DISCLAIMER: This recap of The Magicians episodes “Apocalypse? Now?!” and “Oops!…I Did It Again” contains more spoilers than the number of films Josh has seen. Hey, he doesn’t run his own film club for nothing. He’s got the credentials! You’ve been warned. Proceed with caution.
Welcome back, Fillorians! The Magicians delivered two episodes back-to-back this week! Our protagonists had to avert the apocalypse… again. Just a normal Wednesday then, eh? “Apocalypse? Now?!” was rife with wonderful one-liners and incredible Eliot moments. Not to mention, my sass factory Marina (Kacey Rohl) makes her return! Here’s hoping she resurfaces later this season. “Oops!…I Did It Again” was also chock full of Eliot brilliance. Hale Appleman has been firing on all cylinders this season. His performances have been nothing short of astonishing. Not to mention, his nuanced portrayal of Eliot in a post-Monster and post-Quentin world is equal parts heartbreaking and touching. I’ve said it once, but I think it bears repeating – The Magicians has done a phenomenal job of handling the grief process and PTSD. Eliot’s trauma regarding the Monster was laid bare in a graceful manner.
Alright, ready to delve into Episode 5 and Episode 6 of The Magicians? Just be sure to stock up on Josh’s infamous meth muffins. You know, in case you need to stay awake for five consecutive days. You never know!
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(S05E05) Apocalypse? Now?!
Now, we open with Zelda (Mageina Tovah) explaining to our heroes exactly how they’re supposed to move the moon. She suggests they get in contact with a Lunatic. Apparently, Lunatics are moon fanatics who worship the moon. According to Zelda, the moon doesn’t possess any magical properties due to centuries of magicians casting spells on it. Thus, there’s quite a few wards/spells residue encasing the rock.
Next, Alice (Olivia Taylor Dudley) and Julia (Stella Maeve) roll into a mental hospital to visit a Lunatic. Said Lunatic reveals that our protagonists must retrieve a hunk of moon rock. Then, three advanced magicians are to cast a spell on the rock while underneath the moon. The moon should go through a bevy of colors – if it turns green, then it’s listening, red means it’s not, etc. Once the moon is open to listening, then our heroes must ask her to move. One doesn’t simply demand the moon move. Just like one doesn’t simply walk into Mordor. The moon appreciates politeness, just like the rest of us.
Meanwhile, Professor Lipson (Keegan Connor Tracy) is now acting dean of Brakebills since Fogg is MIA. So please, call her Dean Lipson. She informs Penny (Arjun Gupta) that travelling, for him, will be a crap shoot without his psychic abilities. Much like flying blind. It’s incredibly risky and something he should avoid altogether. Penny inquires if this means he can quit teaching since he can no longer travel safely. Unfortunately, with Fogg out of commission, Penny’s contract is even more watertight. So, he must continue educating and molding young magical minds. Oh, and the Welters’ team needs a new coach. Sign Penny up!
Later, we see Margo (Summer Bishil) and Eliot (Hale Appleman) chatting in an empty corridor in Whitespire. Margo is attempting to avoid Josh since the latter is keen on them having “the talk.” You know, a serious relationship conversation. Eliot is finding himself on Team Dark King’s side. Well, he is hot. I get it. Josh (Trevor Einhorn) enters the scene and reveals that he’s been promoted to Head Chef for the Dark King. Here’s hoping the job promotion comes with a hefty raise. Oh, and a pair of bunnies appeared form Earth claiming that the apocalypse is nigh. Thus, the trio heads home to reunite with their friends for some end-of-the-world action.
Then, everyone is united in New York. Alice and Julia reveal what they gleaned from the Lunatic. In order to “see” the moon shift colors, one must contract “moon brain.” So how does one go about getting moon brain? By not sleeping for five consecutive days, of course! Yay Team No Sleep! Josh goes about brewing copious amounts of coffee and cooking an overabundance of food to keep everyone awake. As it turns out, the Harmonic Convergence is supposed to take place in five days’ time.
Meanwhile, Kady (Jade Tailor) enlists Zelda’s help in locating the missing book depository in Hell’s Kitchen. Zelda reveals that moved depositories tend to be even more camouflaged than usual. The pair set out in search of it. Next, back in Fillory, Fen (Brittany Curran) is working as an outside maid for the Dark King. She stumbles upon the fairy Margo captured in the previous episode. Said fairy recognizes Fen as “Acting High King Fen.” Then, she urges Fen to follow her. To where…we don’t know. But hopefully we’ll find out soon!
