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S01.E08: The Strangled Heart

ElectricBoogaloo

By ElectricBoogaloo
in The Magicians [V]

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snuffles

snuffles

Mike turning out to be the beast, not surprising. Mike killing the bunny AND Jane, surprising. So much gore for a cable show that comes on at 6 pm (Southern California).

I hope the devoutly religious don't get a wind of this show. There will be calls for cancellation for sure. Multiple Gods/Deities, chaplains using F bombs ?! Not just the students cussing like sailors. The teachers too.

Dean Fogg sure full of hope and joy. Just when Julia was perking up.

What on earth do 3rd year students do other than "bang", have parties and do drugs and alcohol? We never see them in class. The entire student body must be less than a dozen by now since there are only 3 left in the 2nd year class. How did Elliot and Margo get to go to that beach trip as first years?

Glad we got to see more classes and teachers.

So many funny quotes tonight. "You counted? Of course I counted!"

  • Love 2
HunterHunted

HunterHunted

Both Penny and Quentin were really quite funny in this episode, which wasn't really all that funny overall. My heart kind of breaks for Elliot. He really seemed to be falling for Mike/The Beast.

Other things

I knew what's her face would turn out to be Jane Chatwin. Now she's dead.

Was anyone else concerned about Julia's prayer? Do you think this how Mike started to let The Beast in, by doing similar prayers/invocations?

Is Alice the most talented magician ever? You would think that they would have had a faculty member do the burning spell rather than a first year?

wayne67

wayne67

Oh Elliot. I felt so bad for him. Will he go all dark now?

Did we always know that Eliza was Jane Chatwin and I just missed that detail? I guess it's all moo point now that she's dead.

 

I think we got hints before this episode. Of course I only pegged her as Jane when she went on about that doll... 

 

Then she dies. 

 

I guess she was more capable of fighting off the Beast as a child then she is as an adult. Oh well. 

 

A magic proof chamber isn't necessarily useful if it cuts off your power too. Didn't they have any enchanted collars or chains to do the same thing?

 

*sigh*

 

Elliot really showed off what being a 3rd year ? is capable of. Question is was it a one hit wonder or an instant fatality?

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Triskan

Triskan

Well, my immediate reaction is : "Damn, this show truly never fails to enchant, surprise and delight me every week !"

 

Okay, it's less and less a surprise every week, and even though there are still some flaws here and there (or some wrong directing and editing choices), I'm really invested in the story ! 

 

And damn it's fun ! So many great lines this episode ! 

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iMonrey

iMonrey

I've sort of been on the fence about this show. There's something a little off about it, and it has a vaguely foreign flavor to it. Their attempts at humor rarely work for me and I find Elliot more off-putting than anything else. It may be the actor. 

 

But this is the first episode where I kind of found myself liking the show more than not. I think maybe because when it gets tied into this whole Fillory thing it piques my interest more. I thought it was kind of cool that Quentin knew how to cure Penny's curse because it was something from the Fillory books. And I was taken by surprise at the revelation that Eliza was actually Jane Chapman from the Fillory books. Wasn't expecting that.

 

I guess the only criticism I have is that if Elliot was powerful enough to kill the monster-possessed boy, why wasn't Jane? Presumably she's had a lot more practice at this sort of thing.

 

I like the little re-enactments they do with scenes from the Fillory books and I wish they'd focus more on that. I think this is the biggest hook for me probably because I was always a big Narnia fan. 

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Hanahope

Hanahope

I do believe somebody mentioned that Quentin was most likely to find a way into Fillory and that is what the Beast is trying to prevent. I think.

 

I'm still wondering why Fillory is such a big deal?  Why do people want to go there?  Is it just because they can outwardly practice magic there?

 

It was nice to see, what appears to be, something good for Julia for a change. 

 

I had thought they school placed a guard outside the room where they were keeping Mike, so I was surprised when someone didn't come in when Jane screamed (I had a theory that's who she was). And if Jane knew Mike was still the Beast, why didn't she have a guard for protection, just in case?

