S01.E03: Consequences Of Advanced Spellcasting

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

The Magicians Bond Over Dangerous Spells, Signature Cocktails, And Textbooks That Breed
While pretentiousness and Taylor Swift tear them apart again.

[paramitch]

Honestly, this episode was worth it for the book-humping scene alone. But then, I'm easy.

 

Shut up Jules, I agreed with everything Quentin said. I'm not going to feel sorry for you because you failed at something for the first time ever. Your woe is me attitude and depressed demeanor makes you even more annoying.

 

This is interesting because I hated Quentin there and he was just being outright cruel, getting back at the girl who didn't love him in the way he wanted her to. And I think that's deliberate. So I just cannot agree with this take on Julia. Does it really look like she's simply a nerd petulantly trying to reclaim her 100% on a test? Julia said point-blank in this episode that her discovery of magic was her discovery of herself. That it was something at her core, that she realizes makes her who she is. I can't dispute that as an incredibly powerful character motivation. 

 

[Julia] seemed to have no interest in it at all and was telling Quentin to grow up and let go of the fantasy that magic could be real, so it seems hypocritical of her to now tell him that it's part of who she is and blah blah blah.

 

Ha, I totally loved the two books humping though. I was surprised that Julia and the other hedge witches just let Quentin and Eliot walk out with the books without any sort of fight. I like Eliot, but I hate his snotty attitude about being a classically trained magician from Shitty Hogwarts.

 

But it was key and vital that we learned that Julia DID love those things. She just gave them up as a lost cause. Wouldn't that make her even more fervent in pursuing them once she learned she was wrong and they were real? How does it make her hypocritical to simply admit to him that her discovery of this satisfied something in her soul she never expected? That feels pretty honest and believable to me, and is certainly the heart of Julia's journey as we're seeing it thus far.

 

Also? The books humping was the funniest thing I have seen days. So funny!!

 

It seems like I'm in the minority in really liking Julia and feeling for her. Maybe it's just the actress who I find very compelling (and reminds me a lot of Troian Bessario from Pretty Little Liars). They didn't give us that much of her backstory but there was a time she was as into Fillory as Quentin, she just forced herself to let it go in order to function in the world she's in. It must be awful to know all of that is real and not get to be part of it. It's not like she was even told "hey magic is real!" before her test. Quentin was given that info because he was transported from NYC to upstate through a garden and got to meet and talk to Eliot before his test. Anyway I like her and the secret magic club. So far they seem better at the whole not dying thing than kids at Shitty Hogwarts. And Quentin was once again the shittiest friend ever this episode. Sorry she didn't return your feelings Nice Guy, but from what we saw she was a caring friend.

 

Thank you -- I am so with you on this. Quentin was welcomed to Brakebills with open arms and a literally engraved invitation. Julia was not even told why she was there; it was like the stereotypical "test nightmare" scenario. But I like it simply because I'm looking forward to Julia showing Quentin (after this very cruel scene) just how freaking good she is.

 

I also don't get why if this book was so important it's left lying around unguarded in what is essentially a frat house run by party animals.

 

Because they're idiot party animal college students who can't imagine someone would steal a crappy magic book? Again, it's a smart way to show how incredibly privileged they are and they hardly realize it. People outside -- hedge witches -- are desperate for a single spell, and these people squander books like they're nothing.

 

But did he ever tell Jules how he felt?  I got the impression that, because of his social awkwardness, he did not  That makes him a total passive-aggressive a*hole if he's punishing her for something he didn't communicate.  He also is just jealous of her past success, which was due to her own hard work.  He seems to be enjoying her "failure."  I realize part of that is due to his unquestioning acceptance of Eliot's characterization of the hedge witches, which goes to show his a*holeness yet some more.  You've known Julia your entire life, Q, but you can't accept this aspect of her?  Be supportive, as she always was to you (yes, she wanted you to grow up and forget the Fillory stuff, but that is good advice from a person who doesn't know that magic is "real"). 

 

I definitely agree that Julia drew the short stick here, but I also think that Quentin is certainly being painted as deliberately naive.

 

I prefer Julia and the hedge witches to Brakebills and Quentin. Quentin is passive as hell, he just accepts whatever someone tells him and only puts up an argument if someone might die. He's kind of a whiny loser and I'm sure he's going to be the Harry Potter of this world, god knows why, and I don't believe people like Margo and Eliot would ever really have an interest in him. Neither would someone like Julia. Ultimately the hedge witches seem to be better at this than the Brakebills kids- they seem to have more control and are less reckless (even if some of them are assholes).

 

This. Me as well. They're working for their knowledge. Quentin is still being given so many free passes, even if he can't see it yet. I do get Eliot's interest in him -- Quentin's cute in a puppy-dog way, and so vulnerable. Meanwhile, Janet is interested because Eliot is. This also extends to Alice pretty believably so it all works for me.

 

I've forced myself to accept that everyone is just way hotter than they are in the books because that's TV, but I just can't with the way they dress Alice. Just as slutty as Margo/Janet only sometimes with glasses and the occasional Peter Pan collar. I had to laugh when she awkwardly minced away on her chunky heels after she almost died failing to cast a spell when fighting her brother's spirit/niffin, which I doubt was the reaction they were going for.

Though it's still better than Penny's girlfriend (does she have a name?) who seems to own multiple colors of a top that covers the backs of her knees but exposes her navel.

 

I never noticed Alice's shoes until a friend called them out but they are awful and absolutely not what I think book-Alice would ever wear. However, it's TV, so I'm kind of resigned and okay with them. It does crack me up that they seem to think that the endless Peter Pan collars are enough to show how uptight Alice is when paired with the tiny endless skirts and chunky heels though. I mean, EYEROLL.

 

I kind of like Kady's outfits, not least because while she is a gorgeous fairly skinny girl, she does have a soft middle, so the outfits always displaying that are kind of touching and even empowering. I like that she's not displaying a concave surface there, at least.

 

Julia was a very supportive friend. But she saw her friend slipping, admitting himself to a psych ward, having to be medicated because he was obsessed with Narnia. She wanted him to let go and learn to embrace his life. Why does she have to be held accountable for that like she did something wrong? Especially when Quentin's made it clear in his own nice guy way that a huge part of his attitude toward her is because she didn't pick him. If she'd dated him instead of James I don't think he'd be this way with her, even if she still turned her back on magic tricks. (Magic tricks, not magic.)

 

I think this detail is really key to the character development. Quentin was in love with Julia. Julia loved but was not in love with Quentin. Quentin has now been shown to be willing to repeatedly (if subtly) punish Julia for this. 

 

OT: I see some dissatisfaction with how the characters are being handled on The Magicians, and I'm just curious, has there been any book series to TV adaptation in the last 10-15 years that people were generally satisfied with and enjoyed?

 

I'm loving the show so far. I think it's smart, carefully crafted, and a lot of fun. Some of the imagery has been really gorgeous, and much of the casting has been lovely and inspired.

 

I would add that personally, I love many adaptations from the past 10-15 years, including "Jessica Jones," "Game of Thrones,"  "The Hobbit" movies (yes I know, I'm alone on this), the later Harry Potter films, "The Green Mile," "Angels in America," "No Country for Old Men," the "Iron Man" series, etc. I'm sure I'm forgetting a ton but my short answer is: Yeah. Adaptations are actually cool and energizing for me. Bring 'em on. Sometimes a single image or scene can utterly illuminate a character in a brand-new way. And that's always fun.

