Before The Magicians returns tonight, let’s recap our favorite WTF moments from season 1.
Let’s face it. One of the elements we love most about The Magicians is the jaw dropping moments you don’t see coming.
In preparation for tonight’s season 2 premiere, we wanted to collect our top 10 WTF moments of The Magicians season 1.
Warning for both spoilers and graphic images below!
‘Are they?’ ‘Yup. Love wins.’
One of the very first “WTF did I really just see that” moments The Magicians made me experience was during this scene. For various reasons I don’t always agree with reviewers who keep comparing this show to alt-Harry Potter but if this moment didn’t make you think of an X-rated Monster Book of Monsters you’re kidding yourself.
‘Suck on some other knob.’
Not only was this visually a lot to take in, I was incredibly confused as to WHY Mike was going down on some doorknob like it was his last mission in life. Then of course Margo revealed her internal desire and it all made sense. Note to self: If you ever encounter a magical wish granting Djinn, make sure you remember they’re incredibly literal.
‘I really didn’t see this coming.’
Again, secret magic that requires nudity, intimacy, and bonding is often found on fanfic pages. So it wasn’t so much that that had me a little WTF. It was the result of the magic that had me scratching my head. I mean, having your entire class transform into geese so you could go on an international field trip by flying there? Only on The Magicians…
*Sad bunny noises*
This is what happens when you have dark forces bearing down on your life. You become possessed, strangle innocent little bunnies, rip their heads off with your bare hands, and then yank out magical daggers from their innards. Most twisted take on the sorting hat delivering the sword of Gryffindor ever, right?
‘Why do y’all look like you did crime last night?’
Looking back we probably should have seen this one coming. I mean, Eliot and Margo were always incredibly upfront about their intentions with Quinton. But at the beginning it just seemed like a case of upperclassmen toying with their inferior. It didn’t seem like something The Magicians was actually going to deliver on. Welp. Jokes on us. Get it you three!
‘With fur…’ ‘It’s nice.’
This is another truly ‘WTF is happening’ moment from the show. Transforming into an animal and then engaging in sexual activity is a trope often reserved for fan fiction. But as we have learned, The Magicians don’t give a shit and boy do we love them for it.
‘Give me a smile.’
I haven’t read Lev Grossman’s books yet but I’m assuming this element is also in the books. Although the fantasy genre can inspire thoughtful and progressive movements from its seeds, it often relies on metaphor, suggestion, and implication to draw any real world parallels. That’s not the case with The Magicians. They outright tell you who their characters are and look directly into the darkness that lives inside them. It’s that honesty that has us yelling WTF.
‘Yeah! I brought a gun! Thanks Margo!’
We all know the unwritten rule. No modern solutions to magical problems in fantasy worlds. You can’t take out your foes with an AK-47 in Narnia. The genre police wouldn’t allow it. So when Margo suggests shooting the Beast, we don’t think she’ll actually be packing heat in the Neitherlands! I mean, WTF?
‘Pretend it’s prom night and you just want to shut him up.’
There’s no reason to kink shame on anyone for enjoying the rather, unusual, aspects of intercourse. But listen. Listen… Alice had to chug a magical creatures semen in order to get her mystical mojo flowing. I honestly don’t know how a show could get more WTF than that. Sorry guys, but this is the sort of thing that’s reserved for Archive of Our Own pages not for shows on Syfy. I can’t be the only one still in shock over this.
‘Oh for the love of christ children.’
A lot happened during the final few moments of The Magicians last year. Including the fact that Penny had his hands chopped off. Yup, that’s a thing that happened… While watching it actually took me a second to register what had happened. That’s how WTF it was. And from what we can tell from the promos and clips released so far, his hands aren’t just going to be instantly reattached. It seems as though this is going to have some lasting effects on what Penny is capable of doing this year.
I don’t know about you guys, but I’m incredibly excited to see where things go from here. It’s going to hard to top some of these WTF moments in season 2. Though, if anyone can do it, The Magicians can.
The Magicians season 2 premieres tonight, January 25 at 9 p.m. on Syfy.