Hocus pocus: meet The Magicians

They weren’t kidding when they said that TV is where the magic happens – literally in fantasy series The Magicians (2015-current; Seasons 1-4 can be streamed only on Showmax). And in the third instalment, our hero Quentin Coldwater (Jason Ralph) finds himself in a quandary – magic has vanished from the realms of Earth and Fillory, the magical kingdom that Quentin’s favourite childhood stories were based on. We’re talking, poof! Gone in a cloud of smoke! Nowhere to be found! And not being pulled out from behind someone’s ear like a magical coin!

“Well so far he hasn’t messed up too big,” laughs Jason. “Season 2 ended with the main characters losing their powers and that was very strange because it threw them into a tailspin and Quentin basically has to figure out how to get everything right again without messing things up.” But rather than try pull a rabbit from the hat and end up turning his friends into white doves, Quentin has another trick up his sleeve: he’s part of a magical team put together by King Eliot (Hale Appleman) who’ll use their knowledge, spells and anything they can get their hands on to restore magic. And like any other team, each member has their own skillset. So who’s helping Quentin and what are they bringing to the magic act?

Alice aka The Torture Artist (played by Olivia Dudley)

Magic comes naturally to Alice Quinn, who’s been close to Quentin since Season 1 when they met at Brakebills College of Magic. She’s probably the most intelligent of the team and makes sure to hold back when wielding her wand. She can do anything and everything from bringing objects to life through animation spells, to simple war incantations that let her defeat enemies and defend her friends. Being super-smart also means that she can pick up on new spells quickly and also adapt magical incantations to suit her current situation. The fact that she’s also skilled in Niffin Magic means that she can throw around spells with ease that would drain her teammates.

Julia aka The God-Touched (Stella Maeve)

Quentin’s childhood bestie has seen the dark side of the magical world after she rebelled when she wasn’t accepted by Brakebills. She also got pregnant by an actual magical god but that ended in tears when she aborted the baby and had her magical shade (part of her soul that controls emotions) severed. Having been touched by a god has left her yoyo-ing up and down, controlling her magic and then being unable to rein it in. The difference between Julia and the others is that her training is all informal, so she’s a little rough around the edges and sometimes that helps… like when you need a little more oompf to a spell than the usual words will conjure up. She’s also skilled in Fairy Magic, which helps her locate items or people, as well as God Magic – she’s more powerful than most Master Magicians at Brakebills and she doesn’t even need to wave her hands to cast spells.

Kady aka The Warrior (Jade Tailor)

The born witch was sold as a slave and has known a lifetime of serving her masters. Her cold-hearted nature comes from being betrayed time and again, giving her an edge over her teammates who may think twice about using a destruction spell on enemies. If you cross Kady, you’re dying – no questions asked. She’s almost as skilled as Alice with natural magic, but Kady is a lot fiercer with her other powers. She’s a telekinetic and can move anything she puts her mind to moving, regardless of size or weight. Plus, Kady has studied the art of Battle Magic for over a decade and knows how to launch assaults in the blink of an eye, taking enemies by surprise.

Margo aka The One-Eyed Conqueror (Summer Bishil)

Wild-child Margo looks like a princess but behaves like a pirate, always up for a pint of ale and a good ol’ fight. She is versed in multiple magical fields rather than specialising and that gives her the ability to strengthen others’ spells and make them her own. Like Kady, Margo is a telekinetic and skilled Battle Magician, and she also has the gift of Fairy Sight… which is where she gets the “one-eyed” part of her nickname. And that’s not all, Margo is also a natural leader and trained tactician who can spot enemy strengths and weaknesses before battles kick off.

Penny aka The Traveler (Arjun Gupta)

“Plain” magician Penny doesn’t really wave a wand around and cast spells. His powers are all in his mind, literally. He’s a skilled psychic who can hear the thoughts of anyone close by. He has Battle Magic talents to help with fighting, but his real skills come with Dream Manipulation and Traveling. Dream Manipulation allows him to communicate and interact with people in their dreams or even if they’re awake, although that’s a little trickier and he projects himself into their minds rather than controlling them. As for Traveling, Penny can go anywhere he wants in the blink of an eye through portals that Traveler Magicians can control.

And Quentin aka The Fool

Last but not least, Quentin. While he enjoys a good joke, he’s actually an incredibly serious magician and has the potential to be one of the greatest Master Magicians in history. He has control over telekinesis and mind control, as well as Battle Magic. He’s incredibly intelligent and that makes him a powerful Journeyman Magician – a conjurer who knows a little about a lot of spells and magical powers, which means he can fill in gaps where the rest of the team fall short. He may come across as the fool, but Quentin might just be the most powerful of them all.

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