Travis is a mother fucking saint here and the innocence and purity in those words resonate, there's much to be learned about true empathy and compassion here.
Honestly, the fact that the dumb one had the most empathy and tried to bridge the gap that Sam and Scanlan were showing that they believed to exist, is proof that Travis is a genius. Oh youre mad we don't care enough about you? Well let me show you I care. Legit all anyone else had to do. I actually think that Tary could have been left out, Sam said it himself, Pike could have kept him around. He didn't expect anyone else to, but I am sure if they would have reacted in a way that Scanlan couldn't refuse, he would have taken it up. Though Sam might have really just wanted to bring in the dweeb of Tary to show the group everything that was wrong with them so they could all improve instead of being so selfish.
@@zeddicuss9793 I think that was appropriate for the scene though. If Vex wasn't so self centered and rude I feel like Scanlan's speech would have meant much less
When Matt is describing Tary, Sam looks so unassuming. Even when the group stares at him, he looks kind of confused. Then he starts speaking with a massive grin on his face. Sam has the best poker face.
Lol no. Travis had no clue. He didn't realize what was happening, just like the rest of the cast. Look at Travis's face and his eyebrows when Sam starts talking... The strong reaction Travis had at the start was towards the construct, he possibly thought it's maybe Fassbender, or somebody they knew...
I think part of that is because on Talks Sam mentions that he had no idea Matt was going to bring him in so soon. He didn't even have his backstory really ready.
I'm one of those people playing catch up on campaign 1, and holy. Scanlan's exit is a) an amazing moment by Sam, and b) an example of how fucking good Travis is at RP-ing. Vex and Vax are busy yelling at Scanlan, while Grog sits back and listens, and after patiently waiting for everybody else to unload, finally speaks up and utters the very poignant question of "what was your mother's name?" Everybody else was reacting, and he was the only one listening. I was speechless. Bravo.
That is also how people react during confrontations though, so I don't think its a poor acting choice. Some people are too caught up in themselves to listen, which was the whole point that Scanlan was trying to make.
Part of me thinks Sam intentionally waited until Ashley was gone though. He said in the afterward Pike was the only one that could've stopped him, & there is no way they were going to RP both their own emotions & hers. His argument was a cover for his brokenness. There was no way the rest of them, even Grog, could've gotten through.
For such raging, bloody, mountain of a man, Grog ALWAYS seemed to be the most attuned to others' feelings. And with regard to Travis as a player, I always find myself thinking he's either the smartest, or second smartest, at the table in any given situation. In a much later episode, (no spoilers I promise) the group is explaining the word "business" to Grog, who insists it's "Bus-eye-ness." Vax says, "No, it's like... you need to get down to business and attack that guy with an axe." Without missing a beat, Travis has Grog say something like, "So then where is it located? Where is business at?" There are just a million situations where Travis fires back immediately, in character, with perfect and plausible misunderstandings for Grog. But Grog/Travis is at his best when he's showing the group that there is more than one type of intelligence.
@@georgehancock1191 Well, this is, as you said opinion. I think Sam is consistently the smartest, both in RP and tactically. Here, as Scanlan, the whole of Vox Machina except Grog is coming at him from all angles and he silences them all, single-handedly, with "What's my mother's name?" "We've done (x) for [everyone] but you've never done ANYTHING for me... EVER!" And then to know Percy's parents' names? I mean, c'mon. Mic drop. Then on top of having the sharpest, quickest one liners, and always having deep things to say in emotional scenes, he's ALWAYS somehow pivotal to combat? Vax/Liam said it best: "We would be dead. All of us... if it weren't for you. The first time we fought Raishan. We WOULD ALL BE DEAD." In RP he's always a cut above, and in combat he's always a step ahead.
Travis's roll was a failure and this is what really love about Sam as a player he really follows through with rules and rp to the best of his ability. Its a small detail like how rules translate to the I game story like how failing saves and crits work but that lil thing being remembered and carrying to this episode is amazing, and I love Grogs reaction aswell. Love it
Grog's character arc is so interesting. I have to keep reminding myself that Grog didn't learn to be kind when he was a child. He didn't learn things that seem cliche to me, like friends being your strength. He's like the epitome of positive masculinity. He was mean and angry and now he loves his friends and they're his strength. Grog is so fascinating and Travis is such a great player.
and the fact that he's willing to let scanlan be angry and listen to him and try to understand him, while everyone else just yells at him and tell him he's wrong for how he feels... Considering Grog's upbringing, theres some Massive growth in character. I felt so bad for him, when Scanlan didnt acknowledge his part in the ritual, and you could see it on Grog's face
Sam should've said goodbye to the cast and gotten up and left, and then when Matt introduced Tary, he should've said, "If our guest could come out..." and then Sam waltzes in. Or is that too mean? Hahaha
It would have been legendary, but Matt is married to one of the players and probably didn't want to sleep on the couch for a while. Plus they're all friends, I doubt they want to antagonize each other like that, no matter how funny
While that would have been hilarious, I think it worked pretty well the way they did it. I was convinced he was just staying at the table to be there for the rest of his last episode or something.
Travis Willingham. Yes, Sam brought it so hard this episode, but Travis played such a beautiful, thoughtful friend. "I'm sorry I didn't know that" and "he's alive, that's what matters." Jesus, I wish I had a friend like Grog Strongjaw.
saddest moment: Grog / Travis' reaction to Scanlan not having knowledge about Grog's ritual contribution. THE BIG GUY SANG AN ORIGINAL VERSE AND EVERYTHING. Grog cares
Grog got a 14 on his persuasion roll, Pike got a nat 20 her performance roll and Kaylie got a 14 on her performance roll. All of these rolls would normally be a success for the home brew res ritual. However within Matt's home brewed rules is the following, if an offering uses a stat that has already been used in the ritual the DC is increased. This would have pushed Kaylie's offering DC to a failure. From a narrative stand point it was likely Grog's song that awoken Scanlan's soul in the first place so that he could hear Pike's poem and Kaylie's musical solo.
aF Kayzar yeah but also Matt changes the dc of the roll based on how impactful the contribution was. So the idea is that grogs song wasn't as impactful as his bloody daughter. So Grog failed with a 14, but with his daughter doing a similar thing, no offense but he cares more about his daughter than grog, so the dc on her check was likely significantly lower, so she passed where grog failed.
He didn't see Grog shouting "Fix him." He didn't see Vax carrying him back in his arms or hear everything he said in the Raven Queen's temple. But he saw the pudding. It is so damn heartbreaking.
Vax even said he was "carrying him like a child" vax, vex percy and to a lesser extent really look down on, disrespect and patronize the other members of the group.
@@DavidRobles-rc3gh Exactly. The argument in Thordak's lair, when Vax "picked him up by the scruff" and threw him in a corner to force him to watch him remove his armor and pull out that "letter" was super disrespectful and I don't think anyone else got that at all.
Man...... Grog being the first one to ask about Scanlans mothers name and the first one to admit that they may have made a mistake, and also being the first one to apologize says so much about his character. For me Grog vs Scanlan interaction made this scene.... So much more emotional. Travis and Sam.... Fucking hats off to you both. Literal tears and I'm not ashamed of that. What a masterpiece of improv and acting.
It was definitely touching for Grog to have done that, but really Scanlan was just complaining to them about the stance he took toward them as if it was their fault. None of them had anything to apologize for. He had always closed himself off and I don't see it as being any of their faults at all. Whether it came to Kaylee, his feelings, or his past he kept putting up walls and sneaking off to take care of things on his own. It's not their fault that he never asked them for help. His perspective was completely wrong. They didn't go on those adventures to help each other take care of personal issues, the personal issues just came along with it. The fact that he never had any personal issues related to their adventures isn't their problem. It was silly, but it did make sense for Scanlan's character. Everyone else was rightfully pissed off, but Grog's approach to the situation had a sweet innocence to it. It was a great moment for Grog.
@@infinityseven5924 Holy shit I didn't think it'd be possible to completely see this scene in the wrong way but I guess you done it. He's not complaining about not getting help, he's complaining about people not caring about him and them humiliating him in front of the only relationship he could've salvaged in his life. I don't know where you got this entire spiel about "him needing help", but he literally says explicitely "I don't need your guys' help". Genuinely don't know how you could come to the conclusion you came to if you listened to the episode. Oh well.
@@tatsunithelennyking2540 Sorry, but you're the one looking at this from a shallow perspective. He talks about them not loving him and not caring about him in general. Them wanting to help him is evidence that they care about him. I don't know where you got the idea that my entire point revolved around him needing help, but that is clearly not the case. I responded directly to things that he was complaining about, such as them going on adventures to help the other party members but that they have never done that for him. He makes claims that they don't care about him over things that they weren't able to control and the fact that they hardly knew anything about him when they had asked him personal questions multiple times in the past and he dodged them. A perfect example of how you're wrong: he says he doesn't need their help but complains that they haven't helped him.
I get it. The moments were you can't hide how you actually feel. they're scary. They're out of control. They make you either want to lash out or hide. The most important thing to remember during those times is don't make any big decisions.
Percy: "Whats half a dozen dead guards these days?" Jarett: "On behalf of the Guard's Union, I believe we need to renegotiate our contracts ... First, no more dragons ..."
In my country we have a famous painting, called the "Stanczyk" Its about a jester. He was a popular figure; besides his fame as a jester he has been described as an eloquent, witty, and intelligent man, using satire almost like a weapon. He was considered MUCH more than just an entertainer. In the famous painting we can see him alone, sitting in a empty room and sadly pondering what the future holds. Its amazingly well fitting.
I actually love Vax's panicked "I'm not emotionally intelligent enough to understand what just happened, but he said we don't share enough so here's every secret I know about everything and every emotion I'm having so please don't also leave me!!!"
god i adore all the characters in vm in different ways but watching vax always hurts me and this episode it was cuz i realized, god fucking dammit, he does all the things ive overthought about like, when he talked to scanlan he would start out talking about himself and then shift it around and god i hated it in particular because i know i do that and i hate it about myself TvT
It's like he knows his days are fucking numbered. And face it Vax has always had a bit of an abandonment issue... With good reason. And yes Liam and Sam's hug after was adorbs. I swear they'd be married if they didn't meet their gorgeous wives 1st lol... Because...If I've ever seen a set of soul mates???
I just wish, wish with my hole heart something amongst the lines of "its ok Scanlan, go with Kalie, go be a father" I just think that's something he needs to hear
3:15:27 somewhere in the city, a guy has just left the hospital, recovering from a lighting javelin that flew in out of nowhere and pinned him to a cart. " finally, back on my feet!" * incoming whistling sound from above*
Idk, I like to think that Scanlan did hear him, but was choosing to pretend he didn't. Mostly because he had, seemingly, made up his mind that he was leaving, but grogs words were one of the few things making him reconsider. So he had to push it down and act like he didn't hear it.
@@Zalied This is something I don't quite get (first time watcher). Matt says in that episode that the DC for Scanlan's revival is 13, Grog gets a 14, Pike a nat 20, Kaylie a 14, so surely if the DC was 13 even Grogs should have counted as a success? Unless that DC only counts for the final roll (which is also adjusted by the previous rolls) in which case what DC was he even using for the three offerings?
@Wolfer1000 the DC isn't the DC to drop it just succeed. The DC for Chance to drop it will depend on how good the effort was as well as how skilled the person is in that check or something. So the chance of grog succeeding may have been. 15 or higher So he failed idk. But ya that's the difference revive DC vs help dc
No one ever talks about 2:36:00. Sam, knowing he just dropped a bomb on everyone and knowing they are role-playing their way through feelings because they don't know what to do, cracks a joke to ease tension and remind everyone to take a second to retether to the fact that it's a DnD game. Sam doesn't hate anyone, everyone can relax a bit. It's good. That joke has always sat with me. I don't know why.
When it comes to roleplaying, there is always a possibility for emotions between players to get heated. We get so invested in what our characters are experiencing, that sometimes we forget that it is all just a game at the end of the day. I have known players and DMs that have been a part of that, and it can sometimes affect the real-life friendships you have. Also, I think after all of the stuff with Orion, Sam breaking the tension with a joke was definitely needed, lest people think there there was some kind of behind-the-scenes drama.
He did the same thing several episodes back when Vax was having his “why are we doing this” moment before the dragons attacked. Laura looked *actually* shaken by his comment and I think it was Sam who said something that broke the tension.
Geez Sam, that's what you call a MAJOR plot twist. Going down the road of your character and dealing with the consequences of his/her psychological evolution, that's true commitment. Bravo.
I love how silent Taliesin was when Taryon first showed up, then suddenly pipes up to hit us with "The Daring Trials and Tribulations of Tary Darrington" what an absolute genius that man is
He’s not an absolute genius, he’s an evil genius. This whole emotionally taxing episode was years of character work culminating, and he still managed to turn the whole thing into a troll on his friends. “Hello little elf girl…”
I never really liked Scanlan. I never could him take serious. But this earned him a place in my heart and I guess the first place of all the characters of VM in my opinion. Sam Riegel, I salute you for your awesome talent.
Sam spent over a YEAR slowly setting up props and spells so that he could turn Vex into the Wicked Witch of the West at the end of the campaign. His brain doesn't work like a normal man's.
