Spoilers For The Magicians Ahead
While some lovers may be shocked at what happened to the cast of The Magicians after the show led to 2020, even more had been bowled over via what took place to one of the primary characters when the display used to be nonetheless on.
Quentin Coldwater's death at the end of the penultimate season of the display was downright sudden. And it used to be permanent. Unlike a couple of different deaths in the collection, which saw some sort of personality reinvention/reintroduction, Quentin's was once ultimate. While heroic and dramatic, it sparked a ton of speculation as to what used to be in reality occurring at the back of the scenes.
Of path, minds jumped to behind-the-scenes drama. But that doesn't seem to be the case. During an interview with Vulture, the creators of the display addressed the shocking and controversial story choice and make clear their real rationale.
Why Did They Get Rid Of Quentin On The Magicians?
During an interview with Vulture, the co-executive producers and showrunners, Sera Gamble, John McNamara, and Henry Alonso Myers shed some light on the controversial transfer to kill off Quentin. According to Sera, this choice was once one that was once being toyed with at the finish of season 3. But it wasn't just something that happened at the back of the scenes. The creators also involved the actor who performed him, Jason Ralph.
Sera claimed that it used to be an inventive determination that both excited them and Jason himself. Of route, he wouldn't be the best actor who wanted their beloved character to be killed off.
"The next person we sat down and chatted with was Lev Grossman [the author of the book trilogy that Magicians is based on], who also was really excited to explore this possibility," Sera said to Vulture.
"To be totally frank about it, we opened the series with a scene with Quentin in a mental hospital, contending with his own feelings about his life and death and what all of that means. For me, so much of what was intriguing about [Jason] when he auditioned was that he played Quentin in this way that was active in seeking an answer, seeking a deeper human truth inside his own depression. If you have the privilege of getting to tell a story long enough, you want to complete that circle. If we’re gonna do drama and magic and high stakes, we want to do the deep human stuff. And it didn’t get any deeper than this for us."
The Controversy Surrounding Quentin's Demise
While many heralded the ingenious decision, the execution of the episode may have not directly sparked a controversial message. As pointed out by way of Vulture, some may just've observed the manner Quentin sacrifices himself as endorsing the act itself.
"I definitely don’t want to write pro-s*icide television. It’s irresponsible, and it’s too simplistic, frankly," John McNamara said to Vulture.
"Someone being incredibly heroic in the moment, and also having subconscious self-destructive tendencies, makes drama interesting and not cartoonish. For anybody who wants to just really bat around all the layers of what Quentin did, the best way to do that is to not k*ll yourself. Stay alive and debate that issue."
John went on to explain that the explanation why he put a s*icide hotline understand on the episode was once that he did not wish to trigger people.
"That’s not our intent. Our intent is to really rigorously and realistically explore human behavior, and if the show simplifies human behavior to the point where it’s a cartoon, you’re doing a greater disservice to the world of mental health."
Did Jason Ralph Want To Be Written Out Of The Magicians?
Unlike a large number of other shows, the deaths on The Magicians had to be ultimate. They needed to have stakes. And that meant no longer seeing some other model of Quentin, be it in a flashback or in every other timeline.
"We killed Alice, and she came back changed. But we killed Penny, and we tried to offer a different perspective on that, and so that Penny went away. Part of our feeling for season five is that you risk losing the trust of your audience if you never ever kill anyone for real. It’s very important to us to explore the genuine emotions that come out of death," Henry Alonso Myers mentioned to Vulture.
"They are all becoming adults, and this is a fundamental part of adulthood that we didn’t want to shortchange, that we want to explore. It’s important."
The permanent determination in the long run caused fanatics to wonder if Jason Ralph in reality wanted to be fully minimize from the show. But the creators maintained that it used to be a mutual decision.
"Jason [left] the show under great circumstances," John stated. "It was a mutual decision. He will confirm that."
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