TV Review: ‘Agatha All Along’ Episode 7 Delivers Something Oddly Unique
by Frank Martin
When it comes to short-run seasons — programs that are always planned to be just six-to-ten episodes long — they are often viewed as a film. Each episode is meant to be viewed as part of a larger narrative, a cohesive story from beginning to end. Because of this, designing singular episodes often gets sacrificed for the story as a whole. So it’s awesome to see this week’s episode of Agatha All Along really shine as it tries to do its own thing and stand out as an impressive bit of non-sequential storytelling.
It begins as Agatha (Kathryn Hahn) and Billy (Joe Locke) start the next trial, which focuses on tarot card reading. Neither is very good it, which results in things not looking so good for them. The POV then shifts to focus on Lilia (Patti LuPone), further exploring why she acts so weird and how she views time so differently. The rest of the events are viewed from her perspective as she jumps around in time. Her ability also gives viewers the opportunity to learn Rio’s (Aubrey Plaza) true identity.
It’s hard to have a supporting character be such a focus of an episode. With characters like Rio, Agatha, and Billy, Lilia just isn’t a standout. And yet, this installment decides to make her the center of it. The narrative was intricately crafted to make sense out of all the different times she jumps in and out of. It was a very impressive bit of writing that stood out as unique from the rest of the show. And that doesn’t even take into account the big reveal for Rio’s character! It certainly does feel strange that the show has two twists with major character reveals, but that shouldn’t take away from whatever crazy magical antics come next as the series winds down.
Agatha All Along streams Wednesdays on Disney+.
