Based on a podcast of the same name, Archive 81 is like a slightly more adult Stranger Things as it manages to both horrify and fascinate. It introduces monsters both otherworldly and human, and much of the story takes place in an eerily nostalgic near past. Archive 81’s protagonist, Dan (Mamoudou Athie), is a skeptic who can’t explain the mysterious phenomena he encounters when he takes a job restoring damaged VHS tapes. The tapes are recorded by a young woman, Melody (Dina Shihabi), as documentary footage which she used as an excuse to hide her true intentions in investigating an apartment building called the Visser.

The first season of Archive 81 answers many initial questions, but the questions answered are primarily about Melody, which is fair. Much of Dan’s drive to see the job through comes from the strange connection he feels toward Melody and the mystery she and her tapes present. As Dan discovers, Melody grew up as an orphan. Her mother abandoned her in the hopes that it would never be discovered that Melody is a Baldung witch – a person necessary for a cult ritual that would bring a demon named Kaelego to Earth. Melody goes to the Visser in the hopes of finding her birth mother there, but it turns out Melody was merely lured to the Visser by the cult for the ritual. When Dan discovers that Melody is trapped in an alternate dimension by the ritual, he’s determined to save her.

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What is Dan’s Connection?

Though Dan’s career as an archivist capable of restoring damaged VHS tapes makes him seem like an obvious choice for the job, it’s clear that he was hired for more than his expertise. Through the recordings, Dan learns his late father knew Melody. And the more Dan watches, the more he experiences moments where he himself meets Melody in the alternate dimension as well, though neither of them seem to realize that that’s where they are when it happens. Is Dan, like Melody, a Baldung witch? Or is there something more sinister at play?

If Dan were a Baldung witch, it would explain his ability to meet Melody, but it does not explain the rest of his family’s involvement. It would be too much of a coincidence if Dan’s father were also a Baldung witch unnoticed by literally everyone. Also, there’s Dan’s sister, a girl who seems to be aware of the other dimension and knows the music most associated with the cult. If she were a Baldung witch, how and why would she know the music of their enemies, let alone play it? And then also, who set the fire that killed Dan’s family? The cult? The Baldung witches? LMG?

And What Is LMG Doing?

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LMG is the company represented by Virgil (Martin Donovan), who hired Dan. They send Dan to a remote compound to restore the damaged tapes. While there, Dan also discovers rooms that contain vials of blood, DNA records, tapes of old soap operas, and an out-of-control infestation of mold that the cult was nurturing in the Visser. Once Dan finds out that Virgil is the brother of the cult leader (or so Virgil claims) that disappeared along with Melody back in the 1990s, it feels reasonable to believe Virgil wants to find his missing brother. But is that all?

Why would a company as powerful as LMG spend so much energy looking for someone who has been missing for twenty years? Would a company with that much worldly power in the first place be interested in unleashing a demon that could make their amassed power a moot point? Is there something else they believe they can accomplish by finding a way to connect to the alternate dimension?

What Is the History Between the Baldung Witches and Kaelego?

The cult that wishes to bring Kaelego to Earth is the Vos Society. It was created by three siblings who attempted the ritual in the 1920s and first recorded it. But even back then, Baldung witches were trying to stop them.

Given that Baldung witches are necessary for the ritual to occur and determined to prevent the ritual at all costs, one wonders what happened originally to lead to this dynamic. One of the Baldung witches in the 1920s claimed they unleashed Kaelego before – what happened when they did? What did Kaelego do? Is the alternate dimension Kaelego’s true home, or was he trapped there for a reason?

What Now?

The season ends with Dan accidentally time-traveling to the 1990s after attempting to save Melody from the alternate dimension. And while Melody safely makes it to Dan’s timeline in the present, it’s rather unclear where the cult leader who got them into this mess landed. So how is Dan going to get back without another cult ritual? Or is he in the ’90s for a reason? Can he save his family from the fire that killed them so long ago? Or maybe stop tragic events? Will Dan and Melody ever reunite in their own world?

The above questions are just the tip of the iceberg. After all, it’s still unclear why Kaelego can be seen in the static of the tapes, what the mold actually is, and what is up with that terrible song. All things considered, it would be surprising if season two could answer every question – but hopefully, it’ll begin to answer quite a few!