(I swear there’s a meme that is in this format, but I couldn’t find it, so here’s my awful drawing.)
In case you’re wondering, this is what this post is about:
This got longer than I meant it to be, so under the cut it goes.
“John; these things are – th-they’re just evil, plain and simple, and right now they’re torturing and tormenting everyone!” - MAG 166
“These things” being the rulers of domains, what would have been considered avatars before the change. Martin literally just said to Jon’s face that he’s evil, plain and simple.
“(Sarcastic) Oh, yeah, sure; he’s probably a really kind, benevolent ruler of a hellish fear prison.” - MAG 168
Obviously anyone that has a hellish fear prison can’t be a good person, said to the person who has the biggest fear prison in the apocalypse.
“What I know, is that leaving children here is – (struggles for words) i-it’s inexcusable; it’s monstrous!” - MAG 173
This one is literally about Jon. Jon is begging Martin to tell him what he wants him to do, and the only answer Martin gives him is to call him monstrous.
“You’re removing evil from the world.” - MAG 174
Once again, the evil in question is people ruling domains. Once again, said straight to the person with the largest domain in the apocalypse.
“MARTIN
I’m one of them.
ARCHIVIST
One of… us.
MARTIN
That’s not as comforting as you think it is.” -
MAG 185
I think Jon is trying to say “just because you’re a watcher doesn’t mean you’re evil, I’m a watcher.” And Martin essentially replies with “that’s not comforting, because I already think you’re part evil” (at least that’s my interpretation)
“MARTIN
And this is all because I’ve been given a domain? Because apparently I somehow have people’s fear feeding me?
ARCHIVIST
Well, feeding The Eye through you, but yes.
MARTIN
Even though I didn’t ask for it? Did nothing to deserve it?
ARCHIVIST
‘Deserve’. Huh. Now there’s a word that always causes trouble.
MARTIN
Don’t be patronising.
ARCHIVIST
I just mean that nobody here deserves the position they’ve found themselves in, not really. I suppose a few may have asked for it, sought it out even, but far more didn’t. They just made the wrong choices for the right reasons. Or even the right choices. But ones that still led them here in the end.
MARTIN
I hate it.” - MAG 185
To me, Jon is once again trying to say “having a domain doesn’t necessarily make you evil” but Martin brushes right past it.
“MARTIN
I’m thinking that I didn’t ask for this. It’s not my fault they’re here.
ALSO MARTIN
True.
MARTIN
But I can’t keep existing like this at their expense. It’s not… it’s not right. Whatever happens with Elias, W-with the rest of the world… I can’t live on the misery of others.” - MAG 186
Martin believes living off of other’s pain is “not right” and that he should die. So, again consciously or not, he believes that Jon should die, or more likely in my opinion, he believes that Jon should want to die.
I’ll admit, the last few quotes are moreso my own personal take on those scenes, but I feel like those scenes really showcase how Martin considers the watchers.
Martin is so certain of his own humanity, that he doesn’t realize how much he’s dehumanizing Jon. To him, there’s Jon, his human boyfriend that is a Good Person tm, and the Archivist, the monster that puppets Jon’s body around sometimes.
In Martin’s head there’s no way his Good Person Human boyfriend, Jon, could possibly be capable of hurting others, it’s all the Archivists fault. The Archivist is a monster trying to take over Jon.
Because Jon is a Good Person, he should rather die than continue letting the Archivist exist, because the Archivist is evil, plain and simple.
