The Magicians Wiki
Register
Advertisement


The Cock Barrens is the sixth episode in the second season of The Magicians, and nineteenth episode overall.

Synopsis[]

Quentin attends Alice's memorial while Eliot and Margo deal with a diplomatic negotiation that escalates to dangerous proportions. Julia discovers a surprising truth about the woman who banished Reynard forty years earlier.

Plot[]

Julia arrives at her doctor's office for her scheduled abortion, but the receptionist doesn't recognize her or see that she has an appointment. After some arguing, she lets Julia in and the doctor prepares to perform the procedure. However, the doctor cannot seem to complete her preparations and eventually stops and then stabs herself in the eye until she falls over dead. Julia screams for Kady who enters and Julia begs her to complete the procedure. Kady refuses, insisting that they dispose of the doctor's body. Kady and Julia search for more information on the woman who banished Reynard 40 years ago. Julia tracks her down to her home and Dana Wallens confronts her, asking why Julia is following her. Julia tells her that Reynard is back and that she is pregnant. At first Dana refuses to help, then invites Julia in once she realizes that Reynard raped Julia, just as he did to Dana before she banished him.

In Dana's house, she explains that the was a naïve 21-year old that attempted to summon Our Lady Underground, but Reynard came instead. She tells Julia that she cannot banish Reynard again, but Julia can. Dana leads Julia into her basement and then hits her on the head with a heavy object, knocking her out. When Julia awakes, she is bound on the basement floor and hooded, hulking figure sits in a kiddie pool of sand in the corner. Dana explains to her that the baby she carries is a demi-god and like a small nuclear reactor. The only way to banish Reynard is to harness the power of the baby during labor, just as she did, and tells Julia that she has to have the child.

In Fillory, Quentin attempts to summon Alice's niffin to no avail while Eliot and Margo watch nearby. The summoning doesn't appear to work. Quentin next attends a memorial for Alice that her parents are hosting at their home and he sees a form in the shadows that looks like Alice. He follows the figure through the house and runs into Alice's father, Daniel. They discuss the possibility of Alice being a ghost and how they can set her soul free. He walks Quentin through a ritual in a pyramid-like frame in his yard. Quentin attempts to convince Daniel to perform the ritual instead but he insists that Quentin perform it. After explaining that he does not believe Alice ever forgave him for her upbringing, he agrees to perform it himself. The ritual requires him to hang a mirror from top of the pyramid. Daniel climbs the ladder and hangs the mirror, but then falls off the ladder to the ground. Daniel is resting after his fall and Quentin tries to help him. He next runs into Alice's mother, Stephanie, who tells Quentin they are going to finish the ritual.

Back in Fillory, Quentin and Margo take their thrones and receive the emissary from Loria, a neighboring kingdom. The delegation introduces Prince Ess, the crown prince of Loria. He offers an alliance with Fillory by splitting the Wellspring between the two kingdoms and offers his hand to "The Virgin Queen Margo." Margo promptly refuses his offer and Ess steps aside. One of the Lorians steps forward and performs a spell that transports the entire castle to Loria. Margo enters her chambers to find Ess waiting for her. He explains that he spent time on Earth as an "exchange student" and that he has no interest in marrying a virgin, the offer is simply political. Margo protests that she is not a virgin and seduces him. Fen reveals to Quentin that she was a FU Fighter before marrying him and Quentin is understandably upset.

Penny is traveling to the castle with a map maker and, when he arrives, discovers that the castle is gone. Margo has a nightmare in which she shows up to a mid-term with only 10 minutes left to take it. She then looses her clothes. Penny visits Margo in her dream to find out where she is. All she knows is that they are in Loria and in a place surrounded by giant dick-like rocks. Penny leaves her, agreeing not to tell anyone about her nightmare because he rather he owe her.

Later, in Dana's basement, the hulking figure lunges at Julia but is restrained by a chain around its neck. It hands Julia a small bone and she thanks it, realizing it is trapped too. Dana enters and Julia asks if her child will be like the figure, but Dana laughs and says that it's not her child, it's a Haxenpaxen that she caught. It gives off so much magical interference that they are invisible while they are near it. She cleans out the litter in the Haxenpaxen's tub and tells Julia that her child is safe and will never know what he is or that she is his mother. She says he is a good, influential man.

Kady searches for Julia and makes her way to Dana's house. She breaks into the basement and tries to use battle magic, but Dana says Kady's magic is useless there. Kady knocks her out with a punch instead. Julia tells Kady they are bringing the Haxenpaxen with them. Dana wakes up some time later and panics when she sees the Haxenpaxen is gone. She raises wards throughout her home and locks the front door, but Reynard is already inside. He tells Dana that she has some apologizing to do as Dana is overcome with terror.

At the Quinn home, Stephanie looks into the hanging mirror and has to speak truth in order the put Alice's spirit to rest. At first she fails and the mirror begins to crack, then finally admits that she never understood Alice and never really tried to. She leaves the ritual and Alice's niffin appears. The niffin explains that Quentin's caco demon wasn't strong enough to kill her, so it stuffed her into the tattoo trap on Quentin's back.

Back in Loria, Margo and Quentin discuss the idea of marrying for politics. Penny realizes that the castle hasn't moved and that it's all a giant illusion, then teleports into where he thinks Margo and Eliot should be and tells them the truth. Margo and Eliot assemble their court and Margo announces that she will accept the proposal if she can have a tour of the Loria first. When Ess begins to backpeddle and insists on a wedding first, Margo reveals that she knows that the Lorians fucked with them and proceeds to threaten them. Eliot is supportive of her tirade right up until she declares war on Loria.

Cast[]

Main Cast:

Guest Stars:

Appearances[]

Locations[]

Events[]

  • Banishment of Reynard the Fox (mentioned)

Items[]

  • Niffin Reversal Spell (mentioned)
  • Magical Buttons
  • Dicranum Scoparium Majorus

Sentient Species[]

Creatures[]

Mentioned[]

References[]

Bee and Key Transparent
The Magicians Wiki has a collection of images and media related to The Cock Barrens.

External Links[]

Season Two
Knight of CrownsHotel Spa PotionsDivine EliminationThe Flying ForestCheat DayThe Cock BarrensPlan BWord as BondLesser EvilsThe Girl Who Told TimeThe RatteningRamificationsWe Have Brought You Little Cakes
Advertisement