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in: Episodes, Season Two

# Part Eighteen

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A mysterious voice, a promise of hope, a revelation…

## The Madness

### Season

2

### Episode

18

### Air date

December 22 2021

### Writer

Harlan Guthrie

### Chapters

86-90

### Transcript

Part 18

### Content Warnings

Discussion of child death (drowning), falling, corpse, assault, argument, mental institution, unreality, religious trauma, victim blaming, car accident.

Episode guide
Previous | Next
--- | ---
Part Seventeen: The Fall | Part Nineteen: The Prison

## Summary[]

A new voice in Arthur's head sows distrust between Arthur and John while they explore the mountain interior. The voice claims to be Frank Underhill and tells Arthur to drink a bottle of selenine to regain control of his body. When John refuses to help Arthur find the bottle, it leads to the revelations about Emily MacFarland and a violent confrontation between John and Arthur during which John weaponizes Arthur's recent confession about Faroe. Now distrusting both entities in his head, Arthur attempts to explore the tunnels on his own. He is pulled into multiple visions by the King. All of the visions attempt to manipulate him into letting go of Faroe's memory, but Arthur manages to distinguish madness from reality. He pulls himself out of the visions, only to find that he and John have been captured and thrown in the prison pits.

## Synopsis[]

Arthur and John continue through the mountains, finding a tunnel illuminated by fungus. A strange voice begins to whisper to Arthur, claiming to help. It suggests going left while John suggests right; they go right. Arthur almost falls into another trap. Keeping the voice a secret, they turn back to follow the left path. John calls the place unfamiliar; the strange voice says it's untrue as they enter a hidden room.

On the wall, John describes a mural of Shub-Niggurath -- but the voice says it is the King in Yellow. Arthur, torn, reveals the existence of the voice to John. John admits that he did recognize this place as halls of worship for the King, and suggests that the voice is the King himself. The voice refutes this, saying that it is speaking to Arthur because Arthur has a picture of them: Frank Underhill.

Under the table, they find a corpse. Frank warns Arthur not to trust John and suggests Arthur ask him about Emily MacFarland. John evades answering. Frank tells Arthur to look in the bag next to the corpse; John insists that they shouldn't look. Arthur is torn, but when John refuses to help Arthur locate the bag, they start to fight. John reveals that he killed Emily because he wanted to and that the only reason he ended up with Arthur was because Arthur was the first person who read his book. John starts to attack Arthur with his hand.

With Frank's help, Arthur retrieves the bag. John explodes with anger, mocking Arthur for his role in Faroe's death. He chokes Arthur, telling him to stay down -- Arthur is no use to him dead, and John plans to take over his body eventually. Arthur breaks free. They find selenine in the bag. Arthur, according to Frank, only loses control of his body because his mind is fractured, and the selenine will help restore it. Before Arthur decides, they hear sounds in the distance and hide in the temple garden.

As Frank presses Arthur to drink, Arthur snaps at both voices in his head. He reminds them that he's never given up and refuses to now. Both voices stay silent while Arthur explores the garden, counting his steps for the length of it. The wall seems to grow longer every time Arthur tries to count. The song “Some Call It Madness” starts to play and repeats “madness” until Arthur kicks the record player. A distorted voice echoes, telling Arthur that he wants to help. A muffled John says that the King is trying to manipulate him.

Arthur walks towards the sound of water, thicker and warmer than Arthur remembered. The distorted voice tells him to look up; when he does, Arthur chokes on the liquid. He knocks something over. In the distance, a recording of Dr. Jeffrey Orrett plays. Dr. Orrett introduces his patient, Arthur, who confirms that his daughter visited him earlier.

Arthur tries to escape but hears a girl's voice. Though Arthur does not believe she's real, he follows her. He walks into a memory of Daniel, Faroe's grandfather, visiting sometime after Faroe's death. In the memory, Arthur is listlessly pressing keys on the piano. It's revealed that Arthur hasn't been writing music and hasn't visited Daniel, though he claims it is too busy. Daniel counters that there is always time for God, and that Arthur will be judged by God without his guidance. He tells him that life is loss, that everyone will face it, and everyone will eventually succumb to it.

Arthur throws Daniel out. As a parting word, Daniel tells Arthur he is hunted by guilt, which Arthur agrees, and -- while he can't escape it -- he doesn't have to let it win.

Arthur enters another vision. Eddie punches him and accuses him of murdering his own child. A car hits him, catapulting him into another memory: of saving the baby from the old woman in Part 2. Instead of the unknown baby, John tells him it is Faroe. Arthur realizes it isn't John, and the King tells him to let Faroe go.

Arthur refuses to let go of his memory of Faroe. The King leaves, with the promise to meet again. Arthur wakes from his visions and John informs him that they have been captured and have been thrown in the prison pits.

## Votes[]

- Chapter 86: Touch the Carving [9] / Leave well enough alone [17]
- Chapter 87: Grab the Bag Yourself [16] / Leave the Bag Alone [8]
- Chapter 88: Drink the Selenine [12] / Do not drink the Selenine [15]
- Chapter 89: Right [3] / Left [20]
- Chapter 90: no vote

## Additional Notes[]

- While investigating the gardens, Arthur says "something's rotten in Denmark," which is a reference to Hamlet by William Shakespeare.
- The date that Dr. Orrett reads at the beginning of his recording is March 20th, which is Faroe's birthday.
- After the scene with Daniel, Frank whispers a poem very similar to those from the "One for Sorrow" nursery rhyme. The lines that appear in the episode are: "One for sorrow, two for mirth, three for a death, four for a birth, five for the home, six for the dream, seven for the king who remains unseen."

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