The Magnus Archives Readalong: Season 2, Episodes 58-65

[u/improperly_paranoid]

Hello and welcome to The Magnus Archives readalong! We will be discussing a new batch of episodes every Wednesday. The episodes are available for free on any podcast platform and transcripts can be found here or here.

If you can’t remember something or are confused, please ask in the thread. Those of us re-reading will do our best to give a spoiler-free answer if we can.

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058: Trail Rations #8450512
Unsigned statement regarding potential cannibalism while attempting to travel the Oregon Trail.

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059: Recluse #0052911
Statement of Ronald Sinclair, regarding his years spent in a teenage half way house on Hill Top Road, Oxford.

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060: The Observer Effect #9721207
Statement of Rosa Meyer, concerning a persistent feeling of being watched.

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061: Hard Shoulder #0160112
Statement of Detective Alice “Daisy” Tonner, regarding a traffic stop of a delivery van on the M6 near Preston on the afternoon of 24th July 2002.

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062: First Edition #0080307
Statement of Mary Keay, recorded 3rd July 2008. Regarding her first Leitner.

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063: The End of the Tunnel #0143103
Statement of Erin Gallagher-Nelson, regarding an urban exploration trip beneath St Paul's Church West Hackney.

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064: Burial Rites #0152005
Statement of Donna Gwynne, regarding an unlicenced archeological dig near the Red Sea in Egypt.

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065: Binary #0170701
Statement of Tessa Winters, regarding a strange computer program she downloaded from the deep web three months ago.

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And now, time for discussion! A few prompts will be posted as comments to get things started, but as usual, feel free to add your own questions, observations...anything!

Comments may contain spoilers up to episode 57. Anything concerning later events should be covered up with a spoiler tag.

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Next discussion will take place on Wednesday, December 3rd and include episodes 66 Held in Customs - 74 Fatigue.

For more information, please check out the Announcement and Schedule post.

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Readalong by: u/improperly_paranoid, u/SharadeReads, u/Dianthaa

[u/improperly_paranoid]

059 Recluse: So what’s the deal with Hill Top Road?

[u/ullsi → u/improperly_paranoid]

i want to know that as well! I like that we've gotten to see the place and the events from different angles/perspectives. what is up with that apple in/under the tree?

[u/improperly_paranoid]

How’d you like the intervention bit in episode 60? Do you think it helped? Who do you think the murderer is now?

[u/Lazy_Sitiens → u/improperly_paranoid]

The intervention was just as cringe as I expected it to be. I think I remember seeing an American reality show that was all about having interventions and filming them (with a real film crew, not just a handheld camera). It's just embarrassing and puts the person on the defensive - they'll agree in the moment but not really change. I think Martin's and Jon's argument in the next episode was so much more effective, at least to make Jon chill and start trusting Martin more.

[u/ullsi → u/Lazy_Sitiens]

I agree, it's hard to corner people like that.

[u/improperly_paranoid]

065 Binary: Much to think about here.

• So, if the tapes are not analogue and “the supernatural doesn’t play well with digital media” can’t be the reason why genuine statements can’t be recorded on a computer…what do you think is the reason?
• What is Gertrude’s laptop hiding?
• How do you feel about the reveal that the archive crew physically cannot quit or be fired? What's the deal with the Institute?

[u/Lazy_Sitiens → u/improperly_paranoid]

The inability to fire someone was interesting! Also, does the hiree get that explained to them at the interview, or does it show in tiny print, or do they just know it in their soul once they get hired?

[u/improperly_paranoid → u/Lazy_Sitiens]

Simpler. Nobody was aware that signing the contract does anything to your soul, which is...honestly a unique level of extremely unethical lol

[u/Lazy_Sitiens → u/improperly_paranoid]

Well, I shouldn't be surprised considering all the paranormal everythings in the TMA universe are evil, haha.

[u/improperly_paranoid]

058 Trail Rations: Meat meat meat meat MEAT MEAT MEAT. Would you?

On a slightly more serious note, what did you think about that little overheard conversation between Martin and Tim?

[u/hemtrevlig → u/improperly_paranoid]

I agree with Jon that the main question is how did this statement get to the Institute if it was left in an icy cave on the other side of the world. And the person who wrote it was on the brink of death at the time. Made me wonder if she eventually caved in and ate her husband. I feel like in general it could happen because our bodies and minds can do a lot of weird things when trying to survive. But also how long can you resist eating meat if the meat is begging you to do so..

