It's a particularly powerful moment because it was a Human who made the choice to give the Luxon to the Empire. Also, he noted that the Empire wouldve searched the bag and found the Luxon... you have to know what's in a Bag of Holding to pull things from it unless you invert it and just dump it out.
I did not expect to love Caleb as much as I do. Watch the start of C2, I was not the Dirt Wizard's biggest fan. Right about the time they were first heading to Xhorhas, I realized I had come to adore our traumatized pyro-mancer. And now, Shadowghast is my #1 Critical Role couple. I really do love our two wizards.
The same event that inspired Caleb to take control of his fate is the same event where Essek first meets the Nein, the group who would so drastically change him and teach him that he could do the same thing Caleb did: take back control of his life. So many people forget that Essek was at this meeting with the Bright Queen. Sure, it is not mentioned in the moment, just that there are figures of importance around the queen's throne, but Matt also confirmed later that he was there. Heck, Essek even confirms this while talking to the Nein as he mentions having been there when Caleb revealed the beacon. Caleb changed the course of the campaign and an antagonist.
Every day I sit on my hands waiting for him to make a video dedicated to Essek lmao. Or Essek and Caleb and their parallel/foil nature. It's SO good, the storytelling of it, the character arcs, how the influence each other... I believe through caring about Essek and hoping for better for him, Caleb was able to understand the Nein's love for himself and for it to finally click and make sense why'd they'd care about "someone like him". Or at least he could finally sincerely believe in their affection. Since he sees so much of himself in Essek, "thinner than a razor". I wait every day. Until then I gladly rewatch Jess Galaxie's Essek video essay because it's brilliant and the only one apparently xD
@@kyokonightstorm5844 Me too! It's why I rewatch it all the time. I think it's called 'The Redemption of Essek Thelyss' and is around 2 hours long? It's a big one but it's glorious xD
Yeah, honestly I never knew why some people thought it's a controversial choice to hand over the beacon in that situation. I remember that not only half the table were apprehensive about that but also a lot of people only were calling it a stupid decision, but as you said, if they got arrested guards would find the beacon anyway.
i mean gameplay wise you "assume" matt wont kill the party outright so theres prob going to be some prison break or negotiations or hard labor style stuff coming. So if you assume matt will have some thing planned then your just giving away the parties cool magic item. players of games dont like losing cool stuff. i think this option is way funner and cooler of course but you could also argue they will think you stole it and attack you making it worse combined with losing cool item we may get to keep. IMO its the only option and makes the most sense but once you think of it like an rpg video game item you can see why losing it sucks
@@Zalied Oh, Matt for sure would not kill them outright but guards would still search the bag and find the beacon, which for sure would destroy any potential positive relationship they could have had.
@micryt. maybe. Who knows he coulda had the guy search it who had already sold the bacon before. And maybe he hides it and questions them first which could lead all over the place. Tons of things may have happened depending on where Matt wanted the story to go. Which is what I mean though. He gave away their cool item and made a choice that locked them on a path which without knowing is good or bad is risky so I can see why people were against it st first
@@ZaliedWhile something good might have happened if they didn't give it up, I still think the choice that was made was actually the safest. All the others had greater risks.
@micryt. of course none of my message is judging their choice it's the choice I agree with. I was explaining how some see it as a controversial choice.
While I agree this was definitely a huge moment in Caleb's development, I would argue that he did this a number of times before. One in particular (also an episode ender) was the wall of fire on Avantika's ship. Travis/Fjord saw this and specifically asked him to "exercise quick judgement" before hand. He asked Caleb to take ownership not just of himself but the party and their ship as a whole. And Caleb did exactly that, initiating the fight that would ultimately save their asses with a serious power move. I argue that this moment with the beacon was an extension of the moment with Avantika and others before it (e.g. stealing the scrolls during the heist in Zadash). The beacon was the crescendo of the symphony of Caleb's symphony of self-actualization. But it needed many moments before that to build up to this point. After that there comes a new symphony for him - one where he reckons with his past more fully and the word "spaghettifying" is used and a villain has a magical girl transformation.
That Wall of Fire was a huge moment. This powerful element he had once used to destroy his family, was now protecting it. The man who had once destroyed his family, was now doing everything to protect it. It was Caleb's emerging as a protector that would then carry on to this moment with the beacon. Where he gives up this insanely powerful object to save his found family. This is the culmination of Caleb discovering his ability to protect. From here, it is him coming to terms with what that will mean going forwards, and how it conflicts with his original reason for adventuring. I find it also super fitting that this is also when Essek gets his first glimpses of the Mighty Nein and what found family can be. He said it himself that the Nein changed him. "You should try having friends sometime." As much as Essek impacted Caleb, the reverse is also true. This is why we ship Shadowghast so hard.
@@StarWindEnergin I do agree this is a hard moment to watch, but in all honesty, I've said some bone-headed not-seeing-the-forest-through-the-trees side comments and then get humbled quickly. I also have to acknowledge that I say this comment with having an overwhelming bias towards Travis's RP-ing, but I think it still stands without that extra context.
Honestly, his doing this is the first real step in shrugging off his traumas. Before this, he wallowed in it. He purposely beat himself down with constant guilt. This moment was when he really took the first real step into being his own man.
See when it comes to Liam, he may play super angsty characters, but he enjoys the masochism of shit happening to those characters in droves as well LOL. He just likes the feels. He doesn't care which direction they're coming from.
I personally love the emotional depth Liam brings to his characters. The seem to reflect him and Shakespearian background. He is quieter at the table but I appreciate it as a balance to Sam's insanity. I guess I'm more like Liam and his RP is cozy and familiar. When he brings something to the table there is thought and intention always, and it always makes me stop and listen.
