The Magicians Review: Cello Squirrel Daffodil (Season 5 Episode 9)

After the attempted murder on Sebastian, Margo and Fen escape back to earth alone, with Josh, Julia, and Eliot stuck in Fillory. Meanwhile, Alice and Kady work together to figure out how to fix magic, and Penny gets stuck in the past with Plum on The Magicians Season 5 Episode 9, “Cello Squirrel Daffodil.”

One thing that always makes me fall in love with The Magicians more and more is the fact that their storylines almost always finish coherently, or they find a way to weave them in at later times, hence Plum and Rupert, Sebastian’s real identity.

Whether it’s coincidence or not, I personally think that Rupert, Plum, and Plover all being in the same episode has to lead to something more significant in the last part of the series. I don’t particularly appreciate having to look at Plover’s face, especially after thinking he was gone for good, but at least one good thing comes from his appearance.

Without Plover, Sebastian’s identity would still be a mystery, along with his intentions and how he came to be the ruler of Fillory. Speaking again on how I love that The Magicians always has a way of bringing things back; on The Magicians Season 3 Episode 4, it’s explained that Rupert Chatwin was in love with his best friend, but his father murdered him at Brakebills.

At the time, nobody thought much about the story of Rupert and his true love because Rupert’s existence was unknown. At one point, we’ve even seen Rupert Chatwin’s headstone, so thinking that anything of the sort would be relevant was out the window. But now, it’s the only thing that matters because it’s what drives Sebastian to do what he does.

After wondering why Sebastian’s always moping around like he doesn’t enjoy being king, it all makes sense now. He never wanted to be the ruler of Fillory; all he wanted was to stop his brother from continuing his malicious actions. Because of his decision, he was put to sleep for hundreds of years and only awakened after the magical surges began to affect Fillory.

Now, he’ll do anything to bring the love of his life, Lance, back to life, and it looks like if he has to possess Eliot to do it, he will.

Now that we, sadly, know this season will be the final season of The Magicians and will result in a series finale, all I want is to see Eliot happy. I don’t care how it has to happen, but if he doesn’t end this series with a genuinely happy smile on his face, I’m going to riot. Eliot continues to be put through hell time and time again, and now he’s being possessed by the dead boyfriend of the current guy he likes. Can he not get a break?

Sebastian tells Lance to “wait by the door,” but what does that mean? I think that it’s another form of being trapped, just like Charlton was until Eliot opened the door for him and let him out. I believe that once Lance passes through whatever door he’s by, he’ll be allowed to control whoever’s body, and Eliot is the prime host already buttered up and ready to go.

Back to the Chatwin’s; Like Jane, Plum’s powers give her a natural ability to mess with time, and I think that this skill could become crucial in helping get rid of Sebastian once and for all, and making her the key to everything.

If she can master her skills to a certain degree, she could use them to travel back in time a day or so in case the plan to get rid of Sebastian backfires. Everyone could die by his hands, but if Plum can find a way to travel back and warn them, they could avoid losing anyone else.

After all, Plover says that the only way to get rid of Sebastian is to destroy Fillory, so why not have a few chances at getting it right?

It’s a known fact that The Couple is now hunting Alice, but his/their appearance already seems a bit much as there’s been absolutely no buildup to the arrival. Granted, he/they make a grand entrance and makes it known that they aren’t here to play games, but I wish we could’ve had more suspense before they came to ravage Alice’s world.

I supposed if we were getting a season six, that would make sense, but with the series finale coming up soon, I assume the storylines had to be a bit rushed, so they finished in time. We may not know what the couple wants, but one thing for sure, I’m okay with whatever happens because George being played by Geoffrey Arend is a godsend. I loved Geoffrey in Madam Secretary, and even if he kills off some characters, I’ll love watching him on here as well.

Even though Margo does nothing besides give off comedic value and take control of Plover, I still think she’s my favorite thing in the entire episode. From her hilarious “Shut the fuck up, Fen” in the first two minutes to her “not exactly kid-appropriate” in the very end as she re-fucks Plover’s entire life with the tongue twister bugs. Her comebacks are always on point and add a special touch to each episode. They wouldn’t be the same without her anecdotes.

At this point, everything is jumbled together story-wise, and it’s hard to put two and two together when the storylines are everywhere, but I know that in the end, it will all play out nicely. At least I hope that it does.

What did you think of this episode of The Magicians? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Magicians airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on Syfy.

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