I love the fact that when Taryon Darrington gives his name, two players just about piss themselves laughing: Travis and Taliesin... creators of Tarvis, Stonejaw Strongjaw, and Percival Frederickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III.
@@ChaoticDumbAce when I 1st saw this episode, I added Travis's fear to Grog. And for the 1st time you could see true fear on the face of Grog Strongjaw
Hey there, I'm not well informed about C1 but I'm going through some of the biggest moments. Could you help me and provide a little context about why this is funny/a big deal? I assume it's because Keyleth is a half-elf but are there any big life events/moments? Or is she just constantly teased for it?
I really enjoy Travis and Liam's bits with Scanlan's breakdown. Travis immediately opening his notebook, Grog's "I'm sorry I didn't know that." Amazing. Vax's breakdown after realizing the person who convinced him to have a more positive outlook on the world had been faking it the whole time. I also enjoy that this was clearly the breakdown of a bunch of flawed human beings and how Percy's know-it-all tough love failed miserably.
Natty Champs it's Sam being a genius. Grog and Pike are the only members that deserved Scanlan, the rest are egocentric, arrogant and inconsiderate. Terry is Sam's answer to fighting this problem in vox machina , nothing like a super rich person who cares little for the lives of others to teach them a lesson. :) I can't wait to see what comes of this.
Leisure that's more because scanlan (Sam) literally tore them all a new one. They're angry at Sam. I watched the future episodes, it wasn't as I suspected, but it was all great. 👍
"I think the saddest people try their hardest to make people happy. Because they know what it's like to feel absolutely worthless and they don't want anybody else to feel that." -Scanlan, ever since he found his daughter
He is a man who prepares well (sometimes). You can tell he planned out this whole "you dont know about my parents" speech and was fully prepared for Percys retort to that. Probably went to the CritRole Wiki for that, because it's been ages since their names came up.
SERIOUSLY!!!! I'm fairly late too, still chipping away and catch it up. That line was one of the most impactful of any show/video/series I've ever watcheed ever. Jesus Christ, I'm blown away.
This episode had an effect on my D&D group. The session we had after this episode released they had all their characters share their backstories around the campfire.
Thank you for posting this... I just started playing D&D regularly and I'm going to remind myself of this in my games. Don't get caught up in your own mission to get max level and kill all the things. Everyone has a story they want to share, otherwise they wouldn't have thought of it.
When he named Percy's parents, he did double check his notes one time. At 2:21:29 or so. However, that's just Sam making sure he is playing Scanlan properly. He knew Scanlan would know, and he had taken those notes. He was ready, he wasn't just blowing smoke. Scanlan knew, and Sam did the legwork to find out. So he could make Scanlan the character be better. I'd double check it too, just to make sure I had it right, because it would have been trivial for him to memorize a couple of names each for every member of VM. Doesn't matter that Sam the voice actor had to double check and be sure. He does that for his own lists of spells he uses every week.
yeah, i mean their names were plastered literally everywhere in whitestone. percy said so himself. but his player forgot that bit... probably a bit of a flavor text that he forgot he said.
Sam didn’t take notes on names during the game- he said himself that he checked the Critical Role Wiki for them 🤣. It’s totally true that he would have at least seen Percy’s parents names. I think a misstep was naming Vex and Vax’s mother though, as the two never actually talked about her to anyone but each other on screen and with how close to the vest the twins play things I doubt they would have mentioned it.
Ah, yes, Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III, contributor of such quotations as: “Life needs things to live.” “You seem like a person.” “Your secret is safe with my indifference.” “A tree is just a door that hasn’t been made yet.”
The level of depth Sam brought to Scanlan's character in this episode blows my mind. In so many ways I can relate to his character and his performance here brought tears to my eyes. I love this cast and show so much.
Re-posting for my own benefit: 0:00:28 - Rhodey returns 0:01:31 - Foreshadowing pt 1: Sam 0:09:29 - Start 0:11:00 - Grog vs Groon 2 0:12:40 - Initiative 0:13:54 - Denise is slackin' 0:16:04 - Confusion 0:20:36 - Words of encouragement? 0:21:13 - Clarity 0:21:40 - Wrong Signals 0:28:23 - Power Bowels 0:33:28 - Travis is still confused 0:39:07 - Vax sympathizes / Quivering Palm 0:41:24 - Vex is no Scanlan 0:44:17 - He's human after all/First lesson 0:49:12 - It worked! 0:50:17 - Or did it? 0:52:47 - Grog's frustration grows 0:58:04 - Keyleth isn't much better than Vex 1:04:26 - Grog the Bozo Bop Bag 1:05:50 - He's Relentless 1:07:51 - Fore! / HDWTDT 1:09:54 - Level up/Lessons learned 1:14:25 - Cure Things 1:16:31 - Foreshadowing pt 2: Travis 1:17:54 - Table Top Day music video 1:19:11 - Darin's poetry slam 1:20:00 - Fan art 1:38:10 - BREAK END 1:42:06 - Sam's having a great time 1:42:53 - Favorite customers 1:46:56 - Old habits dying hard 1:51:18 - Date night? 1:55:20 - Marisha's modern dance 1:56:32 - IHOB marketing division 2:00:08 - Wake up call 2:00:21 - The most intense scene in Critical Role history begins 2:02:42 - When bards stop joking 2:07:12 - Asking Questions..... 2:12:20 - And getting answers 2:15:59 - Lies from a really good liar 2:18:31 - Percy's tough love 2:21:40 - One man band 2:23:36 - Parting gifts 2:25:23 - Aftermath 2:34:05 - Vax comes clean 2:37:43 - Grog's unique coping mechanism 2:38:40 - Foreshadowing pt 3: Matt 2:39:22 - The adventuring continues 2:47:40 - Data limits/Keyleth peeks/Grog's wisdom 2:51:53 - Grog and Vex's connection 2:52:06 - Grog's Intimate Trust 2:56:20 - New challenger approaches 2:57:18 - A new character's description 2:58:20 - Everyone's mind is blown 3:02:20 - Salt levels: HIGH 3:04:28 - Vox Machina fears Vex 3:07:00 - Grog is impressed 3:08:58 - Huddle 3:11:53 - Dragon summoning 3:12:52 - Troll level: MASTER 3:13:33 - Sam having too much fun messing with Laura 3:14:45 - Impressing Grog 3:16:15 - You're Tarrying This Family Apart!
Rewatching this episode on my second full series binge. It's still the most powerful and real episode to date. The way the character's flawed perceptions of events. Scanlan's weeks of crying for help. It all lead to a head here. The big fight was inevitable because they're beautifully flawed individuals. I know a lot of people give Vax crap for his short term "emo" phase, but it was perfectly timed and slowly faded like someone undergoing trauma. Same with Scanlan, someone who has always been depressed and found a reason to live. He was the jovial jester until Kaylee came into his life and slowly but surely his priorities and behavior changed. Not surface behaviors, but there was a whole subtextual shift in his choices. Honestly, his drug pick up was the final cry for help that the group just wrote off as "Scanlany" behavior. It was wonderful to watch someone play out the "break" moment in character. It was flawed and full of emotion that had only half justifications and was largly unbased. But it made sense in character and I felt it and I loved it.
I mostly agree, the problem is Sam played Scanlans drug addiction for laughs. Scanlan shortholt whilst not Walter White, would not be so clueless about those things considering his past with the likes of dranzel.
I don’t know if you’ve watched Talks Machina but a lot of the cast talk about how they don’t really know much about the drugs and how someone like Scanlan can get away with almost anything if he wants to. Not to say it’s any excuse on most of the party’s fault, but to say they’re ignoring clear signs is too much. Regardless, they react very poorly in the moment and their dismissal of anything they may have noticed is still sad
@@bearbones7913 I'm a programmer, so I have the time to just let the episodes run while I work and then you have free time after work to watch especially if you're a nerd who programs for a hobby because that's how you started doing it for a living. You can get through 4-6 episodes per day depending on the 3-5 hour variable timespan.
Rewatch the reveal of Sam as Tary and keep an eye on Matt's face for the whole scene. That is the expression of DM who is seeing something new for the first time in a long time and just can't help but be amused. This is an ancient vampire seeing the sunrise on a TV for the first time. :)
I think the incredible thing about this is that it's not just people 'screaming' at each other. This was a real, bone-deep airing of grievances. And of course that gets loud, of course that gets offensive, but it alllllll gets out in the open, and it was all so flawlessly in character that I'm genuinely stunned.
Idk I think Sam meant it a little bit. As a person who’s played a few tiny bards in the past- no one really tried to get to know your backstory when you’re the goofy one.
kaity bgood I kinda doubt it. They’re all professional voice actors who want to tell a story - this is a part of that. Like in C2, he said in Talks that he’d have been fine if an integral part of his new character would’ve never been revealed.
This went beyond normal roleplay this was true improv theatre. They showed there true ability as actors letting Sam set the scene and tone and then working with that to help him tell the story he wanted to in the confines of there own characters including Matt. This was fantastic
This was really awesome and raw, yeah. I don't get why people feel the need to defend VM like their precious faves can do nothing wrong. They fucked up, and that's okay! Shitty people make for great storytelling! :D
I know we are all reacting about Sam and the parties amazing role playing skills… but can we also talk about Liam and Sam afterwards? The shared mid game hug was so pure. After an emotional scene and taking the step out of character to look at your friend and tell them you love them? Fucking warmed my dead heart
There are a couple different compilation videos of Liam & Sam BFF moments, in and out of game and their occasional podcast "All Work No Play." Highly recommended for a wholesomeness fix.
It also hurts a little when you can tell that at some points during that "argument" it was Liam talking instead of Vax because he really was going through a lot before the past couple episodes and he's letting it all out which I wish I could do
Percy: "I take it back. I like him." This is awesome role play by Taliesin. Percy sees that Tary is about to get himself killed by insulting Vex and is highly entertained by someone so brazen.
Sam completely nailed how (most) depressed people feel... you so badly want people to know you’re suffering and want them to help you.., but you’re afraid they won’t care and don’t think you deserve the help you’re seeking. god I love Scanlan, so glad he chose to leave before things got worse for him mentally
Came down here to say this as well, Sam managed to capture my own feelings having struggled with a lot of this stuff in a way I didnt think was possible. Hats off to Sam, especially considering I dont think he's ever dealt with any of the stuff Scanlans going through if Im remembering the Talks episode correctly.
Scanlan's storyline (and everyone's interaction with him) was hard for me the last several episodes and I couldn't figure out why until this episode, reading this comment, and realizing that Sam was perfectly embodying where I am right now in my life.
Knowing a bit about the mental health issues that some of the other cast members have dealt with, and based on my own experience, I personally was more moved by what some of the others had to say. Sam had that whole thing planned, but the others were reacting in real time, and it seemed to me like there was more "bleed-through" of real experiences into the characters' reactions than I have ever seen before. Maybe it's just because I don't personally relate to how Scanlan's issues were expressed, whereas some of the others hit way too close to home.
Watching Matt, during his LONGEST period of silence, in ANY episode, ever, in the course of this show, while his players role play one of the most amazing D&D moments of RP, ever... amazing
I always wondered if they'd ever ask him about it and start hunting down goblins to try and find a keepsake of his mother's or something, but as time went on it seems like they forgot. I don't think they even asked too much when Kaley and the Dr made their appearances. I could be wrong. There's been so many episodes :p
Thats because he would never tell them. I feel Scanlan's frustration was disingenuous because he would brush them off every time they asked him about his past and whatnot. A few of them have asked him about his age and he always says "Older than you" Then changes the conversation. He wouldn't let them in and then got mad at them for not knowing anything.
@@OrphanHart They never really had a lot of time to explore their own desires. You can see that by how little time they spent on their keep. I think they slept there for two or three days in total. Once the conclave apeared they were bound to this huge story arc where they mostly responded to things that happened to them. Scanlan did had his own arc, and that was with his daughter. I think Sam never thought that was going to happen. Matt did well and created a new oportunity for Scanlan to grow and Sam to respond to these new unexpected changes in his character. I guess Sam either got bored with Scanlan or didnt want to keep creating new limerics, songs and jokes to do his spells.
@@ArshikaTowers If I remember correctly, they were asking genuinely. Vex was talking to Scanlan in an emotional scene and something came up about his age. He brushed it off. There was no reason to ever ask out of concern because he kept everything bottled up and didn't let them in. Never let them know that something was wrong. For the requirement to be concern, but he kept them from being concerned at every turn would be exactly why his frustration was disingenuous. Like a wife saying "Nothing is wrong" to her husband, then getting upset that he doesn't do something. She never told him, how could he have known?
the talk w/ scanlan and the others, Grog's was the perfect approach to this, he didn't talk about himself, respected scanlan's choice, asked a great question and said sorry,, he's a really really great friend
Sam will always be the best part of the episode. He has that mystical aura to make people smile in the toughest of times. Without Scanlan Vox Machina isn't whole.