Love that people are surprised there are spoilers on a video clearly about a moment in a campaign. If you got spoiled then that’s on you. Unless you haven’t started C2 yet in which case that’s unfortunate ig you didn’t know who Caleb was.
Liam is such a great actor. He perfectly displays Caleb's reactions to his triggers, and hearing the name of his abuser is enough to make Liam/Caleb freeze solid for two minutes.
As a DM, I love how Matt handled this, as well. He described how everyone reacted, and then said, "We're going to end here, because I need to time to figure out what to do next!" He was prepared for battle (that map was beautiful), and he was prepared for an escape quest. He was NOT prepared for that. I bet he DID have plans for them searching the bag and discovering it. After all, it's easy to search a bag of holding. Just cut a hole in the side, and everything falls out. So easy. They would have been found, and the entire Empire would have seen them as thieves who stole that thing, in the first place. It could very likely have been a TPK situation. But Matt saw that move, that BRILLIANT move, and took the time to do it justice. I think the players who were against showing it probably realized later (fridge thoughts) that it would have been discovered in their possession, anyway, and it would have looked REALLY BAD. They might have been forced to face immediate execution, and "Well, that wraps up this campaign. Next week, bring your new characters!" And it would have been absolutely FAIR, and I think all those players had the good sense (after having time to think) to realize that. Caleb saved them from a sure case of execution, or being absolute and unforgivable fugitives. They would NEVER have found Nott's husband, and since she mentioned him, someone probably would have killed him, outright, once they figured it out. IF they survived and escaped the Bright Queen's domain, they would have been on the run, forever, because she would have sent many assassins after them. Not just drow, either. Half-orcs would be accepted in the Empire without much question, and there is a tunnel to a halfling town. OH, yeah. They would have had a LOT of assassins on their tails, IF they made it out alive, at all. And I think Liam knew that. Caleb certainly did. And he also knew that his friends would realize that, eventually. AND, he knew that he HATED THE EMPIRE, and what it was doing to SO MANY PEOPLE. And the Empire needed to be stopped, even if it was through war. A war kills many. But corruption of that kind, at that level, can DESTROY EVERYONE.
Hey. I'm about to critique. But not meanly lol. Whenever you talk about big moments I always keep an eye on the time played vs time left. Because you often spend so much time giving context that getting their sometimes feels anticlimactic. Not so much this time though. Although I don't think Liam thought too much about the previous events . I think he was just thinking desperately on what might save everyone's asses. Lol. As Caleb of course!
I cannot lie, this is a very fair critique! It's actually something I realized myself and was actively trying to do better on this video so hearing that it's improving is very encouraging!
It's really awesome that you now doing long video essay instead of short 10 min. Much more information is covered and viewer get better understanding of you ideas/thoughts
I remember watching these events unfold, yelling at them to give them the beacon. Then, I could see it on Liam's face. And I was like "yes, do it Caleb!" And the feeling that I had when he finally spoke up was unforgettable.
Your videos just keep getting better! I remembered this event, but I didn't remember everything that lead up to this. You really put new perspective on it. I love how members of CR are not afraid to make big, campaig- changing decisions. It's kind of awe inspiring. And I don't know, I don't think you're obvious enough with your spoilers warning. (Nothing short of bold red text blinking over every frame with loud air raid sounds will do, I think, lol.)
I have to say at first I thought not so highly of the channel but I've come to enjoy the actual passion you show in your following these campaigns. As well as storytelling you do to break down and emphasize key moments in these stories. Truly impressive, inspiring, and entertaining. Congrats on finding that passion and habing the courage being able to share. That, sir, is what I appreciate about you! Thank you for sharing your content and good luck to you in the future endevours.
That scene always struck me as odd because charm doesn't make you attack your friends, it only makes you friendly to the caster. Caleb attacked because Caleb would attack his feiends. Thanks for clarifying that.
Orange Juice after Oreos is one of the craziest things I've seen, it being spiked with alcohol is the only thing keeping such a choice in the realm of sanity
@@PlayYourRole I’m 38 and have, for better or for worse, strong memories of the Hamster Dance. The dancing Squirrel is something I didn’t know I needed until I saw it.
The way I saw the other characters (not players) not pushing more into how traumatic the fight was given his past, was because they at this point didn’t know what he had done. Only Beau and Nott had the story of his past if I remember correctly.
Nice! Great analysis! I really enjoyed your reasoning. You are right, you can’t know for certain what Caleb/Liam’s motivations were. That being said, you definitely give plausible reasoning for his actions. Nicely done. Bravo 👏 😎
Watching this as a person who has basically never seen Critical Role and only knows about it through references this was a wild ride. Also Merobiba best character.
To this day instill don't think Travis realized that if they get arrested the Dynasty will find the beacon. I remember watching this episode yelling at my TV to Travis about it
Loved this video too much! Thank you for all the work you’re doing. I promise it doesn’t go unnoticed and you inspire people like me all the time. Also, you give plenty of spoiler warnings. Also also… M9 has been out for literal Years! It’s like spoiling FF7, we all know Aeirth dies… it’s been 20+ years.
A skilled DM is willing to change gears whenever the story calls for it, even if it derails everything they have planned. There might be a cool battle planned, or the party might have bitten off more than they can chew, but rather than starting to toss initiative dice a single player finds an out and suddenly everything changes. Recently I had this happen where my character (a brutal but honorable Conquest Paladin) chose to sheathe his sword and let an NPC take command of a situation, since he was clearly not behaving like an enemy but was willing to fight if attacked. And this was in the middle of the battle, when the situation was already chaotic. Rather than fighting to the death we got a chance to find out what was really going on.
