Kill Box was the first time they used a real 3D battle map and Mercer went ALL OUT. They had time to plan after seeing the map and had an amazing fight. 100% worth watching that episode. Also recommend the Suntree Moment.
The end of this fight is easily the most emotionally resonant vivisection I’ve ever seen. Such a cool way to show how much farther the group has come in terms of teamwork too
You should react to the actual kill box fight in season 1 critical role… it is understandable why the animated scene is so epic. The scene is so much more gripping when you realise exactly what happened.
The live play version of the final blow against Kevdak is absolutely worth a watch, also at least the starting point of the Chroma Conclave's attack on the city. In non CR stuff, if you guys haven't seen the movie Nimona you definitely should, it's amazing.
There's so much to unpack with the last part of the episode. But genuinely, this episode has probably the best animated action sequence I have personally seen. The build up to it in previous episodes is fantastic, and then the payoff is brilliant. Everything feels earned, it's true to D&D in that the strength of the group outweighs the strength of an individual. I could easily make a full video essay on this episode, and I'm kind of surprised more people haven't.
I’d genuinely love to read a whole essay about this episode!! The whole season built up to it perfectly & it gave me goosebumps how well-executed the fight scene was
I can definitely relate to getting emotional during the big fight scene conclusions, the Scanlan's hand/homing arrow moments from S1x02 and Sylas dying from S1x11 always give me chills. In the campaigns as well, one specific HDYWTDT that will likely happen early next season gives me the same feeling, as well as the HDYWTDT from C2 e140
If you’re looking for suggestions for what to watch in the campaign, there’s definitely a few moments from this episode alone, but the ione that stands out most is the Kayleigh reveal
Great reaction, fantastic episode! Love the fight, the tense moments, Pike's pleas...and Scan-daddy! (Eww, but lol). If you ever can go back and watch at least the highlights of this combat, I know there's stuff out there from Critters. Full battle is awesome, but if it's too long, that's an option. Also, seeing Travis talk about this fight in panels is another tie-in recommendation. Lastly, seeing the live-play of Scanlan finding out he has a daughter is hilarious - Matt really surprised Sam with that one, and it's fun watching the ultimate troll (Sam) get trolled hard by his DM...all in good fun, of course. Good luck on Studio Ghibli - I hear they're pretty harsh on their copyright claims/strikes. You probably already know all about that, of course. So many good, quality films from them. See you in Episode 11!
If you want a solo react to a trailer there is none yet but there is a clip from Season 3 of Vox Machina that was released at SDCC, also an animatic for Mighty Nein
Kill Box is great in game. Suntree, realizing what the hanging bodies mean. The live where Percy gifts the title to Vex happens diff than in the show. Idk if Nicole would feel different about it, but it might be interesting to see. The moment from S1 in Whitestone between Keyleth and Vax is different, but so good (there are some good comparison videos that show both and Marisha turns bright red). For non CR stuff, have you seen The Last Unicorn? It was animated by the team that eventually grouped up with Miyazaki to start Studio Ghibli.
I'd love to see you both (or just Zack, whatever suits you) react to the new opening titles, or the sneak peak they've released. Or the super early sneak peak at the Mighty Nein show for that matter!
I mean any of the Table to Screen videos are definitely worth a watch, to get some context for how some of the funniest/most epic/most horrible moments in LoVM came about. Apart from that, if you're wanting some CR things to watch that won't spoil anything (and won't take 400 hours), I'd recommend checking out their 4 episode miniseries Exandria Unlimited: Calamity. It's set roughly 1000 years before Vox Machina's time (so no spoilers), it will give you some additional context for lore that's been hinted at this season and it's a masterclass in how truly phenomenal collaborative storytelling through the medium of DnD can be. Just a fair warning, the name is not a joke, it's a tragic story. Or if you're in the mood for something funny, check out Narrative Telephone. It's the game of Telephone, but do it with a short story. Oh and try and fuck over your friends while you're at it. The CR cast made a bunch of episodes of that during their Covid hiatus. It's a riot. Only I'd have someone check for spoilers in advance, because sometimes they reference things that happen in one of the campaigns.
