will only be able to face it together. Now I’m just waiting for Aubrey Plaza’s Rio Vidal to make another appearance. Because we saw her in episode 1 of Agatha All Along and it’s about time she makes a return. It’s just a shame that it had to be at the expense of Sharon dying and the upholstery being ruined.
Agatha All Along releases new episodes each Thursday on Disney+.
What did you think of episode 3 of Agatha All Along? Let us know in the comments below!
Need more? Read our other reviews below:
- Agatha All Along Season 1 Episode 1 Review: ‘Seekest Thou The Road’
- Agatha All Along Season 1 Episode 2 Review: ‘Circle Sewn with Fate Unlock Thy Hidden Gate’
- Agatha All Along Season 1 Episode 3 Review: ‘Through Many Miles and Tricks’
- Agatha All Along Season 1 Episode 4 Review: ‘If I Can’t Reach You Let My Song Teach You’
- Agatha All Along Season 1 Episode 5 Review: ‘Darkest Hour, Wake Thy Power’
- Agatha All Along Season 1 Episode 6 Review: ‘Familiar by Thy Side’
- Agatha All Along Season 1 Episode 7 Review: ‘Death’s Hand in Mine’
- Agatha All Along Season 1 Episode 8 & 9 Review: ‘Follow Me My Friend/To Glory at the End & Maiden Mother Crone’
