It would be almost impossible for me to rank my favorite Marvel TV shows on Disney+, but I can name my top three quite easily: WandaVision, Loki and now Agatha all the time. However, even ranking these three would be impossible as they are each excellent in their own way. However, I will do my best to rank their finals. Spoilers follow.

First of all, I have to come along Loki, which definitely hit me so hard that I still think about it sometimes. Not only was Loki’s fate that held the timelines together incredibly well done (and cleverly – almost miraculously – tied back to the first Captain America movie), the rest of the characters also had such satisfying endings. I got downright emotional in the last scene of Mobius.

Secondly, I agree Agatha all the time. In general I think WandaVision could still win for me, if only because it was so new at the time, but that show faded away towards the end. Agatha all the time saved the best for last. I’m honestly so impressed with how this show tied everything together that I’m determined to go back and rewatch the whole thing. The big twists revealed in the two-part season finale will shed a whole new light on the previous events.

On the windy road

All witchy things come in threes, and so we have three big reveals in the Agatha all the time final:

• First we discover – after Agatha dies in a major confrontation with Death – that the Witch’s Road was Billy’s creation. It was an accidental hex he cast when the Salem Seven attacked and the witches below sang “The Witch’s Road.” Everything that happened came from his own imagination and the various posters and memorabilia scattered around his room. Naturally, Billy is devastated by the deaths this has led to, and shows genuine remorse. “I was going to kill them all in my basement,” Agatha notes (I’m paraphrasing). Yet Billy cast a spell that led to several deaths. Even Wanda’s Westview field wasn’t that deadly.
• Second, we learn that the Witch’s Way was all just an invention of Agatha, part of a con used to trick witches into attacking her so she could absorb their magic. This was also her plan at the beginning of the show, foiled by the arrival of an actual magical path. This was also the moment when Agatha realized who Billy really was. “You look so much like your mother!” certainly has more resonance now. In a heartbreaking twist, we learn that the song itself was written by Agatha and her son, Nicholas Scratch, as they wandered the 18th-century New England countryside together. It was initially The windy road and became alone The Witches’ Road when Agatha included it in her witch-killing plans – something she included her young son in despite his aversion to murder. (We also learn why she named him Scratch, since she didn’t use magic in creating him, but made him “from scratch.”)
• Finally, we learn that Agatha did not, in fact, trade Nicholas’ life for the Darkhold spellbook. She begged Death, her lover, to spare him, but Death only promised more time. In the present, Billy – deeply shaken after finding a body to put his brother Tommy in – asks Agatha if he killed a boy to save his brother. “No,” Agatha answers. “Sometimes guys just die.” This is the hard truth that she dared not tell anyone. Agatha would rather have people believe she traded her son’s life for power than know how much she loved him. She would rather continue playing the monster than reveal any vulnerability. Ultimately, she cannot keep the secret from Billy. He looks too much like her son.

This is all really great, and the two-part format worked wonderfully. We discover the truth about Billy’s hex at the end of Part 1, and then learn the true nature of the road in Part 2. Layers upon layers of revelation, all of which change the way we view the earlier episodes, similar to how the last week. episode revealed Lilia’s true powers and how that changed the shade of what came before. WandaVisions big reveals were better in some ways, but this show does an equally good job at refocusing the story and I’m surprised they pulled it off so deftly again. I certainly didn’t see this one coming, even though I had a much better idea of ​​what was coming in WandaVision. (Still, it’s hard to beat Wanda in dealing with her grief versus sitcoms and the reveal of “It was always Agatha!” was so great on that show too).

I’m also glad Billy’s quest centered around his brother instead of a big Wanda resurrection. That was always a red herring, and it just works better here not to have Wanda at all. There is such a thing as too many witches in the witch circle. At least Agatha seems to think so, as she has killed hundreds, if not more, over the years.

If I had to complain about anything it would be the somewhat awkward confrontation between Agatha and Death. The “hit the deck” bit fell flat. It would have had a greater impact if Lilia’s prophetic words had not only given Agatha a well-timed dodge, but perhaps helped her save Billy. It was also weird that Billy gave himself up and then acted so surprised when Agatha said, “Yes, take him!” I didn’t like that it was Billy who asked her (via telepathy), “Is this how Nicholas died?” to get her to sacrifice herself. I would have preferred if she had given up on Billy without him offering himself and then let him say so. Or, if he had given up on himself, let her come to this realization on her own instead of with Billy’s voice in her head. Maybe Death could have said something about Nicholas.

Jennifer Kale’s arc also wrapped up pretty quickly, as she realized it was Agatha who tied her up in the first place, locking her powers while she did some freelance work for extra money. Why would Agatha tie her up if she could steal her power like every other witch she encountered? That part felt a little off. I think Jennifer’s death would have made more sense in the context of this story; there really was no reason to kill the other witches while letting her live, at least from a story perspective.

Still, aside from these relatively minor issues, I really enjoyed this finale. It has fundamentally enriched the series as a whole. That’s the exact opposite of WandaVision which was so great until the lackluster, over-the-top Marvel ending. The payout was much better this time. Agatha becoming a ghost was also perfect, as she fulfills her comic book role as a ghostly mentor (although to Billy instead of Wanda). And the two teaming up – after he almost banishes her – to find Tommy means we might be getting a third series from creator Jac Schaeffer on the (windy) road. Hopefully.

I know some people were hoping for more backstory on Agatha and Death’s relationship, but I think it’s better to leave that to our imaginations. Not everything needs to be explained.

Billy’s belief in Agatha’s goodness is touching, as is her line: “It’s moments like these that you remind me of him so much.” It’s almost as if she’s been given another chance, another shot at redemption, even though this time the son belongs to her former rival Wanda Maximoff. Whether she deserves that opportunity is another question.

My colleague Paul Tassi wasn’t as impressed with the finale as I was, so if you’re looking for a different perspective, read his review here.

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