The Magicians 2X06 “The Cock Barrens” Review

Hell hath no fury like powerful women scorned in The Magicians 2X06 “The Cock Barrens”

We were shocked when niffin Alice stopped by to say hi to Quentin, and in The Magicians 2X06 “The Cock Barrens,” we get a repeat performance.  After failing to reach her in the spot Alice niffined out, Quentin goes back to Earth to attend her memorial.  There, she leads him to a book about resurrection, but after the ritual is almost complete she reveals she’s been by Quentin all along.  This is not good news – she’s still a niffin and bent on wreaking havoc!

Meanwhile, Eliot and Margo find themselves in hot water when she offends the prince of Loria, who then transports the castle to his homeland and holds them hostage.  The High Queen negotiates the way that only Margo can even as the relationship between Eliot and Fen fall apart after she admits to her past.  After Penny does a little sleuthing, he reveals that the prince had actually used an illusion spell.  A royally pissed off Margo declares war against Loria, leaving both the prince and Eliot equally shocked.

RELATED | THE MAGICIANS 2X05 “CHEAT DAY” REVIEW

Julia and Kady finally decipher the clues and finally discover the identity of the woman who could help her defeat him once and for all.  Unfortunately for her, Julia instead finds the other end of a hard bat, and wakes up to a scene reminiscent of a Saw movie.  She is told the only way to vanquish Reynard is to harness the power of the baby inside of her when she delivers.  Kady manages to find the clue she left and they escape with a new helper.  With her protection gone, Reynard finds her and we are led to believe she dies shortly after.

We’re really starting to see that wielding magic is more work than fun, and in the case of our beloved magicians, it might also be mortally dangerous.  Let’s cast a knowledge spell so we can break down what happened this week, shall we?

[wp_ad_camp_2]

Prince Charming?  More like Prince Cocky

We always knew there were other rulers in the neighboring lands surrounding Fillory, and we finally had a chance to meet one in person.  Unfortunately for High King Eliot and High Queen Margo, he comes in the entitled form of Prince Ess of Loria (Arlen Escarpeta).  Marching in with a fur pelt that almost overwhelms his frame and an entourage larger than most celebrities, he quickly demands a treaty between the two kingdoms, to be sealed by marriage to the virgin queen of Fillory.  When Margo (Summer Bishil) quickly refuses, he has one of his men cast a spell that transports the entire castle to Loria and refuses to return them until her hand in marriage is secured.  Furious, she goes to confront him, but somehow ends up in an angry makeout session with him that leads to a night together.  Sadly, just as she is beginning to see herself with him, Penny (Arjun Gupta) crashes the party and reveals the prince has been conning them all along.  

Margo: “By agreeing to marry a complete stranger on the spot?”

Eliot: “I did it.”

Margo: “That was different.”

Eliot: “You’re right, this would only really be equivalent if Ess was a girl, and you found pussy, you know, interesting in a sometimes-you-like-Thai-food kinda way, and now it’s all Thai food forever till you die.”

Margo: “No, he’s a man who seems arrogant and entitled and unclear on the concept of consent.  I can’t imagine what could possibly go wrong.”

Eliot: “Look, I’m not saying do it.  It’s just…you’re a queen.  I’m a king.  We don’t necessarily marry for love.  It’s part of the job.”

The introduction of Prince Ess brought about a very interesting dilemma.  While Eliot has made big adjustments in order to be a responsible ruler, Margo has taken a different route.  Yes, she has made it clear she understands some of the requirements of her station, but she also struggles with having rules applied to her in a public arena she cannot bully her way out of.  Her resistance is clear when it comes to Prince Ess, but we also get a chance to see the fear beneath her posturing.  Could it be she realized gaining royal power meant giving up control over her life?  Margo refuses to back down on her beliefs, which is quite admirable, but it might be her undoing in the end.  We wish she’ll learn to bend, not break, against the tide of what’s coming, but after declaring war on Loria, do we really think that will happen?

