Jump to content

Type keyword(s) to search
Celebrating 1,000 NCIS-franchise episodes

S04.E08: Home Improvement

ElectricBoogaloo

By ElectricBoogaloo
in The Magicians [V]

Recommended Posts

The Companion

The Companion

Yet another great episode description.

I love Felicia Day. I know she is polarizing but I was excited to see her back. The dragon plot was funny but felt a bit disjointed. I did appreciate that they gave something useful to Julia. Also, the dragon's message to her was definitely intriguing. Oh and I loved the part where dragons were old news. 

Alice's mom continues to be a narcissist. Even in not turning Alice in, it was because Alice was all she had left. I couldn't tell if we were supposed to conclude Sheila was coerced or not. Maybe she couldn't say no to a cupcake at book club. 

Was I the only one who wanted Q to say he already had been a father once? 

I enjoyed Margo getting a bit of her groove back and I always enjoy Fen (and her badass knife skills). Not as enthusiastic about the prophecy. 

I feel like we are close to the home stretch and I have no idea where we are going. Not necessarily a bad thing. I just have too many things I want wrapped up.

  • Love 7
Link to comment
tennisgurl

tennisgurl

"FALCOR!!!"

"I met Sean Parker at an Arby`s one time." "Julia, you want a lick of this egg?" "We can be sister wives! It worked on Big Love!"

I swear, I could just do a transcript for all the dialogue in this episode, its all so good. How is it already episode eight, I dont want this season to end!

  • LOL 1
  • Love 8
Link to comment
JTMacc99

JTMacc99

Lots of interesting stuff again.  

And lots of fun stuff too! Dragon Porn... I also got a kick out of "The Dragon of the East River". The Dragon of the Hudson River? That I could see, but the East River? Heh. Also, I love that this show has a dramatic, giant, fierce looking dragon rise up out of the water and then that voice.

Of course Margo was "Your quest is obviously about me, so I'm coming with you" to Fen. And of course Fen took a minute to fangirl Margo and Josh (much to Margo's objection.)

  • Love 1
Link to comment
AuntieMame

AuntieMame

I think about in a lot of Dragon mythology every river has its tutelary dragon. I've read/seen this before. I just wish the East River Dragon had been a unique individual. All of the dragons we've seen so far seem to have the identical snarky personality and not just in the shared species way. I was glad that baby Dragon to be was returned to the dragons. 

I do like Fen and loved that the cat lady pointed out that she had been trained to think of everyone but herself. I didn't like that this was immediately turned into the potential bloody overthrow of Margot. I'd love to see Fen and Margot working together more. 

This episode had a lot of set up. Alice providing Zelda the means to quest in the mirror realm for her daughter. Pete as a possible lieutenant for Kady and her defense of the hedges. Penny 23 and 40 still a mystery. Margot and Fen questing together with the hint of possible betrayal. The main players a bit of a mystery in terms of how they will defeat the monster and save Eliot. That plot line seems to be weakening. It will be interesting to see how the writers the it all together as the second half of the season picks up speed. I hope that Camryn Mannheim's character gets more use. She is a possible Chekhov's gun in the plot. 

  • Love 2
Link to comment
TiffanyNichelle

TiffanyNichelle

Falcor! LMAO. Of course Q would jump to that name. I loved everyone slowly going dragon egg crazy. I can't stand Poppy but I loved 23 losing it over her informative dragon pregnancy porn. What a sentence lol. I too wonder why Quentin didn't mention having been a father before.

Pete trying to impress Quentin and the gang about dragons and Q going "oh yeah, I've met 3, whatevs" was too funny.

I shockingly enjoyed a Alice story that even included her mother, who is the worst. I wasn't surprised that Sheila chose to join the Order. The whole world of magic is new to her. She doesn't really know who all the players are and who the bad guys are. She just saw a group that was willing to teach her even more magic than Alice.

I don't want Fen to have to overthrow Margot after all that work last season for her to get the crown. And where is my Quentin/Margot scene where she finds out about Eliot??

