The Magicians: All That Josh Show Only
March 7, 2018 7:54 PM - Season 3, Episode 9 - Subscribe
Quentin, Kady, and Alice try to convince an old friend to return home.
Great episode. My question after watching this . . . who put the party demon up to testing them to see if they would free Josh and were worthy of the next key? Who or whatever is setting up the quest must want them to return magic to the universe if they are proven worthy.
posted by fimbulvetr at 9:12 PM on March 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by fimbulvetr at 9:12 PM on March 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
oh yeah!, there was the Les Mis song in S2 when Elliot was prepping for his fight against the king of Lauria.
posted by katieinshoes at 6:38 AM on March 8, 2018
posted by katieinshoes at 6:38 AM on March 8, 2018
Ah, thanks, katieinshoes, I was drawing a complete blank.
posted by oh yeah! at 9:09 AM on March 8, 2018
posted by oh yeah! at 9:09 AM on March 8, 2018
I remembered the Les Mis sequence but not the Shake It Off , so we're all even. I think this is the first one where there were multiple musical numbers. I suppose Quentin learned the group musical number spell from when Margo developed it for the Les Mis sequence.
I quite enjoyed Tick's sudden but inevitable betrayal, as well as the ships loyalty in return for Margo's kindness.
How are Eliot and Margo going to get out of the chains?
posted by Karmakaze at 11:26 AM on March 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
I quite enjoyed Tick's sudden but inevitable betrayal, as well as the ships loyalty in return for Margo's kindness.
How are Eliot and Margo going to get out of the chains?
posted by Karmakaze at 11:26 AM on March 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
So, this bit has been irking me - is "traumesser" even a real German word? In this episode, Alice claims that "It's from German folk tales. It's a demon who creates a pocket world where all your fantasies come true, and then feeds off your happiness."
Of course, "pocket worlds" are not generally included in folk tales, but overlooking that bit, a search for "traumesser" brings up nothing that looks relevant, nor does translating the word in Google. However, if you split the word in two as "trau messer," you get maid of honor. Except the word for maid of honor in German is either Brautjungfer or Trauzeugin. "Messer" alone means knife, which makes it seem like traumesser would mean "maid of knife" ... or something. I'm just grabbing at random straws now.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:43 PM on March 8, 2018
Of course, "pocket worlds" are not generally included in folk tales, but overlooking that bit, a search for "traumesser" brings up nothing that looks relevant, nor does translating the word in Google. However, if you split the word in two as "trau messer," you get maid of honor. Except the word for maid of honor in German is either Brautjungfer or Trauzeugin. "Messer" alone means knife, which makes it seem like traumesser would mean "maid of knife" ... or something. I'm just grabbing at random straws now.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:43 PM on March 8, 2018
traeum (umlaut over the a) is dream... and essen is eat/food so traeumesser dream eater...?
Dunno if it's a real word or not but that's how I reasoned it...
posted by one4themoment at 3:42 PM on March 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
Dunno if it's a real word or not but that's how I reasoned it...
posted by one4themoment at 3:42 PM on March 8, 2018 [3 favorites]
I know this is show only and I actually don't remember that much detail to do much spoiling anyway but I'm liking this version much better than the book.
posted by sammyo at 7:07 PM on March 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by sammyo at 7:07 PM on March 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
I really liked this one. When Josh first showed up in the party universe, I couldn't really remember when we had seen him last, or if he had had something happen to him. I was on my phone googling around and looking at past episode recaps trying to figure it out. So it was really satisfying when the fact that I had lost track of Josh became a significant thematic part of the episode.
posted by Ragged Richard at 6:32 AM on March 9, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Ragged Richard at 6:32 AM on March 9, 2018 [5 favorites]
So much joy clapping during that "Under Pressure" sequence. These writers have gotten very, very good at injecting fun and joy and pop culture into their grimdark sexymagic storylines. Season 3 is operating on a whole other plane compared to what came before.
posted by absalom at 8:01 AM on March 9, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by absalom at 8:01 AM on March 9, 2018 [6 favorites]
The Under Pressure scene gave me Sense8 vibes, only totally different. I also loved Josh’s super dorky song where Kady and Quentin and Alice were literally rolling their eyes. It had elements of Once More With Feeling, only totally different and this show made it it’s own.
