What is the Covenstead Rule in ‘Agatha All Along?’

Indeed, the show’s drama and humor play off of each other in a way that’s mutually beneficial and sharply entertaining, there’s a dynamism to the characterization and dialogue that we’re not used to seeing in the MCU, and the show’s attention to witch-centric details coupled with its bulk of unique creative choices (the stop-motion-esque movement of that one Salem’s Seven member was a joy to behold) have at once marked Agatha All Along as one of the MCU’s most exciting enterprises yet.

Nevertheless, this is still a comic book show, and where there’s comic book shows, there’s a whole bunch of nonsensical logistics and terms that make up the science and magic behind the world’s superpowered nuances. Anchor beings, variants, and the word “quantum” in front of anything are some of the more recognizable foot soldiers of this trope, and the latest to join these ranks is the Covenstead Rule. But what exactly is this rule?

What is the Covenstead Rule in Agatha All Along?

During the second episode, when Agatha and Teen venture out to recruit the witches for their coven, Agatha reveals a very handy rule that wound up saving them a lot of time. This was the Covenstead Rule, which states that “within every three-mile radius, there will be enough witchy people to form a coven.” This is likely paraphrased from a rough translation of what the rule actually says, but it’s a convenient law all the same.

Within these three fateful miles, Agatha and Teen recruited potions expert Jennifer Kale (Sasheer Zamata), protector witch Alice Wu-Gulliver (Ali Ahn), resident clairvoyant Lilia Calderu (Patti LuPone), and fish-out-of-water-who-doesn’t-deserve-the-peril-she’s-about-to-go-through Mrs. Hart (Debra Jo Rupp).

Still absent, of course, is Aubrey Plaza’s suggestive villain-but-also-not Rio Vidal, who’s destined to become a part of Agatha’s coven down the line despite the latter’s best efforts to keep her as far away as possible. The tension between the two is as undeniable as it is mysterious, although Plaza herself teased a “gay explosion” as an event to look forward to in Agatha All Along, so perhaps it’s not that mysterious (although it’s still more mysterious than the true identity of Teen).

Agatha All Along‘s first two episodes are now streaming exclusively on Disney Plus, with new episodes releasing every Wednesday until the two-episode finale on Oct. 30.