I love how Liam is deadpan and completely in character whenever he's talking as Vax and then whenever he's not talking he's just losing it and quietly laughing his ass off.
@@cmmndrblu That's surprising! Most British people I've seen commenting on their accents have said they have very " fantasy British" sounding accents...meaning it doesn't sound very natural/accurate. So it's interesting you think their accents are consistent and that they sound natural.
If they cast got every round of applause they're due for every good performance they've rendered the fans would never get anything done. That being said everyone of Victor's appearances still stand out. Each one was better than the last too.
For those of you binge watching in 2020, Matt was talking about the Pulse Nightclub shooting in orlando, I believe. It actually took me a few minutes to remember that that was only 4 years ago, and not even a decade has passed. Sorry it hit me that
I thought it was. I can't believe it's been almost 6 years now. I got emotional just listening to what he said, but I'm glad they addressed it. (binge watching in 2022)
Liam: I am trying to find Shaun Gilmore Laura: Shaun? Thats his name? How did you know that! Sam, quietly: He slept with him Ah hidden gems. It's amazing the things you pick up on the second watch through
@@Dehalove Oh, what I wouldn't give to be able to see the episodes again for the first time. But jokes aside, you can do it. I believe in you. It will all be worth it in the end.
I don't know. I feel like if anyone was taking down Ancient Dragons (especially some of the biggest on given record with Big Red the biggest ever) they would appreciate it like any fisherman appreciates the battle with "The Big One".
True, but it could also be the "fisherman's tale." That young dragon becomes an adult after a few tellings and then in one bar it becomes ancient and then you just stick with it. ;) But the guy did respond that he'd fought a dragon, too. And Matt made it known that the dragon's names are well-known in these parts. Now, had they pulled out some dragon parts to show off....
Percy’s little “Thank you for noticing” when Vex said she knew something was wrong. As someone who came in after watching all of TLOVM, it’s so sweet to see Percy and Vex’s relationship grow from this mutual admiration of each other to something much deeper.
The whole scene where Matt is descibing Vax's encounter with the Raven Queen was fantastic. As a DM I absolutely had to appreciate his construction of that scene. It's a sure mark of success, when you look at the faces of the cast during that scene and every single one of them is absolutely focused and enraptured by what is going on. Those are the moments that can be difficult for a DM to achieve, and yet the most rewarding when you achieve them.
It was perfect. Like Taliesin didn't really want to say it. He usually just waits for everyone to do their thing and then does his own but when no one really knew what to do he's like fine. I know everybody wants to here it so "I have some things to do." and yes everybody did feel better after that.
I’ve rewatched the “Black Powder” bits so many times at this point lmao. Everyone’s genuine concern about how Victor kEEPS LOSING FINGERS is the most wholesome and yet insane thing ever
Man I love Matt's depiction of the Raven Queen. Everything is kinda creepy and dark and worrying but then it almost becomes welcoming. And comforting. I love playing Paladins/Clerics with complex Gods and you can already see that having cleared up the worry and confusion helped Vax, as did accepting that he now has some sort of purpose.
This is why I love the Tal'Dorei pantheons. The Raven Queen is creepy, but when you know about her it all makes sense. She has her responsibilities but she cares about her people. She understands that her spheres of influence help bring purpose to existence. When they talk about the undead, I get chills because that's how (prior to this campaign) I thought a deity over the transition between life and death would view that.
That contrast of having Vax come out of the temple surrounded by three maternal figures all concerned and worried while Percy walks alone , in the dark literally gripping to his body due to his own hex. That is a foil ladies and gentlemen.
When he first says about the vial I was like bruh that's silly. Matt will destroy any op idea you got regarding that... Percival shutting my mouth once again. Taliesin has a mastermind regarding to this things and I'm sure Matt loves him for that.
I like that the party is starting to realize that the Raven Queen is not bad or good, but a natural thing that watches over the transition from life to death. The people need the Raven Queen and her champion to make sure that people do not defile the sacred transition.
I loved it because the character I created on my first DnD game was a paladin of death itself... As the natural death and I had this conversation too with her where she commanded me to kill the abominations and necromancers... I ahd a necromancer on my team XD
Viktor is a perfectly created NPC because when prompted to get his actual hand back or a mechanical hand his immediate response was "how cool is the new one?" a true man before his time, not only a pioneer in gunpowder and alchemy but a transhumanist.
@@timharris7303 me. I don't trust my own body enough, let alone something completely foreign being grafted on. Sure, it would be cool, but there's too many possible things to go wrong that would cause paranoia for me.
Hhh. But the Keyleth monologue after? I love how Marisha plays, especially when she power games in battle or when she's the voice of reason. But Keyleth and her fixation on how all gods are bad and the way she seizes every opportunity to monologue about it? Hhh.
@@valkyrie2832 First of all cool profile pic, Mercy is the best ever. Okay so this exchange was awesome, but right after it, Keyleth went on one of her monologues about the gods.
Pros and Cons of watching/listening to Critical Role in your vehicle: PRO - Hook it up through bluetooth and it's like a podcast! AWESOME! CON - Every battle I have to pull over so I can see the awesome map(s) that Matt has constructed PRO - I can try to catch up as I am currently on EP 57 of Campaign #1 and it's 2021 CON - I am getting some very weird looks as I fist pump and cheer like Grog when they defeat the bad guys! PRO - It takes away from the monotony of the road. CON - I have to take breaks sometimes to compose myself during some of the emotional parts... Nothing like watching a big bearded trucker sobbing into his morning coffee because of the love Vax has for his sister, or the healing process regarding Scanlan and his daughter... Damn you, DAMN YOU ALL! I love you! Thank you!
Right there with you, brother. This stuff is powerful. .. Disney can't write this stuff... it's more real than real. .. this is a living, breathing fairytale
This is actually so true! I'm so excited for the 3rd campaign though! Sadly I won't get all of the references since I'm only 57 ep into campaign 1 and haven't watched campaign 2, but still I'm excited to be watching at the same time as everyone else!
I feel this only I listen at work and have to yell at myself to go back to it when all I wanna do is just sit there and actually watch the episode especially ones like this that just give me straight chills 😅 Oh also very lucky I work not in public view so I don't get weird stares screaming at Percy "what are you doing???" 🤦🏽♀️😂
Percy is such a tragic character, the way he went to Raven Queen, wondering if his soul was capable of saving, and why his friends didn't hate him. It's even more sad when you look at the last episode, when he said that he just wanted to be a clockmaker, to fix things.
That song that Scanlan sang to person was stuck in my head that whole time Percy was stripping down and submerging himself in the pool. It was so cinematic, yet so fucking tragic at the same time.
@@janicemcafee7723I don't mind the spoilers as I know most of them anyway, but can you explain why Matt smiled? Or at least send a link that singles out that section of the wrap up? I'd really appreciate it
Matt smiled because he planned the fate touched for Vax because of all the stuff Liam went through. His health issues and losing his mom. He also knew Liam would run with it.
The full realization of the fact that the amazing dialogue that Matt -- and really all of them -- create on the spot is better then the scripts of TV shows that have been worked on for weeks and months.
@@Wereskeleton Still, it's a very different (although can be overlapping) skill set to create dialogue extemporaneously. Ashley, the one among them who works most on screen, is the worst at that -- although of course I love her dearly! One isn't better than the other -- they're both skills that take a lot of work and practice. :)
coming from the future after watching the legend of vox machina, the show they wrote and produced and acted in... the scene of vax and the raven queen is one of the most stunning scenes in animation i've seen, really glad that these talented people have the opportunity to create like this
I believe they probably think of cool lines for their characters and then wait to say them at the right moment. But coming up with the lines and knowing when to say them is still pretty damn cool.
So basically the whole pool thing is that you have to accept that death will come to you to commune with the Raven Queen? Really fits the astetic of the god of death. Good job Matt!
I want to laugh. My cleric of the Raven Queen had a trident with her that let her breath underwater. Now I am just picturing my cleric sitting at the bottom of the pool of blood.
