The Magicians
Season 2 Episode 2: “Hotel Spa Potions”
Directed by Chris Fisher
Written by Sera Gamble
Created by Sera Gamble & John McNamara
Based on the novel by Lev Grossman
Starring Jason Ralph, Stella Maeve, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Hale Appleman, Arjun Gupta, Summer Bishil, Rick Worthy, Jade Tailor
Syfy
Air Date: Wednesday, February 1st, 2017, 9:00pm

Last week on The Magicians, everyone who had died, now lived. Penny (Arjun Gupta) got his hands reattached, but he was such an ass about it, that the guy put the whammy on them. Eliot (Hale Appleman) was coronated king, and picked Margo, Alice, and Quentin (Summer Bishil, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Jason Ralph) as his fellow royals. Julia and the Beast (Stella Maeve, Charles Mesure) teamed up (at knifepoint) to track Reynard. He likes her.

Spoilers ahead for tonight’s episode!

The Magicians 2.2 “Hotel Spa Potions” review: They have to go back to Brakebills, without Eliot.

Dean Fogg: “You’re alive. What a lovely surprise.” Penny still has crazy hands. And magic is in danger of leaving the earth.

The Beast sings to Julia in a gorgeous voice, while she tries to figure out a sigil and bait. After he tells her of a deadly test awaiting King Eliot (who just fund a dead body), he has just the person – Marina, who wants nothing to do with it. She goes to Brakebills – “I need asylum.” Dean Fogg pretty much tosses her out.

Eliot’s wife, Fen (Brittany Curran), says the people are starving and they can’t use magic. Their little fake marriage is cute. They have to actually do farm work. Luckily, Eliot used to be a farmer, and tells his wife that horrible secret with a shudder. Eliot tries to get his wife all kinky, but she’s not having it. After that bomb in the bedroom, Eliot teaches them about the magic of poop. “Many a farm to grace with our royal dung.” Such a sweet talker, that King Eliot.

The four find the cottage and one of the missing Brakebill’s students partying it up. He tells them that Victoria is a little cuckoo, which is no surprise to Penny. Dean Fogg brings them to the library to find the hidden book of battle magic. After anagrams and number codes, they find “Last Hope Options” under “Hotel Spa Potions.”

They find Ms. Bigby (Amanda Brooks) through her riddle, and she and Dean Fogg make out. She tells Alice that she is stronger than the beast and can kill him, but her power is waning.

Professor Sunderland tries to help Penny with his hands and ties them behind his back, and it almost goes where you think it will – “After graduation.”

Q goes to warn Julia, who threatens right back. But they leave each other with a bit of regretful affection.

The four get the most painful tattoos ever for their fire demon to burrow under. Yuck!

Marina goes back to Julia, and the Beast does a showstopper. This aspect is a little strange for this strange show. He does have a beautiful voice, so that’s good. But it is a bit weird. Even Julia and Marina thinks so.

King Eliot, as sad and downtrodden as he is, is the best part of the show right now. He might be the most self-deprecating king ever, but he is trying. I hope they find the loophole, so he can go back to being the sexual free spirit we know and love.

Good episode. I want Alice to get some confidence. She needs her friends to build her up, and I need Margo to get her sarcastic back.

The Magicians airs Wednesday nights at 8:00pm ET on SyFy.

Video

THE MAGICIANS | Season 2, Episode 2: Sneak Peek | Syfy

And The Beast, though he’s promised to help Julia – is living some kind of musical theater fantasy.