[Izeinwinter]

Honestly, I paused the video, and went "Is Quintins magical talent making people like him"? Because he is such an asshole that "Aura of impaired judgment" is the most plausible theory I can come up with that he has friends at all. That scene in the street, I was rooting for Julia to make his heart explode just so I wouldn't have to listen to him anymore. 

[mjc570]

 

has there been any book series to TV adaptation in the last 10-15 years that people were generally satisfied with and enjoyed?

 

I very much like (1) Game of Thrones (HBO) and (2) the Expanse (SyFy)

Edited February 3, 2016 by mjc570

[grandemocha]

 

 

I'm loving the show so far. I think it's smart, carefully crafted, and a lot of fun. Some of the imagery has been really gorgeous, and much of the casting has been lovely and inspired.

I would add that personally, I love many adaptations from the past 10-15 years, including "Jessica Jones," "Game of Thrones,"  "The Hobbit" movies (yes I know, I'm alone on this), the later Harry Potter films, "The Green Mile," "Angels in America," "No Country for Old Men," the "Iron Man" series, etc. I'm sure I'm forgetting a ton but my short answer is: Yeah. Adaptations are actually cool and energizing for me. Bring 'em on. Sometimes a single image or scene can utterly illuminate a character in a brand-new way. And that's always fun.

OT: Thanks for the response :) Overall I am enjoying the show too, but I kind of specifically meant book series to TV show adaptations. Those seem to struggle more often and aren't regarded as well as most book to movie adaptations or comic to movie. I do like how adaptations can often bring characters to life in a way that I didn't think of when i first read the book.

 

 

I very much like (1) Game of Thrones (HBO) and (2) the Expanse (SyFy)

Thanks! I haven't see the Expanse, perhaps I should check it out! I don't watch Game of Thrones although I know it's well constructed but I did notice a bunch of articles with people expressing dissatisfaction at the most recent season because of the use of rape/assault against female characters and then like a boycott or something and the creators of the show responded? Also, the author is behind on releasing the new books, right? So the show is moving faster than he's writing which is upsetting some fans? 

Edited February 3, 2016 by grandemocha

[LucyHoneychrrch]

I want to like this show. I want to LOVE this show, so hard. But it feels too scattered at this point. There are some flashes of insight and brilliance (HA, the books!, Eliot's casual mention of killing someone/that entire garden conversation), but so much of it falls flat.

[KaleyFirefly]

Well, the SyFy channel has been doing a good job with "The Expanse", which is adapted from a series of books.

[KaleyFirefly]

I want to love this show too, but so far it does seem a bit scattered. I'm hoping it will all come together somehow and make sense. I had wanted to like Alice but with this episode I pretty much hate her now. She doesn't care who gets hurt or killed in her pursuit of Charlie. And really, this episode was kind of boring until the appearance of Crazy Charlie. 

 

I love that the Dean survived and is back. I wish there were more scenes with him, he is an interesting character and a good actor. In fact, I would like to see more of the faculty at Brakebills -- what powers do they have? What do they know about moth-man? 

 

So far the only likable student is Penny. I liked the reveal of his cool new power. That will have good storytelling possibilities, since they said he can "travel to other worlds" so I assume there will be a trip to Fillory at some point.

 

Quentin and Julia -- I agree with whoever said that they are both whiny and annoying. They are and it's hard to like either of them. Julia robbing ATMs and lying to her caring boyfriend; Quentin being mean about the fact he's in Brakebills and she's not, and just generally acting like a passive loser. The only good thing he did was saving Alice and himself from Crazy Charlie. 

[iMonrey]

 

Though it's still better than Penny's girlfriend (does she have a name?) who seems to own multiple colors of a top that covers the backs of her knees but exposes her navel.

 

And it looks to me like she could stand to do a few crunches in her spare time.

[wayne67]

Quentin and Julia -- I agree with whoever said that they are both whiny and annoying. They are and it's hard to like either of them. Julia robbing ATMs and lying to her caring boyfriend; Quentin being mean about the fact he's in Brakebills and she's not, and just generally acting like a passive loser. The only good thing he did was saving Alice and himself from Crazy Charlie. 

 

Probably me. I find them both aggravating. Quentin's too passive and sullen most of the time and Julia comes off as obsessed about proving Brakebills wrong for rejecting her which comes across as more her being aggravated at being rejected than a deep down desire to use magic for any particular purpose. Though the second part may just be a failure to portray her inner world effectively or her backstory. It'd be useful if she told her boyfriend about the magic or confided in another hedge witch so that her inner world was a bit more fleshed out... 

 

Personally I'm giving this show one more episode to pull me in and then I'll just wait till someone posts an Elliot or Penny montage of their awesomeness. So far I find both protagonists annoying and a quick glance at a wiki about the book series makes me dubious about the long term prospects of this show.

[marieYOTZ]

I appreciate the Britta Perry references in this thread, because when i just read the episode title my first thought waa "Damn, that sounds like it could be the title of a very entertaining episode of Community"

I liked this episode more than the first two, but agree with the criticisms here. Alice's total disregard for the disastrous consequences of her efforts to do advanced magic made her completely unsympathetic to me. If i were Quentin, i'd be reporting her to staff - but i'm a pretty level headed and responsible human being.

[Lemur]

And it looks to me like she could stand to do a few crunches in her spare time.

 

Yeah, I noticed that too.  I don't want to body-shame the actress (because for one thing, I had that word and for another, I don't want anyone commenting on my pooch), but a full length shirt is definitely her friend.  I'd say maybe she could borrow one from Penny, but he apparently owns like one that's fully intact.

[Slovenly Muse]

 

There's something a bit "off" about this show and I can't quite put my finger on it. For one thing it feels vaguely foreign, even though most of the actors seem to be American or Canadian. But maybe the bigger problem is that is that it seems kind of unfocused - almost as if it was a much longer show that got edited down into a shorter story. I feel like I'm missing big chunks of backstory and character beats. If it turned out that each episode was originally 2 hours long and were all edited down to 42 minutes it wouldn't surprise me in the least.

 

There really doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the school and how it functions, it feels like an arbitrary mish-mash of elements plagiarized from Harry Potter and other similar works.

 

Yes! Focus is a big problem here. I'm still trying to get a handle on what magic in this world IS and how its rules work and what our main characters can do (not to mention who they are)... All the Julia stuff on top of that is too much. I feel like if we had more time to get to know the strengths and dangers of magic alongside Quentin FIRST, then when Julia found it through these other channels we might have a greater sense of the stakes involved and the risks she was taking. It could have been more effective to put off the Julia storyline even for just a few episodes. Trying to figure out the magic of this world from all these different angles at once is muddying things up.

 

You're right about the mish-mash factor. The school has that classroom-magic-learning feel of Hogwarts, the "here are the telekinetics, there are the mind-readers," feel of the Xavier Institute, and the "choose your own learning" feel of real life grad school. It's hard to figure out how this works exactly. Is this like the real world, or Hogwarts, where anyone can learn anything if they put their mind to it, but everyone will be naturally gifted in certain areas? Or is this more like an X-Men thing, where everyone has a certain gift that allows them to do things others can't, requiring different types of people to work together to accomplish certain spells? Can anyone with magic read minds, or only the Psychics? What are they even learning in the classroom? Specific spells, or general magical theory/philosophy? To quote the poor, exasperated partner from God Cop, "I don't understand the rules of this!"

