We haven’t stopped ugly crying from the events in The Magicians Roundtable 3X05 “A Life In The Day”

In this week’s The Magicians Roundtable, Penny’s not dead self has now been revealed.  Alice (Olivia Taylor Dudley) convinces him to tell Kady (Jade Tailor)with the help of the Truth key, but it goes about as well as one would expect.  Alice returns to the cottage and finds Julia (Stella Maeve) searching through religion books.  Julia receives another mysterious message, and they go for a drink.  There, Alice convinces her to use the key to reveal the origin of her magic, but it’s not good news.  Meanwhile, the Fairy Queen (Candis Cayne)  continues to dictate actions to Margo (Summer Bishil).  This time, she wants our queen to marry for a political alliance.  Margo is reluctant, but after laying eyes on the fine husband-to-be, she goes along with it.  Too bad he has a younger brother who watches too much Game of Thrones…

RELATED | The Magicians Roundtable [3X04] “Be the Penny”

Eliot (Hale Appleman) and Quentin (Jason Ralph) continue the quest for the third key, realizing they must solve a mosaic puzzle.  They travel to Fillory, but discover they’ve also travelled back in time.  The answer eludes them for an entire lifetime, during which Quentin marries a local woman, has a son, and the four become a family.  At the end of his life, Quentin has to bury his friend, only to discover  there’s been a missing mosaic tile all along.   He places it in the center of the puzzle and finds the third key.  A young Jane Chatwin shows up and asks Quentin for it to contain her brother (hello, The Beast!).  He gives it up, but also somehow arranges for present day Margo to meet a time-contained adult Jane Chatwin.  She helps close the time loop by leading Margo to the key’s current location.

Our heads are spinning with all this timey-wimey stuff, so without further ado:

Diane (@Dianthrax) – Writer, Activist, Advocate, Auntie

Michelle (@CONtessa_966) – Writer for Three if By Space, Tweeter of live TV, Hockey Fanatic & Wiener Dog Mama!

Caitlin (@shakesprs_ghost) – Paralegal, Step-Mama, and Book Nerd

Katherine (@Shank35Shank) – fangirl, bookseller, and unrepentant dork

Lauralea (@DExHooker) – Writer, dog momma, Stitchers obsessive, Camsten addict.

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1. Last week, Arjun Gupta got his time to shine.  This week, Summer Bishil.  Thoughts?

Diane (@Dianthrax): I think that Margo steals every scene she’s in, so we were in no way forced to wait until episode five to see Summer Bishil shine. That being said, I thought it was wonderful to see the softer and more vulnerable sides of Margo.

Michelle (@CONtessa_966): Holy crap she was amazing. The whole episode was and every character still had a moment to shine, but Summer owned that episode.

Caitlin (@shakesprs_ghost): Anyone and everyone who knows me knows that I LOVE Margo and she and Eliot are basically my favorite characters in this show, so I am super thrilled that she had the spotlight this week.

Katherine (@Shank35Shank): Oh My Queen, did Summer Bishil bring her A game! Between fighting princes, fairy queen, and the possible loss of her BFF, she handled things with the grace and mouthiness I respect and love. Sometimes I think Margo’s story is so big she deserves her own show.

Lauralea (@DExHooker): Any Margo-centric episode is fine by me.   Summer is a brilliant actress – her reactions are spot on, her delivery is genius, she brings life to Margo like no one else ever could.  She brings layer after layer to the character that I just can’t wait to see peeled away.  I positively loved her reaction to Prince Hot Pants…and the reaction to his death and her ultimate fate was just phenomenal.  Can’t wait for the Game of Thrones pop culture references that are sure to come in the days ahead!

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2. There were so many emotional moments this week.  Which really tugged at your heartstrings?

Diane: Oh my God, the entire thing with Quentin and Eliot solving the puzzle together had me totally crying for so many reasons!! Such a beautiful bit of storytelling- well done to everyone involved!

