Nicky All Along | Agatha All Along 1x09 reaction + first time watching

[@wtimmins]

One of the most brilliantly written and executed shows. Man. Standing applause.

[@jaimeml4791]

It's so entertaining how Agatha is an incredibly loving, playful and patient mother and this in no way conflicts with her being a murderous a-hole to literally everyone else. I don't really think she feels guilty about all the murdering, she did that while Nicky was alive, I think she's scared to face him just because she couldn't save him even though she had no control over that. Facing Nicky in death would mean facing the fact that he died and she couldn't prevent it. "Let me kiss Aubrey Plaza, I'm dead"

[@brianmatthews1736]

Marvel has finally made a series that is worthy of Emmys

[@georgeosorio5815]

And this is how great Marvel can be when they are not catering only to white straight dudes. This show was unapologetic queer and so well thought out. Plus they really used Patti so well.

[@BGTitanAvatar]

Can’t face Nicky because she took something they made together, the Ballad, and turned it into a method of murder. As I mentioned last episode, I really like how Death is portrayed and it just adds a bit more tragedy to Rio. Rio didn’t kill Nicky. She didn’t pick when he passed. She can’t kill, she’s just the collector. So Nicky died in his sleep and when Rio came to collect their son she appeared in forest green, told him to give his mother goodbye - one for him and one for Rio - and then gently guided him by the hand into the afterlife. She didn’t just do her job she was extremely gentle with Nicky. Unfortunately, that didn’t matter to Agatha because all she wanted was more time with her boy. No amount of time would have ever been enough. So when Billy asks last episode of this was how Nicky died, I think Agatha finally kind of realizes that no, it wasn’t. She didn’t give him up, Rio didn’t take him, “sometimes, boys die.” I think that kiss was her finally coming to terms with that and so she kisses Rio before she dies (or takes a calculated risk and turns into a ghost). She wants Rio to know she forgives her, because there wasn’t anything to forgive in the first place. Doesn’t mean she’s ready to face Nicky though. Also according to Jac, sometimes during auditions for Nicky they would be like “does that kid look like Aubrey Plaza, does he?” So… Rio is definitely the other parent, and you can’t convince me otherwise. Like I said I have my issues with this finale but I enjoyed the show overall.

[@ParticleZon]

Yeah. Rio didn't even kill Agatha. Agatha gave herself up and absorbs Rio's power and "you know that would kill me." It did look like she was trying to kill her, though. Maybe the rules change when you break a deal with Death. I just read Jac Schaeffer's interview in THR. She talks about Rio/Death in there. "So we didn’t want to get into the cosmic rhyme or reason for when deaths happen and how they happen. We liked the idea that it’s potentially fated, but it wasn’t about Rio reaping people out of vengeance or vindictiveness or anything owed. She would be like nature - birth, death, constant flow - when she does her job as Death." It's with Agatha, in their romantic relationship, that we see all of the emotions play out. I really hope Marvel keeps this concept of Death going forward and doesn't make her some sinister cosmic villain.

[@nekomata5059]

It also seems like Nicky knew it was his time because he said "my Mother needs me home" and before and after he always called Agatha Mama

[@luziel3071]

I think before Nicky died Agatha was killing witches to stay strong enough to care for Nicky and she was hoping that she could find enough power to heal him. After he died I think she did it out of grief. I think grief, pain, anger and sadness were all she had left and the rush of taking power was the only thing that made her feel good. Loosing Nicky absolutely wrecked her and I understand why she hates Rio for it. But I understand Rios resentment too. She bend the rules for Agatha and having to take Nicky and break her heart hurt Rio too. I think ultimately Rio hoped one day Agatha could come to understand that she was doing what she had to do and the fact that Agatha couldn’t broke her heart even more. I read a really interesting take that not only was Nicky supposed to die but since Rio shows up the moment that Agatha is giving birth it means she was supposed to die in childbirth. This would make sense as to why Rio kept chasing her all those years (aside from just her feelings for Agatha). I think the reason Agatha can’t bring herself to face Nicky is because she feels she has failed to protect him. In staying behind and acting as Billys ghost mentor she gets a chance to protect him still, in a way she couldn’t protect Nicky

[@ParticleZon]

I like this take. The only thing I would differ on is I think Agatha has been killing witches all along. I think the lesson she learned from her own coven is that other witches would eventually try to kill her. Also, it's how she acquires blasting-level power. It makes one wonder how Agatha would have turned out if her coven had supported her and mentored her and taught her to control her power. An interviewer asked Jac Schaeffer about why Agatha couldn't face Nicky. She said it was both "the fact that she couldn’t save him, that she couldn’t find the knowledge or the power to save him, and it’s the fact that he always leaned good. He didn’t want to kill witches. He didn’t want to live her lifestyle. Instead of rehabilitating herself on his death, she doubled down, and as you said, she used his song to become essentially a mass murderer. I think there’s so much shame for her in that." I found that interesting. Also, that unlike the other witches who all grew into better people, Agatha hasn't "arced out" yet. Just partnering with Billy is a major step for her. God I loved this show.

