Having portrayed one of the most beloved and underrated TV moms of any era, That ‘70s Show vet Debra Jo Rupp has been a fantastic addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe since her introduction in WandaVision. But despite having such a cheery smile and disposition, the actress’ character Sharon (or Mrs. Hart, if you’re Agatha) has given the 2024 Fall TV season some extremely dark moments in both that series and its sequel Agatha All Along.
In fact, she delivered arguably the most haunting line spoken in the Kathryn Hahn-fronted series to date, and showrunner Jac Shaeffer confirmed in a roundabout way that it was indeed a tragic callback to the creepy dinner sequence in WandaVision’s premiere.
The WandaVision Callback
During the First Trial mayhem happening in Agatha All Along Episode 3, most of the characters drank (assumedly poisoned) wine that temporarily changed their facial features and gave each of them particularly powerful hallucinations about their biggest traumas. With Jen recalling the "doctor" who likely took her powers, and Agatha envisioning the Darkhold instead of her son, etc.
Though audiences weren't taken directly into Sharon's memories the way others' visions were depicted, the words she said made it seem pretty clear exactly what she was suffering with, as she was heard saying the following before falling unconscious:
Please, please, Wanda. Wanda, I'm begging you. Let him breathe! Please!
While the character hadn't actually spoken those words aloud before, viewers no doubt connected them to WandaVision's sequence where Vision and Wanda had the Hart family over for dinner, and the titular witch's reality showed its first cracks. After a questionable moment involving Vision getting Mrs. Hart's chair, Fred Malamed's Mr. Hart begins choking on his food, resulting in an disturbingly extended sequence where his wife is unable to say anything beyond the word, "Stop."
The horrors end with things going back to normal, but there are fans who believe Mr. Hart actually choked to death here, and that the rest of the dinner was just a feat of magic from Wanda, considering Mr. Hart never appears again. And it's definitely possible that Elizabeth Olsen's character is the one who (perhaps inadvertently) killed him, since Mrs. Hart is directly pleading with Wanda specifically to let him breathe again, as opposed to falling back on prayer.
Agatha All Along's Jac Schaeffer Addresses That Freaky Callback
Speaking to THR about Agatha All Along's hectic first four episodes, showrunner Jac Schaeffer said the following when asked if Sharon was then able to speak the words that she wasn't able to say during that fateful dinner, due to Wanda's interference:
I’ve never actually thought of it in such stark terms, but I would say yes. That’s her subconscious talking in revisiting that horrific moment, yeah.
It's unfortunate that we don't get a full-on confirmation that Mr. Hart died during that ordeal, but the fact that it came up in the context of being among Sharon's most traumatic memories speaks to the darker takeaway from that episode. And it's still not 100% clear whether Mr. Hart accidentally choked on his food, or if Wanda purposefully closed off his airways. Considering she held an entire town hostage due to her own innate grief, it's not that much of a stretch.
Will Debra Jo Rupp return to the Witches' Road in Agatha All Along, despite Sharon's apparent death? Or will she pop up in another upcoming Marvel TV show? We'll have to wait to find out, with new episodes streaming Wednesday nights at 9:00 p.m. ET for fans with Disney+ subscriptions.
