#i forget how fucking good it is but i’m relistening and seriously it is one of the top 10 c1 episodes for SURE

[calliopetrichor]

ep 35 princess and the bastard literally most episode ever

[aflyingcontradiction]

The Magnus Archives Relisten: Episode 126 - Sculptor's Tool

Then Rosa made an off-colour joke about life drawing and getting – hands-on, and I forgot about it, but I still ended up going to the class. - Statement of Debra Madaki

I kinda like Rosa. I know nothing about Rosa, except she makes low-brow puns, but I kinda like Rosa.

Now, I’m not one to judge on appearances; I was the one who insisted Desmond still come to church after his operation

So, the statement giver is clearly one of those people who don't notice that they come across as giant fuck-off arseholes specifically when they explain how they're totally not giant fuck-off arseholes. Why, dearest Debra, the FUCK, are you acting like - erm - gracefully "allowing" someone to remain in the community even though they have - gasp - unseemly surgical scars shows how UNjudgmental you are.

It sort of – almost started out like a fish. But it just kept going and going, looping back and into itself, as if it was swimming through its own body. After a half hour, I had almost completely forgotten my own work, instead just staring at this serpentine structure that the dreadful man was building.

This may be the description in MAG that comes closest to making me feel how mesmerising the Spiral can be. Yeah, I'd be staring and forgetting my own work, too!

I know, it was an amateur class, and he was under no obligation to do exactly the work as instructed, but Ray was very clear with the rest of us that we were doing things in a specific order for a reason, and it was just a bit frustrating to see him nodding along to that awful man flagrantly disregarding what we were meant to be doing.

Okay, it's a bad sign when you're in a room with a being who literally feeds off people's fears and you come across as the worse person. MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS, DEBRA!

It made a noise that sounded like a scream heard through water and stretched out towards my mouth, which I’ll admit was hanging open in horror. If I hadn’t screamed and fallen backwards, I am sure the thing would have dived down my throat.

Oh yikes. There are some things you really don't want to accidentally swallow. Flies. Spiders. Creations of pure terror.

I was obviously taken aback at what had to be a really significant scheduling issue, but having a quick check of the timetable of classes, it looked very much like sculpting had always been on a Thursday, which didn’t make much sense to me, standing there in my dancing shoes and feeling like a fool.

Okay, I know this is a silly thing to focus on, but I feel that being told "No, you're wrong about your schedule, this has always been this way" would be genuinely fucking unsettling, especially when you're a very well-organised person, like Debra seems to be, and definitely wouldn't just randomly forget what day of the week a class was on. Like, I think I may have genuinely had nightmares with similar themes.

There was no sign of Mary. They still haven’t found her.

This is one of those "few words to reveal a deeper, surprising horror" moments that I love so much.

He coughed gently, and, well, I suppose it would have been rude not to look.

This is a very relatable thought process! So is Debra's later thing about "I would've run but that seemed rude." The number of times I've stayed in uncomfortable and occasionally genuinely frightening situations because I didn't want to come across as rude...

A door. “Perfect!” Gabriel told me. “It looks just like him!” I asked him if it was supposed to be a face and he told me yes. It was a good friend of his. I asked him who and he said they didn’t have a name. I told him everyone has a name, and he said his friend wasn’t like us, that having a name would only confuse them.

Okay, I'm aware we're talking about horrors beyond human comprehension here, but ... the Distortion has a friend! And that friend makes art for them! How sweet!

I got a letter, a week ago. It was from Gabriel. It said that he had found a new job, and he’d love it if I came up to assist him again. He’s working in a place called Sannikov Land. I looked it up. It doesn’t exist. And it sounds cold. I don’t think I should go. I’m not going to go.

Okay, I know it's revealed that in the end she DIDN'T go to Sannikov Land but my first reaction to this was definitely "Oh, she is SO going to go".

A Great Twisting, that Gertrude stopped at the cost of a single life. Hm... I thought moving away from my humanity would have made that seem more acceptable. That sort of sacrifice… But it just makes me sad. I remembered Gertrude’s notebook. We found it alongside the plastic explosives, but it rather got lost amongst the business of… saving the world at the cost of two lives - Jon

... damn. Jon seriously needs a hug. He's genuinely TRYING to be a good person, he's just not getting a lot of choice in the matter.

I don’t know, however, whether that was because she decided not to… or because shortly after this statement was given, they found the body of one Mary Randall in her basement, and she has spent the last nine years in Eastwood Park prison, where she remains to this day.

Now this was a genuinely surprising twist! Gave me shivers.

Martin: Really? I mean, it’s just admin. I-it’s not exactly thrilling listening.

I kind of love that Martin actually talks to the tape recorders as if they were human beings. It's cute. I mean, it's also a sign he really needs someone to fucking talk to because he is incredibly isolated thanks to Peter Fucking Lukas but hey, it's still kinda cute.

Martin: When all this is over, I’m telling him everything, with or without your permission. Peter Lukas: Martin, when it’s over, you won’t want to.