[@thelilstuff]

This show had me sobbing!!! The way it all came together though was perfection. I want more!

[@georgeweatherford1027]

This show is such a brilliant meditation on trauma (particularly generational trauma). They all were able to find some healing through the road... except the one who never wanted to face her trauma (and therefore traumatized others... hurt people hurt people). Billy gets to do what Wanda and Agatha could not: acknowledge the trauma he (inadvertently) created, do his best to honor it and those he hurt) and hopefully use his experience to do better

[@manateia]

Rio (Death) gave Agatha something noone is allowed to have, time with her son. That's why rio said she had special treatment, Nicholas was supposed to die at birth 😢 3:20 i cried 😭 (way too close to home) She created the road based on a song her son invented and then used it to gain more power by killing other witches 😔 Jen doesn't know the road isn't real. Remember Rio said she hates ghosts 😏 I hope they make another season, that show was truly amazing💜💜

[@stephendaniels2213]

I read a great article (and no, I cannot remember where... sigh) talking about the entire genre of "Superheroes" (started from a discussion about "The Boys") where they talked about the REASONS each hero has for being... well... heroic. There's the "Vengeance is Mine" motivation: (Deadpool, Batman, The Phantom) "Look What I Can Do!": (Ms. Marvel, Batgirl, Zatanna) "God/Insert-Name-Here Chose Me": (Ghost Rider, Green Lantern, Captain America, Shazam) "With Great Power...": (Superman, Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman) *note, I'm NOT putting Spider-Man in this category and the really powerful motivator GUILT (Spidey let Uncle Ben die, Iron Man made weapons and couldn't save Yinsen) and Billy, who is convinced that accidentally creating The Road with powers he didn't even know he possessed puts him on the same level as a serial mass murderer like Agatha. It's a powerful motivation, and unlike both Wanda (run away from your problems) Maximoff and Agatha (denial is NOT just a river in Egypt) Harkness, Billy is facing his issues head on. Even if he is a bit hard on himself (like a true Goth!) At least Agatha will make an excellent moral compass... he just needs to do the opposite of whatever her FIRST suggestion is! Great reaction (as always) - let's hope whatever Jac Schaeffer does next (another season or another project entirely, who really cares) is not too long coming! I for one will watch it... even if it has... *shudder*... straight people in it.

[@AmanCreatesArt]

Been enjoying your reactions since Dead Boy Detectives. Looking forward to whatever is next!

[@colinneagle4495]

Me too! I started watching her reactions to Dead Boy Detectives and have followed this channel since. I love Brittney's emotional and thoughtful reactions to what she watches!

[@theanyktos]

Wow, this is perfect timing for my commute home!

[@adamparrott797]

I said the same thing. Give me s2. This really was for the girls, the gays and the they's

[@petrofjday]

Marvel TV has been pretty meh for me since WandaVision, which I thought was brilliant. This show, however, topped even that. I love how queer it is, and the casting was absolute perfection.

[@gogreen2496]

I *loved* this show. But I still can't understand the reveal with Nicky. It's not worse than the fact that she's killed hundreds (if not thousands) of witches for power, even if that power was to save her son (unconfirmed?). That really bugs me.

[@Gaywatch]

I saw someone characterize it as people thinking she just coldly sacrificed him for power is better (to Agatha) than knowing she had six years and couldn't save/protect him. And I feel it's part of the mask of power she wears too--yes please believe I'm only coldhearted and power hungry because then you won't see the vulnerable grieving mother beneath. For her, the worst thing anybody can ever be is vulnerable, which is likely a result of the way her abusive mother raised her.

[@przemekkozlowski7835]

@@Gaywatch Agatha seems portrayed as an abuse survivor who embraced a survive-at-any-cost philosophy. She preyed on other witches who did not have good survival instincts and justified it as necessary. However, the other people in her new coven were also survivors. Jen survived the equivalent of mental rape and kept going for a full century. Lillia outlived everyone around her and tried to her hang onto her dignity even when it seemed that her mind was going. Alice lived with a deadly curse all of her life and still tried to help people. Billy should not exist and subverted the fundamental forces of nature to keep living. Agatha found herself among people who were equal to her in strength of character and it made her extremely vulnerable. For the first time in a long time, she found herself among people she respected and hated that they had contempt for her.

[@jondavwal13]

@@GaywatchThis ties into her telling Billy she didn’t sacrifice herself. Of course she did. At that point they love each other like mother and son. He risked his life to give her power back. She gave up her life to save him, twice. She also gave up her life in the last trial. She didn’t know there was a dandelion seed in the locket or that his disappearance would create a crack with soil in it. She got him Tommy. She didn’t expect to get out alive. And Rio also says “I know how you feel about him” and she immediately proceeds to betray Rio and find Tommy a body, the one thing Rio didn’t want. Agatha and Rio did not love each other. That was toxic addiction. Agatha loved two people in her life, Nicholas and Billy Maximoff.

[@xitsCASS]

tbh i think it's about controlling the narrative. she would rather people believe she was this cruel, heartless being who gave up her son for power instead of letting them know that she loved him more than anything and that losing him broke her in a way that many people wouldn't understand.