He was missing from one episode and it took them 4 hours to get past a water fountain and a skull on a bookshelf. Without Sam I'd have gone to season 3 60 episodes ago when Orion was unbearable.
you know what i noticed...sam actually acts more like he might stay and calms down when they start asking him about his family and fufilling his needs. that man is a legendary actor
No, I think he just appreciated that if none else, Grog really cared. Instead of shouting about how he and his daughter were “FUCKING SHITS!!” as if it would help, Grog listened and tried to understand his pain. But I don’t think he was trying to lead them on about the chance he’d stay
I love the Earthbreaker Groon moments, I mean when you really think about it among all the NPCs and Vox Machina he's the only one that demanded intelligence and growth from Grog. Everyone else handles him like an unwieldy toddler
1:11:44 Earthbreaker: "What have you learned? Grog: "Without the love of my friends, life has no meaning, and I would be nothing." Me, rewatching, knowing the incoming bards lament: "😭"
I feel like the lesson was really whatever Grog wanted to say, plus "and Don't. Hold. Back." Grog should've had Reckless going on every single attack starting from when he figured out closing his eyes avoided the wisdom saves. The monk was hitting him with nearly every single strike, and the only control Grog had was his own rolls. Reckless would mitigate closing his eyes and the monk's Patient Defense. All he'd have to contend with in return is a higher chance to be crit (which would've been halved anyway). But the real danger was holding back and extending the fight, which allowed more chances to be stunned and then hit with the quivering palm for unhalved necrotic damage. More reliably slamming the monk with 30+ damage hits 3x a turn and we would've seen a very different fight. Grog also had the ability to punish the few misses the monk made with his reaction, which I think was only used once when the monk moved without disengaging. I think the fight still worked well anyway as a nail-biter, but figuring out how to mitigate the monk's advantages instead of testing the limits of saving throws would've been cool too.
@@jenny_of_oldstones3523 I am up to around episode 15 of C3. I made it to 25-ish, then fell behind. So I’m now rewatching 3 from beginning, to catch up again. I caught up, starting from C1E1, to C2E100 during lockdowns.
@@aerundel maybe so, that it was Matt’s intention, to help encourage Travis to use his new-ish character ability! As it so often tends to go with CR, the story/narrative elements won out, and I think Matt was happy with the “strength in my friends” bit. I never thought of it with your point, and that’s cool to wonder at. Matt would be the kind of DM to try to encourage players in that way…. Like with Laura and Trinket and the Pokéball 😂
I am reasonably sure that Matt & Sam talked about this coming confrontation before it happened. Very likely, they agreed that VM's response to Scanlon in this scene would SHOW how much they took him for granted. I have a feeling Matt knew Scanlon was feeling taken for granted for quite some time. VM, true to form, reacted selfishly in their response, instead of actually listening to Scanlon and trying to understand how he'd been feeling.
Melodrama and cheesiness are NOT desired traits when it comes to acting... Knowing when "less is more...' is a talent devoutly to be wished in these "actors..."
Actually, when one sees a spade, one calls a spade... at least where I'm from.... Melodrama and cheesiness can be objectively defined and THIS is THAT...
2:18:14 the synchronized statement of “We’re family.” by Vax and Percy is a bit of symbolism I feel like I could just pour over. A moment of two people who butt heads so often being completely in sync.
3:15:17 Somewhere in Ank'harel, someone who can't believe their good fortune as they uncover a lost Javelin of Lightning in the desert sands is suddenly hit out of nowhere by an errant crossbow bolt.
Grog: “He’s alive, that’s what really matters.” Vax, mishearing him: “Yes, but he’s our liar grog.” That was really hard hitting and I don’t know precisely why. God I love grog
^ that and Liam did take Sam/Scanlan's words to heart. It really hurt him. It hurt grog too but Travis is good at keeping his emotions in check. Liam had so many things happening IRL in the year or 2 leading up to this... some of what he says has to really be Liam talking to Scanlan and Sam at the same time.
@@xEvilRaptorx there’s an interesting Dichotomy between Vax Vex and Keyleth’s initial reactions when he left and Grog and Pikes compared to when he comes back. Vax/Keyleth,Vex and Percy all yell at Scanlan for his outlash and make it about themselves, Grog and Pike listen and want him to be happy, when he comes back Vax/Keyleth/Vex all accept him back, taking his words to heart while Grog and Pike are pissed at caring for him then while he seemingly didn’t care enough about them when he came back.
@@corndog4848 Because it really was unfair of Scanlan to say that all of them didn't care about him, when he never tried to reach out to them or deflected away from himself whenever they tried. It's definitely understandable, and some of the characters really didn't pay too much attention to Scanlan, but Grog and Pike did, so it really hurt them when Scanlan threw his accusations around even if they did understand that he was hurting.
2:03:18 - 2:21:13. I know this is late, but I just wanted to say, the wisdom of a DM like Matt Mercer to sit there in silence and watch his party work themselves out. Brilliant. As a DM, it's a great reminder that you don't always have to be talking. Sometimes, just sometimes, silence is all that is required of you.
Agreed. Matt is a legend, definitely a role model for DM’s new and old. Silence speaks volumes, people need to practice more of that. Definitely. I hope everyone is doing well. ^^
Bringing it back up 0:00:28 - Rhodey returns 0:01:31 - Foreshadowing pt 1: Sam 0:09:29 - Start 0:11:00 - Grog vs Groon 2 0:12:40 - Initiative 0:13:54 - Denise is slackin' 0:16:04 - Confusion 0:20:36 - Words of encouragement? 0:21:13 - Clarity 0:21:40 - Wrong Signals 0:28:23 - Power Bowels 0:33:28 - Travis is still confused 0:39:07 - Vax sympathizes / Quivering Palm 0:41:24 - Vex is no Scanlan 0:44:17 - He's human after all/First lesson 0:49:12 - It worked! 0:50:17 - Or did it? 0:52:47 - Grog's frustration grows 0:58:04 - Keyleth isn't much better than Vex 1:04:26 - Grog the Bozo Bop Bag 1:05:50 - He's Relentless 1:07:51 - Fore! / HDWTDT 1:09:54 - Level up/Lessons learned 1:14:25 - Cure Things 1:16:31 - Foreshadowing pt 2: Travis 1:17:54 - Table Top Day music video 1:19:11 - Darin's poetry slam 1:20:00 - Fan art 1:38:10 - BREAK END 1:42:06 - Sam's having a great time 1:42:53 - Favorite customers 1:46:56 - Old habits dying hard 1:51:18 - Date night? 1:55:20 - Marisha's modern dance 1:56:32 - IHOB marketing division 2:00:08 - Wake up call 2:00:21 - The most intense scene in Critical Role history begins 2:02:42 - When bards stop joking 2:07:12 - Asking Questions..... 2:12:20 - And getting answers 2:15:59 - Lies from a really good liar 2:18:31 - Percy's tough love 2:21:40 - One man band 2:23:36 - Parting gifts 2:25:23 - Aftermath 2:34:05 - Vax comes clean 2:37:43 - Grog's unique coping mechanism 2:38:40 - Foreshadowing pt 3: Matt 2:39:22 - The adventuring continues 2:47:40 - Data limits/Keyleth peeks/Grog's wisdom 2:51:53 - Grog and Vex's connection 2:52:06 - Grog's Intimate Trust 2:56:20 - New challenger approaches 2:57:18 - A new character's description 2:58:20 - Everyone's mind is blown 3:02:20 - Salt levels: HIGH 3:04:28 - Vox Machina fears Vex 3:07:00 - Grog is impressed 3:08:58 - Huddle 3:11:53 - Dragon summoning 3:12:52 - Troll level: MASTER 3:13:33 - Sam having too much fun messing with Laura 3:14:45 - Impressing Grog 3:16:15 - You're Tarrying This Family Apart!
18Hongo or they quite simply didn’t try enough to have his answer be heard. They had moved heaven and Earth multiple times throughout this campaign in favor of each other’s personal and emotional self interests. With the exception of Grog, and maybe Pike, nobody had ever truly taken Scanlan serious. Vax had said that he changed his entire outlook in life because of Scanlan. But that’s just another example as to how he was helping their lives, while they had failed to even get to know the man behind the jokes.
Vax, Vex, Keilith and Percy really was egosentric, self important assholes. Scanlan got no understanding from them. Grog, Pike and Scanlan is the best persons of this group, they give and give to the others, makes less drama, takes less space than any of the others. God. I was so mad waching them go at him.
Gojirella I might’ve missed it, but did Keyleth scream during that scene? She seemed just as hurt and confused as Grog (if not even more oblivious than him because yeah it is Keyleth). Keyleth from what I understand is... just a well meaning ditz.
What? Really? He hid it all under his humor and never spoke to anyone of the group. He explained himself, but he still wasn't right to hide so much. When he came back, he faulted his friends extremely hard and at the most unexpected moment. You can watch that sudden pain hit them from hearing his blaming words. Happines of reunion torn from them. If you'd be actually judging all of them by their expressions, I am pretty sure all the players felt was mutual regret after the talk. And I am speaking of Sam too. Because in that argue a few times he simply agreed to not heat it up, but neither was he untouched by their words. You overprotect Scanlal because you like him as an outsider. That's totally fine, we all have our favorite one. But really, all they were guided with, was their worry and care for him, getting any resourses they could have thought of, valuing every second. What did they get from him at once? He began listing things that none of them ever knew and never felt like was necessarily to know to be friends. Who the F cares of Scanlan's father's name when he lies dead cold on the ground and Pike forgets of all the dangers in the world to save him? What other character ever before gave such blaming towards anyone? Scanlan was set back by the replies and realised how overheated he acted. Nobody felt pleased in the end and you can't blame ones on the other. And if you think Vax and others were rude to him by screaming, just recall back to Uriel (the emperor). Vax yelled at him showing how sincere he is, trying to break that formal communication. It didn't go as good as was planned, but when would you yell at someone begging to understand you if you were an enemy to him? And, yeah I agree that Grog acted in the most balanced way, but he also just got the perfect timing to say a thing when the raging words were calmed down.
Илья Честный I agree. Of course everyone is reacting negatively after saving him. What would you do if you saved someone but he/she is ungrateful? At first Scanlan has a reasonable reaction in terms of Kaylee being here. But the others rebuttal was sound, did all of them know his promise? Did they ask each other personal questions? I mean, Vax and Vex didn’t talk about who and where their mother is because they didn’t want to talk about it and now Scanlan is shitting on them for not asking about his parents? Who would want to ask if it’s not important or is scared to bring it up to him? You can see in Scanlan/Sam’s reaction that his reasoning for getting angry at them became nil (I think he and Matt planned that Scanlan wanted to go despite what the argument lead) because the groups argument was sound. And can we all agree, that Percy never mentioned his parents names to them but Scanlan knew? That’s a bit meta unless Matt allowed Sam to know it. Everyone just loves Scanlan despite his glaring errors in some episodes but some defends him, but if Vex and Keyleth did something similar? Very different situation. This is good RPing for the cast and I love it, but claiming that Vax and the others were acting selfish? That’s how their character would act, that’s that.
Gojirella they may have been assholes but it doesn't mean they don't care about him. It's hard for some people to empathize with people going through depression and this is a PERFECT example of what happens when friends find out their friend was really not happy the whole time. I know this cuz I was Vex, Vax, Keilith, or Percy, yelling at my friend saying things like "But...but..." In the end, they care about him but couldn't empathize with him, and he didn't need that right now, which is why he left...
it kind of broke my heart when Scanlan said he heard everyone during the resurrection except for Grog. Grog's contribution was the most moving in my opinion.
I was thinking the same thing! I watched C2 first, then started C1 with my hubby who had previously seen it, while watching C3 on my own at night. It's so confusing to be behind!
I haven’t seen her play the monk yet but i have a feeling she’ll screw that character up too. :/ I don’t backseat game but I know monks and they’re fun. and i know druids and they’re fun too but shes a toddler playing with Photoshop. She doesn’t remember what the buttons do and pushes them at random eventually making something like a painting.
I knew about the "what is my mother's name?" moment out of context, but I was no expecting this, such an emotional and powerful moment I was crying for the whole scene, they are all amazing actors, especially Sam and Travis in that scene
First time watcher here: I heard that this episode will be devastating, but damn Sam went HARD. I was doing stuff on the side and when he said "Whats my mothers name?" I instantly dropped everything. That was some beautiful acting
let it be known that +Fourth Reich has finally made a comment that wasn't keyleth hate. (not that i like her "i'm 14 and this is deep" speeches either)
Nobody's mentioning this hidden gem? "Should I flash him?!?!" - Vex "it couldn't hurt"- Percy "..i...it couldn't hurt the rest of us either" - Keyleth..Marisha? Talisen looks at Marisha with THAT look. *mutters to each other for a second* "I have a thing for twins. I don't know."- more Marisha than Keyleth lol
Holy shit, that line of Percy's at 2:30:35 about "having a brother again" hits SO much harder now that I'm watching this for a second time and have watched Travis' episode of Between the Sheets. Brotherhood is a super important concept in his life.
