The Magnus Protocol Reviews: “Keyed In”

“Keyed In” Does Not Hold Together As An Episode

“Keyed In” is a weird episode. Not a lot of it is explained or even seems to follow much of a plot. I more mean this for the anthology story, but even the other stuff is kind of odd for a Magnus Protocol episode.

The thing that irks me especially is the way the story just bends plot points to get the conclusions it wants. The plot needs Sam to rush to Hilltop, so he magically knows he needs to be there. It handwaves that being forced to give a statement didn’t kill him when it usually is lethal. I know I predicted that would be the case in my last article, but not being given an answer as to why right away just makes it feel off.

But the key story is where it really falls apart for me. The setup is strong. An older couple returns to where they left a lock symbolizing their love so long ago and instead finds a key. I expected the woman to somehow use the key to unlock the padlock—and for that to cause some magical horror. Kind of like how the dice worked in “Rolling With It.” But no, “Keyed In” wastes an interesting magical item.

There Is A Better Version Of This Horror Story Idea

Instead, we get this weird location that almost immediately starts to force the characters into contrived scenarios. I get that they weren’t seeing what was actually down there—it was some magical location like the one in “Gut Feelings.” But, like, the number of steps to make that one horror moment “work” was just absurd. And it didn’t work. It’s tragic and sad, but not particularly scary. And the rushed ending is just killing off another narrator in a potentially triggering way.

At least the little cliffhanger at the end of the overarching story was fun. Though, it maybe signals that the Archivist is also just traveling to Hilltop the same way—so the tension is a bit flat. But it does give us one race against time because Alice needs to get to Sam and Celia before something bad happens. Considering Hilltop likely has a hole in reality, the next episode is bound to be a memorable one.

In the meantime, though, I have to wrap up my coverage of “Keyed In.” And I feel I’ve made my case well enough to call it a bad episode. It’s got good character work in both stories and excellent voice work from all—but it’s not an episode I’d re-listen to. It’s not one I’ll likely remember for any other reason than it being weird.   

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• The Magnus Protocol Reviews: “Dependents”
• Doctor Who Episodic Coverage: “The Well”
• Friday Fiction: The Last Flight
• The Magnus Protocol Reviews: “Circling Back”
• Doctor Who Episodic Coverage: “Lux”