"What’s past is prologue; what’s future is epilogue. This, right here, is maybe Chapter Four or Five. Welcome to Night Vale."
There seems to be something wrong with the broadcast signal. Do you hear that?
Tropes present in Triptych include:
- Bittersweet Ending: Cecil gets one last talk with the youngest version of Kevin, who is still a member of La Résistance, and doesn't have the heart to tell him that he's doomed to failure and to become everything he hates. He tells Kevin instead that he and his are going to succeed and drive out StrexCorp, and after the connection goes he reflects that maybe there was a time long past where he and Kevin—or even Desert Bluffs and Night Vale—could have gotten along and been friends.
- Meaningful Name: A triptych is a type of art with three separate sections that are connected. In this episode, Cecil speaks with three different versions of Kevin: one from before StrexCorp took over Desert Bluffs, one from when StrexCorp had just entered Night Vale, and one from the distant future
- Oh, Crap!: Cecil gets one of these when he realizes he revealed information about the Night Vale resistance to the middle version of Kevin.
"Today's proverb: Candles lit, runes drawn upon the floor, sacrifice prepared. Everything is ready for the summoning. I begin the incantation: 'Shakira, Shakira!'."
