There’s a return to a slightly lighter touch this week, with episode 8 of season 4 of The Magicians: ‘Home Improvement’. The following contains SPOILERS!
Continuing on from last week, when we got to see Fen (Brittany Curran), Zelda (Mageina Tovah), and Kady (Jade Tailor) take more of a central role, we have the chance to follow those stories a little more. In contrast to last week though, there is a different tone to this episode, and a much more ‘comedic romp’ feel to the delivery.
If there is a dark side, it is in the plotline that sees Zelda enlist the help of Alice (Olivia Taylor Dudley), alongside Dean Fogg (Rick Worthy). The irony of this is not lost on anyone, and Alice is suitably dismissive. A deal is struck however, that everyone is initially happy with, but as per usual with the Library there is a sting in the tail! One of these days, the library will manage to not screw someone over and actually do an honest deal; no one should hold their breath though! What’s great here is that Alice continues to try to do the right thing, and protect her friend Sheila (Camryn Manheim), while also getting to have some kind of personal development with her mother (Judith Hoag). Having previously had these family members in the show, it’s good to make contact again, and get an update on how the recent changes have affected things. It also lends some depth and authenticity to Alice’s recovery/absolution.
Elsewhere, Kady is back working with the others again, after being off on her own adventures. This brings together her hedge witch connections with the main thrust of Quentin (Jason Ralph) and Julia’s (Stella Maeve) story, where they are aiding the monster, in order to save Eliot (Hale Appleman). Inserted neatly into this plot is Penny 23 (Arjun Gupta) who has to deliver a difficult message to Kady from Penny 40, as well as awkwardly interact with Julia. Penny has always been a difficult character, and in lesser hands might just come across as a mopey idiot, but Arjun Gupta, as usual, does a fine balancing act with the conflicting emotions. Traversing the terrain between his life and Penny 40’s life with Julia and Kady is a tricky one, and hopefully we’ll see some more of this.
The Julia and Q plotline is where most of the broad elements come in, as there is the very welcome return of Poppy Kline (Felicia Day), with a dragon related mystery. Cue dragon porn, kidnapping, and the licking of eggs, as you’d expect. As always, the addition of Felicia Day is a delight, and this is a nice respite from some of the more difficult moral issues they’ve had to deal with lately. There are a number of nice lines, including the appearance of ‘Harold the Herald’ (Matthew Kevin Anderson), and feels a little like a throwback to simpler times.
The main focus this week though should really be on Fen finally getting a quest that is all her own. Obviously, things would never be so simple, and Margo (Summer Bishil) decides that she should join her, as it must be about her, not Fen. Chasing after the figure from her dreams they find The Prophet (Tara Karsian), who isn’t quite as expected, leading to some clear demonstrations of both Fen’s gullibility and innocence, as well as some revealing of a greater understanding hiding underneath. When they find who is ultimately responsible for the dreams, the Napster (Lynn Andrews), there is a revelation in Fen’s destiny that is typical of this show, and could lead to many surprising outcomes.
Brittany Curran is again great this episode, showing us a lot more depth with Fen, and despite Fen spending a lot of time in Fillory, there haven’t been a lot of extended scenes alone with Margo before. It’s interesting therefore to see this dynamic, without other characters, and to see how they truly interact. There is clearly a lot more to come from the character of Fen, and I think they’re just scratching the surface. Fen has an interesting mix of savvy and naivety, which gives so many great options to explore. Hopefully these can be fully realised, as the potential is there to let a fantastic character blossom. They definitely have the cast to do it!
In the grander overall story arc, this episode only slightly shuffled things along, giving Zelda the tool she needs for her next step, while the rest of the group gained one more body part for the monster. What it does do though, is plant a seed for another mini-arc with Fen, the full extent of which we can only imagine. As we are used to, we got another great dose of magic, albeit with a different flavour, and look forward to next week!
