Do Something Crazy

First Aired

January 15, 2020

SYFY's The Magicians
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No Better to Be Safe Than Sorry	The Wrath of the Time Bees

"No one gets to tell you how to grieve, Alice. You're on this journey by yourself. Only you know where it's gonna take you. If you need to do something crazy to get through it, do something crazy, okay?"

―Stephanie Quinn to Alice Quinn^[src]

Do Something Crazy is the first episode of the fifth season of The Magicians and the fifty-third episode overall.

Synopsis[]

Penny and Julia go stargazing. Eliot and Margo forget a sandwich.

Plot[]

It has been a month since Quentin died. Julia is getting dressed and remembering her time with Quentin. Penny 23 arrives and says that she looks great. She says that she is overdressed, as Penny is wearing casual clothes and she is in a nice dress. He says that he told her to dress appropriately, not dress up, and gives her his coat. He then travels with her to the other side of the planet. A meteor shower is happening overhead and he says that a friend of his is an artist, but hasn't had access to enough magic to work with meteors until the Library fell. The meteors begin to spin and fly around in different patterns and colors. They are captivated and kiss. Penny says that there are many ways to use magic to make the world better. She becomes irritated with him and says that she has to keep working, when a surge of magic happens, causing the meteors to go wild and one speeds toward them. Penny travels them away. Back in New York, she says that she has to keep trying to use her power to fix the magic surges.

Dean Fogg approaches them and says he is there for Penny. He takes him to Brakebills which is now filled with students. Fogg says that when Everett consumed the magic in the Reservoir and then exploded, all of the magic had to go somewhere. It went into hundreds of new magic users, causing Brakebills to be overrun with new students. He says that more people have been able to pass their entrance exam than they can handle. In addition, there has been a rise in some of the more rare disciplines, such as travelers. He needs Penny to teach them. Penny refuses at first, saying that if something happened to one of them it would be his fault. Fogg hands him a document that he says indemnifies him against any claims against him. He tells Penny that he is the only Brakebills-trained traveler on the planet and that without his help, at least one of them will die. Penny reluctantly agrees.

Penny gives an introduction to his class and warns them of the dangers of traveling. He tells them that being a traveler is a curse. One of the students asks if he is actually going to teach them something. He tells the student to get an anti-traveling tattoo and go enjoy his life, then angrily says that class is over and travels away. Fogg confronts him at Julia's apartment and says that they need to talk. He says he would normally say something charming to get his point across, but since he stopped drinking he is a bit raw. Fogg tells him that he signed a contract. Fogg lied when he said it was an indemnity agreement and if Penny doesn't do his job Fogg will sue him into oblivion. He tells him he will see him at school and leaves.

In Fillory, Eliot and Margo lament over their failed attempts to sneak into Castle Whitespire over glasses of champagne in the Queenswood. The Dark King seems to run a very tight government, with patrols at night and heavy security in the Castle. Margo says that have to keep trying so they can figure out why the 300-year time jump occurred and what happened to Josh and Fen. Eliot is unconcerned and lackadaisical . A crowd passes them by and a cheery, slightly drunk young lady named Pree approaches them and wishes them a happy Great Unshackling. She guesses they are dressed as High King Quentin and High King Margo, then says she is dressed as Acting High King Fen. she invites them to come with them to the celebration in the Castle and they follow her.

In the Castle, Fillorians put on a play narrated by a man dressed as Ember. Eliot and Margo watch as the children of Earth are depicted as lazy and incompetent. The play ends with the arrival of the Takers, who terrorized Fillory. Fen and Josh fail to stop the Takers, so the Dark King arrives and drives them off. Fen and Josh are executed and the Fillorians live happily ever after.

Margo leaves the play, upset, and Eliot follows her. He asks her to calm down and she says that she is not running away, she is going to find the Clock Dwarf who tends to the clockwork heart at the center of Fillory. She plans to turn back time 300 years and undo the situation. Eliot does not know about any of this because he still hasn't read the Fillory and Further books, which she berates him for. She knows where the entrance is because it's described in one of them. She blows open a hole in a wall with magic, revealing a circular stone slide all the way down to center of Fillory. They take the slide down.

At the bottom, the Clock Dwarf greets them and asks if they have brought him a ham sandwich, which they have not. Margo asks him about the 300 year time jump and he says it was because there was a surge in magic that caused Fillory to speed ahead of Earth. He was able to stop it but not before 300 years had passed. Margo asks him to turn the clock backward, but he says the gears are only made to move in one direction. If he turned them backward it would destroy Fillory. They leave and Quentin says they should just accept their circumstances. Margo confronts him about being in denial over being used by Nameless and Quentin's death. He admits that he is in pain but doesn't want to talk about it. Margo says he should be furious but he says he doesn't want to burden her with his feelings. She storms off in anger and sits by herself in the Castle. A passing guard sees her banishment marks and knocks her out.

