First, I just finished binge watching the entire series (again). This episode is one of my favorite episodes of any TV show, ever.
It feels like an absolute gift to be allowed to watch the development of the friendship, respect and love between Eliot and Quentin. We get tiny, precious glimpses of their triumphs, their struggles, their heartaches, and successes together, and eventually, like all great love stories, apart.
Seeing two characters we love discover their love for each other and getting to see how that plays out is simply brilliant. That it's not played off as some big "OMG! LOOK! THEY'RE HAVING A HOMOSEXUAL RELATIONSHIP!!!" as some sort of token, or ratings boosting catering to LGBTQIA+ demographic, and rather just about two humans in an incredible circumstance, falling in love till the end is so beautiful in a way we all need so much more of.
Every time after this where there is a scene with Eliot and Quentin, you can just see how deeply this quest has impacted each of them, and the end of season 4 with Eliot and the fire and the peach... damn. Superb acting by Hale Appleman, and Jason Ralph's smile was worth waiting four damn seasons for.
I love that The Magicians has created not just one, but multiple realities where homophobia simply doesn't exist in their current lives, where nobody struggles with who they love because of their gender, just because of regular complications like anybody else. It's like the fantasy version of Schitts Creek.
Bravo to script writers Sera Gamble, John McNamara, and Mike Moore for this episode. It's perfection. The only thing "wrong" with it is the rest of the character's storylines in this episode can't hope to hold a candle to this one, but I think they'd be OK with that.