At the end, I was like, "NOOOOO!!!! Don't leave me hanging!!" and then I realized that I don't have to wait a week to see what happens. Edit: I’m currently caught up in Campaign 2 and I miss watching episodes continually...
raven queen @ vax: you’re wonderful and special and you’ll change the fate of everyone around you raven queen @ percy: you’ve always been broken; know better than to face me
00:00:20 - The cast shows support of the LGBTQA+ community after the tragic Orlando nightclub shooting 00:05:55 - Joe Madureira's Battle Chasers and his awesome painting of Vox Machina 00:10:18 - Intro 00:11:48 - Recap 00:13:54 - Start of part 1 00:16:30 - The Slayer's Take Guild Hall 00:17:32 - Loran 00:18:36 - Matt messing with the cast for not remembering Loran's name 00:19:58 - "You half-elves are a humble bunch" 00:21:32 - Vanessa 00:29:47 - Percy's mask 00:31:49 - Victor the Black Powder Merchant 00:45:54 - Duskmeadow 00:51:09 - Vax and Vex 00:52:56 - Raven's Crest 00:55:05 - Entering the Raven Queen's temple 00:59:33 - "Oh dear, oh my, oh gosh, oh jeez, oh boy, oh goodness gracious" 01:00:13 - A priestess appears 01:04:28 - The Pool of Blood 01:08:13 - The Raven Queen speaks 01:16:47 - Back with Pike and Keyleth 01:23:08 - Vax and Vex 01:25:23 - Travis eats his pencil 01:26:07 - Sam has drawn a dick on Percy's notes 01:27:34 - Deidre, and The Sore Socket Habedashery 01:32:33 - Grog gets a pointy hat, and makes a pun 01:34:46 - Sam rolls a natural 1 01:36:13 - Pike and Grog's new hat 01:40:06 - Scanlan inspires Percy (Black Hole Sun, by Soundgarden) 01:41:27 - Percy's mechanical hand 01:42:40 - A very secret message 01:42:58 - The Braving Grounds by night 01:43:54 - Back at Victor's 01:49:49 - Percy visits the Raven Queen 02:05:23 - Sam provides some comic relief 02:08:31 - End of part 1 02:09:19 - Fan art! 02:22:43 - Start of part 2 02:27:21 - Matt explains the feywild 02:29:20 - The stream goes down and the cast wins D&D 02:31:13 - The Ozmit sea 02:32:03 - The Whisper and The Shrew 02:32:30 - Marisha rolls a natural 1 02:32:55 - Taliesin rolls a natural 1 02:33:20 - Pike and the Island of Glass 02:34:51 - Steal an airship? 02:36:04 - Keyleth and the Sun Tree 02:38:50 - Zahra 02:41:25 - Laura is surprised by Gilmore's first name 02:41:56 - The guard 02:43:42 - Gilmore and Eskil the Realmseer 02:49:28 - Travis being real 02:50:24 - Girl talk 02:53:02 - Grog wears his money 02:53:49 - Sleepy Matt 02:54:07 - Allura and Kima 02:55:56 - The ziggurat 03:03:24 - Scanlan suggests a new name for the party 03:04:21 - Allura's research on the Vestiges 03:06:51 - Allura's research on the dragons 03:12:35 - How Thordak was trapped 03:14:49 - Vex's question, technically 03:15:06 - Gilmore uses words 03:20:42 - Taliesin makes a very clever pun, but no one notices 03:23:46 - The Sun Tree is the coolest tree ever 03:29:58 - Percy gives Zahra an unexpected task 03:32:49 - Percy tinkers a mysterious thing 03:34:15 - Grog does a prank 03:36:06 - Vax has fun with oil 03:38:20 - Gilmore and Vax 03:43:05 - End of part 2
I just have this weird mental image of Vecna on the other side of the little portal ball thingie getting hit in the head with random shit, sorta stomping around every time he gets pelted with a random rock or teddy bear, like "what the hell, guys?"
Part of me is half expecting Scanlan to say "I take a shit on the spinning marble." Or better yet. "I take a swig of my potion of poo scrying. Then take a shit on the marble. And *then* I scry on Vecna's poo covered eye hole."
There's also the other thing about catching up (I'm doing the same thing). Usually, gotta avoid the damn comments! Had a couple things spoilt... Fully aware that I'm in the comment section right now...
I love Vax’s story arc. I’ve seen some people get upset at how dramatic he is, but watching the Happy-go-lucky, reckless rogue slowly turn into an unwilling Paladin of a goddess he doesn’t even like, much less feel a connection to, is quite a journey.
There were moments earlier on where i was worried that He'd start to annoy me but He switched to what to me looks like a more subtle and quick approach to honouring the parts of the character that may have a greater potential for slowing the pace of the game down too much/taking over the table. The story itself is great and He's done a good job of keeping it at the forefront of the character without...well yeah- slowing the game down or taking over the table.
I love his arc. He wanted to be a paladin of Saranrae(sp?). Then forced to be one of a goddess completely opposite to her. Just. Wow. I think this campaign made some dynamic choices. I love iI. And I love broody Vax. He had his plans and life stripped away. We'd all be a little broody I'd think.
I started this show because of Liam. And honestly he is slowly dropping to my least favorite character. And I really dislike how he basically gaslit the party and threatened to leave to force them to go to Vasselheim when ther ewas way more important stuff to do. Then here we are and he like "oh don't you guys have errands?" no we are here literally because of you! So I am definitely looking forward to seeing the dramatic emo crap go away because I really do like Liam. He is the voice of many of my favorite characters
@@Ailieorz it’s not about empathy. His reluctance just doesn’t make to much sense also there are other characters that are just more interesting. For example in this episode percys conversation with the raven queen was just more interesting. Also it also doesn’t help that he’s always moppy. I get he’s trying to represent on some level mental illness and depression but I just think other characters do it better and less on the nose in a more complex way
i do love matt and his ability to finally get Liam to know and understand that his character should seek out and kill those who wish to be immortal, and then it ends with the Raksasha, whose life is an abomination according to the Raven queen. +1 for that amazing ability.
Don't worry about me I'm just rewatching season 1 here. I think Matt really wanted them to go back to Whitestone for the encounter with the Rakshasa. In the beginning of the episode when they were taking about where to go Matt says, "You know you could always go back and check in on Whitestone. You haven't been there in a while." or something along those lines.
The Rakshasa's cycle of death and rebirth is a racial trait. What The Raven Queen despises are those immortal creatures propagated by those who fear their own demise.
Liam: Can I make an Insight check? Matt: If you had time. What an absolutely terrifying thing to hear from a DM. Also nobody getting that it was the Rakshassa except for Liam who just sits there doing sad jazz hands was hilarious.
Vax was answering a calling from the Raven Queen, he'd had a bit of time to mentally prepare himself and accept that his fate was no longer in his hands. Percy was like "I'm curious. Oh shit I'm stuck. Oh shit I'm drowning."
Yeah, nicolas duthoit has it right, I think Vax had pretty much accepted dying for his sister in the tomb, then when he didn't have to die he's been kind of in sacrificial "Limbo" emotionally and has gone numb waiting for the other shoe to drop. Whereas Percy has always been just inches away from a mental breakdown in a fancy suit lol. My poor boy is like, I'm sad and I have questions. I don't trust divinity. This hasn't helped with my lack of trust in divinity...
Vax is Sir Gawain at the end of his journey to take his blow from the Green Knight. Percy is a man who has suddenly met Death in an alleyway on the way home from dinner.
I've never seen a comment about it, so I just wanna throw it out there: This is the first time I've seen Vax have a real degree of fun and laughing since he shaved Grog's beard halfway. Thats got to be 15-20 episodes at least. Maybe more. Vax always seems so dramatic and self serious unless hes bantering with Vex. Its nice to see him with a sense of humor again.
Andrew Nanney Technically speaking, he’s had the threat of “Okay, neat, I’m the goddess of death’s whipping boy now” up top since Vex’s revival; Liam can know better, Mercer can know better, Vax doesn’t know shit about what he just did except what he can infer. Having said goddess go “Eh, it’s fine” is a weighty weight off his shoulders, I imagine.
@@Dr.Spatula Liam's mother was dying of cancer around the time this episode was filmed. So I think his real life misfortune was bleeding into Vax's character and he was using that as a coping method with real life grief.
Yeah. I really loved his character in the beginning, but then he tended to turn into this typical brooding quiet rouge. Noone likes the overdramatic edgytype for too long. Laughed on the otherhand, when he multiclassed into rouge-assassin-paladin
I would like to once again thank the legends who made captions for these videos. I have chronic migraines, and at one point, I was in migraine city 24/7 for well over a year. they're better now, but I've had one for almost a week right now, and captions let me keep the volume on videos down while still enjoying them, which is really important when I can't do anything other than stay in bed and wait for the pain to go away. captions help the process of waiting be less miserable. I know making captions for videos of this length is truly an arduous task, but it's very very much appreciated. 💝💝💝
I think it's easy to forget that the Raven Queen is also the goddess of Fate and Winter and not just Death - two other interesting domains in and of themselves.
@@xelloskaczor5051 i'm pretty sure being a goddess it would fit more for your character to be a grave cleric, aka the non evil version of death clerics.
I love love love that Liam caught The Reveal At The End faster than the rest of the group, laughs, and makes the hand gesture. I may have screamed a little
If you notice, Ashley did the hand gesture even earlier. How did she figure that out at that point? She tries to explain to Travis, but I can't make out what she said to him.
@@MysteryFaceX I don't think she knows that is the rakshasha... pike wasn't with them in that moment and watching her face at the end she doesn't know what is going on. But I really think that she was suspecting of gilmore's before.
I thought it was going to be the green dragon they've all been talking about that disguised herself as a druid before was NOT expecting THAT instead like wow 😳 Also so confused because I really thought they were dead 😅🤔
"Mortals can achieve great things... I did" as a line from the Raven Queen is just so good it sounds like it was written in advance. It really was just a goosebumps moment 2:03:50
It may have been written in advance. When there are long scripts, Matt is sometimes reading from notes. (That does not mean the entire conversation is scripted, though. As a player and as a DM I have written lines for characters just in case they end up in a specific situation, and then never use them because that situation doesn't come up.)
Saw a comment and had to look it up... Percy had been meaning to go to the Raven queen since episode 42. 3:36:50 into episode 42 he says he wants to go to inquire about things. He's not trying to steel Vax's thunder, sure it was kinda bad timing but people shouldn't be so annoyed.
And even calling it "Bad timing" is subjective, the parallels are so cool and Liam isn't the type to be jealous I don't think. I can totally see why you'd want to tread carefully, but I think it worked out amazingly well.