Gonna throw this in here, but any chance of breaking down the C2 E97 second part? Because that interrogation of Essek is.... Just wild. Absolutely wonderful. Brings me to tears every time and is actually a part of my self care routine is listening to that whole... Conversation.
I ask "What are you afraid of" and she looks at me seriously and says"I'm afraid you won't share your feelings with me and i will share too much and will end up loosing you. What are you afraid of?" Me "Bears. I'm afraid of bears"
This is a great recap of those events. I forgot about some of the context behind this shift. Too bad you didn't include a spoiler warning though. I thought you said you'd be better about that...
I absolutely love the piano song that starts at around 6:00. Can I ask the track? Also I adore this video. Caleb is one of my favorite characters and this was a gorgeous breakdown of his personality. Phenomenal
I really can't remember what the song was, and when I tried to track it down I couldn't find it! It was royalty free and from Epidemic Sound. I wanna say it was made by the artist Ava Low, but I could be wrong? I'm sorry I couldn't find it again!
gibberish from when he was talking with food in his mouth was something along the lines of "I wasn't trying to be sexy, do you want me to try to be sexy?"
Pumpkin Stitch is available at Marshals/Ross/Homegoods… just FYI 😂 My 17 year old pug just passed away a few weeks ago… the first day we adopted him when I came home from work he screamed “HIIIII!!!” and took a running jump off the bed at me “leap of faith” hoping that I would catch him, LOL 🤣 I considered using the Pumpkin Stitch cookie jar for his ashes… 😢
I think a big part of Caleb’s decision to unveil the Luxon was based in fear. Of course, this was a huge moment for his character, and it IS the first time in the campaign he has chosen to take control of his destiny. It’s beautiful. HOWEVER, I think that something that wasn’t mentioned in your video is the fact that this decision to try and control his fate was largely based in fear. To understand this we, again, have to look back to Caleb’s backstory and understand the parallels to the situation he’s facing in this pivotal moment. The M9 are clearly about to be imprisoned, or worse, in this moment. Caleb has been imprisoned before. After the death of his parents, his time in the sanitorium is as traumatic a time in his life as any. He deeply fears being imprisoned and tortured, to the point that he includes a replica of his cell in his tower as a reminder. It just goes to show that decisions aren’t based on a singular motivation. He very clearly wants to take control in his life, but you could argue that the decision he made RESULTED in his taking back control, all while being rooted in fear and desperation not to face torture and imprisonment again.
Dude, if people are clicking on your video, they're here to listen to your take on something they more than likely know. I really wish YT/Social Media would have a discussion on what is acceptable for spoilers. I get tired of watching videos and the creator having to constantly put in 'Spoiler Warnings.' Especially on things that are years in the past. Current stuff, movies/shows - yeah acceptable. A few years ago? No. Stuff from years ago needing spoiler warnings is like someone going to a haunted house and being upset they weren't warned they were going to be scared. You knew what you were looking for when you clicked on this, you shouldn't need a spoiler warning for it. Anyways....great video. Honestly, I can't wait to see this in the animated show. It was one of those moments where it could have failed epically and led to different events. Instead, it changed the course of the game and the world. Sometimes, all its takes it one moment, one decision, to change the course of the world. And of course, Liam is just that good of a roleplayer.
Oh hell, back when the Hobbit trilogy came out, people were bitching about spoilers when talking about the deaths in the last film. The book had been out for 75 YEARS!
i cant wait for TMN animated.I love Vox Machina, but Mighty Nein's members grew so much closer to me, especially Caleb! Cant wait to get on with Season 2
If a random act of arson made Matt tear up a charactersheet before the cast, there should have been a pile of documents fed into the shredder at this point. They were doing heists up to this point, when they unexpectedly joined the conceptual antagonist of the political game. Exciting stuff.
I do love the playful banter you and your wife have, it is indeed a lot of fun! Also, those who choose to ignore spoiler warnings and then pretend like you never gave them... are truly The Worst and nobody likes them. Except probably WotC? 🤔
Is no one talking about how PISSED Taliesin looks in the explosive arrow part? XD He was staring daggers at Sam, like 'seriously DUDE!? I have to go and make a third Character?' I truly did feel bad in that moment for Taliesin. I can only assume that must made for a discussion and talk afterwards.
I loved Caleb every step of the way, from the very beginning, a complex character, truly traumatized by his past, trying to take control at many turns, I also gotta admit, not sure why but the M9 (specially Beau) started up being such a bunch of AH towards Caleb, Liam was fantastic both in RP and in strategy, yet they constantly made fun of Caleb (took one description of "scruffy" and chose to make the perma-joke of "Stinky") or clashed with him in the most senseless ways: when "the scrolls on Zadash" I wanted to go in there and kick everyone's rear, cuz less than an hour before Beau had tried the same shit in the other house, but NOW Caleb was wrong, then the thing with the artifact of the dragon queen with the guest player, whose name I just forgot, like, you are usually the most paranoid players in the world, but he voices that this is a F-ton of bad news and feels uneasy to give it to a complete stranger and suddenly Beau is all up in the moral high ground? BS!. I loved how much Caleb grew and how powerful he becomes in the end, how much he raises in the eyes of everyone around him. Great character!
