SYFY’s The Magicians is finally back! At the end of season 4 our favorite magical gang lost a key member, Quentin Coldwater. The season 5 premiere picks up just one month later and we see how people are processing, or not processing his death. Along with that, it seems there may be some sort of apocalypse on the way that the world needs saving from. ‘Do Something Crazy’ was written by Henry Alonso Myers, and directed by Chris Fisher.
Fillory | In Fillory, 300 years in the future, Margo (Summer Bishil) and Eliot (Hale Appleman) are toasting to their corpses. They discuss how they tried to break into the Dark King’s castle for a week without luck, how they’ve sent Penny23 (Arjun Gupta) a bunny warning him not to travel to Fillory because of the time jump, and how they’re too scared to go through the portal tree back to Earth. Margo also holds out hope that Josh is somehow still alive 300 years later. They are interrupted by locals celebrating “The Great Unshackling,” which they quickly discover is actually about them. They go with the locals to the castle where the celebration is being held, and watch a re-enactment of their time ruling Fillory. They learn after they last left that something known as The Takers began terrorizing Fillory and Josh and Fen did not help their people. The Dark King came and saved Fillory and Josh (Trevor Einhorn) and Fen (Brittany Curran) were killed.
Margo is PISSED when she learns of Josh’s fate. She wants to use time magic to save them both. In order to do that, they must travel to the center of the world via giant slide. Once in the center of the world they meet the Clock Dwarf responsible for time. He explains there was a large magic surge that caused Fillory’s timeline to jump ahead 300 years. But he can’t help them, his magic can’t go back in time, only forwards.
Back at the castle, Margo brings up the Monster that took over Eliot’s body and Q’s death to try to get him to talk about it, but Eliot refuses. She wants him to be real with her, then storms off to get some space. A guard sees her banishment marks and knocks her out.
When she awakens she’s locked in a cell with some sort of ghost of Josh. She sees how scared he was before he died, but he disappears before she can comfort him.
Earth | Julia (Julia) and Penny are getting ready for a date, and Julia may be a bit overdressed. Penny consensually traveled them to watch a magical meteor shower, but things go haywire when there’s a surge of magic causing the meteors to go crazy. Back at home, Julia tells Penny she wants to use her magic, the magic she only has because of Quentin, to fix the surges. A sober Dean Fogg (Rick Worthy) interrupts, he needs Penny.
It turns out that there’s so much magic now that Brakebills is overcrowded with students. Fogg needs Penny to teach all the Travelers. Penny seems surprised, but begrudgingly agrees.
Penny teaches his first class, and it isn’t pretty. He warned his students of the dangers of traveling, then just told them to get anti-traveling tattoos and took off.
Over at Alice’s mom’s house, Alice (Olivia Taylor Dudley)is really struggling. She’s received several letters from The Library, they won’t seem to take no for an answer. Her mother makes her get up and help her with something super important, cheating her garden club. They are interrupted by a knock on the door, it’s Julia. She wants Alice’s help to perform a seance so they can talk to Quentin. Alice doesn’t think it’s a good idea. She misses Q too, but this doesn’t seem right to her. Julia gives Alice one of Q’s old books that contains little notes in the margins, so that Alice can still read his thoughts even though she can’t talk to him.
Later, Alice contacts The Library and agrees to help for the afternoon. She works with Phyllis (Jewel Staite) and learns that Zelda has taken off. Alice’s task for the afternoon: unlock the Library’s Index, which contains the locations of every book.
Alice makes sure Phyllis gets nice and drunk, then takes advantage of Phyllis going to the bathroom to quickly unlock the index, find the location of a book, then get the book. I’m sure we can all guess whose book it was.
A random man knocks on the door and needs Kady’s (Jade Tailor) help. His friend blew off his arm trying to remove his mark. Kady agrees to help the man after he explains that he doesn’t have health insurance, which is too real it’s funny. Kady reattaches his arm, and after a bout of puking, sends him on his way. Kady and Pete discuss The Library, and end up finding an old Librarian and ask him for help. They need a way to safely remove marks on Hedge Witches.
Later, Kady and Pete (David Call) are looking for a specific building, but it seems to be missing. Kady thinks someone stole it and mind-wiped everyone in the area, which would involve a LOT of magic.
Julia enters the kitchen and sees a literal sexist pig rummaging through the fridge. Sir Effingham (Sean Maguire) is the worst kind of pig-man and refuses to let Julia take his quest because she’s a woman, even if she could end the apocalypse she claims to be coming. When Julia later fills Penny in on what stupid pig-man said, she decides she’s going to figure out what’s bringing the apocalypse, and she’s going to stop it.
After Penny learns he can’t quit, he gets his head on straight and gives his students the class they deserve. He travels them all to another world. Once of his students pulls him aside and says she’s hearing a strange signal. Penny briefly lowers his wards so he can listen, and suddenly travels away them back again. Whatever the signal was, it made him lose control of himself, which probably isn’t good.
Alice and her mother have a fantastic conversation about grief over a cigarette. Her mother gives Alice permission to grieve Quentin in whatever way she needs to to get through it. Alice takes that advice to heart, and takes the book Julia gave her along with the book she stole from the Library (Q’s book) down to the basement, where a there is a body made out of Living Clay.
The Magicians airs on SYFY Wednesday’s at 10pm!