Niffin Alice: “Oh my God yes. You say yes.”
If this were an episode of Friends it would probably be called “The One Where They Rob a Bank.” It works not just because fictional bank heists are always a lot of fun, but also because it unifies the entire cast. The first half of the episode gives each character the motivation to rob a bank; the second half shows them robbing it.
Kady comes up with the idea in order to pay for Julia’s ridiculously expensive demi-god abortion. She tells Penny that she needs to help her out because she “owes her” after Julia saved her life. Quentin gets involved because he told Julia back in season one that he would help her with Reynard. Margo and Eliot are given increased incentive when they learn that Fillory is broke thanks to the soiled well-spring and the steep cost of war. And Penny helps because he’s always wanted to rob a bank.
The actual bank heist is a ton of fun to watch. Complete with disco-balls that force people to dance (truly a “weapon of peace”), magical, yet faulty gravity belts, and fingers cloned by sticking your finger in someone’s … mouth. What made the heist even more exciting, though, was that it gave each character a chance to shine. We learn that Margo has a history of robbing banks (which somehow makes perfect sense) making her the brains of the operation, Penny teleports into the vault to collect the gold, and even sidelined Julia helps save the day with her “quarterback” spell. It was fun to see each character work together toward a common goal, even if there is still a lot of friction between them.
Despite the thrill of the heist, the episode ends with an air of tension as we find out that, though the demi-god abortion worked, there was some terrible cost. Here’s to hoping the entire main cast works together to mend it.
Bits and Pieces
-- RIP Haxenpaxen. He gave his life for Julia.
-- Fillory has (or had) nugget beatles that shit precious stones.
-- Quentin makes a deal with Niffin Alice to allow her thirty minutes of free time a day for helping them out with the heist. It is a bit annoying that Quentin hasn’t told anyone else that Niffin Alice is … inside him? Maybe they could have worked together on de-niffifying her. There’s a frustrating communication issue that’s done often on television in order to move the plot. But, Quentin doesn’t always make rational decisions, especially when he’s emotional, and he’s probably afraid they would make him box her.
-- Julia isn’t the only character left in a precarious state. Clay Eliot was stung by a battle magician, which seems to have harmed real Eliot in Fillory. This is why you should always read the terms and conditions before making a clay clone of your very own.
Margo: “Gonna invent the Guillotine in a hot second if they don’t get their shit together.”
Niffin Alice: “Raise your hand if she’s the reason that you fucking exploded in this life.”
Margo: “PS, we still hate you. But it’s the 21st century, shouldn’t be this hard for a girl to get an evil demi-god abortion.”
Eliot: “And we’re emotionally advanced. We can hold resentment and sympathy for a person at the same time.”
Penny: “Tell ‘em I’m fine. It’s just, I’m running out of air.”
Eliot: “Wait to mix the message.”
Three and a half out of four magical wrecking balls.
This episode is a gem. (I'm in the middle of rewatch in preparation for season four, and just saw it last night.) The entire thing is just so much fun -- Margo calling the shots, Penny levitating, the time resets. That dance ball thing was quite possibly the funniest thing they've ever done on this show, which is saying a lot.
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