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Agatha All Along Season Finale
In which the show ends, and I, for one, am amazed how right they did by their titular character.
Because let's face it: Agatha has a staggering body count. Yes, she's immensely entertaining, and yes, she has feelings that aren't about gaining power and surviving. But I could see several outcomes, and none of them would have made me completely happy, narratively speaking.
1) Agatha survives after having regained her powers and swears to turn over a new leaf. No more killing other witches (or anyone else), or mind-messing. The problem: not really believable; what we've seen of her in this show was more layered than her WandaVision appearance, but still not in a way that would have made it believable that she'd change this much.
2) Agatha survives without her powers, whether or not she'd changed. That would have felt sort of pointless.
3) Agatha survives with her powers and goes off to wreak havoc elsewhere; Billy lets her go because of his mixed feelings about her. Would have made future witches drained by Agatha Billy's co-fault.
4) Agatha dies, sacrificing herself for Billy, and thus also reunites with Rio. Would have worked (and sort of, kinda, was part of what did happen), and they did prepare it thematically on several fronts, BUT wouldn't have made 100% satisfied because Agatha's ability and drive to survive, and her talent to pull it off, was/is such a quintessential part of the character. And I didn't want her gone from the Marvelverse except in flashbacks!
=> basically, I wanted something that worked with the character and the relationships but kept Agatha around without resetting everything to pre-WandaVision status and in a way that wrapped up this story but made me curious for more. And lo and behold, this is what I got. More about this in a minute.
Kudos to everyone who freezeframed Billy's room back in episode 5 and then pointed out all the elements we saw of the trials were part of his room decorations. I had seen the theory that the Witches Road works differently for everyone, depending who initializes it, and that this version was formed by Billy, but Billy hadn't been among the singers (Agatha had deliberately told him to guard the house elsewhere so he wouldn't witness her killing the others) opening the road. What I hadn't thought of, and what this finale points to, was what Agatha meant with the "you and your mother have the same tell" remark, and also earlier with "didn't think you had it in you" really early on the road. The entire road being created by Billy's Wanda-inherited reality warping powers the way the Westview Sitcom world was because this is what he expected and longed to see: makes sense, but would not work if not for the second part of the reveal: that the original song was created by Agatha and her son Nicholas back in the 18th century in bit and pieces as a tender mother and child tune (this, btw, is also an awesome connect to how Lorna Wu used and changed it for Alice) and that a grieving, angry Agatha when that unfortunate young witch approached her after Nicky's death saw the opportunity for the con of the centuries, using it to lure coven after coven to their deaths (and her gain of power).
From a storytelling pov, it was clever and daring to put this reveal and the montage of Agatha killing all these witches through the ages after Agatha's sort of, kinda dying for Billy in the previous episode, i.e. a seemingly classic redemptive death scenario, not before, but before Billy and the audience realize Agatha (who got a graphic illustration of the realness of ghosts via her own mother) is still around - as a ghost.( BTW, do I believe Agatha when she tells Billy she gambled on this and that she didn't sacrifice herself for him? Sort of, half way. I think she did gamble on it but that it also was a sacrifice in that she knew it might not work, and she had come to care deeply enough about Billy to risk it.) This is how the enormity of Agatha's murders is not downplayed or she easily redeemed, and yet her story isn't over, and she did go through a massive transformation. As a ghost, she doesn't have the same powers she did pre WandaVision, but she's not powerless, either, and she's not alone anymore. Agatha as Billy's deeply shady (in more senses than one) mentor while he sees her clearly and yet also has tremendous affection for her and works through his newly discovered moral ambiguity and issues - that is a dynamic complicated and interesting both, and I'm so on board with it. (Also: both with the redshirt deaths of Agatha's long flashbacks and with the deaths of regulars we did see play out on screen, i.e. Sharon, Alice and Lilia, the show manages to never downplay or excuse not just Agatha's part, see Billy accepting his responsibility there once he's realized the truth about the road.)
I'm also really happy that Jen survived, as I had hoped she would, with fully unbound powers. Long may she live and be a potion witch to stun the world.