Later, we see Josh accidentally fall asleep while baking muffins. He’s having a sexy times dream involving Margo when he’s unceremoniously jolted awake by his friends. Margo insists that Josh’s undisclosed muffin ingredient for keeping them awake is meth. Meth muffins! Get your meth muffins! Guaranteed to keep you awake for five days! Julia gathers everyone together for an anti-pep pep talk. Sure, she’s not very poignant or romantic when it comes to speeches, but Julia gets the point across in a blatant and pragmatic manner. Everyone is starting to feel discouraged since not much progress has been made in attaining a moon rock over the past few days.
Suddenly, our heroes stumble across a billionaire’s Instagram page. Said billionaire has the same crescent moon tattoo on his eyeball as the Lunatic from earlier in the episode. He probably has a moon rock in his possession! Time to pay Mr. Billionaire a visit.
Next, Julia and Eliot are at the billionaire’s lavish home. They cast an illusion spell over their eyes so it appears they’re sporting the crescent moon tattoo. Mr. Billionaire shows them his moon rock. He knows full well the impending Harmonic Convergence is going to be catastrophic. However, he doesn’t care. He plans on swooping in and helping to “rebuild” the world. Then, he notices that Julia and Eliot aren’t real Lunatics, and kicks them out. Thankfully, Julia and Alice are wearing the “best b**ches” necklaces. Thus, Alice can see where Julia is, and she can craft the perfect plan to hijack the moon rock. I’m digging Alice and Julia’s friendship. I hope these two remain best b**ches forever.
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Later, Julia pulls Eliot aside. Eliot has been hearing voices – more specifically, a voice that sounds like the Monster. Julia notices that Eliot has been spacing out quite a bit, and she chalks it up to the latter’s evident PTSD and grief. While the sister monster only inhabited her body for a short time, Julia still recalls the violent gore and bloodshed that took place. Now, she can recount everything with perfect clarity since she’s sleep deprived. Eliot brushes her off, saying that he’s just immensely tired. Stop lying, El. We all love you!
Meanwhile, Kady and Zelda are coming up short while in pursuit of the missing depository. Kady feels guilty for leaving Fogg in the acid realm. Zelda regales Kady with a tale of her own time spent in said realm. Yes, Zelda has a past, and it’s not pretty. Zelda also gives Kady a much-needed kick in the bum. She encourages Kady to quit wallowing in self-pity and do what she needs to do. Find the depository, pinpoint the book that reveals how to remove Reed’s Marks and save her fellow hedge witches. I love her frankness here, and Kady’s reception of it. Finally, Kady locates the depository. The pair sneak inside and swipe the books they need.
Next, Alice reveals that special bonds have been cast over Mr. Billionaire’s moon rock. Bonds of the incorporate variety, perhaps? Regardless, it all reeks of Professor Mayakovsky. Definitely his purview. Julia and Alice travel to Brakebills South and run into his daughter. Yes, our favorite curmudgeonly alcoholic Russian professor has a daughter. She reveals that the bonds are hers. She used to date Mr. Billionaire. Now, she’ll help our heroes… for a price. She demands either Alice or Julia give up their shades. Well, we’ve seen Julia without her shade. Perhaps Alice will sacrifice her own this time?
Later, our crew is dressed to the nines and gathered outside Mr. Billionaire’s opulent estate. A moon party is taking place. Eliot spies the words “Let me out” scrawled in what appears to be blood on the side of their getaway van. Perhaps the message is related to the voices he keeps hearing? Mayakovsky’s daughter is with them.
Next, Margo, Penny and Josh create a distraction. Mr. Billionaire’s cameras show Mayakovsky’s daughter fleeing the scene with the moon rock. Even the room housing said rock appears to be bereft of it now. However, when his guards pull Mayakovsky’s daughter over, we see that Kady is behind the steering wheel. Bam! Mr. Billionaire’s guards catch Margo, Penny and Josh. They interrogate our trio. Meanwhile, we see that some kind of illusion spell was cast over the room, as the moon rock was never moved. Julia, Alice and Eliot are present. They have a full view of the moon and triple the amount of moon brain to spare.
Now, our trio begin casting the intricate spell on the moon rock. Suddenly, the moon begins to change colors, and it lands on green. It’s listening! However, that green quickly shifts to red. The spell failed. Eliot storms out. The incessant voices in his head continue their pestering. He wholeheartedly believes the Monster is still inside of him, even though we know Quentin threw the latter into the Seam. Eliot stands before a mirror, and we see Eliot from when he was possessed by the Monster staring back at him. Thus solidifying the theory that a remnant of the Monster still lingers within El. This scene is heartbreaking, and a stark reminder that PTSD is a very real and serious condition.
