Agatha All Along season 1 finale review: All roads end at the Witches Road, sort of

Alas, Agatha All Along has concluded its first season, and we must say, it has been quite the witchy, trippy ride. From the reveals to the trials on the Witches Road to Agatha's backstory, we really did get it all.

I knew going into Agatha All Along that a show centered on Agatha Harkness would not disappoint us, and I'm happy to say I was right. Watching WandaVision was so much fun, however, some of us got ahead with our theories and let it get the best of us. With Agatha All Along, it was different because they were giving us the reveals we were hoping for, and were not disappointing us in any capacity. Moreso, they weren't throwing things out there that we could misconstrue, and I really appreciated that.

The two-episode season 1 finale, "Follow Me My Friend / To Glory at the End" and "Maiden Mother Crone," gave us the conclusion to Witches Road saga, along with some more insight into Agatha's humble beginnings as a witch killer hungry for power. It also shed light on the status of her son, Nicholas Scratch, and what happened to him all those years ago.

There is much to unpack from this epic, non-stop season 1 finale, so let's get right into it. And remember, as always, MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

The Rio of it all

As we all know now, Rio (Aubrey Plaza) is Death, and what a frightening depiction of Death she is. The visual effects/makeup department did an AMAZING job on Plaza's look as Rio/Death. It strikes fear in the hearts of all, including Agatha (Kathryn Hahn).

The episodes kick off with Rio calling out Agatha for protecting Billy (Joe Locke) and for ensuring that with the trials ongoing, Rio couldn't get a hold of Billy. The reality is that Billy jumping into the body of another was blasphemous for someone like Death, and altogether unnatural. She wants to claim him.

The problem that Death now has is that Billy is trying to also give his brother a second chance at life, and darn it if Death will allow this body-hopping to happen twice on her watch. Of course, a deal is struck between the former lovers where Agatha promises Rio that she will push Billy to turn himself in to her (which is the only way Rio can really have him). If she does get Billy to do that, Rio will no longer haunt Agatha.

More revelations unravel during the first part of Agatha All Along's Season 1 finale

I will say that this could probably have been one long episode rather than two, but I can see the joy in splitting it up as well. We don't see a lot of the other witches in these episodes, as they have all moved on via death or other avenues. However, one of the best moments comes when Jennifer Kale (Sasheer Zamata) learns who bound her with magic. It turns out it was *drum roll* Agatha all along! Because who else could it be, right?

After Jennifer breaks Agatha's binding, Jennifer disappears because she has gotten what she needed out of the road. There is no longer any purpose to her remaining there, so just like that, we say goodbye to Jennifer. We catch a glimpse of her coming out of the ground outside of Westview where she flies off with her powers restored. We hope to see you again, Jennifer Kale!

After Jennifer leaves, Agatha and Billy try to locate a body for Billy's brother Tommy to occupy. It is a very jarring and emotional moment because Billy can see a young boy drowning because some kids pushed him into a lake. This is Tommy's vessel, but it's unclear if the boy would die either way or if Billy and Agatha are making it happen. This disturbs Billy, but he does get what he wanted, so he disappears as well.

As we make our way to the end of this first episode, there is a fiery moment shared between Agatha and Rio that is essentially Agatha giving up her life for Billy. It's a bittersweet, possibly honorable moment, but this is Agatha Harkness we are talking about. The thing is, Rio isn't happy to learn that Billy has left. Just as she tries to take Agatha's life, Billy appears in his witchy attire to stop her. That is when Agatha intervenes, gives up her life and essentially dying so Billy doesn't have to.

In the final moments of the first episode, Billy goes back home to Eastview where we learn it's been 24 hours since all of this started. When in his room, Billy has a HUGE revelation about the Witches Road. There are objects and posters around his room that we saw at some point on the Witches Road, and then there are flashbacks to things we heard Agatha say about the road. It all alludes to one thing: Billy created the Witches Road, much like his mother created Westview. These Maximoffs, I tell you!

Who is Agatha Harkness?

The second episode of the finale, "Maiden Mother Crone," spends a lot of time on Agatha's past: who she was, the birth of her son Nicholas, and how she killed witches to gain more power.

In the 1700s, Rio appears to Agatha as she's about to give birth to Nicholas, wanting to claim his life. Agatha pleads for her unborn child and Rio disappears, giving her more time but not telling her how much.

As Nicholas grows, we see him and his mother luring witches to her so she can take away their powers. During this time, Agatha and Nicholas write the Ballad of the Witches Road together; it ends up there never was a Witches Road, it was just a way for Agatha to lure in witches who wanted something. They would then sing the ballad, Agatha would insult them for not being worthy, they would attack Agatha, and she would take their powers.

It was a scheme that ran for decades until its most recent use, when the coven knew not to let Agatha get to them. They changed the game, and for the first time, a door to the Witches Road opened. Of course, we know know that the Road didn't appear because of the ballad, but because Billy actually created it.

At some point in Nicholas and Agatha's time together as son and mother, Rio shows up again and has to take him away, because that was always the plan. He wasn't meant to live, and he had to agree to go with Rio, even though his heart lay with his mother.

After learning of this backstory, we switch back to Billy in his room, just as Agatha appears in ghost form. She's no longer alive, but she hasn't been able to completely cross over either. There is something that holds her back, frightens her, and I'm sure we all know what that is: having to face Nicholas on the other side.

Billy begins to have a moment of intense panic because he realizes that creating the Road killed their coven, and he is responsible for allowing that to happen. But let us be honest for a moment: Agatha was going to murder them anyway. It's his creation that prevented that from happening, and as we learn later, Jennifer is alive and well with her powers back.

As the finale begins to wrap up, we see tender moments between Agatha and Billy. Billy helps Agatha obtain peace regarding Nicholas; in many ways, Agatha felt like Billy was a lot like Nicholas. They close the Witches Road and create a memorial for the witches that are no longer with them.

With that door closed, another opens in Agatha's cellar, and the two walk through it just as Agatha says, "Let's go find Tommy."

Farewell, Agatha All Along...for now

We have reached the end of the Witches Road and watched Agatha and Billy embark on a new journey, one that could have many dangers ahead.

I loved watching the duo decide to venture off like that, and while we didn't get an explosive ending to the show, I think I got what I wanted out of its first season. Agatha is one of my favorite villains in the MCU, and learning about who she is, where she's from, and how things are going now has been fabulous. Would it have been nice to see Elizabeth Olsen pop in for a cameo? Sure, but it's okay that she didn't. I think, if anything, it would make more sense to see her once Billy has reunited with Tommy, so I'm not going to rule it out just yet.

Whether Billy and Agatha's journey will continue in a Season 2 or through a movie has yet to be seen, but I look forward to seeing how this all plays out. It's been such a fun and spooky season, and I know that I missed Agatha Harkness in my life.

Until next time, folks!

All episodes of Agatha All Along Season 1 are now streaming on Disney+!

Grade: A

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