Rio/Death and Agatha: I was surprised we didn't get to see their first meeting, but in retrospect, I like it - it gives fanfiction more to play with. What we did see was their original break up (I say original, because clearly they hooked up repeatedly after that one) and what led to it. As guessed by many including yours truly, Rio took Nicholas as part of her duty, but what I hadn't expected was that she did give Agatha "special treatment", as she put it, i.e. instead of taking the baby during or directly after his birth, she postponed taking him for ten years. (I'm also not surprised Agatha, being Agatha, doesn't acknowledge this as a gift. She only sees the pain of losing her child magnified after ten years.) I was afraid that the finale would make the mistake all too many Marvel efforts (though not all) made and go for a big special effects battle in the last act, but no, the show clearly wasn't interested in a Agatha versus Rio firing bolts at each other for ten minutes or more spectacle and instead kept the character emphasis to the end. Their first conversation in the woods after Lilia's death while Billy and Jen are still in the floor really showed what Rio meant when she said Agatha was her scar. Agatha managed to wound her deeply with simply words ("I don't want to see your face" when she finally dies), no witch power required at all. Conversely, later, when Agatha finally does make her decision to die/risk dying instead of letting Billy die, it fits that she doesn't wait, she doesn't submit, she goes to Rio, grabs her and kisses her and that this is how she dies.
Somewhat earlier: Did expect and was given: Agatha managing to stop herself after being powered up by Billy instead of draining him completely. What I hadn't expected was that Billy would deliberately risk it to save her. Especially since he still hasn't heard any other explanation for the death of Nicholas than that Agatha somehow sacrificed him, and he did see her draining Alice. Offering his own power to her regardless and trusting her to listen when he says "don't take all" is an incredibly powerful deeds, not words love declaration. (Chosen family love, I mean.)
In conclusion: I really liked this show, and regard it as one of the best MCU offerings in years.
Because let's face it: Agatha has a staggering body count. Yes, she's immensely entertaining, and yes, she has feelings that aren't about gaining power and surviving. But I could see several outcomes, and none of them would have made me completely happy, narratively speaking.
1) Agatha survives after having regained her powers and swears to turn over a new leaf. No more killing other witches (or anyone else), or mind-messing. The problem: not really believable; what we've seen of her in this show was more layered than her WandaVision appearance, but still not in a way that would have made it believable that she'd change this much.
2) Agatha survives without her powers, whether or not she'd changed. That would have felt sort of pointless.
3) Agatha survives with her powers and goes off to wreak havoc elsewhere; Billy lets her go because of his mixed feelings about her. Would have made future witches drained by Agatha Billy's co-fault.
4) Agatha dies, sacrificing herself for Billy, and thus also reunites with Rio. Would have worked (and sort of, kinda, was part of what did happen), and they did prepare it thematically on several fronts, BUT wouldn't have made 100% satisfied because Agatha's ability and drive to survive, and her talent to pull it off, was/is such a quintessential part of the character. And I didn't want her gone from the Marvelverse except in flashbacks!
=> basically, I wanted something that worked with the character and the relationships but kept Agatha around without resetting everything to pre-WandaVision status and in a way that wrapped up this story but made me curious for more. And lo and behold, this is what I got. More about this in a minute.
Kudos to everyone who freezeframed Billy's room back in episode 5 and then pointed out all the elements we saw of the trials were part of his room decorations. I had seen the theory that the Witches Road works differently for everyone, depending who initializes it, and that this version was formed by Billy, but Billy hadn't been among the singers (Agatha had deliberately told him to guard the house elsewhere so he wouldn't witness her killing the others) opening the road. What I hadn't thought of, and what this finale points to, was what Agatha meant with the "you and your mother have the same tell" remark, and also earlier with "didn't think you had it in you" really early on the road. The entire road being created by Billy's Wanda-inherited reality warping powers the way the Westview Sitcom world was because this is what he expected and longed to see: makes sense, but would not work if not for the second part of the reveal: that the original song was created by Agatha and her son Nicholas back in the 18th century in bit and pieces as a tender mother and child tune (this, btw, is also an awesome connect to how Lorna Wu used and changed it for Alice) and that a grieving, angry Agatha when that unfortunate young witch approached her after Nicky's death saw the opportunity for the con of the centuries, using it to lure coven after coven to their deaths (and her gain of power).