  • Love 6
Link to comment
ElectricBoogaloo

ElectricBoogaloo

  • Author

I laughed SO HARD when Julia took the dragon egg away and Quentin whimpered, “Falcor!”

The Napster joke cracked me up too. 

So is the Binder going to end up being a book binder at the library, a Trapper Keeper, or a witch/demon with a binding fetish?

  • LOL 4
  • Love 2
Link to comment
iMonrey

iMonrey

I know Hale Applemen is getting lauded for his acting this season, but for my money Jason Ralph is under appreciated for what he does. He plays the indecisive, quiet, insecure, stammering Quentin so easily it appears as though he must be playing himself. Then you see him play something else, like the Beast in timeline 23, or the paranoia manifestation of the key last season, and suddenly you realize he's acting his ass off just to play Quentin. 

I thought he was hilarious this episode under the thrall of the dragon egg, yelling "Don't you hurt Falcor!" when they grabbed the egg. The whole thing was hysterical. 

If I had one quibble it would be that this season doesn't feel as cohesive as last season did. A lot of it feels meandering and disconnected. But then last season was all tied together in the Quest and this season doesn't have a strong through line like that.

Quote

So is the Binder going to end up being a book binder at the library, a Trapper Keeper, or a witch/demon with a binding fetish?

I've given up speculating at this point. There was a lot of guessing about who the lady in the green cape would turn out to be and I don't think anyone could have ever guessed it was Napster. 

  • Love 9
Link to comment
festivus

festivus

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

I know Hale Applemen is getting lauded for his acting this season, but for my money Jason Ralph is under appreciated for what he does. He plays the indecisive, quiet, insecure, stammering Quentin so easily it appears as though he must be playing himself. Then you see him play something else, like the Beast in timeline 23, or the paranoia manifestation of the key last season, and suddenly you realize he's acting his ass off just to play Quentin. 

I agree with you and it's something I've been meaning to post about. It's hard to play a clinically depressed character like Quentin and not have the audience get tired of it because it can be draining to watch. I've always been impressed with JR and his expressive face. I think he's been low-key killing it this season with how dead inside Quentin is feeling. As much as I'm enjoying the monster, I miss Eliot though. He's the spark that's missing from the group and why I think the season isn't feeling as together as the last one. Hopefully that's intentional.

As to last night's episode. I've got the damn flu so I have no idea what was going on. Some shit with dragons I guess. I'll definitely be needing to watch again. 

  • Love 5
Link to comment
tennisgurl

tennisgurl

(edited)

I love this show, you never know what turns its going to take. I mean, Poppy and her dragon egg that makes everyone have major parental instincts towards it, dragon porn, Fen and Margo getting trapped into Karate Kidding somebody due to Fens prophetic dreams, which is actually a cat lady who wants Fen to take Margo down! 

I was cracking up throughout the whole egg plot, with Penny, Poppy, and Quentin all becoming forced egg parents and Julia and Kady running away hysterically with the egg. And Poppy and Q going getting ready for her to pop, and Kudy, Julia, and Penny all just starring in bafflement. Poppy is super sketchy and sometimes annoys me, but I enjoyed her here, this was a good use of Poppy. And it led to a bittersweet moment when Poppy asked if Q ever wanted to be a dad. Maybe I was reading into it too much, but he seemed to be thinking of the son he raised in the Mosaic timeline, but I can understand why he didnt want to get into all of that with Poppy. Its kind of a long story. 

Heh, Harold the Herald. He got the job because of a confusingly written wanted add! And I love that dragons, even dragons in New York, are just old news to the gang at this point. Like, "Yeah, I know that dragon. What a dick." 

So will Fen end up marrying Margo so they can both have the throne? That would be pretty on brand for this show.

6 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I know Hale Applemen is getting lauded for his acting this season, but for my money Jason Ralph is under appreciated for what he does. He plays the indecisive, quiet, insecure, stammering Quentin so easily it appears as though he must be playing himself.

