Agatha All Along Episode 4 Review: Aubrey Plaza casts a chaotic spell in best episode so far

Kathryn Hahn, Joe Locke, Aubrey Plaza, and Sasheer Zamata in Agatha All Along (2024)

Photo by Courtesy of Disney - © Disney

The “Down The Witches Road” remaster and Aubrey Plaza‘s return make Agatha All Along Episode 4 the best thus far.

The first three episodes of the series have been a good time. Plaza adds a missing ingredient to the witchy brew as Rio Vidal. Agatha (Kathryn Hahn) is a character who sees herself as above everyone else. Jennifer Kale (Sasheer Zamata), Alice Wu-Gulliver (Ali Ahn) and Lilia Calderu (Patti LuPone) are aware enough about Agatha to distrust her. However, they don’t know her like Rio does. The mere presence of Rio throws Agatha for a loop.

In addition to Rio’s return, Agatha All Along delivers a nice twist on the formula set up in the last episode. Once again, the coven and Teen (Joe Locke) must enter a creepy venue to complete a trial. Episode 4 tests Alice by forcing the group to sing a remastered version of “Down the Witches Road” to lift a curse placed on the coven. The clever twist isn’t the 70’s song the group conjures, it’s the fact that this portion doesn’t take up the whole episode.

The coven emerges from the trial relatively unscathed, except for Teen. He suffers severe injuries after being thrown through glass. As he recovers, the coven shares their physical and emotional battle scars.

The only negative is a conversation between Rio and Agatha in which the whole group overhears what Rio thinks of them. Agatha’s tactics come across as too obvious for my liking. It’s possible Rio knew and didn’t care that the intercom speaker was on. However, the scene doesn’t come across that way.

Overall, with Rio joining the coven, Agatha All Along is finding its groove.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

After the overview and ranking of Agatha All Along Episode 4 8.5 out of 10 (Great), here’s a look at Rio unnerving Agatha, Alice’s curse, and coven bonding. Agatha All Along is streaming on Disney Plus.

Episode 4 begins with Agatha, Jennifer, Alice, Lillia and Teen processing the death of Sharon Davis. Agatha eagerly wants to move on down The Road. The others are trying to bury Sharon respectfully.

Eventually, the group summons a replacement witch to make the coven whole. Using Teen’s spell book, they accidentally summon Rio.

Agatha wants nothing to do with Rio, while the rest of the coven tries to figure out who she is. They settle on Rio being crazy but love how she gets under Agatha’s skin.

One of the best scenes in the episode happens during the trial. Rio approaches Agatha, but Agatha says no and walks away before Rio says a word. Their dynamic changes slightly when Agatha shows vulnerability and interest in calling a truce. Agatha uses the opportunity to get Rio to confess how she feels about the coven of witches. Rio finds out, but the trial begins before the coven can attack Rio or gauge whether Rio even cares.

The trial in Episode 4 tests Alice. Before entering the trial, Alice clarifies why she is joining the coven on the road. The witches believed she was searching for her mother on The Road. However, her Mom died touring with her band. Alice is on The Road to save herself but doesn’t explain her curse.

The trial revolves around Alice’s curse, which spreads to other coven members. To remove the curse, the group must remaster “Down the Witches Road” while withstanding the burning pain of Alice’s curse. The coven all suffer damaging scars from the burns that mirror Alice’s. However, the one who suffers the most is Teen, who is impaled by a shard of glass.

After emerging from the coven, Agatha and others discover the extent of Teen’s injuries. A worried Agatha urgently works with the other witches to heal Teen.

While Agatha waits for Teen to recover, the rest of the coven share their stories. There’s little ground covered with Alice or Lillia. Jennifer reveals how a doctor bound her magic.

Teen wakes up with Agatha by his side. He wants to know about his sigil, which forbids him from recalling or revealing background information about himself. Agatha explains even if she cast the sigil, she wouldn’t know. The sigil can only be destroyed when Teen no longer needs it. Teen inquires about Agatha’s son, but Agatha heads back to the coven.

Agatha reveals her battle scar, which involves a knitting needle and getting the better of a foe. Rio reveals her psychological scar, which points to her relationship with Agatha. She had a job to do, and her duties hurt a person she cared about. Rio tells Agatha Teen isn’t her son to end Agatha All Along Episode Four.

Episode 4 of Agatha All Along has everything the series needs. The return of Rio forces Agatha off her game, a groovy music number, horrific images, great directing by Rachel Goldberg, and women bonding over previous trauma.

The Review

Episode 4

8.5 Score

PROS

  • Aubrey Plaza bring good, chaotic energy throwing everyone for a loop.
  • Kathryn Hahn delivers her best performance as Agatha
  • Cool bonding moment.
  • Love the remaster of Down the Witches Road.

CONS

  • The intercom scene was unnecessary.

Review Breakdown

  • Great 8.5
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