How ‘Agatha All Along’ Changed Everything for Lilia Calderu in Episode 07
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The seventh episode of Agatha All Along, titled Death’s Hand in Mine, has taken viewers on a gripping journey with a jaw-dropping twist. Not only did this episode finally validate a fan theory that had been building momentum, but it also used Lilia Calderu’s (Patti Lupone) previous reactions to reveal her complex backstory, intricately linking together various parts of the series. Of course, in a significant turn of events, Lilia meets her end.
Right from the episode’s start, Lilia’s fate seems apparent. We’re shown her ultimate fall, where she’s dressed as Glinda the Good Witch from The Wizard of Oz. Yet, it’s only by the episode’s conclusion that we fully grasp the circumstances of her demise and its significance.
Lilia’s Journey, Step by Step
To understand the scope of Lilia’s journey in this episode, let’s recap her path chronologically. Following the events in Darkest Hour, Wake Thy Power, Lilia and Jennifer Kale (Sasheer Zamata) find themselves tossed into the mud along the Witches’ Road by Billy Maximoff (Joe Locke). They sink into an underground passage beneath the Witches’ Road, where Lilia shares crucial revelations with Jennifer: “Teen” is Billy, son of the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), and he and Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) are on their way to the next trial, urgently needing their assistance.
In these tunnels, two divergent paths emerge. One leads towards the trial, while the other trails off into the deserted Westview subway tunnel, referenced earlier by Sharon Davis (Debra Jo Rupp) in Through Many Miles of Tricks and Trials. While deciding on a direction, the Salem Seven appears, passing by Lilia and Jennifer without noticing them.
Lilia seizes the moment to confide in Jennifer, recognising her as a “sister in the craft.” They arrive mid-trial, where Agatha and Billy are making errors in their attempt to interpret Tarot, causing a series of mishaps—a sword drops from the ceiling or the sword-covered ceiling inches closer with each blunder. Billy, seeking clarity on whether he is William Kaplan or Billy Maximoff, turns to Lilia for a Tarot reading, but something isn’t right.
Suddenly, Lilia realises it’s her own trial. She begins drawing cards for herself: the Queen of Cups represents her, the Three of Pentacles symbolises the coven, the Knight of Wands refers to Alice Wu-Gulliver (Ali Ahn), the High Priestess is Jennifer, the Three of Swords signifies Agatha, and the Tower Reversed is Billy. Each card she reveals had appeared earlier in the series but not in this order—until now. Finally, the last card surfaces.
It’s Death, embodied by Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza), revealed to be Death itself, or as Agatha calls her, “the original green witch.”
Lilia’s Final Moment: “I Loved Being a Witch”
With the trial complete and the door unsealed, danger swiftly approaches as the Salem Seven close in. Lilia warns Agatha, “When she calls you a coward, hit the deck,” hinting at a future confrontation involving Rio. She entrusts Billy with a spellbook and affirms to Jennifer that she represents the future, which ties to the High Priestess card. Then, Lilia utters her final words, “I loved being a witch,” before securing the door behind her.
As the Salem Seven flood the room, Lilia explains why it’s essential to exit after a trial concludes. They morph, and she forewarns of the consequences of lingering in a trial chamber: “Disaster, destruction, sudden upheaval,” flipping the Tower Reversed card to its upright position. The scene transforms. The ceiling of swords becomes the floor, and in a swift moment, the Salem Seven are tragically impaled as Lilia releases her hold, falling towards her end with a serene smile. Though her actual death is implied rather than shown, the scene transitions to a memory from earlier in the episode: Young Lilia’s (Chloe Camp) first divination lesson with her Maestra (Laura Boccaletti).
The lesson begins, with Young Lilia’s smile reflecting her excitement.
The Non-linear Nature of Lilia’s Existence
If Lilia’s storyline seems puzzling, it’s because she lives across past, present, and future concurrently. Mid-episode, she explains to Jennifer that “The flow of time is an illusion,” a concept that’s difficult to grasp even as she explains it.
In essence, Lilia’s life unfolds in multiple timelines simultaneously. When she dies, it’s not an ending; instead, it’s part of a continuous cycle. At the same moment, she’s beginning her journey in divination, and we see her once again taking her first steps on the Witches’ Road. Lilia’s existence is boundless, with birth, life, and death unfolding at once.
A central conversation between the Maestra and Young Lilia, who is occasionally portrayed by Patti Lupone herself, deepens this theme. Lilia recalls a warning she gave that the coven would fall to a deadly fever, yet her words went unheeded. “Death comes for us all,” replies the Maestra, to which Lilia retorts, “You say it like it’s a comfort.”
In her last moments, Lilia embraces the comfort of knowing that life is cyclical. Death is both an end and a beginning. The inscription on the trial’s table, “Your path winds out of time,” encapsulates her journey. Lilia may be gone in the physical sense, but her story remains eternal, transcending time itself. For her, existence simply “is.”
In the show’s universe, Lilia Calderu’s journey has concluded, but in the grander scheme of her character, she is only beginning anew.