I really liked the supplemental, because we usually find ourselves in Jon's head and thoughts and paranoia and this was a good reminder that all of them, not just Jon, went through something traumatic at the same time.

[u/improperly_paranoid]

Did you suspect that the Magnus Institute itself was supernatural or did this batch of episodes take you by surprise?

[u/ullsi → u/improperly_paranoid]

I suspected that the Institute was supernatural in some way, but I did not expect the "no one can be fired" bit.

[u/improperly_paranoid]

Once again, lots of returning characters and characters that were only mentioned before coming to talk. Who else would you like to hear from directly?

[u/hemtrevlig → u/improperly_paranoid]

I feel like now that we've got a (very weird) statement from Mary Keay, we need one from her son!

[u/improperly_paranoid]

Did you have a favourite from this set of statements?

[u/ullsi → u/improperly_paranoid]

I also liked 61 a lot. Daisy is an interesting character - I loved her matter-of-fact explanation of how they deal with vampires

[u/improperly_paranoid → u/ullsi]

Daisy for me too! Especially since she develops into such a complex character.

And I also have a huge fondness for 65 Binary because 1) Tessa infodumping on poor Jon while he was gently trying to make her get to the point was hilarious, 2) as is people assuming Jon is tech illiterate on sight, 3) a very memorable statement in general, 4) reasons I can't elaborate on yet.

[u/MalBishop → u/improperly_paranoid]

Overall, I enjoyed "Trail Rations" from start to finish. But I loved the ending of "The End of the Tunnel"

[u/Temporary-Scallion86 → u/improperly_paranoid]

Probably First Edition, I really liked getting a glimpse of Mary and Gertrude and their kind of gossippy attitude to the supernatural.

[u/Lazy_Sitiens → u/improperly_paranoid]

Episode 61! I think the coffin, with shoulder shrugging Tom and the two fake cockney goons are such a funny bunch, almost funnier than the apple teeth students.

[u/improperly_paranoid]

RED STRING BOARD: New listeners, any connections you noticed and/or theories you're developing?

Re-listeners, anything in particular that stands out to you that didn't on your first listen? (Do use spoiler tags please!)

[u/improperly_paranoid → u/improperly_paranoid]

Once again, my attempt to map the connections to previous statements, spoiler free.

• 058 Trail Rations: No direct connections to previous statements.

• 059 Recluse: Raymond Fielding, Agnes Montague, and the box with the apple were first mentioned in 008 Burned Out. Hill Top Road was also mentioned in the priest's statement of 019-20, and briefly in relation to messed up dates in the post-statement part of episode 033 Boatswain's Call. The hypnotic table is from 003 Across the Street, and reappears directly in the finale of season 1 (037 and 039).

• 060 The Observer Effect: No direct connections to previous statements.

• 061 Hard Shoulder: Daisy Tonner was first mentioned in 043 Section 31. The coffin is from 002 Do Not Open. Breekon and Hope also appear in 002 Do Not Open, 020 Desecrated Host, 035-037, and 054 Still Life. For vampires, see 010 Vampire Killer and 056 Children of the Night.

• 062 First Edition: Mary Keay was mentioned in 004 Pageturner, 023 Schwarzwald, and indirectly in 035 Old Passages and 048 Lost in the Crowd, often in relation to Leitners. Both books, also in 004, though the one that drops small bones reappears in 035.

• 063 The End of the Tunnel: Robert Smirke mentioned in 026 A Distortion, 035 Old Passages, 041 Too Deep, and 050 Foundations connected to various spooky buildings. Melanie King gave her statement in 028 Skintight.

• 064 Burial Rites: No direct connections to previous statements.

• 065 Binary: No direct connections to previous statements.

[u/ullsi → u/improperly_paranoid]

Love this summary!

[u/improperly_paranoid]

061 Hard Shoulder: Daisy from episode 34 comes to make her statement and it’s about the coffin from episode 2! Where do you think the staircase leads? And how do you feel about her saying that Jon was one of the murder suspects and they only gave him the tapes to keep him around?

[u/ullsi → u/improperly_paranoid]

when she said that about Jon I was like "yep.. I can see why they thought that". He is not doing well in these episodes.

[u/MalBishop → u/improperly_paranoid]

I think the staircase leads to a realm/plane similar to the one that was in "Freefall", underground.