Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Agatha All Along episode 4
Agatha Harkness’ coven faces its second trial on the MCU‘s Witches’ Road in Agatha All Along episode 4, where the witches learn some unexpected truths. Following Sharon Davis’ death in Agatha All Along episode 3’s ending, the coven finds itself incomplete and with most of the Witches’ Road still ahead of them. In order to continue, Agatha Harkness and her fellow witches need to find a replacement for Sharon, which leads Agatha to reunite with a familiar face.
Agatha Harkness, Teen, and the rest of the coven agree to move on as quickly as possible, knowing full well that the Witches’ Road’s next trials will only get more difficult. The second trial almost claims the life of another character, but the coven finds a way to survive relatively unscathed. By the time Agatha All Along episode 4’s ending arrives, the coven has grown closer together and gained a new powerful yet unreliable ally.
8 Agatha Harkness’ Coven Replaces Sharon Davis With Rio Vidal
Agatha’s Coven Summon A Powerful Green Witch
After the coven buries Sharon Davis, Agatha Harkness comes up with the idea of summoning a Green Witch to replace Sharon. Using Teen’s spell book, Agatha and the coven cast a spell to bring a witch that’s “smart and not annoying.” The spell works, and Rio Vidal materializes from the ground in front of the coven. Agatha regrets summoning Rio, and the rest of the coven becomes intrigued by Agatha’s apparently long-time enemy.
Rio Vidal claws her way out of the ground very similarly to the way Scarlet Witch comes out of a gong in
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
, both snapping their bones into place as they twist their bodies.
Rio Vidal doesn’t participate in the Witches’ Road’s second trial, nor is she affected by the winged demon that represents Alice Wu-Gulliver’s generational curse. When Rio and Agatha speak privately, Rio proposes to Agatha that they let the coven die “one by one”. Rio tries to convince Agatha by saying, “you get your power, and I get my bodies.” Why Rio wants other witches’ bodies is yet to be revealed.
7 Rio Vidal Is “The” Green Witch
Rio Vidal Isn’t A Regular Witch, But The Scarlet Witch’s Green Equivalent
According to Marvel lore, there are various types of witches across the color spectrum. In Agatha All Along episodes 1-3, Sharon Davis filled the role of the Green Witch in Agatha Harkness’ coven despite her lack of magical powers. Agatha tries to summon a real Green Witch to replace Sharon, but she ends up summoning Rio Vidal. When questioned about her identity, Rio Vidal says she isn’t just “a” Green Witch, but “the” Green Witch.
Rio Vidal seems to be inspired by Marvel Comics’ Dian a.k.a. The Emerald Warlock, a male sorcerer who can absorb and bestow magical power. In the comics, Wanda Maximoff herself crosses paths with the Emerald Warlock on her own quest down the Witches’ Road, where she manages to outsmart him. In the MCU, Rio Vidal seems to be almost on par with the Scarlet Witch in terms of magical status, though the Scarlet Witch is always above every other magic user — even the Sorcerer Supreme — as Agatha explains in the WandaVision finale.
6 Alice Completes The Trial Of Fire With Her Music
Alice Wu-Gulliver Comes To Terms With Her Mother’s Death And Faces Her Generational Curse
The Witches’ Road’s first trial was water-themed, and it required Jennifer Kale to use her knowledge of potion-making to pass its test before the Road’s first house got flooded. Agatha All Along episode 4’s second trial is fire-themed, and it requires Alice Wu-Gulliver to confront her painful past in order to overcome her generational curse and unlock the Witches’ Road’s next trial. This time around, Alice realizes her duty to come to terms with her mother’s death.
Lilia Calderu continues to have seemingly random premonitions, meaning that her own test is coming soon.
Alice’s generational curse takes the form of a winged demon, which temporarily takes over each of the witches’ bodies and burns them. To stop it, the other witches need to draw a circular protective spell around the possessed witch. However, the only way to end the curse is to face it head-on. Alice admits that she regrets not being able to save her mother and performs a heartfelt song — “Lorna’s Ballad” — with the help of the coven to destroy the demon and put an end to the curse. Agatha reveals to Alice that the song has always served as a protection spell.
5 Teen Is Gravely Injured But Jen Heals Him With Witchcraft
Jennifer Kale Keeps Teen From Meeting The Same Fate As Sharon Davis
After defeating Alice Wu-Gulliver’s demon-shaped generational curse, Teen passes out and the coven realizes that he’s bleeding from a deep wound in his stomach. Agatha Harkness cuts off Lilia when she mentions that “he’s young. He’s strong” and pleads to Rio Vidal saying, “don’t”, which suggests that some sort of sacrifice may have crossed these witches’ minds. Fortunately for Teen, Jennifer Kale comes up with an idea to heal him as quickly as possible.
