The Magicians: Knight of Crowns Show Only
January 26, 2017 8:12 AM - Season 2, Episode 1 - Subscribe
In the aftermath of their clash with The Beast, Quentin and his friends scramble for a new plan, while Julia and The Beast strike a dangerous deal.
I'll wait to comment after the spoiler terms are set but boy, there is plenty to unpack here. And that rainbow bridge was stunning!
posted by Ber at 9:12 AM on January 26, 2017
posted by Ber at 9:12 AM on January 26, 2017
Yes, the promo's show the gang survived somehow, perhaps by magic, but remembering cautions from your childhood fairy tales should have been day one lesson, Magic Survival 101 at Brakebills. Or maybe they were partying that afternoon.
Good fun! Great villains, clever snark, many no no no, don't do... oh they did it...
posted by sammyo at 9:51 AM on January 26, 2017
Good fun! Great villains, clever snark, many no no no, don't do... oh they did it...
posted by sammyo at 9:51 AM on January 26, 2017
"Komara, can you get a mod to add whichever spoiler condition (show-only or books-included) you want this thread to abide to?"
Thank you for the reminder. I will request that they make this show-only. I think it's not spoilery to say that it's diverged from the books enough that I totally forgot there was a need for separation.
posted by komara at 10:01 AM on January 26, 2017
Thank you for the reminder. I will request that they make this show-only. I think it's not spoilery to say that it's diverged from the books enough that I totally forgot there was a need for separation.
posted by komara at 10:01 AM on January 26, 2017
Julia - she is so fucked. Martin obviously can't be trusted as far as he can be thrown and Reynard makes Martin look like a schoolboy. I did like Martin doing his little shuffle dance as he moved around Julia's apartment.
posted by Ber at 11:32 AM on January 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Ber at 11:32 AM on January 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
It returned well enough, though it makes me want to watch the last episode right before this one due to how closely they follow and the time in between airings. Right, so I could have done that, but forgot to (it's on Netflix now).
I hate they went with a rape storyline for Julia, but I did find it interesting that Martin brought it up as a shared experience. Along those lines, I really hope they don't make Martin a child predator.
Shade. So what is shade? Really? I feel as if it's something more than what Martin was describing it to be, which essentially was "sad feels." Some part of the soul? For Martin's sake, I feel as if it played some impact on his empathy for others - its absence letting him be a sociopath or what not.
The High King. Lordy, I hope when they return from Breakbills it hasn't been 40 freaking years or something. I got enough of that from Interstellar.. The Knight with 90's pop culture was a pleasantly nice surprise.
posted by Atreides at 2:36 PM on January 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
I hate they went with a rape storyline for Julia, but I did find it interesting that Martin brought it up as a shared experience. Along those lines, I really hope they don't make Martin a child predator.
Shade. So what is shade? Really? I feel as if it's something more than what Martin was describing it to be, which essentially was "sad feels." Some part of the soul? For Martin's sake, I feel as if it played some impact on his empathy for others - its absence letting him be a sociopath or what not.
The High King. Lordy, I hope when they return from Breakbills it hasn't been 40 freaking years or something. I got enough of that from Interstellar.. The Knight with 90's pop culture was a pleasantly nice surprise.
posted by Atreides at 2:36 PM on January 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
The knight who died while waiting for them was the best part. And Elliot's Patrick Swayze thing! I loved the whole scene.
posted by purpleclover at 4:27 PM on January 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by purpleclover at 4:27 PM on January 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
I wasn't sure if I was going to watch the new season after how bleakly the S1 finale ended, but then seeing the promos start popping up I realized I at the very least had to see how everybody survived, and now I think I've been sucked back in. It's probably foolish of me to hope the students all make it out alive and well eventually, but, dammit, I do. Elliot most of all.
Heh, from the AV Club recapper: Season two of The Magicians starts out in the most Magicians way possible. Quentin, confronted with a big problem, flounders completely and makes a hasty, questionable decision, and then by the time he arrives with a resolution, Alice has already solved the problem because she is a deeply competent person. And still coasting on god semen. Ah, welcome back, gang!
posted by oh yeah! at 6:25 PM on January 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Heh, from the AV Club recapper: Season two of The Magicians starts out in the most Magicians way possible. Quentin, confronted with a big problem, flounders completely and makes a hasty, questionable decision, and then by the time he arrives with a resolution, Alice has already solved the problem because she is a deeply competent person. And still coasting on god semen. Ah, welcome back, gang!
posted by oh yeah! at 6:25 PM on January 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
I've taken to calling this version of Martin EVIL GILES and it fits
posted by The Whelk at 10:35 PM on January 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 10:35 PM on January 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
If you were like me and trying to place that Rick and Morty clip, it's Big Trouble in Little Sanchez (FanFare; more info on Rick and Morty wikia).
Atreides: I hate they went with a rape storyline for Julia, but I did find it interesting that Martin brought it up as a shared experience. Along those lines, I really hope they don't make Martin a child predator.
At this point, I'm not giving anything away to say that this element of Julia's storyline as well as Martin's backstory are pulled from the books. From that, it diverges from the books (from what I can recall - I'll have to re-read). I was hoping they would tone down or omit those elements, but here we are.
