The Magicians: The Art Of The Deal | Season 3, Episode 10 | Rating: 8.9/11 |
How did we get to episode 10 already?! Season three of The Magicians is certainly flying by with edge of your seat anticipation, excitement and wonderment. The Art Of The Deal is no exception. Episode 10 starts off with Alice and Quentin fighting, which has become all too common between them. They are the old married couple constantly bickering over small (and sometimes large) nuances. Most of their bickering is simply because they still care too much about one another, but not enough to realize just how deep their feelings run. They are too lost in their human bullshit as Alice might say. This routine pretty much continues for the length of the episode, even when Josh calls them out on it. At least now they are starting to own their own bullshit; it was a great moment when Alice says to Quentin “Are you the only one who is allowed to be ambivalent, and depressive, and scared, and hate themselves?!” We’re seeing a new stage of grief on Alice. She’s been in grief over the loss of her Niffin knowledge and the loss of magic. We saw her in denial, we saw her in anger pushing everyone away and then she began bargaining with Julia and the library. Now Alice is entering depression (with remnants of anger and bargaining in the air). This is good. It’s healthy. Maybe we’ll have some semblance of the Alice that Q fell in love with by season’s end. Obviously this experience will have changed her for life, she’s grown and can never fully return to her previous ways, but acceptance would be a great look on Alice.
Then there’s the Underworld dilemma and Penny. Penny was turned into the library for a nice bounty, a million year reduction on someone’s library commitment contract, by Sylvia. We learn that Sylvia’s family has moved on from the Underworld and she just really misses them. Penny learns of a pseudo subway station that takes those ready to move on out of the Underworld and scares someone out of wanting to leave in order to take their metro card. This action catches the attention of Hades who decides to have a nice sit down discussion with Penny about his future. By the end of the episode, it appears Hades may have convinced Penny to stop fighting his destiny so hard. To stop searching for the keys or a way out. That magic will eventually return (it always does) and that the afterlife is a better life. Oh my! I don’t think Kady is going to like this, nor do I think Kady will stop trying to find/save/rescue Penny. True love is worth fighting for. We’ll see…
Don’t worry, Margo & Eliot are fine aboard their flying ship and back to their old charms convincing the Stone Queen and Idri (King of Loria) to pause their squabbles — threatening the world with the return of magic. These two could sell buckets of buffalo wings dripping with extra sauce at a white party! It’s nice to have them back together and on top of their game. Tick is up north doing who knows what. Perhaps licking his wounds? Or maybe gathering an unknown army of pick-pocketing thieves? Josh is also doing well. Happy to be back alongside his friends but doesn’t really seem to have any contribution aside from simply hanging out. And Rafe is still MIA.
While being a solid episode setting us up a wild future, The Art Of The Deal didn’t really address much when it comes to the quest. We did hear Josh say he knows where the sixth key is. We learn that the seventh key will apparently destroy everything that holds the fairy realm together. After the last few months, Margo, Fen & Eliot would have no problem destroying anything the Fairy Queen loves, but not sure Julia is going to allow that. Team conflict much? Also, where exactly did Kady go with the fifth key? So many questions, so few episodes left. Luckily, SYFY renewed The Magicians for season four.
Episode 11 airs Wednesday, March 21st at 9/8c.
