‘The Magicians’ Season 2, Episode 5 Spoilers: “Cheat Day” – Eliot, Margo Continue to Struggle with the Risks of Ruling the Magical Land of Fillory

‘The Magicians’ season 2’s episode 5, titled “Cheat Day,” is set to follow Eliot and Margo as they continue to struggle with the risks of ruling the magical land of Fillory as the High King and Queen, respectively. Summer Bishil and Hale Appleman talked about their complex relationship during a recent interview.

The synopsis for “Cheat Day” posted on TV Guide reads, “Quentin (Jason Ralph) adjusts to his new life; Penny (Arjun Gupta) seeks help from an unexpected source; Eliot (Hale Appleman) and Margo (Summer Bishil) contend with the dangers of ruling; Julia (Stella Maeve) and Kady (Jade Tailor) discover another consequence of Reynard's attack.”

The upcoming episode will feature the continuing struggles of Eliot and Margo as they attempt to rule as the High King and High Queen, respectively. Their relationship dynamic has been interesting to watch as the American fantasy television series progresses.

During an interview with IGN, Bishil explained her character’s development through the series, which lead from being a side character to a main one. She said, “Obviously I read the books and I tried to make Margo as much Janet [the character in the novels that Margo is based on] as I possibly could… In the beginning we didn't really know too much about [Eliot and Margo].”

Bishil added, “I sort of had to wait weekly as the scripts came out to be like, oh, that's who she is, or that's an interesting an interesting way to respond to things. I was discovering Margo as the weeks were going on similar to how the audience is discovering her. It was a real pleasure to be able to start with a character that really evolves over the course of the season.”

The 28-year old actress described her character as smart and a “good judge of character.” She also confirmed Margo and Eliot’s real involvement in the conflict happening in Fillory as well as with The Beast.

When asked about Eliot and Margo’s relationship, Appleman chimed in saying, “I mean, it's not not romantic. It's not not sexual. It's not defined… If anything, there's such an intimacy between them and such a comfort level. They have found each other at this school and have needed each other. They have such a close-knit dynamic when you meet them, they are the closest person in each others' lives.”

Meanwhile, Penny is facing a personal conundrum. It seems that he is running out of options on what to do with his hands.

In a sneak peak for the upcoming episode, Penny is seen getting frustrated about not being able to light candles with pure magic. He is told that he may have other options, which includes leading the same life as Quentin. The scene then shifts to Quentin living his new life as an office employee as he does mediocre tasks like sending out e-mails and fumbling with the office’s snack counter.

‘The Magicians’ season 2’s episode 5, titled “Cheat Day,” is scheduled to air on Syfy on February 22, 2017. It will be followed by episode 6, titled "The Cock Barrens," scheduled to be released on March 1.