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futurechemist

futurechemist

The impression I got was that Eliot could kill the Beast because of how emotionally devastated he was.  The show has said that magic comes from within, get someone angry enough and the magic explodes out.

 

It seems that "I'll answer all your questions as soon as we take care of this problem" is about as blunt a death sentence as saying "I only have 3 more days until I retire"

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Lemur

Lemur

I'm still wondering why Fillory is such a big deal?  Why do people want to go there?  Is it just because they can outwardly practice magic there?

It's Narnia or Middle Earth or the Harry Potter-verse.  It's a fantasy world from YA literature.  Why do fanboys and girls still lament not getting their Hogwarts letter or reference Lord of the Rings?  (My Narnia and Middle Earth game is weak here, so no pithy reference.)

Hanahope

Hanahope

Oh, I get that its Narnia.  I guess its just that except for Quentin, no one else seems to really give a shit about Fillory, or at least going there.  Every time that Quentin brings it up, everyone else seems to be "oh hell, Q's going on about Fillory AGAIN".  So that's why I don't understand by the Beast is so dead cert on killing Q and/or preventing people from going there.  Is Fillory otherwise overrun by children reading fantasy books?

  • Love 5
KaleyFirefly

KaleyFirefly

I guess the only criticism I have is that if Elliot was powerful enough to kill the monster-possessed boy, why wasn't Jane? Presumably she's had a lot more practice at this sort of thing.

I think it was because Jane was inside the room, and the Dean had explained that the room blocked spells. Elliott was outside the room, so he could perform a spell.

  • Like 1
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KaleyFirefly

KaleyFirefly

I liked this episode, but it was frustrating because the SyFy channel showed it with a ton of commercials, so it seemed really choppy and disjointed and it sometimes seemed that scenes were missing. 

 

I like Elliott, he is growing on me, and I think this was his best episode so far. It was touching to see how concerned he was about impressing his new boyfriend, and then later how devastated he was. Does he know Mike was possessed by the Beast, or does he think Mike was evil? Is Jane the only one who knew the truth? (Bonus points for her use of the phrase "meat puppet", a phrase used a lot on "Supernatural" to describe people possessed by a demon.) 

 

Penny was hot, especially when he was putting the moves on his teacher. Mmmmm Penny. I also liked his joking with Quentin (Q: Why is someone trying to kill me?  Penny: Because they met you. I think about stabbing you all the time.)

 

And Julia -- finally she has a storyline other than being a magic heroin junkie! It was interesting that they introduced the idea that magic can come from gods -- something they've never mentioned before, and they don't seem to teach at Brakebills. 

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xaxat

xaxat

Did Quentin figure out that Eliza was Jane?

 

I loved Alice's "we didn't do it/we totally did it" face.

 

Penny was hot, especially when he was putting the moves on his teacher. Mmmmm Penny. I also liked his joking with Quentin (Q: Why is someone trying to kill me?  Penny: Because they met you. I think about stabbing you all the time.)

 

You left out the best line! "That was a hundred percent not a joke."

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Lemur

Lemur

Oh, I get that its Narnia.  I guess its just that except for Quentin, no one else seems to really give a shit about Fillory, or at least going there.  Every time that Quentin brings it up, everyone else seems to be "oh hell, Q's going on about Fillory AGAIN".  So that's why I don't understand by the Beast is so dead cert on killing Q and/or preventing people from going there.  Is Fillory otherwise overrun by children reading fantasy books?

 

It's one of those things that can't be answered here at this time.  

Lemur

Lemur

(edited)

Got it.  So, a bit of bad story telling by the show writers then.  I know they do this sortof thing in books, but if you want people to watch your TV show, you need to present some of these answers a tad earlier.

 

Yes and no.  We're looking at the penultimate and ultimate episodes of the season this coming week and the week after.  Maybe your question will be answered, maybe not.  If they follow the Prestige TV/Game of Thrones model, your question may well be answered next week.

