REVIEW: ‘Agatha All Along’ Episode 4 — “If I Can’t Reach You / Let My Song Teach You”

Despite all that happens in Agatha All Along Episode 4, from musical performances to demonic possessions, two critical scenes are the standouts. These two scenes and what they suggest could either make or break the series going forward. While the entire group of actresses is undoubtedly talented and shares decent camaraderie, Kathryn Hahn, Joe Locke, and Aubrey Plaza are the ones getting the most to do, and their chemistry heightens this beyond other MCU projects.

Namely, by the end of the episode, we think that Agatha (Hahn) and Rio (Plaza) are about to kiss and that chemistry is off the charts. How the moment ends, however, brings even greater tension to the series as it enters its new wave. Despite the repetitive format of Agatha All Along Episode 4, the writing still manages to imbue itself with some mystery, intrigue, and a real sense of tension as these characters contribute to trying and working the other out.

Before the team can move forward on the Witches Road, they need to find themselves a new green witch due to Sharon’s seeming untimely death. Through a summoning spell, they’re able to bring forth Plaza’s Rio. In a fun bit of staging and special effects, she crawls out of the ground, her body contorting unnaturally as she rights herself before Agatha, Teen, Jennifer (Sasheer Zamata), Alice (Ali Ahn), and Lilia (Patti Lupone). She’s a part of the coven, even if Agatha isn’t thrilled about it.

Plaza is having clear fun with the role, slinky and seductive, and her presence is a balancing act of a character who’s as ready to stab as she is to make out with Agatha. At one point, Jennifer mentions she can’t tell if she “hates her or wants her phone number.”

While there was confusion at first about what stop along the Witches Road the first house targeted, there’s no mistaking the second. Agatha All Along Episode 4 sets itself within Alice’s mind frame. Alice, decades later, still mourns the loss of her mother, who seemingly died in a hotel fire. The set design and costuming create a sense of playfulness, which gets cut loose after Episode 3’s Stepford Wives inspirations. Swathed in ’60s and ’70s rock attire with big hair and draped fabric, the costumes beautifully play with structure and sexuality.

Of course, however, there needs to be a twist as the trials draw on past traumas. In Alice’s case, the coven learns that she’s being targeted by a generation curse that once preyed on her mother. Moreover, they realize that her mother’s rock-interpreted version of “Down the Witches Road” is a protection spell. They realize they’ll need to perform the song to eliminate the curse. Considering this trial is decked out as a lavish recording studio, they have instruments to play to help pitch the song in the direction Alice’s mother intended, with raw, artistic flourishes and witchery.

Its silliness is delightfully campy, falling more in line with something like Doctor Who or even specific musical moments of The Magicians than other Marvel fare. It’s fun, essentially. While the hokiness is a delicate balance, it mostly works even with aggressive zoom-ins on Alice and the physical embodiment of the curse. The curse, which, to the series’ credit, is suitably creepy in its minimalism and abrupt appearance.

With another trial finished, Agatha All Along Episode 4 seems poised to end on a lighter note than Episode 3. However, during the performance and due to the curse’s power, Teen was stabbed by a piece of glass. As they struggle to save him with Jennifer’s potion abilities, it’s clear that Agatha cares about him, even if it’s unclear at the moment why. It’s the most human she’s been, and Hahn is terrific at grounding the care in an immediate sense of urgency. The writing might not earn this moment so soon into the series, but Hahn makes it land.

Of course, Teen doesn’t die, but that’s hardly the actual interesting part. Teen, clearly sensing something off, asks Agatha if it’s true that she traded her son the Book of the Damned. Her care hardens as she moves away. It leads us to the second most pivotal moment of the episode, in her silent moment with Rio. Rio, who earlier mentioned the regret she feels over hurting someone she loved. Yes, there’s heat between them, and if they don’t actually kiss after so clearly teasing the moment, we’ll be well within our right to call queer baiting, especially due to Marvel’s terrible history.

But its potency in the moment comes when Rio drops the bomb on Agatha, telling her that “the boy isn’t hers.” There’s gravity in the interaction, captured by Plaza and Hahn, making for an instantly more interesting dynamic.
Agatha All Along Episode 4 plays with a now familiar narrative structure. Still, the book ends with two standout scenes due to Aubrey Plaza and Kathryn Hahn’s blistering chemistry. With the mystery fully cemented, it’s becoming increasingly difficult not to try to decode it as we watch.

Agatha All Along Episode 4 is out now on Disney+.