I agree, I've become increasingly impressed with Jason over the course of the series. Quentin is a hard role to play, in many ways. He isnt a flashy or super in your face, character like many of the others and as he has clinical depression and serious self esteem issues, which are often hard to really convey to an audience, he could easily become tiring to watch for the audience, or get overshadowed by the bigger personalities around him, but Jason plays him wonderfully. He is super engaging, even when he is just reacting to stuff (which is does a lot this season, especially with the Monster) and he has carried a lot of heavy emotional stuff this season, and he makes it look so easy, its sometimes easy to forget what he is even doing. Like, the whole scene at the start of the episode where he was just reacting to the Monster talking about wanting more drugs, while Q is desperately trying to keep him happy and from hurting Elliot, without using many words. 

Edited by tennisgurl
  • Love 6
Link to comment
mammaM

mammaM

16 minutes ago, ParadoxLost said:

Something (other than the cat person, well not just the cat person) made me wonder if Fen's dream is tied to Margot's dream of Ember playing with kittens in the premiere.

Those kittens with Ember made me nervous. I kept getting flashbacks of Alice's pet kitten from last season 😉

Link to comment
The Companion

The Companion

21 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I agree, I've become increasingly impressed with Jason over the course of the season. Quentin is a hard role to play, in many ways. He isnt a flashy or super in your face, character like many of the others and as he has clinical depression and serious self esteem issues, which are often hard to really convey to an audience, he could easily become tiring to watch for the audience, or get overshadowed by the bigger personalities around him, but Jason plays him wonderfully. He is super engaging, even when he is just reacting to stuff (which is does a lot this season, especially with the Monster) and he has carried a lot of heavy emotional stuff this season, and he makes it look so easy, its sometimes easy to forget what he is even doing. Like, the whole scene at the start of the episode where he was just reacting to the Monster talking about wanting more drugs, while Q is desperately trying to keep him happy and from hurting Elliot, without using many words. 

Yes. He has that quiet desperation voice he uses with the monster that is so good. Jason really balances the depression and the introverted nature of the character with an understanding that the character is also a person who has deep and meaningful one on one relationships. Quentin is better character for it. 

I have really been appreciating Quentin as a character as he plays off the monster and others. This season has a much heavier character focus, and I think Quentin shines in those stories. I think one of the things I love about the confirmation of his sexuality is that it actually feels like a natural part of his character. He is a person who gets to know his friends and who cares deeply about them. The idea that he falls in love with the person, regardless of gender actually fits very organically. Beyond that, Jason could just play Quentin this year as fake in front of the monster and depressed otherwise, but instead there is a lot of nuance in his performance. 

It was pretty fun this week as well to slightly break character because of the dragon baby pheromones. 

  • Love 4
Link to comment
Enginerd

Enginerd

I agree that Jason Ralph is doing a fantastic job portraying Quentin. A character like this could easily go very flat and boring, but he gives it a lot of nuance and subtle emotion. Also, aside from the depression, I think introverted people are very underrepresented on television, and often when there is a character who is meant to be introverted, they're just performatively reclusive or shy in a way that doesn't seem realistic. But the mainstream characters are usually VERY OPENLY AND LOUDLY EXPRESSIVE, as though that were how 98% of people in the world are. Quentin is much more developed; you can see him thinking and having emotions and interacting in a believable way for someone with that personality, without having to ham it up for the cheap seats.

  • Love 8
Link to comment
AnimeMania

AnimeMania

"Dragonriders of Porn" I liked that the had to blur the pages to show them on TV.

I laughed when I noticed Penny was rubbing an egg on his face while talking to ease his withdrawal.

i enjoyed Quentin's pleads for "Falcor".

  • Love 2
Link to comment
AuntieMame

AuntieMame

Thanks to everyone who was so elegant in their analysis of the acting for the Quentin character. It’s all really true. Q does have issues, common ones in depression and low self esteem and I would think at this point some trauma. The actor is knocking it out of the park. He shows the flaws but also Q’s good character. He tries to be a good person. 

That is the genius of this show, the depiction of good if flawed people and how they interact. The show stresses friendship and true soulmates and that soulmate isn’t always about who you have sexual feelings for...that you’re lucky if you ever have that connection. 