I'm sitting here watching 2 years after this has all happened and i'm screaming at Pike "ASK ABOUT THE ARMOR FROM GILMORE!!!!" When they returned to Whitestone.
Just rerolling Initiative on these Timestamps: Enjoy folks. 00:10:18 - Intro 00:11:48 - Recap 00:13:54 - Start of part 1 00:16:30 - The Slayer's Take Guild Hall 00:17:32 - Loran 00:18:36 - Matt messing with the cast for not remembering Loran's name 00:19:58 - "You half-elves are a humble bunch" 00:21:32 - Vanessa 00:29:47 - Percy's mask 00:31:49 - Victor the Black Powder Merchant 00:45:54 - Duskmeadow 00:51:09 - Vax and Vex 00:52:56 - Raven's Crest 00:55:05 - Entering the Raven Queen's temple 00:59:33 - "Oh dear, oh my, oh gosh, oh jeez, oh boy, oh goodness gracious" 01:00:13 - A priestess appears 01:04:28 - The Pool of Blood 01:08:13 - The Raven Queen speaks 01:16:47 - Back with Pike and Keyleth 01:23:08 - Vax and Vex 01:25:23 - Travis eats his pencil 01:26:07 - Sam has drawn a dick on Percy's notes 01:27:34 - Deidre, and The Sore Socket Habedashery 01:32:33 - Grog gets a pointy hat, and makes a pun 01:34:46 - Sam rolls a natural 1 01:36:13 - Pike and Grog's new hat 01:40:06 - Scanlan inspires Percy (Black Hole Sun, by Soundgarden) 01:41:27 - Percy's mechanical hand 01:42:40 - A very secret message 01:42:58 - The Braving Grounds by night 01:43:54 - Back at Victor's 01:49:49 - Percy visits the Raven Queen 02:05:23 - Sam provides some comic relief 02:08:31 - End of part 1 02:09:19 - Fan art! 02:22:43 - Start of part 2 02:27:21 - Matt explains the feywild 02:29:20 - The stream goes down and the cast wins D&D 02:31:13 - The Ozmit sea 02:32:03 - The Whisper and The Shrew 02:32:30 - Marisha rolls a natural 1 02:32:55 - Taliesin rolls a natural 1 02:33:20 - Pike and the Island of Glass 02:34:51 - Steal an airship? 02:36:04 - Keyleth and the Sun Tree 02:38:50 - Zahra 02:41:25 - Laura is surprised by Gilmore's first name 02:41:56 - The guard 02:43:42 - Gilmore and Eskil the Realmseer 02:49:28 - Travis being real 02:50:24 - Girl talk 02:53:02 - Grog wears his money 02:53:49 - Sleepy Matt 02:54:07 - Allura and Kima 02:55:56 - The ziggurat 03:03:24 - Scanlan suggests a new name for the party 03:04:21 - Allura's research on the Vestiges 03:06:51 - Allura's research on the dragons 03:12:35 - How Thordak was trapped 03:14:49 - Vex's question, technically 03:15:06 - Gilmore uses words 03:20:42 - Taliesin makes a very clever pun, but no one notices 03:23:46 - The Sun Tree is the coolest tree ever 03:29:58 - Percy gives Zahra an unexpected task 03:32:49 - Percy tinkers a mysterious thing 03:34:15 - Grog does a prank 03:36:06 - Vax has fun with oil 03:38:20 - Gilmore and Vax 03:43:05 - End of part 2
From Percy’s family tragedy to a demon possessed gun to a possessed sword to four dragons destroying the world, all to end up at Pike running out a door, falling down the stairs, to landing face first on a spike with feet flailing around. God I love Critical Role
Sam: I just told Pike she looked real pretty tonight... Ashley: “Thank you, Scan-“ Sam: And I go back to my reading. Ashley: :( ... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
@@Duriel123 give them some credit my guy, not everyone is a professional, critically acclaimed voice actor with theater background and I think it's unfair to say it sucks when you should really adjust your expectations and work together to make the experience more fun, and give them more leeway and room to learn how to play and roleplay.
@@Nergal134 well i would if they tried. Its basically split the party and gl everyone. I setup a great story (or at least i think so) but im not getting reactions. Ive asked them why theyre doing this. And they said to have difficulty with rping. So i setup some oneshots where the goal was to rp your way out of there. And it kinda worked😊 theyre getting there. But its taking a while
@@Duriel123 Sure, for newbies it's always difficult to understand what they want to achieve with their character, how they want to do it and if they are comfortable acting it out. It's all about cooperation and understanding, it's always gonna take a while. The fact that you have people and they are honest enough to admit their troubles is a good step in the right direction, it should only get better from here tbh.
@@Duriel123 good thinking with the one shots. Also consider giving inspiration points for good rp. That motivates me because it can impact the game when I'm really disappointed with a roll.
I have to admit, this episode was one of the most interesting heavy-RP sessions. One of the understated moments of this episode was when Vax calls out Vex on her flirtations with Percy. I always felt there was subtle advances by Vex towards Percy, though Percy always has been reserved about that sort of thing, likely because he does not really trust himself.
Sarah Clark-Bridges True, but what I thinks makes this one particularly interesting is _Vax's_ view on it. Also while I indeed believe Vex is a complete flirt, in retrospect I don't think she really flirts with the other members of Vox Machina all that much. Even with Scanlan, who is the biggest flirt out of all of them, she tends to just roll her eyes a bit.
Ozpin Good point. I had always assumed she flirted more with Percy because she wanted him to make things for her (arrows, the broom saddle, etc) but maybe Vax calling her out on it just made it canon. Well, now I'm going to be watching all interactions with Percy and Vex very closely, haha.
QemeH Agreed. And flirting with people is something she does quite a lot actually. Its just that I am curious if Vax actually believes there is something more going on between them, And for all their differences, Laura and Liam have been playing the twins quite similarly, and they share a lot of personality traits. Vex always seemed annoyed by the initial interactions between Keyleth and her twin. Perhaps this is a sign of Vax doing the same thing.
Just had to say, I know I’m a little late to the party, but the interaction between the twins after Vax came out of the Raven’s Crest, i shed a tear or two. So well done. I’m so happy I’m watching this.
Holy crap, this teaches me not to judge motives. Taliesin kept quiet about why Percy visited the Raven Queen until the end of this episode for quite a surprisingly nice effect. Amazing! I suppose as a DM I should trust players to do cool shit?
If you have players who are playing for the story element. Oh yeah, you can expect them to try and come up with some cool shit. All you have to do is allow that cool shit and embrace it to see more.
I saw a lot of peeps dunking on Taliesin for going to the temple as well, but to me it feels like this is the only way to do it. I loved it to be honest. We got to see both sides of the coin here, The Raven queen's champion being received and honored, scared but calm, ready to take on his larger than life quest, and then we have his opposite, crawling in the dark, blind, no one there to aid him, flailing and panicking, only to find out that he has no greater purpose than to save himself by just living. If Taliesin had done this any other episode, it would not have the same punch or effect, and it wraps up this segment of their journey perfectly. For both characters it changes their directory in very different ways, and to say that this is stealing someone else's thunder is so unfair. It deepens our understanding of Vax's importance to the Raven Queen, if anything.
I think what a lot of people don't remember or never learned was from a meta standpoint vax is doing what was originally meant for percy. Matt made the deathwalkers ward for talesin. Percy was the one with the black bird mask, percy was the one who expressed interest in the raven queen before even the briarwood arc, and percy opened the tomb that accidentally killed vex because everyone knew that the deathwalkers ward was meant for percy. Meanwhile, as vax had mentioned to pike at the end of the previous episode he wanted to be a paladin of sarenrae. He consistently asked pike about her, had a glove with her symbol, and it was through vax and that glove that pike was able to manifest in her astral form during the briarwood arc after she "needed to recharge". Vax and percy both had plans for their characters involving gods that were changed due to liam's mother passing away due to cancer and liam wanting to kill off vax so he could leave the show for awhile to grieve. Instead of leaving their friend alone to mourn matt changed the story meant for percy in a way to help talk liam through his grief in game and overcome the tragedy in his life.
@@caosisaac Also I feel like they keep emphasizing that the Raven Queen is the devout enemy of vampires and Vecna, which aligns with Percy's personal vendetta.
OMG When Vex mentioned during the dinner that they might be going after the vestige in the Ozmit Sea (where Pike sailed), Pike got a funny look on her face, said "Ima poor another glass of wine" and exchanged a knowing look/grin with Matt. Probably reading too much into this but... We know that Pike has had feelings for someone who is not Scanlan for quite awhile now and Ashley has stated it might not even be anyone in the party. From that look, I'm betting it's an NPC aboard that ship or at least there's some secret regarding her travels Pike's been keeping from the group.
When Grog and Pike joke around with eachother, it's the most pure and wholesome thing ever. I love it, SO much. I adore their relationship. 1:37:00 - 1:38:20 was just a whole treat
@@Answerisequal42 yup, Kiri! I'm fully current on C2, but I'm only to this point on C1, so I think you might be ahead of me overall. I'm trying to finish C1 before the plague is over
"You better live your life while you got it, you want it But you'll have to let it go. You only got one shot, do not miss your chance to blow. Your opportunity is one single lifetime, Know."
A dramatic scene, then a comedic scene, then a dramatic scene, then a comedic scene... and so on until the end of the episode. That was such a rollercoaster of emotions!
people forget talesin has been wanting to do this since the second time they came to vasselheim. Its an increadibly important part of his character arc.