0:00:28 - Rhodey returns 0:01:31 - Foreshadowing pt 1: Sam 0:09:29 - Start 0:11:00 - Grog vs Groon 2 0:12:40 - Initiative 0:13:54 - Denise is slackin' 0:16:04 - Confusion 0:20:36 - Words of encouragement? 0:21:13 - Clarity 0:21:40 - Wrong Signals 0:28:23 - Power Bowels 0:33:28 - Travis is still confused 0:39:07 - Vax sympathizes / Quivering Palm 0:41:24 - Vex is no Scanlan 0:44:17 - He's human after all/First lesson 0:49:12 - It worked! 0:50:17 - Or did it? 0:52:47 - Grog's frustration grows 0:58:04 - Keyleth isn't much better than Vex 1:04:26 - Grog the Bozo Bop Bag 1:05:50 - He's Relentless 1:07:51 - Fore! / HDWTDT 1:09:54 - Level up/Lessons learned 1:14:25 - Cure Things 1:16:31 - Foreshadowing pt 2: Travis 1:17:54 - Table Top Day music video 1:19:11 - Darin's poetry slam 1:20:00 - Fan art 1:38:10 - BREAK END 1:42:06 - Sam's having a great time 1:42:53 - Favorite customers 1:46:56 - Old habits dying hard 1:51:18 - Date night? 1:55:20 - Marisha's modern dance 1:56:32 - IHOB marketing division 2:00:08 - Wake up call 2:00:21 - The most intense scene in Critical Role history begins 2:02:42 - When bards stop joking 2:07:12 - Asking Questions..... 2:12:20 - And getting answers 2:15:59 - Lies from a really good liar 2:18:31 - Percy's tough love 2:21:40 - One man band 2:23:36 - Parting gifts 2:25:23 - Aftermath 2:34:05 - Vax comes clean 2:37:43 - Grog's unique coping mechanism 2:38:40 - Foreshadowing pt 3: Matt 2:39:22 - The adventuring continues 2:47:40 - Data limits/Keyleth peeks/Grog's wisdom 2:51:53 - Grog and Vex's connection 2:52:06 - Grog's Intimate Trust 2:56:20 - New challenger approaches 2:57:18 - A new character's description 2:58:20 - Everyone's mind is blown 3:02:20 - Salt levels: HIGH 3:04:28 - Vox Machina fears Vex 3:07:00 - Grog is impressed 3:08:58 - Huddle 3:11:53 - Dragon summoning 3:12:52 - Troll level: MASTER 3:13:33 - Sam having too much fun messing with Laura 3:14:45 - Impressing Grog 3:16:15 - You're Tarrying This Family Apart!
lol! Laura and Marisha's reactions when Sam speaks up for the first time as Taryon. I love it. You can definitely tell that Laura, as a player, was one of the most affected by Scanlan's departure. xD LOL! Their saltiness towards Matt and Sam while Grog is insight checking Taryon is even better. XD
God, Matt Mercer must have been so happy when Sam came to him with this idea. I mean, Sam is LITERALLY DOING MATT’S JOB FOR HIM. VM just saved the world, they’re a group of extremely powerful warriors and have only gotten stronger as they bonded. Sure Matt had a few mini quests lined up like hunting down Hotis, but that’s small potatoes compared the Thordak the Cinder King and his conclave of dragons. It would have been an absolute struggle to keep such well-roleplayed characters, not to mention the audience, involved without a major overarching threat, but in doing that, it cheapens the stakes of world-ending crises. Sam, by removing Scanlan from the group, has created a whole new internal conflict within the party that Vox Machina will need to adapt to. He created an overarching theme without it being a powerful enemy threatening the realm, and it gives reason as to why VM might struggle running smaller quests again as they readjust to their new party member. Sam is just an absolute genius: he created the tension that would have been lacking had Vox Machina just gone right along while also roleplaying his character to the T. I mean his arguments were SOOOO solid. Just… god damn incredible.
BiggySn1p3r I know, the sheer emotion and power that emanated from that poor poor father was truly heartbreaking. I hope one day Rhodey Slater can connect with his children, bonsai my dudes, keep surfin' on.
Rewatching the campaign, I just realized how genius Sam's LootCrate ad was. He totally planted a seed with that, which sprouted when Scanlan left with Kaylie. Laura has said that she really thought Sam was leaving the show to spend more time with his kids. Hence the reaction to Tary. Even his "underprepared" ad that was "falling back on an old crutch" was actually part of a secret plan to troll his friends. He's such a devious little shit, I love him.
Slightly understated aspect of this episode: Percy and Grog. The fact that Percy pre-Scanlan conversation remembered about the western brothel when Grog asked but didn't tell him in that moment. The fact that those memories were tied to a now-deceased older brother of his. The fact that Percy has been struggling for the past two episodes with the fact that he has a lot of dead family members that are never coming back. And then finally, after the Scanlan conversation, when tensions are a little high and it feels like the family is breaking, Percy tells Grog about the brothel. They have a heartwarming exchange and Percy refers to Grog as an older brother. The timing of it, the execution of it and the existance of it in context of some of their earlier interactions from the argument about the possessed skull to the silly title that Grog received. It's all so well done. Their relationship isn't one you immediately think about when you think of VM, but it's a great dynamic with great development.
I love this comment. Also a favorite little moment of them: In the earlier episode where a drunken Grog told Percy "prove it's you", Percy after a moment said "no" and Grog went "yeah it's you". I love that.
2 years and Grog's soft, "I was going to ask what was your mothers name?" ... "I'm sorry I didnt know"
Still causes me to melt
Travis is a mother fucking saint here and the innocence and purity in those words resonate, there's much to be learned about true empathy and compassion here.
Honestly, the fact that the dumb one had the most empathy and tried to bridge the gap that Sam and Scanlan were showing that they believed to exist, is proof that Travis is a genius.
Oh youre mad we don't care enough about you? Well let me show you I care.
Legit all anyone else had to do. I actually think that Tary could have been left out, Sam said it himself, Pike could have kept him around. He didn't expect anyone else to, but I am sure if they would have reacted in a way that Scanlan couldn't refuse, he would have taken it up.
Though Sam might have really just wanted to bring in the dweeb of Tary to show the group everything that was wrong with them so they could all improve instead of being so selfish.
@@zeddicuss9793 I think that was appropriate for the scene though. If Vex wasn't so self centered and rude I feel like Scanlan's speech would have meant much less
These episodes through here, Scanlans death, his resurrection, this episode.
Is why I miss Grog so much, Fjord just doesnt resonate the same way.
It's like of mice and men
When Matt is describing Tary, Sam looks so unassuming. Even when the group stares at him, he looks kind of confused. Then he starts speaking with a massive grin on his face. Sam has the best poker face.
BlackHangola he was a "really good liar"😉😉
except Travis realised what was happening. Watch him when Matt started the description of Tary and Doty
Lol no. Travis had no clue. He didn't realize what was happening, just like the rest of the cast. Look at Travis's face and his eyebrows when Sam starts talking... The strong reaction Travis had at the start was towards the construct, he possibly thought it's maybe Fassbender, or somebody they knew...
wait... time stamp?
I think part of that is because on Talks Sam mentions that he had no idea Matt was going to bring him in so soon. He didn't even have his backstory really ready.
I'm one of those people playing catch up on campaign 1, and holy. Scanlan's exit is a) an amazing moment by Sam, and b) an example of how fucking good Travis is at RP-ing. Vex and Vax are busy yelling at Scanlan, while Grog sits back and listens, and after patiently waiting for everybody else to unload, finally speaks up and utters the very poignant question of "what was your mother's name?" Everybody else was reacting, and he was the only one listening. I was speechless. Bravo.
That is also how people react during confrontations though, so I don't think its a poor acting choice. Some people are too caught up in themselves to listen, which was the whole point that Scanlan was trying to make.
Part of me thinks Sam intentionally waited until Ashley was gone though. He said in the afterward Pike was the only one that could've stopped him, & there is no way they were going to RP both their own emotions & hers.
His argument was a cover for his brokenness. There was no way the rest of them, even Grog, could've gotten through.
For such raging, bloody, mountain of a man, Grog ALWAYS seemed to be the most attuned to others' feelings. And with regard to Travis as a player, I always find myself thinking he's either the smartest, or second smartest, at the table in any given situation. In a much later episode, (no spoilers I promise) the group is explaining the word "business" to Grog, who insists it's "Bus-eye-ness." Vax says, "No, it's like... you need to get down to business and attack that guy with an axe." Without missing a beat, Travis has Grog say something like, "So then where is it located? Where is business at?" There are just a million situations where Travis fires back immediately, in character, with perfect and plausible misunderstandings for Grog. But Grog/Travis is at his best when he's showing the group that there is more than one type of intelligence.
@@gcollins1992 You say 'second smartest'. Who is the smartest (in your opinion)?
@@georgehancock1191 Well, this is, as you said opinion. I think Sam is consistently the smartest, both in RP and tactically. Here, as Scanlan, the whole of Vox Machina except Grog is coming at him from all angles and he silences them all, single-handedly, with "What's my mother's name?" "We've done (x) for [everyone] but you've never done ANYTHING for me... EVER!" And then to know Percy's parents' names? I mean, c'mon. Mic drop.
Then on top of having the sharpest, quickest one liners, and always having deep things to say in emotional scenes, he's ALWAYS somehow pivotal to combat? Vax/Liam said it best:
"We would be dead. All of us... if it weren't for you. The first time we fought Raishan. We WOULD ALL BE DEAD."
In RP he's always a cut above, and in combat he's always a step ahead.
The saddest moment I think was when Grog realized that Scanlan didn't hear his contribution.
I think that was a little bit of Sam razzing Travis and pretending he didn't hear Travis sing the Redskin's fight song.
Grog's a true best friend, he doesn't criticize Scanlan about anything he just listened and apologized and asked an important question
For a traditional moron he really showed his intelligence socially for his friend. Grogs heart has always been his guiding light
Vex seems to only think about herself in almost every situation. Her demeanor sickens me.
Yea he was really centered through that whole thing it was cool
@@l4unchp4dgaming38 love Laura Bailey but I agree with this on her character
Both Vax & Vex are more upset they they got called out so they blame Scanlan. Unfortunately that's kinda how it goes in real life too.
Travis' face when Scanlan said he didn't hear his song broke my heart
Same here. Grog's part in that ritual was the most touching to me and its kinda crushing it didn't "count"
Matt said there were two successes and one failure. Travis didn't roll high enough.
@@helumii ahh i guess that makes sense. Still so sad though
Travis's roll was a failure and this is what really love about Sam as a player he really follows through with rules and rp to the best of his ability. Its a small detail like how rules translate to the I game story like how failing saves and crits work but that lil thing being remembered and carrying to this episode is amazing, and I love Grogs reaction aswell. Love it
@@helumii goddamn if anyone performance for the ritual counted it should of been his. Ashley's was pretty good and matt Mercers was a bit uninspired
Grog's character arc is so interesting. I have to keep reminding myself that Grog didn't learn to be kind when he was a child. He didn't learn things that seem cliche to me, like friends being your strength. He's like the epitome of positive masculinity. He was mean and angry and now he loves his friends and they're his strength. Grog is so fascinating and Travis is such a great player.
Ashley Allensworth grog is lovely, when tary comes out he is one fo the first to offer to take him to find a guy to sleep with without blinking an eye
and the fact that he's willing to let scanlan be angry and listen to him and try to understand him, while everyone else just yells at him and tell him he's wrong for how he feels... Considering Grog's upbringing, theres some Massive growth in character.
I felt so bad for him, when Scanlan didnt acknowledge his part in the ritual, and you could see it on Grog's face
Grog is perhaps the wisest of all.
@@kaizen5023 He is the Grand Poobah after all.
Grog is angry Sora
the fact that the DM doesn't speak for 20 minute slots at a time while his party role plays in such a powerful way is fantastic
"Kaylie, can you give us a moment." Fucking chills, man
You could tell, just by the tone of his voice, that shit was about to go DOWN.
The look in Grog's face when Scanlan said that he didn't hear Grog's limerick. Tears unlimited
Sam should've said goodbye to the cast and gotten up and left, and then when Matt introduced Tary, he should've said, "If our guest could come out..." and then Sam waltzes in. Or is that too mean? Hahaha
It would have been legendary, but Matt is married to one of the players and probably didn't want to sleep on the couch for a while. Plus they're all friends, I doubt they want to antagonize each other like that, no matter how funny
They are in a huge room. They would have just been staring at him for 20 min. It worked fine how it was.
Agreed, that would have been better and perfect. Having Sam still there at the table killed the suspense / mood.
Sam still being there made them believe/hope Scanlan was coming back. So when Taryon entered they lost their shit.
While that would have been hilarious, I think it worked pretty well the way they did it. I was convinced he was just staying at the table to be there for the rest of his last episode or something.
Scanlan clapping back with the names of Percy's parents was savage af and the man wasn't even in the room.
Travis Willingham. Yes, Sam brought it so hard this episode, but Travis played such a beautiful, thoughtful friend. "I'm sorry I didn't know that" and "he's alive, that's what matters." Jesus, I wish I had a friend like Grog Strongjaw.
I agree, I wish I did too but I think what's most important is that we BE a friend like Grog 💕
Do you have ale?
Whats worse is that he was so sad that Scanlan didn't hear him, but heard everyone else
@@DeFreshS10 I’m
Glad I wasn’t the only one that caught that.