 

 

Alice - another source of annoyance, maybe because her character makes no sense to me.  She's so desperate to find out about her brother, but can't even wait 10 minutes by the pool to see what happens?

 

I love this! That's twice now she's done some terribly dangerous spell to contact her brother only to walk away IMMEDIATELY! Like, not even giving it a minute! Or staying nearby just in case! Ha!

 

 

I'm just curious, has there been any book series to TV adaptation in the last 10-15 years that people were generally satisfied with and enjoyed?

 

Yes! Hannibal was a fantastic adaptation of the Hannibal Lector book series, because it somehow managed to stay very true to the books while also coming at things from odd angles, finding the stories to tell between the lines, kind of a "through a glass, darkly" approach to canon that actually used knowledge of the books AGAINST the audience, subverting what was expected and ratcheting up some real suspense and mystery that was great if you didn't know the story and absolutely mind-blowing if you did! So, of course, no one watched it and NBC pulled the plug. I guess dull, straightforward remakes are where the money's at.

[Terrafamilia]

I too was surprised the Hedge witches did nothing about Quentin and

Elliot taking the book. Did we even find out which one of them

took it? We're getting mostly a bunch of scenes with nothing holding

them together or connecting them. They seems like they could be shown

in almost any order.

Kady picked up the book when she took Penny to the Physical house party, the same time she rummaged for the crystal pendant. Penny held on to the pendant and it's what reflected Quentin's battle-magic attack later on. Quentin then swiped the pendant from Penny hoping it would ward off any mind-wipe he was sure he was going to get before being expelled. The Specialist that Quentin saw then neatly lifted it off him.

 

Turns out Kady had originally gone for the pendant because she is in cahoots with the big Queen Hedge Witch (forget her name) and it was on a list of requested stuff they wanted smuggled out of Brakebills. Without the pendant, Kady managed to temporarily placate queenie with the book. Don't know yet the circumstances as to why Kady is working for them but from the interaction it doesn't seem like they will be pleasant.

 

As to why the witches didn't put up more of a fight I suppose it is because they don't want to come to the attention of the Brakebills administration if they can help it.

[paramitch]

OT: Thanks for the response :) Overall I am enjoying the show too, but I kind of specifically meant book series to TV show adaptations. Those seem to struggle more often and aren't regarded as well as most book to movie adaptations or comic to movie. I do like how adaptations can often bring characters to life in a way that I didn't think of when i first read the book.

 

For book-to-TV adaptations only, I would revise my list of the best examples to include: "Homicide: Life on the Street," "Justified," "Game of Thrones," "Hannibal," "Orange is the New Black," "Brideshead Revisited," "Friday Night Lights," "House of Cards" (US, adapted from the UK version, itself adapted from the novels by Michael Dobbs), and "Masters of Sex," among many others. 

 

The school has that classroom-magic-learning feel of Hogwarts, the "here are the telekinetics, there are the mind-readers," feel of the Xavier Institute, and the "choose your own learning" feel of real life grad school. It's hard to figure out how this works exactly. Is this like the real world, or Hogwarts, where anyone can learn anything if they put their mind to it, but everyone will be naturally gifted in certain areas? Or is this more like an X-Men thing, where everyone has a certain gift that allows them to do things others can't, requiring different types of people to work together to accomplish certain spells? Can anyone with magic read minds, or only the Psychics? What are they even learning in the classroom? Specific spells, or general magical theory/philosophy?

 

Based on what the show has shown us, to answer your questions, while all of the Brakebills students (and hedge witches) have varying degrees of basic magical ability and the general ability to do spellwork, each student will also usually have a predilection for a specific kind of magic or specialization, whether psychic, physical, etc. (Speaking of which, I loved the scene in which Ann Dudek is fruitlessly trying to figure out Quentin's area of specialization -- very funny scene.)

 

Further, since we saw the hilarious "Taylor Swift song" scene here between Penny and Quentin, as well as Quentin's fear of being questioned last episode (because of what they would see in his mind), it does seem like psychic powers are either fairly common or can be learned to a degree. 

 

What they are learning in the classroom, based on what we've seen thus far, appears to be classes on everything from magical theory to different kinds of spells and disciplines, to all those cool hand motions they have to do to make the spells work, etc. (which I think Quentin was freaking out to Alice about in Episode 1).

 

Yeah, I noticed that too.  I don't want to body-shame the actress (because for one thing, I had that word and for another, I don't want anyone commenting on my pooch), but a full length shirt is definitely her friend.  I'd say maybe she could borrow one from Penny, but he apparently owns like one that's fully intact.

 

I think the actress who plays Kady is gorgeous, and I like her for not covering up her middle. She's not fat by even the remotest stretch of the imagination, so if she doesn't care that she's not a wall of muscle in her midriff, I kind of love her for it. 

 

Turns out Kady had originally gone for the pendant because she is in cahoots with the big Queen Hedge Witch (forget her name) and it was on a list of requested stuff they wanted smuggled out of Brakebills. Without the pendant, Kady managed to temporarily placate queenie with the book. Don't know yet the circumstances as to why Kady is working for them but from the interaction it doesn't seem like they will be pleasant.

 

The hedge witch leader's name is Marina. Her interactions with Kady are interesting -- it almost feels like Kady is a hedge witch who managed to get herself into Brakebills as a kind of double agent or something. I do think the hedge witches' desire for the books is a great way to show that while Brakebills students get walls and walls of books and instruction, the hedge witches are desperate for a single spell. So a single book smuggled out would be priceless.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

For book-to-TV adaptations only, I would revise my list of the best examples to include: "Homicide: Life on the Street," "Justified," "Game of Thrones," "Hannibal," "Orange is the New Black," "Brideshead Revisited," "Friday Night Lights," "House of Cards" (US, adapted from the UK version, itself adapted from the novels by Michael Dobbs), and "Masters of Sex," among many others.

I would say 99% of the time that a book is made into a tv show or movie, I prefer the book because there is more background and the characters are more fleshed out. I think that OITNB is one of those rare cases where the show far surpasses the book. I haven't read any of the Hannibal Lecter books (my sister saw Silence of the Lambs in high school and then refused to sleep alone in her bedroom for about two months so I took that as a sign to avoid the movies and the books), but Hannibal the show was really great. It was beautifully shot, the dialogue was fun and smart, the tension was palpable, and I never knew what was going to happen. I love Nick Hornby and I really liked his book About a Boy, so I was kind of expecting the sitcom to suck in comparison. I was surprised that it ended up being a sweet and funny show (even though they ended up veering off from the original plot pretty quickly). So it's definitely possible to adapt a book into a tv show that's satisfying to people who have read the books!

 

I think the actress who plays Kady is gorgeous, and I like her for not covering up her middle. She's not fat by even the remotest stretch of the imagination, so if she doesn't care that she's not a wall of muscle in her midriff, I kind of love her for it.

ITA - it's horrifying how much body image standards have changed in the past twenty years or so. Not every actress needs to have a six pack and jutting hip bones. The actress who plays Kady is not out of shape. Her stomach is not gross. I just wish they would stop putting her hair in those braids on one side of her head because it reminds me of Zoe on Star-Crossed (who was an annoying character).

[theatremouse]

Is it just me, or does anyone else have trouble understanding what people are saying? There is way too much mumbling going on.