Michelle: Quentin and Eliot living out a long, full life in Fillory’s past. Establishing a line there and growing old together for the Quest.

Caitlin: I think the moment that really hit me most was when Quentin’s son grew up and was leaving – I’m currently realizing that my five year old will not be five forever and will eventually grow up and move out, so I related to that the most.

Katherine: My feels were everywhere this week. Kady just broke my heart with her fight with addiction. Just when she was slowly stepping back into the world, the truth key did its mortal worst by showing her as delusional. Quentin and Eliot delivered by just being and aging like the BFFs they are.

Lauralea: I think what really pulled at me was Kady’s reaction to seeing Penny alive-ish.  The bulk of this episode focused one on of my all time favorite tropes – I’ve used the entire life in a different time trope several times through twenty years of writing, so that particular wave was like visiting an old friend.  Kady losing it over Penny, though, that really got to me.  She’s always been a very visceral character – watching her come apart at the seams was positively wrenching.

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3. Q got his ultimate wish fulfilled this week by becoming part of the story he loves.  Did you like how it happened?

Diane: I thought it was tragic and sad and beautiful and meaningful and hopeful and so, so, moving. It was also a bit wistful considering the whole alternate-reality thing, which makes it such a fitting ending for Q. The fact that Fillory at least gave him deja vu makes me think the place might be worth all the fuss after all!

Michelle: AMAZEBALLS. I absolutely LOVED that whole little side adventure. And when they realize it at the end with the peaches and start to remember the life they lived in a day, it was BRILLIANT.

Caitlin: I really liked how they played out Q and Eliot finally getting to be part of the story – I thought it was really satisfying to see, and I also was super not mad about that kiss he and Eliot shared, just saying.

Katherine: My Q, who I relate with more than I can ever express wordwise, got his own Fillory story. It was happy and heartbreaking all in one. He states in the books that he’s not the hero in this story, but as a fellow reader and wannabe writer, the narrator and hope can get shit done.

Lauralea: Technically he’s been a part of it for a while, from when he and Julia went back through time the first time…however, like I said above, this particular trope is one of my very favorites.  I was quite happy to watch it play out – I would be interested to see if there are any further ripple effects from his and Eliot’s time in the alternate timeline – if they have their memories, perhaps a more physical part of their adventure survived as well.   It is a magic land, after all.

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4. Julia finally discovered the truth about her magic. How would you feel if you were in her place?

Diane: There’s no way of putting yourself in the shoes of someone who has gone through everything that Julia has. I can’t even imagine how I would feel, even if I already suspected that it were true, being told that an after-effect of my rape is something I should be grateful for.

Michelle: I can totally understand why she doesn’t want it and she didn’t ever want it. But the fact of the matter is, she has it – regardless of how she got it. And she can either mope around about it, or use it to make some real difference in the world. I hope she comes around to the right choice.

Caitlin: I would feel the exact same way she does! That’s a trauma that she had, and she is currently being forced to have to relive it (be it intentional or not) which is not cool.

Katherine: Julia was and is always set apart. Her journey encapsulates how to move from victim to survivor. She earned that seed of magic and wonder with grit and grace. Personally, I’d keep it.

Lauralea: I think she’s being a giant cry baby.  I’m with Alice.  Considering everything Julia went through to have magic – the trials she survived and watching her friends fall apart without magic – I for one would be on my knees thanking Persephone for the gift of magic.  The fact that it comes from Reynaud, whatever – he raped her, she suffered, events unfolded and here we are – she can’t change the past, but she can damn well profit from it in any way that she can.  She deserves to take something positive away from her suffering.

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5. There were lots of poignant quotes in this episode.  Which one spoke to you the most?

Diane:  One quote that stood out to me was Eliot telling Q “Let’s save the overthinking for the puzzle” after a night of fudging the boundary line between being Just Friends and Something More. Especially after the pervy traveler ghost made such a big deal about how Q was “a straight white male protagonist.” Quentin and Eliot are more complicated than that and have been since season one!

