The small screen adaptation of Lev Grossman's best-selling trilogy, "The Magicians," finally aired on Syfy on Monday. It seems there is some potential to the adaptation as it tries to strike a balance between staying faithful to the books and upping the ante to gain more viewers.
Before we get to the spin of things and talk about the show, however, let it be known that there will be some spoilers ahead and, if spoilers are a big no-no, we recommend watching the pilot episode first before proceeding.
So, what is this series all about and why are people saying it's some sort of Hogwarts for adults? Let's break that image here. The only thing that ties Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy and Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry is that they both deal with students and magic and there's no tuition fee. By extension, J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" septology and Grossman's "The Magicians" have a different take on the magical themes so it's really unfair to make such a comparison.
What Happened In "The Magicians" Pilot
Quentin Coldwater, the protagonist, gets his chance at finally fitting in at some school that he never knew existed and in a world he only thought existed in his favorite book series "Fillory and Further." He and his best friend Julia gets transported to the mysterious Brakebills College on the same day as his Yale graduate school interview.
Quentin passed the tests and is given the chance to hone his magic skills in Brakebills, but Julia got rejected and her memories are wiped. Julia is also smart, probably not a genius like Quentin, but smart nonetheless because she was able to bypass the memory wipe and becomes depressed and obsessive over not getting accepted into Brakebills.
Then there's the summoning of "The Beast" from another world and the creature kills one teacher and blinds another.
The second part is mostly about Julia's obsession to get into Brakebills, or at least, become part of the "magical" community even if it's not all rainbows and butterflies.
Even if there's obviously something sinister at work, Julia still wants in and she's prepared to do whatever it takes to prove she has enough magic in her. This want led her to join some shady group that claims they have connections inside the school. Quentin, the genius best friend, doesn't seem to understand he's making things worse by bringing along his new friends from Brakebills for Julia's birthday - let no one question why he's still in the friendzone. More confusing events ensue.
The Verdict
"The Magician" did not become a best-seller for nothing. To be sure, Grossman's storytelling is compelling and the story has its high points.
The main concern for the adaptation, however, is that series creators John McNamara and Sera Gamble may have tried to cram a little too much in the pilot in order to set everything up for the 12-episode series, yet missed out on the strong points of Grossman's novels.
Still, watching "The Magicians" is worth a shot if only to see whether, after throwing everything they've got in the pilot, the series would be able to pick up the necessary parts in the confusion and build up the story cleanly from here. At the very least, the pilot episode already handed in pretty much what the focus is for the season and it's okay for viewers to be confused because genius Quentin is just as confused.