 

ETA:  Apparently it's a 13 episode run, but still, they're getting to the meat of the matter which is the point.

Edited by Lemur
Philbert

Philbert

 

 

My tv jumped a few times during the show but when Julia was writing her letters was one of them to Quentin where she tells him to go fuck himself? Cause it felt like she was blaming him for her situation.

 

 

Yeah, she really was. I think that was meant to show Julia at her absolute nadir.She's bitter, angry, feeling betrayed and refusing to see that she's largely responsible for buying into all the bullshit about magic that she has been taught. I thought the 'talk' that her counselor gave her later on was brilliant. "You see magic as a drug" because that's the way you've been taught to see it. Without having read any of the books, I have to say that I LOVE this conversation. Nobody was more pissed off at Mutant Enemy when they tacked the "Magic as drug addiction" theme onto Willow's story because they suddenly realized the logical cul de sac that they were writing one of the most popular BTVS characters into. It's soured a LOT of us on this idea, which explains I think some of the angry reaction from fans to Julia's storyline. I've never suffered from a drug addiction but I have several family members who have and I recently lost a nephew to prescription drug/alcohol addictions therefore I get a little prickly when it's not done right in fiction. The writing on this show certainly hasn't been stellar but I do think they've got a plan and are beginning to execute it effectively now. This is probably one of those shows that is better off being binged watched on NETFLIX because it really is incredibly easy to write Julia off after a 4-6 weeks of self destructive whining. I look forward to seeing her get control of herself as the series goes on.

  • Love 2
Philbert

Philbert

 

It's one of those things that can't be answered here at this time.

 

To quote River Song: "Spoilers, darling. Spoilers."

 

Did we always know that Eliza was Jane Chatwin and I just missed that detail? I guess it's all moo point now that she's dead.

 

They never revealed it until last night but they've been dropping hints about it increasingly as the series went on. IIRC I picked up on it by the end of the second episode.

  • Love 2
GaT

GaT

Oh, I get that its Narnia.  I guess its just that except for Quentin, no one else seems to really give a shit about Fillory, or at least going there.  Every time that Quentin brings it up, everyone else seems to be "oh hell, Q's going on about Fillory AGAIN".  So that's why I don't understand by the Beast is so dead cert on killing Q and/or preventing people from going there.  Is Fillory otherwise overrun by children reading fantasy books?

Because most people think Fillory was just something from a book, nobody (well, I guess Jane/Eliza did & I'm betting the professors) realized it was real. Everybody else is just finding out it's real so up to now every time Quentin mentioned it, it was like a grown man being obsessed with Narnia. 

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Izeinwinter

Izeinwinter

.. so, the beast had endowed him with super-human strength before he ever sent him to brakebills, or what? Multi-layered plan, that. I'd say overly complex, but since it was executed via mind-controlled puppet, presumably the beast didn't really care if all of it worked out, any damage done is all upside, and it's not like it would have to predict that the poor sod would get get locked up in a null-magic field - being inhumanly strong is a generally useful feature in a pawn. 

 

I presume Q got the beasts attention simply by being a magician with a great big Fillory obsession. It's not destiny, or fate, but some aspects of the future are very predictable - Given that Q is a magician, and how he views Fillory, the fact that he's going to go there unless he dies first is as inevitable as the orbits of the planets, which is going to be very bloody obvious to any sort of divination. Or heck, it'd be obvious even if divination isn't a thing, all the beast would need is a plant at the school.

stillshimpy

stillshimpy

It was nice to see some forward motion in Juilia's story, although I'm not really sure I fully understand the "Magic is like a drug, because the people at safe houses treat it like a drug and act like drug dealers" although I suppose that really would fit with the old intent-being-everything in magic.   I do like how Marina just shows up, dressed like no one would ever allow into a rehab facility and is apparently allowed visiting privileges.   That was oddly amusing, "Hi! I'm from Villains Are Us, Evil Doers with Worse Intent.  I look like I might run some sort of dungeon and I'd like to see a patient still under your care, who I can guarantee you didn't add my particular name to her visitor's list." 