Jen says that she only needs water and moonlight to begin her ritual. Jen recites a Latin chant with Agatha and pours a bowl of water on Teen’s wound, which heals almost immediately. Lilia acknowledges Jen’s talent, and Rio exchanges a reluctant look with Agatha. Later on, Teen wakes up with no side effects from his wounds, avoiding Sharon Davis’ unfortunate fate.
4 Jen Reveals She Was Trapped And Her Magic Bound
Jennifer Kale Reveals What Led Her To Lose Access To Her Magic
In Agatha All Along episode 3, Jennifer Kale saw the man who took her power in a hallucination created by the Witches’ Road’s first trial. In episode 4, Jen tells her story to her fellow witches. According to Jen, she’s “an 11th-generation root worker and midwife.”Jen’s passion led her to a “brand-new Obstetrics Association of Greater Boston.” Unfortunately, the invitation was a trap.
It seems like water is an important part of the reason why Jen lost access to her magic
Jen doesn’t elaborate on the mysterious man’s identity, but she admits that she still doesn’t know how he took her magic. Jen’s hallucination from Agatha All Along episode 3 had her being drowned in a sink by the man, and she saved her coven from drowning by making a potion in the sink. In Agatha All Along episode 4, Jen successfully heals Teen from a potentially life-threatening wound with a bowl of water. It seems like water is an important part of the reason why Jen lost access to her magic.
3 Teen’s Sigil Can’t Be Lifted, Only Destroyed When It’s No Longer Needed
Agatha Harkness Explains How A Sigil Spell Actually Works
After Teen fully recovers from her wound, he asks Agatha Harkness whether she was the one who put a sigil on him. Agatha denies it, though she also says that she “wouldn’t know”, as “a sigil works on the witch who cast it as well”. When Teen asks Agatha whether the sigil can be lifted, Agatha answers that sigils can only be destroyed when they’re no longer needed. As of Agatha All Along episode 4, whoever put a sigil on Teen remains unconfirmed.
Teen’s sigil bears a twisted resemblance to the spell Scarlet Witch cast on Black Bolt to kill him in
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
.
Agatha also says that “you don’t have to know a person’s name to know who they are”, suggesting that she believes Teen to be her son, Nicholas Scratch. Teen understands the implication of Agatha’s words and asks Agatha what happened to Nicholas, but she refuses to answer and leaves. Unfortunately for Agatha, her theories are soon proven wrong by her former lover.
2 Agatha And Rio Used To Have A Romantic Relationship
Agatha Harkness And Rio Vidal Begin To Reawaen Their Romance
Agatha Harkness and Rio Vidal have displayed a great deal of romantic tension since their first moments together. During the second trial, Agatha and Rio call a truce and agree to work together on “one more big adventure” like the “old times”. When all witches share the stories behind their scards, Rio recalls “A long time ago, I loved someone. And I had to do something that I did not wanna do even though it was my job, and it hurt them. She is my scar”. Rio then looks at Agatha.
After Rio’s confession, Agatha excuses herself and leaves, and Rio follows her. Agatha hugs Rio dearly and caresses her face. However, Rio interrupts her and drops a major reveal that changes Agatha’s theories about Teen’s identity. Despite their past, it seems like Agatha still hopes she can reconnect with Rio and rekindle their romance, whereas Rio seems set on keeping her distance. Still, Rio’s regret about their break-up appears to be genuine.
1 Agatha Believed Teen Was Nicholas Scratch, But Rio Says He Isn’t
Rio Vidal Debunks Agatha Harkness’ Theories About Teen’s Real Identity
At the end of Agatha All Along episode 4, when Agatha Harkness reaches in for a kiss, Rio interrupts her and says “Agatha, that boy isn’t yours”. Rio seems sincere in her words, which suggests that she knows far more about Agatha, Nicholas Scratch, and Teen than anybody gives her credit for. Whatever Rio had to do that hurt Agatha in the past also seems to involve Agatha’s son Nicholas Scratch. This might be the reason why Rio knows for certain that Teen isn’t related to Agatha.
Rio’s reveal supports the idea that Teen is actually the Scarlet Witch’s reincarnated son Billy Kaplan
Agatha Harkness believed that Teen was Nicholas Scratch due to his talent for magic and her chemistry with him. The fact that a sigil also affects the witch who casts it led Agatha to believe that she had previously cast the spell on Teen at some point. Now, Rio’s reveal supports the idea that Teen is actually the Scarlet Witch’s reincarnated son Billy Kaplan. If true, Agatha Harkness may not take this information well in a future Agatha All Along episode.
