The Magicians: Felicia Day on Going Darker With Poppy, A Potential Return to Brakebills, and More!

With credits on beloved and critically praised series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, Adventure Time, and Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return, Felicia Day is easily one of sci-fi and fantasy’s most recognizable faces.

She’s also become a legend within the geek community, getting involved not only with fellow artists and friends’ productions like Con Man and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog, but building her very own massively influential geeky empire through Geek and Sundry.

Most recently, Day had a highly anticipated guest arc on Syfy’s adaptation of Lev Grossman’s popular trilogy The Magicians, which just delivered a stunning season three finale.

Her three-episode long appearance as Poppy – a Brakebills student trapped in Fillory’s Abyss, eventually discovered by Quentin and Benedict on the fourth key quest – was both too short, and impressively eventful.

From dark, invisible voices and a visit to Fillory to dragons and love triangles, Poppy got the full character treatment. And with the help of her flashy smile, endearing nature, and clever manipulations, managed to leave a rather memorable mark on an already memorable season.

TV Fanatic attended Emerald City Comic Con in early March and had the chance to chat with the actress, producer and media empire founder about her latest role.

During our conversation, we covered what it was like working with The Magicians cast, whether Poppy should be trusted, exploring the spectrum of depression, and if viewers will see Day beyond Season 3. 

Related: The Magicians Season 3 Episode 8 Review: Six Short Stories About Magic

There are similarities between Poppy and other characters that you’ve played, but also a lot of differences. What drew you to her and The Magicians?

Well, I love the show. I really like how it takes fantasy and sort of twists it, makes it a little darker, a little fresher and hipper, in a way. Quote unquote. When they asked me to do this role I was so excited because I had been familiar with [Poppy] from the books.

She’s a really upbeat character, which I usually play upbeat characters, but I loved how they reinterpreted her in a little bit darker way. She has an edge to her, a lot of secrets, and there’s a little bit of a narcissistic person. I love how there are more different layers than anything I’ve ever played. She’s quite fun.

Like Poppy, you were coming into an established crew of people who knew each other and I’m sure are very close. What was it like trying to fit yourself in as you’re trying to fit into your character as well?

You know, whenever you’re on a new set, it’s sort of a learning curve. The first day is always very nerve-racking, but all my scenes were with Jason and Harvey – Benedict, and Quentin. It was a little bit of a smaller scale entry into the world. It wasn’t until the second episode I met a bunch of the other characters. It was a little bit easier to slip in.

Jason [Ralph] is such a gentleman. You can tell a really great actor when they work extra hard to make the new person coming in feel welcome and he did that for me. After the first scene, the first take, you’re like oh, I know how to do this and there’s great chemistry between [him and I], I think, and it came out on screen.

Poppy had unique first meetings with each of the characters, but I was partial to Margo’s introduction.

I mean, she’s great. She delivers the F word like nobody’s business. And Summer Bishil is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. She doesn’t really have hard edges as a person, so I love that she definitely inhabits a different kind of character than who she is.

Was there a particular character or cast interaction that you really enjoyed, outside of Jason?

I mean, Jade and I really bonded because – I don’t know, I really got along with her as a person and we had a lot of scenes together in a couple of episodes. I really like her because she’s really smart. She’s a writer and a musician.

She has a really interesting background and I love that she really has this cool, New York vibe to her that is very exotic to me. So we get along really well, in particular. But all of them are really nice.

I love watching Hale just drape himself over furniture. I’ve never seen anybody look like he was on a chaise lounge in a director’s chair before. It’s just hilarious.

Related: The Magicians Season 3 Episode 7 Review: Poached Eggs

You are a bit of a dragon lover, so did you have to do any more research about dragons for your role? Or did Sera Gamble and John McNamara just give you everything that you needed?

I mean, there’s a lot on the page. I don’t think I needed to get a degree in it for the part, but I would love to research it more if there was an excuse. I know a lot about dragons, as a human being. I actually love dragons. I’m hyper-educated in Dracon-ology. There’s an illustrated guide to dragons, a beautiful book if anyone wants to look it up.

The nature of The Magician’s universe really plays with trust and Poppy, as you mentioned, is somewhat narcissistic. I think many fans wanted to trust her, but there were things that she did that made it difficult.

Were you intentionally playing that line, or were viewers just being somewhat paranoid about whether or not Poppy was an actual threat?

I think there’s always an ulterior motive with Poppy. I think it’s there in the writing, but I think it’s really fun because for me as a person, like you said, I’ve played a lot of upbeat characters in my career. It’s kind of what I get cast as over and over, and I love the fact that this takes that and sort of twists it.

You never know whether to trust it or not. I’m always the good guy, so being the dark-tinged person... there’s no completely light tinged people in The Magicians, but she has an extra twist that I think is fun and it adds so many layers to the character. You really don’t know what to expect from her, except that she’s going to protect herself.

It’s a bit reminiscent of Sleepy Hollow’s first season and John Cho’s character introduction. The entire fandom basically came out and said “John Cho, what are you doing?”

He’s always the nice guy. He plays John Cho. And there’s nothing wrong with that, you know. People want to see people play themselves or the qualities that they respond to on film.

Poppy’s introduction to viewers is in an episode that essentially plays as an extended metaphor for depression. Can you talk about whether or not that theme and subject played into your embodiment of her and if so, where Poppy fell in that spectrum of experience?

I think if you have your darkest self pushing you to your darkest place, you definitely have to play that. There were several scenes where I was looking behind my shoulder. Certainly, I’d given a lot of thought to who that person is and how she talks to Poppy.

Obviously, a lot of people had died around her because of that key, but I think Poppy is a resilient person. I think she’d been through a lot in her life, or had that voice that’s inside her head maybe outside her head in her world.

It’s not natural to be completely immune to that hole, to be depressed and be self-destructive, and I think Poppy’s somebody who has an amazing resilience because she’s learned it in her life.

Poppy became somewhat of a love interest for Quentin during her arc. How much do you think that was about joining the latest quest and how much was that a genuine connection between her and Quentin?

You know, I don’t know if they would have babies together. I don’t see that as a long-term proposition. I do think Quentin is obviously a very physical guy, he’s had a lot of hook-ups. I don’t think Poppy is particularly discriminating in that sense. I think she looks at this kind of like going to do some elliptical.

