'The Magicians' Season 5 Episode 12: Promo celebrates last musical episode as show bids adieu in high note
We are finally there. The penultimate episode is also the series' final musical episode. What a week for such an episode to land, when we really need it. We do want to see Sean Maguire cut a rug even if it is in the guise of the one and only Sir Effingham.
Of course, typical to the show's style (and others like it, past and present) the need for the cast to sing and dance is explained by a mysterious spell that Josh Hoberman (Trevor Einhorn) so helpfully exposits: "Every time we have a feeling, we are all going to go full-on 'Glee'?"
Well, yes, it seems like they will be in this episode. Everyone from Margo, Eliot, Fen, Alice, Kady, Zelda and Marisa feature in the musical numbers. But guess who is missing from all these energetic dance sequences? Penny and Julia.
The last time we saw them, they were just coming to terms with Julia's accelerated pregnancy. This is when Penny realized that Julia was hiding her symptoms of having psychic episodes, hearing voices, that makes her look like she is going insane. Penny tells her that his mother was exactly like her before she had him, but the symptoms didn't stop even after she gave birth to him.
Penny's tragic back story is eclipsed by his concern that Julia would suffer the same fate as his mother ― insanity that could get you locked up in a mental asylum or get lobotomized like Hyman's mother.
In the promo photos for this episode, we see Julia speaking to Penny's mother Neela (Meera Simhan). Penny and Julia will also be doing all the research they can on Traveler baby pregnancies and lore. Pity that Dean Fogg isn't around to help. We can also expect some "The Couple" hijinks, now that they have all the necessary components for whatever spell they are trying to pull off.
According to the official synopsis for the episode, 'The Balls', "Margo sees a purse she hates. Alice writes a letter. We couldn’t get Prince."
The last line's "Prince" reference is obviously a nod to the musical song and dance routines — but why Prince in particular? Alice's letter is the other mystery. Who is she writing to? And finally, Margo hating on a purse could have something to do with the contents of the said purse.
The creators are obviously holding their cards very close to their chests to avoid spoilers for the "final episodes". But they are spoiling us in other ways. They posted an incredibly sweet and moving tribute to the fans who have followed the show for five years. The cast gets gushy and mushy and speaks of fan conventions, fan art and how moving it is for them to see fans tell them how the show has helped them tackle mental health issues, grief and depression.
It is nice that the show is going off on a high note, with fans still wanting more, rather than shows like 'Game of Thrones', for instance. Here's to the 12th episode, the "final musical episode" of the last and final season of 'The Magicians'.
The show will air on March 25, 2020 on Syfy at 10/9c.