I Keep Thinking About This Part, Because It Just Seems So Specific A Thing To Write, Considering That

i keep thinking about this part, because it just seems so specific a thing to write, considering that harlan didn't have to name this character 'malam'.

merriam-webster says that the first known use of the word 'palindrome' was in 1637 - a far cry from the 1300s - and "in the past palindromes were more than just smart wordplay. Some folks thought they were magical, and they carved them on walls or amulets for protection."

since the episode dropped, i've seen a couple people in the tag mention that at first they thought malam was an alternate version of arthur - i did too. john's description of facial scars, a missing right ear, and differently colored eyes just sounds too reminiscent of arthur to be a coincidence. someone else said that malam's voice is the one closest to john's that harlan has used, and i had that passing thought while listening too.

obviously malam doesn't have arthur's face, since john would notice that, but i just keep thinking about palindrome. the same backwards as forwards.

malam is older, with a 'dark complexion'. he has arthur's scars, and the voice john would have in a human throat. differently colored eyes. he exists to bring justice to dead children. he says our "day of wrath".

the same backwards as forwards.