buckle up buttercups

The Wager, by Harlan Guthrie, is an approximately 9 minute piece of music composed to underlay the scene occurring in the finale of Season 5 of Malevolent: Blackstone. This video will be analyzing and discussing the fully orchestrated composition, the piano only version as well as the involvement of the music with the scenes being depicted. Be advised that there will be spoilers for Malevolent: Blackstone, listen at your own risk.

Before we get to the entire piece, I would like us to look at the first instance of this theme which occurs at the beginning of Part 52: The Wager (Chapter 256 for patrons). The music in the beginning is unique to pieces we've heard so far, and I have discussed it on episodes of Malevolent Autopsy - a fan podcast that breaks down the votes for patrons each week. If you're interested in hearing my initial analysis, take a listen to Autopsy episode 41. This theme starts in a similar vein to "Morning Mood" from the Peer Gynt Suite by Grieg. (2.2) It's in a major key, it's light, it's nonthreatening and meant to ease us into the scene of Arthur waking up from a long night. Then, the reduction of The Wager.

This reduction is a slow, plodding realization that something's not right. The notes are seconds, chords that are a whole step apart - a D6E6 chord, moving to a D6F6, then to a Db6F6. This repeats twice more before moving down two octaves - to a D4E4. Now, what impact does this have on the scene? The high octave of the initial reduction matches the tone of the peaceful intro - until the chords shift from minor third to major third. However, the major third is unsettling - why? Inherently, a major chord is seen as 'happy' and 'uplifting', but as with many things, the context of what's around it shifts our perspective. We are descending chromatically through the notes, we are beginning to feel the dread of realization, and despite objectively looking at the chords - this scene is anything but happy.

Let's move on to the next important bit - The Wager itself.

Arthur has the Blackstone, Lilith is frozen, Kayne is here and the only option is to give it to him. Before he hands it over though, Arthur has some valid questions and concerns - and demands. Kayne responds by rocking his world literally and figuratively, bringing out an Orchestra of Arthur's - and Arthurstra as it was fondly called when the chapter dropped. Strap in, this is where the real analysis starts.

A symphony orchestra consists of four families: strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. Depending on the orchestration, the fifth family - the keyboard family - will also be included. Orchestra set-up will have ballpark numbers, but this fluctuates depending on what the piece calls for. Strings are the largest section due to the nature of the instruments - acoustically there needs to be more of them to compensate for the massive sound the other families can produce. Violins are the largest group being the smallest of the string instruments, with anywhere from 10-20 in a section and two sections divided as first and second violin. Violas are slightly larger than the violin and have a more mellow tone, there's typically 8-12. Cellos are larger still, anywhere from 10-16. Double basses are the largest of the strings and will have anywhere from 2-8 players. Comparatively, woodwinds, brass, and percussion require far fewer personnel and can even be soloists. Other than strings, the set-up of the orchestra is reliant on the instrumentation of the composer.

The orchestration of the Wager is as follows in orchestral order: Piccolo, flute, oboe, bassoon, French Horn, Timpani, Glockenspiel, Bass drum, gong/tam-tam, cymbal, solo grand piano, ensemble piano, violins 1 and 2, viola, cello, and double bass. For woodwinds, there are 1-2 performers each. Brass will have similar numbers with the exception of horns which can have anywhere from 4-8 performers. Percussion will be dependent on what is being played simultaneously. For this piece, there would likely be 3-5 percussionists. Glockenspiel and piano would be played by individuals.

Needless to say, the Arthurstra Kayne summoned/had practicing would be around 100 members give or take a few alternate-universe Arthur's. That's a lot of musicians.

A detail I appreciate is the sound of the orchestra. It gives us the impression of a live symphony performance as we're thrown into the moments before the group performs and you can really hear that effect as Kayne summons them to a new plane. The instruments warming up and the cacophony of sound is pure chaos. Then the orchestra is drawn to attention with a few baton taps from Kayne which results in a timpani roll - french horns sustaining a long tone until everything stops with a clatter, which gives a small hint of unprofessionalism from the musicians. This can be interpreted as their apprehension towards Kayne's conducting, which would be understandable as we think of the threats that have been thrown around previously or could be inexperience with the instruments. Then it's drawn back with Kayne again, cuing and letting it fall apart with a more humorous cymbal crash. The last cue is the most distinctive, with a xylophone roll in a minor third going in the background (curiously, since there's no xylophone in the composition) to foreshadow the upcoming piece and the timpani roll, ending with the crash of a tam-tam. Then there's the slow, reduced theme until….

The Wager itself.

The instrumentation here is broad, the initial introduction of a timpani hit, the sustained strings, and the star of the show - the piano. playing a major second chord, a clashing Dm relation descending into an unsteady, tension filled scene - matching Kayne's statement perfectly. The rearticulations of the chords with our lower strings - cellos and basses - and with the timpani drives home each point.

Then we go up the octave, adding in violins and violas, and adding a light pizzicato - plucked strings - to the mix. The stress, the unsurity of how our protagonists should respond made even more obvious leading into Kaynes declaration which is accompanied by even more percussion - crash cymbals and tam-tam. The theme feels truly complete as all the strings are in :58 seconds into the piece.

Arthur and John plead with Kayne, accompanied by a mournful piano line and strings in the upper octaves - sustained and carrying over the barlines. Hope is accompanied by a lovely piano melody and cello pizzicato - matching Arthur and John, and those sustaining strings carrying their point further. The piano takes over again, underlying Arthur's words perfectly as he tries to convince Kayne that this is a "bad bet".