I don't know if I feel like it's mumbling so much as I'm not fond of how they've done the sound mix. The audio definitely has me sort of...squinting? But with my ears? Even when I have the volume up.

 

The hedge witch leader's name is Marina. Her interactions with Kady are interesting -- it almost feels like Kady is a hedge witch who managed to get herself into Brakebills as a kind of double agent or something. I do think the hedge witches' desire for the books is a great way to show that while Brakebills students get walls and walls of books and instruction, the hedge witches are desperate for a single spell. So a single book smuggled out would be priceless.

I didn't get the impression it was any single book would do in general. It seemed to me like Kady's being blackmailed or some such. I think whatever QHW has on her she had on her anyway, maybe they knew each other before? And then when she got into Brakebills...double agent is a good word in the aftereffect, but I don't think she started off on the outside. I think it's more likely she got in an QHW was all "I will use this to my advantage" and she can either kill or ruin Kady otherwise so Kady goes along. I mean, just the part where we know QHW had a list means she's after specific stuff, so she's up to something specific that she needs it for. I can't remember if it were clear if the stolen book were also on the list, and was an OK holdover even thought Kady didn't get ALL the stuff on the list, or if it were more like she totally failed list-wise and the book was just an "but I did get this?" and even if they didn't want that specific book it was still taken as a sign of good faith or whatever.

[paramitch]

I would say 99% of the time that a book is made into a tv show or movie, I prefer the book because there is more background and the characters are more fleshed out. I think that OITNB is one of those rare cases where the show far surpasses the book. I haven't read any of the Hannibal Lecter books (my sister saw Silence of the Lambs in high school and then refused to sleep alone in her bedroom for about two months so I took that as a sign to avoid the movies and the books), but Hannibal the show was really great. It was beautifully shot, the dialogue was fun and smart, the tension was palpable, and I never knew what was going to happen. I love Nick Hornby and I really liked his book About a Boy, so I was kind of expecting the sitcom to suck in comparison. I was surprised that it ended up being a sweet and funny show (even though they ended up veering off from the original plot pretty quickly). So it's definitely possible to adapt a book into a tv show that's satisfying to people who have read the books!

 

ITA - it's horrifying how much body image standards have changed in the past twenty years or so. Not every actress needs to have a six pack and jutting hip bones. The actress who plays Kady is not out of shape. Her stomach is not gross. I just wish they would stop putting her hair in those braids on one side of her head because it reminds me of Zoe on Star-Crossed (who was an annoying character).

 

I love that you bring up "About a Boy," which was a sweet series, although for me the movie was just freaking perfect, and criminally underappreciated. I loved it so much, still do.

 

On "Hannibal," the best thing about the show is that it is a kind of fantasia or symphonic variation on all four Harris books -- from "Red Dragon," through "Silence" to "Hannibal" to "Hannibal Rising." Most of the content comes from "Red Dragon" and "Hannibal," with a few nods to the other two, but again, even if you're a faithful book reader, you never know what's coming next and for me that was genius with this series. I loved it so much. Even if I was one of the few, the proud, the probably deeply sick-minded. But what a show. Loved it.

 

On Kady, I agree and am befuddled. She's not remotely fat. So why comment on her body as if it's flawed? Hollywood is ridiculous enough, I'm delighted that this girl has the tiniest bit of a pooch in her tummy and -- miraculously -- kind of flaunts it as the sex-bomb she is. Although, yes, the side-braids can go. They don't need to denote her 'edgy' status 24/7. ;-)

 

I didn't get the impression it was any single book would do in general. It seemed to me like Kady's being blackmailed or some such. I think whatever QHW has on her she had on her anyway, maybe they knew each other before? And then when she got into Brakebills...double agent is a good word in the aftereffect, but I don't think she started off on the outside. I think it's more likely she got in an QHW was all "I will use this to my advantage" and she can either kill or ruin Kady otherwise so Kady goes along. I mean, just the part where we know QHW had a list means she's after specific stuff, so she's up to something specific that she needs it for. I can't remember if it were clear if the stolen book were also on the list, and was an OK holdover even thought Kady didn't get ALL the stuff on the list, or if it were more like she totally failed list-wise and the book was just an "but I did get this?" and even if they didn't want that specific book it was still taken as a sign of good faith or whatever.

 

But that's an awful lot of inference. All we know is that she asked Kady for a specific book and got it, and has another list of requests. Yes, she seems to be in a position of authority, but I don't blame her for that until I know more. I haven't seen her threaten Kady or anyone else, and she has in fact been shown to be supportive of Julia in the hardass way that seems to be a part of the hedge witch movement, so I like her.

 

And I would still argue that a specific spell book (yet one among many) requested by a hedge witch is beyond price, while at Brakebills, sure the staff are serious about it, but the students don't quite get the riches they are given every day. Books of spells. When outside, people google and search and are desperate for even one. No wonder Marina is willing to repay Kady and (presumably others) to get what they can for their fringe organization.

 

Still thoroughly enjoying the show in every way. Even if I wish Alice had been differently envisioned; I do think she's too Tracy Flick when she needs to be softer, shyer and more wallpaper-like. I was glad to actually see what happened to Alice's brother, and the confrontation made me like Quentin more and Alice less. He came through there. She currently seems kind of frustratingly blind, brittle and brief. I am cautiously disappointed in TV-Alice, without saying more, so hope she improves. Fingers crossed.

 

But still: I'm watching and will continue to.

Edited February 5, 2016 by paramitch

[Lemur]

On Kady, I agree and am befuddled. She's not remotely fat. So why comment on her body as if it's flawed? Hollywood is ridiculous enough, I'm delighted that this girl has the tiniest bit of a pooch in her tummy and -- miraculously -- kind of flaunts it as the sex-bomb she is. Although, yes, the side-braids can go. They don't need to denote her 'edgy' status 24/7. ;-)

 

Because it's funny to joke about Penny not owning a shirt.

[formerlyfreedom]

Let's try to keep the book talk conversation in Behind the Magic: Books vs Show, please, and stick to episode talk in here. Thank you!

[Kelda Feegle]

I can't look at Julia without seeing Samar from The Blacklist. Plus Julia looks half stoned all the time.

[DEM]

And I agree with you, I've found the adaption lacking because ideally, these are two separate entities.

 

I haven't read the books, but I understand from reading the threads that the tv writers have combined Books 1 and 2 to make them run concurrently. I think that's a great idea, but it seems like they could have gone further with that. That is, it might have helped for the show to alternate between Quentin and Julia as the primary  protagonist each week.

[stillshimpy]

And Quentin was once again the shittiest friend ever this episode. Sorry she didn't return your feelings Nice Guy, but from what we saw she was a caring friend.

 

I was genuinely surprised that they kept this part of Quentin's characterization -- where he admits to himself, to Julia and to Elliot that he was partially punishing Julia for not returning his feelings.  I didn't think the series would keep that as part of the story, simply because it so unlikable.  It makes Quentin seem like some member of a Men's Rights groups or something horrifying.  However, I still managed to like him in the aftermath, because he realizes that it makes him a fucktard and jackass.   I mean,  that has potential for growth.   He's not actually comfortable with that realization, I think that's the difference between a true jackass and someone who had a moment of jackassery.  I think that Quentin is the latter and not the former.  

