ATTENTION! SPOILERS AHEAD!! This article contains information from later episodes of The Magnus Archives and may contain major spoilers for the setting and plot. Continue at your own risk. |
Timothy Stoker is an archival assistant at The Magnus Institute, London. He helps Jonathan Sims with statement follow-ups by looking into the details of various cases.
Description[]
Tim has worm scars from the Prentiss attack on the Institute in MAG 39. In Basira Hussain's opinion, unlike John's scars, Tim "manages to pull them off", still looking good. When compared to Martin Blackwood, Basira calls Tim "the hot one."[1]
History[]
Tim has a First in Anthropology from Trinity College and previously worked for five successful years climbing the ladder at a major publishing house.[2]
Tim had a younger brother, named Danny, whom he adored. To Tim, Danny was better than him in everything except for humour, but his charisma was so off-the-charts that he did not need it. In 2013, Danny's urban exploration hobby led him to the Covent Garden Theatre, designed by architect Robert Smirke and now known as the Royal Opera House. He was presumably killed there by an agent of The Stranger, the clown Joseph Grimaldi. When Danny did not return home, Tim went to the theatre in an attempt to find him. As he entered, he saw a single figure standing on the stage he thought looked like Danny, but there was something not right about his appearance. Tim found himself immobilized by "some force", which he later conceded could have just been fear. He was forced to watch, frozen in place, as the clown "pulled the skin off of whatever had been pretending it was [his] brother." Tim soon found himself outside with no memory of what happened afterwards, including how he exited the theatre. He never returned there, being convinced that if he did, they would not let him leave "a second time."
In hopes of finding out what happened to his brother that night, Tim soon began working at The Magnus Institute, desperately searching for anything related to The Circus (an organization of The Stranger) or Robert Smirke. According to Jonathan Sims, Tim had even used Institute funds to bribe filing clerks for information on at least one occasion.[3] However, with no new helpful information, Tim gradually stopped seriously looking for answers and started to just get comfortable.[4]
Season One[]
Tim is a researcher for the Magnus Institute before the newly appointed Head Archivist, Jonathan Sims, pulled him as an archival assistant. He passively continues his search for circus-related things while helping with statement follow-ups. Tim uses a variety of ways to get information, such as impersonation[5] and flirting.[6]
Tim is out for lunch during Jane Prentiss's siege on the Institute and is absent when the others barricade themselves inside the safe room.[7] He comes back to the Archives unaware of the danger and is rescued by Sasha James. He attempts to escape alongside Jonathan Sims and Martin Blackwood but becomes separated from the latter in the tunnels under the Institute. He and John are both attacked by Prentiss but are saved by the deployment of the CO2 system.[8]
Season Two[]
Tim and John are given leave following the attack[9] and he takes John's subsequent paranoia the worst of the researchers. He and the others confront John over his increasingly erratic behaviour but relations between Tim and John do not improve following the intervention.[10] This comes to a head in an argument during which Tim demands sympathy, having faced the same hardships as the rest of them, but John tells him that he is still unable to trust him. When Tim attempts to quit, he realises that he and the others are somehow being compelled to stay at the Archives.[11]
Before breaking the table binding Not-Sasha, John gives Tim and Martin the day off. The two opt to investigate instead, as Tim is suspicious of what John is going to do. They briefly spot Not-Sasha, then become trapped in Michael's corridors. They escape to see the corpse of Jurgen Leitner in John's office and assume John killed him.[12][13]
Season Three[]