[wp_ad_camp_2]

Quentin brings Alice back, but in the worst way possible

We’ve seen how much guilt Quentin (Jason Ralph) has been carrying since allowing Alice (Olivia Taylor Dudley) to take on the burden of defeating The Beast.  Add that to the grief of watching the woman you love die before your eyes, and you have one very broken man.  After unsuccessfully trying to heal by rebounding with Emily, he tries to resurrect Alice by going to the spot where she niffined out and performing a bad rendition of a Cirque du Soleil act.  After his friends convince him perhaps he’s seeing things, he returns to Earth to attend her memorial, only to see Alice once again.  This time, she actually leads him to a book in her father’s private collection on resurrection in ancient Egypt.  He helps build a makeshift pyramid, but after both he and her mother fail to bring her forth, Alice appears in full niffin form before Quentin and reveals the truth – she never died!

Alice: “Idiot.”

Quentin: “I cast a niffin summoning and you didn’t come. How? Why?”

Alice: “You’re wrong. I was right there. Oh, Quentin. We’re gonna have so much fun, just like we did with my parents.”

Quentin: “I killed you. My cacodemon…”

Alice: “Your cacodemon wasn’t powerful enough to kill me. It tried, but when it saw that it couldn’t win…well, let’s just say it stuffed me in a place most convenient. That stupid tattoo trap on your back. We’re stuck with each other.”

To say we were surprised is a giant understatement.  We, along with all of her friends and family, were convinced that Quentin’s cacodemon defeated her.  It doesn’t make things easier to swallow knowing her presumed death was the impetus for Quentin to man up, and he was finally starting to come into himself when she revealed the truth.  Even her emotionally unavailable father (Tom Amandes) and mother (Judith Hoag) faced their shortcomings as parents in heart wrenching admissions hoping to resurrect their daughter.  This makes us hate Alice (or niffin Alice, anyway) a little for being so cruel.  Showrunners Sera Gamble and John McNamara must have felt a particular thrill in hiding this from us until this very moment, and we both love and hate them for it.  

So, what now?  What kind of horrible things will Alice make Quentin do?  Will he go along with it as always, or will he stand up for what’s right?

[wp_ad_camp_2]

Eliot and Fen have their first real fight, and it’s an epic one with far-reaching consequences

Despite Fen’s insistence to Bayler that her new husband would take the news well about her past, this is now how things turn out.  Eliot was already under stress from being a ruler, a soon-to-be-father, and mediator between Margo and Prince Ess.  He was in no mood to discover who she really was, and that just made things infinitely worse for him.  Fen is no longer a trusted confidante and adviser, but a woman who betrayed him and cast their entire union into doubt.  Now, we’re all fans of new Eliot, but we cannot help but feel empathetic towards Fen in this case.  She did exactly what she promised to do and owned up to her past, and it made us realize just how great she is for both Fillory and the High King.

Eliot: “I have no idea who you are.”

Fen: “I’m your wife.”

Eliot: “Because your father made you.”

Fen: “I could’ve walked out of here a long time ago.”

Eliot: “Then why didn’t you? If you hate us so much, if you hate me so much, why didn’t you?”

Fen: “Because I don’t. I believe in you. You think I stayed because you’re just so deeply attracted to me? I am a realist who wants you to succeed. I want us to.”

We were gifted with our first in-depth look at Fen last week, and we’re excited to see more of her in “The Cock Barrens.”  Brittany Curran gives a strong performance this episode, and her passion and vulnerability has us already forgiving her long before Eliot will.  The elaborate necklace that Magali Guidasci has Fen wearing almost reminds us of battle armor, making her appear both regal and dominant at the same time.  Yet, she is in soft pink hues, reminding us that Fen still is at heart a gentle soul.  By the end, despite being hurt by the revelation, we can see Eliot understands where she is coming from and recognizes she is more perceptive than he gave her credit for.  She is wise beyond her years, and if he will just let her in, Eliot could learn something from her choices.  We also know it’ll be a chance for Eliot to learn what trust and partnership really mean, but is he ready?  