I know we still have to see where the writers take the overall series arc, but I’m hoping this show becomes a slow burn classic. I think it really is that good in many ways. 

  • Love 7
Link to comment
bara007

bara007

15 hours ago, TiffanyNichelle said:

I don't want Fen to have to overthrow Margot after all that work last season for her to get the crown. And where is my Quentin/Margot scene where she finds out about Eliot??

What I thought about the prophecy - is that Fen cares about Margo (and Elliot) so much, that she must help them yet in another, unexpected, and bizarre way - it seemed to me like it will be the only way she can protect her life or something ... make it happen that Margo is not on the throne for a while.

Not that Fen would want her throne!

Strange that they didn't try to get the message about Elliot out to Margo first.

I have a strong feeling that Margo is going to be vital to saving of Elliot (and maybe even the dethroning too!)

  • Love 1
Link to comment
ElectricBoogaloo

ElectricBoogaloo

  • Author

I agree that Jason has done a great job as Quentin. It's not easy to portray someone who is depressed and anxious without being one note or coming off as a sad sack. In the first season, what I really enjoyed about his performance was how he really threw himself into the physical comedy. But seeing him as the Beast and his time in the mosaic timeline has shown his range and how deliberate his choices for S1 Quentin were.

I found Poppy a bit annoying in the previous season, but she was used perfectly in this episode. Everything she said and did fit her character without being over the top or annoying. The dragon porn is still cracking me up a day later.

reptile.thumb.jpg.689b6fe1f966d0dcaa52550db16068ab.jpg

  • Love 6
Link to comment
AudienceofOne

AudienceofOne

On 3/14/2019 at 2:04 PM, tennisgurl said:

"FALCOR!!!"

"I met Sean Parker at an Arby`s one time." "Julia, you want a lick of this egg?" "We can be sister wives! It worked on Big Love!"

I swear, I could just do a transcript for all the dialogue in this episode, its all so good. How is it already episode eight, I dont want this season to end!

This was just one-liner after one-liner.

"Jesus based on the novel Christ by Sapphire" was my favourite even though I'm not entirely sure if it's a cultural reference I'm not getting.

Frankly, this episode was everything I love about The Magicians. It was funny, it was true to its characters, it was fast-paced but took time to let moments breathe, it was surprising, it was a bit profound and it treated everyone - even minor parts and guest stars - with respect. 

I really like how everyone's being positioned leading up to the end of the season too. 

  • Love 2
Link to comment
ElectricBoogaloo

ElectricBoogaloo

  • Author
5 hours ago, AudienceofOne said:

"Jesus based on the novel Christ by Sapphire" was my favourite even though I'm not entirely sure if it's a cultural reference I'm not getting.

The original book was called Push but when it was turned into a movie, the title was changed to Precious (which is the name of the main character). As a result, the movie ads all said, "Precious - based on the novel Push by Sapphire." On The Office, Michael said to Erin, "Do you mind if I listen to my book on tape? This is a novelization of the movie Precious based on the novel Push by Sapphire."

  • Useful 2
Link to comment
AudienceofOne

AudienceofOne

4 hours ago, ProudMary said:

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/precious/

1 minute ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

The original book was called Push but when it was turned into a movie, the title was changed to Precious (which is the name of the main character). As a result, the movie ads all said, "Precious - based on the novel Push by Sapphire." On The Office, Michael said to Erin, "Do you mind if I listen to my book on tape? This is a novelization of the movie Precious based on the novel Push by Sapphire."

Oh yeah, I was never going to get that. It just shows how amazingly clever this show is. I laughed anyway, even if I didn't know what it was referencing. Now I think it's even wittier and will become my new favourite phrase. 

  • LOL 1
  • Love 1
Link to comment
ElectricBoogaloo

ElectricBoogaloo

  • Author
2 minutes ago, AudienceofOne said:

Oh yeah, I was never going to get that. It just shows how amazingly clever this show is. I laughed anyway, even if I didn't know what it was referencing. Now I think it's even wittier and will become my new favourite phrase. 