Michelle: “In the absence of a better option, lets at least try.” Eliot – Loved this quote when he and Quentin are first starting to attempt the mosaic.

Caitlin: Kady’s quote: ” I tried to save you and I failed. And it broke me.”  This really speaks to me for a personal reason, having to do with someone I know who has an addiction.

Katherine: I love how Eliot calmed Q after their night  of intimacy, “Don’t overthink it, use it on the mosaic.”

Lauralea: Too many to choose – I think I’m gravitating mostly towards Eliot’s and Q’s time together but not one quote truly stands out.  Their entire life spoke to me – the fact that they spent an entire lifetime together, spoke to me.  I think the most poignant point presented in this episode is that no matter how different Q and Eliot are, they truly love each other on on one level or another.  I love watching that love grow on all levels ~ friendship, familial and yes, romantic as well.

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6. Any theories on why Q and Eliot had deja vu?

Diane: At first I thought we were going to find out that one of the characters we know is actually related to Q, so I was very pleased to discover the deja vu instead! Maybe it was because of the presence of time magic in Fillory? Perhaps that could somehow have allowed them to remember an alternate life, triggered by the memory of the peaches?

Michelle: The peaches, and probably just being in Fillory. But our sense of smell in particular is a great memory trigger.  Just being in Fillory again with the smell of the peaches is what I think brought it on.

Caitlin:  I think it either has something to do with the key, or they are at a point where they may restart that whole mission again (I seriously hope not). I’m kind of at a loss with this question.

Katherine: Spacey wacey,  timey wimey Dr. Who-type stories always let those who were in the vortex remember everything. Sometimes peaches can help.

Lauralea:  I really, really, really want to see the EQ timeline and the current timeline overlap – I’m finding that I NEED to see Q’s progeny come into the storyline somewhere down the way.  I’m hoping that the deja vu is a sign of the overlap and we’ll see Q’s great great grandchildren wander into the castle and become an entire THING.

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7. With Fen and Fray running around with Todd, what do you think they’re up to?

Diane: Oh man, anytime Fray is in the mix you know some kind of mischief is going to be kicked up! Add Fen to that, walking around in our world, with only Todd to keep them out of trouble? One thing is for sure: it’s going to be funny for us!

Michelle: Haha – I think just about anyone’s guess is as good as mine would be here. I’m not sure how much I trust Fray, but Fen has a good head on her shoulders.  I think really does want to contribute and help bring back magic.

Caitlin: I’m not sure what Fen, Fray, and Todd are up to, but I’m sure it’s good!!

Katherine: I have no idea how the show will handle the adventures of Todd, Fen, and Fray but I think they’re just fine.

Lauralea: Shopping.  Lots and lots of modern era shopping.  Why waste the chance?

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Final Verdict: We lived a lifetime of emotions in The Magicians 3X05 “A Life In The Day”

The writing this season has been transcendent.  David Reed’s darkly humorous episode four was the perfect primer for Mike Moore’s episode this week.  We’ll be drooling over the production design by Margot Ready, and the perfectly paired song by Phoria during the mosaic time lapse scene.  It was so beautifully done, and this will for sure one of the show’s most memorable episodes. Bishil wowed us with the depth of emotion she displayed throughout Margo’s journey.

Did the show play a little fast and loose with the time loop details?  A little.  We still can’t figure out how Quentin arranged to have that letter sent to Margo.  Also, how do two keys exist (one in time-containment and one in Jane’s grave) without causing major time paradoxes.  Then again, it was hella fun to watch, so who cares?!

Despite what Jane said to Margo, we want only the best, sexiest things for her in the future.  She’s suffered more than anyone this season.  Yes, she’s strong AF, but no one can be tortured forever without losing their mind.  Could that be the Fairy Queen’s goal?  Oh, and did we mention Felicia Day’s Poppy is coming?

The Magicians returns Wednesday, February 14th, 2018 at 9/8C on SyFy.