Everyone’s like “TMA but it’s a workplace comedy” as if Elias taking John through his return-to-work process after framing him for murder isn’t comedy gold.
@@koschei4716 I like to think she’s not officially employed there so there’s no weird binding thing with her. Sis is just here for her coin, no bullshit please Elias.
I just love how you can always hear the clock ticking when you're in Elias's office, so you know where you are. It's a small detail that I just noticed.
I’d likely catch it if I weren’t at work while listening. I work in an optometry lab and the equipment is extremely loud so I can already barely make out the words said lmao
I know, he even made sure the staff knew the truth as well. "Now that we're all gathered here, let me confess my latest sins of note and why I did it. Now we've got our archivist back and a new employee. Jon, you're back to work paperwork will be in the mail. Basira, welcome aboard. Daisy, you're an independent contractor for the library now. We'll be in touch."
Tim's comments throughout the whole exposition scene are hilarious. In love with, "don't do it", "yup, that sounds about right" and "you get used to it".
@@lorek33perandfriends47 all the characters skin colours are unconfirmed, every character could be black for all we know, people just usually imagine characters being of specific skin colours
@@hircenedaelentheir point is that only a white person would be blissfully unaware of the violence and corruption of the police. POC grow up being taught that the police are not our friends or our protectors. white people are told that they are.
I love how Elias went from "Bad boss because he's clueless and doesn't give a damn" to "Bad boss because he knows EVERYTHING and doesn't give a damn". 10/10 very punchable. Can't wait for Daisy to clothesline him with a chair.
@@nooneimportant7736 nah hes a 100/100 antagonist. he kills witouth remorse for his own ego but not entirely without reason. and those are the best type of villains
Honestly, Elias NEVER struck me as clueless. The statement in Dreamer with Gertrude dying in the Archives with all the tendrils engulfing her was enough for me to be sus of the Institute as a whole, and whatever was going on with the institute, Elias would have to know about it in some capacity. When he came in to warn Jon about not bothering the Lucas’ that basically sealed it to me that he had some sinister secrets.
The magnus institute has such predatory hiring procedures. Imagine skimming the papers you were signing for work and it was literally "You die if we file for bankruptcy ;)"
Elias is... weirdly nice to Jon at the end there. Elias: Yeah, I framed you for two murders and am currently controlling your every move watching you shower and such. Also Elias: You're doing great sweetie, I'll help you learn the ropes. Here are all your friends and your job back. And of course you're still human, but y'know what? I would still love you if you weren't. Elias is quickly becoming one of my favourite characters, and the fact that I'm not concerned by that is concerning. Edit: that humourless laughter at "I've had a hell of a week", oh man.
Seriously! Doesn't anyone else think that's the strangest thing??? Either Ben Merridith is so nice that he fails to play mean characters or Elias is secretly very sweet.
Elias is truly the personification of the phrase "Knowledge is power". I had my doubts since the confrontation with the fire lady, but yeah, now I'd choose knowledge 🧠
WAIT I JUST REALIZED. SO ELIAS SAID THAT JON CAN ONLY MANAGE ONE READING PER WEEK. AND THE EPISODES ARE RELEASED ONE PER WEEK. WERE BASICALLY LISTENING TO THIS UNIVERSES TAPES IN REAL TIME
And yet he pulled off at least 4 live statements back to back during worm quarantine. Which I doubt lasted a month. If he's 'starving' for statements, he can take a lot more.
i found the No Context TMA on twitter, and in the bio had this episode and the timestamp (7:06 for youtube, 7:37 for spotify, ya welcome) and i fucking lost it when i heard what it was, i didn't realise how thirsty everyone was for elias until then and it hit me like that copper hit elias
What I take from this: Elias is a cunning bastard, Martin with "JON IS HERE" :D, the Stranger wants to transform earth into a barbie world, Tim's dead pan comments, Melanie regretting her decisions, and Basira trying to save her girlfriend's ass. A normal day at the institute :)))
"watch the only person u care about die, ur last connection to humanity" 🥺🥺🥺 i......if anything happens to basira and daisy ill burn the archives down myself!!!
"Our world is made of choices Jon, and very rarely do we truly know what any of them mean, but we make them nonetheless." oddly insightful coming from elias
@@harrymason4300 dude, stop being politically naive and make dumb statements like this in the goddamn youtube comments of a horror-comedy podcast. Like, for your mental wellbeing, and the wellbeing of those around you, it's not healthy lmao.
