Home Improvement

First Aired

March 13, 2019

SYFY's The Magicians
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Home Improvement is the eighth episode in the fourth season of The Magicians, and forty-seventh episode overall.

Synopsis[]

Penny licks an egg; Alice gets jealous of a flower.

Plot[]

At Brakebills, Alice and Dean Fogg negotiate with Zelda Schiff for a way to retrieve her daughter from the mirror realm. Alice demands that the Library return her friend Sheila and bury her book so that they can't find her again. Fogg demands and extra month's supply of magic every semester. Zelda reluctantly agrees and Fogg explains that there is a spell that will make an inanimate object a beacon for her daughter to find her.

Alice then visits her mother, who is not happy to see her. She says that she tried to get a Library card but was rejected because she is the mother of a criminal. Inside, Stephanie pours herself a glass of wine and says that the Library helped her repair the spells around the house in exchange for installing a meter that monitors how much magic is being used. She insists that it is worth it, since the Library saved magic. They try the beacon spell several times on a pair of mirrors but it doesn't work. Alice says its because she has to have an actual connection with her mother, which she doesn't. Stephanie keeps trying to get Alice to leave, finally saying that she has plans. A knock on the door announces Carol, who Alice previously electrocuted. Stephanie tells Alice to hide since there is a warrant out for her, but she refuses to leave without the beacon spell. Carol then comes in and explains that the Library doesn't like her much either because of her new business: marital aids. She pulls out a pair of male and female dolls and explains that when one touches any spot on the doll, their partner feels it even they are far away. There is another knock on the door and it is two men from the Library. Alice accuses her mother of calling them on her but she denies it. Alice activates her father's defensive spell which locks the Library men out and her, Stephanie, and Carol in.

One of the Library men is Gavin, the other is Muhammed. Muhammed asks if "she" knows that Stephanie called them. Gavin doesn't know or care and is ready to leave because he thought this was a simple mission, not a hostage situation. Muhammed says they can deploy the Screamers, and Gavin reluctantly agrees. Back inside, Alice confronts Stephanie says that she intended to turn in Carol, not her. Then voices start talking loudly in all of their heads. They manage to into a safe room and Stephanie defends herself, saying that Carol was selling voodoo dolls that could be used to hurt people. They decide to use them on Library men outside. Stephanie tearfully says that she would never turn Alice in. Alice is all she has. They do the beacon spell right then and it works. When Stephanie asks why it worked this time. Alice admits that the problem was with her, and that when she realized her mother was protecting by trying to kick her out her something changed. Carol uses the dolls to overwhelm Gavin and Muhammed, at first by causing them intense pleasure then intense pain. She escapes while they are incapacitated. Alice and Stephanie regard one another for a moment, then Alice leaves.

Back at Brakebills, Zelda thanks Alice and Fogg says they can enjoy the moment before something else bad happens, at which point Alice demands Sheila's release. Sheila enters wearing a Librarian suit and explains that she joined the Order voluntarily because its everything she ever wanted. Alice protests that they must have forced her and tells her that the Library is evil. Sheila says that she is happy and doing important work, and that Alice must let her go. Alice gives Zelda the beacon.

The Monster wakes up Quentin and describes the describes the pain he is in from drug and alcohol withdrawals. Quentin refuses to give him any more drugs and tells him he has a lead on Heka's stone organ. The Monster is irritated that Quentin was sleeping instead of helping him, but gives Quentin some time to follow the lead while he goes and delivers his wrath on "a man inside the television." Kady then walks up to Quentin, who explains that he is looking for an artifact that was lost on the black market several hundred years ago. Kady says she knows a guy, but that Julia won't like it.

Quentin, Julia, and Kady meet with Pete, who now goes by the name "Lovelady." Julia refuses to work with him because of their past and goes to get a drink. Pete shows them several options on his phone and they see a stone with immense power locked in it that no one has been able to crack open. They recognize the stone organ and Pete tells them that it is in a dragon's horde, that of a local water dragon. Pete tells them they must approach the dragon's herald to get an audience and impress them with a gift. While Quentin leaves to search for a gift, Pete tells Kady that he still owes her for saving his life and that he was a great lieutenant to Marina. He explains the Hedges are under attack by the Library due to the explosion in Modesto and the subsequent escalation.

Julia catches Penny 23 up on recent events, then he explains his journey through the timelines and tells Kady that he met the original Penny. He delivers Penny's message that he loves her but is not coming back. Kady angrily leaves.

Quentin and Julia approach the herald, who's name is Harold, on a dock. He demands an elixir that is worth more than both of them, says that it was stolen last week, and gives them a small tranquilizer dart that was used during the theft. Quentin recognizes the dart as being from Fillory and says they can get it. He then goes to the Physical Kids Cottage and Poppy answers the door. She says that she was waiting for him so they could reconnect but is also dripping sweat. Quentin says she is hiding something and knows it's something bad since she is a dragon obsessed crazy person who will do anything for her own gain. He shows her the dart. She opens the door fully to reveal she is very pregnant.

