Agatha All Along has been on a roll, with each episode better than the previous one. This week, in "Death's Hand in Mine," the story centers on Lilia Calderu's (Patti LuPone) trial, the divination witch on Agatha Harkness' (Kathryn Hahn) coven. After she meets her end at Death's (Aubrey Plaza) hands, the credits roll to the sound of Jim Croce's iconic song, "Time In a Bottle," which perfectly reflects Lilia's arc in the series — and also has a deep connection to Fox's late X-Men movies and the Maximoff family.
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‘Time In a Bottle’ Perfectly Captures Lilia’s Struggle
Throughout Agatha All Along, Lilia has been "unstuck in time," often speaking things out of context and having an overall confusing arc. "Death's Hand in Mine" explains it as her experiencing life out of order due to her divination powers. After her coven in Italy died centuries earlier, she buries those powers but has to face them again in the Witches' Road. In the end, she realizes that her purpose isn't to control these powers but to deal with what they show her.
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In this context, "Time In a Bottle" perfectly represents her struggle. She spent her life as a witch without a coven, filled with frustration and regret because of all the inevitable death she saw, and only in the end understands that her purpose is to be a member of Agatha's coven. She has a life full of frustration, and that's what the song is about, the frustrations we have in life when our time runs out.
The Song Is Also a Part of Peter Maximoff’s Theme in ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’
In the Fox Marvel universe, though, "Time In a Bottle" is also tied to the Maximoff family, like Lilia herself indirectly is. In X-Men: Days of Future Past, it's Quicksilver's (Evan Peters) song - who in the movie is called Peter, not Pietro. It plays when he, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), and Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) are breaking Magneto (Michael Fassbender) out of prison. When they are cornered by armed guards, Quicksilver uses his speed to make sure they get out without bloodshed.
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Quicksilver, known to be annoyingly impatient, allows himself to experience time in slow motion, which is how he normally perceives it. He runs around the room and has some fun making guards punch themselves, changing the bullets' trajectories, and listening to "Time In a Bottle" on his walkman, which, for him, gets a different meaning. While Lilia experiences all of time, but out of order, Peter has all the time in the world, but is often too impatient to fully experience it.
This scene is so good, they tried to recapture its magic in X-Men: Apocalypse, during the destruction of the X-Mansion with the Eurhythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These)." It didn't have the same appeal, though.
"Time in a Bottle" Is the Perfect Song for Maximoff Drama
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"Time In a Bottle," being in both Agatha All Along and Days of Future Past, makes it the ultimate song about the Maximoff family. It provides an interesting contrast between Peter Maximoff and his MCU counterpart, Pietro Maximoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), given how Pietro didn’t have the time Peter had, how Wanda herself became evil to try and have more time with her kids, and how now, time is pressing Billy Maximoff (Joe Locke) to complete the Road and understand who he really is.
In fact, "Time In a Bottle" gets a whole other layer when we remember that Evan Peters, who plays Peter Maximoff in the X-Men movies, also plays Fake Pietro Maximoff in WandaVision, as a play on fans of both franchises. He even appears in Agatha All Along, too. So, hearing this song without thinking about those weird connections is impossible.
One may think Lilia Calderu has no connection to the Maximoff family, but, she is a key part of their story. It's Lilia who puts a sigil on Billy to protect his identity as one of Wanda Maximoff's (Elizabeth Olsen) lost twin sons, so it makes sense that "Time In a Bottle" becomes a tale of how a whole family feels about the short time they have together.
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Agatha All Along streamA weekly on Wednesdays on Disney+.
Agatha All Along
TV-14
Agatha Harkness, following the events of "WandaVision," embarks on a quest to reclaim her lost powers. Teaming up with unlikely allies, including the son of her former enemy, she faces new mystical threats while navigating a complex world of magic and intrigue.
- Release Date
- September 18, 2024
- Cast
- Kathryn Hahn , Joe Locke , Sasheer Zamata , Ali Ahn , Okwui Okpokwasili , Debra Jo Rupp , Patti LuPone , Aubrey Plaza , David Payton , Emma Caulfield Ford , David Lengel , Asif Ali , Amos Glick , Elaine Valdes , Paria Akbarshahi , Chau Naumova , Bethany Curry , Athena Perample , Alicia Vela-Bailey , Britta Grant , Marina Mazepa
- Main Genre
- Adventure
- Seasons
- 1
- Creator(s)
- Jac Schaeffer
