S04.E11: The 411

[iMonrey]

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Isn't the key to whomever is at the door and being greeted by Penny 40: someone with a secret? His boss said that Penny's new job was to get secrets people take to their graves. 

That room is called "secrets taken to the grave." It's the room where those who are ready to move on get a special card that will take them wherever they're supposed to go. Penny tricked some guy into giving him his card last season so he could escape from the Underworld, but then he ended up handing the card over to Sylvia and decided to stay. 

I think the purpose of the room is for dead people who have unfinished business to confess or unburden themselves so they can move on. I'm not clear on what Penny's new job is. There was some kind of pig-shaped (?) creature last season who met with the people who went in there. 

I don't think the elevator had anything to do with that room though. There wasn't any elevator associated with it last season. I think Penny was just headed down there when he ran into the mystery person.

[silverstream]

It seems I'm the only one who came away from this episode with the impression that Hyman was the one in the elevator and that's part of why he's getting involved again. Didn't he mention something about meeting Penny40 again?

Also, I'm really surprised that there isn't more anti-library sentiment among the general magical populace given that they're directly responsible for the death of a not insignificant part of the Brakebills first years. You'd think at least the Brakebills students would start revolting (or at least forming some sort of underground resistance). That reveal was harsh!

[ProudMary]

19 hours ago, Hobo.PassingThru said:

Isn't the key to whomever is at the door and being greeted by Penny 40:

someone with a secret?

His boss said that Penny's new job was to get secrets people take to their graves. That really doesn't narrow it down to anyone specific. Yet, if Penny 40 plays any role in the other ongoing storylines, that person will give him a secret he can somehow pass on to the other magicians.

The only problem with this possibility is that there is a Penny 40 and a Penny 23. Every one of that group has multiple dead versions of themselves.

I just don't think it is a main character from the "current" timeline (which is just ridiculous that there are multiple timelines. It's such a story cheat). But, don't forget there's also 4 gods who died recently, and, if Penny 40 met Bacchus once, that'd be enough for his reaction.

Interesting idea about the 4 gods who died recently, especially as we now know they were all librarians originally.

1 hour ago, silverstream said:

It seems I'm the only one who came away from this episode with the impression that Hyman was the one in the elevator and that's part of why he's getting involved again. Didn't he mention something about meeting Penny40 again?

This seems like a very sensible impression. I just wish we knew how/where the scene at the elevator with Penny 40 fits into the Season 4 time line. That seems to be the big question.  I'm still tending toward Marina 23. We still have no idea what happened to her since Kady did her magic with all the negativity from the Bad News Bear.

[Proclone]

22 hours ago, silverstream said:

It seems I'm the only one who came away from this episode with the impression that Hyman was the one in the elevator and that's part of why he's getting involved again. Didn't he mention something about meeting Penny40 again?

Also, I'm really surprised that there isn't more anti-library sentiment among the general magical populace given that they're directly responsible for the death of a not insignificant part of the Brakebills first years. You'd think at least the Brakebills students would start revolting (or at least forming some sort of underground resistance). That reveal was harsh!

It's strange that Magicians don't really seem to care about people dying very much.  There seems to be a general apathy about the death of Breakbills students in general.  We know a large percentage of the third year class disappeared and one point.  Alice's brother turned into a niffin. Fogg's stock phrase seems to be that magic is not unlikely to get you killed.   I get that a lot of it is played for laughs, but it is interesting how little a (what is probably) small community of people care about the deaths of their young people.  It probably used to highlight the ennui that comes with nigh unlimited power, that even death isn't enough to make you care.  I suppose it's contrasted by Hedges who do seem very much to care when one of their own is killed (the response to Hedges being killed by the poisoned/cursed Dewies). 

Sometimes I do wish they would explore what it's like growing up in the magical world more.  And what the culture of the magical world is like.  They have the two characters they can use to explore and contrast the "classically trained" and Hedge experiences in Alice and Kady.  But then again I might be the one interested in seeing that so...

[kat165]

I would be interested in seeing that explored, Proclone.