Welcome back, Librarians of the Order! We’ve reached the penultimate episode of The Magicians…and what an episode it was! There were deaths. We took a journey into the Poison Room with Penny. Persephone finally appeared, revealing a revelation about her connection to Reynard. And that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, friends. Let’s take a closer look into the events of “Ramifications,” which certainly lived up to its title. Friendly reminder that spoilers lurk in the Poison Room and can be acidic to the touch. Beware!
We open with Quentin (Jason Ralph) and Julia (Stella Maeve) pleading with Mayakovsky (Brian F. O’Byrne) to help them revive Real Alice. Mayakovsky, being the wonderful giver that he is, refuses. He doesn’t have enough magic to sustain bringing someone back from the dead. Julia pokes holes in that claim by pointing out the batteries he has that preserve magical currents. Quentin tells him they have Alice’s Shade, which already is half the battle. He launches into a monologue about why Mayakovsky should help them. In a way, he’s sort of responsible for the events that transpired – the woman who loved him when berserk, which resulted in Alice’s brother Charlie going niffin. You just got Q’d, son! It’s about damn time Quentin stood his ground.
RELATED: Read All The Magicians Recaps HERE!
Later, we see the trio setting up the spell to revive Alice. This process involves someone losing their Shade, so naturally Julia volunteers. Quentin and Julia get inside a cage set to trap Niffin Alice, who won’t be thrilled to see them. Q removes Julia’s Shade, which attracts Alice’s Shade. They lock the latter inside the cage and summon Niffin Alice. Then, our trio performs a spell to fuse the two Alices together. And…it works! We see the Real Alice (Olivia Taylor Dudley), tangible and fleshy, crouched in the cage. Unfortunately, she looks rather unhappy to be alive.
Then, Quentin is playing nursemaid and weighing on Alice hand and foot. He retrieves clothes for her, offers to bring her oatmeal to eat. Alice is unresponsive. Quentin confesses he’s happy to see her again. Alice gives him a piercing glare, followed by a “fuck you.” Uh oh. All is not well in the Coldwater/Quinn household.
Meanwhile, in the Neitherlands library, Penny (Arjun Gupta) and Sylvia (Roan Curtis) are concocting a plan to break into the Poison Room. Sylvia reveals there is a portal to the Poison Room, a fountain with a stack of books as a statue. Once they gain access to the fountain, they reach their final destination. Sylvia believes if they split up, they can find the fountain in a few weeks at the least. Penny, whose head grew three sizes that day, believes because he is a Traveler he can find the fountain in a matter of hours. Cocky Penny is the best Penny.
Later, Eliot (Hale Appleman) finds Quentin sitting alone, looking very pensive. Q is surprised to see Eliot, until the latter reveals he was probably banished from Fillory for an unspecified reason. Eliot asks Quentin for the button. Q reluctantly confesses that he bartered the button to a dragon for access to the Underworld. Eliot calls the Gatekeeper “Trogdor,” which honestly makes my high school Strong Bad heart so happy. Suddenly, Alice walks in and hastily grabs a stack of books, refusing to make eye contact with the other occupants in the room. Eliot, in shock, now silently understands why Q went to the Underworld…
Meanwhile, in Fillory, Josh (Trevor Einhorn) is now the only child of Earth in the realm, making him acting High King. Tick Pickwick (Rizwan Manji) and fellow members of the council give Josh a laundry list of issues to fix in the kingdom. However, Acting High King decides to invoke his mantra, “Hakuna Matata,” and light up. He convinces the other council members to get blazed with him and the quartet lives it up in a stoner’s montage. Honestly, Josh for President in 2020. He can’t be worse than what we have now.
Later, Julia shows up at the Physical Kids’ house in Brakebills. She sees Kady (Jade Tailor), who immediately tries to leave the room. Julia apologizes to her former best bitch, saying that while she is Shade-less she knows she was wrong. She also needs Kady to help guide her morals when she starts getting too Beast-like. Kady eases up on the venom, saying she also needs her best bitch too.
She leads Julia to Senator Gaines (Christopher Gorham), who reveals that Persephone and Reynard are connected. Everything Reynard has done to Persephone’s followers has been out of revenge. Also – Persephone is Our Lady Underground. Julia says in order to lure Reynard they must make it appear Persephone is present. She also suggests they teach Gaines magic so he can wield it against his father. Yay for familial battles!
Meanwhile, Eliot and Quentin are having bro bonding time by drinking each other under the table. Well, they’re also brainstorming on where the other portal to Fillory is, so it’s more productive than it sounds. Q realizes the grandfather clock, the one he saw in the pilot, was crafted in the Chatwin family. Very Chronicles of Narnia. That could be another portal!
