The Magicians
Season 1, Episode 09
Episode Title: The Writing Room
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Omar
Episode nine the Writing Room, starts with Quentin reading the letter that Julia sent him. In the letter, Julia tells him that she is sorry and that she is working in forgiven him, stating that they both were wrong, but she still misses her friend. He sends her an email, telling her that he is also sorry, and misses her. Julia has coffee with Richard, and tells him about still feeling bad about the things she has done. Richard proposes to do some penitence, and use the spell she and Marina used against Quentin, only this time to help somebody.
A sleepy Alice asks Quentin what is wrong, and he replies that he is mad that he lost the sixth book of Filory that Eliza (Jane) gave him. Alice uses a locating spell that leads them to Penny. After being irritated by Quentin, he tells them that he did took the manuscript. He read it and throw it away, but he remembers that Christopher Plover didn’t write it, but instead Jane Chatwin. In the book, she writes that Plover wrote some things wrong, her story is about her looking for a way to let Martin Chatwin into Filory, as he lately wasn’t being summon like the rest of them. After capturing a questing creature, that Penny wasn’t sure what it was, it gave her a magic button. Quentin comes to the conclusion that the button may still be in Plover’s house, he decides to go find it, and Alice goes with him. They find Eliot, who is bored because Margo is not back yet and decides to go with them, as he and Margo have a door to their favorite pub in England.
Richard takes Julia to a girl name Kira, who is in a type of coma and prepare to work the spell on her. Julia enters Kira mind, but appears inside a sealed wooden box. She makes a clever remark about the Kill Bill movie and burns her way out of the box. She meets Kira in a park where she tells Julia that she needed to first test her. Kira explains that she was working on a complicated spell, but something when wrong and she ended trap instead. Kira had been trapped for over a year, but was able to finish her work for Richard. With Julia’s helped she as will be able to tell him the solution.
Quentin, Alice, Eliot, and Penny take the tour of Plover’s house were Quentin has many fan moments taking pictures, and correcting the tour guide. Later that night they return, and find magic books in Plover’s study given them the idea that Plover started to learn magic after learning about Filory from the Chatwin children. They even find a book about traveling and a letter from his sister asking for a death certificate and saying that Plover disappeared.
Alice hears kids laughing and goes to open a restrict door, but they are caught by the tour guide that is afraid to be there during the night. Penny tries to read his mind, but the tour guide is too frightened and before he can say something he disappears with Eliot. They find Eliot in the next hall, but further down the hall they find the tour guide dead. They run out of the house, but Quentin notices that Alice and Eliot are missing, and go back inside for them.
Back in Kira’s mind, she asks Julia where Richard found her, if she is from Brakebills. To which Julia replies that she is not and that Richard found her in rehab. Kira tells her that she also didn’t go to Brakebills, but instead to MIT and that she found magic in science, telling her the magic is science and everybody with a natural bend can find it. Kira tells her about her favorite memory and Julia shows Kira hers with Quentin when they were kids and believed in Filory.
Penny and Quentin start to hear the children laugh and enter the room where they find a boy that wants to play with them. They are shown a vision of how thing were in the past and see Plover walking down the hall, they follow and see Jane and Martin Chatwin run down the hall. Jane enters a closet to Filory, but It closes before Martin can go through. Plover walks by and takes a sad Martin to his study to drink tea and work.
Eliot and Alice appeared to be tied up next to the ghost of a little girl. Eliot tries to use magic to free himself, but the girl tells them not to sue magic or Plover’s sister (Prudence) will get mad. Prudence arrives and ties the girl, and gives them drugged tea. Eliot doesn’t drink it, but Alice and the girl do, and pass out.
A little boy hides Quentin as Prudence takes Penny way down to a cellar. The boy and Quentin spy on Plover and Martin, as Plover tells Martin that his magic learning is going well and that maybe soon he would also be able to go to Filory with the Chatwin children. Jane returns with good news for Martin and the both of them step out into the hall. Martin sees the boy and asks him to hide the button for him. Jane and martin go back to Plover study where Prudence serves them tea. Jane passes out, and Plover tells Martin to join him in his “work”. From his hidden place, Quentin sees as Plover starts taking photographs of Marin, ask him to take his clothes off, and its implied other things.
Eliot frees himself and wakes up Alice, they try to get answers from the girl, but she tells them that her stomach hurt and they watch her die. Prudence finds the boy spying over Plover and throws him against a wall. The wound kills the boy and she takes him down to the cellar and buries him there. Quentin tells Alice and Eliot what he saw and what Plover was doing to Martin, he comes to the conclusion that Plover is the Beast and that he might have found a way into Filory. Penny is able to transport himself out, and tells them where the cellar is. Quentin tricks Prudence which photographs that he found of Martin, making enough time to go back and dig up the body of the boy, and find the button.
After finished writing everything Kira asks Julia to do a final favor for her, to kill her. Julia tries to talk her out, but in the end she agrees, and Richard overdose Kira. Julia says goodbye one last time to Kira in her mind and the viewer sees how Kira’s mind starts to disappear.
Alice tries to talk them into helping the kids and free them, but Eliot yells at her and tells her that there is no way to help them, and they leave. Back in Brakebills, Alice is still shaken by what happened and Penny wants to see the button. Quentin tells him to be careful, to what Penny replies that he knows what he is doing and can control his powers. Penny opens the lid of the box, picks up the button, and despairs. Leaving the other not surprise and Quentin says, “told him not to do that”.
“I’m a super villain. Now talk” – Eliot
We have finally arrived to shocking and disturbing truth about the Fillory and Further series and its author. While fans of the book have already known this, to the new viewers of the tv show it must be shocking to learn the dark past of the Chatwin children. The truth of Martin being abuse and raped by Christopher Plover, was told early in the show that in the book, and even shown. I liked how the writers of the show created this episode to show this event, as in the book is only speculated and later mention, but never actually confirm by living Chatwin. We can see how Eliot is still trying to hold on regarding what happened with Mike as he snaps and yells at Alice. It seems that we will see the Netherlands in the upcoming episodes, as in the books the magic button takes them there first. We started to see Julia change and even come to peace about Brakebills and Quentin; while I still want to see her fight Marina, I cans see how her story is starting to get back in track to what happens in the books. Four more episodes of in the Magicians to go before the season ends. What did you think of the Writing Room, and the truth about Plover? Do you think he is the Beast? Tells us in the comments.