Everyone wishes for a friend like Grog Strongjaw.....
_maybe we should all BE A FRIEND, like Grog Strongjaw...._
saddest moment: Grog / Travis' reaction to Scanlan not having knowledge about Grog's ritual contribution. THE BIG GUY SANG AN ORIGINAL VERSE AND EVERYTHING. Grog cares
Sigh And My Tea
Greg's contribution failed. It never made it to Scanlan.
Grog got a 14 on his persuasion roll, Pike got a nat 20 her performance roll and Kaylie got a 14 on her performance roll. All of these rolls would normally be a success for the home brew res ritual. However within Matt's home brewed rules is the following, if an offering uses a stat that has already been used in the ritual the DC is increased. This would have pushed Kaylie's offering DC to a failure. From a narrative stand point it was likely Grog's song that awoken Scanlan's soul in the first place so that he could hear Pike's poem and Kaylie's musical solo.
aF Kayzar yeah but also Matt changes the dc of the roll based on how impactful the contribution was. So the idea is that grogs song wasn't as impactful as his bloody daughter. So Grog failed with a 14, but with his daughter doing a similar thing, no offense but he cares more about his daughter than grog, so the dc on her check was likely significantly lower, so she passed where grog failed.
He also sang the song a full day before the ritual.. so... moot point, really.
Mourning is for the mourner anyhow, not the departed.
that one hurt me a little bit even if I understand mechanically why.
Further proof that Matt Mercer's poker face is solid stone.
Until @2:52:26 because that line worked on so many levels
Party memeber: leaves/dies
Next person they meet: "you know i am something of an adventurer myself"
"She looks Groggy"
*Travis Smiles*
*Nobody Notices*
*Travis Frowns*
I noticed! lol
Alas, a good pun passes by.
awwww I wish you added a time stamp, I sometimes jump around when watching these and miss little stuff
@@artloveranimation that's a fair comment, I never thought to do it at the time! XD
2:00:02
Man... To think that Sam was sitting on that the whole time before they woke his character up. So very devious. :P
You can see how nervous he was getting towards the end of the Groon fight, wringing his hands, etc
He didn't see Grog shouting "Fix him." He didn't see Vax carrying him back in his arms or hear everything he said in the Raven Queen's temple. But he saw the pudding. It is so damn heartbreaking.
Man... Travis yelling "Fix him!" damn near broke my heart. Shit was hard to watch.....
Vax even said he was "carrying him like a child" vax, vex percy and to a lesser extent really look down on, disrespect and patronize the other members of the group.
@@DavidRobles-rc3gh i noticed that as well... Poor scanlan
I think this is one of the best comments I've read. That is heartbreaking.
@@DavidRobles-rc3gh Exactly. The argument in Thordak's lair, when Vax "picked him up by the scruff" and threw him in a corner to force him to watch him remove his armor and pull out that "letter" was super disrespectful and I don't think anyone else got that at all.
Man...... Grog being the first one to ask about Scanlans mothers name and the first one to admit that they may have made a mistake, and also being the first one to apologize says so much about his character. For me Grog vs Scanlan interaction made this scene.... So much more emotional. Travis and Sam.... Fucking hats off to you both. Literal tears and I'm not ashamed of that. What a masterpiece of improv and acting.
It was definitely touching for Grog to have done that, but really Scanlan was just complaining to them about the stance he took toward them as if it was their fault. None of them had anything to apologize for. He had always closed himself off and I don't see it as being any of their faults at all. Whether it came to Kaylee, his feelings, or his past he kept putting up walls and sneaking off to take care of things on his own. It's not their fault that he never asked them for help. His perspective was completely wrong. They didn't go on those adventures to help each other take care of personal issues, the personal issues just came along with it. The fact that he never had any personal issues related to their adventures isn't their problem. It was silly, but it did make sense for Scanlan's character.
Everyone else was rightfully pissed off, but Grog's approach to the situation had a sweet innocence to it. It was a great moment for Grog.
Yet Sam and Travis were those who had never played DnD before...
Grog is an idiot intelligence-wise, but emotionally he is very mature.
@@infinityseven5924 Holy shit I didn't think it'd be possible to completely see this scene in the wrong way but I guess you done it. He's not complaining about not getting help, he's complaining about people not caring about him and them humiliating him in front of the only relationship he could've salvaged in his life. I don't know where you got this entire spiel about "him needing help", but he literally says explicitely "I don't need your guys' help". Genuinely don't know how you could come to the conclusion you came to if you listened to the episode. Oh well.
@@tatsunithelennyking2540 Sorry, but you're the one looking at this from a shallow perspective. He talks about them not loving him and not caring about him in general. Them wanting to help him is evidence that they care about him. I don't know where you got the idea that my entire point revolved around him needing help, but that is clearly not the case. I responded directly to things that he was complaining about, such as them going on adventures to help the other party members but that they have never done that for him. He makes claims that they don't care about him over things that they weren't able to control and the fact that they hardly knew anything about him when they had asked him personal questions multiple times in the past and he dodged them. A perfect example of how you're wrong: he says he doesn't need their help but complains that they haven't helped him.
"That's just it, I'm a really good liar." That just... Jesus. That hit hard.
I get it. The moments were you can't hide how you actually feel. they're scary. They're out of control. They make you either want to lash out or hide. The most important thing to remember during those times is don't make any big decisions.
You can see Travis' appreciation for that line on his face
Literally in tears over that comment right now.
Well then he has to ask himself is he angry at himself that he lied, or angry at them that they bought it?
I love how Laura bought this back with Jester
Percy: "Whats half a dozen dead guards these days?"
Jarett: "On behalf of the Guard's Union, I believe we need to renegotiate our contracts ... First, no more dragons ..."
I hope jarret gets his bonus
In my country we have a famous painting, called the "Stanczyk"
Its about a jester. He was a popular figure; besides his fame as a jester he has been described as an eloquent, witty, and intelligent man, using satire almost like a weapon. He was considered MUCH more than just an entertainer.
In the famous painting we can see him alone, sitting in a empty room and sadly pondering what the future holds. Its amazingly well fitting.
That's...Amazing. What a coincidence.
I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Sam used that painting as an inspiration for this.
I want a recreation of this with Scanlan in the chair. Get on it CR artists.
Fitting indeed, the tears of a clown when no one's around. Also reminds me of Pagliacci after a fashion as well.
.
I actually love Vax's panicked "I'm not emotionally intelligent enough to understand what just happened, but he said we don't share enough so here's every secret I know about everything and every emotion I'm having so please don't also leave me!!!"
god i adore all the characters in vm in different ways but watching vax always hurts me and this episode it was cuz i realized, god fucking dammit, he does all the things ive overthought about like, when he talked to scanlan he would start out talking about himself and then shift it around and god i hated it in particular because i know i do that and i hate it about myself TvT
And that thick accent he went into.
It's like he knows his days are fucking numbered. And face it Vax has always had a bit of an abandonment issue... With good reason.
And yes Liam and Sam's hug after was adorbs. I swear they'd be married if they didn't meet their gorgeous wives 1st lol...
Because...If I've ever seen a set of soul mates???
I think the hardest part of this episode is not having Ashley there to hear what Pike would say.
huge fax. I'm in shock rn
i think she would hug and kiss scalan on the cheek
I think we'll probably get to see that in S3 of TLOVM.
I just wish, wish with my hole heart something amongst the lines of "its ok Scanlan, go with Kalie, go be a father" I just think that's something he needs to hear
Right?
3:15:27 somewhere in the city, a guy has just left the hospital, recovering from a lighting javelin that flew in out of nowhere and pinned him to a cart. " finally, back on my feet!" * incoming whistling sound from above*
OMG! YES!!😂😂
this should be top comment. i nearly choked on my dinner when i saw this.
He really IS the "my cabbages" guy!!
I was thinking.."you arrive and the pub where treev is known to be, you seen treev, bandaging up, what appears to be a heavy crossbow wound.
😂😂😂
Man that face Travis makes when he realized Scanlan didn't hear a word he said for him but heard everyone else :(
Idk, I like to think that Scanlan did hear him, but was choosing to pretend he didn't. Mostly because he had, seemingly, made up his mind that he was leaving, but grogs words were one of the few things making him reconsider. So he had to push it down and act like he didn't hear it.
@@michaelleahy3271 Matt says in talks grogs was the check That failed so I think they were playing the fail didn't go through
@@Zalied that's 100% correct. Scanlan didn't hear Grog's plea during the resurrection ritual
@@Zalied This is something I don't quite get (first time watcher). Matt says in that episode that the DC for Scanlan's revival is 13, Grog gets a 14, Pike a nat 20, Kaylie a 14, so surely if the DC was 13 even Grogs should have counted as a success? Unless that DC only counts for the final roll (which is also adjusted by the previous rolls) in which case what DC was he even using for the three offerings?
@Wolfer1000 the DC isn't the DC to drop it just succeed.
The DC for Chance to drop it will depend on how good the effort was as well as how skilled the person is in that check or something. So the chance of grog succeeding may have been. 15 or higher So he failed idk.
But ya that's the difference revive DC vs help dc
No one ever talks about 2:36:00. Sam, knowing he just dropped a bomb on everyone and knowing they are role-playing their way through feelings because they don't know what to do, cracks a joke to ease tension and remind everyone to take a second to retether to the fact that it's a DnD game. Sam doesn't hate anyone, everyone can relax a bit. It's good.
That joke has always sat with me. I don't know why.
I noticed that too
When it comes to roleplaying, there is always a possibility for emotions between players to get heated. We get so invested in what our characters are experiencing, that sometimes we forget that it is all just a game at the end of the day. I have known players and DMs that have been a part of that, and it can sometimes affect the real-life friendships you have.
Also, I think after all of the stuff with Orion, Sam breaking the tension with a joke was definitely needed, lest people think there there was some kind of behind-the-scenes drama.
He had to make that joke, Laura was being her normal dickish self ... which only got worse when the new character turned up
He did the same thing several episodes back when Vax was having his “why are we doing this” moment before the dragons attacked. Laura looked *actually* shaken by his comment and I think it was Sam who said something that broke the tension.
@@christenh359 which episode and time stamp? If you’re able to find em
Geez Sam, that's what you call a MAJOR plot twist. Going down the road of your character and dealing with the consequences of his/her psychological evolution, that's true commitment. Bravo.
rewatching this again, grog/travis was the only one I noticed to actually take down the name of scanlan's parents.
oh my god my h e a r t i didnt notice. i was glad enough that he was the one to ask at least
What I loved most was that Sam was expecting the "do you know my parent's name" and did his homework before the episode
2:05:05 grog and travis is so hurt that Scanlan didnt hear his message
Travis is such a good player man. I have mad respect for his patience, attention to details, roleplay skills, and humor.
And Travis BARELY takes notes on ANYTHING
I think Sam just dealt more damage to Vox Machina than Matt has in the past several sessions... X-D
Really, really not XD
Yep lol
I love how silent Taliesin was when Taryon first showed up, then suddenly pipes up to hit us with "The Daring Trials and Tribulations of Tary Darrington" what an absolute genius that man is
even better that it becomes the canonical name for Tary's published book.
He’s not an absolute genius, he’s an evil genius. This whole emotionally taxing episode was years of character work culminating, and he still managed to turn the whole thing into a troll on his friends. “Hello little elf girl…”
Dude, Sam Riegel... What a legend.
I never really liked Scanlan. I never could him take serious. But this earned him a place in my heart and I guess the first place of all the characters of VM in my opinion. Sam Riegel, I salute you for your awesome talent.
He looked so pleased with himself after he first started speaking (as Tary)
Sam spent over a YEAR slowly setting up props and spells so that he could turn Vex into the Wicked Witch of the West at the end of the campaign. His brain doesn't work like a normal man's.
Sam really brought the hammer this session. Scanlan was brutal.
Sam is so freaking funny.. 13:56 his mug has a QR-code on the bottom which goes to LootCrate, I enjoyed that little touch so much!
I love the fact that when Taryon Darrington gives his name, two players just about piss themselves laughing: Travis and Taliesin... creators of Tarvis, Stonejaw Strongjaw, and Percival Frederickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III.
I didn't quite get it. Is it a pun on "ta-da" or did i miss something?
@@GoodMorningWesteros I think it’s just a stupid name
“ you, little elf girl “
Current mission: *survive*
the best part about that is that it wasnt Grog saying he's going to move out of the way, that was pure Travis with pure fear in his eyes
@@ChaoticDumbAce when I 1st saw this episode, I added Travis's fear to Grog. And for the 1st time you could see true fear on the face of Grog Strongjaw
@@Kishi671 then they all vanished
"If you had a pet of some kind, you'd understand."
Hey there, I'm not well informed about C1 but I'm going through some of the biggest moments. Could you help me and provide a little context about why this is funny/a big deal? I assume it's because Keyleth is a half-elf but are there any big life events/moments? Or is she just constantly teased for it?
I really enjoy Travis and Liam's bits with Scanlan's breakdown.
Travis immediately opening his notebook, Grog's "I'm sorry I didn't know that." Amazing.