"ELiAs hErE is AbOuT tO CoNfEsS hIs CrImEzzzzz. 🤪😜😁" Edit: I realized it was John saying this but in the moment I got confused and thought Elias was referring to himself in third person and having a mental breakdown in the heat of the moment being confronted by everyone but realized this was not in character and it's really Jon who's obviously the one having a breakdown here.
the dialogue in this is... top notch. love that we're leaning harder on eldritch horror right now, or at least it feels like it. makes sense the stranger and the eye wouldn't get along. I wonder if we're gonna get any statements detailing an encounter with the horrors of the eye, though, I guess it's not likely to encounter or interact with anything. Elias saying that Jon only heard one a week makes me chuckle nervously a bit, as someone who's gotten to... 60-70 statements in the past three days. whoops
I love Martins: "John DO something!" I mean what is he supposed to do? All he ever managed is getting attacked by everyone around him and through some luck or divine intervention surviving. He is the most useless person to stop anything or anyone.
Though I agree I will also say that he doesn't really have any power to do anything. He did make some stupid decisions (hello, web table), but he did have valid excuses for that (his child trauma/not!Sasha's magic messing with him/ no other options being available)
You know what I really admire about Elias as an antagonist is that he can be sitting down while you are lording over him with a gun in his face, and still he has the unceasing advantage. When I pictured Elias giving Daisy's statement, I pictured him staring off into the distance, never once emoting, never shaking, never ceasing. When I pictured him here giving the statement, he's not looking down at a paper, he's still just staring ahead, knowing it entirely already. He could be taunting, he could be mocking, he could be rubbing it in everyone's face that he's not to be stopped, but he's not. He's only just there, knowing and presenting the truth and the lies. He is absolutely untouchable. He is a sink of knowledge and some kind of power, but the sink is flat on the top. We have no idea how far it goes down
The true horror that seems to be unfolding to me is how humans are as equally monstrous as any of the eldritch gods lurking at the edges of this reality. And Elias absolutely reeks of one. Originally, I felt that it is even less excusable because he is/was human as opposed to an eldritch being, but then I remembered that "monster" and "human" were never mutually exclusive things, and that is terrifying.
"Jonah Magnus did leave him in that place, Jon. He got the letter. And was on good terms with Mordecai Lucas. He could have saved him. But he did not." that feel when listening from the future and hearing Elias read this ;O_O
HUGE SPOILERS The "his bones are still in my office" like damn that was not subtle at all. And the way he's addressing Jon in this tape, like he Knows he'll listen to it later. He wanted Jon to understand his motivations from the start. DAMN relistening to this show is a treat.
"Should I or the Institute be destroyed, you will all unfortunately follow suit." "Yep, that sounds about right." Tim isn't even surprised, a edlritch being could into the Institute and Tim would be like 'Another day at the job.'
He's probably just an oblivious white dude😂 not to mention he's in the closet too so he wouldn't have experienced any police brutality on that part either
He's probably just an oblivious white dude😂 not to mention he's in the closet too so he wouldn't have experienced any police brutality on that part either
It's personally hard for me to distinguish sometimes tbh. For a moment i thought Jon was calling the police to arrest Elias, which was really odd before he stated his name.
I felt the sight of everyone’s face when Martin said Police don’t do that! I don’t know if I should laugh or just pat Martin on the shoulder with an “Oh buddy…”
Elias is such a piece of shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit I love him, you can literally see the bastard smile he wore during all this briefing ! "It tried to kill Jon, then Leitner killed it, and I killed Leitner" so casual I swear he has become my favorite character in the span of ten episodes
This radiates big *does a horrible mistake* *Elias materialises behind him* "See? NOW you're not human." *screams in agony* vibes and I'm not sure if I hate it or love it
Help i have fallen in the elias thirst pit and cant get up. Calling the police in advance on daisy??? Leaving tapes for future jon like a weirdly friendly mentor? Hires people on the spot in a soulbinding contract but still cares about return-to-work forms and probably provides good benefits???? TI N G L Y??? 1000/10 would sell my soul
This episode has changed the way I view Elias. I at first thought he was some evil mastermind out to discover some hidden secret and gain power. Now I see him as a man who knows more than any human could comprehend, doing everything he can to stop this "Stranger", disregarding any emotional toll he causes his underlings. He may still be a mastermind, but he might not be the villain I originally thought him to be... I really like where this is going. I can't wait to find out more!
