The identity of Teen (Joe Locke) isn’t the only ongoing mystery in Agatha All Along. The other big one? Who is Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza), and what is The Green Witch’s relationship with Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn)? The thing is, the show isn’t even being particularly cagey about what the two mean to each other — or more importantly, who Rio really is. So let’s get into it.
Spoilers for Agatha All Along Episode 4, “If I Can’t Reach You Let My Song Teach You,” past this point.
In the episode, after the death of Sharon Davis (Debra Jo Rupp), aka Mrs. Hart, the coven realizes they need to summon a green witch — aka one who is skilled in horticulture and herbs. And this time they’re going to get a real witch, not Agatha’s neighbor. Who do they end up summoning? “THE Green Witch,” as Rio helpfully informs the coven, who isn’t sure if they’re terrified of her or, as Jennifer Kale (Sasheer Zamata) quips, “get her number.”
As the episode continues, there’s something unspoken between Agatha and Rio. Yes, Rio tried to kill Agatha in the first episode, so we’re led to think Rio is just showing up a little early to finish the job. After all, Agatha calls her a “tourist” at one point in the episode. By the end though, thanks in particular to a fireside chat about each other’s scars, it’s pretty clearly illuminated what’s going on.
Rio tells a story about someone she loved, who she was forced to do something horrible to even though she didn’t want to do it. “She is my scar,” Rio says, in a punch to the gut if there ever was one. Agatha stands up, Rio follows her, and they almost kiss… Until Rio breaks the moment by telling Agatha that Teen is not her son Nicholas Scratch.
That’s all well and good, but what are these clues you speak of? I mean, I speak of?
Rio And Agatha Keep Not Saying… Something
As soon as Rio shows up, Agatha is enraged, and Rio is clearly daring her to say something. Agatha doesn’t, merely screams and walks away… And that’s fine. Our main character is playing things pretty close to the vest anyway, so there being a secret about Rio and Agatha isn’t that big of a deal.
But as soon as the coven enters this episode’s trial on the Witches’ Road, what’s unsaid between the duo gets curiouser, and curiouser. When the rest of the coven goes to check out the house, there’s a brief moment where Rio slinks up behind Agatha and says, “Boo.” Agatha briefly looks over at the coven, then back at Rio, and merely says, “No.” One could think it’s a simple “leave me alone” but I’d venture Agatha is telling Rio to leave everyone else alone.
Then about 14 minutes into the episode, Agatha and Rio are alone, again, in a recording studio. “I’m feeling impatient,” Rio says. “I’m feeling like I want to cause some damage.” And then she pulls out a curved dagger. “You’re too early,” Agatha says, which could be a reference to the deal the two made in the first episode… Agatha gets her power back, then Rio tries to kill her. Or perhaps Rio is too early for something else.
“Magick, as it does, took the path of least resistance,” continues Rio. “Ferried the closest, most appropriate candidate down. Or up.”
Again, this could be a reference to her digging her way out of Sharon Davis’s grave to enter the Witches’ Road. Or perhaps it’s actually a reference to… Well, we’re not quite there yet. More on this in a moment.
Agatha proceeds to suggest a truce, with Rio answering that she’s going to watch Agatha do what she does best… Kill all these witches, one by one. “You get your power, and I get my bodies,” Rio says.
There’s one more moment we need to lay out here before we get to putting the clues together. By the end of the trial, Teen has gotten impaled on a large piece of glass. Back on the Witches’ Road, Agatha begs the coven to help him, with them all surprised she actually cares about Teen. Lilia Calderu (Patti Lupone) says, “He’s young, he’s strong–” With Agatha cutting her off with a pointed, “Don’t.” She then turns to Rio, softens, and says, “Don’t.” Rio looks surprised, and they do end up saving Teen.
So, what does this all add up to?
Who Is Rio Vidal? All Clues Point To…
Look, I’m going to put another spoiler warning here because there are two major possibilities, and one of them was seemingly leaked last week thanks to a Funko Pop. The first is what we’ve discussed previously here on the site, that she may be Blackheart, the daughter of Mephisto… Or perhaps even Mephisto, lord of the underworld him/herself. That would certainly explain her interest in “bodies.” It might explain why Agatha is begging her to not take Teen’s soul. And it also could explain the reference to coming “up” instead of “down.”
But that darn Funko Pop. Seriously, turn away if you don’t want to know, because based on the content of this episode it’s looking increasingly likely that was real. And if that Funko Pop was real, and these clues add up, then Rio Vidal isn’t just THE Green Witch. She’s also Death.
How she’s Death is TBD. And whether she’s the manifestation of Death itself, aka Lady Death in the Marvel Comics source material, or an agent of Death is also TBD. But every single one of the interactions above makes far more sense if you realize she’s come to watch the coven die, and then claim them for the underworld.
There’s a lot more to get into, of course, including what Agatha and Rio mean to each other. But the clues are starting to pile up. Let’s see if the bodies start piling up, too.
Agatha All Along Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
The first two episodes of Agatha All Along premiered September 18 at 6 pm PT / 9 pm ET on Disney+. It streams weekly, leading up to the two-episode finale on October 30. There are nine episodes, in total.
Here’s the full list of episodes in Agatha All Along, with premiere dates:
- Wednesday, September 18, 2024: Agatha All Along, Episode 1: “Seekest Thou The Road”
- Wednesday, September 18, 2024: Agatha All Along, Episode 2: “Circle Sewn With Fate Unlock They Hidden Gate”
- Wednesday, September 25, 2024: Agatha All Along, Episode 3: “Through Many Miles of Tricks and Trials”
- Wednesday, October 2, 2024: Agatha All Along, Episode 4: “If I Can’t Reach You Let My Song Teach You”
- Wednesday, October 9, 2024: Agatha All Along, Episode 5
- Wednesday, October 16, 2024: Agatha All Along, Episode 6
- Wednesday, October 23, 2024: Agatha All Along, Episode 7
- Wednesday, October 30, 2024: Agatha All Along, Episode 8
- Wednesday, October 30, 2024: Agatha All Along, Episode 9
Where To Watch Agatha All Along:
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