Killer Magic - Episode 3

This week, Ben, Chris, Damien, Dee and Jasz had to do tricks themed around "Money". On the surface, this seemed like a simpler theme then "Food", "Toys" or "Film", but it inspired a wide range of creative illusions. The "Killer Trick" that the loser had to perform would be the Guillotine, and our five magicians had to pull out all the stops to avoid it.

(If You Haven't Watched This On BBC iPlayer Yet, The Following Will Contain Spoilers)

The Tricks

• Damien was the first to perform, and he did his routine in a pub. He asked a volunteer to provide him with a £5 note and sign it. He then turned the paper note into five £1 coins. He put them all into a nearby fruit machine, and eventually got three matching oranges on the machine, winning three real oranges as a prize. Damien told his volunteer to select one of them, then cut the chosen orange open to reveal the signed banknote. This was a bit of an old trick, but the use of slot machines in the set-up provided an interesting twist and made the climax more impressive. Damien's competitors also appreciated the unique aspects of the performance, and gave him a score of 31.
• Ben went next, hiring comedian Joel Dommett to assist him for a shadow-themed routine performed with four half-dollar coins. He began by moving the four coins with only the shadow of his hands, then made Joel sign the four coins, with a letter from his name on each one. He put one coin in each of the pockets of Joel's coat using a pair of tweezers, then utilized "Sleight-of-shadow" to make all the coins appear in one pocket. The decision to avoid physical contact, and the use of sound as the coins audibly fell into the chosen pockets at exactly the right moments, made the trick far harder to figure out. Ben received a score of 32.
• Having done two "Killer Tricks" and narrowly avoided a third in "Film" week, Dee had to provide a great routine in order to end his run of unimpressive performances. He updated the ancient art of Alchemy with a series of quick-fire tricks. First of all, he turned a scrap of paper into a silver leaf, then melted a silver ring in his hand. Next, he extracted a drop of the molten silver, then turned it into a coin. The coin was soon turned into a credit card, which was signed by a volunteer. Dee finished his routine by putting the credit card in an envelope, making it vanish, then reproducing the signed card from within the zipped section of his wallet. Dee received a 10 out of 10 from Jasz, but his fellow competitors were less impressed. However, Dee still received a solid total of 31.
• Chris themed his trick around a birthday party. He got a group of volunteers to pick a novelty birthday card each, write a message inside it, and put it in an envelope. One volunteer who had some cash on him was instructed to put the money into his card before he sealed it inside his envelope. Chris had the identical envelopes shuffled, then, without opening them, returned the cards which did not contain money. He was left with the envelope containing money. Chris correctly predicted the message on the greeting card, and the age on it, but got the value of the money wrong. Nonetheless, he provided an impressive finish, revealing that the ages on the other eight greeting cards formed a correct prediction of the serial number on the banknote. This was an creative price of mentalism, but the other magicians felt the trick was too complicated and gave him a score of 28.
• Jasz was the last to perform, and did a routine at an antiques shop. She used a roller to turn an empty sheet of paper into a novelty banknote. Next, she put in a second sheet at an unusual angle, with an incomplete impression of a £20 note appearing on both sides. She got a volunteer to stamp a thumbprint on a third sheet, then put it straight through the roller to reveal a fully printed banknote with the thumbprint still on. The trick was entertaining, but not as impressive as the previous four, so Jasz received a score of 26.

The Forfeit

Ben was the winner and Jasz the loser, so Jasz had to endure the Guillotine trick. Her head would be covered and placed beneath a sharp blade, which would be released onto her neck. The idea was that the blade would go through her neck, but leave her unharmed. However, the trick did not go to plan. Instead of surviving unscathed, Jasz appeared to be decapitated. The episode ended on this cliffhanger, so you have to tune in next week to see if Jasz escaped in time. Concluding a magic show with the apparent death of the magician is not new, as Paul Daniels and Penn and Teller have both done this in the past. However, using this tactic here demonstrates how dangerous the "Killer Trick" can be, even though Jasz probably didn't suffer any real injury - she is a magician after all!

The Verdict

This was the best episode of Killer Magic to date, with all five magicians providing tricks that were creative and made good use of the theme. The shocking conclusion was also effective. On its own, a "Killer Trick" would be scary to watch, but a competent magician (such as the five on this show) can perform it without suffering any problems. By forcing the losing magicians to perform these tricks as punishments for failure, and using them for the climax of the show, Killer Magic makes them seem far more dangerous and therefore more impressive, even though the magicians are not in any real danger as long as they prepare properly. By ending with a "Killer Trick" appearing to go horribly wrong, Killer Magic got the viewers talking, and that is what all good magic shows should be doing.