 

Somewhere there is a really badly hexed receptionist trying to remember what day it is.  

 

The impression I got was that Eliot could kill the Beast because of how emotionally devastated he was.  The show has said that magic comes from within, get someone angry enough and the magic explodes out.

 

I don't think he killed The Beast, I think he was just able to stop his "meatsack" the person he was possessing, maybe for the same reasons of affinity that helped stop Penny's poisoning?   Anyway, I hope he didn't just kill that real guy, although boy could I have done without the bunny scene.  

 

Are they ever going to explain why someone is trying to kill Quentin?

 

Since Jane/Eliza could actually reveal how to stop the spell, it actually seemed like The Beast did all of that to lure Eliza to Brakebills and into that room where he could kill her without any magical protection around her.    The Beast ran away after getting blasted once by Quentin after he slashed Penny, so I don't think Quentin was necessarily the point as much as getting Eliza to Brakebills was.  

 

I am loving the idea of Quentin and Penny as reluctant best friends in the end. I mean Penny took a damn knife/stabbing for Q, that's friendship material right there!

 

They do have a kind of charming bromance going, don't they?  "Hey Asshole, wake up!"  etc.  Although I don't think someone has to necessarily be really fond of another person to try and save their life.  

 

I also liked the revelation that magic is a tool left over from creation, that's a fun detail and definitely makes the Fillory/Narnia thing resonate more too. 

  • Love 6
qtpye

qtpye

I love Elliot.  I did not understand what was so special about that guy, even before I knew he was possessed by the beast.  It felt like Elliot deserved some one way more dynamic and handsome.

 

Elliot keeps me watching.  I sort of wish he was the main character.

 

This show is very derivative and has very little in original concepts.  However, I overall still enjoy it.  I think it represents the time in young adulthood, where we are so confused about what we are supposed to be in the world.  The future can be bright, but scary.   These people have the extras stress/blessing of magic in their lives to further complicate things. 

  • Love 2
Helena Dax

Helena Dax

(edited)

Is it wrong that I thought Elliot looked hot when he killed Mike/The Beast?

 

I really like this show. The changes from the books keep the things interesting and I think the writers and the actors are doing a good job with the characters. I loved what they did to Elliot in this episode, showing the man behind the mask. Margo should be the next one. 

 

The relationship between Penny and Quentin is hilarious. And now they've saved each other's lives, awwwww. 

Edited by Helena Dax
  • Love 3
WildPlum

WildPlum

I prefer Elliot a bit more toned down than he has been the last couple episodes (yes, we get it, he is head over heels) but his last interaction with Mike the Meat Sack was good. 

 

The little time shout-out by the dean was good, along the lines that now that they have started their second semester things get tough. That was a lot of stuff crammed in to 14 or 15 weeks. 

 

My impression of Marina's presence was that Julia wrote her one of those letters, like the one she was trying to write Quentin - that is what brought her there and she was feeling "generous" enough to say I'm sorry, I did sort of like you and stay out of my shit or I will kill you. Actually pretty generous for Marina. Have we actually seen the last of her, or is she an accomplice of The Beast?

 

I was confused the first time I saw Eliza wearing a little Jane-like cape and wondered then what the connection was. 

 

Overall the story seems to be picking up but I think they did a terrible job introducing parts of it. I'd prefer slower pacing and better world-building, but I suppose I could always read the books. I tried the first one and gave up because I disliked Quentin so very much.

iMonrey

iMonrey

I doubt if Julia would have tried to write a letter to Marina to make “amends” – Marina wasn’t the wronged party and would have said something about it if she’d gotten a letter from her. I really don’t know what she was doing at the facility or why she felt the need to taunt or threaten Julia at that point, since it was obvious Julia was in there to give up magic. In fact her taunting made it even less likely Julia would give up magic, so the visit seemed counter-productive.

 

So, is The Beast supposed to be gay? Because otherwise why did he single out Elliot as his way into Brakebill’s?