While I love this scene just as much as the next person, there's no denying it only happened because the party needlessly backed themselves into a corner. In terms of a cost-benefit analysis, things were already looking so bleak that almost nothing could've made the situation worse in any meaningful way, and Caleb had reason to believe offering the Beacon would work in the party's favor and he had everything to gain from doing so. Like, really, what would've happened if his stunt didn't work-the party would be even more arrested and tortured than the Bright Queen was already planning? The thing that gets to me was how easy *not* incurring the Bright Queen's wrath would've been. Despite the legal precedent at play, she was willing to take time out of her busy schedule to talk with them herself. I'm not saying she could've been easily swayed, but an insane stroke of fortune meant the odds were stacked in the Nein's favor, and they should've known better than to squander it. Obviously it makes sense that Nott would speak with the Bright Queen to advocate for Yeza's freedom. I get why the players wanted to send Jester with her, but for the love of god, I cannot wrap my head around how this could be remotely justified in character. Beau and Caleb should've immediately pointed out that sending in two inexperienced people for political diplomacy with deeply personal stakes would be an inevitable shitshow. Caleb should've insisted that he be the one to accompany her, something no one would've questioned given his intelligence and close bond with Nott, then hint at having valuable information about the Cerberus Assembly he would voluntarily share, but only after ensuring the Nein's safety and Yeza's release. As much as he hated bring up his past, if there was anyone for whom he'd stick his neck this far out, it would be Nott . Fjord should've never entertained the idea at all-calling out the Nein's stupidity and running risk management (with notable exception to his own personal matters) was what he did. It even seems strange that Caduceus didn't activate his low-key judgey side and reminded the party, Nott especially, the sheer enormity of what was at stake. I know that D&D players are never perfect, even ones who are professional actors, and I appreciate the ways that mistakes can lead to extremely cool story beats as a D&D player myself... but I just cannot get over how bewildering this entire scene was.
Now that we know this is being animated, this is what I'm most curious about. How are they going to translate this into a scene where players aren't making silly choices for laughs. Will they keep the slave costumes? Do they choose two speakers again, or choose the whole group? How would Caduceus actually contribute to the scene? And how will CR leverage the previous events (and backstories) to make this even more impactful? This scene has so much gravity (heh, Dunamis) that it HAS to be pulled off right. I have very little doubt they'll do it wrong.
Stitch is perfect, your wife is correct in the immediate showing him off. Also your level of petty makes us all proud.
If you wanna check out the liveplay, this is the channel to go to!
@@PlayYourRole Oh hey that's us :P
Lol
@@PlayYourRolenice Stitch voice btw, great to see someone else who can pull it off
It's a particularly powerful moment because it was a Human who made the choice to give the Luxon to the Empire.
Also, he noted that the Empire wouldve searched the bag and found the Luxon... you have to know what's in a Bag of Holding to pull things from it unless you invert it and just dump it out.
The fact that Caleb took control of the situation and his destiny while still dressed in slave clothes is not lost on me
Caleb still one of, if not my favorite, characters of all time
C2 isn't my favorite, but Caleb is. I love him.
It seems my opinions on Liams characters are unpopular but I LOVE how many people connect with them!
Liam's characters are not usually my favorites, but I respect him as a player. It's about emotionality
I did not expect to love Caleb as much as I do. Watch the start of C2, I was not the Dirt Wizard's biggest fan. Right about the time they were first heading to Xhorhas, I realized I had come to adore our traumatized pyro-mancer. And now, Shadowghast is my #1 Critical Role couple. I really do love our two wizards.
Definitely my favorite wizard, can't wait to see the animated show depict Liam's descriptions of spells
The same event that inspired Caleb to take control of his fate is the same event where Essek first meets the Nein, the group who would so drastically change him and teach him that he could do the same thing Caleb did: take back control of his life.
So many people forget that Essek was at this meeting with the Bright Queen. Sure, it is not mentioned in the moment, just that there are figures of importance around the queen's throne, but Matt also confirmed later that he was there. Heck, Essek even confirms this while talking to the Nein as he mentions having been there when Caleb revealed the beacon.
Caleb changed the course of the campaign and an antagonist.
Every day I sit on my hands waiting for him to make a video dedicated to Essek lmao. Or Essek and Caleb and their parallel/foil nature. It's SO good, the storytelling of it, the character arcs, how the influence each other...
I believe through caring about Essek and hoping for better for him, Caleb was able to understand the Nein's love for himself and for it to finally click and make sense why'd they'd care about "someone like him". Or at least he could finally sincerely believe in their affection. Since he sees so much of himself in Essek, "thinner than a razor".
I wait every day. Until then I gladly rewatch Jess Galaxie's Essek video essay because it's brilliant and the only one apparently xD
@@isbammoi3358 I'll have to look up that essay. I love Essek.
@@kyokonightstorm5844 Me too! It's why I rewatch it all the time. I think it's called 'The Redemption of Essek Thelyss' and is around 2 hours long? It's a big one but it's glorious xD
Essek was well done, and he was never meant to be redeemed.
Yeah, honestly I never knew why some people thought it's a controversial choice to hand over the beacon in that situation. I remember that not only half the table were apprehensive about that but also a lot of people only were calling it a stupid decision, but as you said, if they got arrested guards would find the beacon anyway.
i mean gameplay wise you "assume" matt wont kill the party outright so theres prob going to be some prison break or negotiations or hard labor style stuff coming. So if you assume matt will have some thing planned then your just giving away the parties cool magic item. players of games dont like losing cool stuff.
i think this option is way funner and cooler of course but you could also argue they will think you stole it and attack you making it worse combined with losing cool item we may get to keep. IMO its the only option and makes the most sense but once you think of it like an rpg video game item you can see why losing it sucks
@@Zalied Oh, Matt for sure would not kill them outright but guards would still search the bag and find the beacon, which for sure would destroy any potential positive relationship they could have had.