I love the reference to Shelley's Ozymandias in the title! I was really happy when I realized that it was probably intentional, with the references to Egypt and Ramses II.
The way Elias just effortlessly manipulates everyone around him is so impressive but also what a bastard. Like he just got everyone under his thumb in one fell swoop like it was nothing. This guy is a force to be reckoned with, but the fact that Jon also serves the Eye means he might be able to match his abilities with enough time.
A couple things I love ❤ 1. Elias being a conniving cheeky bastard 2. Melanie and Martin being rightfully confused about everything (love the little “oh!good?” “Bloody hell!” “Weren’t you going to arrest him?” From Mel and the confused and baffled stuttering of Martin) 3. Tim’s audible sighs of a man whose realizing some terrible truths.
[CLICK] [SOUND OF TELEPHONE BEING HANDLED - THREE KEYPRESSES, THEN IT RINGS] OPERATOR 999, what’s your emergency? ELIAS Police, please. OFFICER Hello. ELIAS Yes, I’m calling to report a crime in progress. OFFICER Sir, are you in any immediate personal danger? ELIAS Ah, y-yes, not immediately, but I will be shortly. OFFICER Sir, where are you calling from? I need - ELIAS Could I speak to your Chief Inspector, please? Tell her Elias Bouchard is calling. Of the Magnus Institute. OFFICER Oh, er… Sure. ELIAS Thank you. [SOUND OF PEN ON PAPER WHILST WAITING] CHIEF Chief Inspector Kaugery. ELIAS Ah, yes, er, good afternoon. Er, sorry to bother you. I believe you’re looking for Detective Alice Tonner? CHIEF Do you know where she is? ELIAS I do, yes. Er, she should be here in about fifteen minutes. CHIEF I’ll send some officers over immediately ELIAS That would be wonderful. Much appreciated. [PUTS PHONE DOWN] [FINISHES WRITING, COVERS PEN AND PLACES IT DOWN] [STEADYING BREATH] Statement of Barnabas Bennett, as given in a short letter to Jonah Magnus. April 9th, 1824. ELIAS (STATEMENT) My dear Jonah, You must help me. If anyone is still here, it is you. I know your work brings you into contact with all sorts of fantastical terrors, so perhaps you might have it within your power to save me from this place. And it was you who warned me not to cross Mordechai Lukas. Advice that I have, I’m afraid, disregarded. It was a small enough thing, as I believed. A trifling debt I fell behind on. And when he met me in that garden, quiet as it always is with him, he demanded repayment. Well, I took it poorly, and laughed at his insistence. “Bring it before the courts,” I told him. After all, what judge would find in his favour over mine? He simply regarded me silently for many minutes, staring with such a cast to his face that I could feel my resolution beginning to falter. “You shall pay me,” he said at last, “in kind.” Then he walked away. Let me tell you, Jonah, I believed myself profoundly lucky that day as my hansom deposited me on the steps of my townhouse, a mood only slightly shaken by the impression that, as the cab pulled away, it seemed to have no driver that I could discern. I am lucky, Jonah, but only insofar as that I never married. Never fathered children. Never let anyone get closer than my brother. The pangs of loneliness I feel are no more acute than my general longing for the company of my fellow man. I have no-one whose absence truly pains me. And yet here, in this empty world, I cannot but spend these nights, these dreadful, silent nights, huddled and frozen in some terrible fear I find myself unable to name. I almost think I hear the mocking joy of my friends, but there is nobody here, and never shall be again. I try to read, to lose myself in something that is not the absence of humanity. How is it that the books speak to me of my isolation more acutely than the silence? For every treatise I read on this world and its workings, the more I know I am to spend my time left in it without comfort or reprieve. With every tale of love or society I feel more keenly the absence of both. I went to Egypt once with the Royal Society, to the temple of Ramses the Second in Abu Simbel. The place was remarkable, of course, but what sticks so keenly in my mind is the journey. Two days earlier, on the road from Aswan, I found myself separated from my fellow travellers. I do not not how it happened, but I spent two hours alone there, under the blazing sun, staring across the vast empty expanses of that ancient country. I revelled in the silence, then, embraced the loneliness like an old friend. But now that friend has devoured me, and I shall not emerge from its jaws. Not without your help. And you must help me, Jonah. If anyone knows of what might break me from this dreadful place, it is you. I know that what is done by those I cannot see might be felt here - I have found