It’s true to the books in that it’s referencing works from the genre it’s in, but also making something new. I’m honestly really impressed at how good this show has gotten this season. I didn’t expect it from how it started (and even from the books).
posted by jeweled accumulation at 8:56 AM on March 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
It’s true to the books in that it’s referencing works from the genre it’s in, but also making something new. I’m honestly really impressed at how good this show has gotten this season. I didn’t expect it from how it started (and even from the books).
posted by jeweled accumulation at 8:56 AM on March 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
I know this is show only and I actually don't remember that much detail to do much spoiling anyway but I'm liking this version much better than the book.
Here's a full season 3 + books discussion thread, if you want to muse out loud, but my take is that this is (generally) so far from the books that it's safe to mention book evens, usually.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:58 AM on March 9, 2018
Here's a full season 3 + books discussion thread, if you want to muse out loud, but my take is that this is (generally) so far from the books that it's safe to mention book evens, usually.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:58 AM on March 9, 2018
but my take is that this is (generally) so far from the books that it's safe to mention book evens, usually.
Please, no. While there’s nothing particularly spoilery about saying whether you like something in the show better than in the book, or that a particular scene/episode captured the spirit of the book, it’s the slippery slope towards further discussion by book-readers on whether they agree/disagree and “this wasn’t in the show, but” derails.
Now that the show is so apparently divergent from the book, the reason I’m using the ‘Show Only’ spoiler condition is to keep people from spoiling the books for those of us who haven’t read them yet, not the other way around.
posted by oh yeah! at 9:17 AM on March 9, 2018 [3 favorites]
Please, no. While there’s nothing particularly spoilery about saying whether you like something in the show better than in the book, or that a particular scene/episode captured the spirit of the book, it’s the slippery slope towards further discussion by book-readers on whether they agree/disagree and “this wasn’t in the show, but” derails.
Now that the show is so apparently divergent from the book, the reason I’m using the ‘Show Only’ spoiler condition is to keep people from spoiling the books for those of us who haven’t read them yet, not the other way around.
posted by oh yeah! at 9:17 AM on March 9, 2018 [3 favorites]
You know that look on the gang’s faces when Josh’s introductory song was playing? I had that look on my face the entire episode.
I’m glad that people seem to like it but the episode just didn’t work for me. I’m skeptical of musical episodes in general, particularly in cases where it seems like most of the cast has no musical training. In much the same way that a lot of the general public seems to think that acting is just standing in front of a camera and talking and anyone can do it, I sometimes get the feeling that some television production people think that musical theatre is easy and the skills sets of television actor and musical performer are fungible. They’re not, and it showed in this episode.
I still think that this season has been the strongest that the show has had so far and I appreciate that they’re feeling free to experiment with different types of storytelling; this episode was no A Life in the Day, but it seems to have found an appreciative audience and I accept the possibility that I’m just a curmudgeon. I also didn’t like the Buffy musical episode, but I love Steven Universe; I think having the singing performed by people who have a background singing at a professional level makes a difference. For that matter, so does not inviting comparisons to Freddie Mercury.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 9:33 AM on March 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
I’m glad that people seem to like it but the episode just didn’t work for me. I’m skeptical of musical episodes in general, particularly in cases where it seems like most of the cast has no musical training. In much the same way that a lot of the general public seems to think that acting is just standing in front of a camera and talking and anyone can do it, I sometimes get the feeling that some television production people think that musical theatre is easy and the skills sets of television actor and musical performer are fungible. They’re not, and it showed in this episode.