@micryt. maybe. Who knows he coulda had the guy search it who had already sold the bacon before. And maybe he hides it and questions them first which could lead all over the place. Tons of things may have happened depending on where Matt wanted the story to go.
Which is what I mean though. He gave away their cool item and made a choice that locked them on a path which without knowing is good or bad is risky so I can see why people were against it st first
@@ZaliedWhile something good might have happened if they didn't give it up, I still think the choice that was made was actually the safest. All the others had greater risks.
@micryt. of course none of my message is judging their choice it's the choice I agree with. I was explaining how some see it as a controversial choice.
While I agree this was definitely a huge moment in Caleb's development, I would argue that he did this a number of times before. One in particular (also an episode ender) was the wall of fire on Avantika's ship. Travis/Fjord saw this and specifically asked him to "exercise quick judgement" before hand. He asked Caleb to take ownership not just of himself but the party and their ship as a whole. And Caleb did exactly that, initiating the fight that would ultimately save their asses with a serious power move. I argue that this moment with the beacon was an extension of the moment with Avantika and others before it (e.g. stealing the scrolls during the heist in Zadash). The beacon was the crescendo of the symphony of Caleb's symphony of self-actualization. But it needed many moments before that to build up to this point. After that there comes a new symphony for him - one where he reckons with his past more fully and the word "spaghettifying" is used and a villain has a magical girl transformation.
Just re-watched an animation of that fight earlier today. One of the coolest combats of the campaign.
That Wall of Fire was a huge moment. This powerful element he had once used to destroy his family, was now protecting it. The man who had once destroyed his family, was now doing everything to protect it.
It was Caleb's emerging as a protector that would then carry on to this moment with the beacon. Where he gives up this insanely powerful object to save his found family.
This is the culmination of Caleb discovering his ability to protect. From here, it is him coming to terms with what that will mean going forwards, and how it conflicts with his original reason for adventuring.
I find it also super fitting that this is also when Essek gets his first glimpses of the Mighty Nein and what found family can be. He said it himself that the Nein changed him. "You should try having friends sometime." As much as Essek impacted Caleb, the reverse is also true. This is why we ship Shadowghast so hard.
That's true, but I didn't like Travis's meta comment of "Oh, no. Just get arrested man, just get arrested."
@@StarWindEnergin I do agree this is a hard moment to watch, but in all honesty, I've said some bone-headed not-seeing-the-forest-through-the-trees side comments and then get humbled quickly. I also have to acknowledge that I say this comment with having an overwhelming bias towards Travis's RP-ing, but I think it still stands without that extra context.
The fact that this led to so many redemption arcs is just pure insanity.
Honestly, his doing this is the first real step in shrugging off his traumas. Before this, he wallowed in it. He purposely beat himself down with constant guilt. This moment was when he really took the first real step into being his own man.
See when it comes to Liam, he may play super angsty characters, but he enjoys the masochism of shit happening to those characters in droves as well LOL. He just likes the feels. He doesn't care which direction they're coming from.
I personally love the emotional depth Liam brings to his characters. The seem to reflect him and Shakespearian background. He is quieter at the table but I appreciate it as a balance to Sam's insanity. I guess I'm more like Liam and his RP is cozy and familiar. When he brings something to the table there is thought and intention always, and it always makes me stop and listen.
Love that people are surprised there are spoilers on a video clearly about a moment in a campaign.
If you got spoiled then that’s on you.
Unless you haven’t started C2 yet in which case that’s unfortunate ig you didn’t know who Caleb was.
I think that's the joke
Liam is such a great actor. He perfectly displays Caleb's reactions to his triggers, and hearing the name of his abuser is enough to make Liam/Caleb freeze solid for two minutes.
Your wife is a treasure, embrace the chaos
That she is, but dont tell her I said so
As a DM, I love how Matt handled this, as well. He described how everyone reacted, and then said, "We're going to end here, because I need to time to figure out what to do next!" He was prepared for battle (that map was beautiful), and he was prepared for an escape quest. He was NOT prepared for that. I bet he DID have plans for them searching the bag and discovering it. After all, it's easy to search a bag of holding. Just cut a hole in the side, and everything falls out. So easy. They would have been found, and the entire Empire would have seen them as thieves who stole that thing, in the first place. It could very likely have been a TPK situation.
But Matt saw that move, that BRILLIANT move, and took the time to do it justice.
I think the players who were against showing it probably realized later (fridge thoughts) that it would have been discovered in their possession, anyway, and it would have looked REALLY BAD. They might have been forced to face immediate execution, and "Well, that wraps up this campaign. Next week, bring your new characters!" And it would have been absolutely FAIR, and I think all those players had the good sense (after having time to think) to realize that.
Caleb saved them from a sure case of execution, or being absolute and unforgivable fugitives. They would NEVER have found Nott's husband, and since she mentioned him, someone probably would have killed him, outright, once they figured it out. IF they survived and escaped the Bright Queen's domain, they would have been on the run, forever, because she would have sent many assassins after them. Not just drow, either. Half-orcs would be accepted in the Empire without much question, and there is a tunnel to a halfling town. OH, yeah. They would have had a LOT of assassins on their tails, IF they made it out alive, at all.
And I think Liam knew that. Caleb certainly did. And he also knew that his friends would realize that, eventually. AND, he knew that he HATED THE EMPIRE, and what it was doing to SO MANY PEOPLE. And the Empire needed to be stopped, even if it was through war. A war kills many. But corruption of that kind, at that level, can DESTROY EVERYONE.