glasses broken and pages torn that were not so the night before. It is my hope that if I leave a letter here, in your institute, you might find it, you might be able to save me. I have no other hope. Please, Jonah, if you have any compassion within your heart, you will not leave me in this place. Your loyal servant, Barnabas. ELIAS Jonah Magnus did leave him in that place, John. He got the letter, oh yes, and was on good terms with Mordechai Lukas. He could have interceded, perhaps even saved him, but he did not. And it was not out of malice, or because he lacked affection for Barnabas Bennett: he retrieved those bones sadly enough when the time came. Bones that you can still find in my office, if you know where to look. No, it was because he was curious. Because he had to know, to watch and see it all. That’s what this place is, John, never forget it. You may believe yourself to have friends, to have confidantes, but in the end, all they are is something for you to watch, to know, and ultimately to discard. This, at least, Gertrude understood. [SIGHS CONTENTEDLY] Let us begin. [FOOTSTEPS ECHO AND THE DOOR OPENS] MARTIN Uh, sorry to interrupt, er, J-John’s here! And he’s - well he’s - He seems - He seems angry. Um, [splutters] I actually think he’s brought a coup - DAISY Bouchard. BASIRA Easy. ARCHIVIST Hello, Elias. ELIAS Goodness, John. Whatever happened to your hand? And your neck? DAISY [Satisfied smirk] That one was me. ELIAS You look a mess. ARCHIVIST [Chuckles] I’ve had a hell of a week. ELIAS Martin, would you be so good as to fetch Melanie and Tim. I think it would be worth their time to be here.
MARTIN Er. R-Right. Okay. I’ll just… what, go then? [FOOTSTEPS, THEN DOOR CLOSES] DAISY Okay. Let’s do this. BASIRA Er, John? Do you… You want to get this on tape? ELIAS No need, Basira. I’ve already got one running. Now, you have something to ask me? BASIRA Go for it. DAISY Before I strangle the grinning bastard. ARCHIVIST Elias. Did you kill Gertrude Robinson? And Leitner? ELIAS [PLEASURED EXHALATION] That’s… That’s quite nice, actually. Tingly… but sort of freeing. [Chuckle] You know, even Gertrude never properly tried to compel me. I always wondered - BASIRA Just answer the question. DAISY Or don’t. ELIAS Oh, no need to worry about that. I just feel it’s only fair to wait for your colleagues, John. They’ll want to hear this too. Uh, it’s also very important to me, in a personal capacity, that you understand I’m answering you of my own free will. ARCHIVIST [Angry] I don’t care! ELIAS I know, but I do. There’s so much of this place, of ourselves, twisted by forces far beyond us. I just wanted you to know - [DOOR OPENS] MARTIN Uh, okay, okay, so I’ve got everyone, but I’m honestly kind of lost as to what’s happening. TIM [Speaking over Martin] Yeah, I… Oh, Christ, what is it now? MELANIE Er, yeah, same question, please. ARCHIVIST [Snarling] Elias here is about to confess his crimes. TIM What? MELANIE Oh. Good? MARTIN Is, is that like, er… ELIAS Yes, I was just saying to John. It’s very important to me you understand that no action I have taken has been controlled. I have done everything because I wished to. DAISY Get to the point. ELIAS [Sighs] Of course, Detective. So. For the avoidance of any doubt. I killed Gertrude Robinson because she intended to destroy the Archives. And I killed Jurgen Leitner because he was… an unnecessary complication. Likely to tell John too much, too early. MELANIE Bloody hell! TIM Oh, no. MARTIN So-So-S-Sorry, that guy was Jurgen Leitner? ELIAS It was. BASIRA Daisy, where do I know that name from? DAISY Oh, the Yousuf case. An Introduction to Higher Anatomy. BASIRA Ah… Oh, god! And you killed him? You sure we shouldn’t be giving him a medal? ARCHIVIST Very sure. MARTIN And Sasha? Did you kill her too? ARCHIVIST Sasha died almost a year ago, Martin. MARTIN Wh-What? TIM Oh, god. ARCHIVIST When Prentiss attacked, something else, it… it… it replaced her. I still don’t know how, but - TIM Goddamn it! This is… [dejected, exasperated sigh] MARTIN [Splutters incomprehensibly] It wasn’t… Sasha? ELIAS He’s right, Martin. The thing you remember as Sasha was nothing like her. It toyed with your memory. If I showed you a picture of the real Sasha now, you’d have no idea who it was. MARTIN So that thing we saw…? ELIAS Precisely. It finally tried to kill John. Then Leitner killed it. Then I killed Leitner. And I believe that brings us up to date. More or less. ARCHIVIST What about Michael? ELIAS What about him? An irritant. Interfering because he’s bored, and he resents us. He has no purpose - DAISY Right. That’s enough for me. Even got it on tape. Everyone get back. [SOUNDS OF CONSTERNATION AS DAISY DRAWS A GUN] MARTIN What? BASIRA Daisy, wait. DAISY Out the way.
