The Magicians Season 3: Hale Appleman discusses Eliot and Fillory without magic
The Magicians Season 3 is almost here and Hale Appleman, Fillory’s own High King Eliot, shares what to expect for the character and more.
Hale Appleman is best known for his current role Eliot, the High King of Fillory, in The Magicians. As the show gets ready for its third season, Hale took time out to discuss the things to expect for his character in a world without magic. It’s not going to be easy for Eliot, considering he loves magic and his daughter is currently being held hostage by the fairies thanks to a questionable deal High Queen Margo [Summer Bishil] made.
"“The showrunners love to make all the characters’ lives as difficult as possible, so they have something really intense to fight against and fight for. That’s the nature of conflict; and conflict is really necessary. On a show like The Magicians, they love to take it to extrodinary measures.”"
For those who haven’t caught up, Hale describes Eliot as “spectacular, unapologietic and uncontradictory. Or you could say uncontrarian, although that’s probably close to unapologetic.” And he certainly is. He’s also a “real trip and fun to play.” The character that initially looked like to be a one-off character has become the one that many now want to be best friends with.
“It would have been easy to write him off as a one-trick pony,” Hale admitted, “I love a woody queen as much as everyone, but he has a lot of complexity and wit. That’s sort of what keeps me intrigued…to pull back the layers and explore everything underneath.”
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That’s certainly the case. Many will remember in the first season he killed his boyfriend with a snap of the fingers after realizing his friends were in danger. He’s made sacrifices for the good of multiple realms, including marrying a woman he doesn’t love. The big question for many is whether he’ll go completely dark side, especially with his daughter now in the possession of the fairies and magic gone. Eliot isn’t going to have it easy because of this and it sounds like the darker side we’ve seen before may rise to the surface again.
When it comes to The Magicians Season 2, everyone will remember the spectacular moment going into the battle against the King of Lorian. Yes, Hale sang Les Miserables’ “One Day More,” which he says he had a lot of fun doing. Luckily, he’d done the show in school, so knew the song. However, he also had plenty of tricky and interesting storylines and they have been some of his favorite moments.
Some of the best moments have been Eliot’s ability to admit when he’s in over his head, something that wasn’t easy for the character. Eliot has had to “go it along, until he met Margo,” so asking for help never came easy. This moment was a “turning point for him and his inner life.”
"“He’s exposing something terrifying for himself in that he can’t fix this without guidance. Of course, I like playing all of the colors, but I enjoy looking at the inner depth of him.”"
This is something fans can see continue, as Eliot takes on the task of finding a way to bring magic back. He’ll go in search for someone (or something) that will help him, leading to the Quest of the Seven Keys.
“Eliot and Margo are between a rock and a hard place. They can’t rely on their skills and both of them are pretty skilled at this point,” he shares, reminding The Magicians fans that school is a distant memory thanks to the way time moves differently and Eliot has been in Fillory alone for a long period of time.
"“There’s a lot of power unavailable to him at this point. Magic was [Eliot and Margo’s] identity or a central aspect of how they chose to find themselves as young adults. That’s been taken away, so they are incredibly vulnerable.”"
So, while Eliot is going through his quest, will there ever be a chance for happiness? Season 2 saw him planning his wedding to King Idri of Lorian [Leonard Roberts]. Well, Hale shares not to expect happiness or a wedding just yet. There’s hope for it to come later, but the main focus will be on the quest at hand. As he’s proven recently, The Magicians Season 3 will see Eliot put others before himself. He’s slowly evolved over the course of the last two seasons and he’s going to fight for the “greater good and his chosen family.”
"“I want [the wedding] for him. He deserves a solid relationship. It’s important for that to be portrayed in the show, but there’s not time right away.”"
While the wedding may not be on the cards just yet, there is some fun and hope for the Eliot and Margo relationship (who have likely had their drunken sexual moments and don’t over-think them too much to become the most important people in each other’s lives). After the “strain of a lot of bad decisions they both made,” according to Hale, there’s a scene that “will make fans of Eliot and Margo happy and I’m looking forward to the response to that.”
The scene in question? They have moments where they have to speak in code, which was extremely fun to film.
And Hale, the gentleman that he is, only has amazing things to say about Summer:
“Her character has a lot of material to play with and she’s really hitting home runs this season and I’m so proud of her. I’m so excited for fans to see what she’s bringing. There’s no one more idiosyncratic and one-of-a-kind than Summer. I’m lucky to get to work with her.”
The Magicians Season 3 is certainly given the show a chance to find its footing. It’s not easy with such a large universe.
“There’s a lot to establish,” Hale admitted, “I’m looking forward to seeing how [Season 3] shapes up. I’ve experienced it first hand, but watching it back is always a new experience.”
And does he cringe watching himself back?
"“Oh, totally. All the time. Without a doubt, 100%. It’s not my favorite thing. As an actor you don’t really have control…and watching…it’s a skill to be objective watching yourself on the screen. I wasn’t blessed with that talent.”"
The Magicians Season 3 picks up where the second season ended. For Eliot and Margo that means dealing with the Fairy Queen taking over and finding a way to bring magic back. What lengths will the two go? They’re both going to be on the opposite sides of the plan, with Margo tackling things in the castle while Eliot finds someone to help. Only time will tell where it all leads.
Next: 5 major reminders of The Magicians Season 2
What are you excited for in Fillory during Season 3? Share your hopes in the comments below.
The Magicians Season 3 premieres on January 10 at 9/8c on SYFY.