In Agatha All Along episode 4, each witch revealed more about what they have experienced in the past; From the loss of Agatha’s son and her connection to Joe Locke’s mysteriously unnamed Marvel character to the true nature of Rio Vidal and the hints of tragedy regarding Lilia and Jennifer, Agatha All Along‘s cast of characters dug deeper into the world of witchcraft. By the time of Agatha All Along episode 4’s ending, these hints raised greater questions about the show as a whole, while exploring the familial history of Alice Wu-Gulliver the most.
Rio Vidal’s Comment To Agatha Explained
Undoubtedly, the biggest talking point in Agatha All Along episode 4’s ending will be the final line. After a moment of intimacy that builds on the romance theories surrounding Aubrey Plaza’s Rio Vidal from Agatha All Along episode 1, the Green Witch says to the titular character “That boy isn’t yours.” This is in reference to Teen, who was injured by a shard of glass in Agatha All Along episode 4. Agatha’s previously masked protective tendencies over Teen came to the fore as this happened, leading her to become increasingly distressed as the possibility of Teen dying grew.
This links to the other commonly held theory that Joe Locke’s Teen is Agatha’s son, Nicholas Scratch. However, Rio seemingly debunks this theory by clearly telling Agatha that Teen is not the latter’s son in Agatha All Along episode 4’s ending. How Rio knows this remains to be seen, but it links to another prominent theory about her character while raising other intriguing questions about the show’s future.
All Evidence Teen Isn’t Nicholas Scratch
Firstly, Rio’s words in Agatha All Along episode 4’s ending highlight the pieces of evidence presented by the show thus far to suggest Teen is not Nicholas Scratch. For one, it is common knowledge that Agatha’s son met a fate darker than that of Joe Locke’s Teen. It was stated in Agatha All Along episode 3 that Harkness traded her son for the Darkhold, leading many to believe he was either dead, an agent of Mephisto, or another kind of demon in the world of Marvel witchcraft.
His status as a gay teenager with a boyfriend aligns with Billy Kaplan’s early stories from Marvel Comics…
Secondly, the bigger hints at Teen’s identity tease him as the son of Scarlet Witch, Billy Kaplan. His status as a gay teenager with a boyfriend aligns with Billy Kaplan’s early stories from Marvel Comics, and the character insisted that bad things happened to him when he was 13, aligning with the timeline of WandaVision. Finally, there is the sigil placed on Teen that stops him from revealing his identity. While Agatha All Along episode 4 reveals this could have been placed by Agatha, it is more likely to have been done to hide Teen’s connection to the Scarlet Witch.
Could Rio Be Lying?
Of course, there is the possibility that Rio is lying in Agatha All Along episode 4’s ending. What benefit this would bring Rio is unclear, but she could be aware of Teen’s identity as Nicholas Scratch and hiding it from Agatha. This could be due to their evidently complex relationship; Rio could be lying about Teen’s identity to spite Agatha whom she has openly admitted to hating, or to spare her the pain of Nicholas Scratch’s fate given that she has also loved Agatha in the past.
What Really Happened To Agatha’s Son
In light of Rio’s words, and the can of worms it opens regarding Teen, the burning question coming out of Agatha All Along episode 4’s ending is what happened to Nicholas Scratch. If indeed Teen is not Agatha’s son, it still seems Nicholas’ fate is left unanswered. Teen’s question to Agatha of what really happened to him in Agatha All Along episode 4 may hint that the story of her trading Nicholas for the Darkhold is not entirely true. If so, Nicholas could be alive.
Agatha’s rabbit was named Nicholas Scratch in WandaVision, another reference to her son’s fate as she wanted to keep something somewhat resembling him close by.
However, a hint at Nicholas’ death links to a theory that Rio Vidal is actually the MCU’s version of Lady Death. Rio reveals in Agatha All Along episode 4 that she had to “do her job” in a way that hurt someone she loved, clearly meaning Agatha. If Nicholas died, Rio’s job would be to take him, thus paining Agatha.
The Clues To Rio Vidal’s True Identity Explained
The possibility of Rio being Lady Death was hinted at in Agatha All Along episode 4, providing more credence to the idea that she took Nicholas away from Agatha. Aside from the exploration of Rio’s backstory with Agatha, the other hints to her identity as Death comes courtesy of Agatha All Along episode 4’s disco-inspired trial on the Witches’ Road. The first hint was when Agatha and Rio were talking in the sound booth. Rio stated that she was impatient, referring to her waiting for the time to kill Agatha.
She then insisted that she was part of the coven to wait for Agatha to kill the other witches around her. Rio insisted that once Agatha does so, “I get my bodies.” These two comments about Rio’s seeming dominion over dead people support the theory of her being Death. The final hint came as Teen was bleeding out in Agatha All Along episode 4’s ending. Agatha looked at Rio pleadingly and said “Don’t.” This implies Rio is Death, with Agatha asking her not to take Teen away.
How The Witches Broke Alice’s Curse Explained
The second trial of the MCU’s Witches’ Road in Agatha All Along episode 4 was admittedly less straightforward than the previous one. Rather than brew a potion that would save the witches from poison, they had to break a curse that had been placed on Alice’s family for generations. This curse was broken in a more simple way as the witches sang the version of the Ballad of the Witches’ Road recorded by Lorna Wu, Alice’s mother.
The flashback to Lorna in Agatha All Along episode 3 foreshadowed the curse placed on Alice’s family.
This song was revealed as a protection spell against the familial curse that would never lose its power. The reason for this is that the song will forever be sung by someone, somewhere in the world, thus protecting Alice and any other surviving women in the Wu family. Although it is not outright stated exactly why singing Lorna’s song breaks Alice’s curse, the witches manage to do so and pass the second trial of the Witches’ Road.
Why Rio Vidal Appears On The Witches’ Road
The final question raised by Agatha All Along episode 4 is why Rio Vidal appeared on the Witches’ Road. After the death of Sharon, the coven assembles to find a new Green Witch, eventually revealed to be Rio herself. Later in the episode, Rio gives some insight into why it was she who appeared; The character states it was not her choice, and that magick took the path of least resistance and carried the most appropriate candidate to join Agatha’s coven to the Witches’ Road.
The reason as to why Rio was the path of least resistance was also revealed in Agatha All Along episode 2. The list of names Lilia came up with using her divination gave the members of Agatha’s coven, one of which was simply a black heart. In Agatha All Along episode 1, Rio insisted she had a black heart that beats for Agatha. As such, she was originally meant to be part of the coven in Agatha All Along rather than Sharon Davis, with the ethereal force of Magick course correcting to bring Rio to the Witches’ Road.