 

I think when it comes to Julia, I'm a little torn: On the one hand, I think that finding out there is a remarkable world of possibility and wonder, with none of the limits you have in the world you dwell in, but you aren't allowed to have it, would actually drive a person insane.  Not just an overachiever, most people.  That Julia was an overachiever makes it that much worse though.  I didn't like when she told her Cardboard Kevin Character of a boyfriend that she was addicted to ADHD medication as a cover story.  

 

I also didn't really appreciate the incredibly blunt parallel between drugs and magic, where people are giving blowjobs for spells?  Oh good grief, show.  There's room for subtlety without suggesting that the Hedge Witches are crack addicts.  However, clearly magic is insanely dangerous, so they are playing with some pretty serious fire.  

 

Still, primarily I feel for Julia.  Sure, she told Quentin to give up the fantasy world, but hey....I loved the Narnia books as a child.  I loved fantasy.  My son read Harry Potter, as did I....but most people walking around in the world would tell an undergraduate college student that it was time to put away the books and step out into the real world, if he was hiding from people at a party, to read this series version of the Narnia books.  That's isolating, and not healthy.  It's not actually about whether or not magic is real...although she's no reason to believe at that point that it is, and her entire reality has supported that up until the point it didn't.  

 

I felt sorry for her.  Oddly enough I felt sorry for Quentin in that that moment, because he is being such a gargantuan shit and the reason I felt sorry for him?  He'll know it within about three scenes.  Everyone has a lesser self and that was Quentin's on full display.  Frankly, he's a little too prone to making women's choices for them at the moment.  

 

I mean, on the one hand, ....uh....good....? that he kept Alice from being gobbled up by the Niffen formerly known as her brother, but it was a betrayal of trust to do that to Alice.  It was for her own good, and at present I'm not actually digging Alice's portrayal because she's seems sort of prone to self-endangerment and paranoia.  I get that Margo is a bit much to take, but Alice dislikes Margo for reasons that don't actually match up with Margo's actions.  Alice says she doesn't trust Margo, but Margo is seemingly just trying to help her.  

 

So I don't know, I'm not enjoying the series of Alice still.  Although I think the actress is on-point and doing something purposeful...and I truly believe that since she had to break into Brakebills by stealing her parents' key ....that maybe Quentin just shouldn't have interfered.   I'm not saying it would have been better to let her die, because very clearly she didn't understand something very key about the thing now wearing the face of her brother, but if I understood that scene?  

 

Quentin took away any chance she'd ever have of helping her brother and when Alice told Quentin that he had no idea what she was trying to do....I actually believed her, even though she definitely had psychotic-break type of energy to her in that moment. 

 

Overall I really liked the episode though.  All of the main characters are flawed people.  Quentin sad sacking it around the tree after Penny told him to quit thinking about Taylor Swift Lyrics made me laugh.  I wish he'd thrown his head back and started and started singing "I DON"T 'BOUT YOU, I'M FEELIN' 22!!" as loud as he could, because yeah, sure Penny's godlike levels of gorgeous, but fuck him telling people what they are allowed to think. 

 

I mean really, gorgeous is nice, but so far Penny's been kind of a damned bully. 

Edited February 7, 2016 by stillshimpy

[grandemocha]

 

 

I wish he'd thrown his head back and started and started singing "I DON"T 'BOUT YOU, I'M FEELIN' 22!!" as loud as he could, because yeah, sure Penny's godlike levels of gorgeous, but fuck him telling people what they are allowed to think.

I mean really, gorgeous is nice, but so far Penny's been kind of a damned bully.

Yeah, I kinda totally agree with you on this. I'm thinking that Penny will stop being such an asshole over the course of the season, but right now he's just a bit too prickly to like. He had the right to defend himself in 1x02 during that fight with Quentin, but telling him what to think or how loud to think it isn't okay. I hope to see him interact more with the Dean and Quentin's group of friends and honestly a little less Kady/Katie, because he needs a circle of friends and right now he has none.  

 

I am so so glad that Dean Fogg is still around and wasn't permanently killed off in the first episode because he brings a little more maturity to the Brakebills scenes, just an aura of experience and a demeanor that says "I don't have time for your immature bullshit whining [insert character here]".

[stillshimpy]

I am so so glad that Dean Fogg is still around and wasn't permanently killed off in the first episode because he brings a little more maturity to the Brakebills scenes, just an aura of experience and a demeanor that says "I don't have time for your immature bullshit whining [insert character here".

 

I was so glad that Dean Fogg was still around after the Incident of the Eyeball.   I suppose I can take someone screwing with Rick Worthy's face, but his voice is off limits ;-) It shall be known.  It will hopefully be heeded.  

 

He had the right to defend himself in 1x02 during that fight with Quentin, but telling him what to think or how loud to think it isn't okay. I hope to see him interact more with the Dean and Quentin's group of friends and honestly a little less Kady/Katie, because he needs a circle of friends and right now he has none.

 

I agree, he's a bit of a pill.  Seriously, rather than "GRRRR ARRRRGHHHH, how dare you think mediocre music at me???" and making it Quetin's responsibility, try learning how to STOP LISTENING TO QUENTIN'S HEAD, Penny.  Penny was pleased as punch to read Kady's mind when she was thinking about getting busy with him.  

 

I join the "please, fewer braids!" chorus on Kady, but don't mind her overall and I sort of love the way she and Penny dress, truth be told.  They're like extras from some really odd Star Trek TOS planet where the people are insanely pretty and apparently the climate is tropical as all hell necessitating near nudity at every turn.   I do actually think they are cute though.

Edited February 7, 2016 by stillshimpy

[wayne67]

On a random note how many people are invested at this point of the series ? I usually give a series 3 episodes to wow me and then decide but I'm unsure as to how I feel about this show. 

 

I'm curious in the mythos and magic but I'm not really sold on 90% of the characters. I like the Dean and Elliot for the most part. Most of the other characters I keep forgetting their names.

 

Did anyone else wonder if the Dean was lying about the students surviving the fountain attack? Or was that just me? It seemed like they made a big point about that hat still floating in the fountain. 

[Meredith Quill]

Mod Note:

Late to the game here but having read through the whole thread I now feel it is worth stating that book talk should not take place within the episode topics. I have spoiler tagged any I've found, if I have missed any please let me know.
For further information please see the pinned topic in the forum regarding book talk.

Thanks.

[theatremouse]

On a random note how many people are invested at this point of the series ? I usually give a series 3 episodes to wow me and then decide but I'm unsure as to how I feel about this show.

I'm definitely invested, but I'd stop short of saying I've been anything close to "wowed". It's more like they've thoroughly got me in the "where the fuck are they going with this" boat. I want to know what's going to happen even though I've got reservations about a whole bunch of stuff. So I'm not bailing yet.

I am getting a little bored with the brother thing, though. It's starting to feel like a repetitive tease.

[Jordan27]

Wow, that wasn't good.  I think I will call this Hogwarts Sr.  90210.

 

First, we have the emotional cripple as the lead. 

 

His friend who he had a secret crush on also has emotional problems and has resorted to back alley magic school.  

 

The nerdy friend.  The sexy magic girl.  The magic guy with an attitude who is special.

 

The overtly gay friend.

 

These are all clichés and I have seen them before in many shows.  This is 90210 type characters with a backdrop of a magic school.

 

And the school has no real purpose.

 

The magic with no seeming real purpose.

 

And then we add in a former student who is depressed from her experience there.

 

Well, I'm going to be if I watch any more of this. 