I'm just catching up so please don't spoil me. I had the feeling that the Raven queen might have been the dark force that gave percy his pepperbox. She wants to kill those who cheat Death. A bunch of vampires fit that category perfectly.
3:44:46 Marisha: "I can see chopping someone's body up might be psycho." Taliesin: "It's not psycho if you drive a very small car with not a lot of trunk space."
I love how Liam is deadpan and completely in character whenever he's talking as Vax and then whenever he's not talking he's just losing it and quietly laughing his ass off.
Ikr?
It's refreshing to see so that way you know it's acting and he's not just depressed
What I find so weird is how English Liam and Laura sound in character, but especially Liam, I completely forget he's American. (I'm English).
@@cmmndrblu That's surprising! Most British people I've seen commenting on their accents have said they have very " fantasy British" sounding accents...meaning it doesn't sound very natural/accurate. So it's interesting you think their accents are consistent and that they sound natural.
Vi b8 8 8 the bu 9y in 8 8 bb7v8
The nerdy druid hanging out with the Sun Tree.
So is it Geek and Sun-Tree?
Groan, sir. Take my thumbs up, dammit.
I hate that I love it
It hurts just the right amount 😂
I don't know what to do with you right now 😑
I'm pretty sure that comment gave me a d10 inspiration...
Matt deserves an applause for every Victor performance :^)
Steel Blue Metal we all need more Victor.. greatest NPC next to Pumat
My husband knows I'm watching, but isn't following too closely himself. Walked in on a Victor portion and burst out laughing and cheered for it.
If they cast got every round of applause they're due for every good performance they've rendered the fans would never get anything done. That being said everyone of Victor's appearances still stand out. Each one was better than the last too.
He truly does, especially now that we see Victor. One of few who get character development despite being npcs
For those of you binge watching in 2020, Matt was talking about the Pulse Nightclub shooting in orlando, I believe. It actually took me a few minutes to remember that that was only 4 years ago, and not even a decade has passed. Sorry it hit me that
i had to check aswell, tragic event to be reminded of
For more background: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando_nightclub_shooting
Thanks, was googling it trying to find out.
I thought it was. I can't believe it's been almost 6 years now. I got emotional just listening to what he said, but I'm glad they addressed it. (binge watching in 2022)
@@sofiajohansson1438 Same 😭
Just another reminder of how thoughtful and supportive they all are.
🏳🌈🏳🌈🏳🌈
❤🧡💛💚💙💜
Liam: I am trying to find Shaun Gilmore
Laura: Shaun? Thats his name? How did you know that!
Sam, quietly: He slept with him
Ah hidden gems. It's amazing the things you pick up on the second watch through
Don't flaunt that shit here while I'm drowning in episodes.
@@Dehalove Oh, what I wouldn't give to be able to see the episodes again for the first time. But jokes aside, you can do it. I believe in you. It will all be worth it in the end.
first watch 2020
timestamp?
@@RiskaAvian 2:41:23
"Are you okay?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"No, I've been stuck down here for hours!" lmao lmao lmao
Lmao lmao lmao lmao lmao
36:00 to all passersbys
How did "lmao lmao lmao" get 800 likes? The world was weird 3 years ago.
@@gabrielarchangel2658 I agree completely
Gods above I love Victor but this made me want to hug him
I love the Slayer's Take. They're just so unimpressed with Vox Machina.
Lawrence Au "you killed four dragons, that don't impress me much."
Well, they do deal in collecting bounties on monstrous creatures..so the idea of them being unimpressed is pretty natural..
I don't know. I feel like if anyone was taking down Ancient Dragons (especially some of the biggest on given record with Big Red the biggest ever) they would appreciate it like any fisherman appreciates the battle with "The Big One".
True, but it could also be the "fisherman's tale." That young dragon becomes an adult after a few tellings and then in one bar it becomes ancient and then you just stick with it. ;) But the guy did respond that he'd fought a dragon, too. And Matt made it known that the dragon's names are well-known in these parts.
Now, had they pulled out some dragon parts to show off....
They are legends in their own mind.
"did it choose me because I was broken, or did it break me"
Gave me chills. That's some good character rp right there
Percy’s little “Thank you for noticing” when Vex said she knew something was wrong. As someone who came in after watching all of TLOVM, it’s so sweet to see Percy and Vex’s relationship grow from this mutual admiration of each other to something much deeper.
His quiet little "I like to fix things" broke my heart
I would watch The Percival de Rollo and Viktor Show until the heat death of the universe.
I'm with you lmao
the odd couple, starring Percy and Victor
I love Matt's playing of Viktor
I love the victor is Percy from the future theory
@@JeffreyButcher You mean it hasn't been verified yet? Huh. I thought it was a given.
"I like to fix things." Sounded so innocent. I love Percy.
It was so desperately hopeful, in that little voice. Praying for someone to give him the answer he wants.
In that moment you see a glimpse into the boy inside Percy that just wants to fix and make things.
Reminiscent of Anakin Skywalker... I loved it. It was perfect.
I can fix that
Yea. He never wanted any of this. He wanted to be a clock-maker.
"Mortals can achieve great things. I did." gave me chills.
It was perfect! This man is incredible
Whats wrong with a death god telling you that it died as a mortal to be reborn as a god
@@wasd286 chills in a good way
wa sd the raven queen killed the god of death and took that power for herself
MerCEEEEER!
Sam: "We never go back for things, though."
Pike's Stealth Armor: "Yet again, I am forgotten."
Quite possibly burried under rubble or part of the red dragon's hoard. Here's hoping Pike got it when they killed Thordak.
It just stealthed tooooo hard
The armor rolled a 45 on stealth and steathed out of everyone's memories
Did she ever pick it up?
@@charsd3705 nope
My heart melts a little bit every time Pike says "Grog"
i have that with her saying 'ye'
Especially when she says it like "Grouwg" haha
guh-raw-guh
“Buddies!” ❤
The whole scene where Matt is descibing Vax's encounter with the Raven Queen was fantastic. As a DM I absolutely had to appreciate his construction of that scene. It's a sure mark of success, when you look at the faces of the cast during that scene and every single one of them is absolutely focused and enraptured by what is going on. Those are the moments that can be difficult for a DM to achieve, and yet the most rewarding when you achieve them.
The sun tree changed from "empathic grandfather" to "Totally radical surfer dude" and I LOVE IT!!
Sounds like s/he is feeling better.
@@kylethomas9130 *they
Tree starts feeling better starts talking funny
It totally got its groove back, man.
I think it's gotten it's roots entangled with some...recreational herbs.
The three iconic duos of Vox Machina
Vax & Gilmore
Percy & Victor
Keyleth & Sun-Tree
"I have some errands," says Percy.
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" says the audience!
Or "Yay another Victor episode"
Remembering when Tibs used to go on errands...
Yeah, this is better.
_(Not Tibs/Orion hate, he was just really hard to watch at times)_
It was perfect. Like Taliesin didn't really want to say it. He usually just waits for everyone to do their thing and then does his own but when no one really knew what to do he's like fine. I know everybody wants to here it so "I have some things to do." and yes everybody did feel better after that.
HAHA!
"I've heard other people have dated gods before. That Cashew guy."
And look how well that's worked out.
Christopher Bacon yeah.... it’s not the best
@@christopherbacon1077 They got married😊
I absolutely love how happy and perked up Percy gets every time Scanlan says something about stealing an airship hahah
I’ve rewatched the “Black Powder” bits so many times at this point lmao. Everyone’s genuine concern about how Victor kEEPS LOSING FINGERS is the most wholesome and yet insane thing ever
Between Victor in C1 and Zorth in C2, it's hard to pick a favorite.
Pike could grow them back in a day, but that would spoil the mood.
Me, binge-watching: "Okay, I'll go to bed right after this episode."
The cliffhanger: "I'm about to end this man's whole sleep schedule."
I envy you so much
I feel that. I’ve been totally fucking up my sleep schedule too lol
3:30 am here ... i'm with you
Riccardo Guidolin I'm at 3:10 in the morning ending this one but I just can't watch any more, but I REALLY want to
SAMEEEEEE
I've reached the halfway mark. 57/114.
I am not ready for the road ahead.
Right there with ya! We'll get there eventually
Goddamnit im a day behind
Yeah... yeah... we can do it!
We all can do this
checking in at halfway! :D
Man I love Matt's depiction of the Raven Queen. Everything is kinda creepy and dark and worrying but then it almost becomes welcoming. And comforting. I love playing Paladins/Clerics with complex Gods and you can already see that having cleared up the worry and confusion helped Vax, as did accepting that he now has some sort of purpose.
This is why I love the Tal'Dorei pantheons. The Raven Queen is creepy, but when you know about her it all makes sense. She has her responsibilities but she cares about her people. She understands that her spheres of influence help bring purpose to existence. When they talk about the undead, I get chills because that's how (prior to this campaign) I thought a deity over the transition between life and death would view that.
@@ShadowyFox_86😅😅 48:21 😮
Percy: Are you dating right now?
Victor: No, I'm just taken.
My asexual ass felt this on a spiritual level 😂
That contrast of having Vax come out of the temple surrounded by three maternal figures all concerned and worried while Percy walks alone , in the dark literally gripping to his body due to his own hex. That is a foil ladies and gentlemen.
