Syfy's The Magicians has quickly grown to be my new favorite show on TV right now. This show is surreal, dark and truly fascinating; the magic portrayed in the show is quite unlike most depictions on TV right now.
The Magicians tells the story of Quentin Coldwater and his childhood friend Julia Wicker as they are abruptly thrown in to a complex and increasingly dangerous world of magic. They are given a test at Brakebills University, where their latent magic ability is measured and it is determined whether or not they are allowed to stay. Quentin proves that his magical ability is indeed worth keeping around at Brakebills, however, Julia is thrown out, being told that her magical aptitude is simply not great enough. Both charcaters develop a rather unhealthy dependence on magic- Quentin's depression is curbed by the introduction of magic in to his life and he will do anything to stay in the University, while Julia somehow saves herself from getting her mind wiped when she is kicked out and studies with rogue magicians to gain the power she lost. The two navigate a dangerous world, attempting to learn everything they can about magic, while also trying to stop a murderous creature called The Beast.
What mesmerizes me about this show is its dark, twisted world of magic. Early on, a character named Elliot explains that magical proficiency is borne from pain and sadness and, consequently, there is no shortage of pain that these characters face. One character learns that he has the ability to travel anywhere he wishes on a whim, however, if he cannot learn to control himself, he could wind up teleporting himself inside an active volcano or inside a wall. Another character discovered his magic ability at a young age when his desire to see his bully dead summoned up his latent telekinetic powers and threw a bus, murdering someone. These characters exist in a twisted world and can only depend on one another for sanity.
Once harnessed, however, magic is incredibly powerful. Weaving beautiful hand signs similar to "tutting," (a form of dance you should definitely Google), the magic in this world is difficult to master, but can produce great effect. It is explained that there are a vast number of categories of magician: physical, natural, psychic, healers, illusions and many other subcategories that make each magician unique. Season 1 of this show depicts the grueling trials that the new mages must go through in order to harness their magic. Brakebills appears to be an authority in a seemingly lawless realm of magic, where magicians exist across the globe, practicing magic as they see fit. It is Brakebill's University's mission to send only the best mages out in to the world in order to practice magic. Students are cut and memories are erased all the time throughout the show and Quentin must struggle to keep up in order to keep studying magic.
This show is dark and twisted and will keep you enthralled with plenty of surprises and complex villains. Season 1 is available right now on Netflix, while Season 2 just premiered on SyFy last Thursday. So, if you haven't seen it yet, go watch Season 1 and be prepared to watch Season 2 as it unfolds on the SyFy channel.