Meanwhile, a new player waltzes into the game. Marina (Kacey Rohl) saunters into the moon rock room with her lackey in tow. Yes, Marina was the one who sent the sleeper assassin after Kady and Pete. Yes, she was also the one who made the book depository disappear. Marina is up to her old tricks again, and rocking a bada** new hairdo in the process. It’s called multitasking – look it up!
Now, she wants the Harmonic Convergence to go through as planned, since it’s in her best interest. She casts magical handcuffs on Julia and Alice. Kady attempts to blast a spell in Marina’s direction, but with all the energy in the room and the magical surges, there’s a good chance said spell will kill everyone. Eliot reappears and casts a spell on the moon rock to contact the moon again. Marina does the same. Of course, now there’s two opposing magicians attempting to sway the moon simultaneously – one asking her to move, and one asking her to stay put.
Suddenly, the moon explodes. It completely crumbles. Fragments of it will, undoubtedly, speed toward Earth in due time. Well…that escalated quickly. Meth muffins, anyone?
(S05E06) Oops!…I Did It Again
Now, we open with our crew preparing for the end of the world. News broadcasts worldwide predict that moon debris will strike Earth. A catastrophe of epic proportions will unfold. Eliot (Hale Appleman) and Margo (Summer Bishil) have a private moment to themselves as they process the impending (and now inevitable) apocalypse. They even share their “safe” words. God, I love these two together.
Meanwhile, Julia (Stella Maeve) refuses to give up. Josh (Trevor Einhorn) is feverishly baking homemade pizza as a coping mechanism. Penny (Arjun Gupta) informs the group that said moon debris will make impact at 10 p.m. Eastern time. Alice (Olivia Taylor Dudley) is poring over books in an attempt to find the perfect spell to eradicate the apocalypse. Julia suggests they open up a portal, but Alice insists that the meta-math isn’t quite right. Kady (Jade Tailor) bursts into the apartment unkempt and in a frenzy. She explains that the world outside is utter chaos. Oh, and she crafted a spell while on the subway to solve their little end-of-the-world problem. Alice glances over it and gives it the thumbs up. Yay Kady!
Next, Julia and Kady make amends. It’s all water under the bridge – every squabble regarding Reynard is all in the past. Thank Ember the original best b**ches are reunited! Perhaps they can add Alice and make it a trio. My heart is fit to burst. Suddenly, the time is nigh. Our protagonists spot moon debris hurtling toward them at an alarming rate. They gather together to perform Kady’s spell to avert the fragments. Unfortunately… it doesn’t work. The debris makes contact and all of civilization is promptly wiped out. The end! Show’s over! So long and thanks for all the fish!
Then, we learn that it’s not quite over just yet. Our heroes wake up in the same state as the beginning of the episode. Josh making pizza, Penny watching the news, Julia and Alice racing against the clock for a solution. Kady barging in from the chaotic outside world. Margo and Eliot sense something is amiss. A massive feeling of deja vu. This has all happened before. (And it will happen again. Sorry – I couldn’t help myself.) They realize they’re stuck in a time loop! Fun! This gives them limitless opportunities to solve the apocalypse.
Next, we see a montage of our heroes offering up solutions to the hurtling debris quandary. They suggest Penny travel to space and move the debris himself, armed with a spell to supply him with oxygen. Unfortunately, this ends up with Penny imploding. Blood and guts everywhere. It’s a literal bloody mess. Thankfully, the clock resets once more, and we’re back at square one.
Later, Eliot and Margo pay the time magician from last season a visit. You know, the one whose mother died no thanks to Penny. Fortunately, homeboy isn’t out for revenge or fulfilling his personal vendetta. Unfortunately, none of his time gadgets work. So, there goes that.
Then, Eliot and Margo put their heads together and try a different approach– unbridled hedonism. A normal day that ends in “y” for our favorite duo. They realize their best ideas tend to sprout from a night of hardcore partying. Eliot and Margo return to the Physical Kids’ cottage and inform the bunch of the apocalypse, and urge them to party like never before. We see our pair cavorting and reveling with the best of them– shooters are involved, copious amounts of drugs and limitless booze. But– nothing. Margo even gave Todd a little tug downstairs! A sacrifice for the greater good, folks!
