Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Agatha All Along Episode 7.
The last few years have brought us some projects with incredible editing. Everything Everywhere All at Once included Oscar-winning sequences that showed the vastness of the multiverse, and this year, Strange Darling played with our expectations by messing with order and time. Agatha All Along Episode 7 joins the ranks of the greats in this department, providing a truly cinematic experience (and not just because of the pop culture witches it references!) by immersing us deep into Lilia’s (Patti LuPone) headspace, allowing us to experience life out of order the way she has with her divination powers — starting with a cold open that shows her waking up dressed like Glinda the Good Witch and falling down, down, down a black emptiness.
Is Wanda Really Dead in ‘Agatha All Along’ Episode 7?
Billy (Joe Locke) and Agatha (Kathryn Hahn) have an awkward walk-and-talk Aaron Sorkin-style down the Witches’ Road. Agatha thinks Billy’s trying to read her mind and says he can just ask her questions the normal way — well, every question except Rio’s (Aubrey Plaza) whereabouts. That one’s off-limits. Agatha is Wanda’s ex-bestie, after all. Isn’t that why Billy came? No, Billy insists, it’s not. He’s here to get what he wants at the end of the Road, and he already has a mother who’s not Wanda. After some pressing, Agatha admits that she’s unsure if Wanda’s really dead. She saw her body, but she’s not sure anyone else did. He wants straight answers? He should ask a straight lady. As they approach a castle, Billy continues to snip at Agatha. He’s salty that her experience doesn’t seem to be getting them anywhere and doubts she’s even been on the Road at all.
The castle offers a costume change, as per usual, casting Agatha as the Wicked Witch of the West (a character Agatha herself apparently inspired!) and Billy as Maleficent. He’s slaying, and he knows it. They see a tarot table, and a timer flips, showing the test has started. Like sands through the hourglass, so are the trials of their lives. Billy’s confident he can read Agatha’s cards, but it quickly becomes apparent he’s an amateur at best. When he puts a card in the center, a sword falls — the first of potentially many, as the entire ceiling is littered with them. Agatha says tarot is a scam like any other and decides to give it a shot, randomly tossing cards down, but the swords only continue to fall. They are completely hopeless at this, and it only gets worse when the ceiling starts to descend lower and lower. Billy wishes for Lilia to be there with them.
But Lilia is not there. She’s in a cave with Jen (Sasheer Zamata) after following a gross tunnel because Lilia said they needed to look for shelving — something Lilia now doesn’t remember saying. Lilia also doesn’t remember that Teen is the son of the Scarlet Witch, despite apparently having informed Jen. Jen tells Lilia she’s acting wispier and kookier than usual and reveals that, five minutes ago, they had a beautiful heart-to-heart. We flash back to Lilia’s previous outbursts and piece together that she was trying to warn Alice not to save Agatha. We then go much further back, seeing young Lilia in Sicily, learning from Maestra before she turns into present-day Lilia. It’s been a long time. She’s going to have her first lesson again — tea leaves, which Lilia always thought she was bad at.
Back in the cave, Lilia tells Jen she’s not confused — she’s frustrated that Jen only sees her as batty. Jen responds by genuinely asking what else she should see. Lilia tells her time is an illusion — as a child, she experienced her life out of sequence, getting flashes and gaps. It’s happening again, and it’s getting worse. Jen compassionately tells her that it sounds terrifying. Lilia thinks maybe it’s happening because she’s close to the end of the road, and she’s not so sure if she wants her power back.
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Lilia Completes a Tarot Trial in ‘Agatha All Along’ Episode 7
Lilia and Jen find themselves in the castle, and Lilia’s ready to fight Billy — much to everyone’s confusion. Billy thought they were cool! Still, he apologizes, telling Lilia his power was a surprise to him, too. He wasn’t trying to lie, and he would’ve used it to save Alice. Lilia realizes he’s reading her mind and recalls the bar mitzvah. Jen plays peacemaker, reminding Lilia that time is an illusion and to trust her when she says that she’s not mad at the kid anymore. Lilia is mad they’re all in witch costumes but pulls herself together, remembering she was doing a reading for Billy before she got confused. She’s not sure what went wrong, as everything she said seemed pretty on point. Billy presses her about whether she cast the sigil, and she admits to it. She saw who he would become and knew he needed time.
We continue flashing back to Lilia’s outbursts in previous episodes, and everything Lilia says starts to come together. We also keep getting glimpses of her and Maestra, where Lilia admits that she’s not rooted in nature, nimble with her craft, or part of a coven. This disappoints Maestra, but Lilia thinks it’s better to be a fraud and a hermit than to go through the pain of loss. Lilia confesses she can’t control her power, but Maestra tells Lilia her task is not to control but to see.
In the cave, Lilia finds Billy’s spellbook and admits to Jen she put her gift away because all she saw was death. Their conversation is interrupted when they overhear Billy and Agatha and fall into the tarot room from a bookshelf they find. Lilia takes control of the massacred tarot spread and tells Billy he must ask a question that’s essential to his journey. Despite Agatha telling him to ask whether they’re going to make it out, he wants to know whether he’s William or Billy. The swords stop, and Lilia tells him it’s a good question.
