Agatha Harkness with her hands exuding purple magic by her face

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me, or so the saying goes. That statement feels quite apt now that we can look back on Agatha All Along and realize it truly was Agatha (Kathryn Hahn) all along… again. This reveal gives an entirely new context to the show on a rewatch, or just looking back if you don’t have the time. Not only does it reveal Agatha’s deep roots within the witch community, but it also frames her as a tragic figure hurt by her own impulsive evil. The reveal arguably does even more for its meta achievement than it contributes to the narrative, though that’s not to downplay the aforementioned influence of this shock twist. So take off your shoes and let’s walk the Witches’ Road one more time to learn how it really was Agatha All Along.

‘Agatha All Along’s Finale Reveals Agatha as a Victim of Her Own Crimes

agatha-all-along-agatha-and-nicholas-walk-down-the-roadImage via Disney+

In the almost epilogue-like finale, it is revealed that Agatha was the one who made up the idea of the Witches’ Road, killing many witches over the centuries to take their powers after losing her son, Nicholas Scratch (Abel Lysenko), to Death (Aubrey Plaza). It’s unclear specifically what Agatha’s goal was in gaining all of this power, as she did this both before and after losing Nicholas, though perhaps it was to prolong her lifespan and therefore never submit to Death/protect her son from her; after Nicholas’ death, she could have been trying to gain enough power to bring him back. Either way, it frames Agatha as doing this out of some sort of impulse or fear that still stops her from achieving whatever she hopes to.

Not only this, but with Agatha’s involvement in Wanda (Elizabeth Olson) and Billy’s (Joe Locke) stories, as well as binding Jen (Sasheer Zamata), Agatha is not just the enemy to others, but equally to herself in ways she doesn’t even realize. While the series definitely emphasizes Agatha’s malicious tendencies, the way the Witches’ Road is framed as a web of lies that spirals out of control leads us to pity Agatha, as she really had no control over the events in Agatha All Along despite being the cause of most of them.

Somehow, This Is the Second Time It’s Been ‘Agatha All Along’ in the MCU

What’s really impressive about this overall thematic reveal is that, as previously mentioned, this is the second time we have been fooled by Jac Schaeffer. The same reveal, followed by the song that would spawn the name of this witchy spin-off, occurred in WandaVision, when displaying how Agatha had been sabotaging Wanda’s (Elizabeth Olsen) hex in Westview all along. For it to happen yet again feels like we should have seen it coming, and yet it still shocked audiences, perhaps because of what it revealed about Agatha’s lust for power and loss of control, following the death of her son. If it is rare to make a seemingly irredeemable character sympathetic, then to pull off the same twist twice deserves recognition.

If we ever get a follow-up to Agatha’s story, with her and Billy now searching for his brother, Tommy Maximoff, it should be a slam-dunk prediction that there won’t get a third pulling back of the curtain to reveal Agatha’s seemingly never-ending influence. Surely Agatha can’t have some hidden plans for Tommy and Billy, and surely it would be too predictable. However, we have quite literally been wrong before, and, considering Agatha doesn’t always know herself who she has and hasn’t screwed over, all bets are off. All we can do is be vigilant of every word and possibility, but considering Schaeffer was previously disappointed by viewers doing this with WandaVision‘s fan theories, per an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, perhaps we should instead just enjoy the ride and let ourselves be deceived. The pay-off is certainly worth it.

All episodes of Agatha All Along are available on Disney+.