Episode 6 of Archive 81 opens with a fleeting vision of William Crest's cinematic masterpiece, The Circle, where he masterfully weaves a Hitchcockian aura around the enigmatic concept of parallel worlds. Transitioning to the present, Mark approaches Dan with a heavy heart, troubled by Dan's emotional turmoil in the previous episode. Despite Dan's initial dismissiveness, Mark's mention of Thomas Bellows ignites a spark of curiosity within him.
Thomas, once a man entwined with a girlfriend named Alicia, was lured into Virgil's facility. But what began as a promising opportunity soon spiraled into a nightmare as Bellows' mind was tormented by haunting visions of Melody. Returning to his mundane life, Thomas was unable to escape the grip of that trauma, ultimately succumbing to the darkness within him and taking his own life after just a few weeks. Mark fears that Dan might be headed for a similar fate.
After dismantling the cameras within the building, Dan returns to his quest: deciphering Melody's tapes. Following Chris's untimely demise, Melody is questioned by the police, her words a tangled mess of confusion and paranoia. She insists that she didn't know Chris well, but she's adamant that he didn't take his own life. Instead, she claims he was pushed. Furthermore, she reveals that Samuel is not who he seems, her words becoming increasingly unhinged as she realizes her sanity is slipping away.
Meanwhile, Melody encounters a ghastly scene at the health center. Annabelle, chained to a bed, whispers a message for Melody. Her appearance is a grim reminder of the brutal altercation at the art gallery, where she broke Gabby's jaw and stabbed a security guard in the eye with a nail. Upon admission, Annabelle was delusional, yet her toxicology report revealed no traces of drugs. Melody suspects the black mold as the culprit and sets out to gather a sample.
Upon her return to Visser, Melody discovers that Cassandra has disposed of all the paints, having originally entrusted them to Annabelle. Melody, her own paranoia creeping in, believes that Cassandra has tampered with Jess's belongings. Ignoring the warning not to engage with Melody, Jess provides her with crucial information about a key that unlocks an area infested with black mold. As Melody approaches the door, she sees the mold creeping across the walls, forming ominous circular patterns. The hypnotic chanting momentarily distracts her, and with her handheld camera in hand, she opens the door to find Samuel waiting for her. Suddenly, the tape recorder malfunctions, cutting off the recording.
Returning to Dan, he finds the tape covered in black mold, and to his horror, the entire tape deck recorder is infested as well. Shocked, Dan calls Vigil, demanding answers about how the mold managed to infiltrate his equipment. Davenport's response is curt, once again probing Dan's mental well-being and offering assistance. With a spare tape deck at hand, Dan heads down to retrieve it, only to stumble upon another camera in the storage room, one belonging to Thomas Bellows. As Dan watches the tape, disturbing revelations begin to unravel the mystery surrounding this bizarre situation, layer by layer.
Under Davenport's directive, Thomas was tasked with digitizing old soap operas, yet he also left his initials etched in the chapel walls as a silent marker. Meanwhile, Bellows, overly engrossed in his duties, stumbled upon Wellsprings' hidden agenda—a front for data collection. The presence of blood samples in the fridge further solidified Virgil's quest for a specific individual.
In a fit of rage, Bellows lashed out, shouting, "Fuck you, Patricia!" demanding to know what sinister secrets lay within the tapes. Dan stumbled upon Bellows' archive and discovered a startling pattern—each VHS tape that had been overwritten bore Patricia's name.
Mark, on the other hand, delved deeper into the tangled web of Evie and William Crest. It transpired that William had frequent dealings with the Agape Lodge members from Los Angeles, and his documents hinted at connections with the Vos Society. This enigmatic group seemed to be the blueprint for "The Circle," a dangerous cult with Iris Vos, a woman from an old black-and-white photograph, as its leader.
Back at the house, Dan remained steadfast, determined to complete his mission and escape before the situation escalated. He succeeded in eradicating the mold from the tapes, allowing Melody's story to unfold once again.
Samuel shed his façade of kindness, claiming that the mold was a testament to their devotion and promising Melody answers to her questions. Despite the unnerving nature of his claims, she reluctantly followed him into the basement, alone.
Inside, Melody encountered another circle, humming and chanting in a strangely familiar fashion. Samuel revealed that this mansion once belonged to the Vos family, and the song she heard was actually a prayer. He sensed that Melody was the one he had been seeking, her reaction to the opera a telltale sign. He called her 'Baldung' and played a tape of an ancient ritual, revealing Iris Vos slitting the throat of a sacrificial girl and pouring blood over a demonic statue.
Samuel promised Melody reunification with her mother, urging her to open her mind and embrace the cult. However, she cursed him and fled in horror. As she turned the camera on herself, leaving a message believing that Jess had been abducted, Steven intervened, taking her away. The camera fell to the ground, signaling the end of the tapes and the completion of our backstory. Dan, now in a frenzy, grasped a wrench and demolished the monitors, only to be confronted by a strange creature emerging from the screen, poised to attack.
Racing into the tape archives, Dan toppled a shelf, uncovering a hidden compartment beneath, shrouded in black mold. Descending, he stumbled upon the same ritual chamber—two pedestals holding the demonic statue and its manual. Melody's videos played incessantly on the walls, creating a disorienting loop. Was this the same place or a different realm? It was impossible to discern. As Dan raised his hand to shatter one of the screens, he was blindsided by a shadowy figure stalking him in the shadows.
