It's no illusion - the second season of addictive fantasy drama The Magicians returns tonight at 9/8c!
Fans of the Syfy TV series can finally go back to the the magical world they fell in love with last year, and boy, were we left hanging on a cliff with that finale. But in the event that your memory has been wiped clean or you're a new fan to the show, here are five things to know going into season two.
1. Will all your faves make it out alive?
In the season one finale, our wizarding heroes come face to face with the villain they had been fighting since the pilot, the Beast. However his powers are too much for Eliot (Hale Appleman), Margo (Summer Bishil), Penny (Arjun Gupta), and Alice (Olivia Taylor Dudley), and he *appears* to leave them all for dead. Julia (Stella Maeve) and BFF Quentin (Jason Ralph) are still alive, but Julia, who is still seeking revenge against trickster god Reynard the Fox for raping her, offers to make a deal with the Beast to not kill him if he in turn helps kill Reynard. Julia and the Beast head out, leaving Quentin in shock and surrounded by his lifeless friends. Not a great situation to be in, but we can assure you one thing - Eliot, Margo and Penny are all alive and well. They have to rule Fillory now!
2. A slight change of scenery:
Speaking of Fillory, the magical land was always thought to be that in the first season - a place that wasn't real. But the wizards at Brakebills college soon find out that Fillory is not only real, but they could actually go there. The second will be jumping back and forth between Brakebills and Fillory for the second season, but for fans missing a home base, Ralph assures fans that both locations are integral to the show.
"If last season was about getting tiny glimpses of all these worlds, this season is about opening them up and getting to see how they relate to each other, how they influence each other, and how they need each other to survive," he recently told PopSugar.
3. And we'll always be royals:
Four of the wizards (Quentin, Alice, Eliot and Margo) will be crowned a royal family in Fillory, giving Eliot even more reason to be fabulous. Ralph gave E! News a preview into their time on the throne recently, saying, "It also turns out that if you're from Earth, you are considered royalty in this place. In order for us to use the resources available to us in this new land, we must be crowned kings and queens, and it happens relatively soon and is sort of a dream come true."
4. Quentin and Julia's longtime friendship will be tested:
The childhood friends have always had a special bond, but with Julia making a deal with the Beast, Quentin felt betrayed by her actions. So will these two ever be the same again? The Magicians showrunner Sera Gamble teases their future to The Hollywood Reporter, saying, "It's a huge deal. She has a different agenda than the rest of them do. She is the one who participated in the ritual that set that monster loose. So it's understandable that she would be in the frame of mind that she is. Did she make the perfect choice? Were there other ways she could have gone? Of course. And that will play out extensively in season two."
5. Sex, drugs, and magic spells:
If you loved the first season of The Magicians because of its more mature and adult storylines that involved love triangles, drug addiction, threesomes and straight up murder, don't expect anything to change. Honestly, what else are you looking for in a TV show?
Season two of The Magicians airs on Wednesday, January 25th at 9/8c on Syfy.
(E! and Syfy are both part of the NBCUniversal family)