Tried to reply last night but my pc choked. 😛 Most of my comments were added by other people so I'll simply say: Loved this reaction. Loved this episode. The build up for the final battle with Kevdak is tough and the battle brutal. I'm a more recent Critter so did not get to see the live game, but have seen the "Killbox" play through, and it was rough. Matt Mercer is an awesome DM who comes up with some brilliant ideas, but doesn't hold back when it comes to running evil villains.
Im so happy you enjoyed it this episode shows so much: Their teamwork is so much better than episode 1 That whole battle scene. Along with the actual episode you should also see the video of them bringing Wil Wheaton in cause how afraid they were to the fight. Also you dont get this as much in the animated series cause limited time/Grog having to play diplomat the whole animated episode (and he is playing diplomat with the Herd of Storms) but Grog flat out says hey the Herd of Storms are evil/bad people independent of their leader. So the plan for them to join the fight isnt cause they like and trust the herd. They ask the herd to help cause they know on the herd's honor the herd could NOT say no and would be itching for this fight. And adding the herd to the fight gives the dragon more targets so VM is taking less hits per round and it kills off some to a lot of the herd weakening them enough to not be as big of a threat to other random villages cause there are too many Herd members for Vox Machina to take down on their own especially if they want to be fit to fight the dragon. Seriously that plan was so good
Deleted my og comment because my ocd decided to throw a tantrum for no reason and made me overly anxious 😅 But i love this episode, i love your reactions, and i love your cat. Cant wait to see more
You know, they are releasing abridged versions of campaign 3 episodes. 3-4 hours is a bit much to film reactions and edit every week, but a one hour video might work?
they went overbudget and had to cut a scene just to include "at dawn we plan" because it was a silly iconic phrase that ended up being the title of an episode. Vax is being god-blocked right now. Kiki had really bad timing - coming right on the end of a vision (just like in episode 5 when he'd been plagued by the vision of the dragons destroying Tal'Dorei and his own zombified face). We'll see how it goes.
@FandomFuse Nicole: "There should have been another way to do that. Now I'm grossed out..." Me: "Welcome to the twisted, deranged, adolescent, brilliant mind of Matthew Mercer." This is, literally, how it played out in the Campaign. And Matt didn't tell anyone this was going to happen. He just, as he does for most of his reveals, dropped it on them out the blue. And your response was, basically, everyone's, including Sam's. The consensus at the table at the moment of reveal was, "Oh God.... NO!" Immediately follow by, "Well... it's Scanlan... so that absolutely tracks!" Also, fun fact, they cam VERY close to having to decide between a TPK and Mass Genocide. Matt told the players, after the end of the session, that if Grog had not landed the final blow to kill Kevdak, The Herd of Storms would not have stopped fighting. They would have kept fighting until Vox Machina were dead... or they were. So, basically, if Grog's attack hadn't killed Kevdak, it would gone very VERY bad for Vox Machina because the next attack WOULD have killed Kevdak and then they would have had to deal with The Herd of Storms. And their options would have been Fight or Die. Knowing them, they would have tried to talk them down and failed. And I don't think retreat would have been an option because even if they had gotten away, The Herd of Storms would have tracked them to the ends of Exandria for revenge for murdering their Thunder Lord. Also, I fully believe that IF Vox Machina had withdrawn to save themselves in that scenario, the Herd of Storms would have, immediately, turned on the bound Zanror and killed him for turning against his Father. So that would have been the other thing. I could see Matt say to them, "You can escape if you want. But if you do, Zanror dies. And you will still have to deal with the Herd of Storms in addition to the Ancient Dragons and Dr. Ripley and whatever else I have waiting in the wings." Yes Matt is that evil.
Kill Box was the first time they used a real 3D battle map and Mercer went ALL OUT. They had time to plan after seeing the map and had an amazing fight. 100% worth watching that episode. Also recommend the Suntree Moment.
The toothpicks!
The end of this fight is easily the most emotionally resonant vivisection I’ve ever seen. Such a cool way to show how much farther the group has come in terms of teamwork too
I think Nicky is going to LOVE the big moment from the first half of the next episode.
If you didn't, you guys should go listen to the song at the end of the episode. It's a real good time!
Make the bald man cry..... so lewd....and silly. Like those bawdy songs from the medieval period, but San Regal takes it to the next level
You should react to the actual kill box fight in season 1 critical role… it is understandable why the animated scene is so epic. The scene is so much more gripping when you realise exactly what happened.
