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For the book of the same name, see The Flying Forest.

"I am ill-equipped to be a king."
"I am no better equipped to teach one. Being an adult is recognizing your responsibilities. A bunch of my students went and conquered another world."
"They more, like, gave it to us."
Eliot Waugh and Henry Fogg[src]

The Flying Forest is the fourth episode in the second season of The Magicians, and seventeenth episode overall.

Synopsis[]

Quentin and Penny embark upon a quest. Margo works on a way to help Eliot. Julia seeks out an old friend's help.

Plot[]

Sloppy plotting
"That's just sloppy plotting."
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Quentin had been badly hurt by The Beast, and was treated by a centaur physician, at a healing place in the forest. He's been healing for weeks.

Penny was sent there too, in hopes of getting his hands fixed. The physician won't deal with Penny's hands, as they were cursed by the River Watcher, and his curse could spread. The hands are not just not working, they are aggressively trying to kill Penny. It gets so bad, Penny gets Quentin to cut his hands off again.

As physical therapy, Quentin practices archery; Penny gives him a spell from a class Quentin missed that makes arrows always hit.

Quentin gets a glimpse of the White Lady, a character in the books, one of the Seven Questing Creatures, who must grant any wishes if they are caught. Quentin suggests they hunt her, then ask for Penny's hands, and for Alice. They search the forest and find her, Quentin shoots her with an arrow so she is considered caught, and she agrees to grant their wishes.

Quentin asks for Alice to be brought back, and the White Lady says there's nobody to bring back, she's gone. Penny asks for his hands back, and they grow back. Quentin asks for happiness, and the White Lady offers to remove Quentin's memories of Alice; he rejects this, and asks just to be sent home. She sends him to New York.

Eliot and Margo are getting into ruling Fillory. Tick Pickwick and Fen explain to them that the killing of the Beast left a power vacuum, he had been a strong influence, and without it there are stirrings of rebellion throughout the country, little paying of taxes. (That there's a King and a Queen is all very nice, but Fillorians have always known Kings and Queens arrive, take over, then run away, or go mad, or die, or something; there is no tradition of stable rule.) The Wellspring is still fouled, they are cleaning and filtering it but it isn't recovering, and that has effects through the country.

Eliot wants a statue and a memorial for Alice, but Margo is initially not for such a thing, as Alice was never actually their friend, only Quentin's friend. (By the end of the episode she is more accepting of it.) Margo wants them to get into ruling, but Eliot is not thrilled. Margo pops back to Earth and gets the information and supplies to make a golem; she and Eliot make a golem of Eliot, and transfer Eliot's mind to it, hoping the golem can go to Earth and deal with responsibilities there.

Dean Fogg is not yet able to do magic with his hands. Professor Lipson says it's not his hands, it's magic in general that's not working, she's had a few "brownouts" herself.

At the Physical Kids Cottage, there is clearly a new class of students, who barely know our heroes. Margo and the golem of Eliot walk in on a wild party, and Todd seems to be the king of parties now, like Eliot used to be.

Golem Eliot is incensed at this, he wants to out-king Todd. He runs into Javier, a visiting student here for Welters, and they end up in bed together. As they have sex, the real Eliot in Fillory gets mental crossover from the golem, greatly confusing his bedtime interaction with Fen.

Golem Eliot meets with Dean Fogg and explains about how Fillory is real, its Wellspring matters to Earth, and how Ember fouled the Wellspring. He also complains that the split between the real Eliot and the golem Eliot isn't working as well. Dean Fogg says he'll need to pick one life to live. Eliot says he's not well equipped to be a King, but Dean Fogg says he's an adult and has to take on adult responsibilities.

Julia finds Kady in a dusty hideout, with needle marks on her arms; Kady has escaped into hard drugs. Kady cleans up, and can function with methadone.

Julia had left Marina's body freeze-dried just in case they needed it. It had had a message burned or cut in her arm, likely by Marina before she died. Kady recognizes the message as a Brakebills library book locator number.

Kady can't go to Brakebills, she's been expelled so the wards will specifically exclude her. Julia goes to the library, having first done a spell with Kady to allow Kady to see through Julia's eyes. Kady guides Julia to the right room and the book; they realize it has a magical anti-theft device on it, it can't be removed from campus.

Julia hides out in the Physical Kids Cottage and starts copying it. Margo (there with Golem Eliot) finds her, and offers her a magic box that copies books. Julia copies the book.

Back in New York, Julia and Kady examine the book, it is a temporary necromancy spell, that could resurrect Marina for just a few minutes. They do it with Marina's body, and Marina "lives" long enough to say that forty years ago there was a girl who banished Reynard from Earth. The summoning Julia did let him back onto Earth again, but he could be banished again.

Cast[]

Main Cast:

Guest Stars:

Appearances[]

Locations[]

Events[]

  • Duel at the Wellspring (mentioned)
  • Assassination of Free Trader Beowulf (mentioned)

Items[]

Organizations[]

Sentient Species[]

Mentioned[]

References[]

Bee and Key Transparent
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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
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