Hey. I'm about to critique. But not meanly lol.
Whenever you talk about big moments I always keep an eye on the time played vs time left. Because you often spend so much time giving context that getting their sometimes feels anticlimactic.
Not so much this time though.
Although I don't think Liam thought too much about the previous events . I think he was just thinking desperately on what might save everyone's asses. Lol. As Caleb of course!
I cannot lie, this is a very fair critique! It's actually something I realized myself and was actively trying to do better on this video so hearing that it's improving is very encouraging!
Friendly, constructive criticism and honest introspection? I'm still on the internet, right?
It's really awesome that you now doing long video essay instead of short 10 min. Much more information is covered and viewer get better understanding of you ideas/thoughts
I'm REALLY enjoying the longer video format. It feels much more natural to me!
Caleb is such a great and complex character and your analysis of him and those moments is just sooo good!
Just found your channel a few weeks ago, been watching everything I can. Love your stuff man
Thank you so much!!! I love making these!!
I remember watching these events unfold, yelling at them to give them the beacon. Then, I could see it on Liam's face. And I was like "yes, do it Caleb!"
And the feeling that I had when he finally spoke up was unforgettable.
Your videos just keep getting better!
I remembered this event, but I didn't remember everything that lead up to this. You really put new perspective on it. I love how members of CR are not afraid to make big, campaig- changing decisions. It's kind of awe inspiring.
And I don't know, I don't think you're obvious enough with your spoilers warning. (Nothing short of bold red text blinking over every frame with loud air raid sounds will do, I think, lol.)
2:00 DUDE how could you not warn me about the dancing squirrel? SPOILER WARNING PLEASE!
just kidding don't smite me
I have to say at first I thought not so highly of the channel but I've come to enjoy the actual passion you show in your following these campaigns. As well as storytelling you do to break down and emphasize key moments in these stories. Truly impressive, inspiring, and entertaining. Congrats on finding that passion and habing the courage being able to share. That, sir, is what I appreciate about you! Thank you for sharing your content and good luck to you in the future endevours.
I can't wait to see this moment animated
Man that really is the thought process for every cool moment now that we know we're getting a show
That scene always struck me as odd because charm doesn't make you attack your friends, it only makes you friendly to the caster. Caleb attacked because Caleb would attack his feiends. Thanks for clarifying that.
Caleb feels shakesperian, a force of nature in moments. You feel his soul bleeding into reality.
you inspire me to rewatch the second campaign man. great analysis
Watching this is making me want to go back and rewatch campaign 2. Man I can’t wait for the animated series of it to release
Orange Juice after Oreos is one of the craziest things I've seen, it being spiked with alcohol is the only thing keeping such a choice in the realm of sanity
I was going to say this! Especially pumpkin spice Oreos.
Always great to listen to your take on events in CR and point out stuff I missed!
Oh my god. The dancing squirrel. Amazing!
I lay awake at night afraid to sleep because I know the squirrel will visit me in my dreams
@@PlayYourRole I’m 38 and have, for better or for worse, strong memories of the Hamster Dance. The dancing Squirrel is something I didn’t know I needed until I saw it.
The way I saw the other characters (not players) not pushing more into how traumatic the fight was given his past, was because they at this point didn’t know what he had done. Only Beau and Nott had the story of his past if I remember correctly.
Wait there were spoilers in this video?! How could you?! 😂 good stuff dude
Loved this analysis. One of your best
Thank you!!!
Fantastic, now just one more of my favourite moments to examine. I am curious if it will be one of them.
What is the moment????
Nice! Great analysis! I really enjoyed your reasoning. You are right, you can’t know for certain what Caleb/Liam’s motivations were. That being said, you definitely give plausible reasoning for his actions. Nicely done. Bravo 👏 😎
Watching this as a person who has basically never seen Critical Role and only knows about it through references this was a wild ride.
Also Merobiba best character.
Loved this moment and loved this summary of it and the moments preceding it!
Thank you!!!
Wow, I didn't remember any of that context. This video brought tears to my eyes. Thank you.
To this day instill don't think Travis realized that if they get arrested the Dynasty will find the beacon. I remember watching this episode yelling at my TV to Travis about it
If you had the chance to change yer fate.... would'ya?
Okay rustage
The shakespeare of our time
Loved this video too much! Thank you for all the work you’re doing. I promise it doesn’t go unnoticed and you inspire people like me all the time.
Also, you give plenty of spoiler warnings.
Also also… M9 has been out for literal Years! It’s like spoiling FF7, we all know Aeirth dies… it’s been 20+ years.
YEAH JAY
Thanks for making the spoiler warnings better cause I LOVE these videos and have definitely gotten major CR spoilers in the past lol
Stitch Cookie jar and pumpkin spice oreos... best opening ever. And great spoiler warning.
My wife was very proud of her additions
I came back (5 days later) just to watch the spoiler warning again.
A skilled DM is willing to change gears whenever the story calls for it, even if it derails everything they have planned. There might be a cool battle planned, or the party might have bitten off more than they can chew, but rather than starting to toss initiative dice a single player finds an out and suddenly everything changes.
Recently I had this happen where my character (a brutal but honorable Conquest Paladin) chose to sheathe his sword and let an NPC take command of a situation, since he was clearly not behaving like an enemy but was willing to fight if attacked. And this was in the middle of the battle, when the situation was already chaotic. Rather than fighting to the death we got a chance to find out what was really going on.