I do think she actually surprisingly likes Quentin. I do think it surprises her that she has more sympathy to him than most other humans, but it’s not a lot, I don’t think. I think Quentin’s destined for other people, but it’s fun along the way to hang out.

Related: The Magicians Season 3 Episode 6 Review: Do You Like Teeth?

During the last episode of your character’s arc where they’re in the satellite library and Quentin and Alice run into each other, Poppy’s like, ‘I see this… but we got to go.’ Quentin’s decision to stay with Alice felt like the deadening of a love triangle. Is that what happened or was it something less deep?

There is a moment there when Quentin chose Alice over her and in it I at least tried to reveal a moment of betrayal, because she actually had been having a lot of fun and maybe emotionally felt something -- at least friendship -- with Quentin.

When she got shafted, it was like, old Poppy is back, she’s going to take care of herself. I think there was a moment there where he clearly visibly dumped her that was very hurtful. I don’t know what happened. She’s going to leave with a hand brushing, but who knows when we see her again. Hopefully, in the context of dragons, if we do.

So is it fair to say Poppy is gone-gone?

Those [were] the episodes for the season that I’m in, but you never know. Clearly, I didn’t die. It’s just something I can’t determine because it’s really up to the writers. What I love is that they make the architecture of the book fresh. If they bring me back, I’d love to come back because I really do feel Poppy.

Be sure to watch The Magicians online and every Wednesday on Syfy.

View Slideshow: 17 Inspired and Surprising TV Crossovers

This post appear first on The Magicians: Felicia Day on Going Darker With Poppy, A Potential Return to Brakebills, and More! by Abbey White

The Magicians Season 3 Episode 13 Review: Will You Play With Me?

On The Magicians Season 3 Episode 13, viewers were offered a satisfying cliffhanger that serves as the perfect ending to a near perfect season. 

“Will You Play With Me?” ended up being both exactly and not at all what I expected from this season’s finale. Completing the quest was ultimately in the cards.

Not having the team unlock magic would have essentially made all the mechanisms of the season a waste. But the ultimate cost of turning it back on was the real shocker and proves that The Magicians writers have a real understanding of what separates a good plot twist from a great one.

If you took the events of the final The Magicians Season 3 episode at face value, it might not seem all that satisfying. Particularly as much of what was gained over 12 episodes was lost in 42 minutes.

Julia became a goddess and then quickly gave up her powers to save magic. Magic was restored but fell into the hands of The Library.

The Fairy Queen got what was coming to her (despite her wonderful redemption turn), but at the hands of someone who shouldn’t have been alive to deliver the blow.

The Brakebills kids came to know and lean on each other better and more than the entire two prior seasons, but lost whatever they had forged between them entirely.

So if you only see that, then the finale was average. But it was in fact so much more than that.

From the metaphor about growing up (and the sacrifices we unnecessarily make to do that) to practically upending the entire universe, “Will You Play With Me?” was a near perfect send off.

I have cried approximately twice while watching this show. The final ten minutes, including the montage set to Until the Ribbon Breaks' cover of "One Way Or Another," made it thrice.

It’s possible that this was a very personal takeaway. But after seeing all of the Brakebills crew fight so hard for magic – an obscure representation of our innocence, curiosity, imagination, determination, and more – then lose it felt like a weird metaphor for the transition into adulthood.

Related: The Magicians: Brittany Curran Talks Fen's Transformation and a Final Fairy Queen Meeting

Back in Season One when Julia couldn’t let go of the idea that she remembered having magic, Quentin told her to move on because she hadn’t been chosen.

“Move on” meant grow up. Step into the real world. Find the thing that’s “right” for you.

But after three seasons, the idea that Fillory, magic and all the beasts, creatures, and challenges the Brakebills crew have faced isn’t “real” seems out of touch. That this wasn’t their “right” path seems wrong.

The idea that being a dreamer, a creator, a believer – that daring to step outside the confines of our own mind to see something bigger – is just for kids isn’t mature. It’s a betrayal of the human experience.

Being an adult doesn’t mean becoming something different than who we were. Something “expected” of us, as we see the Brakebills kids at the end of the episode.

Being an adult should mean being true to ourselves. Even if that's playing with magic for a living.

And that’s what they’re gonna have to do, apparently, in Season 4. They’re going to have to believe again, much like Neverland and Narnia require and despite their own gut instincts, to find their true selves.

To become the people Prometheus believed would save them all.

Beyond that well delivered (and sweeping) metaphor, I think the episode pushed the limits of its own world building in all the right ways.

The series circled back to the role of ancient gods, specifically Prometheus and why he “died” to help explain the magic and power of the seven key quest.

It continued its play on the idea that “gods” are all around us and that magic and mythical power exist in even the most mundane of places (e.g. games like candy collider).

It gave us iconic heroes (the guardian, most of the Brakebills crew, the Fairy Queen) and thrilling villains (the creature, Fogg, The Library). It also gave us some beautiful animation, a nice spin on the in-universe storytelling. 

Not to mention, its chaotic ending was the perfect way to round out a season driven by structure.

It also pushed its established approach to character building, but not in a directly obvious way.

Related: The Magicians Season 3 Episode 12 Review: The Fillorian Candidate

I think a lot of this show’s character development is driven by people making mistakes and then redeeming themselves. It’s a very direct call to the idea of being human and the “human experience.”

We make mistakes. And often we make them again, and again until we don’t. Or do again.

But there were a couple moments this episode where the idea of redemption seemed, personally, more difficult than before. I’m specifically talking about characters like Alice, Fogg, and Eliot.

After watching this cast of magicians take so many missteps in the past, the idea that they wouldn’t just follow the plan, or that they hadn’t gotten over thinking they were above the natural laws of nature and magic, didn’t even cross my mind. Because it just seemed so counterproductive.

Yes, Eliot absolutely needed to save his friend. Fogg absolutely needed to save magic. Alice absolutely needed to save the world (and herself). But in the end, nothing really got saved. Magic was brought back, yes, but at what cost to itself and others? 

Eliot doesn’t even know Quentin anymore to call him a friend or know he’s alive, and the old Quentin probably wouldn’t have wanted the life he now has.