Jokes/references like that remind me of The Muppet Show. Kids could watch it and get the jokes and laugh, but adults got some of the additional meaning to the jokes so it was doubly funny for them. I appreciate that the jokes and pop culture references are fun for people who recognize them but are still funny and aren't alienating or confusing for people who don't know them.

  • Love 1
Link to comment
MissL

MissL

"Falcor..."

Its hard to remember there was a time when I didn't love Q but there was. Jason really does have great comedic timing. He has some of my favorite reactions and often makes me LOL. (Our friends cat was sick...and exploded.)

I miss Elliot.

Not sure what else to say. I love this show. I love that it's smart humor that sometimes takes a sec to get. I love that they didn't necessarily explicitly explain why they were rubbing eggs on their faces (I don't think) but I got it anyway. 

Man I wish I could convince my friends to watch. 

  • Love 2
Link to comment
Azi

Azi

After binge watching this show in a week, I've finally caught up (a blessing and a curse)!

I was very worried about Poppy coming back, because she was probably the character I've enjoyed the least on this show ever, but that dragon egg storyline was just so damn hilarious, that I don't mind her now. I'm also kind of a sucker for Julia's "Magic doesn't work the same way on me"-moments - especially when they're funny. I'm also glad to see her interact with Kady again, because I liked their friendship in earlier seasons.
It's actually kind of ridiculous how much I enjoy Julia in general now... While I never really hated her or her storylines (probably because Stella Maeve is amazing), I wasn't super into her in the beginning. Now that she's friends with the group, she brings me so much joy.

(Throw in: This is probably why Alice doesn't work for me. She just isn't really friends with anyone or has a connection to anyone who isn't Quentin. And I never shipped them either, because for me there was no spark. They actually quite annoy me together for some reason? I also don't really like the acting choices concerning her. The only time she ever worked for me was in the very beginning, where I thought she had potential and when she was a Niffin.)

I also started shipping Julia and Penny23 at some point, which concerns me cause I feel like Penny40 isn't done yet aka his replacement feels 'doomed' to me. I doubt they'll have the actor play two characters forever aka one of them has to die or go away. I am however glad that they haven't started teasing anything with Kady at all, because that would have been super cheap. 
I don't know how popular that opinion is, but I vastly prefer Penny23. He's adorable and funny.

Definitely think the Monster is jealous of how much Quentin cares for Eliot. I wonder how much that comes from residual feelings from the original Eliot? Maybe he got curious? I suspect that if Margo was here, he'd switch around between the two of them as Eliot's most important people (I mean, those two and Fen were the ones the real Eliot chose to accompany him in his happy place - which I thought was a nice touch). 

 

  • Love 3
Link to comment
Glory

Glory

Well I've binged this entire show in about two weeks and I am so mad that I'm caught up because now I have to actually wait for episodes. This is terrible. How do people live like this? 

Oh man, you guys, so many thoughts and feels but I'll try to keep them relevant to the 4th season. I am a Queliot shipper hardcore. I couldn't believe they went there with Eliot's memories and I was so happy. 

If I had a dollar for every time I shouted out "Penny!" when he popped up onscreen after I was sure that he was dead/gone/stuck in the underworld I'd be very rich. Penny is probably my favorite character and I hope that Penny 40 and Kady get a happy ending even though I know it's not very likely. I still like Penny 23, though. But, I am also longing for the Penny40/Margo hookup that would have been FIRE. 

I, too, have done a 180 on Julia. I couldn't stand her for most of seasons 1 & 2 and now I love her. 

Also, I have watched the youtube video of "Under Pressure" an embarrassing amount of times and I need a new musical number, stat! 

  • Love 3
Link to comment
qtpye

qtpye

On 3/17/2019 at 6:41 PM, ProudMary said:

Please tell me I'm not the only person who replayed the "You let go of Falcor!" moment about 5 times in a row. 😄

On 3/18/2019 at 1:22 AM, AudienceofOne said:

My favourite is his whimpering little 'Falcor' at the end of the scene. 

I want to scream “You let go of Falcor!” Every time I get upset at work but people will just think I’m crazy since no one else watches the show.

  • LOL 1
  • Love 2
Link to comment
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...