Later, Julia enters the Cottage to find Quentin, who seems surprised to see her, asking what she is doing there. She says that she has been looking for him because he was supposed to be back hours ago. He is holding a bowl of chili, which she thinks is odd. He leads her further into the cottage where Poppy is surrounded by heat lamps. Quentin puts his arm around Poppy, then says that he is going to be a dad. Kady and Penny arrive and find a dragon erotica book that Poppy wrote and published, which is very detailed. Penny then sees the elixir bottle in a trash can, which is now empty.

After looking through the dragon erotica book, they recognize the elixir as dragon semen. Poppy admits that she "turkey baistered herself" with the elixir. Dragons are universal sperm donors that make interesting hybrids. She angrily says that she is going not going to let anyone take her baby and that she will be "the world's first true mother of dragons." Julia explains that magical pregnancies can effect one's mind and the minds of those around them. After reading through the book more, they realize that anyone who touches Poppy's belly will become enthralled to protect the baby.

Upon further reading, Kady learns that a dragon takes 3 years to gestate, but Poppy only stole the elixir last week. She threatens Poppy and she admits that she is just normal human pregnant, and that she used it to fertilize a dragon egg. The fertilized egg was hidden behind the heat lamps. Quentin is angry and won't let them take "Falcor," a name Poppy says they are not using. Penny puts on oven mitts and grabs the egg, but is still enthralled by it and wants to lick it, which he does. He offers Julia a lick and she takes the egg, but it has no effect on her. Kady pulls a gun and threatens to shoot the egg, then her and Julia flee with it. They head to Harold's dock and Penny is restraining Harold while Quentin and Poppy block the way. They demand the egg back and a yelling match ensues, then the East River Dragon rises up from the water, annoyed at all of the noise. She recognizes the elixir in the egg and the dragon protests that she's only 12,422, too young to be a mother. She also asks how Julia can hold the egg like that. Poppy protests that she won it off the Seine River Dragon, and the East River Dragon asks if it is "Amalie's egg", then tells Julia to put the egg into a basket, which then lowers into the water.

Back at the penthouse, Penny and Julia discuss the egg's lack of effect on her over beers and a carton of eggs. She says that she feels alone because she's not the same as Quentin, or anyone. Penny says that Travelers aren't completely human either and that she is both alone, and she's not. He then complains about his "egg hangover." Poppy explains to Quentin that she never wanted to be a mother, but got distracted and forgot to have an abortion. Quentin massages his head with eggs. At first, she was going to give the child up because life as a field researcher isn't compatible with motherhood. However, after her experience with egg, she decides to raise the child. Quentin asks if he is the father and she says he is not, but says if he wants to be then he can be the godfather. She goes to make an omelet.

Harold delivers Heka's stone organ to Julia and delivers a message to her from the East River Dragon. The dragon hopes that Julia recovers her truth and not to accept her current circumstances. She advises Julia to make her current state temporary for the sake of all their kind and to seek "the Binder." Then he leaves despite Julia's continued questions.

In Fillory, Margo joins Fen on her journey to find the woman in green from her dreams. Fen implies that Margo is just avoiding Josh, but Margo gets angry at the implication that she has caught feelings for Josh. Fen agrees to let Margo join her as a sidekick. They find the woman's cottage and she takes off her mask and says she's a prophet. She refuses to help at first, but then has a "vision" in which Fen is celebrating after patching the cottage's roof, planting its garden, and repairing its stone path. They finish the stone path and the prophet insists they trim the garden, which Margo reluctantly leaves to do. Shortly after, Fen hears the prophet scream and runs around the house to see that Margo has encased the prophet in vines. Margo tells Fen that she is just using them to do her chores. Fen gets angry and demands to know why. The prophet explains that the real prophet appears in appears in people's dreams near her home, and that those people then seek her out. They trample her yard and eat her food, so she started making them do chores in exchange for fake prophecies. She explains that the real woman in green is the Napster, a questing creature, can only be caught in dreams. Fen recognizes it as the music service, and Margo says they "have to shut down the Napster."

In her dream state, Fen chases down the Napster and catches her in the throne room, which pulls back its hood to reveal a cat-like head. When it hisses at her to get her to wake up, Fen stays there and the Napster asks why she is still there. Fen explains that Margo gave her a potion called Ambien and that she may never wake up. She then demands her prophecy. The Napster warns that Fen won't like it and offers to give her someone else's. Fen considers asking for Margo's instead and the Napster asks if she values herself. Fen decides that she wants her destiny, so the Napster complies. The prophecy is that Fen will have to stand with the leaders of her world and dethrone Margo, even if it means drenching the crown in Margo's blood.