The BEST episodes of The Magicians season 1

Every episode of The Magicians season 1, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Magicians season 1!

After being recruited to a secretive academy, a group of students discover that the magic they read about as children is very real and more dangerous than they ever imagined. But will getting hooked on the thrill of magic distract them from honing their powers when they need them most?

Last Updated: 2/4/2024Network: SYFYStatus: Ended
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Have You Brought Me Little Cakes?
star
8.02
3191 votes

#1 - Have You Brought Me Little Cakes?

Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 4/11/2016

Quentin and Julia arrive in Fillory and try to catch up with the group, who are more than 70 years ahead of them, in the search for The Beast.

Directors: Scott Smith
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Thirty-Nine Graves
star
7.88
3149 votes

#2 - Thirty-Nine Graves

Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 4/4/2016

The students wake up to foggy memories and regret after a night of drinking; Penny reminds everyone that their lives depend on getting to The Neitherlands.

Directors: Guy Norman Bee
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Writing Room
star
7.80
3122 votes

#3 - The Writing Room

Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 3/14/2016

When Alice and Quentin learn that Penny read the 6th Fillory novel, they make him tell the story. And it's a doozy. Quentin, Alice, Eliot, and Penny travel to England in search of a missing magic button. Julia searches for real meaning in her magic.

Directors: James L. Conway
Writer: Sera Gamble
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Homecoming
star
7.75
3027 votes

#4 - Homecoming

Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 3/21/2016

Penny travels to the world of The Neitherlands, and Quentin and Alice work together to save him; Julia joins an eclectic group of magicians.

Directors: Joshua Butler
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Strangled Heart
star
7.74
3057 votes

#5 - The Strangled Heart

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 3/7/2016

Brakebills is thrown into chaos when Penny is violently attacked by someone who was considered a friend; at the same time, Quentin tries to find a connection to the Beast; and Julia considers giving up magic for good after entering a rehab facility.

Directors: Jan Eliasberg
Writer: David Reed
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Remedial Battle Magic
star
7.67
3102 votes

#6 - Remedial Battle Magic

Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 3/28/2016

Quentin and the others learn battle magic as they prepare for a showdown in Fillory. But this challenge leads to building frustrations...pushing some apart and others together. Julia and Kady take on a mission with the Free Traders that may push them too far.

Directors: Amanda Tapping
Writer: Leah Fong
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Mayakovsky Circumstance
star
7.67
3256 votes

#7 - The Mayakovsky Circumstance

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/29/2016

An uncompromising professor pushes boundaries both in magic and in the personal lives of his first-year students. Meanwhile, Julia must decide whether she's ready to accept help and what that means for her future as a Magician.

Directors: Guy Norman Bee
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Impractical Applications
star
7.66
3292 votes

#8 - Impractical Applications

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/22/2016

The first-year students face something called "The Trials," a series of unconventional and emotional tests, which result in expulsion from Brakebills for those who fail.

Directors: John Scott
Writer: Leah Fong
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Mendings, Major and Minor
star
7.64
3543 votes

#9 - Mendings, Major and Minor

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/15/2016

The students each deal with a personal matter that keeps them from focusing on the upcoming Welter's Tournament.

Directors: Bill Eagles
Writer: David Reed
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The World in the Walls
star
7.60
3687 votes

#10 - The World in the Walls

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 2/8/2016

Quentin panics when he wakes up in a mental hospital. Meanwhile, upset over her fight with Quentin, Julia commits herself to learning more powerful spells.

Directors: James L. Conway
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Unauthorized Magic
star
7.59
5001 votes

#11 - Unauthorized Magic

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 12/16/2015

A group of twentysomethings studying magic in New York discover a real-life fantasy world that poses a great threat to humanity in this drama adapted from Lev Grossman’s book series.

Directors: Mike Cahill
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Consequences of Advanced Spellcasting
star
7.47
3882 votes

#12 - Consequences of Advanced Spellcasting

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 2/1/2016

Alice ends up risking everything to discover the truth behind her brother's disappearance. Quentin and Julia are involved in a volatile reunion.

Directors: Scott Smith
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
The Source of Magic
star
7.40
4239 votes

#13 - The Source of Magic

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/25/2016

The Brakebills students struggle to deal with the aftermath of a catastrophe that befalls the university. Back in Brooklyn, Julia makes her first foray into the mysterious world of Hedge Witches.

Directors: Scott Smith
Writer: Sera Gamble
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV