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    Agatha All Along Creator Breaks Down Agatha and Rio’s ‘Love Affair’ and the Kiss Heard ‘Round the MCU

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    Agatha All Along Creator Breaks Down Agatha and Rio’s ‘Love Affair’ and the Kiss Heard ‘Round the MCU

    Agatha All Along concluded with a two-episode finale that provided more insight into the relationship between the titular character and Green Witch Rio. The tension between the two had been building throughout the 9-episode series, but it all culminated when they kissed in the series finale. Aubrey Plaza‘s Rio (who was created for the series) was introduced as an antagonistic witch with a history and long-held vendetta against Agatha (Kathryn Hahn). During episode 7, “Death’s Hand in Mine,” we learn that Rio isn’t just a witch. She’s actually the MCU’s version of Death.




    While Schaefer calls Rio a neutral force (“much the way nature is neutral”) who is doing her work as Death, she notes that her relationship with Agatha is different due to their romantic connection. During an interview with The Wrap, Schaefer shared:

    “How she is with Agatha is a totally different story, because that is their love affair. And so, with Agatha, she is toxic, and petty and vulnerable, and she does not have the upper hand, which was our favorite thing. We were like, “If Agatha is going to be in a relationship with Death, Agatha would have the upper hand. How hot is that for our main girl, right? Our protagonist has Death whipped. We were just like, totally gaga over that idea.”

    The kiss between Agatha and Rio certainly stirred up a lot of emotions in audiences. Many praised Schaefer and the show’s writers’ decision to make the final stand-off between the two an intimate moment rather than a typical superhero battle. In another un-MCU move, the series also concluded without a post-credit scene.



    Agatha and Rio Share “The Kiss of Death”

    Minutes before their on-screen kiss, Agatha tells Rio that when she dies “a long, long, long, long, long time from now,” she doesn’t want to see her face. When the two finally share a kiss, Agatha’s eyes are notably closed. Schaefer says that moment is about Agatha saying, “I reject you and our love.” According to her, that kiss between the two women was not likely their first but instead akin to the “kiss of death.”

    “I think that that was — we call that the kiss of death, that was always the design, that Agatha wouldn’t be able to sustain Death’s power. If Agatha used her succubus power against Death, that it would kill her. So that’s the sort of mechanism in play. We always wanted it to be a kiss, however, for the relationship of it, for the beauty of it, for the culmination of the arc of this chapter of their love affair. I believe there are other chapters.”


    Schaefer added:

    “That this is the final moment of a battle, and instead of it being blasting, the way you would normally see in the MCU, it’s a kiss. But the kiss is toxic because of where they are in their love affair.”

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    We hope there are other chapters we get to see of Rio and Agatha’s centuries-long story. Plaza and Hahn have both earned critical praise for their portrayals, and their chemistry has been a highlight for critics and audiences alike (yes, we want more #Agathario). While Agatha All Along has wrapped, and there’s no word on the possibility of a Season 2 yet, we’d love more insight into Agatha and Rio’s tumultuous relationship.


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