The Magnus Protocol Reviews: “Circling Back”

“Circling Back” Is A Fantastic Mid-Season Episode

Well, somehow I predicted right. “Circling Back” contains a standard horror story. The fact it also has a pretty strong push on almost all overarching plotlines was just a bonus.

But those pushes are all steps taken. Setup. Not much has actually occurred yet. Alice is going to Berlin—but isn’t there yet. The security team subplot got folded back in—but we don’t know what that means. We kind of know why Colin died now, but the specifics are yet to be revealed.

The most interesting aspect, though—at least to me—is the one not explored that much. Freddie helped. Maybe. If Freddie’s intentions were to kill Alice, we already know how that could easily happen. So, whatever spying being is controlling the computer(s) is actively trying to get Alice to go somewhere, and gave her a warning about a monster’s whole thing ahead of time. Typing it out, it feels very much like The Web is involved somehow.

But the actual nature of the horror story, and the Externals vibe, is much more connected to The Stranger. The “Mr. Cat Eyes” is described uncannily in exactly the way I’d expected, and the weird little demon pig artifact is not only circus-themed, it even plays music. It’s not a calliope, but a music box still fits in the same vibe.

A Bit Of Established Iconography Shows Up Again

I suppose I should also comment on the effectiveness of the horror—though I’m too jaded to be actually scared by this. And, in that department, I liked this episode a lot. We get a mostly complete little horror story and great characterization. I fully believe this is how a little kid would react to the scenario. “Circling Back” actually briefly reminded me of Goosebumps, of all things, since the main plotline is a parent not believing a child about a creepy magical item. The only difference is the much, much more sad/creepy ending and there’s more gore. I don’t know if there’s some German urban legend or historical context to burning pigs or something that this episode is riffing on that adds more context, but “Circling Back” seems very firmly in the vein of a classic Archives episode—a contained horror scenario operating on its own internal logic—and that’s good by me. Though I do think jokes about the German language didn’t need to be in this episode. We shouldn’t make fun of how any language sounds.

Besides that, this was an easy listen with a lot of spinning plates easily balanced. Everything in this story informs everything else. That’s skillful. I’m honestly impressed. “Circling Back” may actually be one of the best-constructed episodes in the entire season, if not the whole show.   

Possibly Related Posts:

• Friday Fiction: This Dragon Prefers Bacon
• The Magnus Protocol Reviews: “Dependents”
• Doctor Who Episodic Coverage: “The Well”
• Friday Fiction: The Last Flight
• Doctor Who Episodic Coverage: “Lux”