Our theories are true, WandaVision Episode 7 Rundown

After weeks and weeks of red herrings, we finally know who has been behind what’s happening in Westview. That person in question is who many fans theorized was involved, it was Agnes or now better known as Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn). With this revelation everything that fans have previously suggested have all fallen into place and our understanding of Westview has improved drastically. However, a common trend throughout WandaVision has been that for every answer we get more questions are asked. Our questions are now directed towards Agatha as we try and dissect what her identity means for the remainder of the series. Even though the reveal of Agatha has seemingly ended the sitcom, there are still a lot of loose ends that will play a major role in the finale of the series.

Agatha the witch:

Realising that Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) isn’t the only “magical girl” in town finally gave fans answers to the question of who Agnes is. Before the series even began airing many had speculated that Agnes would be Agatha Harkness, although her role was still unknown. Episode 7 even continued the theme that surrounded her in mystery, especially when she tells us she once bit a kid. When Agnes takes the twins off Wanda something doesn’t feel right which is confirmed by Billy when he says Agnes is quiet on the inside. We know Billy has some level of clairvoyance powers, so his comment about Agnes keeps building up the mystery around her character. It was only when Monica (Teyonah Paris) confronted Wanda, that the secret finally was revealed.

While Monica tries to reason with Wanda, Agnes interrupts and takes Wanda away. Important here is that she is keeping Wanda away from Monica, someone who is under no influence. After Agnes brings Wanda into her home, the question of the twins appears on Wanda and our minds. Agnes says they probably are playing in the basement, which causes Wanda to go looking for her children. This leads to the discovery of a basement filled with creepy tree branches and magical artefacts, notably the Darkhold book. From this moment we know that the something horrifying is about to happen and for the first time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe a horror theme began to drift in. As Wanda discovers what has been hidden, Agnes introduces her true self as Agatha Harkness and places a spell on Wanda. Finally we learn who has been behind everything, but there is still some explaining as to why Agatha has been working in disguise.

No motive is given to why Agatha has been doing what she has, but we can assume that the popular theory that she is working for a darker entity is true. During the catchy jingle ‘Agatha all along’, we discover what influence she has had on key events during the series.

Firstly there is her arrival, which made it clear to us it was her since the beginning, followed by the revelation that during the magic show in episode 2, Agatha was casting a spell to make sure Wanda and Vision (Paul Bettany) didn’t get exposed for their abilities. We then discover that it was her that caused Herb (David Payton) to act how he did during episode 3. This was another key moment as it began to raise suspicions with Vision, something that Agatha clearly wanted, especially as her conversation with the synthezoid during episode 6 lead to Vision nearly dying. Agatha also reveals that it has been her controlling Pietro, which keeps the possibility of the X-men crossover alive. The final secret that Agatha reveals is that she killed scratchy the dog as well. As we acquire all the knowledge of what Agatha has been doing, it is clear that she has been manipulating Wanda and has been behind everything since Westview was created.

One more discovery that may hold the key to why Agatha is exploiting the mental health of Wanda. When Wanda goes looking for the twins we catch a sight of the Darkhold. This book in the comics in known as ‘The Book of Sins’ and is the source of powerful magical spells. Agatha having the book makes sense because of her magical abilities; while the book could also explain her motives. This has not been the only time that the Darkhold has been seen in Marvel Studios projects. Agents of Shield and Runaways have had stories based around the book. Whether these shows are cannon still remains a question, but the shows did establish that the Darkhold is made of dark matter coming from the hell dimension, the exact same dimension rumoured villain Mephisto comes from. When you add the fact that the twins, who's location is unknown, were shards of Mephisto's soul in the comics, it certainly looks like the masterplan of Agatha is to appease her dark master.

How powerful is Monica?

One of the pieces to the Westview puzzle is the role of Monica. It is clear that Agatha is concerned about her threat. The mid-credit scene where the influenced Pietro sneaks on Monica and says “snooper’s gunna snoop” shows that Agatha wants her threat dealt with, a threat that has only just begun developing.

Throughout the series the energy manipulating powers of Monica have been teased and in the latest episode gave us almost full confirmation that her powers have manifested. Even though the aerospace engineer Monica contacted didn’t reveal themselves to be who fans had speculated, the mission still was important. As Monica drove the modified vehicle at the Hex it was clear it wasn’t going to work. While the vehicle couldn’t pass through without being rewritten, Monica’s abilities allowed her to successfully breach the barrier without any effect. During the passing into Westview, flashbacks of Monica’s past pass through her head and firmly establish her character motivation. She understands what Wanda is experiencing and wants to help her get through it, hence when she confronts Wanda at her home she never engages an attack.

As we mentioned it is Agatha that interrupts their encounter, but during the conversation Monica displays her powers as she resists an attack from Wanda. The fact that she can do this puts her on the power level that Wanda is on, which is an obvious concern of Agatha. This explains why Pietro scared her in the credits and also could be the reason Wanda under a spell cast her out of Westview at the end of episode 3. Agatha feels threatened by her and needs to stop her before she affects her sinister plan.

Wildcards:

After a spooktacular episode of WandaVision, everyone caught in the expansion of the Hex became members of an S.W.O.R.D. carnival. Vision awakes in the carnival after barely surviving his attempted escape. Confused at what he is seeing Vision remembers Darcy (Kat Dennings) and unlocks her personality so he knows what has materialized. After Darcy quickly fills him in, the pair escapes the circus.

For what I believe is the only part of the series that hasn’t made complete sense, Vision and Darcy travel back to the centre of the town. During their journey Vision gives sitcom interviews, which the episodes sitcom theme was around. I felt these were unnecessary as the point that someone was trying to delay them was made by the roadworks and the children crossing. We didn’t need Vision leaving the interview like an angry celebrity to confirm this for us. It also doesn’t make sense as to what Darcy was doing during this. Why would she let Vision take an interview like this, when they have a mission to complete?

Despite this issue, Vision does fly away after Darcy explains what has happened in Vision’s past. Signs suggest that Agatha has been trying to separate Vision from Wanda for a while now and has even tried to build hostility between the pair. Separating the couple would make it easier for Agatha to achieve her dark motives. That being said Vision has learned the truth of his past and when he discovers what Agatha has been doing there is no question he will be trying to save his lover and his children. This makes Vision an exciting wildcard for the upcoming finale.

Another wildcard in all of this is S.W.O.R.D. We learn via Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) that the CATARACK file is relating to Vision and how the organisation was trying to make him operational again. What is also confirmed during the episode courtesy of shady Director Haywood (Josh Stamberg) is that they are planning an assault on Westview. The question of how they will act to the news of Agatha is fascinating because it feels like their main interest is with Vision and not magic spells. Will S.W.O.R.D. join the fight against the witch or will Haywood prove himself a selfish coward and only focus on his mission.

Review:

Now that we know Agatha has been behind everything, the series is poised to move up a gear like has been promised. Episode 7 definitely felt like the end of the sitcom style episodes which means the final 2 episodes will be much like the madness of typical MCU movie.

Moreover, the series has also been positioned itself in a perfectly for the finale. Each arm of the story, Monica, Wanda, Vision and S.W.O.R.D. have been separated. This is exciting because when everyone collides we can expect one hell of a final battle, a final battle where we want to see Wanda overcome her demons to take down Agatha. Obviously we know that the series will lead into Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness so whatever happens in the finale we expect the consequences to affect the MCU to its very core.

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