 

There is just really nothing compelling or interesting about any of this. 

Edited February 7, 2016 by Jordan27

[wayne67]

Wow, that wasn't good.  I think I will call this Hogwarts Sr.  90210.

 

First, we have the emotional cripple as the lead. 

 

His friend who he had a secret crush on also has emotional problems and has resorted to back alley magic school.  

 

The nerdy friend.  The sexy magic girl.  The magic guy with an attitude who is special.

 

The overtly gay friend.

 

These are all clichés and I have seen them before in many shows.  This is 90210 type characters with a backdrop of a magic school.

 

And the school has no real purpose.

 

The magic with no seeming real purpose.

 

And then we add in a former student who is depressed from her experience there.

 

Well, I'm going to be if I watch any more of this. 

 

There is just really nothing compelling or interesting about any of this. 

 

I'm guessing you're not a fan ? You going to hate watch or just give up and move on to the next show ?

 

It is a problem with the fantasy genre where you have a super special bunch of people and all they ever really seem to do is fight other super special people. They never really seem to do anything particularly novel with their powers just fight crime and perpertrate crimes. No one seems to use magic/power for anything else like making money, getting laid or making a difference to the world around them.

Edited February 7, 2016 by wayne67

[paramitch]

However, I still managed to like him in the aftermath, because he realizes that it makes him a fucktard and jackass.   I mean,  that has potential for growth.   He's not actually comfortable with that realization, I think that's the difference between a true jackass and someone who had a moment of jackassery.  I think that Quentin is the latter and not the former.

 

I liked that moment a lot. I'm enjoying the characters so far and even the way their moments of unlikability are often mixed directly in with those of vulnerability. Quentin clearly knew he was being a jerk, and I thought the actor played that really well. And for that matter, so did the actor playing Eliot -- he manages to be a snob and occasional ass, but I kind of love him anyway -- he has these other moments that are kind of vulnerable and lovable.

 

I didn't like when she told her Cardboard Kevin Character of a boyfriend that she was addicted to ADHD medication as a cover story. 

 

 

I didn't mind this. I have some residual liking for her boyfriend from the pilot, when he was so nice and good-natured with Julia and Quentin about their friendship, and then later when he showed real concern for Julia. I don't find him cardboard, just a nice muggle who cannot compete with magic.

 

However, I will second you that I sincerely hope the show doesn't continue or emphasize links between magic and drugs or I will definitely start screaming. I already lived it once with Buffy Season 6 and I still haven't recovered years later. So, please, Show, no ham-handed and obvious parallels between magic and drugs! <please>

 

at present I'm not actually digging Alice's portrayal because she's seems sort of prone to self-endangerment and paranoia.  I get that Margo is a bit much to take, but Alice dislikes Margo for reasons that don't actually match up with Margo's actions.  Alice says she doesn't trust Margo, but Margo is seemingly just trying to help her. 

 

 

See, for me this kind of works, because Margo has managed to underscore one out of every two 'invitations' with a sneer in a way that showed they weren't genuine. I do think Margo sometimes comes across as playing with Alice in a slightly cruel way, as if she thinks Alice can't see the sneer behind the smile. But then again -- I also think Margo and Eliot have kind of built a little society in which a sneer is also practically a compliment, so we'll see how things progress. 

Quentin sad sacking it around the tree after Penny told him to quit thinking about Taylor Swift Lyrics made me laugh.  I wish he'd thrown his head back and started and started singing "I DON"T 'BOUT YOU, I'M FEELIN' 22!!" as loud as he could, because yeah, sure Penny's godlike levels of gorgeous, but fuck him telling people what they are allowed to think.

I mean really, gorgeous is nice, but so far Penny's been kind of a damned bully.

 

 

This moment made me laugh out loud (and very thankful that nobody is hearing MY inner music, since half the time I'm either earworming ABBA or some embarrassing 70's TV show theme song, or I'm obsessive on a specific current song but it's kind of circling my head for hours. I also sometimes play instruments in my head as a mental cleansing exercise then get stuck on sharps and flats, so again... very glad my brain is heard by ME ALONE!

 

I don't quite think Penny is a bully, but I do think he needs a filter now and then. He's all edges, so I felt bad for him at being put in what looks like his own specialty, when (to echo Grandemocha) the socialization with an actual group like the 'physical kids' I think would honestly do him good. But I was laughing too hard at poor little Quentin grooving along silently and happily to some Taylor Swift, only to have his secret outed to the world. It was just... perfect.

 

I am so so glad that Dean Fogg is still around and wasn't permanently killed off in the first episode because he brings a little more maturity to the Brakebills scenes, just an aura of experience and a demeanor that says "I don't have time for your immature bullshit whining [insert character here]".

 

I was so glad Rick Worthy was back as the Dean. I've always loved him, but he always seems to get on shows and then either is barely used or is killed off. I love what he's bringing to the Dean, so it was great to see him back so soon.

 

I also thought it was pretty badass of the Dean to even show a glimmer of humor about his loss of sight (or change? How much can he see now?) -- he looked like he was thoroughly enjoying freaking people out upon his return.

 

Speaking of which, I also love Anne Dudek (I've loved her ever since her recurring role on "House"), so it's great to see her here as another teacher who doesn't take crap from anyone. Also, I thought the scene in which she was trying to determine Quentin's area of magical specialization was really funny and well-done. (Especially when she told him to talk to the plant and then made him shut up almost instantly...)

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quentin sad sacking it around the tree after Penny told him to quit thinking about Taylor Swift Lyrics made me laugh.  I wish he'd thrown his head back and started and started singing "I DON"T 'BOUT YOU, I'M FEELIN' 22!!" as loud as he could, because yeah, sure Penny's godlike levels of gorgeous, but fuck him telling people what they are allowed to think.

Hahahaha, now I kind of hope that Quentin will deliberately sing Taylor Swift in his head whenever Penny's around and try to get him to sing along. I would also settle for Quentin singing Britney Spears at the top of his lungs (aloud!) every time he sees Penny. I bet he could at least get Eliot to yell things like "WE ARE NEVER EVER EVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER!" when Penny walks by.

[stillshimpy]

Hahahaha, now I kind of hope that Quentin will deliberately sing Taylor Swift in his head whenever Penny's around and try to get him to sing along. I would also settle for Quentin singing Britney Spears at the top of his lungs (aloud!) every time he sees Penny. I bet he could at least get Eliot to yell things like "WE ARE NEVER EVER EVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER!" when Penny walks by.

 

That would be so incredibly awesome, ElectricBoogaloo,   "Okay gang, today it will be Katy Perry.   Everyone got that?  Let's make him hear us Roar!! Next week The Muppet Show Tonight!"  Elliot would probably be easily persuaded to think all sorts of "let's see if we can get Penny to trip his shit today" thoughts.  

 

Although paramitch, I kind of get what you're saying here:  

 

 

 

I don't quite think Penny is a bully, but I do think he needs a filter now and then. He's all edges, so I felt bad for him at being put in what looks like his own specialty, when (to echo Grandemocha) the socialization with an actual group like the 'physical kids' I think would honestly do him good. But I was laughing too hard at poor little Quentin grooving along silently and happily to some Taylor Swift, only to have his secret outed to the world. It was just... perfect.

