#the magnus protocol episode 9

[ccelestialfox]

Right so this week's Protocol episode was actually really good

Paperwork - Sam is still filing a bunch of paperwork that make me think of what people were talking about with The Magnus Institute's program that involved children back before the institute burned down. don't know the details of those tests btw

FR3-D1 - FR3-D1 is listening in and can think in some way. Sam was talking about he couldn't find anything about the institute, and immediately Chester started talking about the institute, presumably reading a statement directly from the institute

The Statement Itself - This episode's statement is seriously one of my favorites so far. definitely top 9 (hehe) seriously though, this was an amazing statement, with the luck and that description of what happened with Gary, and then the slightly ominous [Transcription ends. Statement giver declared dead by paramedics] was fun

Lena Seeing Things? - Gwen knocked on Lena's office door and Lena knew it was her. My first thought was similar to how Elias and Jon could see who was going into their office in Archives, but here it's probably just Lena being specific about her scheduling

Mr. Bonzo - I didn't participate in the arg but I know that he was at least a thing that was there, as well as some artistic recreations of him, so I know he is a somewhat important character. Also, Lena having Gwen go to the creator (?) of Mr. Bonzo and having her pay attention to his actions, stress, etc. is a bit suspicious

Teddy!! - Teddy just hanging out with Alice chatting about stuff. He mentioned that he was trying to get a job and got downsized the day he was hired, which, after a statement dealing with luck, makes me think it has anything to do with him leaving the OIAR. having some sort of curse of "you left so now no more job lmao"

The Ruins - Sam wants to take Alice to go and visit the ruins of the Institute, which... they're gonna be fine, it'll be fine, it's it's fine they'll be okay hahfhshxh

[juno-is-junoing]

BONZO MENTIONED

BONZO MENTIONED

BONZO MENTIONED

[space--cryptid]

"When the truck barrels through the wall, it isn't the grill that hits Gary first."

HELLO??? OH MY GOD???

[faededaway]

PODCAST STORIES BE LIKE "HERE'S A VERY COMPLEX STORY TOLD THROUGH HOPELESS ROMANCE"

Like HOW DO I TAKE IT?

Scary shit happening but also, "hey, wanna go dig through some ruins with me? You're the only one I know who'd do that for me" SHIT AUSBKSKWL

[crying-pan420]

Ep 9 VERY LATE REVIEW (watched it when it first came out, had 3 days of shows and now I’m feeling almost better)

Why is Sam doing the paper work still?!!!! ALSO COMPEL????? WHY IS HE COMPELLED???? BEHOLDING IS THAT YOU??

Answers might be used for the computer to read out even more hyper specific cases maybe getting closer and closer to about Sam

And then the case of this episode. Just after they gave up on the Magnus institute!!! THE COMPUTERS ARE LISTENING!!!! Also casement was great I loved it phenomenal gimme more artefacts that are silly. I know fear entities probably don’t apply but id go with hunt, slaughter and web for it (I can explain but only if asked)

It was also giving a little bit of piecemeal so

Then gwen

Oh no

We know what her job is now BUT SHES MEETING A CHARACTER WE KNOW IS A MONSTER AND A VILLAIN

SO SCARED FOR MY FAV JONNY AND ALEX YOU BETTER NOT KILL HER!!!

Then the talk with Teddy and Alice. So Teddy is out of a job due to redundancies. Something gwen was worried about earlier on in the OIAR so they might come back. And Alice’s jokes continue (throwing Teddy in the Thames) but then when Teddy leaves and Sam asks Alice to explore the institute ruins???? UH OH

Side note: yet another loss for my ships

BUT OH THE IDEA OF SAM NOT FULLY TRUSTING CELIA WITH THIS

DOES HE KNOW SOMETHING MORE THAT HES NOT TELLING US????? OR ALICE???

