The fact that the series has taken such a different path to get its characters to this point is a real creative feat. “We knew that, to capture the spirit that we felt when we read the books, we were going to have to make some plot departures,” Gamble admits. “We always say that there’s a map that gets you from, say, L.A. to New York; [Lev Grossman] got there using his roads, and we’re going to the same place, but we’re taking a slightly different roads than he did some of the time. It’s really fun to be creative partners with him.” Great locations aren’t merely an artistic choice, though; it’s also quite practical. “We don’t have the same budget as Game of Thrones,” Gamble confesses, “and that’s okay! I really believe in the creative wisdom that comes from limitation, but we knew that were going to have to harness the natural beauty of Vancouver to bring Fillory to life.” Adding Fillory to an already complex world fortunately adds richness rather than muddying the waters. “In season 2, even more than in season 1, we have a lot of worlds up and running at the same time,” Gamble explains. “We have the hedge witches of New York, and we have Brakebills University, and we also have Fillory. So it’s been really fun and interesting to make the stakes as real and difficult for our characters as possible but also see the fun, creative ways we can have them intersect into each others’ storylines.” The Magicians Season 2: What To Expect by denofgeek Speaking of characters lying on the floor, fans may have noticed a quick turnaround for many characters in various promos, trailers, and publicity photos. Everyone’s wearing a crown! Except for Penny. “I can’t think of a character less likely to want to be a king,” argues Gamble. “He thinks the whole thing is complete bullshit. In the season premiere, there’s a big sequence where they get crowned… Penny doesn’t care. He’s got a hand problem that he’s trying to solve.” Yes, there is that. So does that mean Brakebills and Earth are out of the picture for The Magicians season 2? Not exactly. “An interesting thing about Fillory is that it’s so inherently magical,” Gamble explains. “That’s not really the causes and conditions of brilliant magicians because if you just have [magic] you don’t have to learn to do much with it. You sort of take it for granted. So the really great, knowledgeable magicians are on Earth where magic is more sparse. Earth is like the rocky outcropping of magic.” When all is said and done, Gamble is right at home on the set of The Magicians, both as a reader of the novels and as a genre fan. Being showrunner, producer, and writer is a challenge she tackles with gusto. “It’s kind of two dozen jobs in one,” she says. “If you have a little bit of ADD and you’re a super geeky, enthusiastic person the way that I am, it’s the right kind of environment.” The Magicians Season 2 begins on Wednesday, January 25 on Syfy. For the full audio of the above interview with Sera Gamble, subscribe to the Sci Fi Fidelity podcast: iTunes | Stitcher | Soundcloud Or simply listen below! The interview begins at timecode 57:40.
