The Magnus Protocol Reviews: “Gut Feelings”

“Gut Feelings” Is Lacking Something In Its Scares

I didn’t like “Gut Feelings” all that much. I can’t say since “Pet Project” has an episode been this much of a dud. The premise is strong, the ideas—in theory—scary, and the writing certainly got across the ideas the episode wanted to achieve…but I just didn’t like it.

And I want to interrogate why. For myself, for your examination. Because I’ve liked some of the other gross episodes of Magnus. The Corruption—and this is obviously a Corruption episode—has been the subject of plenty of scary episodes. It’s not that alone that’s giving me such a negative perspective regarding “Gut Feelings.”

My main theory is one of focus. Because the opening had such promise. “Gut Feelings” has a strong character intro and a great framing device. I’d love for The Magnus Protocol to have more statements that revolve around news columns. It lends a natural reason for there to be a storytelling structure and frequent asides in the narrative. We get a sense of who this person is by how they choose to write.

And, up until the food was served, I was curious to see where the story was going. The implication that the diner is a roving establishment, appearing in different places to, well, devour poor souls, is fitting. The way it ensnares people through magical hunger is unique. But the whole purpose of “Gut Feelings,” clearly, is to deliver the nastiest descriptions of foodstuff that the writer could think up. And, for a moment, I was frozen with disgust at the description of that soup. Truly, what a horrible soup. But, by the time we got to the dessert—and the description decided to not tell us anymore—I realized that this food section was the whole point. And I was disappointed.

This Entire Episode Is An Excuse For One Moment

In hindsight, the only interesting thing I can even say about it is that this isn’t a usual statement. This is a domain. Like, exactly how they functioned back in The Magnus Archives. There’s an Avatar overseeing it—the chef—and there’s people trapped in it, and the point of it is to induce disgust in those trapped people. The whole idea of The Corruption is that disgust from bugs or disease or rot is a form of fear. And the whole mythology of this franchise is that the fear gods are always trying to produce fear, either directly or indirectly. The diner appearing like this in a world that maybe hasn’t always had the fear gods is interesting—and supports a few theories I’ve had in these articles.

But, like, that’s all outside this story. It’s extra context I have because this is a series I’m very familiar with. Otherwise, the main tale isn’t all that cosmic, it isn’t all that interesting, and it’s got some loose ends that don’t feel ominous, just neglected.

Before I wrap up, though, I should comment on the overarching characters’ narratives. It’s not a lot to cover. I like that we finally have a payoff for Colin’s plotline, but I wish we could’ve seen more of that story. What Colin went through seems like a genuine cosmic horror story happening entirely in the background. The mysteries of the computer voices, how the technology works, and why it’s so important to everything is a plotline I’d very much like answers for, and I hope this signals we’ll be getting that soon.

But a little section doesn’t redeem a whole episode. “Gut Feelings” is one of the weaker entries thus far. I don’t have any complaints on a technical or acting level. That’s all great. I just want more from a horror story than some truly disgusting food descriptions.             

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