I’m scared

[deaderthandoubledead]

SAM!!! SAM NO!!!! SAM DON'T GO INTO THE RUINS OF THE INSTITUTE!!!! SAM!!! DO YOU NOT REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED TO RED CANARY??!! SAM DO YOU NOT REMEMBER???!!

[macabresymphonies]

The homophobic vase, the homophobic dice, is this like The Sims 4 Homophobic Accessory Pack or something?

[brettanomycroft]

Alice is so relatable if Samama Khalid asked me to dive headfirst into Hell with a sheepish little shrug and I would do it right away, no questions asked

[cirrus-grey]

Within it I could spy an assortment of trinkets, ranging from battered knives and chipped porcelain to fine jewelry, small ivory figures and even a set of gambler’s dice.

"Luck assumes a myriad of forms," he proclaimed...

(From episode 4)

I thought those dice sounded familiar...

[phin-and-frob]

imagine your friend gets broken up with and seems pretty bummed, and then you see them a few weeks later and they're like

[i-am-not-a-who-i-am-a-what]

so about the header that proceeded today's statement:

Viability as agent: Low

Viability as subject: None

Viability as catalyst: Medium

i didn't know what to think of this part of the entry at first, but the longer the statement went on... was the institute in this universe trying to manufacture avatars?

the dice can't do anything without someone to use them, they can't be an "agent" by themselves, but might be capable of manipulation, so in that aspect their viability is "low."

the dice could be a "subject" in the sense that they could use further studying, but the statement itself was a very thorough investigation of their workings, so in that aspect their viability is "none."

the dice seem to influence their holder to roll them, or at least find more victims to roll them, and could therefore be described as a "catalyst" for someone's becoming. but, as seen in the statement, their owner can give the dice to someone else (albeit not without consequences), so in that aspect their viability is only "medium."

so what about the line following all this, what does "Recommend referral to Catalytics for Enrichment applicability assessment" mean? if we go by this interpretation, i'd say it could mean the institute wanted to find a way to make the dice even more potent as an artifact, maybe even remove that pesky ability for their owner to reject them.

imho all of this this brings a whole new level of context to the events of episode seven, of unknown violent agents going after an influx of objects that seemed straight out of artifact storage. was that the nature of the titular "magnus protocol" first mentioned in episode four, the one that involved the starkwall group? containing or destroying potential artifacts before the institute could get their hands on them?

it also makes their "gifted kids program," and sam's link to it as one of the kids being studied, all the more horrifying to think about. was it not just avatars in general they were after, but child avatars specifically? no wonder gertrude got so defensive over the possibility of sam and celia dragging gerry back into the institute's business last episode, we all picked up on her clearly knowing more than she's letting on but now we might know the shape of that information a bit better.

and one final bit of food for thought... this statement had a lot of familiar themes, didn't it? free will or the illusion of it, gambling and not-so-random chance, the statement giver being done in by one final hit from what feels like a bit of an addition... all hallmarks of a certain mother of puppets. doesn't it seem fitting that "chester" would use this kind of statement to warn sam about what harm pursuing the magnus institute could bring to him, considering the one his voice might draw from? and doesn't it seem so painfully ironic that his warning seems to have only driven sam further into that web?

[scaryeyeguy]

Had to draw dice guy

[lispunk]

so I went back and listened to tmagp episode 9

AS WELL OF THOSE OF ANY COMPANIONS??? OKAY LENA MR BONZO SEEMED HAPPY TO BE ASSIGNED SOMEONE TO KILL WDYM

HOW MUCH DOES LENA KNOW?????

AND TRY TO KEEP CALM !!!! I'M SURE SHE'LL BE CALM DOES HE KNOW HOW TO READ THO???

[acearchivist359]

so ….. a magnus institute statement … read by the voice of the archivist … unprompted … without sam doing anything ……….

i’m feeling very normal on this fine thursday

[cool-person-yey]

hey come look at this thing I found in my notes app

Yk what fucks me up about tmagp and tma?