Tim continues to be bitter about his work life and being trapped in his job. Elias Bouchard confronts him about his "unauthorised absences." after Tim flees to Malaysia to escape the Archives. Tim knows he cannot quit and Elias will not fire him, so he figures it is worth a try. He, like John, eventually grows weak and sick and has to return. Elias admits that the Archives are not always good for the people that work there but the best way to deal with it is to focus on your work.[14]
Tim is present when Daisy, Basira, and John confront Elias about the murder of Gertrude Robinson in MAG 92. He is initially annoyed at John's continued paranoia but is horrified once he learns the truth about Elias and the death of Sasha. Fed up with not being told anything and not having anyone on his side, Tim later demands Martin tell him what The Unknowing is. He gives Martin a statement about how his brother disappeared and how he had been working at the Institute since to find anything about what happened to him. Elias believes Tim may jeopardise John's mission and tells him to stay away from the Unknowing and the circus. Tim responds that Elias will have to kill him if he wants to keep him out of it.[15]
Tim accompanies John, Daisy, and Basira to stop the Unknowing.[16] Nikola distorts his perception and he becomes unaware that he is holding the detonator. However, John is eventually able to snap him out of it and he suddenly realises the situation. Enraged that her deception is failing, Nikola begins trying to reason with Tim, her desperation quickly becoming evident in her tone of voice. He tells her dryly, "You sound stressed. You know, I hear the great Grimaldi’s in town. You should go see it; cheer yourself up." Nikola replies emphatically, "That's...not...funny!" With his finger on the button, Tim sarcastically replies, "I know." Suddenly, a click is heard, followed by the first moment of a massive explosion before the audio abruptly cuts out. The explosion kills Tim and successfully derails The Unknowing ritual.[17]
Episode Appearances[]
Underline marks episodes where Tim has read a statement. Bold marks where Tim has given a statement.
Trivia[]
- Tim is attracted to both men and women.[18]
- Timothy Stoker was named after horror writer Bram Stoker and Tim Ledsam, who voices Jordan Kennedy.[19]
- Tim is the second assistant of the original trio to die. His last words were "I know."
- In the Season 3 Q&A, Alex and Jonny speculate that Tim would enjoy playing video games and going on big adventure holidays like rock-climbing, kayaking, and scuba diving.[20]
- This spawned a common fandom joke that Tim is not dead but has simply gone on a long kayaking trip. The cast and crew reference this joke in the Magnus Bloopers Special.
- Tim's D&D class would be fighter.[21]
- Had a previous short lived fling with co-worker Sasha[22]
References[]
- ↑ MAG 52: Exceptional Risk
- ↑ MAG 45: Blood Bag
Jonathan Sims: "A First in Anthropology from Trinity College, five successful years spent climbing the ladder at a major publishing house, and then, out of the blue, he decides to come work for us." - ↑ MAG 3: Across the Street
Jonathan Sims: "...he’d better not be using Institute funds to woo filing clerks again." - ↑ MAG 104: Sneak Preview
Timothy Stoker: "I thought I might be able to find something about what happened, but… I guess at some point I stopped seriously looking, and started to just… get comfortable." - ↑ MAG 88: Dig
Martin Blackwood: "Er, Tim used to do a great line in impersonating people to utility companies. Ah, the number of times he got them to give him ‘his own’ address…" - ↑ MAG 66: Held in Customs
Jonathan Sims: "Surprisingly, it seems comprehensive shipping records are harder for Tim to flirt his way into than police reports" - ↑ MAG 39: Infestation
- ↑ MAG 40: Human Remains
- ↑ MAG 41: Too Deep
- ↑ MAG 60: Observer Effect
- ↑ MAG 65: Binary
- ↑ MAG 78: Distant Cousin
- ↑ MAG 80: The Librarian
- ↑ MAG 90: Body Builder
- ↑ MAG 104: Sneak Preview
- ↑ MAG 118: The Masquerade
- ↑ MAG 119: Stranger and Stranger
- ↑ MAG 49: The Butcher’s Window
"...we’re having to rely on Tim’s involvement with certain staff at the police records office. Apparently, he is involved both with one of the young ladies there, as well as the gentleman who manages the other shift." - ↑ MAG 120.1 - Season 3 Q+A (Extended Cut)
- ↑ Season 3 Q&A
- ↑ Season 4 Q&A Part 2
- ↑ MAG 162: A Cosy Cabin