The live play version of the final blow against Kevdak is absolutely worth a watch, also at least the starting point of the Chroma Conclave's attack on the city. In non CR stuff, if you guys haven't seen the movie Nimona you definitely should, it's amazing.
There's so much to unpack with the last part of the episode. But genuinely, this episode has probably the best animated action sequence I have personally seen. The build up to it in previous episodes is fantastic, and then the payoff is brilliant. Everything feels earned, it's true to D&D in that the strength of the group outweighs the strength of an individual. I could easily make a full video essay on this episode, and I'm kind of surprised more people haven't.
I’d genuinely love to read a whole essay about this episode!! The whole season built up to it perfectly & it gave me goosebumps how well-executed the fight scene was
You guys were not as hyped as I was expecting for the battle
I can definitely relate to getting emotional during the big fight scene conclusions, the Scanlan's hand/homing arrow moments from S1x02 and Sylas dying from S1x11 always give me chills.
In the campaigns as well, one specific HDYWTDT that will likely happen early next season gives me the same feeling, as well as the HDYWTDT from C2 e140
Well....on the bright side, they're not siblings?
"Please tell me they're not siblings as that's a weird song to sing." Well... they are not siblings, but not better either
LOVE Knights of Badassdom!
If you’re looking for suggestions for what to watch in the campaign, there’s definitely a few moments from this episode alone, but the ione that stands out most is the Kayleigh reveal
Great reaction, fantastic episode! Love the fight, the tense moments, Pike's pleas...and Scan-daddy! (Eww, but lol).
If you ever can go back and watch at least the highlights of this combat, I know there's stuff out there from Critters. Full battle is awesome, but if it's too long, that's an option. Also, seeing Travis talk about this fight in panels is another tie-in recommendation. Lastly, seeing the live-play of Scanlan finding out he has a daughter is hilarious - Matt really surprised Sam with that one, and it's fun watching the ultimate troll (Sam) get trolled hard by his DM...all in good fun, of course.
Good luck on Studio Ghibli - I hear they're pretty harsh on their copyright claims/strikes. You probably already know all about that, of course. So many good, quality films from them. See you in Episode 11!
If you want a solo react to a trailer there is none yet but there is a clip from Season 3 of Vox Machina that was released at SDCC, also an animatic for Mighty Nein
Kill Box is great in game. Suntree, realizing what the hanging bodies mean. The live where Percy gifts the title to Vex happens diff than in the show. Idk if Nicole would feel different about it, but it might be interesting to see. The moment from S1 in Whitestone between Keyleth and Vax is different, but so good (there are some good comparison videos that show both and Marisha turns bright red).
For non CR stuff, have you seen The Last Unicorn? It was animated by the team that eventually grouped up with Miyazaki to start Studio Ghibli.
Oh I'm a doofus. The Kaylie reveal in game is also a crazy reveal and worth comparing.
Please please Howl's Moving Castle! Billy Crystal is the cutie we never knew we needed
It can't be denied, but Kalylies plan was definitely the Shortholt way of doing things.
Aww yeah, first to the best episode of the series, in my humble opinion.
I'd love to see you both (or just Zack, whatever suits you) react to the new opening titles, or the sneak peak they've released. Or the super early sneak peak at the Mighty Nein show for that matter!
I love that when Grog breaks the spike (10:29: -ish) there's a small lightning flash. The Storm Lord is watching. No gauntlets required.
I love LOVM honestly episode 11 is in my top 3. I'm so stoked for next week!!
I mean any of the Table to Screen videos are definitely worth a watch, to get some context for how some of the funniest/most epic/most horrible moments in LoVM came about.
Apart from that, if you're wanting some CR things to watch that won't spoil anything (and won't take 400 hours), I'd recommend checking out their 4 episode miniseries Exandria Unlimited: Calamity. It's set roughly 1000 years before Vox Machina's time (so no spoilers), it will give you some additional context for lore that's been hinted at this season and it's a masterclass in how truly phenomenal collaborative storytelling through the medium of DnD can be. Just a fair warning, the name is not a joke, it's a tragic story.
