The episode introduces several distinct magical enhancements and chemical mixtures that serve as "features" of the Brakebills students' training:
: To withstand the physical toll of high-level battle magic, Fogg has the students get drunk—a ritual that provides the necessary constitution to survive the "god power juice" Alice is carrying and the intensity of the upcoming ritual.
The "feature" of the episode's title also refers to the search for a specific text: [S2E2] Hotel Spa Potions
: Margo prepares a modified version of a hangover drink she and Eliot used to share. By adding Ativan and Nightshade , it becomes a potion that grants external control over a person's muscles. In the episode, this is used as a temporary fix for Penny’s cursed hands, allowing Professor Sunderland to manipulate them to perform spells.
In the episode "" ( The Magicians, Season 2, Episode 2 ), the "potions" feature heavily as both a character beat and a plot-driving magical mechanic. Key Magical Features and Potions In the episode, this is used as a
: Dean Fogg introduces a defensive "feature" where students are tattooed with a cacodemon (a small, lobster-like demon) that lives under their skin. This acts as a one-time-use weapon that can be released during a desperate battle.
: While not a potion, a major "feature" of the Fillory storyline involves Eliot using his repressed farm-boy knowledge to introduce fertilizer to a kingdom that previously relied entirely on magic to grow crops, which is now failing. Plot Objectives This acts as a one-time-use weapon that can
: The gang searches for a book on battle magic originally hidden by a 500-year-old pixie professor named Bigsby. The title of the book, Lost Hope Options , is eventually revealed to be an anagram for Hotel Spa Potions .