Next, Eliot spots a door with “Let me out” scrawled in crimson. He’s still hearing the voice of what he perceives to be the Monster. We see our El unraveling because of it– he’s so convinced that the Monster still resides within him. Later, back at the apartment, Margo urges Eliot to open up and be honest with her. He finally reveals his worst fears regarding the Monster. Margo reassures him that she sealed the Monster in that jar herself, and Q effectively decimated it via the Seam. Then, she suggests Eliot sit this next attempt out. She heard tell that someone on the beach at Pier 17 may have a solution to their time loop problem. She heads out to get the scoop.
Later, we see Eliot doing yoga in Central Park. Well, more like sitting there entranced. He arrives at the apartment and notices that Margo’s memory has been wiped. She doesn’t remember anything regarding the time loop. Now Eliot is alone, and he must save the world by his lonesome. He reveals the time loop issue to Josh, and the pair decide to grab lunch together at the latter’s bucket list restaurant.
Then, Josh encourages Eliot to soldier on. He’s comforted by his knowledge that our El will save them all. Eliot is afraid he’ll merely live out the remainder of his existence entrapped in the time loop. Alone and lonely. Josh also encourages Eliot to face his fears and to open the door he’s incessantly seeing. El takes his advice and does just that– he finally opens the door.
Suddenly, we see Charlton (the original body housing the Monster) waltz into the apartment. Apparently, Charlton has been trying to get Eliot’s attention. The voices? That was Charlton. The creepy “Let me out” messages? Also Charlton. Let’s just say subtlety is not his forte. Eliot is relieved that the Monster is truly gone.
Later, the pair strolls to Pier 17, where Margo went prior to her memory wipe. A lone old-school TV is perched within. Eliot turns it on, and we see a bevy of whales swimming in the sea. They’re talking to El. Apparently, whales are magicians. Who knew?! They’re protecting a creature called the Kraken. You know, like “Release the Kraken!” Whales are constantly drawing sigils into the sand to prevent the Kraken from breaking free. The whales erased Margo’s memory because she was a little too brusque with them. Sounds about right.
Next, they also reveal that due to the moon crumbling, they have a “fail safe” protocol currently in implementation. The clock is set back a certain number of hours so the human magicians have time to save the world. Oh– and the reason Eliot and Margo were impervious to the time loop was because of the magical perfume they nicked from Jane Chatwin.
Now, Eliot returns home and brings the group together. He reveals the time loop and what he learned from the whales. He believes unleashing the Kraken may be their only hope. Time to face his fears head on– again. Eliot and Charlton return to the beach. El shouts at the whales and urges them to release the Kraken. Suddenly, a scuba diver emerges from the deep, but he’s not the Kraken. However, the massive creature with multiple tentacles might be. Yep, that thing is the Kraken. It towers over Eliot and Charlton, all apocalyptic and such.
Suddenly, Eliot jumps back even further in time. Back to when our crew were outside Mr. Billionaire’s home and plotting to steal his moon rock. Eliot is utterly elated. Yay El! Now they can remedy the moon crumbling problem and prevent Marina from intervening. Our crew effectively knocks Marina out prior to her casting the spell. Alice, Julia and Eliot beseech the moon once again. Thankfully, she agrees to listen and she moves. Harmonic Convergence is officially cancelled!
Later, our crew is celebrating their successful averting of the apocalypse… again. Eliot and Margo share an intimate moment, wherein the former reveals how proud he is of the latter. Margo has evolved. They both reveal how lost they are without each other. They work better together than apart. Eliot and Margo are literal soulmates. Always and forever.
Next, Todd bursts into their apartment. He reveals that a fancy pig asked him to go on an epic quest. You know, the same one he was prepared to give to Quentin. Julia reassured Todd that the world has been effectively saved from imminent danger. That’s when Todd drops a knowledge bomb – as it turns out, Fillory is the world in need of saving. Well, there’s that.
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Now, there were so many wonderful Eliot and Margo moments in Episode Six. Not to mention, Eliot’s growth this season is beautiful to witness. He’s learning to face his fears head on, and the PTSD parallels are not lost on me. I’m glad The Magicians Powers That Be didn’t sweep Eliot’s Monster trauma under the rug. However, I’m not sure about that ending. Everything was stellar up until that final moment. Our gang worked hard to avert the Earth apocalypse only to discover that they apparently saved the wrong world? Moreover, it kind of discounts everything that occurred in the past six episodes. Well, not entirely– Eliot’s journey was wholly necessary.
Do you think Julia will overtake the Fillorian quest from Todd? What lies in store for our crew in Fillory? Is the Dark King an active participant in this impending catastrophe? Join me next week as I recap The Magicians, here on Geek Girl Authority.
The Magicians airs Wednesdays at 10pm 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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