Break out the pitch pipes and Broadway playbills because The Magicians is channeled its inner Valjean this week. When Eliot takes on the King of Loria in a one-on-one duel, he needs support from everyone in his life in a variety of ways. Quentin still battles with what to do about Niffin Alice and Kady, Julia, and Penny come face to face with Reynard’s demigod son. “Lesser Evils” was written by Ellie Lipson & John McNamara and directed by Rebecca Johnson. Here is what went down.
“RULERS DONE GONNA RUMBLE” | The time has come for Fillory and Loria to do battle and Fillory isn’t anywhere near ready. Their soldiers are deserting and magical brown-outs are happening all the time. The council informs Margo (Summer Bishil) and Eliot (Hale Appleman) of a less-than-ideal option of one-on-one combat between rulers to settle the dispute. Eliot is all for taking on Loria’s king with magic on his side despite everyone else, Margo included, trying to talk him out of it. Eliot starts learning to sword fight to take on a king who has dueled and won fourteen times, killing all of his opponents. To make matters worse, Margo discovers that there are only two sword fighting spells known in the universe and both take months to learn. Luckily for Eliot, his loving wife Fen (Brittany Curran) comes from a long line of weapons forgers and her grandfather crafted a sword and accompanying spell specifically for a king who would not have the time to spend months training. Margo is still worried about Eliot’s odds and meets with Abigail the Ruthless Sloth to see if there is a way to guarantee the Wellspring doesn’t die on him during the duel. Abigail tells her about the fairies, full of immense power and the ability to not only help, but to cure the Wellspring entirely. Margo is furious nobody told her about them sooner but they were kept from her for good reason. The fairies are known for striking complex deals with steep prices but Margo is adamant. She demands a meeting with their ambassador to strike a deal. While she is waiting to hear from the fairies, Margo sits Eliot down to give him some last minute encouragement before his big duel. That encouragement comes in the form of inciting a real life musical number from Les Mis and it might be the purest moment of joy the series has had from day one. “One Day More” ends with Eliot and co. on the dueling field with Prince Ess (guest star Arlen Escarpeta) and his father King Idri (guest star Leonard Roberts). Eliot enchants his sword and he and the King begin their duel. Idri runs into the forest so Eliot must follow, leaving everyone else to watch from a seeing pool in a bowl. Margo is informed that the fairy ambassador is waiting for her at the castle and as added motivation, at that moment the Wellspring pitters out entirely leaving Eliot defenseless against a master swordsman. Eliot runs up a tree and hides while Margo returns to the castle to make a hasty deal to save Eliot’s life. The ambassador agrees to fix the Wellspring in exchange for Eliot’s unborn child. Margo isn’t about to agree to that but the immediate threat on Eliot’s life causes her to give in. While Margo is bargaining with the ambassador, Eliot has his own chat with Idri and discovers some previously unknown information about the perks of being a monarch in Fillory. The fairies fix the Wellspring in time for Eliot and Idri to make an alliance. The bond will be forged by their marriage as Eliot is entitled to both a wife and a husband. Margo keeps to herself how she was able to fix the Wellspring but that deal won’t stay secret long.
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SON OF A GOD | Kady (Jade Tailor) and Penny (Arjun Gupta) spring Julia (Stella Maeve) from her Fillorian jail cell and the three of them pay a visit to Senator John Gaines (guest star Christopher Gorham) aka Reynard’s lost son. He has no idea that he has more power radiating from him than all the magicians in the world combined and he isn’t ready to believe it yet, even with the Kidnapping Trio’s demonstration. Julia is ready to just kill him and use his power but Kady and Penny stop her. While they are arguing, Gaines gets angry and in trying to kick them out of his office, releases a burst of energy that knocks them back and causes him to pass out. Julia is still all for killing him but Penny and Kady make her opt for the slightly less illegal option of kidnapping him instead. They keep him in a closet until Reynard (Mackenzie Astin) shows up outside the campus wards and starts calling out to his son inside his head. The Wellspring puttering out drops the wards and allows Reynard to just waltz onto campus. While everyone else evacuates to the one room on campus still safe from him, Julia grabs Quentin (Jason Ralph) and throws him at Reynard in the hopes that Quentin will release Niffin Alice (Olivia Taylor Dudley) in order to kill Reynard and save his own life. Penny and Kady run up and Penny tries to save Quentin but Reynard freezes them both in place. It is only when Gaines shows up and agrees to go with his father that Reynard leaves, Gaines in tow. Later, Julia wakes up in a strange room with no magic and finds the door locked. Kady opens a panel to talk to her and tells her it is a clean room, devoid of magic, and it is where Julia will be staying until they can figure out what to do with her.
TO FREE OR NOT TO FREE | Quentin has been locked in a literal cage after Penny and Kady discovered he was keeping Niffin Alice inside him. His cell neighbor is suffering from sexually transmitted lycanthropy (as you do) and isn’t making things easier for him. The Healer examines him and tells him that he is dying and quickly. His only chance at survival is to either release Niffin Alice (a no-can-do) or box her up. He refuses to do either so in the cell he stays. Niffin Alice tries to convince him that all she wants is to do cool magic like Friar Joseph and promises she won’t go on a killing spree but he still isn’t having it. The only thing that changes his mind is after he almost dies and then Julia practically feeds him to Reynard. He goes to an abandoned junk yard and officially releases her rather than boxing her up. Niffin Alice gives him a nod and shoots off into the sky.
OTHER THOUGHTS:
• Line of the Night goes to Eliot with the under his breath mumble of, “Insert weak double entendre I’d have to explain.”
• The musical number might be my favorite moment of the series to date. It was the purest feeling of joy I have had watching the show and actually worked within the plot. Bravo.
• Abigail the Blunt Sloth is a side character that I never thought I would enjoy as much as I do.
So what did you think? What is going to happen when everyone finds out the deal Margo made with the fairies? Is there a way to bring back Julia’s shade? Was Niffin Alice telling the truth when she promised not to go on a killing spree? Let us know your theories in the comments below!
The Magicians airs Wednesdays at 9pm on Syfy.