When he first says about the vial I was like bruh that's silly. Matt will destroy any op idea you got regarding that... Percival shutting my mouth once again. Taliesin has a mastermind regarding to this things and I'm sure Matt loves him for that.
@@yandrak3935 Why did he hex himself and why did he get a vial from the pool of blood?
I think Vax is like baby, the DM gives him a new power and he is always crying "whyyy?" it's really very melodramatic.
@@luizhaviel7 3:30:45
@@helumii I see. Still don't get why he cast Hex on himself tho
I like that the party is starting to realize that the Raven Queen is not bad or good, but a natural thing that watches over the transition from life to death. The people need the Raven Queen and her champion to make sure that people do not defile the sacred transition.
When Vax actualy, in every sense of the word; Becomes the grim reaper.
I loved it because the character I created on my first DnD game was a paladin of death itself... As the natural death and I had this conversation too with her where she commanded me to kill the abominations and necromancers... I ahd a necromancer on my team XD
Viktor is a perfectly created NPC because when prompted to get his actual hand back or a mechanical hand his immediate response was "how cool is the new one?" a true man before his time, not only a pioneer in gunpowder and alchemy but a transhumanist.
Late reply from me but yes, that was perfect.
Late late reply. Can confirm.
Chefs kiss
I mean who doesn't want robot arms...?
@@timharris7303 me. I don't trust my own body enough, let alone something completely foreign being grafted on. Sure, it would be cool, but there's too many possible things to go wrong that would cause paranoia for me.
@@dragonheart1236 Our bodies are designed and destined to decay and defect. Why not put on a hook or a claw?
"do you understand?"
"i dont think any of us fully understands. if we did, we would be gods."
what a line.
Hhh. But the Keyleth monologue after? I love how Marisha plays, especially when she power games in battle or when she's the voice of reason. But Keyleth and her fixation on how all gods are bad and the way she seizes every opportunity to monologue about it? Hhh.
@@zoltanszaszi2264 That was Pike that said that though? No hate to Keyleth, I like her, but I don’t know what she has to do with the original comment
@@valkyrie2832 First of all cool profile pic, Mercy is the best ever. Okay so this exchange was awesome, but right after it, Keyleth went on one of her monologues about the gods.
@@zoltanszaszi2264 Ohh okay, I thought you meant that Keyleth said that. And thanks, haha
1:19:14 timestamp for the curious.
Marisha: "Can the girls take like 20 minutes to get ready?"
Travis: "20 minutes? Yeah right...
What plane are you on?"
I love that man. He is a gem.
Neffarious Panda he is big. He is strong. He has an intelligence score of 6 and he knows what he's doing. Grog is a big teddy bear.
Percy made it even better. "The same plane as the break room, where 5 minutes is 15."
2:50:03 And immediately after that, under his breath: “‘20 minutes.’ The next day...”
I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, Travis Willingham is the type of player that every DM wants.
@@zeddicuss9793 you mean the greedy horder?
Nobody:
Pike: Hi, Grog.
My heart: melting
The real pain of going through this series years later is finding out about all the limited merch I missed out on. That Joe Mad poster. *_*
some of the ads I see here and i'm like, "sick i want that!"
then i remember I had just barely started playing dnd around this time
Same! Every episode I become the embodiment of the “shut up and take my money” meme 💰💰💰
Pros and Cons of watching/listening to Critical Role in your vehicle:
PRO - Hook it up through bluetooth and it's like a podcast! AWESOME!
CON - Every battle I have to pull over so I can see the awesome map(s) that Matt has constructed
PRO - I can try to catch up as I am currently on EP 57 of Campaign #1 and it's 2021
CON - I am getting some very weird looks as I fist pump and cheer like Grog when they defeat the bad guys!
PRO - It takes away from the monotony of the road.
CON - I have to take breaks sometimes to compose myself during some of the emotional parts... Nothing like watching a big bearded trucker sobbing into his morning coffee because of the love Vax has for his sister, or the healing process regarding Scanlan and his daughter... Damn you, DAMN YOU ALL! I love you! Thank you!
This is beautiful, just made it here but watched campaign 2 from the start and got behind then caught up. Now here.
Enough to make a grown man cry :')
Right there with you, brother. This stuff is powerful. .. Disney can't write this stuff... it's more real than real. .. this is a living, breathing fairytale
This is actually so true! I'm so excited for the 3rd campaign though! Sadly I won't get all of the references since I'm only 57 ep into campaign 1 and haven't watched campaign 2, but still I'm excited to be watching at the same time as everyone else!
I feel this only I listen at work and have to yell at myself to go back to it when all I wanna do is just sit there and actually watch the episode especially ones like this that just give me straight chills 😅 Oh also very lucky I work not in public view so I don't get weird stares screaming at Percy "what are you doing???" 🤦🏽♀️😂
When Keyleth talked to the Sun Tree for the second time I was really hoping that Matt was going to say, “hey boo”
This may be controversial but i feel victor is completly on the the same level as gilmore when it comes enjoyability to watch
Nonsense! Victor is waaaaaaay more fun!
Gilmore's got my glorious vote!
I agree! I love them both so much!
Not controversial in the least. both are awesome:)
Victor is awesomely hilarious and scary as hell
I love the character development for victor. Not only is he losing fingers, he’s ALSO losing his hearing
Percy is such a tragic character, the way he went to Raven Queen, wondering if his soul was capable of saving, and why his friends didn't hate him. It's even more sad when you look at the last episode, when he said that he just wanted to be a clockmaker, to fix things.
I missed the last part, his character hits so differently now.
That song that Scanlan sang to person was stuck in my head that whole time Percy was stripping down and submerging himself in the pool. It was so cinematic, yet so fucking tragic at the same time.
Ashley is such a sweetheart, its unbelievable. Her reaction to victor being trapped was so genuine
Matt is such an incredible storyteller. As he describes the environment leading to the Raven Queen... so great.
This man should write a book
@@topturv528 This comment aged well
"Do you believe?"
"Well, I was just literally held in her hand and spoken to by her after being submerged in a pool of blood, so... Yeah?"
Vax's quiet laugh and "It is not what I _wanted."_ gave me chills. Wonderful acting. (also love Matt's smile at this exchange)
1:22:49 timestamp for the curious.
I love Vax & Keyleth but I cannot believe Keyleth would believe Vax WANTED this, jeez
With Vax jumping in to fray disregarding the dangers Keyleth was right to wonder.
That aside Matt’s smile was explained in the wrap up Talks Machina.
@@janicemcafee7723I don't mind the spoilers as I know most of them anyway, but can you explain why Matt smiled? Or at least send a link that singles out that section of the wrap up? I'd really appreciate it
Matt smiled because he planned the fate touched for Vax because of all the stuff Liam went through. His health issues and losing his mom. He also knew Liam would run with it.
The full realization of the fact that the amazing dialogue that Matt -- and really all of them -- create on the spot is better then the scripts of TV shows that have been worked on for weeks and months.
More proof that Improv is greater than Television
@@Wereskeleton Still, it's a very different (although can be overlapping) skill set to create dialogue extemporaneously. Ashley, the one among them who works most on screen, is the worst at that -- although of course I love her dearly! One isn't better than the other -- they're both skills that take a lot of work and practice. :)
coming from the future after watching the legend of vox machina, the show they wrote and produced and acted in... the scene of vax and the raven queen is one of the most stunning scenes in animation i've seen, really glad that these talented people have the opportunity to create like this
I believe they probably think of cool lines for their characters and then wait to say them at the right moment. But coming up with the lines and knowing when to say them is still pretty damn cool.
So basically the whole pool thing is that you have to accept that death will come to you to commune with the Raven Queen? Really fits the astetic of the god of death. Good job Matt!
I want to laugh. My cleric of the Raven Queen had a trident with her that let her breath underwater. Now I am just picturing my cleric sitting at the bottom of the pool of blood.
That's what i gathered, which is pretty fuckin cool
I think its them going to that brink of death that she rules over. Basicaly them going to her house lol
@@sierra2bork29 Something tells me that trident would do jack all in the Raven Queen's abode.
@@Draeckon very true... Blood is not water. If the trident lets you breathe underWATER, that's not going to be of much use in a pool of blood.
At the end, I was like, "NOOOOO!!!! Don't leave me hanging!!" and then I realized that I don't have to wait a week to see what happens.
Edit: I’m currently caught up in Campaign 2 and I miss watching episodes continually...
The downside is not being able to get any of the exclusives like shirts and whatnot.
Meanwhile C2 E90+ they left off on like 3 cliff hangers in a row! D: we are dieing here
@@benjie128 Also spoilers.
@@xEvilRaptorx the covid cliffhanger was painful :(
That’s me almost every episode. Luckily? I just got started on these 3weeks ago.