Or if you're in the mood for something funny, check out Narrative Telephone. It's the game of Telephone, but do it with a short story. Oh and try and fuck over your friends while you're at it. The CR cast made a bunch of episodes of that during their Covid hiatus. It's a riot. Only I'd have someone check for spoilers in advance, because sometimes they reference things that happen in one of the campaigns.
Tried to reply last night but my pc choked. 😛
Most of my comments were added by other people so I'll simply say: Loved this reaction. Loved this episode. The build up for the final battle with Kevdak is tough and the battle brutal. I'm a more recent Critter so did not get to see the live game, but have seen the "Killbox" play through, and it was rough. Matt Mercer is an awesome DM who comes up with some brilliant ideas, but doesn't hold back when it comes to running evil villains.
Im so happy you enjoyed it this episode shows so much:
Their teamwork is so much better than episode 1
That whole battle scene. Along with the actual episode you should also see the video of them bringing Wil Wheaton in cause how afraid they were to the fight.
Also you dont get this as much in the animated series cause limited time/Grog having to play diplomat the whole animated episode (and he is playing diplomat with the Herd of Storms) but Grog flat out says hey the Herd of Storms are evil/bad people independent of their leader. So the plan for them to join the fight isnt cause they like and trust the herd. They ask the herd to help cause they know on the herd's honor the herd could NOT say no and would be itching for this fight. And adding the herd to the fight gives the dragon more targets so VM is taking less hits per round and it kills off some to a lot of the herd weakening them enough to not be as big of a threat to other random villages cause there are too many Herd members for Vox Machina to take down on their own especially if they want to be fit to fight the dragon. Seriously that plan was so good
Maybe try reacting to a live play? Exandria Unlimited is an epic 4 episode, self-contained arc.
Deleted my og comment because my ocd decided to throw a tantrum for no reason and made me overly anxious 😅
But i love this episode, i love your reactions, and i love your cat. Cant wait to see more
You know, they are releasing abridged versions of campaign 3 episodes. 3-4 hours is a bit much to film reactions and edit every week, but a one hour video might work?
they went overbudget and had to cut a scene just to include "at dawn we plan" because it was a silly iconic phrase that ended up being the title of an episode.
Vax is being god-blocked right now. Kiki had really bad timing - coming right on the end of a vision (just like in episode 5 when he'd been plagued by the vision of the dragons destroying Tal'Dorei and his own zombified face). We'll see how it goes.
I recommend watching grave of the fireflies from studio Ghibli just remember you're going to need a lot of tissues
Are you trying to drown them in their own tears!!! lol
@FandomFuse
Nicole: "There should have been another way to do that. Now I'm grossed out..."
Me: "Welcome to the twisted, deranged, adolescent, brilliant mind of Matthew Mercer."
This is, literally, how it played out in the Campaign. And Matt didn't tell anyone this was going to happen. He just, as he does for most of his reveals, dropped it on them out the blue. And your response was, basically, everyone's, including Sam's. The consensus at the table at the moment of reveal was, "Oh God.... NO!" Immediately follow by, "Well... it's Scanlan... so that absolutely tracks!"
Also, fun fact, they cam VERY close to having to decide between a TPK and Mass Genocide. Matt told the players, after the end of the session, that if Grog had not landed the final blow to kill Kevdak, The Herd of Storms would not have stopped fighting. They would have kept fighting until Vox Machina were dead... or they were. So, basically, if Grog's attack hadn't killed Kevdak, it would gone very VERY bad for Vox Machina because the next attack WOULD have killed Kevdak and then they would have had to deal with The Herd of Storms. And their options would have been Fight or Die. Knowing them, they would have tried to talk them down and failed. And I don't think retreat would have been an option because even if they had gotten away, The Herd of Storms would have tracked them to the ends of Exandria for revenge for murdering their Thunder Lord. Also, I fully believe that IF Vox Machina had withdrawn to save themselves in that scenario, the Herd of Storms would have, immediately, turned on the bound Zanror and killed him for turning against his Father. So that would have been the other thing. I could see Matt say to them, "You can escape if you want. But if you do, Zanror dies. And you will still have to deal with the Herd of Storms in addition to the Ancient Dragons and Dr. Ripley and whatever else I have waiting in the wings." Yes Matt is that evil.
Well, at least Grog got a new piercing out of this... eeee... yea, maybe not...
I know that a lot of people like Scanlan but to me he is gross and I do not like him.