Friday evening at 11PM on the Fan Tracks channel, Carol Malcolm, Margaret Parsons, Damien Allen, Father Bryan Small, Anna Puerta, and Kevin Batchelder got together to talk about the final season of The Magicians in “Saving the World One Last Time: A Magicians Fan Panel.”
The first question moderator Carol Malcolm asked the panel was who they felt had grown the most throughout the series. In general, everyone agreed that Fen had really shown the most improvement, going from a meek knife maker’s daughter married off to High King Eliot to the tough and capable leader of Fillory. Other characters the panel mentioned were Josh and his relationship with Margo; Margo and her growth from a selfish young woman to a capable queen; and Marina
Next, Malcolm wanted to know which character was the panelists’ favorite and if that changed throughout the series. Puerta mentioned Alice was her favorite at the beginning of the series and by the end his favorite was Penny; Parsons chose Kady; Allen said Margo and Eliot were his favorites; and Small said his favorite was Margo and Eliot in the beginning but by the end his favorite was Julia.
With the large cast of characters, Malcolm was interested to know if the panelists had a secondary or recurring character that they found interesting. Allen chose Zelda, the librarian because she always stood by her library; Small liked Tick, especially when he stopped brown-nosing; Puerta’s secondary character was Fogg and the story arc from when they went back to the 90s; Batchelder also chose Fogg; and Parsons character was Plover, who he said you could almost feel sorry for except he never shows any remorse.
Quentin may be gone, but he’s certainly not forgotten. Malcolm asked the panelists to share what they felt were the most poignant scenes about Quentin throughout the final season. Small recalled that Alice did not take Quentin’s death well at all. She tried bringing him back before finally learning to let go. Puerta felt that the relationship between Eliot and Quentin was so tragic especially since no one in the group understood that they had lead an entire life together. Batchelder said he enjoyed that he was able to grieve with each of the friends. Both Parsons and Allen chose the growing relationship between Alice and Eliot in the face of loss of a romantic partner.
In The Magicians, magic can almost be considered a living, breathing character. Malcolm asked the panelists to share their feelings about magic in this universe. Allen discussed the interesting connection between the traveler children and their parents. Small felt that magic could almost be considered a utility, especially when the library turns off the tap. Puerta found the Lunatics and their need to appease the moon fascinating. Batchelder mentioned that the longer he watched the show the less he cared about magic. He was more interested in seeing how the characters dealt with having it or not. Parsons recalled how she felt when she realized the magical creatures of Fillory actually embody the magic.
The Magicians made interesting combinations of the magical and mundane. For example, the bunnies that were messengers traveling between the worlds. Malcolm asked the panelists what combination they found the most interesting. Parsons chose the whales that drew sigils on the ocean floor to keep the earth safe. Allen liked how items were often hidden in plain sight. Small and Batchelder both agreed that the musical episodes each season were so well done and were amazed how they just seemed to fit. Puerta liked how time travel was incorporated into the story.
Wrapping up the panel, Malcolm asked each panelist if they were satisfied with how the series ended and what they would miss the most. Parsons said she was satisfied, pointing out that Fen is now a whole person in her own right, Margo and Eliot have grown up and are able to be on their own, and felt that it was left open for a potential movie. Though she was happy with how it ended, she said she would miss the grown-up relationships and possibilities. Allen was also satisfied and was happy with the relationships between Penny and Julia and Alice’s conversation with Santa. He agreed with Parsons that he would miss the relationships and the werewolves. Small said he felt it wrapped up as well as could be expected since there was supposed to be a sixth season and he would miss the banter between Eliot, Margo, and Josh. Puerta said she felt each character got their closure and it was done well with an open future for each character to move on to. She is going to miss the characters, the banter, and chemistry. Finally, Batchelder said he appreciated the emotional closure of the show and that he would miss the quality of entertainment the show provided.