Who needs sleep? 😂
raven queen @ vax: you’re wonderful and special and you’ll change the fate of everyone around you
raven queen @ percy: you’ve always been broken; know better than to face me
00:00:20 - The cast shows support of the LGBTQA+ community after the tragic Orlando nightclub shooting
00:05:55 - Joe Madureira's Battle Chasers and his awesome painting of Vox Machina
00:10:18 - Intro
00:11:48 - Recap
00:13:54 - Start of part 1
00:16:30 - The Slayer's Take Guild Hall
00:17:32 - Loran
00:18:36 - Matt messing with the cast for not remembering Loran's name
00:19:58 - "You half-elves are a humble bunch"
00:21:32 - Vanessa
00:29:47 - Percy's mask
00:31:49 - Victor the Black Powder Merchant
00:45:54 - Duskmeadow
00:51:09 - Vax and Vex
00:52:56 - Raven's Crest
00:55:05 - Entering the Raven Queen's temple
00:59:33 - "Oh dear, oh my, oh gosh, oh jeez, oh boy, oh goodness gracious"
01:00:13 - A priestess appears
01:04:28 - The Pool of Blood
01:08:13 - The Raven Queen speaks
01:16:47 - Back with Pike and Keyleth
01:23:08 - Vax and Vex
01:25:23 - Travis eats his pencil
01:26:07 - Sam has drawn a dick on Percy's notes
01:27:34 - Deidre, and The Sore Socket Habedashery
01:32:33 - Grog gets a pointy hat, and makes a pun
01:34:46 - Sam rolls a natural 1
01:36:13 - Pike and Grog's new hat
01:40:06 - Scanlan inspires Percy (Black Hole Sun, by Soundgarden)
01:41:27 - Percy's mechanical hand
01:42:40 - A very secret message
01:42:58 - The Braving Grounds by night
01:43:54 - Back at Victor's
01:49:49 - Percy visits the Raven Queen
02:05:23 - Sam provides some comic relief
02:08:31 - End of part 1
02:09:19 - Fan art!
02:22:43 - Start of part 2
02:27:21 - Matt explains the feywild
02:29:20 - The stream goes down and the cast wins D&D
02:31:13 - The Ozmit sea
02:32:03 - The Whisper and The Shrew
02:32:30 - Marisha rolls a natural 1
02:32:55 - Taliesin rolls a natural 1
02:33:20 - Pike and the Island of Glass
02:34:51 - Steal an airship?
02:36:04 - Keyleth and the Sun Tree
02:38:50 - Zahra
02:41:25 - Laura is surprised by Gilmore's first name
02:41:56 - The guard
02:43:42 - Gilmore and Eskil the Realmseer
02:49:28 - Travis being real
02:50:24 - Girl talk
02:53:02 - Grog wears his money
02:53:49 - Sleepy Matt
02:54:07 - Allura and Kima
02:55:56 - The ziggurat
03:03:24 - Scanlan suggests a new name for the party
03:04:21 - Allura's research on the Vestiges
03:06:51 - Allura's research on the dragons
03:12:35 - How Thordak was trapped
03:14:49 - Vex's question, technically
03:15:06 - Gilmore uses words
03:20:42 - Taliesin makes a very clever pun, but no one notices
03:23:46 - The Sun Tree is the coolest tree ever
03:29:58 - Percy gives Zahra an unexpected task
03:32:49 - Percy tinkers a mysterious thing
03:34:15 - Grog does a prank
03:36:06 - Vax has fun with oil
03:38:20 - Gilmore and Vax
03:43:05 - End of part 2
Replying so I can find this beautiful list of timestamps
Good idea
1
Nice
frankichiro
Thank you for this list
I really think the players are 50% there for each other and 50% to just bask in Matt's character role play. What talent.
Grog and Scanlan need a spin off show with Kashaw as a frequent guest
YES
Love it
Like the Timon And Pumbaa of Critical Role! With occasional Simba.
We need a Percy and Victor show!
I love how excited Travis looks every time something cool is happening and he just looks at everyone back and forth
When they put the hat on Grog's head: "“A man walks down the street in that hat, people know he's not afraid of anything.”
"Damn straight"
True Hero of Canton stuff
@@LynTheWitch 🎵The hero of Westruun, the man they call Grog!🎶
Shiny!
I just have this weird mental image of Vecna on the other side of the little portal ball thingie getting hit in the head with random shit, sorta stomping around every time he gets pelted with a random rock or teddy bear, like "what the hell, guys?"
Part of me is half expecting Scanlan to say "I take a shit on the spinning marble."
Or better yet. "I take a swig of my potion of poo scrying. Then take a shit on the marble. And *then* I scry on Vecna's poo covered eye hole."
Me too! A rock just flying on his face
Further proving Vox Machina are a bunch of kids on a chaos bender XD
...I've found you!
@@martingelinas1721 unfortunately the scrying part wouldn't work because it sucks up magic
I hate catching up because I WANT THAT FRICKING POSTER
There's also the other thing about catching up (I'm doing the same thing). Usually, gotta avoid the damn comments! Had a couple things spoilt...
Fully aware that I'm in the comment section right now...
for real, Im even more late to the party and I would LOVE to have been able to grab that poster, it's beautiful!
Here's another vote for reprint..
Or, you know.. time travel
Would like to have a signed version so much *__*
I feel your pain.
I love Vax’s story arc. I’ve seen some people get upset at how dramatic he is, but watching the Happy-go-lucky, reckless rogue slowly turn into an unwilling Paladin of a goddess he doesn’t even like, much less feel a connection to, is quite a journey.
There were moments earlier on where i was worried that He'd start to annoy me but He switched to what to me looks like a more subtle and quick approach to honouring the parts of the character that may have a greater potential for slowing the pace of the game down too much/taking over the table. The story itself is great and He's done a good job of keeping it at the forefront of the character without...well yeah- slowing the game down or taking over the table.
I love his arc. He wanted to be a paladin of Saranrae(sp?). Then forced to be one of a goddess completely opposite to her. Just. Wow. I think this campaign made some dynamic choices. I love iI. And I love broody Vax. He had his plans and life stripped away. We'd all be a little broody I'd think.
@@juniperdovah This. Anyone who thinks it's boring needs empathy training and check their heartbeats
I started this show because of Liam. And honestly he is slowly dropping to my least favorite character. And I really dislike how he basically gaslit the party and threatened to leave to force them to go to Vasselheim when ther ewas way more important stuff to do. Then here we are and he like "oh don't you guys have errands?" no we are here literally because of you! So I am definitely looking forward to seeing the dramatic emo crap go away because I really do like Liam. He is the voice of many of my favorite characters
@@Ailieorz it’s not about empathy. His reluctance just doesn’t make to much sense also there are other characters that are just more interesting. For example in this episode percys conversation with the raven queen was just more interesting. Also it also doesn’t help that he’s always moppy. I get he’s trying to represent on some level mental illness and depression but I just think other characters do it better and less on the nose in a more complex way
i do love matt and his ability to finally get Liam to know and understand that his character should seek out and kill those who wish to be immortal, and then it ends with the Raksasha, whose life is an abomination according to the Raven queen. +1 for that amazing ability.
Don't worry about me I'm just rewatching season 1 here. I think Matt really wanted them to go back to Whitestone for the encounter with the Rakshasa. In the beginning of the episode when they were taking about where to go Matt says, "You know you could always go back and check in on Whitestone. You haven't been there in a while." or something along those lines.
I really wish that moment didn't end with marisha screaming into the mic AGAIN...
you really need something to complain about don't you? is funny
Yeah cause they are so damn forgetful its annoying
The Rakshasa's cycle of death and rebirth is a racial trait. What The Raven Queen despises are those immortal creatures propagated by those who fear their own demise.
"The city of brass sounds fun"
Matt furiously writing notes
Liam: Can I make an Insight check?
Matt: If you had time.
What an absolutely terrifying thing to hear from a DM.
Also nobody getting that it was the Rakshassa except for Liam who just sits there doing sad jazz hands was hilarious.
The contrast between how Vax and Percy each handle their "final moment" is interesting
Vax was answering a calling from the Raven Queen, he'd had a bit of time to mentally prepare himself and accept that his fate was no longer in his hands. Percy was like "I'm curious. Oh shit I'm stuck. Oh shit I'm drowning."
Yeah, nicolas duthoit has it right, I think Vax had pretty much accepted dying for his sister in the tomb, then when he didn't have to die he's been kind of in sacrificial "Limbo" emotionally and has gone numb waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Whereas Percy has always been just inches away from a mental breakdown in a fancy suit lol. My poor boy is like, I'm sad and I have questions. I don't trust divinity. This hasn't helped with my lack of trust in divinity...
Vax is Sir Gawain at the end of his journey to take his blow from the Green Knight. Percy is a man who has suddenly met Death in an alleyway on the way home from dinner.
@@acelibrarian@usfrenchguy
both great responses
I've never seen a comment about it, so I just wanna throw it out there: This is the first time I've seen Vax have a real degree of fun and laughing since he shaved Grog's beard halfway. Thats got to be 15-20 episodes at least. Maybe more. Vax always seems so dramatic and self serious unless hes bantering with Vex. Its nice to see him with a sense of humor again.
The drama was getting REALLY old
Andrew Nanney Technically speaking, he’s had the threat of “Okay, neat, I’m the goddess of death’s whipping boy now” up top since Vex’s revival; Liam can know better, Mercer can know better, Vax doesn’t know shit about what he just did except what he can infer.
Having said goddess go “Eh, it’s fine” is a weighty weight off his shoulders, I imagine.
@@Dr.Spatula Liam's mother was dying of cancer around the time this episode was filmed. So I think his real life misfortune was bleeding into Vax's character and he was using that as a coping method with real life grief.
