Agatha All Along: What Happened Between Agatha Harkness and Rio Vidal?

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Agatha All Along Episode 4, “If I Can’t Reach You / Let My Song Teach You.”

Of Agatha All Along‘s many mysteries, easily one of the most intriguing is Agatha Harkness and Rio Vidal’s largely untold, shared backstory. So, what happened between Agatha and Rio before Agatha All Along, exactly?

Agatha Harkness and Rio Vidal’s History, Explained

Agatha Harkness and Rio Vidal’s connection goes back many years – possibly even centuries! As is true of all witches, both women have unnaturally long lifespans, and (according to dialogue in Agatha All Along Episode 1, “Seekest Thou the Road”) only parted ways after Agatha got her hands on the Darkhold. That happened sometime between when Agatha killed her mother’s coven in 1693 and the events of WandaVision, which takes place in 2023. Regardless of when Agatha and Rio split up, the how of it apparently wasn’t very nice. That’s why Rio is out to murder her one-time partner in Episode 1!

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But there’s apparently more to the Agatha/Rio backstory than the former ditching the latter in less-than-satisfactory fashion. In Agatha All Along Episode 4, “If I Can’t Reach You / Let My Song Teach You,” Rio delivers a brief monologue that suggests she wounded Agatha, not the other way around as previously believed. “A long time ago, I loved someone,” Rio says. “And I had to do something I did not want to do, even though it was my job, and it hurt them. She is my scar.” What did Rio have to do? It’s unclear at this stage, but don’t be surprised if it’s somehow tied to the fate of Agatha’s long-lost son!

Were Agatha Harkness and Rio Vidal a Couple?

Yes, Agatha All Along‘s first four installments all but confirm that Agatha and Rio were once an item. Aside from Episode 4’s big “scar speech,” Episode 1 sees Rio proclaiming that her heart “beats for [Agatha].” And if that’s not enough, Agatha leans in to kiss Rio in Episode 4! However, Rio knocks back her ex’s advances, killing the vibe by declaring that Teen isn’t secretly Agatha’s kid.

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Showrunner Jac Schaeffer unpacked the Agatha/Rio near-kiss in a recent TVLine interview, indicating that the mystery surrounding Teen will remain a roadblock for rekindling the pair’s romance. “That moment, which is so loaded and so powerful – our intention for that moment is really about Rio’s relationship with Agatha,” she explained. “They’re on the precipice of reconnecting, but this idea of ‘the boy’ is something that comes between them.”

Agatha All Along is currently streaming on Disney+, with new episodes dropping Wednesdays.