God, I want to punch Peter Lukas in his smug, condescending face so badly sometimes.

My impression of this episode

This isn't one of those episodes that stuck with me after listening, but the statement actually is delightfully unsettling and really well-written. It's actually one of the better statements for presenting the Spiral in its full glory, I think. And then that's immediately followed by a strong segment of Jon brooding subtly about morality and an even stronger segment of Peter and Martin being a) cryptic and b) infuriating that just left me going "I WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON. ALSO I WANT TO KICK PETER LUKAS'S ASS." I'm ... rather protective of Martin.

[somuchbetterthanthat]

OKAY. Slightly more coherent thoughts now. (only slightly.)

First off, no spoilers: GOD WHAT A GOOD EPISODE. The statement is good, the-everything-around is exceedingly, painfully, heartbreakingly good. Am I relistening to it again? You bet.

now, for my deep, deep screams of anguish and happiness 

= Again, a very good statement! I love the Spiral, and it sort of cracks me up that Gabriel was shaping a door and went “ha look just like him awesome!” I feel sorry for Deborah, though. 

- I’m glad to see that Melanie’s not alone. I’m glad to know Basira is with her, that she allowed someone at her side at least. I hope we can hear more feedbacks directly from them both at some point. If the tape recorders are back to their shenanigans, then that means we may catch some well-needed conversations between the two at some point!

- I have never loved Jon Sims more than since the beginning of season 4. Relistening to season 1 at the same time, the sheer DIFFERENCE in voice and attitude is - wow. How beautiful it is that, as he loses a little bit more of his humanity every day, he becomes more and more human? That sentence: “I thought moving away from my humanity.. would have made it more acceptable... that sort of sacrifice... But it just makes me sad.” killed me.

“I’ve been trying to.. check on Melanie... She refuses to see me... Understandably I suppose. It hurts of course...But I really hope it helps” J O N. 

“I can’t be late anymore.” God, Jon, Jon, Jon, Jon. JON. 

“I have so much to watch over” = the most Archivist sentence Jon has ever said yet probably

AND THEN MY HEART STOPPED AND I DIED BECAUSE OF THE WHOLE EXCHANGE BETWEEN PETER AND MARTIN. There is SO MUCH going on here, and I’m sure much smarter people than me will come up with so many clever and plausible theories as to what the hell is going on. Allow me to just scream and cry and generally make silly remarks because that’s all my brain and heart can take

 - Okay, Martin talking to the tape recorder like it’s a pet? Adorable, 100% endorsed, this is cute AND heartbreaking! Because Martin probably spends his day talking to inanimate objects! because he’s supposed to be “isolated!” 

- The parallel between Jon speaking about the tape recorders, the way they appear “for him”, the way he won’t try to turn them off because “they’re useful” and then the tape recorder turning on FOR MARTIN, and Martin immediately going “it’s because he’s back, isn’t it? He’s back so you’re going to be around again” G OD. 

- “You missed him, don’t you? Yeah... I miss him too.” BAM A SUDDEN PETER APPEARS “Which isn’t a great sign, if i’m completely honest”

- Peter “yeah, you still being very in love with Jon is very bothersome; i thought that him being dead and all that will damper your feelings a bit”

 ““A simple hello isn’t going to make a difference!” Oh. Martin. “If I could just explain”

“It needs to be you, Martin; you’re the only one who can possibly balance between the two” see this is the kind of sentence that clever fandom people are going to build whole fantastic theories about. FOR MY PART, it just gave me ideas about stories. 

- Look. There are a lot of more things to say about plot. I AM VERY INTERESTED IN THE PLOT! I really, really am. I’m so intrigued. I can’t WAIT to know more! 

- But really, this whole conversation? Is Peter being like “YOU CHOSE ME MARTIN KEEP BEING WITH ME BESIDES JON’S NOT EVEN THAT GREAT AN ARCHIVIST”

Like, seriously? Peter loves saying Martin’s name??? So much??? I didn’t count how many times he’s said it in one conversation but it was an awful lot. Screw presenting any member of this family, Peter Lukas wants Martin for himself.

He loves being like “Jon will be rash” “Jon is not very good at archiving U KNOW” (I love that Martin is having NONE OF IT btw, Martin your undying loyalty to Jon will be the DEATH OF PETER - I hope - and mine). Peter sounds like a man who is seducing another man’s husband by pretending it’s for “the greater good” and “it’s all work REALLY but also love me”

I’m just saying. 

(EDIT: HOW COULD I FORGET ‘it’s down to you and me! the dynamic duo!’ Peter is like, on edge of desperate attempts right there. Dude, Martin’s already agreed to your super shitty deal fuck off)

“I’ll explain everything to him... with or without your permission.” “Martin... When it’s all over, you won’t want to.” 

FUCK OFF PETER LUKAS. 

- And on that note, if Martin is being the head of the Institute’s “assistant” but the head of the institute is actually not bothering at all with running the thing himself AT ALL...

Does that make Martin by default the head of the Magnus Institute? Cause, I’m up for it. Take that, Elias.