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The season 1 finale of Archive 81. Questions are answered. Mysteries are resolved. And a god is unleashed.
Summary[]
Samuel stands in Dan's way as he tries to leave the archive building. The sounds Samuel makes are those of oozing pus and wet footsteps. Samuel notices Ratty on Dan’s shoulder, grabs Ratty and bites his head off. He thanks Dan, saying that he’s offered Samuel a chance at redemption, at apotheosis, by listening to all the tapes. Samuel asks him to listen to one last tape. Dan asks him what happens if he refuses, and Samuel hurts him using his powers (similar to how he hurts Melody in episode 9). Dan says that, yes, he is curious, and that they could play the tape. Samuel goes into the tape library and finds the broken tape from episode 1. He fixes it using his powers and inserts it into the player.
- Tape: Melody goes to the boiler room to discover Samuel and a gagged and bound Iris Vos. When Samuel takes the gag off, Vos tries to tell Melody to run away and something about the tape recorder, but Samuel shoves her face into the boiler before she can finish. Samuel reveals that he is going to kill Iris Vos, the owner of the building, as a sacrifice and thus “breathe life into an unimaginable story”. Samuel takes the gag off again and Vos tries to get Melody to stop recording and is once again burned on the boiler. Then she tells Melody that the building was built as a bargain to a power, motivated by the promise of wealth and power.
Samuel says that he and Melody were motivated by curiosity, and he stole her tapes to make the apotheosis possible. He reveals that Jesse died because she sent him to spy on Samuel. He also reveals that he is doing all this to “become one with a concept beyond our understanding”. He asks Melody if she ever considered that, by letting these people share their stories, she was actually bringing out Visser. To his surprise, she says yes, and calls out to Victor (from episode 6). There is a lot of tape distortion, Samuel exclaims “What is happening to me?”, and the building starts collapsing. The tape ends.
Samuel thanks Dan, saying there will finally be a happy ending to this story. “A god will be born into a new world. For a moment, the stars will dim and I will understand concepts no mortal has ever conceived of.” He advises Dan run, as his bosses won’t be too kind to him if they find him. Dan starts running, and finds himself suddenly transported some distance away, sounds of battle in the background. Dan sends Mark a message, saying that he thinks he teleported. He sends Mark all the recordings, and asks him to send them out to as many people as possible. He is encouraged by the fact that Melody had survived this, and tells Mark he’s going to lay low and try to find her.