Okay, first off, can I just say that I loved that title of this episode alone, before we even go any further? Because I did. I loved it. Don't know why, but I did.
Anyway, let's just break this down by character.
We'll start with Fen and Josh, for the simple fact that they weren't in this episode at all, which I thought was odd. Given how things ended between them and Margo at the end of the last episode, and the fact that they're in an occupied Fillory with the man who overthrew them three hundred years ago, that can't be the safest place for them.
Margo - she didn't really have a part to play in this episode, except to be snarky (a staple) and then the big reveal cliffhanger. Though I will say that seeing Margo duel weild axes against the takers was pretty awesome.
Side note: the other centurion (Sivart) she was paired with was hot. Plus I loved the joke about Foxes and how they lie. A+ commentary on our broken political system and the media that supports it
The Dark King - I'm using him as a focal point instead of Eliot, because the latter didn't really do anything this episode, except stand around and stair into a bowl to watch the Dark King propaganda machine. But the Dark King - Sebastian - he had a part to play this episode. And I'm not focusing on him just because he was a silver fox (not entirely, anyway), but because it's interesting to see a magician perform magic that our heroes don't or can't. I mean, let's be honest, they maybe relative children in the grand scheme of things, especially compared to the more experienced magicians we've met, but they've also achieved some big stuff. I'm insanely interested to see the how and why of his ability to take on the takers.
Also, I'm really intrigued by this whole thing with the fairies. Last we saw them, they were to be included on the advisory council to the monarch of Fillory, but now they're being hunted like animals? What happened in the last three hundred years? I mean, I think @highkingfen and I cracked the whole Fairy-Taker thing last week, but I want confirmation.
Alice - I'm disappointed they put her back in those shirts, especially after we finally got to see her in normal clothes for two episodes in a row, but I will say I was happy to see her and Julia hug. For too long Alice was sort of the odd man out in their group and I'll happy to see them finally pulling her onto the "inner circle". Her little sojourn to the Library was interesting, culminating in a totally random attack from the Visigoths, who I guess are still a thing, led by a guy with a thing for her (that I think is going to come back at some point in the future... maybe like the candy cottage witch). It was nice to see Zelda again, but I would like to know what she was up to. Didn't Phyllis say she had a nervous breakdown?
It was pretty badass of Zelda to burn the books to prevent the Visigoths from claiming them, especially when I thought Alice would have just used her Phosphoromancy to hide everything. I also really like the implications of the Library not being able to spy on people or know their entire life story. It actually lends the idea of free will some credence.
Also, while we're talking Librarians, where's my girl, Shiela? Huh?
Julia - I love you, but you're a dumbass. Have we learned absolutely nothing from dealing with gods? At all? Why would she think summoning one, especially by herself, would be a good idea? I mean, Ember's balls, Julia! Come on! You're supposed to be the smart one.
And while I did appreciate the irony of Julia having to make a life-or-death choice that would irrevocably change Penny for the rest of his life without his consent, I figured we would have moved past that. She was pissed when Penny made that decision for her, but sure... the narrative demands it because we can't figure out how to stop the Apocalypse by the fourth episode.
However, I will say that this should lead to an interesting arc for Penny. He can't be everyone's magical uber anymore, and he doesn't have his psychic abilities, so hopefully we'll get to see what kind of magician he is under it all. Though I have this sickening feeling in my gut that says that he's going to travel again, because of that line about it being "like flying a seven forty-seven blind". So help me, of they kill off Penny again, I'mma be pissed.
PS: I really wasn't feelin' that whole Plum reveal. Not only her waiting until after the eleventh hour when Penny's life hung in the balance, but because it felt like they waited until the last possible second for just the shock value. Here's hoping they do something big with her that makes waiting so long worth it.
And finally, Kady and Fogg - probably my favorite part of the episode, while simultaneously making me irrationally angry. I loved the Magicians Anonymous meeting, which I guess isn't for magicians who quit magic, but magicians who quit substance abuse. Good for them for getting help, though Fogg disguising himself as a low-rent Marina was a little much.
But, things turned really interesting when they took the acid and went on their little trip to find the Dude Emperor so they could discover what happened to the depository. Whoever wrote that sequence has clearly dropped acid before.
All that being said, I'm upset that they took a man who willingly made the choice to be sober and stuck him in a universe where he'll be forever high. That doesn't sit well with me. Hopefully that's not the last time we see Fogg.
Overall, I'd give this episode a six out of ten. It was okay, but not anything fantastic. There was a lot going on, but nothing really happened, if you know what I mean? It felt more like a filler episode than anything else, and given that we're operating on a season that need to wrap up their main plot in eight episodes now, I don't think we have time for fillers. At the end of it all, I was left with more questions than answers, when we still have other questions that need answers.
