Warning! This review contains major spoilers for Agatha All Along episode 6.
Agatha All Along episode 5 told us who 'Teen' really is. Episode 6, then, told us who 'Teen' really is. The Marvel series' latest, a definite step-up from its predecessor, slows things down a little as it takes us back to before the titular witch and co set off down the Witches' Road, catching us up with Billy Maximoff's intentions – and allowing us a hilarious peek behind the curtain of Agatha's detective-based delusions.
'Familiar by Thy Side' effectively sets up new mysteries – was Billy the black heart in Lilia's list of coven candidates, not Rio? Why is it important that he had a connection to each of them prior to meeting Agatha? Why did Lilia put the sigil on him? – while offering up satisfying answers to old ones, too, like how Billy's consciousness ended up in the body of a random kid from Eastview.
In a semi-retconned backstory, which deftly simplifies the character's comic book origins, episode 6 reveals that William Kaplan was just a regular 13-year-old when he and his family got into a car accident on the night Wanda freed the residents of Westview. As the Scarlet Witch said goodnight to her imagined boys, Billy and Tommy, William crossed over, having been fatally injured in the crash, and, well, Billy's soul transferred itself over to the then "empty vessel".
Release date: October 17, 2024
Available on: Disney Plus
Showrunner: Jac Schaeffer
Runtime: 50 minutes
"So you broke the rules? Big deal," Agatha adds passionately, in a moment that encapsulates her main motivation: her love of power. Despite him "burying" her and seemingly killing Lilia and Jen, with an excited glint in her eye, she tells him: "That's what kept you alive. That's what makes you special. That's what makes you a witch." Maybe so, but we're already gearing ourselves up to see that to come back and bite him at some point. Doctor Strange was told off for possessing his own corpse for a reason in Multiverse of Madness…
Maximoff talent
Fortunately, episode 6 isn't all life and death and, unlike the previous installment, manages to find time for some seriously great gags alongside all The Superhero Drama, including a stellar cameo from Evan Peters – which adds a tongue-in-cheek twist to the show's 'Mare of Easttown' leanings – as WandaVision's Ralph Bohner.
In his attempt to figure out what’s going on with him, Billy looks into the Westview Hex, which leads to him meeting up with a Redditor and former local Bohner. The rendezvous turns out to be mostly for Billy, as Ralph namedrops Agatha to the mind-reading youngster and divulges that Wanda and Vision had twin sons. But it’s just as worthwhile for us, as Peters channels the downright disturbed dude. "Agatha hijacked my life," he growls. "Goddamnit! She called me her husband, but I was her puppet. She stole my house… and completely ruined the market value."
Having the early 'investigation' scenes play out from Billy's point-of-view is fertile ground for chuckle-worthy moments, too, as we see just how deep into the spell Agatha was. A hose nozzle instead of a gun in her hip holster? Her imagining her living room as an interrogation room? Mrs. Hart merely tapping 'Teen' with her car door, rather than running him down? It's brilliant stuff.
'Familiar by Thy Side' is, if nothing else, a showcase of Joe Locke’s extraordinary talents.
While the departure from the witchy wonders of the Road and the wider ensemble won't be to everyone's liking, 'Familiar by Thy Side' is, if nothing else, a showcase of Locke's extraordinary talents. The Heartstopper star's non-verbal work is especially fantastic here, having been clearly influenced by some of the MCU's more emotional, nuanced performers; Elizabeth Olsen, mostly.
It's no easy feat portraying someone who's not quite sure who they are, especially when they're morally grey like Billy, but Locke pulls it off with ease and grace. His chemistry with Hahn continues to be a spell-binding delight, too, which makes it all the more sweet when they reunite towards the end of the largely-separate episode. He's the perfect foil to the lead, whose Agatha is deliciously over-the-top and campy; still and simmering. I can't wait to see what happens when what's bubbling underneath the surface boils over…
Agatha All Along episodes 1 to 6 are streaming now. Ensure you don't miss a thing with our Agatha All Along release schedule.
For more on the wider MCU, check out our guide to all of the upcoming Marvel movies and shows or get up to speed with our breakdown of the Marvel timeline.