@@travisbishop3282 yeah. He said as much in the Between the Sheets video. It's gone aong way toward being more patient with the "emo elf"
Yeah. I really loved his character in the beginning, but then he tended to turn into this typical brooding quiet rouge. Noone likes the overdramatic edgytype for too long. Laughed on the otherhand, when he multiclassed into rouge-assassin-paladin
I would like to once again thank the legends who made captions for these videos. I have chronic migraines, and at one point, I was in migraine city 24/7 for well over a year. they're better now, but I've had one for almost a week right now, and captions let me keep the volume on videos down while still enjoying them, which is really important when I can't do anything other than stay in bed and wait for the pain to go away. captions help the process of waiting be less miserable. I know making captions for videos of this length is truly an arduous task, but it's very very much appreciated. 💝💝💝
I wanna second this. I have cluster headaches and chronic migraines. So I wind up laying in bed watching and reading a long. Thank you!!!
Mercer's narration of the Raven Queen, and the background music was really epic. What a great moment.
Percy saying he is just right height wise is hilarious considering they used him as the base height to measure things in the animated series
"And Percy for scale"
I think it's easy to forget that the Raven Queen is also the goddess of Fate and Winter and not just Death - two other interesting domains in and of themselves.
I was wondering when someone would note that. :)
Its pretty obvious from her displaying the threads of fate all Lachesis style and everything. (Not sure I spelled that right but ya know who I mean)
"She weaves a tapestry, telling the story of life, and fate, making thread from the lifestrings of those who have passed"
I actually didnt know that. I might think about Queen pact warlock next time after all
@@xelloskaczor5051 i'm pretty sure being a goddess it would fit more for your character to be a grave cleric, aka the non evil version of death clerics.
I love love love that Liam caught The Reveal At The End faster than the rest of the group, laughs, and makes the hand gesture. I may have screamed a little
If you notice, Ashley did the hand gesture even earlier. How did she figure that out at that point? She tries to explain to Travis, but I can't make out what she said to him.
@@MysteryFaceX I don't think she knows that is the rakshasha... pike wasn't with them in that moment and watching her face at the end she doesn't know what is going on. But I really think that she was suspecting of gilmore's before.
@@yandrak3935 with the way she was gesturing it seems she's implying to Grog that an illusion is involved.
I was NOT suspecting that reveal at all! Ahhh. So good and so frustrating haha
I thought it was going to be the green dragon they've all been talking about that disguised herself as a druid before was NOT expecting THAT instead like wow 😳 Also so confused because I really thought they were dead 😅🤔
1:40:30 lol! I can just imagine Percy picking up Scanlan by the collar and yelling at him ferociously to give him inspiration. xD
"Mortals can achieve great things... I did" as a line from the Raven Queen is just so good it sounds like it was written in advance. It really was just a goosebumps moment
2:03:50
well, i mean matt didn't invent the raven queen.
It may have been written in advance. When there are long scripts, Matt is sometimes reading from notes.
(That does not mean the entire conversation is scripted, though. As a player and as a DM I have written lines for characters just in case they end up in a specific situation, and then never use them because that situation doesn't come up.)
Saw a comment and had to look it up... Percy had been meaning to go to the Raven queen since episode 42. 3:36:50 into episode 42 he says he wants to go to inquire about things. He's not trying to steel Vax's thunder, sure it was kinda bad timing but people shouldn't be so annoyed.
And even calling it "Bad timing" is subjective, the parallels are so cool and Liam isn't the type to be jealous I don't think. I can totally see why you'd want to tread carefully, but I think it worked out amazingly well.
If there were ever a pair to understand the weirdness that is part of serving the Raven Queen, it would be Percy and Vax.
Ngl I had a flashback to a certain scaled PC and his tendency to insert himself into other PC’s stories 😅
2:48:57 OMG Travis' notebook says "i would like to rage".
I love liam. His ability to rp vax's slow nervous breakdown is astonishing
Travis: “let’s be honest… it’s more like 2 hours..”
Laura: *looks up in ‘we have had this conversation’*
I'm sitting here watching 2 years after this has all happened and i'm screaming at Pike "ASK ABOUT THE ARMOR FROM GILMORE!!!!" When they returned to Whitestone.
Seriously!! Hahahaha
Sam: "Yeah, I like the ocean. . . I don't really like the ocean."
Nott: "WATER KILLS YOU!"
Watch him do a 180 and play a Triton in campaign 3
@@Zombiewithabowtie that would have been funny. He did solve the drowning problem though.
Just rerolling Initiative on these Timestamps: Enjoy folks.
00:10:18 - Intro
00:11:48 - Recap
00:13:54 - Start of part 1
00:16:30 - The Slayer's Take Guild Hall
00:17:32 - Loran
00:18:36 - Matt messing with the cast for not remembering Loran's name
00:19:58 - "You half-elves are a humble bunch"
00:21:32 - Vanessa
00:29:47 - Percy's mask
00:31:49 - Victor the Black Powder Merchant
00:45:54 - Duskmeadow
00:51:09 - Vax and Vex
00:52:56 - Raven's Crest
00:55:05 - Entering the Raven Queen's temple
00:59:33 - "Oh dear, oh my, oh gosh, oh jeez, oh boy, oh goodness gracious"
01:00:13 - A priestess appears
01:04:28 - The Pool of Blood
01:08:13 - The Raven Queen speaks
01:16:47 - Back with Pike and Keyleth
01:23:08 - Vax and Vex
01:25:23 - Travis eats his pencil
01:26:07 - Sam has drawn a dick on Percy's notes
01:27:34 - Deidre, and The Sore Socket Habedashery
01:32:33 - Grog gets a pointy hat, and makes a pun
01:34:46 - Sam rolls a natural 1
01:36:13 - Pike and Grog's new hat
01:40:06 - Scanlan inspires Percy (Black Hole Sun, by Soundgarden)
01:41:27 - Percy's mechanical hand
01:42:40 - A very secret message
01:42:58 - The Braving Grounds by night
01:43:54 - Back at Victor's
01:49:49 - Percy visits the Raven Queen
02:05:23 - Sam provides some comic relief
02:08:31 - End of part 1
02:09:19 - Fan art!
02:22:43 - Start of part 2
02:27:21 - Matt explains the feywild
02:29:20 - The stream goes down and the cast wins D&D
02:31:13 - The Ozmit sea
02:32:03 - The Whisper and The Shrew
02:32:30 - Marisha rolls a natural 1
02:32:55 - Taliesin rolls a natural 1
02:33:20 - Pike and the Island of Glass
02:34:51 - Steal an airship?
02:36:04 - Keyleth and the Sun Tree
02:38:50 - Zahra
02:41:25 - Laura is surprised by Gilmore's first name
02:41:56 - The guard
02:43:42 - Gilmore and Eskil the Realmseer
02:49:28 - Travis being real
02:50:24 - Girl talk
02:53:02 - Grog wears his money
02:53:49 - Sleepy Matt
02:54:07 - Allura and Kima
02:55:56 - The ziggurat
03:03:24 - Scanlan suggests a new name for the party
03:04:21 - Allura's research on the Vestiges
03:06:51 - Allura's research on the dragons
03:12:35 - How Thordak was trapped
03:14:49 - Vex's question, technically
03:15:06 - Gilmore uses words
03:20:42 - Taliesin makes a very clever pun, but no one notices
03:23:46 - The Sun Tree is the coolest tree ever
03:29:58 - Percy gives Zahra an unexpected task
03:32:49 - Percy tinkers a mysterious thing
03:34:15 - Grog does a prank
03:36:06 - Vax has fun with oil
03:38:20 - Gilmore and Vax
03:43:05 - End of part 2
Wow these took so long to find
*BUMP* and I'm also going to repost them
Boost
Thank you
boost
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From Percy’s family tragedy to a demon possessed gun to a possessed sword to four dragons destroying the world, all to end up at Pike running out a door, falling down the stairs, to landing face first on a spike with feet flailing around. God I love Critical Role
Vox Machina needed a good laugh after all the craziness.
Alternative episode title: "Blood Baths and Beyond"?
lol nice one, albeit slightly misleading
I'm in support of this title! The "misleading" part is the best... and maybe with the tone of the last minute, not entirely inaccurate?
Blood baths and explosive maniacs
Thats the name of one of my old Vanilla WoW guilds. Lol.
Oh my God nothing will ever top this
Sam: I just told Pike she looked real pretty tonight...
Ashley: “Thank you, Scan-“
Sam: And I go back to my reading.
Ashley: :( ...
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
3:38:00
Don't ever make Pike or Ashley sad, that is a crime.
Matt is so lucky and blessed. I'd kill for 10 percent of the content his players create themselves with just a cue from him to get them started.
100% i have 4 players on my table that are quite new to rping.
So it sucks xD
@@Duriel123 give them some credit my guy, not everyone is a professional, critically acclaimed voice actor with theater background and I think it's unfair to say it sucks when you should really adjust your expectations and work together to make the experience more fun, and give them more leeway and room to learn how to play and roleplay.
@@Nergal134 well i would if they tried. Its basically split the party and gl everyone. I setup a great story (or at least i think so) but im not getting reactions. Ive asked them why theyre doing this. And they said to have difficulty with rping. So i setup some oneshots where the goal was to rp your way out of there. And it kinda worked😊 theyre getting there. But its taking a while
@@Duriel123 Sure, for newbies it's always difficult to understand what they want to achieve with their character, how they want to do it and if they are comfortable acting it out. It's all about cooperation and understanding, it's always gonna take a while. The fact that you have people and they are honest enough to admit their troubles is a good step in the right direction, it should only get better from here tbh.