Fogg saved magic but for what? To have betrayed the goddess who helped him? To have something powerful siphoned out in a near unusable way?

Then there’s Alice. She so much wanted to have her own life, but in the end, she’s the only one of the group that didn’t get that chance.

She also wanted to stop the bad so much she was willing to sacrifice the good. Instead, she handed the good over to the bad and now there’s nothing to stop the badder. Not just your regular old badder either. The kind that has even the gods in hiding.

And if the gods are afraid of this creature – that’s now been let loose and is occupying Eliot in the greatest turn for Hale Appleman in this series ever – how are a bunch of graduate school level magicians gonna stop it?

Other questions: Is Julia's god power completely gone or will the gods step in to help her? And is Penny40 gone-gone now that we've got yet another Penny? Might this open the door for a non-controversial Penny23 and Julia romance? 

Could the Alice locked in that Library room be the future scriber we saw earlier this season if she doesn't get out?

Why is everyone, including Fogg, so comfortable with the idea of magic being controlled by a single source? And was Fogg in on the fairy dust thing with Irene the entire time?

Related: Enjoy UNLIMITED access to thousands of Movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video. WATCH ANYWHERE. CANCEL ANYTIME!

How will that Fairy Queen deal hold up? What happens when you do actually break a fairy deal? 

Will the show continue to call Margo Janet during Season 4? Will the creature jump into the other Brakebills students' bodies? What are everyone else's new names? 

And finally, I'm very excited about this development, but will Hale Appleman be the best villain we've seen on The Magicians? 

View Slideshow: 15 Characters Who are Born Fixers

In all, the finale felt like the right ending to this incredible season and I'm already ready for the next one to start. 

If you have thoughts about The Magicians' latest episode, "Will You Play With Me?" comment below! And if you haven't caught up, you can watch The Magicians online. 

This post appear first on The Magicians Season 3 Episode 13 Review: Will You Play With Me? by Abbey White

A Series of Unfortunate Events: Nathan Fillion on Stepping Into His Role, and Playing Against Neil Patrick Harris (Again)

Last Friday, Netflix released the long-awaited second season of its rather dark and engrossing adaptation of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Along with the Baudelaire's slew of expected, yet still unfortunate challenges at the hands of Count Olaf came the exciting addition of new and distinctive caretakers. 

Fans who have already binged their way through the second season probably recognized several faces: Less Than Perfect's Sara Rue and There's... Johnny!'s Roger Bart, who more recently appeared in another Netflix series, Grace and Frankie. Veep's Tony Hale was also joined alongside Lucy Punch, who you may remember from Ben and Kate and Ella Enchanted.

Castle and Firefly lovers were probably most excited to see the appearance of the one and only Nathan Fillion, who made his debut as Lemony Snicket's brother, Jacques Snicket. 

A near tonal opposite of the story's beloved but sobering narrator, the role sees Fillion stepping back into shoes Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog fans are quite familiar with: Neil Patrick Harris's foil. 

While promoting A Series of Unfortunate Events at this year's WonderCon, Fillion spoke to TV Fanatic about joining the grim and beautiful universe, what he most liked about playing Jacques, and what it's like working alongside both Harris and babies. 

What drew you to want to work on A Series of Unfortunate Events? 

It’s such a beautiful program. My God, it’s so good. Spooky painting, you know what I mean? Just really gross place you wouldn’t wanna live and it’s so gorgeous. You’re just like, “It’s captivating.” It’s written so eloquently.

The rhythms are so attractive. There’s so much going on in one scene and then the chance to work with Neil again? I mean, why not? Of course, I would do that. We slip into the roles that we’re both very, very comfortable with. Playing enemies. It's a win-win.

Related: A Series of Unfortunate Events Review: Netflix's Best Show Yet

You’re facing Neil Patrick Harris again. How did this happen?

I imagine Neil Patrick Harris was sitting with his morning coffee saying, “We need someone I can really hate. Who would be the perfect nemesis? The perfect enemy?.” Me. Yeah, and it's me. I love working with Neil.

Neil does such great work. Gosh, he does such great work. I watched the first season of A Series of Unfortunate Events and then I got a text from Neil saying, “Hey, keep your eyes open. We’re gonna send you a little something when, maybe, it comes on again.”

So you're playing the brother to one of the story's grimmest characters. What is the best thing about that?

I think he has an immutable goodness about him. I think Lemony Snicket is a depressed guy because he’s been through a great deal but in the timeline, Jacques didn’t have to experience all that horribleness. There’s some bad things going on certainly but Jacques still has a lot of hope and a lot of drive for deviance. 

Have you read the books? Or did you read to prepare for your role?

No, I hadn't read the books. I remember the first movie way back when and I thought it was super cool, but it could’ve used more. And here we are.

So you watched the first season. Was there any particular villain, parental figure or story that you were really enraptured by?

Here’s something that drove me crazy. It’s such an amazing world and there is so much beauty in it, that the kids are the smartest guys in the room. Always, gets a little frustrating for me. I’m that guy. But I can see how the entirety is satisfying for a younger audience watching it and wanting some credit. So, kids being treated like kids, I couldn't get exhausted by that.

[Sunny] is the smartest one in the room then.

There we go. Boom. You’re talking about cute little actors? That baby is on it.

Related: Enjoy UNLIMITED access to thousands of Movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video. WATCH ANYWHERE. CANCEL ANYTIME!

Babies can be hard. Critics can be wary of babies because babies are typically things that you just move or move around. But Sunny is a very active participant in the world.

You look at a baby and you just think, “Okay, what are my expectations?” But they just look at the baby and go, “Hey, that was great. Can you hold the giraffe up a little higher? And just stretch up the image so we get a little more. Look over here.” Then, boom. Got it. She’s so easy that baby. I’m telling you, it’s ridiculous.

Were there any memorable behind the scenes moments working with the cast on this season? Or moments that really stuck with you from working on this show?

You know, making TV is not rocket science, but it takes a group effort. It takes a team. You need people who are good with organizing, you need people with the money to back it, you need people to hire the right people for the right jobs. It's time intensive. It's a lot of work that goes into it.

So when I come to work the full day through and there's gonna be a lot going on and there's gonna be a lot expected of you but you're a part of the machine.