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stillshimpy

stillshimpy

I doubt if Julia would have tried to write a letter to Marina to make “amends”

 

No kidding.  "I'm sorry...you murdered someone in front of me." is about how that would read.  

 

So, is The Beast supposed to be gay? Because otherwise why did he single out Elliot as his way into Brakebill’s?

I don't think so.  I think The Beast is sort of divorced from humanity, as his title would imply, but that he used Elliot because he was able to find a way in by possessing that particular former student -- who had an alumni key to Brakebills.  Presumably he was known to be gay so it would be easier to approach Elliot than any of the other students surrounding Quentin.   So that seemed to be it, he'd finagled a key by possessing that particular former student, and that meant that Elliot would be his target, vs. Margo.  Plus, I think we're to take it that there was at least a little bit of magic involved in enthralling Elliot to that degree.  Margo asked him what it was about James "this guy" because apparently Elliot was reacting to him oddly enough for Margo to note it as an unusual level of detachment. 

 

Then we saw that again here, with how worried he was about his outfit.  I think dialing the Elliot is Arch up to about eleventy billion was actually supposed to serve as a clue that James was not on the up and up.  

  • Like 1
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stillshimpy

stillshimpy

(edited)

Meat Puppets is also a band from the early nineties, best known for the song Backwater.   Wikipedia says they actually formed in 1980 but Backwater is from '94. 

 

So....it's been around for kind of a long time.  Still, evokes a visceral image, doesn't it?  Probably why it's popular in scifi. 

 

Meat Puppets:  Backwater:  

 

Edited by stillshimpy
  • Love 1
AudienceofOne

AudienceofOne

(edited)
On 3/9/2016 at 3:49 AM, KaleyFirefly said:

it seemed really choppy and disjointed and it sometimes seemed that scenes were missing. 

Haha. That's my gripe about every episode! I'm just kind of going with the flow now although I'm enjoying it in a 'mind-in-neutral' way rather than a 'this is an interesting story' way. The question of why the Beast is so attached to Fillory is probably the most interesting one and I kind of wish this was answered sooner because at the moment it's episode 8 and we're still like 'something is going on... somewhere... probably'. It was nice to see some plot movement actually. I haven't really felt like there is one. 

On 3/9/2016 at 4:51 AM, TiffanyNichelle said:

My tv jumped a few times during the show but when Julia was writing her letters was one of them to Quentin where she tells him to go fuck himself? Cause it felt like she was blaming him for her situation.

Her letter was about her trying to forgive him. This girl has zero self-awareness. She tried to kill him and he... said some mean things to her. I mean, just her doing that spell with Marina for 'revenge' showed how awful she is. I did like his letter back was 'well I guess we're both still mad' rather than a full apology because he didn't really do anything wrong that I remember. No matter how much of a dick you are to someone, you hardly deserve an assassination attempt.

Edited by AudienceofOne
Because it's episode 8, not 9
  • Love 1
Camera One

Camera One

I was disappointed they killed Eliza who turned out to be Jane.  I suppose they needed to kill anyone who had too many "answers".  It's another case of why wouldn't she just tell Quentin the full story so he could prepare himself for the threat of the Beast.  The Dean could also have been a bit more forthcoming.  The problem with these types of sci-fi/fantasy shows is the characters who know have to be so cryptic and secretive, and it doesn't seem to make much sense.  I hope Jane's spirit lives on and she can continue to show up to be Quentin's guide in the future.

Overall, though, I did like this episode.  It was neat that Alice read the books for "research".  Not sure I liked that all this was to solve their sex problem since that seemed to be resolution.

AudienceofOne

AudienceofOne

1 hour ago, Camera One said:

I was disappointed they killed Eliza who turned out to be Jane.  I suppose they needed to kill anyone who had too many "answers".  It's another case of why wouldn't she just tell Quentin the full story so he could prepare himself for the threat of the Beast.  The Dean could also have been a bit more forthcoming. 

... wants to to write something. Can't remember if it'd be a spoiler.... ergh....

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