While The Magicians The television series took some liberties with the books, but one major change in character dynamics was much better than in the books. The Magicians was loved by audiences, even those who hadn’t read the books, and it devastated fans when the series was canceled after five seasons. On the one hand, The Magicians to just under five seasons ensured that the story remained exciting and captivating until the end. On the other hand, The audience was not ready to say goodbye to the series.

The reason for this was The Magicians‘ cast that was and still is one of the most interesting and complex on television. With a true ensemble cast, it can be difficult to give each character equal time and development; at least one or two always seem to get the short end of the stick. But The Magicians managed the delicate balance of moving the plot forward while allowing enough time for the development of the individual charactersThis made the relationship between two characters even deeper.

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The dynamic between Quentin and Eliot is much more interesting in the Magicians show than in the books

They were allowed to spend a life together

While all the characters have incredible arcs – really, some of the best collective ensemble developments in modern television – one of the greatest character relationships and dynamics is between Quentin and Eliot. While Quentin is a bit distant at first, The Magicians In the TV series, he is obsessed with Eliot pretty much immediately in the books. In the TV series, the two initially have a mentor-mentee dynamic, with the urbane, debauched, aloof Eliot The Magicians‘ takes the nerdy, anxious Quentin under his wing and introduces him to Brakebills.

However, over time, their dynamic changes and evens out, so that they become true friends and equals, and in one episode in another timeline, they are each other’s quiet loves and live together until they are old men. This episode was titled “Life in a Day”. In the series There was always a strange subtext between Eliot and Quentin. Eliot’s repressed feelings for Quentin were particularly obvious, but Life in a Day made that subtext text, period. It wasn’t the only episode that expressed their bond, but it was the most memorable. It was richer, deeper, and more complex than in the books.

How the relationship between Quentin and Eliot differs in the TV series “The Magicians”

The book and the television series each have their unique strengths

Even author Lev Grossman agrees. In a recent Reddit AMA, he commented on some of the changes the series has made to the books, and announced that he agreed with every single change. With The Magicians Adapting the television series allowed him to explore storylines that were not in the books. As he explained: “Because of the nature of television, they had a lot more freedom to let the stories unfold and pursue leads that I didn’t have room for in the books. Like Quentin’s relationship with Eliot, which they were able to develop much further than I could, like in Life in a Day.”

That’s not to say the book doesn’t explore their dynamic and their friendship. In the books, they become like brothers, but the show can do more, as Grossman said. It also adds a layer to their relationship that is hard to imagine in the books thanks to the visual medium of television, and both Hale Appleman (Eliot) and Jason Ralph (Quentin) bring subtlety and life to what is often a very complex, tense swirl of emotions between them. For those who loved the show, it is worth revisiting The Magicians books just to see the dynamic between Quentin and Eliot develop in a different but still wonderful way.

The Magicians

4.0

Based on the novel of the same name by Lev Grossman, The Magicians is about Quentin Coldwater, a brilliant young man who gets a place at a magical college called Brakebills. There, along with his friends Alice, Eliot, Margo and Penny, he learns magic and uncovers magical secrets that go far beyond his wildest imagination and that take him to various fantastical places, including the world of Fillory.

Pour

Olivia Taylor Dudley, Arjun Gupta, Jade Tailor, Stella Maeve, Summer Bishil, Jason Ralph, Hale Appleman

Release date

16 December 2015

Seasons

5

Authors

John McNamara

Directors

Sera Gambling

Showrunner

Sera Gambling

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