 

It also made me laugh, and truthfully it would be maddening to hear everyone's thoughts.   However, I do think he was being overtly threatening when it's just not really up to everyone else to think things that won't drive Penny nuts.  Hence my "Oh really?  Fine!  I'll just SING IT ALOUD THEN! Another postcard with chimpanzees, and everyone is addressed to meeeeeeeee!."  

 

Although, all joking aside, that would be a horrible gift to add and when poor Penny got up to the "Welcome, those pillows are where you cry and process" I was far less annoyed by Penny and far closer to feeling truly sorry for him.  Plus, the look on his face (as if he was being condemned to the incense room in hell) was the stuff of high comedy.  The actor is having a blast with it.  

 

 

 

Speaking of which, I also love Anne Dudek (I've loved her ever since her recurring role on "House"), so it's great to see her here as another teacher who doesn't take crap from anyone. Also, I thought the scene in which she was trying to determine Quentin's area of magical specialization was really funny and well-done. (Especially when she told him to talk to the plant and then made him shut up almost instantly...)

 

Oddly enough, Anne Dudek is one of those actors who I'm used to seeing everyone around me on message boards react to with tremendous enthusiasm from Mad Men and Big Love.  On Big Love she played such a loathsome character (as did a lot of the actors on Big Love)  that it used to really freak me out.  However here, she's playing someone I pretty much instantly adored.  

 

I've really been digging how much humor they've injected into so many scenes  and that one where Quentin being tested for his discipline practically had me howling with laughter. Dudek's reaction shots finally had me understanding why people have always been so thrilled to see her.   If only they could have worked in Esme Bianco, it would have been like Wonder Twin Powers:  Shape of Purely Awesome Reheads!  

 

 

 

I didn't mind this. I have some residual liking for her boyfriend from the pilot, when he was so nice and good-natured with Julia and Quentin about their friendship, and then later when he showed real concern for Julia. I don't find him cardboard, just a nice muggle who cannot compete with magic.

 

Can't agree there, paramitch, I'm fairly certain if I didn't know James's name?  I wouldn't have a clue what his name was meant to be.  He's a perfectly nice character, he just seems like a Cardboard Kevin a character that might as well be a prop and is only there as a set dressing for the more important character -- contrast James to Kady in the Julia/James  Penny/Kady relationship -- and I have a hard time believing that James is meant to be doing anything other than standing quietly in a corner, staring off, looking pleasant wondering what else he would do to be supportive of his girlfriend for the entire time she's gone.  He's too thinly drawn in this for me to believe in him as a full person.  It's not the actor's fault, I just think he ends up feeling unimportant and unrealistic.  Dude practically holds a placard that says "The Temp Agency Sent Me!" 

 

 

 

See, for me this kind of works, because Margo has managed to underscore one out of every two 'invitations' with a sneer in a way that showed they weren't genuine. I do think Margo sometimes comes across as playing with Alice in a slightly cruel way, as if she thinks Alice can't see the sneer behind the smile. But then again -- I also think Margo and Eliot have kind of built a little society in which a sneer is also practically a compliment, so we'll see how things progress.

 

Both Elliot and Margo (still can't believe that's how the series has decided to spell it but...sure, I'm willing to work with that) have very affected, contrived personalities at this point, I feel.   I'm actually finding it kind of easy to forgive though, since that is often a protective instinct in real life, too.  A way of keeping people at a safe distance.  Besides, I actually really liked the moment when Margo just hangs out, waiting and waiting -- waiting some more -- for Alice to ask for her help.  There was something oddly sweet in that.  So often -- particularly for female characters -- there's way too much emphasis in structuring in the most easily recognizable forms of being likable the hallmarks of being "nice" (easy to get along with, not making waves, blah blah blah....) and Margo sitting there and waiting was kind.  I'll take kind over seemingly nice any day, if if she wasn't going out of her way to make it easier for Alice, she was just hanging out....waiting for her.  Then I was actually struck by how kind Margo actually was to the former student who had tried to change the way she looked.  Alice was understandably very focused on how everything pertained to her brother -- and I'm not blaming her for that even a  little, this was about the death of someone Alice loved dearly -- so it kind of fell to Margo to give a hang about what the young woman was describing.   To sort of receive that from her in a way that honored the "Oh holy shit, that must have been awful for you!"  compassion that someone would need to be able to share a memory that painful. 

 

I didn't blame Alice at all for being on tenterhooks, desperately awaiting the next snippet about her brother.  Listening to the entire story with an ear mainly tuned to hearing what an awesome guy he was and it made sense that she had an emotional distance from the young woman she saw as being partially responsible for his death.  I did appreciate that Margo was there to provide emotional support for her.  Emily didn't set out to kill Alice's brother -- and I loved the actor playing him -- and I liked that Margo was kind of enough to her to focus on her emotional state.   

At the end of the OnDemand showing of this episode (because apparently my DVR doesn't like to talk to Syfy or something) they had cute little cast interviews with all the principal players (at least in the student body) and it was fun, I'd recommend it.   It doesn't actually go into any of that, really, it's just fun to see that actors talking about their characters. 

Edited February 8, 2016 by stillshimpy

[Jordan27]

I'm guessing you're not a fan ? You going to hate watch or just give up and move on to the next show ?

 

It is a problem with the fantasy genre where you have a super special bunch of people and all they ever really seem to do is fight other super special people. They never really seem to do anything particularly novel with their powers just fight crime and perpertrate crimes. No one seems to use magic/power for anything else like making money, getting laid or making a difference to the world around them.

I'm done.  I never hate watch.  I might snark watch if a show is so unbelievably bad.  Case in point...Under The Dome, which was like a satire of a disaster show.

 

Buffy did the fantasy genre incredibly well.   Sleepy Hollow, Grimm, Arrow, and Flash all also do it really good. 

 

This show made me not care about any of the characters.  In fact, most of them were just annoying.

[queenanne]

Catching up myself and just wanted to say, this was the first episode where I felt I got the point of Quentin, Alice, and Quentin-and-Alice.  In the living room scene and outdoors of the Physical cottage I got their chemistry; and Quentin's actor was very cutely appealing more than once, including stumbling around with the wildly thrashing box (good with physical comedy!  I see what you did there, Casting Director.  That should be handy.)

 

Of course, it's early days now and I grant I've two more episodes to go...

[Ubiquitous]

I can't take a side in Quentin and Julia's argument. They've both been crappy to each other.

 

I don't trust Elliot and Margo, nor Julia's magic group, for that matter.

 

What is it with Alice's spells always going wrong?

 

Was the Nifflebox a magical version of the Ghost Busters' ghost trap?

Is it just me, or does anyone else have trouble understanding what people are saying? There is way too much mumbling going on. 

It's not just you. I keep missing things b/c I can't hear them.

[AudienceofOne]

On 2/3/2016 at 0:38 PM, wayne67 said:

 

Well that sounds like she was acting like his girlfriend or mother. Nagging him into being something she expected him to be instead of just letting him be like a friend or being there when he needed to talk or nudging him into coming out of his shell. She was basically trying to bully him into behaving the way she wanted him to be. 

My impression was that she was the typical overachiever who befriended the awkward geek because then she could always feel superior. And then he achieved something she couldn't and she couldn't handle it. Or at least, that's what he thinks. Still, throwing in with what looks very much like a a cult ten seconds after getting rejected, makes me think Quentin had a point.

Not to say that I like him. There's something really passive aggressive about him and him bringing up the fact he had feelings for her was very douchy.