MELANIE Now hang, hang on, I thought you were about to arrest him. DAISY Get out the way! MARTIN John, do something! [INTERCOM BUZZES AND ELIAS CHUCKLES] DAISY Don’t. ELIAS … Excuse me. [RINGING THAT CEASES UPON KEYPRESS] Yes? ROSIE (INTERCOM) Elias, there are some police officers here to see you? ELIAS Ah, yes, thank you Rosie. Er, could you ask them to wait a minute or two? ROSIE (INTERCOM) Yep, will do. ELIAS There. That should make it even easier for you. Right, Detective? I know you were planning to kill me, but surely an arrest is a consolation prize? [DAISY’S QUIVERING FRUSTRATION IS AUDIBLE] BASIRA Daisy? ELIAS Oh, didn’t she tell you why she hadn’t gone back to the station? Allow me. She rightly suspected that I held evidence of various murders she had committed, and that I sent this to her superiors. DAISY … ELIAS She’s quite the killer, your partner. All in the public good, of course. And she was correct, I spent some time acquiring that evidence. Or creating it. And while your superiors don’t much care about the killings, the fact there is proof… They’re not happy. And they want you brought in. DAISY Heh. So I kill you, and go to jail. I’ll take that deal. ELIAS For someone who used to be a detective, you’re remarkably reluctant to think things through. You think you’re the only police officer eager to do violence and call it justice? No, there are plenty of other rabid dogs out there, mad with the hunt. And some of them have signed a Section 31. There are plenty of others your superiors can call on to clean up this mess. BASIRA Er… they wouldn’t. DAISY Yeah. They would. ELIAS And anyone close enough to be implicated. They will kill Basira. MARTIN Okay, wai-wai-wai-wait, that’s the police that you’re talking about! Okay, they… they wouldn’t… Would they? DAISY I’m sorry, Basira. BASIRA Yeah. ELIAS If the officers down there take you away… Oh, but perhaps I was wrong when I called them. Maybe it was a false alarm. DAISY What do you want? ELIAS Collateral. [PAPER IS PUSHED ACROSS THE DESK] DAISY That… What? ELIAS A contract of employment. For Basira. BASIRA Uh? MARTIN What? ARCHIVIST Oh, no… ELIAS Sign it, and I’ll send your ex-colleagues on their way. DAISY Basira, I… TIM Don’t do it. BASIRA There. ARCHIVIST Oh damn it. ELIAS Hmm. [PUSHES BUTTON] False alarm, Rosie. Could you apologise to the officers for me, and thank them for their time. ROSIE (INTERCOM) Oh. Um. Alright… DAISY So… what, you’re her boss now? Is that supposed to stop me? ELIAS Yes. MELANIE Um, I mean, she’s still got a gun? ELIAS Ah, of course. Er, sometimes I forget how new you all are to this. Basira is now tied to the Institute. All of you are. Like fingers on a hand. And I am the beating heart of it. Should I, or the Institute, be destroyed, you will all, unfortunately, follow suit. MELANIE Wait, what? TIM Yup, that sounds about right.
I'm sorry, but Basira being Daisy's 'last connection to humanity' probably hit me harder than it should. Now I wanna know what happened between those two.
This is probably my new favorite episode. It wasn't as scary as the season 2 finale with Not!Sasha being her awesome horrifying self but it was definitely more suspenseful and nervewracking for me to hear about everything that Elias is actually involved in (like Gertrude's murder, the Eye, and Michael). Definitely like these episodes when they throw a bunch of info at you all at once.