When I come to work and Neil Patrick Harris has already been there for two and a half hours in a chair doing stuff to his face and he's going to be there for an hour after I leave getting it taken off his face. Then he's coming back the very next day to start the whole thing all over again. I mean, that's a lot of work. 

So you would rather not have a part that requires a lot of makeup?

Jacques Snicket is the perfect role for me. Go on in, put a mustache on me, wig my hair back and then in two weeks, I’m done. I’m out. I come back a week later, I got another two weeks and I'm done. That’s it. I’ve put some time in but nothing like the colossal effort that they do. I come in, I dip my toe in and then I walk away. That’s actually what I do.

Related: A Series of Unfortunate Events Gets March Return Date, New Teaser

You were just in Santa Clarita Diet, doing the same thing.

Doing the same thing. You know what? I'm gonna be really honest. I think my career is basically a long line of riding coattails. But my gift is knowing which coattails to ride.

You spent so many years working on shows like Castle and Firefly – all on network television. Did you find any difference doing a show for Netflix?

The day to day is the same. The work is the same. The kinds of projects are I’d say, different. I think Netflix takes a lot more risks when it comes to “Let’s see if this sticks.” I think networks have a finite amount that show they could do any of that.

Networks have a whole lot of concern about, “If we put this on in a very important time slot and it doesn’t survive, that’s our investment. Whereas Netflix is a different animal. They take more risks and once your project is out there, it's accessible at any point in time. If you didn't tune in on Wednesday, that's totally good. You can still binge-watching on Thursday.

View Slideshow: 15 TV Characters in Need of Some Mom Time

This post appear first on A Series of Unfortunate Events: Nathan Fillion on Stepping Into His Role, and Playing Against Neil Patrick Harris (Again) by Abbey White

The Magicians: Brittany Curran Talks Fen's Transformation and a Final Fairy Queen Meeting

The Magicians third season is easily the Syfy series best yet. With much of the drama focused on a key quest designed to bring magic back, characters from Brakebills to Fillory have had to lean on each other in new, exciting and more complicated ways.

That includes Fen, the native Fillorian promised to High King Eliot since she was a child. Starting her arc as a somewhat hapless and "unworldly" rural Fillorian, Fen ultimately played key roles in helping the children of Earth attempt to right their wrongs.

Delivered each week to audiences with heart and moxie by actress Brittany Curran, Fen has seen a rather grand transformation across this very soon to be completed 13-episode season.

From seducing her half-interested husband in a foggy haze, attempting to build a family, and acquainting herself with emojis to a secret history of Fillorian resistance fighting, losing her child (and toes) to bad deals, and eventually freeing enslaved fairies, Fen has left an undeniable mark on The Magicians universe as a funny, determined, and sincere force. 

In a season filled with complex women, well-written pop culture jokes, and serious dives into both morally and emotionally tough issues (slavery, depression, and familial death, to name a few), Fen has managed to be a part of it all in both big, small, and meaningful ways.

Gearing up for the finale, TV Fanatic spoke with Brittany Curran about the quirky and enigmatic woman behind Fillory's (former) royal family, her unique Season 3 journey, and whether her beef with the Fairy Queen will ever get resolved. 

I was concerned at the start of Season 3 that Fen might spend most of her time being a naïve sidekick to Eliot, but she has had one of the more obvious and moving transformations of the season. As you were shooting, what was the moment you felt Fen blossomed into her own distinctive Magicians character?

I’m so glad that you see all that and appreciate all that cause I agree, she’s just kind of like Elliot’s little follower sometimes. I would say the moment she broke out of that definitely began after she found out that Fray was not her daughter and that her daughter had actually died in childbirth. The scene in the castle when I’m sharpening my knife – which I’m like obsessed with now – where I tell Eliot that I have to leave.

That was a really pivotal moment for Fen because, I think, for the first time in her life she’s finally admitting that Eliot is not the husband that she deserves or wants, and she’s not living the life that she wants.

It’s also a really cathartic moment because Eliot finally admits how awful a husband he’s been. I think in having that conversation, even though not a whole lot is said, Fen finally allows herself to go off and go on her own journey and live her own life.

Related: The Magicians Season 3 Episode 7 Review: Poached Eggs

Speaking of Fen and the loss of her child, I think your character represents a part of the 20-something experience that the show hasn’t really explored before this season: young parenthood.

Where did you draw from to embody a character who really loved both the idea of family and being a parent and then had that ripped away from her?

I think any time as an actor, when you’re dealing with extreme loss in your character, a lot of times your life isn’t going to mirror what your character is going through and so you have to find a way to honor that in your own way.

I’ve never had or lost a child in my life and I can't begin to imagine what either must actually feel like. So what I did was I just went down this rabbit hole of finding my own things in my life that would speak to that or be horribly scarring.

I actually went online and just read story after story of parents who had lost children and it was one of the most depressing pieces of research I’ve ever done for my job ever.

Again, it’s hard for me to say because I haven't experienced it so I would never ever want to compare my experience to that ever, but immersing myself for a while in all of these heartfelt genuine stories of other people was so eye-opening to how incredibly traumatic something like that is.

Then as an actor, all I can really do is try to bring that and my own version of it to the screen and then, you know, go through my process. 

Learning about stuff like that and having your character go through that, it really puts everything in perspective, too. It doesn’t make other people’s issues less important, but it definitely puts Fen's specific issues in perspective.

I think losing her child is part of the reason why she realized like, "No, I don’t have to be in this relationship where my husband doesn’t acknowledge me as an equal. I can break out of this. Life is short. There’s no reason for me to be stuck in this for my whole life.”

Are family and children as important to Fen at the end of the season as they were at the start?

I do think that family and children are important to Fen, but I think that she realizes that they are important now in the right context. They’re not important to her anymore just for the sake of having a family and children.

Originally, I think she was just happy to have a family no matter what, no matter who, no matter how she was being treated. I feel like now it’s just as important, but she also values herself. She has her own integrity now and realizes that she’s excited to have a family when it’s the right time and the right place with the right people.

You touched on the lopsidedness of the Eliot and Fen relationship where one is definitely giving more than the other. But in Episode 12, Fen mentions that she will stay with Eliot because she’s now embroiled in the war in a particular way.