Here's the thing. we Know that in tma it was going to end like that regardless of everything. The Web or whatever would find a way to put The Archivist in the " right " tracks. but there's still some things that maybe could've been better? we don't know for sure but— there were some deaths, some disasters that maybe could've been avoided. it's the maybe that gets you, because we're not sure but what if? it's the hopefulness of it all, the fact that even if it could've been better it'd still end the same.

But in tmagp from what we know for now, it seems like everything is a deliberate choice. if there's any spooky power bullshit happening we don't know yet, but the things that Sam is doing— researching about the institute, looking for leads, going to the Magnus Institute Manchester ruins for fucks sake— and not only him but the others, Teddy choosing to quit, Alice choosing to ignore everything, Gwen wanting to be "in", they choose to do it. and we know from past experiences that it's going to bite them in the ass later. and they're going to think I shouldn't have done that. I could've done that. why did I do that?

It's almost comical you know? How, regardless of if they had a choice or not, they're still going to be asking themselves the same questions.

[witchinatree]

making a list of my favorite quote/ones that stuck with me from each season 1 episode because i feel like it

(i'm starting this after episode 4 but it will be a WHILE before i post it)

episode 1: "bones are a lie peddled by Big Milk" - alice

i love this one because it's a great introduction to alice i think. also it radiates spiral so i hope we get avatar alice not dead alice (isnt there a podcast called alice isnt dead?)

episode 2: "If I wanted to clear the canvas, I would have used turpentine." - statement

this one was just fucking powerful and caught me so off guard like 😶

episode 3: "What would I do without her?" - statement

the norris statement <3 it feels like martin asking what he would do without jon which makes mag200 a lot sadder and i love them

episode 4: "Perhaps you shall prove a stronger will than I, and will yet find it within yourself to destroy this hungry thing of wood and cat-gut." - statement

augustus sighting #1 and we immediately get jonah magnus expressing that it may be possible for gwen bouchard unknown family member to overcome the eye's hunger spooky violin

episode 5: "Voyeur needs to be seen to be believed." - statement

i feel like this one is pretty reflective of how the seasons gonna go? like if you explain the events of tma (mag200 specifically) no one's gonna believe you, it must be seen to be believed!! and also seen!! like the eye!!!

episode 6: "Not sca- This isn’t some poxy blood test, some little pinprick, this is hundreds, thousands of razor sharp points pushing into your flesh." - needles

i love needles so much and i thought this was really funny because it was like "you dont find me scary!! what the fuck!!!" just kind of toddler michael energy

episode 7: "It’s not like we’re wrestling with tape recorders and manila folders." - celia

STOP IT. celia you can't say that you just cannot!!!!!! you Know™ too much maam i cant with you

episode 8: "Pleasure to meet you both. I’m Gerry!"

RAGHHHHH OH MY GOD GERRY!!!! i love him so much and idk how to handle him being alive in the tmagp universe!! gertrude too but idk we got so much of her in tma and not nearly enough of gerry

episode 9: "And honestly, it’s kind of compelling by this point." - sam

they got him 😔😔 the horrors got sam 😔😔 also i found this to be an interesting contrast to jon's heavy resistance in season 1 like he was being compelled but he wasn't going to let anyone know that vs sam "its kinda compelling to trauma dump on this paperwork :]" how is he somehow even more victim material

episode 10: "Gosh you’re sexy, here’s a twenty for your trouble.” - alice

does this count as a quote if shes also quoting what she thinks sam should say? idk anyway i love her i would say that to her if given the chance and it was very silly. i will not be addressing bonzo i am scared.

