WARNING: If you don't want to know what happened in this episode, don't read this photo recap!
Okay, so Quentin and Julia brought Alice's shade back from the Underworld, Senator Gaines is still out in the world, and their last hope is Mayakovsky, who feels just guilty enough to help bring Alice back to life.
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It works! Alice is returned to a human form with the help of Mayakovsky and Alice's shade and a giant metal box and some magic batteries. Alice is, as predicted, REALLY angry about it.
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In the library of the Neitherlands, Penny and library assistant Sylvia feel confident they can get their way into the Poison Room through one of the fountains.
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Since Eliot can't get back to Fillory with the button because Quentin gave the button to a dragon, Josh ends up taking over for a period of time. It involves weed and rap music.
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Julia asks Kady to keep an eye on her now that she's shadeless, but Kady needs Julia equally as bad for her plan to stop Reynard. And some news from Senator Gaines: Reynard's whole motivation is revenge on "Our Lady Underground."
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The way to get back to Fillory turns out to be the Grandfather Clock from the books. Which Quentin has seen before! Remember when he went to that interview in Episode 1? If they can find that, they might be able to get back!
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Because Josh gets super stoned, it turns out he can see Margo in the fairy realm. And she wants to fix this, so she demands that he get her back. Do we think Josh is up to the challenge?
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Penny and Sylvia have found the backdoor to the Poison Room! And even though it's locked, Sylvia knows how to get in and out of these kinds of places. Adventure awaits!
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Meanwhile, Reynard killed Senator Gaines's wife and cut off her ear. Now, Gaines is turning on dear old Dad. Because duh.
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So Eliot and Quentin pay a visit to Vancouver to find the grandfather clock. It's in the home of a fancy Fillory collector. He has just about all the Fillory memorobilia that could ever be conceived.
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Of course he does. Turns out the collector is actually Umber of Ember and Umber. Banished to Earth from Fillory.
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Senator Gaines has been enlisting the help of Kady and Julia. But also, he knows that the only way to rid the world of Reynard is to use all of the magic energy within him. Thus, he convinces Kady to MURDER HIM. Now, THAT's a politician, gang.
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Alice is not happy to be alive again, and to no longer be a Niffin. Mayakovsky convinces her to start taking drugs and pull herself together.
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Meanwhile, in the Poison Room, Penny and Sylvia have broken out in terrible boils and spots but they seem to have found the book they were looking for. Ultimately, though, Sylvia sacrifices herself. And Penny…
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…well, Penny isn't doing well. That Poison Room is, in fact, poison. But he does give Julia the book about killing gods she needs.
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Turns out Umber and his brother Ember like to make new worlds. Curently, Ember is growing tired of Fillory, hence turning people into rats and hostile takeovers and fairy invasions. Umber, though? Doesn’t really care.
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Then: speed round! Julia makes a magic bullet with all of the power from the dead demi-god Senator Gaines.
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While Josh and the Fillorian Cabinet save the kingdom (sort of) from Prince Ess.
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Julia and Kady conjure up a Persephone-esque storm to lure Reynard and guess who shows up (for real this time)? Our Lady Underground!
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Our Lady Underground turns out to be Reynard's absent mom. After a nice speech by Persephone (AKA Our Lady Underground), who takes Reynard away -- Julia gets her shade back. And Kady, furious that Reynard lived, peaces out.
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And finally…Quentin and Eliot are going to need to rescue Fillory from the gross hedonist God who created it.