Which Protocol episode has been your favorite to record so far? If you have one.
The Season 1 Epilogue.
There’s just so much amazing writing, sound design and emotion packed into such a short and (horrifyingly) sweet episode.
The recording session was the only evening session I’ve done as we had to reschedule for me to make it. And honestly, being there in my room on a rainy evening dialled in with Anusia, Alex and April was perhaps the most content I’ve elver felt in my life.
Gentle reminder that when you talk about podcasts on the Rusty Quill network, remember that the shows are created and produced by independent groups, not RQ themselves. The network is a great tool to uplift these smaller creators, so as listeners, let’s do our part in supporting them as well!
Thank you for your patience while I worked on these! This is an analysis of Magnus Archives MAG 7, The Piper. One of the best-written episodes in the series. Pure poetry.
Facts: Statement of Seargent Clarence Berry regarding his time serving with Wilfred Owen during World War One. Statement given November 6, 1922.
Statement Notes: "Hey you know Wilfred Owen? The famous poet Wilfred Owen? The guy whose poems you had to read in class Wilfred Owen? Yeah, what if he was possessed? Wouldn't that be fucked?" -Jonny Sims at the Rusty Quill pitch meeting.
In all seriousness, this episode is incredible. The description of the three faces of war is so detailed, yet so brief. I want to take a little time to explore each face and set of arms.
The First Face: "One to play its pipes on scrimshaw bone." This line is apparently where the title "The Piper" comes from. As the story goes on, both Berry and Owen describe hearing strange music. This seems to be the "song of war" that the Piper plays, signaling a truly gruesome battle. This song doesn't necessarily warn off or compel the soldiers, but seems to do a bit of both. A war song doesn't just encourage a soldier to fight, but also warns an enemy. Wilfred Owen believes this being is The War itself, therefore its song should encourage violence from all sides, but also instill a deep fear in every soldier.
To me, this face fits with the hand raised "in a crisp salute." Reminding me of MAG 163, this hand and face prevent a false majesty and honor to war. This face tells the soldiers fighting is good, they will be rewarded, they will be valued. But of course, underneath its muddied green coat, all that the War has is a scarred and bloody body. "Nothing remained but the wounds themselves."
The Second Face: I've chosen to associate the face that "screamed its dying battle cry" with "the arms gripping blades and guns and spears." This face seems to represent the adrenaline violence and war brings, even as it kills you. I've always thought adrenaline not as good or bad, but creating more tangible and real emotions than other things can.
The Third Face: "One that would not open its mouth, for when it did blood and sodden soil flowed out like a waterfall." I associate this face with the hands begging for mercy. Clarence Berry is under 22 when this statement takes place, and (the real) Wilfred Owen would be between 22-24. These are practically children. They are going to die. They are going to die before their time, before it is fair. They are going to beg for mercy. This is the nature of war, and so is the nature of The War.
There is an implication that The War kept Owen alive so he could create poetry that glorifies The War. I wonder if this is out of ego--it wanted to be seen as glorious and beautiful--or simply to drag the battle on longer. If it seems inspirational, it will continue.
Overall I think this episode demonstrates the tentative balance World War One held between being "the writer's war" and "the technological front." The war represented a shift in humanity's ability to be brutal, but also spawned art and innovation. This doesn't justify the violence that occurred, but rather the acts of destruction and creation during the war existed in tandem, like two sides of a coin.
Entity Alignment: This is such a good Slaughter episode. As much as the Slaughter is associated with war, you don't see many battle episodes in the series, so this is a cool intro.
I wonder if "The War" is an avatar of war or if it is specifically the embodiment of World War One. The latter has the horrifying implication that mass events can not only be caused by entities, but feed entities. Even more frightening is that, in spite of the sheer volume of terror and violence, the war wasn't big enough to be the Slaughter's ritual.
Character Notes: Wtf is up with Joseph Rayner. Is he a Maxwell Rayner incarnation? Is he related to Maxwell Rayner? Why is he fighting in the British army? Why is literally never mentioned again?
I know that Jon was speaking through the statement when he was making fun of Owen's poetry, but the idea of Jon being a cannon poetry hater from season 1 is too funny for me to ignore.