If you had a chance to changer yer fate... would'ya ? 'specially after that dope spoiler warning at ta beginning ?
It's really testing my editing abilities making these spoiler warnings, lemme tell ya
"I wasn't tryna be sexy, you want me to try to be sexy?" That's what he said when he ate the Oreo
Type in "last 10 minutes of citizen kayn" . "What the fuck? No spoiler warning"
You're so right, they NEED to make sure we don't get spoiled!
Gonna throw this in here, but any chance of breaking down the C2 E97 second part? Because that interrogation of Essek is.... Just wild. Absolutely wonderful. Brings me to tears every time and is actually a part of my self care routine is listening to that whole... Conversation.
As someone who had a character named Caleb, it is the best name for a character
Just finished watching this episode for the first time! Was blown away at the end when Liam pulled that one
33:35 "If you had a chance to change your fate.... would ye'?" MEROBIBA WOULD! (fwom Bwave)
I ask "What are you afraid of" and she looks at me seriously and says"I'm afraid you won't share your feelings with me and i will share too much and will end up loosing you. What are you afraid of?" Me "Bears. I'm afraid of bears"
This is a great recap of those events. I forgot about some of the context behind this shift.
Too bad you didn't include a spoiler warning though. I thought you said you'd be better about that...
In the moment when Caleb made his move I was watching it live. I literally shouted "What the actual fuck, Caleb?!".
This was probably put here earlier but you said “well I wasn’t trying to be sexy do you want me to try to be sexy”
I absolutely love the piano song that starts at around 6:00. Can I ask the track?
Also I adore this video. Caleb is one of my favorite characters and this was a gorgeous breakdown of his personality. Phenomenal
I really can't remember what the song was, and when I tried to track it down I couldn't find it! It was royalty free and from Epidemic Sound. I wanna say it was made by the artist Ava Low, but I could be wrong? I'm sorry I couldn't find it again!
gibberish from when he was talking with food in his mouth was something along the lines of "I wasn't trying to be sexy, do you want me to try to be sexy?"
that stitch voice is so good!
the video was amazing !!! (hopefully you put a spoiler warning next time though
Eff Ye had th’ chance te cheenge yer faet, wood Ye?
If ye had da chaance to mark yer spoilers, WOUDJA?
This has no relevance to the video idk why people keep commenting it
Pumpkin Stitch is available at Marshals/Ross/Homegoods… just FYI 😂
My 17 year old pug just passed away a few weeks ago… the first day we adopted him when I came home from work he screamed “HIIIII!!!” and took a running jump off the bed at me “leap of faith” hoping that I would catch him, LOL 🤣
I considered using the Pumpkin Stitch cookie jar for his ashes… 😢
Another very good video. Thank you, neighbor.
Also, if you had the chance to chengeyer feet, WOOJER?
I think a big part of Caleb’s decision to unveil the Luxon was based in fear. Of course, this was a huge moment for his character, and it IS the first time in the campaign he has chosen to take control of his destiny. It’s beautiful.
HOWEVER, I think that something that wasn’t mentioned in your video is the fact that this decision to try and control his fate was largely based in fear. To understand this we, again, have to look back to Caleb’s backstory and understand the parallels to the situation he’s facing in this pivotal moment.
The M9 are clearly about to be imprisoned, or worse, in this moment. Caleb has been imprisoned before. After the death of his parents, his time in the sanitorium is as traumatic a time in his life as any. He deeply fears being imprisoned and tortured, to the point that he includes a replica of his cell in his tower as a reminder.
It just goes to show that decisions aren’t based on a singular motivation. He very clearly wants to take control in his life, but you could argue that the decision he made RESULTED in his taking back control, all while being rooted in fear and desperation not to face torture and imprisonment again.
Caleb is perfection 💛
Dude, if people are clicking on your video, they're here to listen to your take on something they more than likely know. I really wish YT/Social Media would have a discussion on what is acceptable for spoilers. I get tired of watching videos and the creator having to constantly put in 'Spoiler Warnings.' Especially on things that are years in the past. Current stuff, movies/shows - yeah acceptable. A few years ago? No. Stuff from years ago needing spoiler warnings is like someone going to a haunted house and being upset they weren't warned they were going to be scared. You knew what you were looking for when you clicked on this, you shouldn't need a spoiler warning for it.
Anyways....great video. Honestly, I can't wait to see this in the animated show. It was one of those moments where it could have failed epically and led to different events. Instead, it changed the course of the game and the world. Sometimes, all its takes it one moment, one decision, to change the course of the world.
And of course, Liam is just that good of a roleplayer.
Oh hell, back when the Hobbit trilogy came out, people were bitching about spoilers when talking about the deaths in the last film. The book had been out for 75 YEARS!
That shirt Caleb/ Liam is wearing is hilarious
Great video man! Don’t know there wasn’t a spoiler warning though. I think a warning at maybe around the 2 minute mark would’ve been very awesome
As someone with misophonia, THANK YOU for covering the eating sound
i cant wait for TMN animated.I love Vox Machina, but Mighty Nein's members grew so much closer to me, especially Caleb! Cant wait to get on with Season 2
Promise I click to hear your opinion….but yes also to hear her give you shit because it’s a very nice bonus. Thank you for the video!
"I wasnt trying to be sexy, do you want me to try to be sexy?"
Gibberish Translation: "I'm not even trying to be sexy. Do you want me to try to be sexy?"
If you had the chance to change your fate? Would'ya?
Should'ya?
0:53 "Well I wasn't TRYING to be sexy! You want me to try to be sexy?"
If you had the chance to change your fate, would ya?
