‘Agatha All Along’ Episode 2 Recap: “Circle Sewn With Fate / Unlock Thy Hidden Gate”

In Agatha All Along, the road to purple dreams is paved with iridescent flagstones. Agatha Harkness’ reinvigoration as her true witchy self comes with a sleek, jacketed fit in her preferred color scheme. But it doesn’t come with any reinstatement of her powers. And with Rio Vidal’s Episode 1 promise that a witchcraft governing body known as The Salem Seven will surely be contacting Agatha, she knows that freeing herself from Wanda Maximoff’s town-sized hex wasn’t the end of her problems. Which is why it’s lucky she has a superfan in Teen. He’s read up on Agatha’s eras tour – the 17th century Salem years, those were a highlight – and with her familiar by her side, she’ll be able to build a coven and get them onto the Witches’ Road. Power for her, power for him, and maybe even some resolution about where Wanda went. But first Agatha wants to know more about this Teen. He’s got a real name, a boyfriend, a car, a family – what’s it all about? Not so fast. This kid knows a lot about witches. It is true: he stans. But the witching community apparently knows a lot about him, too. And magic is currently impeding him from commenting on any of it.

Rio Vidal dropped a bit of a truth bomb before she disappeared at the end of episode 1. “I do have a heart,” the warrior witch told Agatha. “It’s black, and it beats for you.” Which could mean a lot of things, but what’s for sure is that the tension between Agatha and Rio doesn’t derive exclusively from malice. Already, their relationship is full of hints and allusions to go along with all of the front doors exploding off hinges. And while Vidal’s gone, Agatha grabs Teen and begins to conjure her coven. First stop: the reader & advisor storefront operated by Lilia Calderu (Patti LuPone). Divination is a key element to building a Witches’ Road coven, and Lilia’s been a practitioner for 450 years. Which also means she knows Agatha Harkness from work. “You’ve been under the influence of another. They took your agency. For three years…”

A potions guide is another requirement, and that’s where Jennifer Kale (Sasheer Zamata) comes in. In the real world, Jennifer’s Goop-like wellness concoctions keep the Karens in fresh skin. But in the witchy world, she’s literally in a bind. With her magic powers suspended indefinitely, Jennifer also has cause to walk the Witches’ Road. She’ll join Agatha’s coven while keeping a wary eye on who she refers to as “witch killer.” As for Alice Wu-Gulliver (Ali Ahn), she’s a protector and a “bloodwitch,” meaning her rock star mother passed the witchy gene onto her daughter. But when she wasn’t performing at Red Rocks, her mom was also lost on the Witches’ Road. So there is hope this quest will uncover some answers. 

They still need a green witch. A woman of the earth, the soil. And while Agatha is coy about what a “black heart” drawn on Lilia’s list of potential coven members could mean, she improvises a quick fix. It’s Debra Jo Rupp, wine-drinking mom from That 70’s Show and Mrs. Hart from WandaVision, who since the hex wore off is just Sharon Davis, neighborhood green thumb. Sharon/Mrs. Hart might not know anything about witchcraft, but she’s always down for a cocktail party.

It’s not like you can just drop a pin. The Road is a conjured place, and as Agatha gathers the coven crew in her basement, they begin to sing. “Wake thy power, earthly and divine” – Sharon does her best to fit in with these women – “burn and brew with coven true, and glory shall be thine.” Their voices rise and become harmonious as mysterious hooded figures mass outside. 

It’s interesting, the bond Lilia, Jennifer, and Alice are building with Agatha, even as they recognize and readily acknowledge her duplicitous, centuries-long rep. (And additionally, it’s really fun to watch LuPone, Zamata, Ahn, and Rupp establish a rapid-fire rapport with Hahn.) Each of these witches have reason to join the hunt for the Witches’ Road. But there is more than personal gain operating here. The group stays, even after they realize Agatha was kind of just stringing them along with the song, and hoping to trick them into a personal power-up just for her. (“I don’t have time for this! Just blast me, you bitches!”) The adventure they are conjuring already has layers, and the newly-minted coven hasn’t even left their Westview basement. 

There is still no sign of Rio Vidal. And the cloaked baddies have made their way into the house. But with all the complaining about Agatha’s trickery, at first no one notices the hatch that has appeared in the basement floor. A hatch that is glowing. Teen doesn’t need an invitation, and he sprints down the steps that appear below it, followed closely by the whole gang as they’re pursued by the hoods. And down there, surrounded by glowing purple tree roots and shimmery stones on a path winding into the unknown, is what seems to be the route to their fantastical destination. Prepare yourselves for trials on The Witches’ Road.

Does the Witches’ Road hold the answers to what each of these individuals seek? Is it as much a haven for trickery as Agatha is an established stealer of other witch power? And what possible changes to their character might it induce, for better or worse? Whatever happens down there, it’s gonna be a wild ride. There should be an orange diamond-shaped sign of warning. Prepare for trials on the Witches’ Road.

Johnny Loftus (@glennganges) is an independent writer and editor living at large in Chicagoland. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, All Music Guide, Pitchfork Media, and Nicki Swift.

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