At the halfway point of the season, things are really getting heated up in The Magicians episode 7: Poached Eggs. As per usual, there will be spoilers, so don’t tell Todd; he’ll tell everyone…
In many ways, this episode is an emotionally charged one, with many revealing moments and great character development. It also leads the show back towards a plot with impetus, after the relatively calm couple of episodes before.
After her absence from the previous episode, this one sees the welcome return of Kady (Jade Tailor) and there are some great scenes between her and Penny (Arjun Gupta) that continue to fuel their on-off relationship. Jade Tailor is a fantastic asset to this show and she brings the fierce, the vulnerable, and the complicated sides of Kady to life brilliantly; more Kady is always a good thing.

THE MAGICIANS — “Poached Eggs” Episode 307 — Pictured: Jade Taylor as Kady Orloff-Diaz — (Photo by: Eric Milner/Syfy)
The writers have also acknowledged that Penny has been slightly side-lined in the general plot and have knowingly nodded to that with some jokes, but they let him have a few more substantial things to say here. Hopefully, the increase in their roles this episode means that both characters will get some more time in the upcoming plot.
In a similar vein to the Kady/Penny interactions there’s some great bonding, honesty, and moments of understanding between several of the characters; Alice (Olivia Taylor Dudley) and Julia (Stella Maeve) find common ground and may not be the antagonists to each other they once were. Alongside their alliance has been Fogg (Rick Worthy), who they’ve ended up going to for advice, but without magic he has become far more sarcastic and Worthy is given some great lines and clearly relishes being able to give some snark back to the kids.

THE MAGICIANS — “Poached Eggs” Episode 307 — Pictured: (l-r) Felicia Day as Poppy, Jason Ralph as Quentin Coldwater — (Photo by: Eric Milner/Syfy)
Into this mix, Q (Jason Ralph) has found a connection, albeit a problematic one, in Poppy (Felicia Day), and over the past two episodes that dynamic has been shifting, from initial friendship, to distrust, to uneasy ally, to new lover! I really hope that they spend some time giving Poppy more depth by revealing some of the mysteries of her character, as at the moment they’re playing the bubbly, mischievous card heavily; that will wear thin sooner, rather than later, but as it is only Poppy’s second episode, there is time. The good thing is that as there are so many intriguing layers to unpack, she should be an interesting character for a while; I’m just impatient for them to explore that character now!

THE MAGICIANS — “Poached Eggs” Episode 307 — Pictured: Summer Bishil as Margo Hanson — (Photo by: Eric Milner/Syfy)
Elsewhere, Summer Bishil continues to shine as Margo, and she has retained all of her sass, but also demonstrates the strength of the character, reminding us of how far she has come. There are nods here to the differences in the experience of Fillory there has been for Eliot (Hale Appleman) and Margo, with Margo’s determination and grit coming to the fore. This episode for Eliot is a much more reflective one, with it allowing us to see his emotional growth in relation to Fen (Brittany Curran) and his ‘daughter’ Fray (Madeleine Arthur); in addition, Brittany Curran has some nice scenes reacting to the news delivered by the fairies, but I hope Fen wanting to spend some time away from Fillory isn’t just an excuse to write her out for a bit.
To an extent, some of the plotlines surrounding the fairies have seemed like they’re not going anywhere, with them playing quite a central role, but still lacking heft. This could all be about to change, or they may have just been a means to an end; hopefully they won’t end up being a flimsy device.

THE MAGICIANS — “Poached Eggs” Episode 307 — Pictured: (l-r) Arjun Gupta as Penny Adiyodi, Jason Ralph as Quentin Coldwater — (Photo by: Eric Milner/Syfy)
All this examination of the characters and their relationships, plus the elusive machinations of the fairies, means that the past couple of episodes now feel like they’ve been building blocks, setting the scene (and the characters) for the second half, and I would not be surprised if there is now quite a frenetic sequence of episodes. As usual, The Magicians continues to keep up the high quality and is very self-aware, so even when treading into well-known territory or tropes, has been able to reference it and tell the audience that ‘they know’. One of the best shows on tv looks set to have a great second half to the season, and is putting its best foot forward, while keeping the tongue firmly in the cheek.