On 2/3/2016 at 3:53 AM, iMonrey said:

There really doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the school and how it functions, it feels like an arbitrary mish-mash of elements plagiarized from Harry Potter and other similar works. It's easier to grasp what the hedge witches are doing but Pete and Marina are sort of cartoonishly sinister and it makes Julia look like a dope.

Is my problem. How strict are the houses they're in? Is this just a preference, like a major, or are they limited to these types of abilities? What is the curricula like? And I can't believe they're not given a strict list of spells to avoid when they get there. Because what Alice is doing is borderline insane.

Edited November 15, 2016 by AudienceofOne

[The Companion]

On 2/2/2016 at 3:55 PM, Lion said:

I've heard this from a co worker today.  I must have chosen the perfect program for me because we definitely weren't partying  and drinking in grad school.  There was one person who did in my program, and he was pretty well shunned due to showing up intoxicated all the time.  

In Law School, we even had school sanctioned parties that served alcohol on campus. That being said, most of the people partying too hard suffered at the end of the semester. 

On 2/2/2016 at 10:48 PM, kat165 said:

I didn't notice last wk with the first 2 eps, but this week since
I have more of a handle on what's going than I did last wk I found
Pete distractingly familiar. Finally figured out what it was: he
played Nick Lane in Fringe. Nick was one of my favorite reoccuring
characters and it's great to see him again (David Call) & looking
much healthier than he did in Fringe.

I loved Fringe, but I hadn't put that together!

 

On 2/4/2016 at 4:04 PM, Slovenly Muse said:

Yes! Focus is a big problem here. I'm still trying to get a handle on what magic in this world IS and how its rules work and what our main characters can do (not to mention who they are)... All the Julia stuff on top of that is too much. I feel like if we had more time to get to know the strengths and dangers of magic alongside Quentin FIRST, then when Julia found it through these other channels we might have a greater sense of the stakes involved and the risks she was taking. It could have been more effective to put off the Julia storyline even for just a few episodes. Trying to figure out the magic of this world from all these different angles at once is muddying things up.

 

You're right about the mish-mash factor. The school has that classroom-magic-learning feel of Hogwarts, the "here are the telekinetics, there are the mind-readers," feel of the Xavier Institute, and the "choose your own learning" feel of real life grad school. It's hard to figure out how this works exactly. Is this like the real world, or Hogwarts, where anyone can learn anything if they put their mind to it, but everyone will be naturally gifted in certain areas? Or is this more like an X-Men thing, where everyone has a certain gift that allows them to do things others can't, requiring different types of people to work together to accomplish certain spells? Can anyone with magic read minds, or only the Psychics? What are they even learning in the classroom? Specific spells, or general magical theory/philosophy? To quote the poor, exasperated partner from God Cop, "I don't understand the rules of this!"

I agree. It is a little confusing how the instruction fits in, how much they are supposed to learn from their peers, etc. There is also alarmingly little supervision. The fact that you can find books with super dangerous spells in them and then attempt them in the middle of campus without anyone saying a word means that they may want to re-think all of this. I think part of the problem too is that this is being treated as grad school for which there was no prior undergraduate work. The instructor tells them and us that it is important to learn in order because some of this can be dangerous, yet there are no safeguards in place and there is no prohibition on 1st years trying whatever the hell they feel like. It's like taking a bunch of Communications majors and letting them try surgery cause they read a book about surgery. 

On 2/5/2016 at 7:13 AM, paramitch said:

I think the actress who plays Kady is gorgeous, and I like her for not covering up her middle. She's not fat by even the remotest stretch of the imagination, so if she doesn't care that she's not a wall of muscle in her midriff, I kind of love her for it. 

 

This has been talked to death, but I just want to put in that I felt initially uncomfortable when I saw her in the first outfit not because she needs to have a wall of muscle to pull off the outfit, but because actresses often don't have a say in their costume. I hope she had some input.

 

On 2/6/2016 at 6:53 PM, stillshimpy said:

I think when it comes to Julia, I'm a little torn: On the one hand, I think that finding out there is a remarkable world of possibility and wonder, with none of the limits you have in the world you dwell in, but you aren't allowed to have it, would actually drive a person insane.  Not just an overachiever, most people.  That Julia was an overachiever makes it that much worse though.  I didn't like when she told her Cardboard Kevin Character of a boyfriend that she was addicted to ADHD medication as a cover story.  

 

I felt for Julia when she was stuck in a world without magic after being exposed to it, but she is losing me. She has access to magic and time. She is treating her poor boyfriend (who I actually like a lot for being a stable, kind and supportive individual in a world of self-centered jerks) like complete crap. It isn't like she has a magic test coming up or they are going to kick her out. She doesn't have to fight some monster around the corner. She is just getting obsessed with something she can't share with her boyfriend, and her solution is to string him along while offering nothing in return. He is throwing her birthday parties and calling her supposed best friend and worrying about her while she completely dismisses him. 

 

On 2/6/2016 at 8:03 PM, stillshimpy said:

I agree, he's a bit of a pill.  Seriously, rather than "GRRRR ARRRRGHHHH, how dare you think mediocre music at me???" and making it Quetin's responsibility, try learning how to STOP LISTENING TO QUENTIN'S HEAD, Penny.  Penny was pleased as punch to read Kady's mind when she was thinking about getting busy with him.  

 

I thought the point of that, in part, is that he doesn't have control over his own powers. Wasn't that referenced when he got to his house?

 

On 2/8/2016 at 5:35 AM, paramitch said:

I liked that moment a lot. I'm enjoying the characters so far and even the way their moments of unlikability are often mixed directly in with those of vulnerability. Quentin clearly knew he was being a jerk, and I thought the actor played that really well. And for that matter, so did the actor playing Eliot -- he manages to be a snob and occasional ass, but I kind of love him anyway -- he has these other moments that are kind of vulnerable and lovable.

I agree with this. I don't hate any of the characters at the moment because I think all of them have some depth. 

On 11/14/2016 at 11:30 PM, AudienceofOne said:

My impression was that she was the typical overachiever who befriended the awkward geek because then she could always feel superior. And then he achieved something she couldn't and she couldn't handle it. Or at least, that's what he thinks. Still, throwing in with what looks very much like a a cult ten seconds after getting rejected, makes me think Quentin had a point.

I wish they had tweaked a bit of the story here so that we could get a better understanding of the dynamic. She seemed like a supportive friend when they were together, but neither one of them seems to really get one another and there is so much resentment between them now. I think she probably doesn't have a handle on how dangerous the cult might be. She is surrounded by people who can do magic and who know a lot more about it than she does. She has no way of gauging the safety or knowing what would be considered normal in the magic world. That being said, she does read very desperate and I really don't understand it. They haven't shown her doing anything that would be particularly addictive (other than free money). I can't imagine being so pumped about unlocking a padlock that I would lie to my boyfriend.

[Camera One]

The best part of this episode was probably Penny finding out he was a traveller.  The rest of it was alright, but a little frustrating.  Alice once again taking the risk to communicate with Charlie was too reckless yet again.  The outcome wasn't satisfying since there was no essence of Charlie left.  For a magical school, they sure let medical emergencies and student magic get out of control.  

I don't understand why Quentin is so harsh and unfeeling with Julia.  I liked their friendship in the pilot, but there seems to be a lot that was not flushed out since I find his attitude towards her since then to be hard to believe.  I did like how Eliot and Quentin came to bump into her when looking for the lost book, though.