I still think that this season has been the strongest that the show has had so far and I appreciate that they’re feeling free to experiment with different types of storytelling; this episode was no A Life in the Day, but it seems to have found an appreciative audience and I accept the possibility that I’m just a curmudgeon. I also didn’t like the Buffy musical episode, but I love Steven Universe; I think having the singing performed by people who have a background singing at a professional level makes a difference. For that matter, so does not inviting comparisons to Freddie Mercury.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 9:33 AM on March 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
That Under Pressure Sequence tore. me. up. Bowie was my idol, and I'm not over it. And I've been mostly turned off by the pop culture "tributes" since he died. But this was just so lovely and awesome. Sappy? Uh, yeah. But it's the kind of moment that this show needs now and again. I loved that the characters do get just a moment as group.
posted by kimdog at 11:19 AM on March 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by kimdog at 11:19 AM on March 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
that was a lot of fun! I'm glad they can weave the fun and emotional into the quests instead of having disparate storylines.
I sometimes get the feeling that some television production people think that musical theatre is easy and the skills sets of television actor and musical performer are fungible.
I think having the singing performed by people who have a background singing at a professional level makes a difference.
in case it wasn't super obvious, Jade Tailor (Kady) isn't new to performing and singing, and Hale Appleman (Eliot) has done musical theater (sadly I can't find a clip of him singing)
posted by numaner at 3:02 PM on March 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
I sometimes get the feeling that some television production people think that musical theatre is easy and the skills sets of television actor and musical performer are fungible.
I think having the singing performed by people who have a background singing at a professional level makes a difference.
in case it wasn't super obvious, Jade Tailor (Kady) isn't new to performing and singing, and Hale Appleman (Eliot) has done musical theater (sadly I can't find a clip of him singing)
posted by numaner at 3:02 PM on March 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
Some of the articles also say Trevor (Josh) has previous musical experience, though the only thing I saw on IMDb was high school musical theater. I doubt they'd have hung a musical episode on him if he didn't sing, though. You could definitely tell that Kady and Elliot were doing the rest of the heavy lifting, kind of the way the Buffy musical episode hung a lot on Anthony Stuart Head. Elliot did a lot of the heavy lifting on One Day More too, if I remember right.
I did wish the burlesque choreography had done more with the amazing fabric on Kady's dress. You see early on it turns red when brushed up and gold when brushed down, but they only use the effect once. Having noted that (I've seen that fabric in the wild - very cool) I was thrown by the line about five yards of crepe de chine because that is a different fabric entirely. Maybe I should just pay less attention to lyrics... or textiles...
posted by Karmakaze at 9:04 AM on March 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
I did wish the burlesque choreography had done more with the amazing fabric on Kady's dress. You see early on it turns red when brushed up and gold when brushed down, but they only use the effect once. Having noted that (I've seen that fabric in the wild - very cool) I was thrown by the line about five yards of crepe de chine because that is a different fabric entirely. Maybe I should just pay less attention to lyrics... or textiles...
posted by Karmakaze at 9:04 AM on March 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
Wham Bam by Clooney: https://youtu.be/EW6rGSMObKo
All I Need Is The Girl (Gypsy): https://youtu.be/ojwg5bB5utE
Car Wash by Rose Royce: https://youtu.be/-LOxRQqeAM8
Under Pressure by Queen feat. David Bowie: https://youtu.be/qu0GcdYSdSs
You froods can look up Happy Birthday on your own.
posted by Karmakaze at 9:25 AM on March 10, 2018
All I Need Is The Girl (Gypsy): https://youtu.be/ojwg5bB5utE
Car Wash by Rose Royce: https://youtu.be/-LOxRQqeAM8
Under Pressure by Queen feat. David Bowie: https://youtu.be/qu0GcdYSdSs
You froods can look up Happy Birthday on your own.
posted by Karmakaze at 9:25 AM on March 10, 2018
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posted by oh yeah! at 8:00 PM on March 7, 2018 [1 favorite]