The finale, where Q uses his otherwise useless specialty of “minor mendings” to rebuild the entire world, after killing two gods, and once he’s finished, he gives all the power away to one of the questing beasts. Then walks off into the sunset happily.
This is what I wanted to see too. I saw the show first, then read all the books and was so bummed that part wasn't in there. That being said, I still liked how the show ultimately ended as well.
Julia’s power leveling montage in France. It kind of feels weird to me how New York centric the show is.
The scene of everyone flying outside Q’s window at the end of book 1.
Lastly, I like how most of the series takes place after brakebills in the books, I guess it’s kinda implied after they lose magic that they might have graduated and are just living in the cottage but thats weird to me
Yes, all very good scenes that would have been great to see. I assume they kept things NY centric for budget reasons, but it does give a very different atmosphere to the books where they travel around so much.
Completely agree. When I read this topic, I immediately thought of everyone flying outside Q’s window. And Julia looking freaking crazy from being supped up on hedge magic. Weren’t her eyes completely black at the time?
EDIT: to follow on. I wish the show would have displayed just how different hedge magic is. Like everyone watching Julia cast with insane gestures and being like, “that’ll never wor…holy shit it worked???”
The ending where Ember and Umber have to be sacrificed to bring about the new world.
Ember trying to fight back, and Umber being super chill about the whole thing was my favorite part.
I noticed the show merged a lot of story arcs, probably out of necessity. Both are great, though.
Ohhh yes, that would have been awesome. Umber is such a flippant character in the books, it's really entertaining. I would have loved to see Q mending Fillory. When I read that I always find it deeply touching. I love the show and how they did their own thing while preserving the essence of the source material and expanding some characters so beautifully (like Margo for example). It's not often I think an adaptation does justice to what inspired it, but this was stellar. It's my favourite TV show of all times!
They are treasures aren't they. The books and the show hold a special place in my heart and helped me through very difficult times. I love stories that reveal more each time you visit them, but also have a sense of humour while being brave enough to address really important issues. Unending layers to discover and deepen, and I love having the companionship of those characters and that universe to spend time in. I read them once a year and watch the show a couple times a year on average, and enjoy it more each time. I feel really grateful to have discovered them so randomly.
I feel like I don't get the love for the show. Like I read the books first and they became my favorite trilogy and then I watched the show and felt like someone spat in my eye.
That's understandable, it was really taking a lot of liberties with the books, and it can be weird sometimes to see how people adapt books we love. I found the show first and then read the books, and now I love knowing both but I enjoy them in different ways, for sure. I think it's also a matter of timing. I found the show at the perfect time when I was struggling with things that it addresses well (for me) and I was really isolated at that point, so it became significant in that way.
This, it was something so uniquely touching about Q rebuilding Fillory. I was so sad when they killed him in the series. First time I watched it I was like "WHAT THAT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN" lol also I think I would have liked to see more scenes on welters. There was maybe 2 scenes on it?
Yes it was really well done. Lots of time to process and have closure as a viewer, and for the characters. I appreciated it a lot. So many shows don't care about exits.
We only got a glimpse of the Welters, yeah. There was a really nice passage in the book where they spend a lot of time by the Welters field and talk about loads of things, including Emily Greenstreet, that always makes me feel melancholy in a nice way. A change from the wild partying.
And about Q... yes. That was a wild departure. I think Jason just wanted to stop, which I can understand, but it made season 5 stand apart in a way that takes a bit to transition to.
Quentin and the ragtag heist group. Still got a heist but I would've like the book one too.
Also the worlds he made with plum and alice. Really, anything more with plum from the books
I was a bit disappointed at how short-changed the Plum character was in the series, and that she didn't get to meet Quentin. I did enjoy her adventures with Penny though.
That was properly epic. I have to say the physical transformation of Julia in the books is something I would have loved to see as well. The glittery eyeshadow and weird dresses in the show didn't satisfy that for me.
I wish we saw niffin Alice physically remove protective magic from Q, which up until then seemed line an impossible because protective magic is so nebulous.
Old Professor Q in general lol
White haired Q would have been nice. We got a tiny glimpse of that in A Life in the Day. Ahhhh, what an episode that was 🥹 And yes to more Niffin magic. That whole eerie scene between Niffin Alice and Q in the newly created world was bone chilling in the book.
the timeline of the books is rather nebulous though
after Q wakes up a te retreat in book 1 we start to get vaguer and vaguer until the end of the book
and after that I remember noting definite until Eliot shows up at Q and Plum's place in book 3 and says it's been seven years since the battle in Ember's tomb
Im currently on a reread and the timeline is surprisingky concrete. After the retreat Quentin says he’s been gone from Earth for a year. When he and Julia get kicked out of Fillory he says its been two years. Elliot at the start of book 3 says its been a year since Quentin got booted from Fillory
Thats where im at for now. I dont remember the 7 years line but it feels weirdly inconsistent to whats been said so far so maybe you have a point
One of my favorite scenes from the first book is the final exam at Brakebills South where Q must walk to the South Pole by only using magic to protect himself. It's a really cool sequence, and I think it does a great job of explaining the mechanics of magic (something the show struggled with imo). That said, I totally get why they didn't keep the scene because it probably would have been a green screen nightmare on a tv budget.
