Warning: This article contains spoilers for Episode 4 of The Magicians Season 5. If you haven’t seen the latest episode, avoid this review. Also, you can find the review for Episode 3 here.

After a long week and last week’s frustrating episode, I’m back with a review of Episode 4. The Magicians may suffer from inconsistent writing in places but after writing the review for the last episode, something occurred to me. Sometimes, that inconsistent writing leads to plot developments that are wholly unexpected. For example, we assumed The Monster would be the true villain of Season 4, which was only partially true.

With that in mind, I am curious to see where this Dark King subplot goes, even though I have misgivings. To recap in a small way, Eliot and Alice came face to face with the Dark King in the last episode. There seemed to be chemistry between him and Eliot, which frustrates me on a few levels, some of which I detailed in the last episode’s review.

Additionally, we learned that in two weeks (of show time presumably) there will be a celestial event that will magnify magic to such levels that it may very well wipe out everyone on the planet. Margo also is now part of the Dark King’s centurion guard and has discovered that Josh cheated on her with Fen, thereby making Fen into a werewolf as well. With that recap out of the way, let’s get into the episode, shall we?

Spoilers for the episode start here!

So, we begin with Kady who is at a heroin addict meeting. It is good to actually see her participating in something that furthers her recovery, despite what I’ve said about her storylines being largely disconnected from everything else which, sadly, is still true. Sometimes it feels like the writers have no clue what they’re doing with her, and she often feels tacked on. This, however, was a nice touch.

However, with that being said, I do feel like it is a little bit stupid to talk about the missing book depository and everything involved, at a meeting. If you’re a part of a conspiracy, or rather if you’re investigating one, why blab about it? Even in a meeting? It just doesn’t make sense. Kady is smarter than that. However, in this information dump, we discover she is looking for a way to reach the depository in another realm.

It seems the only way to reach that realm is apparently by dropping Acid, which means…goodbye sobriety. What is even weirder with this scene though is that Dean Fogg is posing as a young female member of this rehab group. He winds up volunteering to join her, but I find it highly suspect that the writers chose two people who struggle with addiction and sobriety to do this particular part of the quest. Then again, who else would? This particular plot is disconnected from the rest.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the idea of Dean Fogg and Kady bonding a little. I like the idea of them commiserating over the struggles of leadership and sobriety. It just seems…in bad taste? In any case, Kady decides to join Fogg on this magical fever dream and off they go, hunting for a depository.

The scene then shifts to Julia, Penny, and Alice discussing what is going on with the Harmonic Convergence. Whilst Julia posits the idea of summoning a god to try and help them stop it, Alice believes the Library may have an answer. Before either of them can get involved in their plans however, Penny reveals that the patches that have been easing his discomfort due to the “tune” from episode 1, are no longer working.

So, he heads off back to Brakebills to find another solution. I should also mention here that I still find Julia and Penny 23 to be woefully incompatible. They have very little chemistry on screen, and it isn’t because of a lack of acting chops from Arjun Gupta or Stella Maeve.

They shoehorned the relationship last season, shoving them together when it really didn’t make sense, and now the characters are just going along for the ride even though it feels forced. Aside from that, however, Alice reveals that she has free access to the Library whenever she wants and plans to go to the Library to bring back information on the Harmonic Convergence, to help with this new threat.

We then shift to Penny and the student that showed him the tune the first time. They are talking about it, and the student reveals that she can hear a voice in the tone and Penny admits that he is starting to be able to as well. Penny tries a new form of the patch, attempting to completely block the sound out. Instead, it causes him to uncontrollably phase out for a few moments and when he comes back, he has no memory of where he went.

It seems that, whatever this is, is causing him such pain that he passes out and travels somewhere else when he does so. The scene then shifts back to Fillory, where Eliot is talking with the Dark King. Obviously I understand that he believes he has a connection with this guy but Eliot, sweetie, pick your friends better.