So is that the only reason that Fen wants to stay or is there something else that’s keeping her there?

I mean, look, when the magicians and the children of earth come to Fillory, they're coming to this fantasy land. Their home is still Earth. Their family and their lives and everyone they know are still there. Fen is one of the only actual native Fillorians.

Her whole life is in Fillory and Fillory has gone through so much, been turned upside down, in the past couple years of her life. She’s been brought along on that journey with Eliot and Margo as part of the royalty and somewhat part of their decisions.

I feel like to Fen, Eliot forgets that Fillory is actually her home and she’s a native to this place. He just kinda wants to push her to the side. I think at that moment she finally stands up for herself again and doesn't say these words, but I think what she’s saying to him is “No, I’m a part of this.

I’ve been a part of the royal family just as long as you have and you can’t push me aside yet again.” Not that that's the only motivation, but I think she's just over being pushed aside by her husband. I know she cares about Fillory, and I think she genuinely wants to do whatever’s best for it.

Related: The Magicians Season 3 Episode 12 Review: The Fillorian Candidate

Part of Fen's transformation has been her acquiring a harder, stronger, rougher edge. But she existed, particularly in the beginning, as this light-hearted character that contrasted starkly to the more angsty or bitter tone of those around her.

How did you approach playing an earnest Fen against some tonally opposite characters?

I just saw her as such a genuine person. Even though she came across as naïve, she wasn't naïve in Fillory terms. She was naïve in Earth terms. I mean, the children of Earth would’ve seemed just as naïve to her but on her turf, you know?

And it turns out she wasn't as innocent and naïve as everybody thought because she had joined this resistance army and she was trying to fight for her home. I don't think anybody ever expected that.

I guess I never thought of her – while I was playing her and while I was figuring her out – in negative terms. I always thought of her as just living her life. She was being as genuine as possible and she wanted to help everybody. She just happened to be wearing princess dresses and living in an archaic society her whole life.

Speaking of the resistance army, frequently The Magicians forces characters into moral dilemmas and asks them to work out which side they fall on. That definitely happened for Fen and her resistance reveal. It also happened with the enslaved fairies, a somewhat complicated issue for Fen.

What did you want viewers to walk away with when you were playing your character through that storyline?

When [those scripts] first came in that Fen actually not only forgave but helped rescue the fairies, I was so happy about it. I was so proud of her because in our lives, especially when traumatic things happen, naturally you’re going to resist anything that has to do with the cause of your trauma.

For Fen it just happens to be fairies, and I totally understand why Fen just thought that all fairies were evil. To her, every fairy she ever met was. You know, they kidnapped her and were pretty much responsible for her daughter’s death.

Everything that she’s known in life has told her that these creatures are dangerous and will literally take your limbs and kill people that you love. But it was nice to have somebody like Julia realize that Fen deep down does not agree with slavery and thinks it’s bad.

In that conversation [with Julia] though it's not slavery that Fen thinks she’s talking about. Fen thinks she’s talking about protecting good people from bad creatures, you know? And so it was good that Julia had that line of "Okay Fen. First of all, slavery is always bad no matter what."

I love that Julia and Fen can be brutally honest with each other when they need to be, but that Julia was also sensitive to the fact that Fen lost her kid because of the fairies.

I think it says a lot about Fen and a lot about the human spirit in general that you can have your life ruined by a certain thing, and then come around to figure out “Oh, it’s not what I thought it was. It’s actually not evil and just because there’s a couple bad fairies doesn’t mean that all fairies are bad.”

Fen realizes that the fairies have been taken advantage of and abused and I think it takes a lot of courage for her, and a lot of humility to stand back and be like "Okay, this thing that I stood for for so long is actually wrong." Meaning, being against the fairies is wrong and now she is going to help them. I loved it. I loved that storyline so much.

By Episode 12 we see Margo become High King and Julia form an understanding with the Fairy Queen. Fen was a part of, whether negatively or positively, both of those things happening. But at the end of both moments, Fen is hardly acknowledged by the Queen.

Margo even gets an eye back and Fen fails to get her toes back.

Thank you for noticing that! I was so mad. I was like wait, why don’t I get my freaking toes back? This lady killed my baby and I don’t even get my toes back? It's like, you’ve gotta be kidding! Poor Fen keeps getting the bad end of every stick.

Will that continue through to the finale? Will she have to deal with the fact that the Fairy Queen doesn't regard her very highly? Or might Fen get to make peace with the Queen?

There is definitely going to be something that happens between Fen and the Fairy Queen. I won't say whether it’s good or bad, and resolution is too strong of a word, but there’s definitely something significant that happens between the two of them.

Related: The Magicians Season 3 Episode 10 Review: The Art of the Deal

One thing I really loved about this season is how much it has given its female characters. They've probably had, at least for me, the biggest development in very specific and different ways.

So based on Fen’s Season 3 arc, what do you really hope viewers take away from her about the experience of womanhood, as well as what it means and takes to be a woman in the world – real or fantastical?

I hope people can bring away the resilience of women. When a woman has her life plan in mind, especially when society tells her "This is going to be your trajectory in life and this is your purpose for being on this earth" and then she believes it thinking "This is my only path in life even if it's not best for me," she can leave that path.

She can have the strength to do that and realize that she has more to offer people and her life and the world in general.

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That's what happens to Fen. She's been in this archaic family, she's been promised to this king since she was a kid, to be his wife and to have kids. Her whole life has been "I am here to serve the monarchy and I'm here to serve whoever the future king is" and she does that regardless of how he treats her. But then she takes a stand and says, "No, I'm going on my own path now!"

I hope people can take that out of her arc this year. Her resilience. Even though she followed another person's path for so long, she was still able to divert from it and figure out her own life.

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The Magicians airs Wednesdays on Syfy. You can watch The Magicians online to catch up.

This post appear first on The Magicians: Brittany Curran Talks Fen's Transformation and a Final Fairy Queen Meeting by Abbey White

The Magicians Season 3 Episode 12 Review: The Fillorian Candidate

The Brakebills crew must face a season's worth of journeys to collect the sixth and final key on The Magicians Season 3 Episode 12. 

Sometimes finales sneak up on you, but "The Fillorian Candidate" felt like a very blunt and obvious pre-cursor to the end.

