In Agatha All Along Episode 7, time is a fickle construct, putting Lilia Calderu and the rest of the coven through their paces.
Patti LuPone shines in Lilia’s standout episode, which features the centuries-old witch time-hopping between her youth and adventures with the coven. Writers Gia King and Cameron Squires brilliantly structure Episode 7 to contextualize the series’ events. Throughout the season, Lilia’s outbursts in certain moments have felt out of place, but Episode 7, Death’s Hand in Mine, connects all of them.
Lilia’s trial revolves around Tarot cards. The dealer must play the right car to prevent the descent of spikes above from impaling them. The trial starts with Agatha and Billy taking on deliciously evil personas. Agatha is the Wicked Witch of the West, and Billy is Maleficent. However, this isn’t their trial, and they aren’t successful.
Meanwhile, after Billy’s attack in episode 5, Lilia awakes with Jen (Sasheer Zamata). Jen is trying to catch Lilia up to events Lilia has already foreseen.
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Overall, Episode 7 is a a blast from start to finish. The only issue is the predictable reveal of Rio Vidal’s identify. However, Agatha’s knowledge and nonchalant acknowledgment that she has a thing for bad boys make up for the inevitable confirmation.
Here’s a closer look at Lilia’s experience of time out of order and the Tarot trial. Agatha All Along is streaming on Disney Plus.
Lilia’s Out-of-Order Existence in Agatha All Along Episode 7
Lilia wakes up a bit puzzled. Jen quickly recaps the information Lilia already told her. Billy is the son of Wanda Maximoff; they were kicked off the Road, etc.
The episode begins to get trippy as Jen accuses Lilia of being kooky. Throughout Agatha All Along Episode 7, Lilia returns to scenes from previous episodes. Lilia’s first conversation with Jen immediately flashes to a scene from Episode 4, where Alice says she’s acting kooky. Before she can complete a sentence, Lilia is thrust into Episode 3, where she warns Alice not to help Agatha.
Agatha All Along episode 7 isn’t content with only recontextualizing previous events. The episode also succeeds in fleshing out Lilia’s past. Since Lilia was a child, she’s always experienced life out of time. The episode’s best scenes involve Lilia going into her past and talking with a teacher to get her student to remember her ability to read tea leaves correctly. Lilia believes she’s bad at this skill. Lilia just doesn’t remember her aptitude for it. However, after the teacher implores Lilia to look through the leaves, Lilia remembers this specific memory in the present timeline with Jen.
Lilia explains her out-of-order existence to Jen. When she was a child, Lilia experienced life out of sequence. Now, she’s going through the ordeal again, and she believes the end is near.
Whose Trial is this?
Before Lilia can continue emoting, she wakes up in a location with Agatha on top of her. Agatha and Billy are attempting to tackle the newest trial, which involves placing Tarot cards in the correct spots. The trial changes their outfits once again. Agatha is Elphaba or the Wicked Witch of the West, Billy is clad in a Malificent-like getup, and Lilia is Glinda.
Lilia is angry at Billy for throwing the coven off the Road. Billy is confused because he believes Lillia forgave him. With the sigil lifted, Billy accidentally begins answering Lilia’s questions before she can voice them. Lilia gives a vague explanation for why she cast the sigil on Billy.
Suddenly, swords begin falling from the ceiling again. She takes over the Tarot card dealing. Lilia first believes Billy is the traveler but after another lesson from her teacher about death. She correctly identifies herself as the traveler and begins assigning cards to each coven member. Assigning a card for Rio Vidal is difficult, but by connecting dots through time, Lilia confirms Rio’s identity as Death.
Lilia stops the swords from falling. After whisking everyone to safety, she returns to deal with the Salem Seven. She changes the gravity of the form so the spikes on the ceiling are on the floor. She seemingly kills everyone and herself to protect her coven.
Agatha All Along Episode 7 Final Thoughts
Agatha All Along Episode 7 is a fantastic showcase for LuPone and Showrunner Jac Schaeffer‘s directing prowess.
Like some of the best episodes of Loki and WandaVision, Agatha All Along Episode 7 shines by embracing the weird moments of deja vu and finding a method to make the episode digestible. In this instance, the use of Tarot cards is brilliant as it allows Lilia to assert control over the trial and reveals important insights into the rest of the coven.
Agatha’s series has had some rough patches throughout. However, these last two episodes have righted the ship. Agatha All Along seems poised to end the series on a high note next week, with two episodes serving as the series finale.
The Review
Agatha All Along Episode 7
PROS
- Patti LuPone is fantastic in Lilia Calderu's standout episode.
- Jac Schaeffer is a fantastic director who has a great eye for unique visual flourishes.
- Love how this episode recontexualizes random events throughout the season.
- Using Tarot cards is a great way to dealing out character information.
CONS
- The Rio Vidal reveal is predictable.