The Dark King offers Eliot a place at his side, as the official court Magician in defense of the kingdom, an offer that Eliot ultimately accepts. While I’m happy that someone realizes how formidable Eliot is, I can’t help but be worried about what this means for Eliot’s future. Deals with the devil seldom go well. Granted this is The Magicians and nothing is ever really as it seems. Last season what we thought was happening with The Monster was far from where we ended up.

We also learn the Dark King’s name, Seb, presumably short for Sebastian. Sean Maguire plays a very unassuming, almost benevolent Dark King, but this episode definitely puts his motives and actions into question. The sexual chemistry between him and Hale Appleman’s Eliot is palpable, though it does start alarm bells ringing when you know how things often go in these situations. It definitely feels like we’re gearing up for a rehash of Mike from Season 1, but I could be wrong, I’ll withhold my judgment on that for the time being.

The next scene involves Margo and Eliot talking about the Dark King. I have to admit, I missed Margo and Eliot’s banter. It brings levity to things that are sorely needed after everything that has gone on in the past few episodes. Margo, ever the crafty sort, believes that Eliot’s new position gives them the perfect opportunity to see whether Seb is evil by choice or merely is a “Dictator by necessity,” which is a smart move though it does put Eliot and Margo both at risk.

I can’t help but wonder what will happen when Seb realizes that Eliot was once High King. Will it bring them closer? After all, Eliot’s past did allow him to properly teach the Fillorians how to farm. Alternately, it could drive a wedge of paranoia between them and put Eliot in more danger.

Now we shift back to Alice, who finds herself in the Library. The Library is overrun with Visigoths, which she learns from Zelda, who saves her from being attacked by said creatures. Visigoths are Germanic barbarians who only show up at the worst points in history, according to Zelda. Before we can learn more, things shift back to Julia who summons the Goddess of Melody to help with the Harmonic Convergence.

With Julia’s arc this season, I’m really not surprised she went against Penny and Alice’s advice to wait for another option. However, I really hope that at some point this season we get to see Julia regain her godhood. Most other gods (like the goddess of Melody) only care about themselves, whereas Julia has it in her to be a true benevolent goddess, humanity’s champion.

Clarion, the goddess of Melody, explains to Julia that the Harmonic Convergence is so much worse than what she has imagined. The magic cast by magicians on that day will cause Earthquakes, famine, fires, drought, and so many other horrible things. In exchange for her help, Clarion wants to become human. She is unable to feel music, she can hear it, understand it, and she can tell the good from the bad, but she has no capacity to feel it.

It is nice to see that Julia is respected by a goddess, but at the same time, her reasoning is selfish and really indicative of the attitudes of the gods in the world of The Magicians. The only one that has been even remotely benevolent has been Persephone. Well, Prometheus too, but he was only seen in flashbacks.

This scene also showcased a somewhat distasteful Amy Winehouse joke and that’s coming from someone who didn’t really enjoy much of her music. With that whole bit out of the way, we make our way back to Kady and Dean Fogg who are tripping on Acid while looking for the depository. Watching Fogg and Kady under the influence of Acid was hilarious and the visual effects were interesting to boot.

After that weird segment, we switch back to Fillory and get to see Margo interact with her fellow centurions. It is revealed that Seb is immortal but not invulnerable, at least in the eyes of his loyal followers. It makes sense, considering he apparently overthrew Fen and Josh’s kingdom 300 years prior. They also reveal that he has set up magical “viewing pools” in most areas, showing only propaganda that shows him protecting people from the Takers.

After a few fun one-liners from Margo, she sets out with the Dark King and his squad, while we switch back to Julia who consults the Binder for help on giving Clarion what she wants. The Binder is obviously unhelpful, though I can’t blame his lack of trust in the other gods.

Back to Zelda and Alice, we learn that the Visigoths are responsible for sacking all sorts of knowledge centers on Earth, such as the Library of Alexandria. Alice asks for help with finding books on the Harmonic Convergence, but Zelda reveals that the Visigoths are in the way. The Visigoths want the books that chronicle the life and death of every being in the universe so that they can come and go, pillaging as they please.

