‘Agatha All Along’ 1×07 review: Lilia’s visions turn the Witches’ Road upside down

Time is merely just an illusion in the world of Disney+’s Agatha All Along. The flow of time finds a way to loop back in on itself, regardless if it’s at the start or the end. If “Death’s Hand in Mine” has taught us anything, it’s that every little clue and strange instance should be taken seriously. In this case, the growing list of Lilia’s easter eggs came to fruition in this heartbreaking chapter. Every comment and callout connected itself into a satisfying web, becoming one of Agatha All Along’s best episodes to date.

The wicked witch of Westview

Picking up from Billy’s flashback chapter, tensions were still flowing high between Agatha and the future Wiccan. It’s interesting how much their relationship has changed since their first meeting on the series premiere. All the wide-eyed fanboying “Teen” had for Agatha has gone out the window and it’s been replaced with snarky pessimism. Even when Billy wanted straight answers about the truth, Agatha couldn’t resist being her mischievous self. The damage has been done due to all the betrayals, and if Jen and Lilia hadn’t joined the trial, the pair would’ve easily died. Agatha and Billy aren’t on the same page anymore.

The proof came during the tarot trial in the castle. Why didn’t Agatha do the reading for Billy? She’s a more experienced witch than he is – Billy is still a newbie in all sense of the word. He had no clue about the meaning of many of the cards. Maybe tarot reading wasn’t one of Agatha’s strengths? She was very quick to cheat her way through the trial, and she wasn’t honing any of her skills when presented with the cards. Agatha All Along has done an excellent job of highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the coven; whereas some were stronger with potions, others had powers elsewhere. This trial was all about Lilia.

A sisterhood formed in fright

Speaking of Lilia, “Death’s Hand in Mine” foreshadowed an obvious death for our lovable witch. From the moment Lilia started falling in the opening minutes, it was clear that her time was running out. This chapter was a send-off for the great work she put in with the coven, as well as Patti LuPone having a blast performing in the role.

You couldn’t help but feel the emotions when she said her last goodbyes to the coven. She didn’t merely fall due to the Witches’ Road; she made a heroic sacrifice to save her sisters and family. Plus, she took out most of the Salem 7 too in one big attack! (I’m still on the fence about if they all died; only five of them fell on the swords.) And that’s what makes a farewell episode satisfying and successful: it left us with an emotion so strong that we cared once the credits hit.

Part of that could be the bond that she formed with Jen. It’s a shame that we didn’t get more scenes of them together earlier on Agatha All Along. However, the impact wouldn’t have hit as hard if we didn’t get all the build-up now. Their time together in the underground tunnel repaired some wounds they didn’t know they needed to heal. For Lilia, it was to embrace her time powers and put her trust in her coven sister. For Jen, it was to care about someone else besides herself and find unity in her sisters. It was an underlying thread that connected them and the story at large.

Both Patti LuPone and Sasheer Zamata (who play Lilia and Jen respectively) deserve kudos for “Death’s Hand in Mine.” They created the emotional weight for their characters that was needed in a sad chapter like this. Lilia’s journey to the acceptance of her death was a rollercoaster of emotions that threw us due to the time gaps. However, it was Jen’s growing concern and care that grounded us. She truly cared about Lilia and what happened to her; she didn’t want her coven sister to sacrifice herself. It’s a far cry from the same person who pushed Lilia out of the way to get into the oven.

The future is in the cards

“Death’s Hand in Mine” was an episode full of easter eggs. We called it episodes prior that Lilia’s strange comments had to be premonitions of the future. For instance, Lilia telling Alice not to save Agatha was foreshadowing Agatha killing Alice with her ability. It was a well-constructed and satisfying reveal because of all the pieces that were laid throughout the season. As viewers, we were meant to notice Lilia’s comments were strange and not normal.

However, the tarot card reveals blew my mind. Was anyone else shocked too? In every episode Lilia appeared, she mentioned a tarot card by name to one of the characters. I first noticed this when she called Jen, “The High Priestess,” but it seemed like a title more than anything. In hindsight, it’s a clever twist that built toward something climactic for her story. There is still a nagging feeling that these cards will play a greater purpose in the story of Agatha All Along. Like with Jen, does her card mean she will lead the coven in the future? Or will Billy’s card mean he will resist the truth of being The Scarlet Witch’s son from WandaVision and the power that comes with it?

Death comes for them all

The other big reveal during “Death’s Hand in Mine” was Rio coming out as Marvel’s/MCU’s Death (aka. Lady Death). There were some subtle hints to this, like the spell needing a green witch for the coven or Rio telling Agatha that she was there to claim the bodies. Every time someone died in the coven, Rio would mysteriously disappear for a while. Plus, Death’s story in Marvel Comics has been connected to Agatha and the witches, so it was a possibility she would come around. This reveal fills in the gaps for why Rio wants to be around Agatha, and why Agatha hates her so much. Let’s not forget that Death would’ve had to be the one to take Nicholas Scratch away after Agatha made the deal for the Darkhold!

“Death’s Hand in Mine” weaves together a complex narrative into a satisfying chapter. With so many moving parts and clues throughout the season, there was a lot to juggle into one reveal. However, it stuck the landing and left us on an emotional high note. From Lilia’s past with the Maestra to the tensions in the tarot castle, we were treated to a fitting farewell to Lilia and a strong step forward for Agatha All Along.

Agatha All Along airs Wednesdays on Disney+.