Their pleas fall on deaf ears as it goes back to piano in the lowest octave, carrying up the instruments with their natural octaves until we reach the flute - a light and innocent sound as Kayne begins to offer his vision of the future. It diminishes to a solo piano, trading notes before flutes begin to echo over it. Then glockenspiel joins in, an even lighter and more innocent sound over the constant pedal of the piano underneath.

Then Kayne turns to Lilith, the ruiner of his plans - the main theme of the Wager returns as he kills her and Kayne takes over the piano solo. Now - away from the scene for a moment - typically there is only one piano with a piano concerto - which this piece could be considered since the piano is the focus for the majority and the orchestra is an accompaniment, however, I think it would be quite possible for there to be an Arthur in the back playing most of the piano lines, and pausing when Kayne has his moment. It could also be a magic piano - anything is possible.

This piano solo is a soliloquy, a contemplation, a punctuation to Kayne's want for everything to be as he wants it - infinite. The chords here, the syncopated rhythms, it's Kayne driving his point home over and over again.

Then there's the darkness of the past John wants to avoid heralded by woodwinds - oboes, bassoons, flutes, piccolos and the constant piano still there underneath. It fades once more to solo piano as Kayne tries to pry Arthur and John apart once more with the reveal of the cathedral of bones. When Arthur says "i forgive you" the cello returns with the descending chords, John's disbelief, his mourning so clear in the sustaining pitch while still supporting the piano lines.

We return to Kayne with flutes and piccolos overlying the higher octave piano melody. As it has for most of the piece, it changes with each repetition. In this instance with each two measure repetition it lowers octaves, it adds instruments, and we continue to drop more as more instruments are added until at last we have the plodding weighted dread of double basses and drums punctuating each point.

The rubato at the end, the buildup to "I have my wager to think of" is so impactful as Kayne begins to tear Arthur apart (literally). The music directly connects to it, every hit impactful and perfectly merging with the music.

Solo piano plays it out, slowing down, dipping down in octave, before one last percussive hit. The stakes have been laid out, our protaganists are dead once more, and the piece concludes with one last sustaining tone.

My ONLY pet peeve with this, and it truly is a minor thing, is that timpani is already plural - Kayne saying timpani's is a misnomer. (A single timpani is called a timpano!)

When Harlan initially released this piece, long before the episode it appeared in, it was always clear that the music was intentional. I have notes from March 2025 that I've been referencing as I make this analysis in June 2026. The instruments used, the phrases created, and the melody lines all combined to tell a story. Before knowing what that story was, there were distinct moments that even someone who didn't listen to the podcast could identify. The Wager is an amazing orchestration that deserves all the love it's received so far. It's an incredible feat to compose such an involved piece of music while still maintaining the emotions being packed into every moment of the episode. It did a perfect job of accompanying the tense and climactic scene.

***

I've been thinking about the stars.

A bunch of folks were chatting the other day about Solitude, as one does, about how absolutely insane it makes us all and the fact that it's specifically mentioned in the story that Moll starting a fire for Mat means that he can no longer see the stars. And I didn't realizing until that moment how many times that's been brought up in this show. Firelight making it difficult to see the stars is a theme that's repeated multiple times, like in Part 45, before Malam shows up John remarks that "the firelight hides the small amount of light in the sky" and in Part 51, they couldn't see the stars until after Lillith destroyed their fire.

And it's been pretty well communicated that light —whether it's fire or starlight— represents hope in this story.

Firelight specifically I think is the hope and the warmth found in people, in community, in personal connection. We're told that Faroe is with Arthur in every fire, and that children are hope. The lighter is how Noel recognized Arthur. Even Marie finds hope and comfort in the sunlight that her son was so fond of, and then Frederick himself finds renewed hope from the lighter in the Dark World when Arthur and John show up in his life.

We're told that fire is a fleeting comfort, a brief but powerful blaze. It's a gift of warmth and connection. It's beautiful but it doesn't last.

Starlight is something else entirely. Starlight is also a fire, one that is much more distant, colder and more detached, but it is also more eternal. It's enduring. It's almost a fire's opposite — where fire you can feel intensely but doesn't last, the stars are a constant even if you can't always experience them.

And in a very "can't see the forest for the trees" type of way, being so focused on the intensity of what's right in front of you can blind you to the reality of what's always there — the brief vs the beyond.

And if fire is the fleeting gift of personal connection, I think we are the stars.

I think we are the representation of a hope that feels distant, that you can't always see or feel, but that is always with you. Constant but unknowable.

We have followed Arthur and John to hell and back. We have been a guiding light and an unknown source of hope and help to them for 6 years. 299 chapters. We've debated and celebrated and mourned and decided and every step of the way we've held hope in our hearts for these characters.

After chapter 299 dropped, a friend with her big beautiful brain shared this mental image of the voters represented as sort of ghostly little humanoid spirits standing around Arthur and Kayne, ready to catch Arthur when he lets go and falls, the group around them growing with each new vote that gets cast, and I cannot get that image out of my head. It's so fucking beautiful, a whole community coming together to project as much love and hope at them as possible, like, yeah, I think that's us. I think they can see us. I think we're surrounding them, our love and our light reaching them from a couple thousand light years away through a patreon poll and a discord server. We're holding secret knowledge and knowing nothing for certain, making choices and holding hands around our guys, looking on with love and adoration, slow blinking at one another in congress to determine the fate of our favorite ones.