TV Recap: The Magicians – The Mosaic

The Magicians
“A Life in the Day”
February 7, 2018

For three seasons, The Magicians has been this little show that could; turning out great stories with interesting characters and whimsical plots but tonight, “A Life in the Day” pushes The Magicians into the pantheon of great television.

There is an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation called “Inner Light.” Its widely considered one of the best episodes TNG ever made and in it, the Enterprise’s captain, Jean Luc Picard, is knocked unconscious on the bridge and awakes on a planet. And, over the course of the episode, he lives a full life on that planet with a wife, children, grandchildren. He experiences highs and lows and all the pain and joy of living.  And when he wakes back on the Enterprise, he retains all of those memories and it changes him ever after. Changes him in ways that are tangible and intangible.

“A Life in the Day” is The Magicians‘ “Inner Light” and we have all been changed … changed for the better.

Read on for Deep Dive Recap … After the Jump!

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TV Recap: The Magicians – Mr. Cellophane!

The Magicians
“Be the Penny”
January 31, 2018

If you have seen tonight’s episode, I think you can agree this was some of Arjun Gupta’s best work in this entire series and this is a Top 3 episode of The Magicians overall.  The narrative device they use, alone, will make it a fan favorite.

Without giving away spoilers (that’s after the jump), most of the scenes tonight feature a device I described in my own head as a “Play within a Play” mechanic. We are watching someone watching others. And both layers are important to the story, specifically and generally.  The device holds together really well throughout every transition and serves to connect all the characters’ threads into one storyline. The last few weeks, we have seen some connectivity between the different characters (e.g., Eliot and Q via Bunny Text) but overall, everyone has been off doing their own thing.  Tonight, through Penny, everyone is connected in a coherent way that reminds you (if you even needed reminding), why you love this show … and that’s no small magic trick .

Read the recap for “Be the Penny” (spoilers!!!! You’ve been Warned) … after the jump!

(Photo by: Eric Milner/Syfy)

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TV Recap: The Magicians – Thrimble, Dimble, Pickled Plum …

The Magicians
“The Losses of Magic”
January 24, 2018

Episode 3 of this third Season continued moving the plot forward while throwing up new curves and questions. I talk about it below, but the character development we are seeing this season is fantastic and everyone is in on the action.

For sure, there were some real Feels this episode with some tough emotional beats but  The Magicians delivers in making you feel everything, up and down, over the course of an hour and you can’t really ask for better TV than that.

Our recap (SPOILERS!) of “The Losses of Magic” … after the jump !

(Photo by: Eike Schroter/Syfy)

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TV Recaps: The Magicians – All Aboard The Muntjac

The Magicians
“Heroes and Morons”
January 17, 2018

Following last week’s meeting with the Great Cock, the Epic Quest began in earnest tonight with Eliot and an unpredictable traveling party setting sail on the Muntjac, while Quentin, Julia, Josh and some reluctant add-ons try to track down Mayakovsky’s batteries here on Earth.

Fun fact, a muntjac is a deer. That’s not really fun but writer of The Magicians, Sera Gamble, confirmed that the muntjac is a type of deer that exists both on Earth AND in Fillory, and that IS a fun fact.  Recap full of spoilers … after the jump!

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TV Recaps: The Magicians – I’m Grace Park

The Magicians
“The Tales of the Seven Keys”
January 10, 2018

(Photo by: Eike Schroter/Syfy)

The Magicians returned tonight to start us on a new epic quest which will take a good season to play out.  We were re-acquainted with all of our favorite Magicians and over the course of this single hour, heard more memorable lines than you’re likely to hear on any other show over the course of a whole season.  The writing and delivery on The Magicians is so spot on, its equal parts, nerdy, fantastical, whimsical, badass-ical, sassy and sincere. Its like being lulled by a train smoothly rolling on its tracks with a rhythmic clackety clack that just sweeps you along for the ride. Anyway, more thoughts on this amazing episode and the season outlook at the end of the post.  Grab some bacon, sit back and enjoy.

Warning: This is going to be a long post, so drink lots of water (you must be diligent about hydration) and buckle up.  Before we meet the Great Cock of the Darkling Woods and embark on an Epic Quest with our friends, let’s talk about what happened before … Continue reading “TV Recaps: The Magicians – I’m Grace Park”