Lilia does a safe passage spread, which includes who the Teen is, the path behind him, his path forward, his obstacles, and a potential windfall. He must overcome them all to reach his destination. No more snide remarks from Agatha or Jen now — they shut up and watch LIlia work. Lilia tells Billy he’s the Magician, with enormous potential. What’s missing is joy and reunion. Still, the swords keep falling. What is she missing?
Who Dies — and Who’s Death — in ‘Agatha All Along’ Episode 7?
Lilia tells Maestra that the reason she came on the Road wasn’t to get her power back — it’s that she’s a forgotten woman. What’s worth remembering, Lilia wants to know — that she saw Maestra’s death coming? That she saw her whole coven wiped out by a fever, but nothing could stop it? Maestra tells Lilia that death comes for them all, and it’s what they all have in common. When will it come for Lilia? Lilia puts the pieces together — she’s going to fall. Maestra asks what she will do with her remaining time.
In the cave, we see Lilia wake up and tell Jen everything about Billy, the trial, and the shelf because she knows she won’t remember in a few minutes. Jen sees a path off the Witches’ Road, but the Salem Seven come before she can skedaddle her way out. Once they leave, Lilia announces that she’s choosing the trial path, and hopes Jen will join her because she’s her sister in the craft. Jen looks longingly toward the exit but ultimately goes with her.
Back at the trial, Lilia knows what she did wrong now — she was reading to the wrong person. She has to read for herself. She’s the traveler — the Queen of Cups, who’s empathetic and has an inner voice that can be trusted. In the flashback, Maestra encourages her, and in the present, the swords stop falling. The ceiling, however, keeps descending. Lilia keeps reading. What’s missing? Three of Pentacles — community. The path behind is the Knight of Wands, who’s a brave fighter. The path ahead is the High Priestess, who has spiritual power but is unwilling or unable to use it (hey, Jen!). Obstacles — Three of Swords, heartbreak, sorrow, and grief. Windfall — Tower Reversed, miraculous transformation. Destination — Death. We see Rio approach Lilia in the cave. Doesn’t she recognize her? Rio is Death.
The ceiling of swords stops and rises again. They’ve passed the trial. Lilia has saved them. Lilia tells everyone that Rio is Death — the original Green Witch. Agatha admits it’s true. What can she say? She likes the bad ones. The exit opens, and on the way out, Lilia tells Agatha that when Rio calls her a coward, she needs to hit the deck. She gives Billy his spellbook back and tells Jen she needs to go ahead of her — she’s the path ahead. Lilia tells Jen she loved being a witch and sacrifices herself to defeat the Salem Seven. Lilia turns the Tower card upright, and they all begin to float and then drop onto the swords, with Lilia falling last. We end with a flashback of young Lilia joining Maestra for her first lesson.
How Does ‘Agatha All Along’ Episode 7 Measure Up?
I had high expectations for this episode, considering creator Jac Schaeffer herself directed it, and it didn’t disappoint. This was a beautiful, fitting end to Lilia’s journey — one that had me bawling my eyes out for the entire second half of the episode. Everything was firing on all cylinders, from the costume design to the cinematography to the editing. And I’d be remiss not to shout out LuPone’s stunning performance. The pain of loss, the frustration and terror of experiencing life out of order, and finally, the peace she made at the end of it all was simply gorgeous.
While LuPone was undoubtedly the MVP of this episode, it’s refreshing that everyone else got moments to shine as well. Getting to see Lilia bond with Jen in the cave was lovely, and the fact that she is revealed to be the path forward makes me hope she’ll continue popping up in the MCU. Zamata also continues to be a comedic highlight, with her delivery of, “Damn, using his full name” making me laugh out loud. Billy and Agatha’s bickering was ripe for humor, too — their chaotic, disastrous failure at tarot reading before Lilia saved the day was hilarious. While I had my suspicions about Rio being Death, the way the show pulled it off was once again masterful. That scene of her confronting Lilia in the cave in that costume? Chills! There’s no doubt that’s going to change the game and has me anxiously waiting — emphasis on anxiously — the final two episodes.
It’s a real shame we only have a two-part finale to go. The first half of the season seemed like it was hinting at more of a relationship between Agatha and Lilia being established, with Lilia emerging as almost a surrogate mother in a way, and it’s a bummer that there doesn’t seem to be a path to bring that to further fruition now. Also, not having LuPone sing another version of “The Ballad of the Witches’ Road” before her noble sacrifice? Blasphemy! I’m beating a dead horse, but longer episode runtimes — and a longer episode order count — would have done great things for this show. Alas, they’re managing to do a lot with a little, and that’s pretty magical in and of itself.
New episodes of Agatha All Along drop every Wednesday at 9 PM ET on Disney+.
Agatha All Along Episode 7 is by far one of the strongest of the bunch, giving a beloved character a satisfying and cinematic end.
- Patti LuPone gives a beautiful performance, allowing us to get to know Lilia and her story on a deep, visceral level.
- The direction and design continue to amaze, with dazzling sets and costumes, as well as a memorable character reveal and floating sequence.
- The episode excitingly features more of Jen and hints at a possible future for Zamata in the MCU down the road.
- Once again, the short episode count and runtimes keep us from exploring some interesting dynamics in more depth, such as the Agatha and Lilia relationship.
- We deserved one more “Ballad of the Witches Road” rendition from LuPone before her sendoff!
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