Agatha All Along Episodic Coverage: “Familiar by Thy Side”

“Familiar by Thy Side” Gives Compelling Answers

“Familiar by Thy Side” is an episode from a totally different show. It has a much more standard plot structure and progresses at a different pace. In any other context, “Familiar by Thy Side” plays out as a standard superhero opening journey, albeit with a more macabre tone to the whole thing.

But it’s not. It’s an episode of Agatha All Along and ties into the plot we already know magnificently. And it does so while being funny, charming, tragic, and engaging.

Oddly, the most notable parts to me are the dichotomies there. The tragedy and the comedy. Seeing Agatha’s police routine from “Teen’s” perspective was delightful. It makes me want to rewatch that moment, just to see how different it is. The glue gun on her hip was especially funny.

This Episode Pivots Between Two Different Moods

As to the tragedy, well, we get a little gut punch. William Kaplan was apparently a nice person. And Billy and William had stuff in common, from what I can see. Though the bedroom changes, William did like Wizard of Oz; he did like witchy stuff already. I suspect that Billy only took the body he did because of all of the similarities. It might not have worked otherwise.

Which, of course, makes you wonder where Tommy went. What body did he take after Wanda broke the spell? I don’t know if we’ve seen any characters who fit the right profile yet. I don’t even know if this show will cover it. Maybe a whole different series will tackle that.

But the real question I have, the one zipping around in my mind, is how the series will progress now. Did most of the other witches truly die? Are there now only three—plus the Salem ones chasing them—for the rest of the series? We didn’t even get to see two of their trials yet. It just breaks usual storytelling rules.

“Familiar by Thy Side” Through Things Into Chaos

That’s meta-textual, though. The other place the story can break is more internal—more actually a potential problem. Billy needs to be unable to read witch’s minds. That has to be hand-waved with something about witches’ defenses. Because there’s no way there’s no plot holes somewhere if Billy could pry into Agatha’s or other’s heads whenever they’re stressed. It can’t all be fakery—they were stressed so many times. The narrative cohesion would fall apart.

But assuming I’ve not found a dire oversight, “Familiar by Thy Side” is one of the best episodes yet. Only matched by “Through Many Miles/Of Tricks and Trials.” Billy and his boyfriend doing an investigation and learning about Billy’s powers is a ton of fun. I also love the inherent drama of someone trying to learn another’s life, of searching for your own persona. That’s potent storytelling. A few moments of dialog and set decorations imply a rich history in those three years—and that takes a lot of writing skill to do. But this is Agatha’s story. We can’t linger in a wholly unrelated plot. And the Road calls, more trials call, and the next episode approaches soon—as does Halloween. So, we only have to wait a little longer for whatever happens next. I hope it’s nice and spooky.

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