@@Duriel123 good thinking with the one shots. Also consider giving inspiration points for good rp. That motivates me because it can impact the game when I'm really disappointed with a roll.
Taliesin looks simultaneously giddy and terrified whenever Victor is involved
Really getting to flex those "I did two years on a sitcom, I can keep a straight face!" muscles. XD
Kudos to the crew, LOVE the new streamlined overlay!
It is amazing!! I love it :D
Completely agree.. The windows are a bit larger as well as a darker scheme, making it easier for those with poor sight
I have to admit, this episode was one of the most interesting heavy-RP sessions. One of the understated moments of this episode was when Vax calls out Vex on her flirtations with Percy. I always felt there was subtle advances by Vex towards Percy, though Percy always has been reserved about that sort of thing, likely because he does not really trust himself.
Vex is a voracious flirt, although I feel like she'll do that with just about any of the characters. I'm always up for more ships though!
Sarah Clark-Bridges True, but what I thinks makes this one particularly interesting is _Vax's_ view on it. Also while I indeed believe Vex is a complete flirt, in retrospect I don't think she really flirts with the other members of Vox Machina all that much. Even with Scanlan, who is the biggest flirt out of all of them, she tends to just roll her eyes a bit.
Ozpin Good point. I had always assumed she flirted more with Percy because she wanted him to make things for her (arrows, the broom saddle, etc) but maybe Vax calling her out on it just made it canon. Well, now I'm going to be watching all interactions with Percy and Vex very closely, haha.
Well, she *does* flirt with Grog quite a bit. But that might just be bleeding in from another reality... ;)
QemeH Agreed. And flirting with people is something she does quite a lot actually. Its just that I am curious if Vax actually believes there is something more going on between them, And for all their differences, Laura and Liam have been playing the twins quite similarly, and they share a lot of personality traits. Vex always seemed annoyed by the initial interactions between Keyleth and her twin. Perhaps this is a sign of Vax doing the same thing.
Percy just judging Ripley's style. It's so "I don't like her I hate everything about her"
Just had to say, I know I’m a little late to the party, but the interaction between the twins after Vax came out of the Raven’s Crest, i shed a tear or two. So well done. I’m so happy I’m watching this.
Matt personifying the Sun Tree is God damn amazing...
I love it. I love it so much. I didn't know such a simple thing could be so amazing.
Keyleth and the sun tree is the best romance in the campaign. The chemistry between Matt and Marisha transcends any borders of mechanics or lore
Grog gets a hat and I almost die laughing. “I’M A SEA MONSTAAAAAHHH!!!” XD
TRAVIS ACCIDENTALLY EATING HIS MECHANICAL PEN, THE LOOK ON HIS FACE AND HIS FIRST INSTINCT BEING TO "HIDE" IT HAS ABSOLUTELY MURDERED ME 1:25:20
a year later im at this point in the video....MARISHA NOTICES THIS LOL and burst laughing
IRL Grog moment.
I read this before watching, and I couldn't stop laughing. Up until and after he did it. 😂
1:25:07 I can't XD that part of his mechanical pencil is already bent at a ridiculous angle
second pen causality 😂
Holy crap, this teaches me not to judge motives. Taliesin kept quiet about why Percy visited the Raven Queen until the end of this episode for quite a surprisingly nice effect. Amazing! I suppose as a DM I should trust players to do cool shit?
If you have players who are playing for the story element. Oh yeah, you can expect them to try and come up with some cool shit. All you have to do is allow that cool shit and embrace it to see more.
The power of "Yes, and..." was strong in this episode.
Rule of cool applies to the DM too.
The "girl talk" about Scanlan absolutely murdered me. I was cackling for ages
1:36:10
"(All but Talesin laugh)" I think that subtitle describes Percy's character perfectly.
Dont forget the "What is the world coming to?" :P
I like this one even better at 1:37:28:
"TALIESIN: (groans)
EVERYONE ELSE: (laughs)"
xD
"Preschoolers run amok in my gentle abode."
I saw a lot of peeps dunking on Taliesin for going to the temple as well, but to me it feels like this is the only way to do it. I loved it to be honest. We got to see both sides of the coin here, The Raven queen's champion being received and honored, scared but calm, ready to take on his larger than life quest, and then we have his opposite, crawling in the dark, blind, no one there to aid him, flailing and panicking, only to find out that he has no greater purpose than to save himself by just living. If Taliesin had done this any other episode, it would not have the same punch or effect, and it wraps up this segment of their journey perfectly. For both characters it changes their directory in very different ways, and to say that this is stealing someone else's thunder is so unfair. It deepens our understanding of Vax's importance to the Raven Queen, if anything.
I think what a lot of people don't remember or never learned was from a meta standpoint vax is doing what was originally meant for percy. Matt made the deathwalkers ward for talesin. Percy was the one with the black bird mask, percy was the one who expressed interest in the raven queen before even the briarwood arc, and percy opened the tomb that accidentally killed vex because everyone knew that the deathwalkers ward was meant for percy.
Meanwhile, as vax had mentioned to pike at the end of the previous episode he wanted to be a paladin of sarenrae. He consistently asked pike about her, had a glove with her symbol, and it was through vax and that glove that pike was able to manifest in her astral form during the briarwood arc after she "needed to recharge".
Vax and percy both had plans for their characters involving gods that were changed due to liam's mother passing away due to cancer and liam wanting to kill off vax so he could leave the show for awhile to grieve. Instead of leaving their friend alone to mourn matt changed the story meant for percy in a way to help talk liam through his grief in game and overcome the tragedy in his life.
@@caosisaac This is an excellent comment.
@@caosisaac Also I feel like they keep emphasizing that the Raven Queen is the devout enemy of vampires and Vecna, which aligns with Percy's personal vendetta.
@@sparklegemrose Thank you very much.
@@caosisaacwhat's the source of all this info? Some interview or something?
OMG When Vex mentioned during the dinner that they might be going after the vestige in the Ozmit Sea (where Pike sailed), Pike got a funny look on her face, said "Ima poor another glass of wine" and exchanged a knowing look/grin with Matt. Probably reading too much into this but... We know that Pike has had feelings for someone who is not Scanlan for quite awhile now and Ashley has stated it might not even be anyone in the party. From that look, I'm betting it's an NPC aboard that ship or at least there's some secret regarding her travels Pike's been keeping from the group.
When Grog and Pike joke around with eachother, it's the most pure and wholesome thing ever. I love it, SO much. I adore their relationship. 1:37:00 - 1:38:20 was just a whole treat
I for one, vote for the Airship.
Everyone needs an airship at somepoint
AIRSHIP AIRSHIP AIRSHIP AIRSHIP AIRSHIP!!!!!!
@@bonniefazman9065 That is easily the best plan under all circumstances.
The scene with the,"girl talk", was great! The guys just couldn't hold it together.
Percy almost drowning in blood was just.....that entire scene was just damn
I swear I want to see one day when mercer plays a kenku and imitates everyone.
Done.
and so it comes to pass
Keep going into campaign 2, and your wish will come true
@@JosePerez-jl9bu If you mean kiri, dont worry. I am nearly caught up with MN campaigns. Currently at episode 80.
@@Answerisequal42 yup, Kiri! I'm fully current on C2, but I'm only to this point on C1, so I think you might be ahead of me overall. I'm trying to finish C1 before the plague is over
Raven queen be like "you only got one shot, do not miss your chance to blow"
"You better live your life while you got it, you want it
But you'll have to let it go.
You only got one shot, do not miss your chance to blow.
Your opportunity is one single lifetime, Know."
@@BoojumFed i see what u did there ^.^
All I know is I want someone to look at me the way Liam looks at Matt when he voices Victor.
A dramatic scene, then a comedic scene, then a dramatic scene, then a comedic scene... and so on until the end of the episode. That was such a rollercoaster of emotions!
Percy meeting the Raven Queen is one of the cooler exchanges I've seen on this show.
Its metagaming at its finest, Percy the character is using Talieson the players knowledge the whole time
How so? Seemed like in-character to me.
people forget talesin has been wanting to do this since the second time they came to vasselheim. Its an increadibly important part of his character arc.
I'm just catching up so please don't spoil me. I had the feeling that the Raven queen might have been the dark force that gave percy his pepperbox. She wants to kill those who cheat Death. A bunch of vampires fit that category perfectly.
MisterGently I mean... technically that’s already impossible according to the knowledge you know but sure
"I teleported into the stomach of a dragon with a gnome". He's not just any gnome, he's THE gnome.
3:44:46
Marisha: "I can see chopping someone's body up might be psycho."
Taliesin: "It's not psycho if you drive a very small car with not a lot of trunk space."
Wtf Taliesin really 😅😂
TBF they are always carrying heads around in their Bag of Holding
No one can facepalm like Talisen Jaffe
Thea Sinclaire I dunno, I'm getting pretty good at it, considering how much Keyleth talks...
Thea Sinclaire every viewer after Keylith's "only big men say big words that fall on the battlefield" speech
@@Haunted_Gallows 😂 I'm happy im not alone...
@@RDR911 Yeah wtf was that? YOU ARE JUST THE PERSON I DID NOT KNOW I WANTED TO SEE UNTIL I DID SEE THEM