Episode 53 - Pretzel

**“***Welcome to Dover Petrol and Pretzels, do you want dough or diesel tonight?***”**
— **Pretzel Guy****, Season 4, Episode 53**

### Writer

Øystein U. Brager
Philip Thorne

### Director

Philip Thorne
Øystein U. Brager

## Episode Guide

### Next

Episode 52 - Saga
Episode 54 - The Royal Shakespeare Company

## Summary

*The following is a summary written for this wiki. It only hits the major points of the episode and, as such, should not be used as a substitute for listening to the episode as intended by the creators.*
### Main Story

The episodes opens soon after the events of Saga. Alvina has escaped the collapsing cave under Abbots Cliff in which she met Saga and was stranded when Gustav did not show up to extract her. She calls Amelia for assistance and leaves a message on the Answerphone, getting cut off when her cell dies. She heads inside the nearby Dover Petrol and Pretzels to shelter form the rain and try to get a phone charger.

Meanwhile, Agents Cole and Haines follow Mia and Jackie's car. The MI5 agents begin to run low on gas and argue about whether to stop for gas or to continue following them. Luckily, the CIA agents and Kozlowski stop to use the bathroom, also at Dover Petrol and Pretzels. Mia, Jackie, and Kozlowski head to the café next door.

Alvina enters the gas station and is greeted by a surprisingly chipper attendant, offering her pretzels. She informs him of her situation and looks for a charger. None of the chargers in the station fit her phone though, so the attendant informs her of the payphone across the street. Exit Alvina.

Enter Cole and Haines, wearing cheap disguises to avoid being recognized by Jackie and Mia. They pass Alvina as they go inside. They are greeted by the attendant who offers them pretzels. They decline and say they are only there to pay for gas. They did not get the pump number though, so Cole goes out to get that and to put air in the tires while Haines heads to the bathroom.

The CIA crew enters, with Jackie and Mia mad that none of the restroom in the café were in working order. The attendant greets them and offers them pretzels. They rudely demand a bathroom and he informs them of where it is, but that it is also currently occupied (by Haines). Jackie bribes him with cash to let them use the employee bathroom and he obliges. The trio head to the back.

Alvina returns, miffed that the payphone was not operational. Cole returns and suggests to Alvina they he can help her with making a call. Haines returns from the bathroom. Cole loans her his phone, at Haines's protest, and she tries to call Amelia. Haines finds her voice familiar and Cole, with his eroding marriage, takes a romantic interest in her. The two bicker back and forth as the scene changes.

In the back, Mia and Jackie fight over the one restroom. Mia gets in first.

Alvina cannot remember the new number for The Amelia Project and returns Cole his phone. The attendant, ever optimistic, gives some unhelpful advice before mentioning the group in the back.

In the back, Jackie and Kozlowski find a utility closet with a sink. Kozlowski charges in to relieve himself, leaving Jackie alone. Alvina comes back and borrows Jackie's charger, which fits her phone. Alvina informs her that the bathroom up front is free now. Jackie leaves her with a taser to use if the man in the closet (Kozlowski) doesn't comply with staying still.

Haines is finally paying up front. The attendant offers him a pretzel. Jackie bursts in from the back which prompts Cole and Haines to hide, lest they be caught following them. Cole and Haines head back to the car. Haines left his card in the reader and doesn't want to risk going back and being caught by Jackie.

Alvina is impatiently charging her phone when Mia exits the bathroom. Alvina passes the taser off to Mia. She heads into the bathroom and Kozlowski comes out of the utility closet. The two head to the front to collect Jackie.

In the car, Cole and Haines hear a radio broadcast about the cave collapse near Dover Castle with the only things recovered being a bottle of Veuve Clicquot and a thermos of cocoa that was still warm. The agents immediately connect it to The Amelia Project and Haines finally recognizes Alvina's voice.

Jackie exits the bathroom and tries to leave, but the attendant protests since they didn't buy anything. They go to buy a map and Mia is confused about how they are all maps of South England. Kozlowski laughs and says he was wondering how long it would take for them to realize they were traveling south. Annoyed, Jackie relents and allows Kozlowski to give directions from now on.

Cole and Haines see the agents and Kozlowski leaving. They quickly debate on whether to arrest Alvina or continue following the agents, however there is no proof for a warrant to arrest Alvina. Haines, making a quick decision, runs in and steals Alvina's phone. He realizes he forgot his card as they drive away.

### Epilogue

In the epilogue, Alvina finally returns to the Amelia office. She reveals she got back by hiding in the trunk of a car on the Dover-Calais ferry and demands a day off after the nightmare of a day she's had.

### Notable Events

* Cole, Haines, Jackie, and Mia all meet Alvina for the first time, though she does not know who the agents are and vice-versa.
* Cole takes a slight romantic interest in Alvina.
* Cole and Haines come into possession of Alvina's phone after recognizing her voice from the stolen tapes.

## Quotes

**“***Welcome to Dover Petrol and Pretzels, are you here for carbs or kerosene?***”**
— **Pretzel Guy****, Welcoming Cole and Haines**

**“***Welcome to Dover Petrol and Pretzels! Saltine or gasoline?***”**
— **Pretzel Guy****, Welcoming Jackie Williams, Mia Fox, and Kozlowski**

**“***When you've been holding it in for so long it's almost like a little orgasm.An orgasm is “le petit mort” - the little death. Which makes peeing a micro death.***”**
— **Mia Fox & Kozlowski****, Discussing urination and orgasms.**

## Cast

* Alvina Wright played by Julia C. Thorne
* Amelia played by Julia Morizawa
* Piotr Kozlowski played by Hemi Yeroham
* Henry Cole played by Torgny G. Aandeera
* Christopher Haines played by Benjamin Noble
* Jackie Williams played by Jordan Cobb
* Mia Fox played by Erin King
* Pretzel Guy played by Ben Meredith
* Newsreader played by Adam Raymunda

## Credits

This episode was written by Øystein U. Brager and Philip Thorne, edited by Philip Thorne, with sound design by Adam Raymonda and music by Fredrik Baden.

It featured Julia C. Thorne as Alvina, Torgny G. Aandeera as Cole, Benjamin Noble as Haines, Jordan Cobb as Jackie, Erin King as Mia, Hemi Yeroham as Kozlowski, Ben Meredith as the pretzel guy and Adam Raymonda as the newsreader, and Julia Morizawa as Amelia.

Graphic design by Anders Pedersen and production assistance by Maty Parzival.

## Notes

* This episode is based around the trope of people walking in and out of the scene while narrowly missing important connections - listed as Missed Him By That Much on TVTropes.

### Trivia

* Cole and Haines drive a Nissan in this episode.
* The gas station attendant, called pretzel guy in the credits, is voiced by Ben Meredith. Ben is one of the co-creators of the podcast Stella Firma and played Elias Bouchard in The Magnus Archives.
* The newscaster on the radio is played by Adam Raymonda, who does sound design for Forgive Me!.