The Magnus Protocol Reviews: “Rolling With It”

“Rolling With It” Is A Nostalgia Trip Of An Episode

“Rolling With It” is a throwback episode. It’s so much like a Magnus Archives episode on purpose. You can easily draw parallels to so many other statements in delivery and pacing. And, even without hearing the credits, it was obvious this was a Johnathan Sims-penned story. You don’t listen to 200+ episodes and review one of his novels and not get a sense of his style.

And, well, I’ve already made it clear I like classic Magnus Archives episodes. I love that podcast. “Rolling With It” wasn’t even close to the most frightening episode in either series, but it had a creative horror idea. The one felt very Web-focused. Sure, it’s not all about subtle manipulation, but it is about external control and the fear associated with that. It even deals with a supernatural form of gambling—and allusions to gambling addiction. That said, I can’t speak about how well it handles the real-world issue of gambling addiction. Those last few lines could really upset people if they’re not prepared for it.

Another aspect of “Rolling With It” that’s reminiscent of Archives episodes is how well it interweaves clues. It reminds me of when I noticed the name Leitner showing up over and over. Sure, it’s not as blatant as the stuff in “Give and Take,” but that’s not a bad thing. Both approaches work well, especially in tandem. The computer read aloud a Magnus Institute document right when Sam asked about things; that has to mean something. He just spent a ton of time feeding the machine details about himself.

There Are So Many Clues In Such A Short Runtime

On that note, “Rolling With It” has a ton of character moments for this cast. It hadn’t occurred to me that it would bother Alice to see her ex interested in another girl—the breakup seemed very amicable—but that makes total sense. It’s extremely understandable. Because of the format of the show, Archives took a long time to give us background data about its central cast, and I really like that we get to check in on this team more frequently.

Now, this might be my shortest review yet for The Magnus Protocol, but that’s not a negative outcome. There’s just not a lot to complain about, and what I liked is easy to explain. “Rolling With It” has great sound design, strong voice acting, and a well-plotted horror story. As long as all these disparate mysteries—and there are quite a few going at once now—have good enough payoffs, I like this episode a lot.  

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