The Magnus Protocol Reviews: “Terms and Conditions”

“Terms and Conditions” Has A Surprise Bonzo Plot

“Terms and Conditions” is an odd little episode. I’m unsure of the goal, to be frank. Besides the last two scenes, it’s just kind of mildly spooky stuff happening. Maybe that’s just a testament to how subtle the foreshadowing is, but I doubt there were that many big clues in the Bonzo section. It’s just Bonzo being Bonzo.

So, let’s temporarily skip that. Let’s go straight to the meta-plot part of “Terms and Conditions.” Because the sheer number of little moments sprinkled through Celia, Alice, and Gwen’s dialog is staggering. Celia referencing The Dark, The Buried, and The Corruption so casually is a great callback to her home dimension. Teddy talking to the camera gives us a small hint about who/what is doing all the spying that makes this series even possible. And Gwen talking about “balancing the books” is so Robert Smirke-coded that I can’t wait to see how that works in this universe—I assume it involves having the “Externals” kill specific people.

“Terms And Conditions” Drops Some Subtle Clues

Which does bring us back to the statement in “Terms and Conditions.” I said it doesn’t reveal much, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it—eventually. It was really hard to keep track of all the people talking who weren’t the main character, especially because they weren’t given any vocal differences, but once it launched into the monolog portion, it had a good rhythm. The framework of a serial killer who takes inspiration—and confirmed approval—from Mr. Bonzo is exactly the kind of weird that Magnus can supply. There are a lot of subtle implications done throughout that help keep it actually creepy. It reminds me a ton of “Saved Copy,” which also implies violence without needing to show it.

But it’s also got the same potential problems. Potential only. I don’t know how well this episode handles mental illness and trauma. I don’t know much about the psychological profile of serial killers and what things might cause someone to become one—but I always worry in stories like this about unintended victim blaming. The main character clearly went through some realistically bad stuff before they decided to kill people.

Besides that, though, the absolutely wonderful and jarring juxtaposition of cartoonish build-up in both music and increasingly mangled birthday cards paired with how murderous Mr. Bonzo is works as well as previous appearances. The investigations and mysteries of the OIAR, as long as we start getting some answers, are intriguing as always. And the quality of sound design and acting just adds to everything. I actually think I might end up revisiting “Terms and Conditions” someday, depending on how involved Mr. Bonzo is in the overall plot. Which, in hindsight, is such an odd thing to say—but I kind of love that.

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