From a storytelling pov, it was clever and daring to put this reveal and the montage of Agatha killing all these witches through the ages after Agatha's sort of, kinda dying for Billy in the previous episode, i.e. a seemingly classic redemptive death scenario, not before, but before Billy and the audience realize Agatha (who got a graphic illustration of the realness of ghosts via her own mother) is still around - as a ghost.( BTW, do I believe Agatha when she tells Billy she gambled on this and that she didn't sacrifice herself for him? Sort of, half way. I think she did gamble on it but that it also was a sacrifice in that she knew it might not work, and she had come to care deeply enough about Billy to risk it.) This is how the enormity of Agatha's murders is not downplayed or she easily redeemed, and yet her story isn't over, and she did go through a massive transformation. As a ghost, she doesn't have the same powers she did pre WandaVision, but she's not powerless, either, and she's not alone anymore. Agatha as Billy's deeply shady (in more senses than one) mentor while he sees her clearly and yet also has tremendous affection for her and works through his newly discovered moral ambiguity and issues - that is a dynamic complicated and interesting both, and I'm so on board with it. (Also: both with the redshirt deaths of Agatha's long flashbacks and with the deaths of regulars we did see play out on screen, i.e. Sharon, Alice and Lilia, the show manages to never downplay or excuse not just Agatha's part, see Billy accepting his responsibility there once he's realized the truth about the road.)
I'm also really happy that Jen survived, as I had hoped she would, with fully unbound powers. Long may she live and be a potion witch to stun the world.
Rio/Death and Agatha: I was surprised we didn't get to see their first meeting, but in retrospect, I like it - it gives fanfiction more to play with. What we did see was their original break up (I say original, because clearly they hooked up repeatedly after that one) and what led to it. As guessed by many including yours truly, Rio took Nicholas as part of her duty, but what I hadn't expected was that she did give Agatha "special treatment", as she put it, i.e. instead of taking the baby during or directly after his birth, she postponed taking him for ten years. (I'm also not surprised Agatha, being Agatha, doesn't acknowledge this as a gift. She only sees the pain of losing her child magnified after ten years.) I was afraid that the finale would make the mistake all too many Marvel efforts (though not all) made and go for a big special effects battle in the last act, but no, the show clearly wasn't interested in a Agatha versus Rio firing bolts at each other for ten minutes or more spectacle and instead kept the character emphasis to the end. Their first conversation in the woods after Lilia's death while Billy and Jen are still in the floor really showed what Rio meant when she said Agatha was her scar. Agatha managed to wound her deeply with simply words ("I don't want to see your face" when she finally dies), no witch power required at all. Conversely, later, when Agatha finally does make her decision to die/risk dying instead of letting Billy die, it fits that she doesn't wait, she doesn't submit, she goes to Rio, grabs her and kisses her and that this is how she dies.
Somewhat earlier: Did expect and was given: Agatha managing to stop herself after being powered up by Billy instead of draining him completely. What I hadn't expected was that Billy would deliberately risk it to save her. Especially since he still hasn't heard any other explanation for the death of Nicholas than that Agatha somehow sacrificed him, and he did see her draining Alice. Offering his own power to her regardless and trusting her to listen when he says "don't take all" is an incredibly powerful deeds, not words love declaration. (Chosen family love, I mean.)
In conclusion: I really liked this show, and regard it as one of the best MCU offerings in years.
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Still I do think the gamble was somewhat affected by affection, or rather the memory of affection for Nicholas, and not a pure gamble on the odds. SHe really did come to care for Billy. Even if she couldn't admit it to herself.
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I'll add that Billy has a Trans Lives Matter flag in his room. <3
I was hoping to see Tommy in episode 9. Now, it might not be until 2026 (I'm counting on Untitled Marvel Movie on February 13 being Young Avengers, but who knows?), unless he makes an appearance in somebody else's show.
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