Vax's breakdown after realizing the person who convinced him to have a more positive outlook on the world had been faking it the whole time.
I also enjoy that this was clearly the breakdown of a bunch of flawed human beings and how Percy's know-it-all tough love failed miserably.
"50k gold? Oh, that's nothing."
Vex: * drops her pencil *
Timestamp?
@@majorasmask5523 3:00:13
The whole last thirty minutes was pure gold. "Little Elf Girl. What's your name?" Everybody is like 'oh no he didn't.'
Natty Champs it's Sam being a genius. Grog and Pike are the only members that deserved Scanlan, the rest are egocentric, arrogant and inconsiderate. Terry is Sam's answer to fighting this problem in vox machina , nothing like a super rich person who cares little for the lives of others to teach them a lesson. :) I can't wait to see what comes of this.
Vex deserved a “little elf girl”
Leisure that's more because scanlan (Sam) literally tore them all a new one. They're angry at Sam. I watched the future episodes, it wasn't as I suspected, but it was all great. 👍
"I think the saddest people try their hardest to make people happy. Because they know what it's like to feel absolutely worthless and they don't want anybody else to feel that."
-Scanlan, ever since he found his daughter
And the happiest people dont even need to try they just light up the room (pike)
I can't help but smile every time Travis smiles when Percy says "it's nice having an older brother again". Just love the reaction.
"...Frederick and Johanna De Rolo..." I'm so late, but this quip was so fucking amazing.
So many amazing moments! This episode blew me away. Nothing up until this episode has shooked me like this episode has. wow
He is a man who prepares well (sometimes). You can tell he planned out this whole "you dont know about my parents" speech and was fully prepared for Percys retort to that. Probably went to the CritRole Wiki for that, because it's been ages since their names came up.
SERIOUSLY!!!! I'm fairly late too, still chipping away and catch it up. That line was one of the most impactful of any show/video/series I've ever watcheed ever. Jesus Christ, I'm blown away.
"you little elf girl" the fear on travis and liam's face in that moment as they ran was genuine fear.
More than when the broom almost broke at the live show?
@@volteer1332Travis was in real physical danger that day.
This episode had an effect on my D&D group. The session we had after this episode released they had all their characters share their backstories around the campfire.
Jestin Crawley wow that's amazing I bet nobody has shared a backstory before
That’s pretty awesome.
Thank you for posting this... I just started playing D&D regularly and I'm going to remind myself of this in my games. Don't get caught up in your own mission to get max level and kill all the things. Everyone has a story they want to share, otherwise they wouldn't have thought of it.
When he named Percy's parents, he did double check his notes one time. At 2:21:29 or so. However, that's just Sam making sure he is playing Scanlan properly. He knew Scanlan would know, and he had taken those notes. He was ready, he wasn't just blowing smoke. Scanlan knew, and Sam did the legwork to find out. So he could make Scanlan the character be better.
I'd double check it too, just to make sure I had it right, because it would have been trivial for him to memorize a couple of names each for every member of VM. Doesn't matter that Sam the voice actor had to double check and be sure. He does that for his own lists of spells he uses every week.
yeah, i mean their names were plastered literally everywhere in whitestone. percy said so himself. but his player forgot that bit... probably a bit of a flavor text that he forgot he said.
Sam didn’t take notes on names during the game- he said himself that he checked the Critical Role Wiki for them 🤣.
It’s totally true that he would have at least seen Percy’s parents names. I think a misstep was naming Vex and Vax’s mother though, as the two never actually talked about her to anyone but each other on screen and with how close to the vest the twins play things I doubt they would have mentioned it.
Laura's mouth drop when Scanlan decides to leave is the reaction to every fan of this show lol.
3:03:32 "You, little elf girl..." And Sam was never heard from again.
It's actually at 3:04:31
K Vid thank you
This better get animated 😂
"We're friends, right?"
"Worse. Family."
God damn, Taliesin, what a great line. ❤️
Taliesin and Liam said it together. It made the moment even more special.
Life needs things to live
Brilliant.
Ah, yes, Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III, contributor of such quotations as:
“Life needs things to live.”
“You seem like a person.”
“Your secret is safe with my indifference.”
“A tree is just a door that hasn’t been made yet.”
@@ChillyCucumber
The first one is... pretty stupid but the others are not bad XD
"I heard Pike read a poem and music"
"Was that it?"
"Yes."
Ouch. What a gut punch.
Especially after Travis did it to the Redskins fight song even though he hates them.
Sam and Travis bounce off of each other so well. they need to become like an improv duo or something like that
The level of depth Sam brought to Scanlan's character in this episode blows my mind. In so many ways I can relate to his character and his performance here brought tears to my eyes. I love this cast and show so much.
Re-posting for my own benefit:
0:00:28 - Rhodey returns
0:01:31 - Foreshadowing pt 1: Sam
0:09:29 - Start
0:11:00 - Grog vs Groon 2
0:12:40 - Initiative
0:13:54 - Denise is slackin'
0:16:04 - Confusion
0:20:36 - Words of encouragement?
0:21:13 - Clarity
0:21:40 - Wrong Signals
0:28:23 - Power Bowels
0:33:28 - Travis is still confused
0:39:07 - Vax sympathizes / Quivering Palm
0:41:24 - Vex is no Scanlan
0:44:17 - He's human after all/First lesson
0:49:12 - It worked!
0:50:17 - Or did it?
0:52:47 - Grog's frustration grows
0:58:04 - Keyleth isn't much better than Vex
1:04:26 - Grog the Bozo Bop Bag
1:05:50 - He's Relentless
1:07:51 - Fore! / HDWTDT
1:09:54 - Level up/Lessons learned
1:14:25 - Cure Things
1:16:31 - Foreshadowing pt 2: Travis
1:17:54 - Table Top Day music video
1:19:11 - Darin's poetry slam
1:20:00 - Fan art
1:38:10 - BREAK END
1:42:06 - Sam's having a great time
1:42:53 - Favorite customers
1:46:56 - Old habits dying hard
1:51:18 - Date night?
1:55:20 - Marisha's modern dance
1:56:32 - IHOB marketing division
2:00:08 - Wake up call
2:00:21 - The most intense scene in Critical Role history begins
2:02:42 - When bards stop joking
2:07:12 - Asking Questions.....
2:12:20 - And getting answers
2:15:59 - Lies from a really good liar
2:18:31 - Percy's tough love
2:21:40 - One man band
2:23:36 - Parting gifts
2:25:23 - Aftermath
2:34:05 - Vax comes clean
2:37:43 - Grog's unique coping mechanism
2:38:40 - Foreshadowing pt 3: Matt
2:39:22 - The adventuring continues
2:47:40 - Data limits/Keyleth peeks/Grog's wisdom
2:51:53 - Grog and Vex's connection
2:52:06 - Grog's Intimate Trust
2:56:20 - New challenger approaches
2:57:18 - A new character's description
2:58:20 - Everyone's mind is blown
3:02:20 - Salt levels: HIGH
3:04:28 - Vox Machina fears Vex
3:07:00 - Grog is impressed
3:08:58 - Huddle
3:11:53 - Dragon summoning
3:12:52 - Troll level: MASTER
3:13:33 - Sam having too much fun messing with Laura
3:14:45 - Impressing Grog
3:16:15 - You're Tarrying This Family Apart!
Thanks
Thank you so much for this
Boost
Bump
Thank you!
Rewatching this episode on my second full series binge. It's still the most powerful and real episode to date. The way the character's flawed perceptions of events. Scanlan's weeks of crying for help. It all lead to a head here. The big fight was inevitable because they're beautifully flawed individuals. I know a lot of people give Vax crap for his short term "emo" phase, but it was perfectly timed and slowly faded like someone undergoing trauma. Same with Scanlan, someone who has always been depressed and found a reason to live. He was the jovial jester until Kaylee came into his life and slowly but surely his priorities and behavior changed. Not surface behaviors, but there was a whole subtextual shift in his choices. Honestly, his drug pick up was the final cry for help that the group just wrote off as "Scanlany" behavior. It was wonderful to watch someone play out the "break" moment in character. It was flawed and full of emotion that had only half justifications and was largly unbased. But it made sense in character and I felt it and I loved it.
I mostly agree, the problem is Sam played Scanlans drug addiction for laughs. Scanlan shortholt whilst not Walter White, would not be so clueless about those things considering his past with the likes of dranzel.
I don’t know if you’ve watched Talks Machina but a lot of the cast talk about how they don’t really know much about the drugs and how someone like Scanlan can get away with almost anything if he wants to. Not to say it’s any excuse on most of the party’s fault, but to say they’re ignoring clear signs is too much. Regardless, they react very poorly in the moment and their dismissal of anything they may have noticed is still sad
Okay can I ask? How the hell do you binge this series when the episodes can be as long as 4 hours?!
@@bearbones7913 I'm a programmer, so I have the time to just let the episodes run while I work and then you have free time after work to watch especially if you're a nerd who programs for a hobby because that's how you started doing it for a living. You can get through 4-6 episodes per day depending on the 3-5 hour variable timespan.
Rewatch the reveal of Sam as Tary and keep an eye on Matt's face for the whole scene. That is the expression of DM who is seeing something new for the first time in a long time and just can't help but be amused. This is an ancient vampire seeing the sunrise on a TV for the first time. :)
Scanlan/ sam is my favorite out of all vox nachins followed closely by Grog/Travis
lol what a metaphor XD
I think the incredible thing about this is that it's not just people 'screaming' at each other. This was a real, bone-deep airing of grievances. And of course that gets loud, of course that gets offensive, but it alllllll gets out in the open, and it was all so flawlessly in character that I'm genuinely stunned.
Real-ish. It's just roleplaying.
Idk I think Sam meant it a little bit. As a person who’s played a few tiny bards in the past- no one really tried to get to know your backstory when you’re the goofy one.
kaity bgood I kinda doubt it. They’re all professional voice actors who want to tell a story - this is a part of that. Like in C2, he said in Talks that he’d have been fine if an integral part of his new character would’ve never been revealed.
This went beyond normal roleplay this was true improv theatre. They showed there true ability as actors letting Sam set the scene and tone and then working with that to help him tell the story he wanted to in the confines of there own characters including Matt. This was fantastic
This was really awesome and raw, yeah. I don't get why people feel the need to defend VM like their precious faves can do nothing wrong. They fucked up, and that's okay! Shitty people make for great storytelling! :D
I know we are all reacting about Sam and the parties amazing role playing skills… but can we also talk about Liam and Sam afterwards? The shared mid game hug was so pure. After an emotional scene and taking the step out of character to look at your friend and tell them you love them? Fucking warmed my dead heart
There are a couple different compilation videos of Liam & Sam BFF moments, in and out of game and their occasional podcast "All Work No Play." Highly recommended for a wholesomeness fix.
It also hurts a little when you can tell that at some points during that "argument" it was Liam talking instead of Vax because he really was going through a lot before the past couple episodes and he's letting it all out which I wish I could do
Percy: "I take it back. I like him." This is awesome role play by Taliesin. Percy sees that Tary is about to get himself killed by insulting Vex and is highly entertained by someone so brazen.
Sam completely nailed how (most) depressed people feel... you so badly want people to know you’re suffering and want them to help you.., but you’re afraid they won’t care and don’t think you deserve the help you’re seeking. god I love Scanlan, so glad he chose to leave before things got worse for him mentally
How are you going mate?
Came down here to say this as well, Sam managed to capture my own feelings having struggled with a lot of this stuff in a way I didnt think was possible. Hats off to Sam, especially considering I dont think he's ever dealt with any of the stuff Scanlans going through if Im remembering the Talks episode correctly.
Scanlan's storyline (and everyone's interaction with him) was hard for me the last several episodes and I couldn't figure out why until this episode, reading this comment, and realizing that Sam was perfectly embodying where I am right now in my life.
@@laurenb8416 Hope you're better now ☹
Knowing a bit about the mental health issues that some of the other cast members have dealt with, and based on my own experience, I personally was more moved by what some of the others had to say. Sam had that whole thing planned, but the others were reacting in real time, and it seemed to me like there was more "bleed-through" of real experiences into the characters' reactions than I have ever seen before. Maybe it's just because I don't personally relate to how Scanlan's issues were expressed, whereas some of the others hit way too close to home.
"Show me on the character sheet where the bad dm touched you" forever my favorite line
*slaps the roof of the episode* you can fit SO MANY FEELS IN THIS BAD BOY
Watching Matt, during his LONGEST period of silence, in ANY episode, ever, in the course of this show, while his players role play one of the most amazing D&D moments of RP, ever... amazing
1:59:04 scene begins
2:00:20 Scanlan wakes up
2:38:00 grogs reaction
"What's my mother name"
That hit me too, in 85 episodes i knew Scalan's backstory and yet never thought about it, nor did the group'
I always wondered if they'd ever ask him about it and start hunting down goblins to try and find a keepsake of his mother's or something, but as time went on it seems like they forgot. I don't think they even asked too much when Kaley and the Dr made their appearances. I could be wrong. There's been so many episodes :p
Thats because he would never tell them. I feel Scanlan's frustration was disingenuous because he would brush them off every time they asked him about his past and whatnot. A few of them have asked him about his age and he always says "Older than you" Then changes the conversation. He wouldn't let them in and then got mad at them for not knowing anything.
