Even though I knew it was coming, seeing Lilia die in Agatha All Along season 1 episode 7 “Death’s Hand in Mine” hurt. It was an inevitable thing. Something that she had been running from her entire life. And there’s peace and sadness in equal measure that she spent so much time running for her to understand everything at the very end. But if anything, this episode goes to show you that you don’t need seasons upon season’s worth of content to tell a good (and emotional) story. You just need smart writing and a killer cast. And Agatha All Along has that.
Lilia’s Journey
For weeks I have watched people all over social media piece together what Lilia has been saying in moments where she seemed confused. People believed that “this moment matched with that moment, and that moment matched with this one” like a puzzle. And episode 7 confirmed they were all right. Lilia wasn’t kookie or crazy. She was living a life that was not linear. A part of that is heartbreaking, because she spent so long trying to figure things out. Centuries in fact. But another part of me has hope in this ending because it truly isn’t the end. Lilia will always be out there, different parts of her living out an extraordinary life.
And I really have to give it to Agatha All Along for playing the long game when it came to this character. If anything, I think her journey was the most complex to weave throughout the entire season of Agatha All Along. The writers couldn’t just think about what was happening in the present. They also had to think about what happened in the past and what would happen in the future. And they did it so seamlessly that I want to go back and watch from episode 1 to truly understand this journey but through Lilia’s eyes. That’s the ultimate goal for a show, to get their viewers to rewatch. And I think the writers of this show have done such a job where I clearly understand everything but still want to relive it again.
Admittedly I am sad that we won’t be seeing Lilia anymore. Patty LuPone is an exemplary talent who shifts through powerful emotions like love, anger, and confusion with such a seamless nature that you can’t help but want to always see her on your screen. But I’m glad she’s part of the Marvel universe even if for a short time. And who knows where the path will lead the remaining witches on The Witches Road. Maybe this isn’t the end for Lilia or Alice. We’re still hoping and praying that Wanda is alive somewhere out there, after all. But Lilia did say that death comes for us all. And when Rio comes for you, I don’t know if there’s any turning back.
MORE: Revisit the beginning of their journey on the Witches Road in Agatha All Along here.
Billy or William
First of all, Billy better check himself. Wanda is his mother. He might have spent a couple years with William’s mother. But that’s not your mother, Billy. Like, I know he’s literally a child. Three years old to be exact. But the disrespect will not be allowed in this house when it comes to Wanda Maximoff aka the Scarlet Witch. Even if the disrespect is from her own child. Because Wanda created Billy and Tommy in her grief and almost tore the world apart for them. There is an unimaginable amount of love within all of that. And I need Billy to take a step back because if Tommy is your brother, then Wanda is your mother. You can’t pick what’s convenient because reasons.
I also found myself confused by Billy in “Death’s Hand in Mine.” I understand that he’s technically a teenager. And that should explain the wild mood swings from rude teenager on the Witches Road to sad emo boy when facing Lilia. At the same time, I want him to pick a lane. But maybe that’s on purpose when it comes to the writing on Agatha All Along. Maybe he’s shifting gears like this because he is still unsure of who he is. It could also explain why he said that Wanda wasn’t his mother. Maybe Billy is stuck between who he thinks he is and the body that he inhabits with William’s feelings slipping in. That would throw anyone off. But with two episodes left, I really hope that the show doesn’t pull a switcheroo on us and it was never truly Billy. He’s there. William’s not.
Keeping all of that in mind, I’m also concerned about who Teen is going to decide he is at the end of the road. Loss transforms you. It transformed him when he jumped into William’s body. And ever since then, I don’t think he has experienced the kind of connection with fellow witch kind like with the coven and particularly Alice and Lilia. And he just lost both of them. That is either going to harden him or make him appreciate life a little bit more. Whatever it is, the writing for Agatha All Along clearly has him on the precipice of something great. I just hope that greatness doesn’t end with him being greeted by Rio.
MORE: Billy and William’s journey had a traumatic union. Relive those moments in our review for Agatha All Along episode 6 here.
And Then There Were Three
With two episodes left of Agatha All Along, the next one to lose her life is Jen. And I know I just said that Alice and Lilia’s death were painful. Those broke me. But I have this gnawing sense of dread that Jen’s is going to hurt the worst. Jen had her power ripped away from her from someone she trusted. That made it hard for her to connect with people, with a coven. And in episode 7 we saw some of those walls break down between her and Lilia to the point where Jen was ok with escaping the trial last instead of first. That’s growth. Now that Lilia is gone, she’s the next one that will have her past torn open, powers returned, before Rio steps in and snatches her away.
Like I mentioned in the opening of this review for “Death’s Hand in Mine,” it’s not about how many seasons you get. It’s about the quality of the writing and the actors that you bring on to bring this vision to life. And across seven episodes I have gotten to know multiple distinct women with vastly different personalities and a treasure trove of stories to tell within them. This is a gold mine for Marvel. Or it can be a gold mine. Marvel can either explore these characters across comics or a prequel kind of series. Or they can look at the writers that have come on to bring the show to life and let them cook. The same thing with the director, who’s attention to detail and gave us plenty of powerful shots of Lilia in this episode.
In episode 8 we’re going to see those powerful shots with Sasheer Zamata’s Jen. And like the writers and director, I hope this opens more doors for her as an actor. Because if you look through her IMDb she has done a lot of voice acting. But I think there’s something powerful about her character and about her as an actor. A little bit rough around the edges in comparison to someone like Patti LuPone. But Zamata is here. She’s on our screen. She’s in Marvel across other greats. And I want to see everything that she’s willing to give us before three becomes two and Billy and Agatha are the only ones left on the Witches Road.
Agatha All Along releases new episodes each Wednesday on Disney+.
What did you think of Agatha All Along season 1 episode 7? 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’
I disagree. My theory is that Jen will survive and that Agatha will sacrifice herself to save Billy, because he reminds her of her son, Nicolas Scratch, who she is still grieving for.
I also think that the Witch’s Road is a construct of Billy’s mind.