The group got their key (and bullet) for the boss level challenge at the Castle of the Gods, thus concluding their "restore magic" quest. The Fairies are no longer a violent threat.

Fillory has its first democratically elected leader and a semblance of order as it enters a war.

Not to mention, it resolved Julia's residual anger with Reynard, saw Fogg's eyes healed, firmed up Fen's role in Eliot's life, all the while firmly planting Penny 23 into the current timeline (goodbye original Penny, so sorry Kady).

Alice also confessed to why she was actually being so secretive all season while simultaneously giving up her mission for The Library. And Quentin? Well, he faced the reality of his father's illness. 

Some of it felt too neatly and quickly tied up, especially with the amount of time that went into building up the arc through The Magicians Season 3. 

We had been waiting for some time to have the real root, if you will, of the fairies efforts to terraform Fillory exposed. It happened in this episode to almost no fan-fair.

The fairies don't have children, and they need them to keep their race going. Hence, all the eggs. It was great to finally have that tidbit confirmed, but the reveal felt like a bit of a tiny throwaway in an episode stuffed with revelations. 

I also loved Alice's confession that she had spent the entire season struggling with her time as a niffin, not the loss of it. 

Related: The Magicians Season 3 Episode 11 Review: Twenty-Three

With everything she had done, it seems justified and totally like Alice to want to stop something like her former self from ever happening again. 

But as I think back, I wonder how much of that clearly came through her episode-to-episode development, and if that moment deserved something a bit bigger than her quiet argument with Quentin. 

A moment that eventually became about Quentin choosing whether his father would live or die with the return of magic. That was yet another powerful scene – with such a touching, eye-watering ending – that I honestly feel should have been given a bit more time and focus.

I think about how much was spent on questing early in the season and how much screen time was given to these pivotal character moments, and I'm left to wonder whether there was a bigger balancing issue this season than I realized.

Or maybe I just want to think there was more in these moments screen time wise than there really was. 

On the other hand, other episodic developments felt better delivered. Margo, Eliot, Fen, and Fray all help resolve the issue of making the fairies feel secure in their existence in Fillory, thus securing the sixth key.

They do this by thrusting the land, at Josh's great suggestion and with some serious magical support from Julia, into a democratic election. 

Eliot deems himself the appropriate candidate due to Fillory's patriarchal society, shutting out Margo. Their "flier" war (Thanks, Kinkos) sees the campaign becoming a commentary on the current state of U.S. politics until the results are revealed with Margo actually clinching the win thanks to write-ins. 

The series points to a moment earlier in the episode when the group visits Frey and her bear boyfriend at a bar. There we saw Margo chatting it up with Humbledrum, who we learn is very prominent in Fillory. 

It's that moment that supposedly seals Margo's win as she listens to a group of Fillorians others have neglected, but it's actually symbolic all of her work during Season 3.

As I wrote about previously, Margo gave up parts of herself to keep Fillory together. She took the time to figure out what was going on, with almost no support and as people (and faeries) were constantly trying to undermine her.

The reveal itself also speaks volumes about Margo and Eliot's entire seasonal arcs as rulers. 

He eventually takes a knee and pledges her has his king in charming and proud Eliot fashion, but the entire sequence illustrates how Eliot has spent part of the season pushing the women in his life (Fen and Margo) to the side.

And before he takes a knee, Margo apologizes. This speaks to how women feel the need to apologize for their greatness. Lucky for her, not only does she get a kingdom, but she also gets her eye back from a very grateful Fairy Queen.

Back on Earth, Julia is dealing with her growing powers. Her kindness in the face of what we've seen from other gods definitely makes me feel proud of her, but am also concerned about it.

Am I supposed to trust the idea that she can really answer everyone's prayers without consequence? If that was a thing, why aren't all the old (good) gods doing it? 

She's pulled away from this endeavor though to help with research about what awaits the crew at the Castle of the Gods. At the suggestion of Zelda, Kady and Penny 23 decide to reach out to Reynard about the castle's contents.

To do that, they ask Julia for an okay and help locating him. She agrees and after they find him being a faux feminist pizza delivery guy, both she and Kady get a moment to see how justice and karma handled the creature who destroyed parts of their lives. 

It was, much like Margo's, and somewhat Alice's, moment, a nice payoff that was due.

It also helped them get a god-killing bullet, which the team plans to use on whatever was created before they created us, tucked away at the castle at the end of the world. 

Which pretty much leads us to what is sure to be an ominous, cliffhanger-y, perhaps even deadly Season 3 finale "Will You Come Play With Me?"

As for some of my favorite moments from the episode, I'd have to start with the very beginning, in which we get our "Previously on" from Josh.

Not only is it a recap of last week's events, but it's an in-universe break-down of what happened in their timeline to catch up Penny 23.

Josh also gave us an excellent Taco Tuesdays joke and inspired Julia to recreate a Fillorian forest, a rather beautiful scene. 

I wasn't sure how the Fairy Queen would understand the meaning and connotation of "Eat my ass" enough to send it through a messenger rabbit (while not knowing other basic Earth sayings), but that was still funny. 

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I appreciated Fen not necessarily sticking by her man, but sticking by her land. She may not have been brought up to be a ruler, but she is certainly in this whether Eliot thinks she is or not. The very same could be said of Josh, which is also why I like him. 

Side characters are often treated with less respect by the narrative, and both Fen and Josh have demanded better in canon dialogue throughout the season. 

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I also really liked Alice not just choosing choice, but choosing not to kill Julia. Furthermore, I just don't see how The Library – with how Penny, Harriet, the fairy dust, and so many other things, ended up – would be the right people to be "in control."

Finally, I'm not entirely sure we've seen the last of original Penny. When Julia, Kady, and Penny 23 go to see Reynard, he reveals his father, Hades, gave him the god-killing bullet.

Hades is the same god that convinced Penny to stay in the Underworld. That can't be a coincidence, right? 

If you have thoughts about The Magicians' latest episode, "The Fillorian Candidate," comment below! And if you haven't caught up, you can watch The Magicians online. 