@@OrphanHart They never really had a lot of time to explore their own desires. You can see that by how little time they spent on their keep. I think they slept there for two or three days in total. Once the conclave apeared they were bound to this huge story arc where they mostly responded to things that happened to them.
Scanlan did had his own arc, and that was with his daughter. I think Sam never thought that was going to happen. Matt did well and created a new oportunity for Scanlan to grow and Sam to respond to these new unexpected changes in his character.
I guess Sam either got bored with Scanlan or didnt want to keep creating new limerics, songs and jokes to do his spells.
@@clairetellkamp6253 I believe if they had asked him out of concern and less out of curiosity he would have been more willing to offer real answers.
@@ArshikaTowers If I remember correctly, they were asking genuinely. Vex was talking to Scanlan in an emotional scene and something came up about his age. He brushed it off. There was no reason to ever ask out of concern because he kept everything bottled up and didn't let them in. Never let them know that something was wrong. For the requirement to be concern, but he kept them from being concerned at every turn would be exactly why his frustration was disingenuous. Like a wife saying "Nothing is wrong" to her husband, then getting upset that he doesn't do something. She never told him, how could he have known?
the talk w/ scanlan and the others, Grog's was the perfect approach to this, he didn't talk about himself, respected scanlan's choice, asked a great question and said sorry,, he's a really really great friend
Sam: Dead 75% of the episode
Also Sam: Still the best part of the show.
So accurate
@Wtf RUclips He's not dead...he's just MOSTLY dead
Sam will always be the best part of the episode. He has that mystical aura to make people smile in the toughest of times. Without Scanlan Vox Machina isn't whole.
@@danielguth5777 really appreicate the spoiler warning, thank you!
He was missing from one episode and it took them 4 hours to get past a water fountain and a skull on a bookshelf. Without Sam I'd have gone to season 3 60 episodes ago when Orion was unbearable.
you know what i noticed...sam actually acts more like he might stay and calms down when they start asking him about his family and fufilling his needs. that man is a legendary actor
No, I think he just appreciated that if none else, Grog really cared. Instead of shouting about how he and his daughter were “FUCKING SHITS!!” as if it would help, Grog listened and tried to understand his pain. But I don’t think he was trying to lead them on about the chance he’d stay
I love the Earthbreaker Groon moments, I mean when you really think about it among all the NPCs and Vox Machina he's the only one that demanded intelligence and growth from Grog. Everyone else handles him like an unwieldy toddler
1:11:44
Earthbreaker: "What have you learned?
Grog: "Without the love of my friends, life has no meaning, and I would be nothing."
Me, rewatching, knowing the incoming bards lament: "😭"
I feel like the lesson was really whatever Grog wanted to say, plus "and Don't. Hold. Back." Grog should've had Reckless going on every single attack starting from when he figured out closing his eyes avoided the wisdom saves. The monk was hitting him with nearly every single strike, and the only control Grog had was his own rolls. Reckless would mitigate closing his eyes and the monk's Patient Defense. All he'd have to contend with in return is a higher chance to be crit (which would've been halved anyway). But the real danger was holding back and extending the fight, which allowed more chances to be stunned and then hit with the quivering palm for unhalved necrotic damage. More reliably slamming the monk with 30+ damage hits 3x a turn and we would've seen a very different fight. Grog also had the ability to punish the few misses the monk made with his reaction, which I think was only used once when the monk moved without disengaging.
I think the fight still worked well anyway as a nail-biter, but figuring out how to mitigate the monk's advantages instead of testing the limits of saving throws would've been cool too.
It's good to see people are still watching this. This is my 3rd go around- are you on the Mighty Nein yet?
@@jenny_of_oldstones3523 I am up to around episode 15 of C3. I made it to 25-ish, then fell behind. So I’m now rewatching 3 from beginning, to catch up again.
I caught up, starting from C1E1, to C2E100 during lockdowns.
@@aerundel maybe so, that it was Matt’s intention, to help encourage Travis to use his new-ish character ability! As it so often tends to go with CR, the story/narrative elements won out, and I think Matt was happy with the “strength in my friends” bit. I never thought of it with your point, and that’s cool to wonder at. Matt would be the kind of DM to try to encourage players in that way…. Like with Laura and Trinket and the Pokéball 😂
"The pillow lays on the ground. Smattered with... vanilla pudding..." That detail about the pudding there, that was Matt's own way of punishing them.
I am reasonably sure that Matt & Sam talked about this coming confrontation before it happened. Very likely, they agreed that VM's response to Scanlon in this scene would SHOW how much they took him for granted. I have a feeling Matt knew Scanlon was feeling taken for granted for quite some time. VM, true to form, reacted selfishly in their response, instead of actually listening to Scanlon and trying to understand how he'd been feeling.
@@RosiesArcade Except Grog, who just asked an important question and apologised, like a good friend
@@trapbuilder2283 yes! Except Grog - and Pike, who wasn’t there.
Sometimes I forget these nerds are fantastic actors.
sometimes i forget these actors are fantastic nerds.
Alex Mendez Touche
Melodrama and cheesiness are NOT desired traits when it comes to acting... Knowing when "less is more...' is a talent devoutly to be wished in these "actors..."
Tazz EightSixFour Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
Actually, when one sees a spade, one calls a spade... at least where I'm from....
Melodrama and cheesiness can be objectively defined and THIS is THAT...
2:18:14 the synchronized statement of “We’re family.” by Vax and Percy is a bit of symbolism I feel like I could just pour over. A moment of two people who butt heads so often being completely in sync.
Literally so fucking beautiful.
3:15:17 Somewhere in Ank'harel, someone who can't believe their good fortune as they uncover a lost Javelin of Lightning in the desert sands is suddenly hit out of nowhere by an errant crossbow bolt.
Grog: “He’s alive, that’s what really matters.”
Vax, mishearing him: “Yes, but he’s our liar grog.”
That was really hard hitting and I don’t know precisely why. God I love grog
Liam has a condition in his ear, many times in C2 he mishear some things the rest of the cast says. Maybe that's why he misheard that too.
^ that and Liam did take Sam/Scanlan's words to heart. It really hurt him. It hurt grog too but Travis is good at keeping his emotions in check. Liam had so many things happening IRL in the year or 2 leading up to this... some of what he says has to really be Liam talking to Scanlan and Sam at the same time.
@@xEvilRaptorx there’s an interesting Dichotomy between Vax Vex and Keyleth’s initial reactions when he left and Grog and Pikes compared to when he comes back. Vax/Keyleth,Vex and Percy all yell at Scanlan for his outlash and make it about themselves, Grog and Pike listen and want him to be happy, when he comes back Vax/Keyleth/Vex all accept him back, taking his words to heart while Grog and Pike are pissed at caring for him then while he seemingly didn’t care enough about them when he came back.
@@corndog4848 Because it really was unfair of Scanlan to say that all of them didn't care about him, when he never tried to reach out to them or deflected away from himself whenever they tried. It's definitely understandable, and some of the characters really didn't pay too much attention to Scanlan, but Grog and Pike did, so it really hurt them when Scanlan threw his accusations around even if they did understand that he was hurting.
@@Birthday888 also I feel like they were too heartbroken in that moment to lash out and be pissed
2:03:18 - 2:21:13. I know this is late, but I just wanted to say, the wisdom of a DM like Matt Mercer to sit there in silence and watch his party work themselves out. Brilliant. As a DM, it's a great reminder that you don't always have to be talking. Sometimes, just sometimes, silence is all that is required of you.
And then when he does step in it is again feeding off the fantastic bit of improv in front of him by having Kayleigh react perfectly
from what i've seen and learned from Matt, it feels like being quiet is one of the top five qualities a good DM should have!
@@Ginric99 I'm so glad he had her smack Percy away. That was so incredibly presumptuous and patronising esp given the conversation just prior
Agreed. Matt is a legend, definitely a role model for DM’s new and old. Silence speaks volumes, people need to practice more of that. Definitely. I hope everyone is doing well. ^^
@@SocialistSadako It's kind of strange that both Percy and Molly were massive fucking assholes
Bringing it back up
0:00:28 - Rhodey returns
0:01:31 - Foreshadowing pt 1: Sam
0:09:29 - Start
0:11:00 - Grog vs Groon 2
0:12:40 - Initiative
0:13:54 - Denise is slackin'
0:16:04 - Confusion
0:20:36 - Words of encouragement?
0:21:13 - Clarity
0:21:40 - Wrong Signals
0:28:23 - Power Bowels
0:33:28 - Travis is still confused
0:39:07 - Vax sympathizes / Quivering Palm
0:41:24 - Vex is no Scanlan
0:44:17 - He's human after all/First lesson
0:49:12 - It worked!
0:50:17 - Or did it?
0:52:47 - Grog's frustration grows
0:58:04 - Keyleth isn't much better than Vex
1:04:26 - Grog the Bozo Bop Bag
1:05:50 - He's Relentless
1:07:51 - Fore! / HDWTDT
1:09:54 - Level up/Lessons learned
1:14:25 - Cure Things
1:16:31 - Foreshadowing pt 2: Travis
1:17:54 - Table Top Day music video
1:19:11 - Darin's poetry slam
1:20:00 - Fan art
1:38:10 - BREAK END
1:42:06 - Sam's having a great time
1:42:53 - Favorite customers
1:46:56 - Old habits dying hard
1:51:18 - Date night?
1:55:20 - Marisha's modern dance
1:56:32 - IHOB marketing division
2:00:08 - Wake up call
2:00:21 - The most intense scene in Critical Role history begins
2:02:42 - When bards stop joking
2:07:12 - Asking Questions.....
2:12:20 - And getting answers
2:15:59 - Lies from a really good liar
2:18:31 - Percy's tough love
2:21:40 - One man band
2:23:36 - Parting gifts
2:25:23 - Aftermath
2:34:05 - Vax comes clean
2:37:43 - Grog's unique coping mechanism
2:38:40 - Foreshadowing pt 3: Matt
2:39:22 - The adventuring continues
2:47:40 - Data limits/Keyleth peeks/Grog's wisdom
2:51:53 - Grog and Vex's connection
2:52:06 - Grog's Intimate Trust
2:56:20 - New challenger approaches
2:57:18 - A new character's description
2:58:20 - Everyone's mind is blown
3:02:20 - Salt levels: HIGH
3:04:28 - Vox Machina fears Vex
3:07:00 - Grog is impressed
3:08:58 - Huddle
3:11:53 - Dragon summoning
3:12:52 - Troll level: MASTER
3:13:33 - Sam having too much fun messing with Laura
3:14:45 - Impressing Grog
3:16:15 - You're Tarrying This Family Apart!
Boosting this!!
Up you go
Bump
Thanks!
Keep this at the TOP!
Seeing Sam stealthily pull up his new sheet from the bag, was a natural 20 on sleight of hand.
It was often asked "Where is Scanlan?" but never quite often enough "How is Scanlan?"
I’ll do you one better... “why is Scanlan?”
@@treybrown5839 Who is Scanlan?
Well, after the first six or seven times he brushes the question away with a smile, you eventually just stop trying.
Or the most important question "what is scanlan
18Hongo or they quite simply didn’t try enough to have his answer be heard. They had moved heaven and Earth multiple times throughout this campaign in favor of each other’s personal and emotional self interests. With the exception of Grog, and maybe Pike, nobody had ever truly taken Scanlan serious. Vax had said that he changed his entire outlook in life because of Scanlan. But that’s just another example as to how he was helping their lives, while they had failed to even get to know the man behind the jokes.
I'm dying, he just wanted to be heard and instead the group took turns screaming at him
Except Grog. Oh, Grog, you are undervalued as a person
Vax, Vex, Keilith and Percy really was egosentric, self important assholes. Scanlan got no understanding from them. Grog, Pike and Scanlan is the best persons of this group, they give and give to the others, makes less drama, takes less space than any of the others. God. I was so mad waching them go at him.
Gojirella I might’ve missed it, but did Keyleth scream during that scene? She seemed just as hurt and confused as Grog (if not even more oblivious than him because yeah it is Keyleth). Keyleth from what I understand is... just a well meaning ditz.
What? Really? He hid it all under his humor and never spoke to anyone of the group. He explained himself, but he still wasn't right to hide so much. When he came back, he faulted his friends extremely hard and at the most unexpected moment. You can watch that sudden pain hit them from hearing his blaming words. Happines of reunion torn from them. If you'd be actually judging all of them by their expressions, I am pretty sure all the players felt was mutual regret after the talk. And I am speaking of Sam too. Because in that argue a few times he simply agreed to not heat it up, but neither was he untouched by their words.
You overprotect Scanlal because you like him as an outsider. That's totally fine, we all have our favorite one. But really, all they were guided with, was their worry and care for him, getting any resourses they could have thought of, valuing every second. What did they get from him at once? He began listing things that none of them ever knew and never felt like was necessarily to know to be friends. Who the F cares of Scanlan's father's name when he lies dead cold on the ground and Pike forgets of all the dangers in the world to save him? What other character ever before gave such blaming towards anyone? Scanlan was set back by the replies and realised how overheated he acted. Nobody felt pleased in the end and you can't blame ones on the other. And if you think Vax and others were rude to him by screaming, just recall back to Uriel (the emperor). Vax yelled at him showing how sincere he is, trying to break that formal communication. It didn't go as good as was planned, but when would you yell at someone begging to understand you if you were an enemy to him?
