The Magicians - S1E5 - Mendings, Major and Minor

Previously on The Magicians, ‘The World in the Walls’

This week’s episode finally made me like Quentin. Just a little bit. At the end.

But first, he continued to be the worst by quizzing Fogg on what kind of punishment would be doled out for Julia. I thought he was asking out of concern, but really he’s just annoyed that Fogg is willing to let the whole thing slide. Fogg doesn’t police hedge witches and has no jurisdiction over them. Furthermore, he doubts any of them will be coming back to Brakebills.

Someone is coming back, though, and that’s Alice. Fogg convinces her to return for Alumni Week. Elliot and Margo immediately pounce upon her, hoping she’ll put in a good word with her visiting aunt as they each want her for a mentor. Despite their efforts, she declines them both.

Penny has much better luck with acquiring an alumni mentor, whether he wants one or not. Stanley is going to take Penny under his wing to help him control his very powerful Traveler magic. First up? Learn astral projection. Penny’s body will stay in one place while his mind and spirit travels. Traveling to Mt. Everest cost Stanley a leg so Penny quickly gets on board with the whole not having that shit happen to him. Still, astral projection isn’t entirely without danger. When Penny Travels to a voice calling for help, he finds himself in a dungeon and watching as The Beast questions a girl named Victoria, who is shackled to the wall. And The Beast totally sees Penny. Victoria is a member of the missing third-year class and has been presumed dead.

Images: Syfy

Julia is out of her damn mind. She sleeps with Pete in order to learn the location of other hedge witches. When she finds them, she’s dissatisfied with their magic. She demands better, but Pete tells her there aren’t any in NYC. He suggests they leave town in search of more powerful witches, but she shoots him down because she loves James, the man she’s been lying to and cheating on. However, if you’re feeling sorry for James, don’t. Marina casts a spell which makes it so that James doesn’t remember Julia. She rages at Peter, who says it was done to protect James and not because he’s petty and whipped.

I think both things can be true. Anyway, Julia stumbles into the street, lost in the sauce and caught up in the game.

Quentin learns his father has brain cancer and pays him a visit. His father tries to fix their broken relationship and reveals he knows Quentin checked himself into a mental hospital. Unable to accept that his magic can’t save his father, Quentin tries to extract cancer from Cancer Puppy. A 150-year-old, adorable, tiny puppy with cancer (and maybe some other diseases) who serves as Brakebills’ unofficial mascot. Quentin’s attempt kills the dog, because of course he killed Cancer Puppy.

Fogg explains that magic cannot and will not solve every problem. They learn to fix what they can and accept that which they can’t repair. MESSAGE! Quentin settles on fixing his relationship with his father and dazzles him with a bit of magic.

Kady convinces Penny to tell Alice and Quentin about his encounter with The Beast, and Quentin instantly recognizes a drawing Penny saw on the dungeon wall. Penny went to Fillory.