Later, our Most High King (heehee) is asleep with a lady friend. Margo (Summer Bishil) appears to him from the fairy realm. Josh is taken aback, and vows to never let someone else pack his bong again. Apparently, that particular strain allows the consumer to see other worlds, hence why he could see Margo. She is trapped with the fairies, and still has yet to find Fen. Our High Queen demands Josh come find her. I would listen to Margo, dude. She could kick your ass.
Meanwhile, Penny and Sylvia find the fountain to the Poison Room. Sylvia, being the clever hacker she is, performs a spell to break the wards of the fountain. Easy like Sunday mornin’! She also reveals the Order started storing the books on librarians in the Poison Room due to a glitch. This glitch resulted in the last twenty pages of every living person’s book to be completely blank. Sylvia hopes to crack this mystery. Penny is ready to jump in feet first when Sylvia says she’s going with him. We see her tie a rope around her waist, Mission Impossible style, since she knows Penny can’t travel with a person.
The duo finally gains entry, and boy, does that room look poisonous. We see decaying statues and floating debris. Everything is awash in a gray hue. Not a place you’d want to shack up in. Penny thinks about how literal “Poison Room” is. Sylvia says they better be fast, so as not to find out.
Later, Gaines returns to his office to find Reynard (Mckenzie Astin) lounging at his desk. He gives Gaines a present, a token of affection. Gaines opens a small box to find his WIFE’S EAR. Yes, you read that correctly. Gaines demands to know where his wife is, but unfortunately, Reynard gave him “the biggest piece.” The Senator is distraught. Reynard slips the box into his son’s pocket. He tells Gaines that when he embraces his true self, the Senator will find him. Seriously, he’s one twisted bastard.
Meanwhile, Eliot and Quentin track down the possessor of the grandfather clock. They arrive at a quaint little house in Vancouver. A man named Nigel (Nico Evers-Swindell) opens the door and lets them in, after Q recites a passage from Fillory and Further. The secret entry code! We see that Nigel is a huge Fillory fan, with memorabilia galore. He even possesses a film script from 1983 of the failed movie adaptation of the Fillory books. Die hard fan, much? Eliot spots the grandfather clock and begins bidding with Nigel, who claims it isn’t for sale. While Q and Nigel discuss the film script, Nigel reveals a morsel of information that sounds the alarms. Q believes Nigel has been to Fillory.
Eliot performs a quick spell that uncovers Nigel’s true form, which is not human in the slightest. Quentin sees Umber standing before him. Yes, the Umber we all thought was dead. That one.
Later, Julia and Kady concoct a plan to summon Reynard. Every time Persephone made her appearance she was accompanied by a lightening storm, huge, nature-related fanfare. The girls will bring on a lightening storm. Boom! Gaines enters, flustered from his encounter with Reynard. He pours himself a drink. Julia joins him. Gaines reveals what Reynard said about her – that she is forever fucked up because of what happened. The Senator hopes Julia can find a way to stay herself and not allow Reynard to destroy her. He convinces her to go buy pizza for them. Then, he breaks down Kady’s wards, causing her nose to bleed. Gaines reveals that he can’t allow Julia to do what he’s about to ask Kady to do. Uh oh. This won’t end well.
Meanwhile, Alice is sitting on the floor, pouring over books. She’s frantically scribbling on the pages before her. Mayakovsky watches her. He has forbidden Quentin from seeing her for 48 hours. Alice is distraught because she has no magic. Mayakovsky informs her that essentially she’s like a newborn baby – she must develop her magic muscles again. We get a glimpse inside Alice’s psychological state as she tells Mayakovsky that humans are weak shells, that what she had as a niffin was beautiful. This reminds me of when Buffy was brought back from the dead, and hated being alive again because she saw Heaven. I love the parallels between these shows. Anyway, Mayakovsky gives Alice a piece of advice she didn’t ask for – take drugs. They will at least ease her pain as she transitions back to being human.
Later, Julia returns with a yummy pizza. Unfortunately, only two people are alive to eat it. Gaines forced Kady to perform a spell to kill him, so now the girls can use his energy to off Reynard. Essentially, Kady murdered someone.
Meanwhile, Penny finds the book about god-slaying, but notices time is not on his side. He sees his flesh start to decay due to being in the Poison Room for too long. Penny immediately sets out with the book to find Sylvia.
Then, we see Umber explain to Eliot and Quentin why he left Fillory – it was too dangerous. Martin Chatwin had Fillory “booby trapped to the gills.” So, he faked his own death and relocated to Vancouver. Umber begins to question the guys on what they like about Fillory. Apparently, he’s crafting a new world, a pocket realm of sorts, inside a small cube. Umber is calling it “Cuba.” Eliot reveals to the god that unfortunately, Cuba is already taken. Eliot reveals to Umber that he has a kingdom to fix, and must find a way back to Fillory. Umber finds humor in this, saying that Fillory is not his to fix. He’s merely a puppet for Ember’s amusement. Fillory operates on “opposites”- Ember is chaos, and Umber is peace.