And, yeah I agree that Grog acted in the most balanced way, but he also just got the perfect timing to say a thing when the raging words were calmed down.
Илья Честный I agree.
Of course everyone is reacting negatively after saving him. What would you do if you saved someone but he/she is ungrateful?
At first Scanlan has a reasonable reaction in terms of Kaylee being here.
But the others rebuttal was sound, did all of them know his promise? Did they ask each other personal questions? I mean, Vax and Vex didn’t talk about who and where their mother is because they didn’t want to talk about it and now Scanlan is shitting on them for not asking about his parents? Who would want to ask if it’s not important or is scared to bring it up to him?
You can see in Scanlan/Sam’s reaction that his reasoning for getting angry at them became nil (I think he and Matt planned that Scanlan wanted to go despite what the argument lead) because the groups argument was sound.
And can we all agree, that Percy never mentioned his parents names to them but Scanlan knew? That’s a bit meta unless Matt allowed Sam to know it.
Everyone just loves Scanlan despite his glaring errors in some episodes but some defends him, but if Vex and Keyleth did something similar? Very different situation.
This is good RPing for the cast and I love it, but claiming that Vax and the others were acting selfish? That’s how their character would act, that’s that.
Gojirella they may have been assholes but it doesn't mean they don't care about him. It's hard for some people to empathize with people going through depression and this is a PERFECT example of what happens when friends find out their friend was really not happy the whole time. I know this cuz I was Vex, Vax, Keilith, or Percy, yelling at my friend saying things like "But...but..."
In the end, they care about him but couldn't empathize with him, and he didn't need that right now, which is why he left...
it kind of broke my heart when Scanlan said he heard everyone during the resurrection except for Grog. Grog's contribution was the most moving in my opinion.
maybe thats why he said that, because he would have stayed had he heard grog
You can see Beau being born in Marisha's eyes during the fight scene between Grog and the monk.
I thought the same for Caduceus when Marisha completed Raishan’s decay with the spire of conflux
I thought the same thing-Groon does Dope Monk Shit and she makes the “I want that” face.
I was thinking the same thing!
I watched C2 first, then started C1 with my hubby who had previously seen it, while watching C3 on my own at night.
It's so confusing to be behind!
I haven’t seen her play the monk yet but i have a feeling she’ll screw that character up too. :/ I don’t backseat game but I know monks and they’re fun. and i know druids and they’re fun too but shes a toddler playing with Photoshop. She doesn’t remember what the buttons do and pushes them at random eventually making something like a painting.
@@briegookin2112 been 7 months, any updates?
I knew about the "what is my mother's name?" moment out of context, but I was no expecting this, such an emotional and powerful moment
I was crying for the whole scene, they are all amazing actors, especially Sam and Travis in that scene
"I HATE HIM!"
"I HATE HIM!!"
"I love him"
"I miss scannnlann..."
3:13:05 :D
Bitches should've appreciated him more.
It's almost as if relationships have nuance, and are often riddled with hypocrisy.
That's family alright
Ya know this whole thing has been a long time comeing... you can see the cracks starting form in Scanlan as far back as the fall of Emon.
First time watcher here: I heard that this episode will be devastating, but damn Sam went HARD. I was doing stuff on the side and when he said "Whats my mothers name?" I instantly dropped everything. That was some beautiful acting
And grog asking and apologizing..... underrated actors
@@nordicrunesgaming6963 Oh absolutely. Grogs character development and Travis' acting are amazing
"You, little elf girl, what's your name."
Piano - cuts off
Singers - choke
Barkeep - drops glass
Every Individual Patron - quiets in disbelief
baby - starts crying
Spaghetti - Falls out of my pockets
Jazz Music - stops
Town Guard - flees
I love how happy they all are right when Scanlan wakes up and HOW QUICKLY that changes.
Fourth Reich I hear no hate!!!!
😁😁
Thank u!
Fourth Reich that was actually genuine btw.
❤
let it be known that +Fourth Reich has finally made a comment that wasn't keyleth hate. (not that i like her "i'm 14 and this is deep" speeches either)
It was almost Shakespearean how quickly the tone changed in that scene.
Quantum Sushi Holy shit, Fourth Reich said something somewhat not assholey.
Nobody's mentioning this hidden gem?
"Should I flash him?!?!" - Vex
"it couldn't hurt"- Percy
"..i...it couldn't hurt the rest of us either" - Keyleth..Marisha?
Talisen looks at Marisha with THAT look.
*mutters to each other for a second*
"I have a thing for twins. I don't know."- more Marisha than Keyleth lol
could you pin the timestamp?
@@Sarbion I gotchu dude 49:40
bi-panic personified,
@@kaTe21zzzz Bless you, kind friend.
Totally missed that lol
Oh lord, Sam deserves an Oscar.
I am sobbing. Sobbing so hard.
And Grog asking his mother's name... Oh man..
Holy shit, that line of Percy's at 2:30:35 about "having a brother again" hits SO much harder now that I'm watching this for a second time and have watched Travis' episode of Between the Sheets. Brotherhood is a super important concept in his life.
"Well that's just it... I'm a really good liar."
Actually can't stop crying. I haven't had a good cry in over two years. Thank you.
PSA: the QR code on the bottom on sam's mug leads to the url for lootcrate's critrole page for those wondering.
Oh my GLOB, thank you. My stupid phone wouldn't scan it off the screen.
Real MVP
Thank you I didn't feel like looking it up.
Thank you! I was wondering what that was forz
Thanks
The way that Liam climbed into Sam's lap was the thing that finally broke me. I had to pause for a while to stop crying.
I know :( Liam was so shaken by this scene I think. Sam is his person and I'm sure at some level this felt like a real fight
0:00:28 - Rhodey returns
0:01:31 - Foreshadowing pt 1: Sam
0:09:29 - Start
0:11:00 - Grog vs Groon 2
0:12:40 - Initiative
0:13:54 - Denise is slackin'
0:16:04 - Confusion
0:20:36 - Words of encouragement?
0:21:13 - Clarity
0:21:40 - Wrong Signals
0:28:23 - Power Bowels
0:33:28 - Travis is still confused
0:39:07 - Vax sympathizes / Quivering Palm
0:41:24 - Vex is no Scanlan
0:44:17 - He's human after all/First lesson
0:49:12 - It worked!
0:50:17 - Or did it?
0:52:47 - Grog's frustration grows
0:58:04 - Keyleth isn't much better than Vex
1:04:26 - Grog the Bozo Bop Bag
1:05:50 - He's Relentless
1:07:51 - Fore! / HDWTDT
1:09:54 - Level up/Lessons learned
1:14:25 - Cure Things
1:16:31 - Foreshadowing pt 2: Travis
1:17:54 - Table Top Day music video
1:19:11 - Darin's poetry slam
1:20:00 - Fan art
1:38:10 - BREAK END
1:42:06 - Sam's having a great time
1:42:53 - Favorite customers
1:46:56 - Old habits dying hard
1:51:18 - Date night?
1:55:20 - Marisha's modern dance
1:56:32 - IHOB marketing division
2:00:08 - Wake up call
2:00:21 - The most intense scene in Critical Role history begins
2:02:42 - When bards stop joking
2:07:12 - Asking Questions.....
2:12:20 - And getting answers
2:15:59 - Lies from a really good liar
2:18:31 - Percy's tough love
2:21:40 - One man band
2:23:36 - Parting gifts
2:25:23 - Aftermath
2:34:05 - Vax comes clean
2:37:43 - Grog's unique coping mechanism
2:38:40 - Foreshadowing pt 3: Matt
2:39:22 - The adventuring continues
2:47:40 - Data limits/Keyleth peeks/Grog's wisdom
2:51:53 - Grog and Vex's connection
2:52:06 - Grog's Intimate Trust
2:56:20 - New challenger approaches
2:57:18 - A new character's description
2:58:20 - Everyone's mind is blown
3:02:20 - Salt levels: HIGH
3:04:28 - Vox Machina fears Vex
3:07:00 - Grog is impressed
3:08:58 - Huddle
3:11:53 - Dragon summoning
3:12:52 - Troll level: MASTER
3:13:33 - Sam having too much fun messing with Laura
3:14:45 - Impressing Grog
3:16:15 - You're Tarrying This Family Apart!
3:17:15 - the crew is in revolt
Bump
Kyshakk thank you!
77
Sage Schispell 3:03:10 the first shot is fired
2:54:36
The Natural 20 on Sleight of Hand for Sam Riegel with his sheets
And nat 20 on your perception
I would have never noticed it
Need double like button.
The fact that u noticed means it wasn’t a nat 20 it was 19 and u rolled a nat 20 perception
Laura was totally staring at him, so he paused while leaning over. Once she turned her attention back to Matt, then he goes. Smooth.
lol! Laura and Marisha's reactions when Sam speaks up for the first time as Taryon. I love it. You can definitely tell that Laura, as a player, was one of the most affected by Scanlan's departure. xD
LOL! Their saltiness towards Matt and Sam while Grog is insight checking Taryon is even better. XD
God, Matt Mercer must have been so happy when Sam came to him with this idea. I mean, Sam is LITERALLY DOING MATT’S JOB FOR HIM. VM just saved the world, they’re a group of extremely powerful warriors and have only gotten stronger as they bonded. Sure Matt had a few mini quests lined up like hunting down Hotis, but that’s small potatoes compared the Thordak the Cinder King and his conclave of dragons. It would have been an absolute struggle to keep such well-roleplayed characters, not to mention the audience, involved without a major overarching threat, but in doing that, it cheapens the stakes of world-ending crises. Sam, by removing Scanlan from the group, has created a whole new internal conflict within the party that Vox Machina will need to adapt to. He created an overarching theme without it being a powerful enemy threatening the realm, and it gives reason as to why VM might struggle running smaller quests again as they readjust to their new party member. Sam is just an absolute genius: he created the tension that would have been lacking had Vox Machina just gone right along while also roleplaying his character to the T. I mean his arguments were SOOOO solid. Just… god damn incredible.
This is actually an incredibly well made point. I also think he thought scanlan as a character had started to feel kind of stale.
Sam deserves and Oscar for that performance.
Tarryon my wayward SOONN~!
jackalvulture OOWWWWWW. That joke physically hurt
And Matt for keeping that stone face.
BiggySn1p3r I know, the sheer emotion and power that emanated from that poor poor father was truly heartbreaking. I hope one day Rhodey Slater can connect with his children, bonsai my dudes, keep surfin' on.
Alan Moy thus the end of vox machina as they killed each other
everyone needs a friend like Grog, "I'm sorry I didn't know that" MY HEART D:
Taryon is AWESOME
"The Daring Trials and Tribulations of Taryon Darrington" ...sounds like fiction, but it's GOOD fiction
was it the name of the book of Pumat sOl?
yes. makes sense that Tary went with the suggestion percy made.
he came up with that ON THE SPOT i couldnt have come up with something nearly as good even if you gave me a month
Nice. That's nice.
Rewatching the campaign, I just realized how genius Sam's LootCrate ad was. He totally planted a seed with that, which sprouted when Scanlan left with Kaylie. Laura has said that she really thought Sam was leaving the show to spend more time with his kids. Hence the reaction to Tary.
Even his "underprepared" ad that was "falling back on an old crutch" was actually part of a secret plan to troll his friends. He's such a devious little shit, I love him.
Also the mid game hug from Liam. He really thought Sam was leaving
Matt had to remind them Sam is not leaving after Liam's hug, because they all were confused.
Slightly understated aspect of this episode: Percy and Grog.
The fact that Percy pre-Scanlan conversation remembered about the western brothel when Grog asked but didn't tell him in that moment. The fact that those memories were tied to a now-deceased older brother of his. The fact that Percy has been struggling for the past two episodes with the fact that he has a lot of dead family members that are never coming back. And then finally, after the Scanlan conversation, when tensions are a little high and it feels like the family is breaking, Percy tells Grog about the brothel. They have a heartwarming exchange and Percy refers to Grog as an older brother.
The timing of it, the execution of it and the existance of it in context of some of their earlier interactions from the argument about the possessed skull to the silly title that Grog received. It's all so well done. Their relationship isn't one you immediately think about when you think of VM, but it's a great dynamic with great development.
I wasn't sure why Ioved that moment. Thanks for putting it so well.
Yes! This little part of VM doesn’t get enough love.
I love this comment. Also a favorite little moment of them:
In the earlier episode where a drunken Grog told Percy "prove it's you", Percy after a moment said "no" and Grog went "yeah it's you".
I love that.
@@kiwisvideos0 now that i read that i remembered that there is a moment very similar with their characters in C3, with an almost identical exchange.
Wow. I'm at a loss for words on how powerful Sam made that scene. And Grog's reaction at not being heard in the ritual was heartbreaking, too.