In a jail cell, it is night time and Margo screams for help. No one answers and lightening flashes. A ghostly version of Josh appears and laments that he is going to die. He wishes Margo was there. When Margo reaches out to touch him, only the blanket he is wrapped in remains.

Alice wakes up in her bedroom at the Quinn Residence. Her mother enters her room and tells her that she got another letter from the Library. She also tells Alice to get up because she needs her help. She is explaining that her orchids are growing too fast because there is too much magic when there is a knock on the door - It's Julia. She asks to speak with Alice. They discuss performing a séance to contact Quentin but Alice advises against it, saying it is wild magic. Alice says that she misses Quentin as well. Julia gives Alice Quentin's copy of The World in the Walls, which has Quentin's notes in it.

Alice sits alone in her room and reads Quentin's copy of The World in the Walls. She then meets with Phyllis. Phyllis thanks her for accepting her request and says that she just needs a phosphoromancer for an afternoon. She is not asking Alice to join the Library. The Library is a mess. Books are everywhere, Zelda is missing, they have lost touch with many branches, and no one wants to lead. Phyllis shows Alice a Library Branch Index, which shows the location of every volume and how to access it. However, it's blank and the phosphoromancer who made it that way is dead. Phyllis needs Alice to unlock it. Alice says she is going to need a drink, and Phyllis agrees she could use one too. Later, Phyllis talks to Alice while Alice tries to unlock the book. When she gets up to pee, Alice sneaks out and locates a book on one of the shelves. She takes it and puts it in her bag.

At the Penthouse, Pete tells Kady that they have a visitor. Lee tells Kady that a friend was trying to remove his Reed's Mark when they blew his arm off. Lee his holding his arm. Kady performs a spell to reattach it that makes him vomit. Kady notes that the Library promised to remove everyone's Reeds' Marks but has not done so. Pete says the Library is falling apart, so Kady suggests they find a way to remove the marks themselves. Pete takes her to Gavin, who is drinking in a club. He says that the Library's Medical Manual should have the ritual that they are looking for. When Kady is skeptical because Gavin works for the Library, he says that his contract is no good now that the place has collapsed. He is a free agent and works for cash. He tells them where to find a medical manual and many other valuable items. When Kady asks why he hasn't taken them, he says that if he could figure out how to rob that place without getting decapitated, he would have already done so.

Kady and Pete look at a city block that appears to be missing a building. He holds up a photo that shows the building where it used to be and wonders if it is some kind of optical spell. They ask a man who works in park if there used to be a building there and he says he has worked in the park for 8 years and there has never been one there. Kady says that she can see the residue from the wards on the building. She suspects that someone stole it and mind-wiped everyone in the area. Pete wonders at the skill level that would take and Kady concludes that they have some competition.

Julia enters her kitchen and startles Sir Effingham, who is going through her refrigerator. She cognizes him as a questing creature from Fillory. He says he is there to deliver a quest and Julia is happy. She has been looking for some direction and something to do with her magic and this seems perfect. However, the quest is not for her: he is looking for Quentin. Julia is stunned and Sir Effingham asks if her corset is too tight. She tells him Quentin is dead and Sir Effingham begins to cry. He frets that the quest he has is apocalyptic in nature and asks if Julia will pour him some medicinal cocaine. Julia offers to help with the quest and he laughs, then realizes she is serious. He scoffs, saying that it would be too difficult for "someone like her" to handle. Julia points out that she has saved the world before and was once a goddess. He says that he needs a man to perform the quest and Julia becomes even more angry. Sir Effingham offers her some advice on treating her hysteria then leaves.

Penny reacts to Julia's encounter and is incredulous. He wonders how the Universe could have messed up so badly by not knowing Quentin was dead. Penny says that they should go find Sir Effingham and Julia asks what Penny would say to him. Julia says that she would say to him that she is not going to wait to be chosen and made a hero. She is going to chose her own path and save the world.

Penny returns to his class and takes a different approach. He tells them that there good parts about being a traveler and offers to show them. They join hands and he travels them to another planet with two large planets in the sky. He tells them to think about what they want to be and lets them enjoy the beautiful environment. One of the students, Merritt, approaches him and says she is hearing a signal and doesn't know what it is. He offers to take a look at her mind and lowers his psychic wards. A high pitched sound overwhelms him and he cannot raise his wards back up. He then vanishes briefly and reappears, saying that he had no control for a moment.

Back at the Quinn Residence, Alice is smoking a cigarette. When Stephanie asks her why she is smoking, she says Quentin did it sometimes to feel better. Stephanie asks for a cigarette and they smoke together. She tells Alice that no one gets to tell her how to grieve and that she did some insane things when Daniel Quinn died. She tells her that she is on her own journey and that if she needs todo something crazy to get through it, then do something crazy. Alice goes downstairs to the basement and stands over a clay golem in the middle of a circle. She lights candles and begins to perform magic.