I didn't/don't believe Alice is truly dead, so the characters mourning her is important if THEY see her as dead, but it's really part of the show I kind of find other things to do during. Penny, Margo, and Elliott, however, are all awesome, and I enjoyed their storylines. Possibly it's also because they are all in Fillory at present, and it has its own rules. I think Loria is either parallel to Fillory or microscopic, and that's why Penny saw the castle had never really "moved". I might have missed a clue, however.
Julia always drags the show down, and was no exception here. Of COURSE it was a trap! Anyone over ten would know that. I could forgive her being preoccupied over the pregnancy, but then I'd have to wonder why Little Julard wouldn't protect its host. the only interesting things that occurred were that now Julia has a way of disguising herself the same way that Ruby did (though the pregnancy already protected her, right?) and we know that Reynard and Ruby have a full-grown kid out there who is "powerful". This being TV, we've probably already met him.