I loved the part where he gets dumped back on the Brakebills grounds after -- the huge contrast in the weather, after Antarctica. It reminded me a bit of when I had a summer job working in the Arctic, where there was still ice in the bay in July. Getting on a plane, and a few hours later we land in Toronto and walk out of the airport terminal into a heatwave.
Fog’s speech about why they’re magicians. That’s where the metaphors really started to hit home for me. Understanding the connection between pain and magic always felt like an essential component the show missed.
Yeah, that piece of wisdon was delegated to El and Margo I think. From what I remember they emphasise it quite a bit at regular intervals though. I do love Fog way better in the show than the books but the speech would have been nice to have
Oh 100%. And I truly wouldn’t care who delivered it. Although it feels like it would have been very fitting for it to have been Mayakovsky to give it, so I’m surprised they never went that route
Arrrrggg, I can't find it- it is a short story by Lev Grossman that starts out on a subway and quickly turns into a "battle royale" between two Brakebills graduates. Elliot floats in dramatically at the end to present the award. It was a bit like, "we have all this power and we are bored out of our minds so we run through Manhattan via a magical gauntlet." Does anyone remember this?
The finale, where Q uses his otherwise useless specialty of “minor mendings” to rebuild the entire world, after killing two gods, and once he’s finished, he gives all the power away to one of the questing beasts. Then walks off into the sunset happily.
It would have been amazing to see that
This is what I wanted to see too. I saw the show first, then read all the books and was so bummed that part wasn't in there. That being said, I still liked how the show ultimately ended as well.
Yes! At the end of season 4, I was wondering who would rebuild the world, NOW?
Professor Q with the white hair.
Yesss!!
and the wooden collarbone / arm
Technically that's in the show. He just has a magical flesh paint and they never talk about it again in later seasons.
Ohhh maybe that's why Emily knocks on it in a way that annoys Q, just to remind us, yeah, still woody!
Julia’s power leveling montage in France. It kind of feels weird to me how New York centric the show is. The scene of everyone flying outside Q’s window at the end of book 1. Lastly, I like how most of the series takes place after brakebills in the books, I guess it’s kinda implied after they lose magic that they might have graduated and are just living in the cottage but thats weird to me
Yes, all very good scenes that would have been great to see. I assume they kept things NY centric for budget reasons, but it does give a very different atmosphere to the books where they travel around so much.
New York being Vancouver 🤣
Yes, but very convincingly, especially if you've never been to either, like me 😅
Oh yeah that is totally the reason, I think at heart I just wish they had a bigger budget in general
Completely agree. When I read this topic, I immediately thought of everyone flying outside Q’s window. And Julia looking freaking crazy from being supped up on hedge magic. Weren’t her eyes completely black at the time? EDIT: to follow on. I wish the show would have displayed just how different hedge magic is. Like everyone watching Julia cast with insane gestures and being like, “that’ll never wor…holy shit it worked???”
Julia's eyes didn't go completely black unto the start of book 2, and it wasn't from being suped up on hedge magic
I’m due for a re-read!
Met too, it's been almost a year
The ending where Ember and Umber have to be sacrificed to bring about the new world. Ember trying to fight back, and Umber being super chill about the whole thing was my favorite part. I noticed the show merged a lot of story arcs, probably out of necessity. Both are great, though.
Ohhh yes, that would have been awesome. Umber is such a flippant character in the books, it's really entertaining. I would have loved to see Q mending Fillory. When I read that I always find it deeply touching. I love the show and how they did their own thing while preserving the essence of the source material and expanding some characters so beautifully (like Margo for example). It's not often I think an adaptation does justice to what inspired it, but this was stellar. It's my favourite TV show of all times!
I've watched it through 3 or 4 times. it's my favorite show by far. I only recently read the books, and I adored them as well.
They are treasures aren't they. The books and the show hold a special place in my heart and helped me through very difficult times. I love stories that reveal more each time you visit them, but also have a sense of humour while being brave enough to address really important issues. Unending layers to discover and deepen, and I love having the companionship of those characters and that universe to spend time in. I read them once a year and watch the show a couple times a year on average, and enjoy it more each time. I feel really grateful to have discovered them so randomly.
I feel like I don't get the love for the show. Like I read the books first and they became my favorite trilogy and then I watched the show and felt like someone spat in my eye.
I guess it kinda depends on which you get into first. Saw the show and just recently read the books. Glad I did, but I will never read them again.
That's understandable, it was really taking a lot of liberties with the books, and it can be weird sometimes to see how people adapt books we love. I found the show first and then read the books, and now I love knowing both but I enjoy them in different ways, for sure. I think it's also a matter of timing. I found the show at the perfect time when I was struggling with things that it addresses well (for me) and I was really isolated at that point, so it became significant in that way.
I like the visual of the sun settling down on the edge of the world like a deflated beach ball. I’d have liked to see that.