This post appear first on The Magicians Season 3 Episode 12 Review: The Fillorian Candidate by Abbey White

The Magicians Season 3 Episode 8 Review: Six Short Stories About Magic

On The Magicians Season 3 Episode 8, the writers dabble in something stranger than fiction, scrambling (or unscrambling) the storylines and fates of several characters.

While past episodes have felt more character focused, "Six Short Stories About Magic" was definitely plot driven, which took some of the magic out of it for me. That's not to say it wasn't good. In fact, the episode playing with its structure was one of the coolest things its done all season. 

It was, of course, a very meta writing decision, but as we know, that's part of this show's distinct identity, so it definitely worked for me. 

The episode begins with Penny visiting the Underworld, where we learn that Benedict is in fact dead. He's also very upset that Penny doesn't seem to be there for him.

I assumed he was hiding the key based on his reaction, which, by the way, was not a cool move. But Penny coming back to thank Benedict for caring about his death was sickeningly sweet, as was Penny's shaking and moving to get Benedict in The Library. 

Related: The Magicians Season 3 Episode 7 Review: Poached Eggs

A result of Benedict's lie was that Penny ran into his old boss Silvia who seemed eager to help until she literally backstabbed him. The show did a pretty good job of making us believe Silvia was entirely on Penny's side, in my opinion. I certainly believed it more than Benedict's fib. 

What she did with Penny though feels a bit bigger than her ultimate betrayal. First, we met the person who actually writes each of our books, and they look exactly like Alice. I know they said they weren't her, but I'm not entirely sure I believe that.

If it is her though, the question remains: how did she get there. Perhaps she's a version of one of the Alice's from another one of the many beast timelines? 

And until we saw her, I had completely forgotten about how The Library's "people books" could reveal what was happening to the characters. Or I guess it didn't really cross my mind as an issue because, as Penny pointed out, there are six billion people in the world.

I appreciated the show acknowledging the convenience of Penny being the lone story currently written, even if I don't entirely trust the science or magic on it.

Do these books get written based on perceived universal importance or is it just random? How many books was this Alice look-a-like writing when she was spelled for her to prioritize the Brakebills kids?

Related: The Magicians Season 3 Episode 6 Review: Do You Like Teeth?

For as much as I love the Brakebills crew and understand they are currently busy saving the world, aren't there somewhat other really important people and things to be writing about? 

In any case, this discovery sets up how the rest of the episode unfolds—as a series of short stories. It felt very Stranger Than Fiction, and I really enjoyed that (though I'm a sucker for meta and wall breaking). 

As Penny reads, we see in a somewhat confusing series of events Quentin and Poppy fail to find a key Penny hasn't yet delivered, before they run into Alice who shouldn't even be there. Quentin is, understandably, upset but Poppy isn't interested in their drama and bounces. 

I was excited to see that Poppy really is just a flighty, self-serving character who wants to get things done until it gets too dangerous. I was concerned that she was going to be the person that Alice ultimately was.

Related: The Magicians Season 3 Episode 5 Review: A Life In The Day

Speaking of, I should have guessed when she went missing earlier—and Poppy was able to steal her mirror bridge math—that something was up. It was clear foreshadowing. I guess I didn't expect for the real Alice to be such a brazen manipulator.

Desperate yes, but not quite whatever this is for some reason. 

As that trio was having their weird moment, Kady and Harriet were having an even weirder—and somewhat cooler—one. I'd have to say that my favorite "short story" was Harriet's, hands down. 

Not only was I elated that they cut the sound to be true to the way Harriet experiences the world (this is her story after all), but that plot twist with her being Zelda's daughter was good. And it didn't just hit us straight out; it unfolded slowly. 

I think they could have spent a bit more time helping us understand why Zelda and Harriet bumped heads so much. They did press the idea that Harriet experienced much more of the world in a tangible, human way while her mother lived through the books. 

But I would have liked to see the moments for Harriet out in the real world that had her change her mind from her mother's way of thinking. At least to the point where she'd literally die in a standoff against her mother. 

By the way, I'm not sure why that fellow Librarian shattered the mirror bridge. Was he just angry or did he think that was the only supply of fairy dust out there?

Which leads us to the big fairy reveal. The connection between the Earth-bound fairies and Fillory's fairies wasn't made entirely clear, but I'm assuming the magical beings experienced a population dip, which is why they are terraforming.

I'm also assuming that dip was due to other magical creatures murdering them for the power of their bodies. Which is... heavy. Julia and Fen's entire storyline this episode was unexpectedly heavy without being overtly so. 

I enjoyed the two women's back and forth about the dynamics of power and how important it is to acknowledge above blanketing an entire population as "one thing." Power and who has it is most tightly linked to things like discrimination and violence. 

Related: The Magicians Season 3 Episode 4 Review: Be the Penny

Sky's slavery, her sawed-off leg—it makes it easier to see why the fairies would hate the children of Earth so much. They may have been doing some pretty awful things to magical creatures. 

But it's still not clear why Sky wouldn't know about her own people as those same people are literally taking over Fillory, or why The Librarians would kill two people—Harriet and Victoria—in order to protect a briefcase when there's an entire race out there that can provide more. 

Finally, there was Eliot and Margo who we didn't see a lot of, but of what we saw, it was not a good look. Their kingdom hates them and wants them dead. 

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Overall, I'm not entirely sure the multiple running storylines thing worked. Not as in they shouldn't have done it, but keeping clear track of everything that was going on was somewhat difficult to me. I feel like I'll have to watch again to make sure I connect all the dots properly. 

I'll also admit in the chaos of everything, I wasn't entirely sure if Alice gave Penny up in exchange for what she wanted from The Library. If that is the case, Quentin—and the others—are going to have an even more serious reason not to trust. 

This episode had some noteworthy jokes like Fen's "old ball and cock" mixed idiom. It was yet another reminder that our characters are strangers in a strange land.

Penny's exchange of Game of Thrones spoilers for information about Benedict's whereabouts was also hilarious. 

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I also like Penny getting grossed out about Poppy and Quentin's sex scene. I feel like that's something we don't acknowledge in the theory of "someone is always watching us, planning out our lives." 

If you have thoughts about The Magicians' latest episode, "Six short Stories About Magic," comment below! And if you haven't caught up, you can watch The Magicians online.

