Aaaand we’re off – We begin with a moment that definitely sets the tone for the episode…. Our very own Penny unwittingly becomes the Dean of Brakebills, as Dean Fogg is in the etheric realm Trippin balls with the man who can only be a tribute to the Big Lebowski. With his second in command winding up in the hospital, Penny arrives late to an emergency faculty meeting, and finds that in his absence, the others voted him in as Dean… Thing is no one wants to be Dean, so he pulls the short end of the stick. Though as a viewer – watching Penny adjusting to being a teacher was pretty damn enjoyable – I can only imagine the fun now that he’s in charge. If you had asked me to rank the Magicians on who would be best at the job/ would appreciate the opportunity – no matter how many people, there were to choose from… Penny would have come in last. Every. Single. Time. Which definitely makes him the most entertaining candidate for this viewer.
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Now knowing that the apocalypse that they stopped on earth wasn’t actually the one the pig was warning them about… Margo and Elliot step through the clock portal to Fillory to figure out this new Fillorian apocalypse, Margo gunning for Elliot’s crush – The Dark King. Elliot’s convinced that the covert ethnic cleanse that appears to be going on with the fairies of Fillory – is without Seb’s knowledge – and in response to this Margo’s coins a pretty glorious word… asking Elliot if he’s Dickmatized by the King. Elliot walks in on one of the Dark King’s trusted subject’s pleading with him to order a search and attack on the fairies in the Winward Woods – claiming that they are stealing the gold that the Kingdom desperately needs to pay their soldiers and other court members. With those financially affected, threatening to strike.
The struggle between Elliot (pushing for Diplomacy) and the Commander (pushing for brute force and violence…) are very easily comparable to the world of Law Enforcement. With a terrible history of shoot first ask questions later. El comments that “Diplomacy… can always be followed by force. But the reverse is rarely true.” Thankfully Seb listens to his lil boo – and Elliot figures out that the commander himself had been hoarding gold – and then placing it at the fairy encampments that he would go to pillage – claiming victory over the spoils that had been found and “returned” to the Kingdom. Again – impossible not to notice the social commentary of police ‘planting’ evidence at a crime scene or the house or a person with whom they have issue. Luckily the financial problem the Fillorians were facing has now been averted – finding copious amounts of gold in the crooked commanders lodgings. Seb feeling even more than ever how much he can trust Elliot.
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Meanwhile at Brakebills, The Magicians find themselves requiring Dean Fogg’s help and wind up pressing the “do not push unless in an emergency.” And poof a Fogg appears – after a little while – but winds up being a Fogg from another dimension… to quote Todd’s definition of him (as he has memorized and categorized the Dean Fogg’s from all the timelines) and this one just happens to be the worst, the crème de la crème… Psycho Fogg. Setting the emergency protocols around the school – locking certain people in rooms together… Alice winds up with a botanist – who ends up helping to solve the problem at hand. And the team eventually overpower the aforementioned Psycho Fogg.
After we see the crooked commander put behind bars and all seems well with Fillory – Elliot and Seb share a cute lil moment.. only further convincing Elliot of Seb’s [The Dark King] innocence.. The fairies bring himself and Margo to the Woods that evening, claiming that since they owe them their safety – having saved the lives of dozens of fairies earlier that day – their repayment was showing Elliot and Margo something that takes place in the Woods – regularly… Devastatingly, they witness Seb throw countless nuggets of gold onto the ground, utter a spell and then raise up several takers from the ground itself.. releasing them into Fillory. Proving Margo’s beliefs that the Dark King was Fillorys problem. He’s creating the Takers – which now it makes perfect sense why he and only he, can kill the Takers. Causing the problem that Fillory thinks they have and then being the perfect Martyr that saves them all. The Magicians writers adore deploying a cinematic technique – constantly changing the moral or ethical appearance of a character, one moment he seems good, and another – we’re shown evidence he’s not.. the writer’s seem to play jump rope with that line – and we’re not complaining because hot DAMN does it keep us on our toes.. Till next week..