episode 11: "...Thank you, Alice" - gwen

dyhard dyhard dyhard dyhard dyhard. okay also, the way she CRUMBLED at the idea of anyone doing anything nice for her please someone give her a hug and let it be ME. this series is tossing me back and forth between sam & alice (what is their ship name) and dyhard but this put me back to dyhard

episode 12: "You know it's rude to have absolutely no game?" - alice

she's so fucking funny i need her to be okay so badly!!!! i don't think even tim made me laugh as much as she makes me chuckle and this one really got me. it's hard to write such a comedic character in a podcast since you only have the voice but they really nailed it i adore her

episode 13: "Is it my fault?" - gwen

each of these episodes just reveal a little bit more about how loving and soft gwen is and idk i love her so unbelievably much so seeing that she felt guilt about the bonzo stuff just made her so much more real :(

episode 14: "Christ, they’re in the walls…" - statement

theyre in the walls!!! theyre in the goddamn walls!!!!! anyway that got me because i realized the hole before the statement said it. made more sad than scared tbh

episode 15: "Babies are cool!" - alice this entire interaction between her and sam & celia was so awkward, she is so obvious and i love her anyway

episode 16: "It’s not like I was holding doors open for Mr Bonzo or anything." - gwen my wife is so so so stupid but i adore her AND this gives room for character development. i wish she did not do that though. i love when characters are flawed and have depth but i struggled to get past THIS flaw of hers

episode 17: "Thanks, I guess. Not exactly the same, though, is it?" - celia shes talking TO JON IN THE COMPUTER. SHE KNOWS. i lost my damn mind i love her i love her. get the gay people out of the puter please queen

episode 18: "Why would I need to talk to you? Your work is satisfactory. Unless you have a work-related issue I could assist you with?" - lena solidified my opinion that lena is the best boss to ever have, i adore her and i would want to work for her if she wasn't the boss of Creepy Establishment #1

episode 19: "You’re going to throw it in the fishtank, aren’t you?" - alice colin's behavior is like really worrying BUT i'm glad he's back. i was not convinced he was still alive

episode 20: "I suppose it’s too late for remorse, isn’t it? And why should I be sorry? This is what I deserve!" - ink5oul/statement they reminded me of jon a lot, like especially his season 3/4 transformation when he doesn't quite know everything but he knows he isn't who he was in season 1 anymore, i hope we see more of their life and they can be helped :(

episode 21: [Tape Recorder Bites Ink5oul] - audio description i know it's not technically a quote but this is just so fucking funny. why does it have teeth. what does this mean for the lore. holy shit.

episode 22: "Jonathan Sims and Martin Blackwood" - celia. knawing at the walls of my enclosure i am so not okay. i'm not okay. wtf. wtf. wtf. they're real. wtf.

episode 23: "I had a favorite mug. It said “love you, bitch” and had a picture of a drunk dog on it." - alice. okay i just love this entire interaction because gwen got to open up a little bit and my dyhard heart is so full

episode 24: "I am told that children like me, and I’ve always held the opinion that the world would be a better place if everyone just thought more." - basira. once again this whole interaction was so fun but like idk i loved hearing basira somewhat happy and in a safe place :] my wife <3

episode 25: " I am trying to help, to save us from this goddamned fucking nightmare machine!" - colin. MAN I REALLY WAS ROOTING FOR YOU!!! I WAS SO CONFIDENT YOU WEREN'T GONNA DIE!!!! it's over

episode 26: "I was worrying for a moment that you were Magnussing." - alice. MAGNUSSING BEING CANON MADE ME SAY IT EVEN MORE I'VE SAID IT LIKE TWICE ALREADY

episode 27: "You didn’t tell me the room was labelled, “Archivist.”" - celia. oooooh somebody's got TRAUMAAAAA LMAO

episode 28: "So you’re telling me you know nothing about an OIAR external contract being found with the bodies of two tattooed thugs who met rather grisly ends?" - TREVOR HERBERT???? anyway. ink5oul mention!!!!! i hope they stop killing people it's really rude

episode 29: "Alice, er… we’ve got to talk. It’s important." - teddy. i knew it was over for him but i didn't think it was gonna be THIS bad??? bye babe i guess??? 😭

episode 30: how do i even pick. the whole fucking episode. i can't. i am in a state of shock. i need to lay down for 30 years.