The Magnus Protocol Reviews: “Scrutiny”
“Scrutiny” Has Some Traumatic Real-World Horror
“Scrutiny” is a lore dump episode for fans of The Magnus Archives, that also happens to contain one of the most emotionally brutal statements in the whole season. It’s barely even supernatural.
And I have to say this first, if you’re reading this before listening to “Scrutiny,” mind those trigger warnings. Seriously. This one doesn’t allude to what’s happening like normal episodes—it uses the hateful language uncensored; it presents the situations without obfuscation. I’m not a woman, especially not a teenage girl in the world of social media and cyberbullying, so I’m limited in my direct experience. But, as far as I know and understand, this is only partially intensifying the inescapable cruelty girls (and women, even after they leave school) deal with.
The whole section is also only a few minutes long. “Scrutiny” really does do what I said. It presents some lore—then takes a break to be brutal—and returns to the lore. It’s weird. It’s kind of off-putting. I feel like maybe this shouldn’t have been the episode to have one or the other. People who want to re-listen to the story of what happened after the end of The Magnus Archives might not want to also re-experience someone being emotionally tortured into forming a self-harming desire to go back to the abusive scenario.
“Scrutiny” Didn’t Consider How Some Might Listen
But this is a review of the episode, so, let’s talk about that backstory. It’s really good. Logical. The ending of The Magnus Archives gave us hints that people were going after Avatars. Previous episodes like “Eliminations” hinted at the damage that occurred after having so many people suddenly return. But I had never considered the previous activities they were doing. I hadn’t considered the spatial issues. Hell, I had somehow forgotten that the apocalypse came from one specific country, and how that would have sprawling socio-economic consequences. I did love having it all laid out, but I honestly would’ve eagerly listened to a play-by-play story of the fallout. It’s almost like the plot of an old science fiction novel.
But I know that’s not exactly the point of Protocol. We have a new-ish story to attend to—and I imagine we will soon get those storylines rolling. I have been wanting answers, and I have gotten plenty from “Scrutiny.” So, I am satisfied. If the next few episodes want to just give us some more spooky tales that somehow tie to alchemy, that will be enough.
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