Shade. So what is shade? Really? I feel as if it's something more than what Martin was describing it to be, which essentially was "sad feels." Some part of the soul? For Martin's sake, I feel as if it played some impact on his empathy for others - its absence letting him be a sociopath or what not.
I agree - some of his morality or humanity, I'd say. Remove that, and your need to be good to people goes away, because you no longer see yourself as human, but some demi-god. After all, you have great magical powers, and they do not.
purpleclover: The knight who died while waiting for them was the best part. And Elliot's Patrick Swayze thing! I loved the whole scene.
Ditto! I love that they're maintaining this tongue-in-cheek humor, balancing the super serious elements with parts that are just goofy and fun because, why not?
posted by filthy light thief at 7:24 AM on January 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Atreides: I hate they went with a rape storyline for Julia, but I did find it interesting that Martin brought it up as a shared experience. Along those lines, I really hope they don't make Martin a child predator.
At this point, I'm not giving anything away to say that this element of Julia's storyline as well as Martin's backstory are pulled from the books. From that, it diverges from the books (from what I can recall - I'll have to re-read). I was hoping they would tone down or omit those elements, but here we are.
Shade. So what is shade? Really? I feel as if it's something more than what Martin was describing it to be, which essentially was "sad feels." Some part of the soul? For Martin's sake, I feel as if it played some impact on his empathy for others - its absence letting him be a sociopath or what not.
I agree - some of his morality or humanity, I'd say. Remove that, and your need to be good to people goes away, because you no longer see yourself as human, but some demi-god. After all, you have great magical powers, and they do not.
purpleclover: The knight who died while waiting for them was the best part. And Elliot's Patrick Swayze thing! I loved the whole scene.
Ditto! I love that they're maintaining this tongue-in-cheek humor, balancing the super serious elements with parts that are just goofy and fun because, why not?
posted by filthy light thief at 7:24 AM on January 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
If you were like me and trying to place that Rick and Morty clip, it's Big Trouble in Little Sanchez (FanFare; more info on Rick and Morty wikia).
Wait....did I miss a Rick and Morty shoutout? Was this with Martin in Julia's apartment or something?
posted by Atreides at 1:54 PM on January 27, 2017
Wait....did I miss a Rick and Morty shoutout? Was this with Martin in Julia's apartment or something?
posted by Atreides at 1:54 PM on January 27, 2017
Yeah, he's watching it at the beginning of one of their scenes.
posted by Elementary Penguin at 5:07 PM on January 27, 2017
posted by Elementary Penguin at 5:07 PM on January 27, 2017
I somehow missed the last couple of episodes of last season so was a bit lost at first. It sucked me right in though and there was enough to catch up with what was going on.
Loved the crowning scene and the Dirty Dancing speech was hilarious.
I squeed at the Rainbow bridge as I was pretty sure I recognized it. I walked across it last year!!! (Well shuffled mostly because it's scary) Though that made me concentrate more on figuring out if the set decorators really flowered the whole thing or if it was partially flowered and the rest special effects.
This is the bridge in real life.
posted by Jalliah at 5:53 AM on January 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Loved the crowning scene and the Dirty Dancing speech was hilarious.
I squeed at the Rainbow bridge as I was pretty sure I recognized it. I walked across it last year!!! (Well shuffled mostly because it's scary) Though that made me concentrate more on figuring out if the set decorators really flowered the whole thing or if it was partially flowered and the rest special effects.
This is the bridge in real life.
posted by Jalliah at 5:53 AM on January 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Shade. So what is shade? Really? I feel as if it's something more than what Martin was describing it to be, which essentially was "sad feels." Some part of the soul? For Martin's sake, I feel as if it played some impact on his empathy for others - its absence letting him be a sociopath or what not.
I interpreted it as 'shadow', almost - like 'your shade' is 'your extra part that hangs above your meat', which made me wonder if Martin's shade is hanging out somewhere, doing things. That might be a little too Peter-Pan-y, though.
posted by corb at 9:14 AM on February 3, 2017
I interpreted it as 'shadow', almost - like 'your shade' is 'your extra part that hangs above your meat', which made me wonder if Martin's shade is hanging out somewhere, doing things. That might be a little too Peter-Pan-y, though.
posted by corb at 9:14 AM on February 3, 2017
I recognised the scene with the knight as straight out of Monty Python's Holy Grail, and was waiting for the clip-clop of coconut shells.
posted by arzakh at 3:42 AM on March 5, 2017
posted by arzakh at 3:42 AM on March 5, 2017
Yeah, he's watching it at the beginning of one of their scenes.
And apparently eating cheetos.
Did Martin really say that there was a "little heartbeat"? Uh oh.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 12:09 AM on March 13, 2018
And apparently eating cheetos.
Did Martin really say that there was a "little heartbeat"? Uh oh.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 12:09 AM on March 13, 2018
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(I haven't watched the episode yet, though I'll probably get to it tonight, so I'm unfollowing the thread until then, but I'm a show-only viewer who avoids major book spoilers)
posted by oh yeah! at 9:02 AM on January 26, 2017