The Magnus Protocol Reviews: “Social Stigma”

“Social Stigma” Is The Protocol Episode I Wanted

“Social Stigma” is a great episode that not only entertains by itself but redeems the previous episode “Hard Reset.” I like to think of them as a two-parter now. We get a ton of buildup to that strange Isaac Newton stuff, and then a payoff with an extended conversation.

Which actually revealed to me something I didn’t know about my own fan enjoyment: I like Magnus media when it’s just conversations. There are a few episodes, especially in later seasons of Archives,that consist almost exclusively of that. And these were always strong episodes for me. There are a lot of chances for good interplay.

And the other type of episode I pretty much always enjoy is origin story episodes. Avatars or otherwise. Leitner’s episode is a favorite of mine. And “Social Stigma” is Ink5oul’s origin. I just don’t know what Dread Power is involved yet—if, indeed, there’s only one. And though I can’t say I was ever scared by any of Ink5oul’s tale, I can say I was fascinated and engaged the entire time. There’s something so potent about how the Magnus shows describe that fall in monstrousness. The moral self-horror about what was always in someone’s nature, just given a chance to be wielded. This might honestly be my favorite of the ones we’ve gotten, even, except maybe Helen’s.

This episode has even more to offer, though. It’s got a really deep look at what internet fame means to someone. The desperation of being wanted—and how people can get very brutal in their attempts to maintain that. If it wasn’t for supernatural tattoos, this would’ve made for a fairly harrowing and plausible tragic tale. It’s great writing.  

“Social Stigma” Has Phenomenal Dialogue Writing

It’s such great writing, actually, it begs a negative question about Protocol. A thing I like about Protocol is that it flits about with its narrators and locations. A lot can happen in an episode. We don’t have to always wait through a statement to get further information. That marks it apart from Archives in a good way, both just overall and in making it feel like its own project. But “Social Stigma” only does two things—two extended conversations, propelled by fantastically layered voice acting, with some excellent uses of background noises to accentuate a scene—and it’s instantly one of the best episodes in this series and a strong top-fifty for all of Magnus canon. So, should it always be like this? Is it a mark against episodes that aren’t like this? Should I consider other entries cursed with untapped greatness, if only it had narrowed storytelling? I don’t know. It’s a weird question to ask about an anthology series or art in general, but it’s a fascinating byproduct of doing an episodic review series that such questions arise.

It obviously doesn’t diminish this episode, though. As I’ve stated: this episode is great. Phenomenal, even. I will re-listen to it, even if—somehow—I don’t end up liking the series overall. Ink5oul is a great villain, and I love when Gwen interacts with “Externals,” and Alice, Sam, and Celia are fantastic main leads. I’ve got no complaints.   

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