Meanwhile, Penny and Sylvia are en route to the exit when Sylvia launches into a coughing fit. She collapses. Penny attempts to pick her up, but Sylvia refuses help. She says if he travels with her he will die. Sylvia also confesses that her book wasn’t blank at the end – it revealed that she dies in the Poison Room. Penny must leave her behind. Aw. I was really starting to like her too. She was the perfect female Penny!
Later, Penny arrives at the Physical Kids’ house with Kady’s book. He faints, while Kady cries for help.
Then, we see Josh and co. strolling along the corridors of Castle Whitespire. Rafe (Sergio Osuna) reveals that returning from the fairy realm is not easy; however, he does have a tincture to get him there. Josh counters the flaw in that logic, you know, having two people stuck in another realm is worse than one. Suddenly, Prince Ess (Arlen Escarpeta) arrives with Lorian soldiers, demanding to know where his father is. Josh reveals that King Idri might be a rat…just might. Prince Ess orders his battle magician to start slaughtering Fillorians, which results in dead soldiers at Josh’s feet. The latter, along with his council, makes a break for the throne room for protection. Prince Ess and co. begin attempting to hack down the door.
Later, Umber reveals some of the antics Ember was known for getting into, including his wish of turning people into rats. Eliot comes to the realization that The Rattening was Ember’s fault. Ember is probably responsible for Eliot’s banishment as well. Umber thinks the guys should move on and that Ember will eventually destroy Fillory due to boredom. Eliot convinces Umber to give them the grandfather clock so they can fix Fillory. The god finally relents, but warns them that “nothing entertains Ember more than a whimsical death.” That’s not chilling at all…
RELATED: Read All The Magicians Recaps HERE!
Meanwhile, Julia is crafting a god-killing bullet from one of the spells in the Poison Room book. Kady enters, and informs Julia that Penny has been quarantined in the school infirmary. Julia tells Kady that it took everything Gaines gave them to craft one bullet, so they better not throw away their shot (that’s to all my Hamilton homies)!
Later, while the Lorian soldiers are still hacking away at the door, Josh releases a gas to make them all giddy. Yes, they are high as kites. Josh and the council cover their mouths so as not to inhale the gas. Unfortunately, our Most High King slips up and spots Fen (Brittany Curran) being carted away by fairies. This prompts him to down the tincture and save Fen in the fairy realm. Oh Joshua of Yonkers, most brave are you!
Meanwhile, Kady and Julia are in a field, ready for battle. They summon a lightening storm, which in turn brings Reynard sniffing about for Persephone. Kady runs out to distract the trickster god. Julia sneaks up behind him, gun poised at the ready. Reynard laughs it off, not fully aware that this gun is powered by his deceased demigod son.
Suddenly, the skies clear and the sun shines brightly. All is quiet. Persephone (Garcelle Beauvais) appears. She pleads with Julia to spare Reynard, because he is her son. Oh shit! Julia counters that she was not there when they needed her the most. Reynard chimed in that she disappeared altogether. Persephone persists that there are consequences to killing a god. She will deal with Reynard. She also tells Julia not to allow Reynard to rob her of her mercy, which she still possesses even without a Shade. Julia relents, allowing Persephone to take Reynard with her to the Underworld. Kady is pissed! To be fair, she did just murder someone to help Julia. Julia’s former best bitch (RIP friendship) storms off.
Then, we see Julia’s Shade appear. Persephone brought her back with her from the Underworld. Julia reunites with her Shade once again. Seriously, she needs to implant a chip or something to keep track of her moral compass. There’s another joke in there somewhere.
Meanwhile, Quentin tries to talk to Alice. H gives her a pep talk, telling her she’s Alice Quinn, and she can figure anything out. This includes being able to practice magic again. Alice silently listens to Q’s speech. Who knows if she really believes him.
Later, Eliot and Quentin are standing before the grandfather clock portal. They’re about to bust into another realm to essentially wrest it from a god. Q points out that Martin Chatwin had a similar plan, but at least their plan is for the good of Fillory. Well, here goes nothing…
Wow! Once again, The Magicians delivers. Our penultimate episode was certainly chock full of twists and turns! Will the gang be able to save Fillory from a destructive Ember? Can Umber find another cube-related name for his new pocket realm? Will Josh rescue Fen and Margo in time? Can Quentin mend his relationship with Alice? So many questions! Guess we’ll have to find out next week for the season finale. Side note: The Magicians has been renewed for a third season, so expect to see more magical antics in 2018! Until next time…
The Magicians airs Wednesdays at 9pm on your SyFy affiliate.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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