In “Lesser Evils”, The Magicians gang finds themselves fighting two great forces, one magical and vengeful, the other diplomatic and cunning. Julia, Kady, and Penny find Reynard’s son as they progress into the next phase of their plan to kill the demonic god, while Eliot and Margo prepare the battle lines for the Fillorian war that is now outside their castle doors. And Quentin is in a cage, slowly dying due to his unfaltering resolve to not let Alice go.
The Magical Battlefront
On Fillory, Eliot lacks a willing army due to Julia’s rogue burning of the talking trees, so he decides to find an alternate option: to engage in a one-on-one duel against the Lorian King in an attempt to become the greatest leader in Fillorian history. Eliot’s wife has a bewitched sword that can make Eliot a expert swordsman regardless of his skill at combat, tipping the scales in his weak and dainty favor. Margo, at the aide of the royal court, beckons the help of the Fillory fairies as an emergency “plan B” in case all goes wrong for Eliot on the front lines. For some reason, as a means of boosting Eliot’s morale, Margo inspires him to perform “One Day More” from Les Miserables and soon the whole kingdom joins in on what might be the most random song break ever in a television show. And so with an iconic Broadway number in their hearts, the kingdom of Fillory marches to battle just like the soldiers of the French revolution in the renowned Victor Hugo book.
After a brief bout of sword clashing, the Lorian king runs off into the woods and Eliot chases after him, noting that there is no victor until one of them is dead. On the verge of victory Eliot is about to win (but due to the magical brownouts plaguing the kingdom as a result of the weakening well spring) he loses control of his magical blade. Margo turns to the fairies for help with the well spring and the resolution of the black out, but the fairies only offer to fix the well spring in exchange for Eliot’s unborn child. Margo, being the manipulative queen that she is, tricks Eliot’s wife into agreeing to give up the baby for Eliot’s well-being.
In true The Magicians fashion, Eliot finds yet another loop hole to battle, and instead of killing each other, he and the Lorian king come to an agreement to not kill each other, but instead to marry each other, ending the battle and splitting the well spring 50/50, effectively making the kingdom of Fillory one, big happy poly-amorous royal family.
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The battle against Reynard continues …
While their friends prepare for the magical duel, Julia, Penny, and Kady go on the hunt for Reynard’s son, who they find out is a United States senator by the name of John Gaines. They attack the senator in his office and Julia, sans shade, goes after his throat with a blade, deeming him a skin sack unworthy of his demigod energy, and in his defense, the senator unleashes his powers for the first time and faints from the stress.
Taking advantage of the incapacitated senator, they bring him back to Brakebills as a hostage, but not before Reynard tracks them all to the hallowed halls of the mystical university. Simultaneously, due to the magical blackouts in FIllory, the ward around Brakebills lower, leaving the school defenseless to the mercy of Reynard. Julia, conspiring with Alice (in Quentin’s body), frees them from the cage in an effort to use them in a good ol’ bait and switch, in the hopes that Quentin will unleash Alice and that she will kill Reynard in return for her freedom from beneath Quentin’s skin. But before that can happen, Reynard is reunited with his son, and teleports out of Brakebills living to fight another day. Seeing just how far Julia has gone in her quest for vengeance, they trap her, realizing that in her effort to stop Reynard, her darkness consumed her to the point of offering Quentin up on a mystical silver platter.
Quentin, body deteriorating and exhausted from the constant losing, lets Alice go, and by finally untethering their entities once and for all, watches her mighty blue magic streak across the night sky.
Do you think that all is said and done in Fillory and the two kingdoms can live together in happy matrimony?
The Magicians airs Wednesday at 9 pm on Syfy. Want more news? Like the BuddyTV Facebook page.
(Image courtesy of Syfy)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
