Archive 81 star Mamoudou Athie on why his character's fate is so fitting: 'He's a man stuck in time'

Warning: This article contains spoilers about the season 1 finale of Archive 81.

Here's to hoping Archive 81's Dan Turner enjoys a good grunge aesthetic.

In a season-ending shocker at the end of his investigation into what really happened to Melody Pendras (Dina Shihabi), Dan (played by Mamoudou Athie) attempts to save Melody from the "otherworld" in which she's been trapped. He succeeds in that, but ends up in a hospital in the '90s thanks to a portal-opening, time-jumping ritual performed by a witch — who also happens to be Melody's birth mother. (More on all of that here.)

It's all a lot to unpack, and sets up an interesting scenario for season 2, should Netflix renew it for another season. After binging all either episodes of the first season (now streaming), EW caught up with Athie to get his thoughts on his character's untimely fate, the connection between Melody and Dan, and what his hopes are for potential future episodes.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: First of all, did you know all along that Dan would end up stuck in the '90s?

MAMOUDOU ATHIE: Before the season started, I had a full idea of what the season was going to look like. That's always helpful, so you can kind of build it. Obviously, there are adjustments that need to happen. But for the actors that get the scripts as it goes along, you know, that's like an actor's nightmare. So I was very fortunate to be able to get the entire season.

What can you tell us about where Dan ends up?

I'm trying to be careful, because what am I allowed to say? But also, there's so much that I don't know. He's definitely in 1994 in New York. Other than that, I think that's actually all I know.

A big part of the show is the connection between Dan and Melody. Dan's best friend Mark (Matt McGorry) frequently jokes that she's Dan's girlfriend. Is there a romantic relationship there at all?

Well, that's completely outside of my control [story-wise]. [Laughs] I can only say what I was doing. And I was approaching it with a kind of, I wouldn't say platonic, but the kind of love of like seeing a kindred spirit. It feels a little deeper to me than romance. It's more like a spiritual connection where you just see somebody and it's like, "I know you, and I want to help you." And she wants to help him. I just think they recognize each other and their loss and their pain, and there's just a connection there that draws them to each other. But as far as romance goes, whatever happens in the future happens, but that wasn't so much on my mind.

And speaking of Mark, he and Dan really go through it this season. Do you see Dan as a bad friend?

I'm so glad you asked me that. Let's just talk about the circumstances Dan is in. You have to understand the deep well of trauma this guy is living through and has lived with. And friendship's a huge deal to me, and loyalty and respect and all of that. So I just want to say no, absolutely not. [Laughs] He sees his father in recorded footage connected to this woman's disappearance, and then he goes on a quest to find out what happened and how his family is connected to this, because clearly, there's a connection. That is what keeps him in the compound. And the only person he can draw upon for help, while he's willingly and effectively trapped without good cell service outside of this one spot near this tree, is his friend Mark, who sometimes is not being as helpful as you'd hope in such a drastic and dire situation. "I don't need the jokes, man. Get me the thing." [Dan's] not asking for anything too crazy. And of course that's Mark's way, and Dan I think ordinarily has a lot of tolerance and a lot of love for who Mark is. But there's a time and a place. And right now, [Dan's] got the biggest fish you could imagine frying, you know what I mean? So it's the circumstance. I think he's a great friend, actually.

We still don't know if the show will get a season 2, but if it does, are you in and where do you want to see the story go? What does a '90s storyline look like for Dan?

It'd be great to revisit it all. I wake up after having desperately tried to save this person that I deeply, inexplicably care for. I'm in a hospital, and it's 1994. Which is in some ways a dream come true [for Dan], because I do think he is a man stuck in time with his obsession with the past and artifacts and archiving, and replacing the things that are lost. I think it's so beautiful what he does for a living. But, as far as what to do and where to go, I have no idea because I just keep on thinking about like, what does one do in that scenario? There are so many different ways to go about it. Who's gonna believe you? Who's gonna help? How's this gonna work? There's just so much that's potentially there.

When we spoke with showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine, she mentioned a few specific storylines that didn't get fully revealed this season that she wants to explore more. Are there any specific plot points you want to see more of in a potential season 2?

I'm absolutely so curious about Dan's family. There's so much that I don't know just in regards to his father and that whole connection, but other than that I was pretty hyper-focused on what I was doing moment by moment, so I didn't really allow myself to speculate too much beyond what was in front of me.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

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