This post appear first on The Magicians Season 3 Episode 8 Review: Six Short Stories About Magic by Abbey White

The Magicians Season 3 Episode 7 Review: Poached Eggs

The stakes get bigger and the plot lines thicker during The Magicians Season 3 Episode 7.

There have been quite a few recent episodes that I have felt exemplified the strength(s) of The Magicians. But this latest installment is perhaps one of the best at showing how far this series has come (and is ahead of others shows) in terms of developing a story. 

As I’ve said before, juggling a large lead ensemble, multiple worlds and a handful of both tangible and intangible threats is an incredibly hard thing to do. It’s even harder to do cohesively.

Still, even harder to do while keeping us all thoroughly entertained. But in case you missed it, “Poached Eggs” has done it. The episode felt, action-wise, like what a midseason climax should be.

I don’t think there was a single moment when I felt like a plot wasn’t being addressed, or a character wasn’t getting their due screen time. It wasn’t done in the sort of bulleted checklist manner either. It was organically balanced.

The plots were carefully woven in and out of one another, with a balanced give and take for characters that let them have success without removing all the plot barriers. 

It’s rare that I’m in awe of a show’s technical ability to navigate through its own story so smoothly, but here we are.

Related: The Magicians Season 3 Episode 6 Review: Do You Like Teeth?

As for the characters, where does one begin? I guess I’ll start with Poppy, who was back in a big way. It was cool to see her join the team (she was a fun addition), but I did not see her sleeping with Quentin coming. 

To be honest, I’m starting to get the feeling the show wants us to be comfortable with the idea that whatever was romantically between Alice and Quentin is gone. Alice has spent a lot of time in The Magicians Season 3 making it very clear how she no longer feels about Quentin.

Furthermore, Quentin seems to be moving on physically and emotionally with other people. If that’s the case, I have no problem with it. Relationships start and end, but I do hope it becomes more evident what’s happening. Minus any more Quentin and Alice trust-issue drama.

Beyond the hook-up, Poppy helped Quentin and Penny try to break Kady out. Despite the ID and lockdown mishap, the trio did ultimately succeed.

The whole thing going somewhat south, at least initially, was true to canon. It wouldn’t be a Quentin scheme without some kind of issue. That first failed attempt also made room to see Kady and Penny hash out their problems.

I was concerned they might soften to each other too soon (as in unrealistically), but I think Kady being off screen for a bit helped make it feel like more time had justifiably passed for her to let go of some of that anger.

It was also cute to watch them play with the idea of actually being a couple. I’m not sure how that’s going to work without a body for Penny, but in the meantime, this human and ghost relationship trope is semi-charming.

Related: The Magicians Season 3 Episode 5 Review: A Life In The Day

Once away from the facility, Kady meets up with Harriet who carefully reminds us all that a favor is still owed. How Kady's expected to repay it is, of course, no small thing and puts her in the position she's accused Penny of being in continually. 

Kady is sort of known for doing the sneak and steal thing, so for as dangerous as the plan is, I imagine (or hope) she’ll turn out fine. I am curious about whether Poppy is going to join her in the quest to rob the library though. I love Felicia Day but haven't quite found it in myself to trust Poppy yet. 

Then there’s Alice and Julia, whose team up was for various reasons less fun for them this week. I still thought they were great to watch. They have an easy chemistry and seem to provide a natural balance to each other on screen. 

It was also cool to see two characters who had spent time last season doing some pretty horrible things do the right thing. And both driven by a desire to save each other at that. 

Apparently, Alice’s obsession with magic reached life-threatening levels this episode, but the situation also presented an interesting role reversal from The Magicians Season 1. Julia spent a lot of the first season dangerously trying to access and build her magic. Meanwhile, Alice was the most powerful magician in the room.

Now it's the opposite, and I think that's what makes their on-screen team-up particularly perfect. No one will quite understand their feelings the way the other does.

Related: The Magicians Season 3 Episode 4 Review: Be the Penny

Not to mention, I think Alice and Julia spending this kind of time together was long overdue. Quentin has been a constant thread between them. Seeing them now, it feels like this team up should have happened sooner.

It also reminds me how much I enjoy when the women of this series hang out with one another.

Finally, Margo and Eliot’s storyline -- which dominated “Poached Eggs” -- was satisfying in many different ways. First, Fillorian royalty got to finally and truly hit back against the Fairy Queen.

I think a trick to shows like this is keeping characters on their toes and facing challenges without them (or the audience) getting overwhelmed by negative turns or misfortunes.

Both Eliot and especially Margo have had a lot of losing battles in The Magicians Season 3, which is very much in tune with the dramatic arcs of season’s past. These kids angst a lot before they get a small reprieve. But they did, in fact, get that short reprieve. 

They beat the Fairy Queen at her own game, even as Fray undermined them. Fillory will now be able to see the fairies and more interestingly, Eliot is free of his parental bonds.

It was difficult to see Fen deal with the loss of her family, but if I'm honest, I’m not too sad Fray got told. She had a nasty habit of acting not just childish, but bratty. It was a lesson learned for her that took Eliot and Margo out from under the Fairy Queen’s thumb in a very simple way.  

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I also have to say that Margo's moment with Eliot as she explains why she won't walk away from Fillory was easily my favorite from her in the entire series.

While Eliot has been allowed to go off on adventures and grow with his friends this season, Margo has primarily been stuck doing a lot of the dirty work. Whether the place is messy or not, it's hers. She's worked and fought for it, arranged marriages, lost eyeballs, and more. 

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With that said, Margo is strong but maybe not strong enough to get her and Eliot out of a bind with an angry mob. I was truly not expecting that final twist, but it did raise the stakes. 

Notable moments from the episode include Julia having to snort excretions from a creature (this show really can’t help itself). I also enjoyed Margo’s rather blunt (and funny) introduction to Poppy. 

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It felt great to see Quentin both call Penny out on his general grumpiness while also calling him a friend. This show does such a subtle, but good job of showing the complicated nature of all the characters’ various relationships.

I'm very concerned about Eliot and Margo. Those Fillorians looked super angry. 

If you have thoughts about The Magicians' latest episode, "Poached Eggs," comment below! And if you haven't caught up, you can watch The Magicians online.

This post appear first on The Magicians Season 3 Episode 7 Review: Poached Eggs by Abbey White