[wp_ad_camp_2]

Final Verdict: The Magicians 2X06 “The Cock Barrens” upped the ante with intrigue, drama, action, and one giant shocker

The Magicians continues to impress us with its clever writing and impeccably timed revelations, and 2X06 “The Cock Barrens” is no exception.  This week’s theme seemed to be the empowerment of women, as we had a chance to watch all of the female characters face a difficult decision.  Whether it was Fen telling Eliot the truth, Margo having to agree to marriage, Julia to take charge of her body, or even Dana in hiding from Reynard, each had an important moral to their story.  We loved the way that writer Noga Landau gave that to us and highlighted the women in the show this time around.  All the actresses took the challenge head on and gave us passionate performances, and we’re itching to see more of what happens to them in future episodes.

RELATED | THE MAGICIANS FINAL VERDICT, SEASON 2: 4 EPISODE CHALLENGE

There are still many things we have to sort out, not the least of which is what to do about niffin Alice.  Yes, we’re excited to see her again, but she’s an all-powerful yet emotionless being bent on chaos.  Is there still a chance for Quentin to save her?  We also saw the declaration of war with Loria, but none of us know how that works or if it looks remotely like it does on Earth.  Does Fillory even have an army?  If so, are they filled with FU fighters?  That would be bad…

While it’s not necessary a flaw of the show, the one thing that did bother us a bit was the way that Margo is portrayed this week.  We know that our favorite queen is strong minded and stubborn, but she pretty much fell into a standard trope in her storyline – what we’re going to nickname “the Cleopatra effect.”  She oscillates between acting like a major bitch to a blatant seducer, all to get what she wants from the situation.  We would have loved to see her come up with a more creative or mature approach, but perhaps it is just not her time to grow just yet.

In spite of us nagging on this little detail, “The Cock Barrens” did a great job highlighting some of the issues women deal with every day within the fantasy construct.  We were particularly impressed with Fen in this episode and the way she handled Eliot’s anger and pain, and Brittany Curran conveyed so much in her brief scenes.  We really want to know more about her past life, and we want her to succeed in bringing peace between the children of Earth and the FU fighters so that Fillory may thrive once more.  

With Alice back in niffin form, a war between kingdoms, and a crazy fox god on the loose, we can only cross our fingers that our magicians survive in one piece.  What exactly does Alice want with Quentin?  Can Eliot and Margo actually win a war with a prince more adept at it?  After all, we’ve seen what just one of his sorcerers managed to do (with a wand, no less!).  Speaking of magic, where the hell is Ember when you need answers?  He needs to be held accountable for his unholy excretion.  We’re all dying to find out if answers are coming!

The Magicians is getting more exciting by the week, and there’s so much going on that every one of us has a plotline we can latch onto.  We have had highs and lows along with the characters, and we’re still hanging on like the kitten on the inspirational poster.  What will come next?  Will there be another death?  Let’s just say The Magicians has cast a love spell on us, and we’re not even mad.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

What would be an episode of The Magicians without questions?  Now that’s a question!

• Can Fillory actually go to war with Loria?  Can High King Eliot overrule this?
• What does niffin Alice want, exactly?
• Did niffin Alice push her father off that ladder?  Was that revenge?
• Did Dana die at Reynard’s hands?  
• What about their son?  Who is this influential man?
• Will Eliot ever forgive Fen, or will he drive her back into Bayler’s arms?
• How will Julia and Kady defeat Reynard?  Will Julia actually heed Dana’s advice?
• Seriously guys, when will Penny get his hands back?
• Should we ask what kind of fur pelt Prince Ess wears?
• Did Margo indeed come out on top in the prince’s bed?

Syfy’s The Magicians returns next Wednesday March 8th, 2017 at 9/8c