The Magicians: Be the Hyman

March 20, 2020 10:30 AM - Season 5, Episode 11

Slap fight! Josh eats a pickle. Dreams are weird.

'The Magicians' Season 5 Episode 11 Review: Early Effing signs warn Earth's magicians may be the bad guys -- The magicians are being forced to confront the consequences of the people they've become (Armaan Babu for Meaww)

The show's protagonists are growing steadily more powerful, doing increasingly radical things. They've killed gods, lost magic, restored magic, nearly become gods, moved, broke and restored the moon and are now considering the destruction of Fillory to save the Multiverse, to grow a new Fillory in its place. They're playing around with the fate of worlds, and it's been such an exhilarating ride that it's easy to forget that a lot of these are the kinds of moves villains make, especially regarding Fillory.

The Magicians Season 5 Episode 11 Review: Be the Hyman -- As extreme measures are discussed to save Fillory in this week’s The Magicians, the unsung heroes of the group gain the most sympathy. (Michael Ahr for Den of Geek)

“Doesn’t this feel like the part of the story where the good guys are just wrong?” says Hyman to Fen at one point in this week’s The Magicians, outsider to outsider. That basically describes what it feels like to be a viewer at this point as well. As much as we want these final few episodes to give us a proper ending for the series, this already doesn’t seem like the right direction. The sidekicks were infinitely more relatable in this story where plans were made to evacuate Fillory and build a new world for them, and besides worrying about Julia’s psychic trauma from mothering a Traveler, it’s difficult to get invested in the impending heist even though heist episodes in this show are usually loads of fun.

And pickles are used to represent the undead.

posted by filthy light thief (6 comments total)

My theory: Fen, Hyman, and (presumably) Todd are the ones who will save Fillory and the multiverse.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 12:04 PM on March 20, 2020 [2 favorites]

Hyman was great in this.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 11:18 PM on March 20, 2020 [1 favorite]

I wondered at one point if Hyman was somehow collaborating with the Dark King to sow dissent, he kept pointing out flaws at the worst times.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 6:54 AM on March 21, 2020

Hyman was a delight. I do like the way they are maneuvering back toward the final resolution in the books though I highly doubt that we will see Q walking there hand in hand with Alice (or Eliot). Next week is some musical insanity. I'm down for one last serenade.
posted by Ber at 1:53 PM on March 21, 2020 [1 favorite]

I'm going to cry. I just know it. The musical numbers get me every time.
posted by cooker girl at 6:48 PM on March 21, 2020 [1 favorite]

ALICE NO
posted by esker at 8:03 PM on March 21, 2020