Switching back to Julia, we find that she has finally made a bargain with The Binder. She will burn the book he is trapped in if he will teach her to turn a goddess mortal. Interestingly enough, I wonder if she will try to do it in reverse at some point. The narrative possibilities are endless there.

Returning to the Acid trip, Kady and Fogg meet the emperor of this fever dream, who tells them that he will give them the location of the depository but one of them has to stay behind. We then revert back to Margo and the Centurions, where we find out that thanks to her fairy eye, she can see the Takers before they get close.

When Margo’s squad is attacked by the Takers, Seb seemingly flees, only to save Margo at the last minute. It also appears as though his power to destroy the Takers seems to have some sort of toll on him. Still, there is something strange going on there.

We also discover that Penny’s condition is worsening, and now he is having magical seizures or some form of traveler instability. Before we can deal with that though, we discover that Fogg has decided to stay behind in the Acid world. Granted, he’s died 39 times and remembers every timeline so, in a way, he deserves a break. Kady promises to come back for him, but I feel like she has worse things to worry about.

Jade Tailor and Rick Worthy’s performances in this scene are very well done. Like I’ve said, even when I’m complaining about the writing, the acting is top-notch. It also seems that sacrifice is the name of the episode because Zelda wants to sacrifice herself to destroy the books of people’s lives so that the Visigoths cannot get ahold of them.

Mageina Tovah plays the emotional beats of this so well, her regrets as a parent to Harriet, her regrets from being a part of the Library. It is enough to actually make you feel for her, even though she has been a side character and antagonist through part of the story. Zelda sets fire to the books so that the Visigoths cannot get them. She ultimately survives though, thanks to Alice.

After that, of course, we get to the crux of the problem with Clarion. She offers to help save Penny, but Julia only gets a single favor. So, she either saves the world or saves Penny. Julia chooses Penny, which makes me wonder why Julia gets to choose the person she’s with over the world, while Eliot has to sacrifice getting Quentin back because he might make things worse.

The double standard is frustrating and I understand it is narrative-driven because otherwise whatever end they have in mind won’t work, but it is absolutely ridiculous. Also, Penny loses his psychic abilities in the process so, ultimately, Julia chose for him just like he chose to make her human without her consent.

Julia, as a survivor of sexual assault and numerous other consent violations, would not have done this, at least not lightly. It seems that Julia is the victim of inconsistent writing in this episode, whereas in the last episode that award belonged to Alice. Also, how is Penny supposed to teach his students to deal with these things now? When he can’t travel because without his psychic abilities he’d be doing so blindly?

We discover the name of his student though. Plum is a character from the books and is also a Chatwin. Plum reveals that being a Chatwin is a curse and there is something after her. She apparently knows why the signal is after her, so she rips off her patch and chooses to face it head-on.

The last bombshell of the episode reveals that The Dark King is after Faeries. Considering the way he works his magic is similar to the effect Julia’s magic had when she used faerie magic, I’d be willing to bet these Takers are only susceptible to faerie magic. So, the Faerie Queen’s promise that anyone doing harm to Faeries would experience consequences is probably the reason for the Takers.

Also, we now know for certain that Seb is not who he seems and is likely not nearly as benevolent as one might think. We also learn in the episode’s final moments that Zelda knows how to stop the Harmonic Convergence, but they have to move the Moon. Considering the moon affects tides and other such things on Earth, something tells me that it won’t be very simple.

Overall, this episode of The Magicians was much more productive and cohesive than last week’s episode. We got more information on a variety of things and a few more questions to answer as well. Next week we have two episodes back to back, which means my review for Episode 5 will go up next Friday and then Episode 6’s review will go up the following Monday or Wednesday, depending on how long it takes me. Keep an eye on Twitter for more information in case that changes.

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The Magicians

6

Score

6.0/10

Pros

• Great Acting
• Interesting Visual Effects
• Some Actual Plot Development

Cons

• Tasteless Jokes about Sobriety
• Yet Again Consent is Taken From a Character
• Kady and Fogg's Arc is Disrespectful
• Penny's Plot Now is Irrelevant
• Kady's Story is Still Disconnected