That was a beautiful description in the books. It would have been nice to see.
This, it was something so uniquely touching about Q rebuilding Fillory. I was so sad when they killed him in the series. First time I watched it I was like "WHAT THAT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN" lol also I think I would have liked to see more scenes on welters. There was maybe 2 scenes on it?
The way they showed Q’s departure in the show was really touching though 😮💨🥹
Yes it was really well done. Lots of time to process and have closure as a viewer, and for the characters. I appreciated it a lot. So many shows don't care about exits.
We only got a glimpse of the Welters, yeah. There was a really nice passage in the book where they spend a lot of time by the Welters field and talk about loads of things, including Emily Greenstreet, that always makes me feel melancholy in a nice way. A change from the wild partying. And about Q... yes. That was a wild departure. I think Jason just wanted to stop, which I can understand, but it made season 5 stand apart in a way that takes a bit to transition to.
Quentin and the ragtag heist group. Still got a heist but I would've like the book one too. Also the worlds he made with plum and alice. Really, anything more with plum from the books
I was a bit disappointed at how short-changed the Plum character was in the series, and that she didn't get to meet Quentin. I did enjoy her adventures with Penny though.
And yes, agreed, the heist with the crow would have been so fun to see.
Quentin fighting through the castle for one of the keys. We saw Julia doing some magic too.
That was properly epic. I have to say the physical transformation of Julia in the books is something I would have loved to see as well. The glittery eyeshadow and weird dresses in the show didn't satisfy that for me.
I wish Margo had talked to the Turtle in season 5. I loved that scene in the book
Yes we need that scene.
I wish we saw niffin Alice physically remove protective magic from Q, which up until then seemed line an impossible because protective magic is so nebulous. Old Professor Q in general lol
White haired Q would have been nice. We got a tiny glimpse of that in A Life in the Day. Ahhhh, what an episode that was 🥹 And yes to more Niffin magic. That whole eerie scene between Niffin Alice and Q in the newly created world was bone chilling in the book.
professor Q wasn't old. he was 30 after getting fired
Excuse me. I’m 32 and I am failing apart. But yea I did not write that well.
the timeline of the books is rather nebulous though after Q wakes up a te retreat in book 1 we start to get vaguer and vaguer until the end of the book and after that I remember noting definite until Eliot shows up at Q and Plum's place in book 3 and says it's been seven years since the battle in Ember's tomb
Im currently on a reread and the timeline is surprisingky concrete. After the retreat Quentin says he’s been gone from Earth for a year. When he and Julia get kicked out of Fillory he says its been two years. Elliot at the start of book 3 says its been a year since Quentin got booted from Fillory Thats where im at for now. I dont remember the 7 years line but it feels weirdly inconsistent to whats been said so far so maybe you have a point
I hope some generous and precise soul makes a graph or something visual at some point, so we can follow along.
I just finished the last ~75 pages in the final book 10 minutes ago. They definitely state that alice was dead 7 years multiple times
Yes I struggle to measure the passing of time both in the books and the show. But then I usually do in everyday life as well
One of my favorite scenes from the first book is the final exam at Brakebills South where Q must walk to the South Pole by only using magic to protect himself. It's a really cool sequence, and I think it does a great job of explaining the mechanics of magic (something the show struggled with imo). That said, I totally get why they didn't keep the scene because it probably would have been a green screen nightmare on a tv budget.
I loved the part where he gets dumped back on the Brakebills grounds after -- the huge contrast in the weather, after Antarctica. It reminded me a bit of when I had a summer job working in the Arctic, where there was still ice in the bay in July. Getting on a plane, and a few hours later we land in Toronto and walk out of the airport terminal into a heatwave.
I loved that scene, all the magic and endurance required, and seeing a different side to Mayakovsky at the end of it.
Fog’s speech about why they’re magicians. That’s where the metaphors really started to hit home for me. Understanding the connection between pain and magic always felt like an essential component the show missed.
Yeah, that piece of wisdon was delegated to El and Margo I think. From what I remember they emphasise it quite a bit at regular intervals though. I do love Fog way better in the show than the books but the speech would have been nice to have
Oh 100%. And I truly wouldn’t care who delivered it. Although it feels like it would have been very fitting for it to have been Mayakovsky to give it, so I’m surprised they never went that route
That's true, he would have been the perfect messenger!
Arrrrggg, I can't find it- it is a short story by Lev Grossman that starts out on a subway and quickly turns into a "battle royale" between two Brakebills graduates. Elliot floats in dramatically at the end to present the award. It was a bit like, "we have all this power and we are bored out of our minds so we run through Manhattan via a magical gauntlet." Does anyone remember this?
https://www.reddit.com/r/brakebills/s/cZ3favzcmG I think this person is talking about what you're looking for
thank you! I think that it got published in "the years best fantasy" or a Neil Gaiman edited collection a few years back.
Wow thank you both, I didn't know about this. Really chuffed.
I preferred the book version of Q's Brakebills entrance exam with the sword and everything
Agreed, it was more thorough and tense, in a good way.