‘The Magicians’ Brings The Ensemble Back Together In “The 4-1-1” – Only To Split Them Apart Again
By Vanessa Armstrong/April 4, 2019 11:00 am EST
“The 4-1-1” begins with a lot of the gang back together in New York City, a rare moment on this ensemble show, and one—given all the storylines that need to be tied up in the last three episodes—that’s necessarily short-lived. After Margo debriefs Quentin, Julia, Penny23 and Alice on her musical journey to the desert (she has ice axes to kick the evil god out of Eliot!), the crew splits into different groups again with seemingly disparate missions.
Relationships That Once Were, And Relationships That Could Be
Alice and Quentin’s quest this episode directly relates to the Eliot-Monster storyline (they head to Brakebills South to ask Mayakovsky to teach them to cast an incorporate bond), but the main thrust of this storyline is to remind us, with the heavy-handed tool of time travel, how much the two used to love each other. When Quentin travels back in time to Season 1, when he and Alice were two first-years in love, we get to see firsthand what they had, and what they’ve lost. When Quentin comes back with the incorporate bond and the knowledge that his discipline is the ability to repair small objects, you can’t help but see Alice hope that they can repair their relationship as well, to help it wake up and remember what it was before.Penny23 and Julia also explore their relationship this episode, with help from the McGuffin also known as Hyman Cooper, a deceased traveler who met Penny40 in Season 3. Hyman has shipped the two, and attempts to create a romantic moment for them that actually kinda works. Thanks to Hyman’s machinations, the two do start down the path of becoming more than friends. How far they make it down that path, however, remains uncertain—the Eliot-Monster, with timely prescience, pops into the room after they first start to kiss. The evil entity has been off-screen trying to bring his sister back, and he needs an indestructible body to put his sibling in. Julia, who can’t die, fits the bill, and Eliot-Monster summarily teleports her away, her fate to be revealed on a future episode.There are only two episodes left this season, but the convoluted threads we’ve been following are showing signs of coming together and getting sorted, one way or another. True, there are still some dangling plot points out there (who is Penny40 talking to in that elevator?!), but I have faith that all our questions will be answered, and all our worries will be resolved. At least for a moment or so—I also have faith the finale will fuck up everything all over again, and leave us eagerly waiting for Season 5.
‘The Magicians’ Brings The Ensemble Back Together In “The 4-1-1” – Only To Split Them Apart Again
By Vanessa Armstrong/April 4, 2019 11:00 am EST
“The 4-1-1” begins with a lot of the gang back together in New York City, a rare moment on this ensemble show, and one—given all the storylines that need to be tied up in the last three episodes—that’s necessarily short-lived. After Margo debriefs Quentin, Julia, Penny23 and Alice on her musical journey to the desert (she has ice axes to kick the evil god out of Eliot!), the crew splits into different groups again with seemingly disparate missions.
Everyone’s Mini-Quests Unearth a Whole Lot of Information That’s Unexpectedly Connected
Relationships That Once Were, And Relationships That Could Be
Alice and Quentin’s quest this episode directly relates to the Eliot-Monster storyline (they head to Brakebills South to ask Mayakovsky to teach them to cast an incorporate bond), but the main thrust of this storyline is to remind us, with the heavy-handed tool of time travel, how much the two used to love each other. When Quentin travels back in time to Season 1, when he and Alice were two first-years in love, we get to see firsthand what they had, and what they’ve lost. When Quentin comes back with the incorporate bond and the knowledge that his discipline is the ability to repair small objects, you can’t help but see Alice hope that they can repair their relationship as well, to help it wake up and remember what it was before.Penny23 and Julia also explore their relationship this episode, with help from the McGuffin also known as Hyman Cooper, a deceased traveler who met Penny40 in Season 3. Hyman has shipped the two, and attempts to create a romantic moment for them that actually kinda works. Thanks to Hyman’s machinations, the two do start down the path of becoming more than friends. How far they make it down that path, however, remains uncertain—the Eliot-Monster, with timely prescience, pops into the room after they first start to kiss. The evil entity has been off-screen trying to bring his sister back, and he needs an indestructible body to put his sibling in. Julia, who can’t die, fits the bill, and Eliot-Monster summarily teleports her away, her fate to be revealed on a future episode.There are only two episodes left this season, but the convoluted threads we’ve been following are showing signs of coming together and getting sorted, one way or another. True, there are still some dangling plot points out there (who is Penny40 talking to in that elevator?!), but I have faith that all our questions will be answered, and all our worries will be resolved. At least for a moment or so—I also have faith the finale will fuck up everything all over again, and leave us eagerly waiting for Season 5.