I might, but only if I don't have to do spoiler warnings anymore
If you ya had a chance to change yer fate, would ya? Yes, I would.
If a random act of arson made Matt tear up a charactersheet before the cast, there should have been a pile of documents fed into the shredder at this point. They were doing heists up to this point, when they unexpectedly joined the conceptual antagonist of the political game. Exciting stuff.
The spoiler rant is becoming my favorite bit lmao
“I rinsed my mouth out with vodka” Hell yeah, you did
0:56 but hey thas just theory AAA FOOT THEORY!
I do love the playful banter you and your wife have, it is indeed a lot of fun! Also, those who choose to ignore spoiler warnings and then pretend like you never gave them... are truly The Worst and nobody likes them. Except probably WotC? 🤔
Dammit, do the hand!
WHAT HAND???
@@PlayYourRole the hand of vecna! C'mon! You gotta! Plsplsplspls
Great video but also I want that cookie jar.....!!!
Cant tell you how difficult it was to get ahold of, I had to hunt for a while
F'ye had the chance te change yer fate, woodye?
Dude there is *no way* you washed down pumpkin spice oreo with OJ
Omg, Someone else who can do the stitch voice!
I was distracted by the dancing squirrel...was that the spoiler warning?
Is no one talking about how PISSED Taliesin looks in the explosive arrow part? XD He was staring daggers at Sam, like 'seriously DUDE!? I have to go and make a third Character?' I truly did feel bad in that moment for Taliesin. I can only assume that must made for a discussion and talk afterwards.
Blud really said: I'M NOT A BIG FAN OF THE GOVERNMENT
30 on 30
I love the extended Oreo flavors. Pretty good for knock off sandwiches cookies. Hydrox was still better.
I've always thought the best move was to give the beacon back to the rightful owners even before things were going bad...
Nah nah I sense a brand here…D&D content and food reaction channel…your local tavern guy 😂😂
Eff ye hahd theh chance tew chenge yer feyt, woodja?
“I just rinsed my mouth out with vodka”
if ye had the chance to change yer faet, woodja?
Goddammn, why did you spoil me. I cant believe i watched this video thinking you would even put a small spoiler warning in it. Sheeesh...
Wow, you really revealed ALL THIS, spoilers and all, WITHOUT A SPOILER WARNING?! Un-freaking believable
I loved Caleb every step of the way, from the very beginning, a complex character, truly traumatized by his past, trying to take control at many turns, I also gotta admit, not sure why but the M9 (specially Beau) started up being such a bunch of AH towards Caleb, Liam was fantastic both in RP and in strategy, yet they constantly made fun of Caleb (took one description of "scruffy" and chose to make the perma-joke of "Stinky") or clashed with him in the most senseless ways: when "the scrolls on Zadash" I wanted to go in there and kick everyone's rear, cuz less than an hour before Beau had tried the same shit in the other house, but NOW Caleb was wrong, then the thing with the artifact of the dragon queen with the guest player, whose name I just forgot, like, you are usually the most paranoid players in the world, but he voices that this is a F-ton of bad news and feels uneasy to give it to a complete stranger and suddenly Beau is all up in the moral high ground? BS!. I loved how much Caleb grew and how powerful he becomes in the end, how much he raises in the eyes of everyone around him. Great character!
While I love this scene just as much as the next person, there's no denying it only happened because the party needlessly backed themselves into a corner. In terms of a cost-benefit analysis, things were already looking so bleak that almost nothing could've made the situation worse in any meaningful way, and Caleb had reason to believe offering the Beacon would work in the party's favor and he had everything to gain from doing so. Like, really, what would've happened if his stunt didn't work-the party would be even more arrested and tortured than the Bright Queen was already planning?
The thing that gets to me was how easy *not* incurring the Bright Queen's wrath would've been. Despite the legal precedent at play, she was willing to take time out of her busy schedule to talk with them herself. I'm not saying she could've been easily swayed, but an insane stroke of fortune meant the odds were stacked in the Nein's favor, and they should've known better than to squander it. Obviously it makes sense that Nott would speak with the Bright Queen to advocate for Yeza's freedom. I get why the players wanted to send Jester with her, but for the love of god, I cannot wrap my head around how this could be remotely justified in character.
Beau and Caleb should've immediately pointed out that sending in two inexperienced people for political diplomacy with deeply personal stakes would be an inevitable shitshow. Caleb should've insisted that he be the one to accompany her, something no one would've questioned given his intelligence and close bond with Nott, then hint at having valuable information about the Cerberus Assembly he would voluntarily share, but only after ensuring the Nein's safety and Yeza's release. As much as he hated bring up his past, if there was anyone for whom he'd stick his neck this far out, it would be Nott .
Fjord should've never entertained the idea at all-calling out the Nein's stupidity and running risk management (with notable exception to his own personal matters) was what he did. It even seems strange that Caduceus didn't activate his low-key judgey side and reminded the party, Nott especially, the sheer enormity of what was at stake.
I know that D&D players are never perfect, even ones who are professional actors, and I appreciate the ways that mistakes can lead to extremely cool story beats as a D&D player myself... but I just cannot get over how bewildering this entire scene was.
Now that we know this is being animated, this is what I'm most curious about. How are they going to translate this into a scene where players aren't making silly choices for laughs. Will they keep the slave costumes? Do they choose two speakers again, or choose the whole group? How would Caduceus actually contribute to the scene? And how will CR leverage the previous events (and backstories) to make this even more impactful?
This scene has so much gravity (heh, Dunamis) that it HAS to be pulled off right. I have very little doubt they'll do it wrong.