User blog comment:The Milkman/Indoctrination Theorists Say the Darndest Things/@comment-4941068-20121023181702/@comment-1786741-20121024003321

The Crucible is a the very definition of a MacGuffin, a similar plot device. The Catalyst CAN be seen a a Deus Ex Machina, it's really just a manner of semantics and technicalities.