Can we just appreciate the fact that Scanlan's ultimate phantasy, his dream, doesn't even involve a romantic partner at all? Meeting Kaylie caused such a shift in him, suddenly she's enough. Her happiness, her kids. Them being a family, that's what he wants now, not getting laid. Just like the Sphinx said, love found him, only it wasn't the kind of love he was expecting, but it changed him profoundly.
If you go back to early in the season there was an odd moment with an angry-looking green-eyed girl who came through the portal to Whitestone. That was Raishan in disguise. As with the dragon in the first season - they can transform into humanoid forms through magic.
I'm just going to say, Umbrasyl was extremely composed for a dragon that had two people fly up his anus then cut out through his gut. I'd be at least 5% more traumatized by that experience.
5:43 this I’m no longer afraid line and shot are so cool 15:18 lol not surprised you easily got over your favorite character’s demise Was a fun season. Ep 3 and 10 were my favorites. Enjoyed your reaction to it. Look forward to watching se3 when it comes out.
1:10 Possibly my favourite easter egg of the whole series. Critters far smarter than I deciphered the fantasy text on this page before it morphs. The text is a letter that Keyleth received from a guest character, Kerrek (Patrick Rothfuss). Ker was from Westruun and helped the party for some of their time. Later Patrick wrote a letter from Ker to Keyleth, updating her on the rebuilding of Westruun and sending heartfelt words of encouragement along with a ring engraved "Pass through Fire" Patrick sent that to set, and included a recording of himself reading the letter in character that was played as Marisha read the original. This is what happens when your animators are also some of your biggest fans.
As someone who watched Campaign 1 live all those years ago, and has an idea on where things are going, I think Scanlan's story arc is only just beginning. Some may even say it's spicy.
Just to answer questions probably already answered. Raishan is the green poison drsgon who cast spells. There was a hint to her with the little child that had green eyes.
Couple of details: Yes, some dragons (but not all) can shapeshift in this universe - the very first dragon they faced from the opening two episodes of season 1 was shown to have this ability. Raishan (Yennen) was shown in the opening episode of season 2 in the attack on Emon - she's the green serpentine dragon with the poison gas breath.
So it's time to kill a dragon. Lots of campaign easter eggs from the table in this one, particularly the contents of Dream Scanlan's book being a letter to Keyleth from another character who briefly accompanied the group, it was a very heartfelt letter if you ever get round to looking into it. In addition there's Vax's wings; Matt implemented a system for certain legendary items - including the Vestiges - where they could enhance in states; Dormant, Awakened and Exalted, the improvement in the Deathwalker Ward's state allows a once a day spawning of wings. Grog turned bigger so the distance and impact of the fall was reduced, the fall still sucks but broken bones are better than being a red paste on the floor. Scanlan getting the kill is purely for the show though, Grog got the kill on the table - Invisibility was a problem but once his Legendary Resistances ran out Keyleth's Faerie Fire exposed him, Percy and Trinket still ended up downed in the fight, alongside an NPC called Shale who was also hunting Umbrasyl expecting death. Raishan's surprise request for an alliance also happened a bit later in the campaign, but it is well positioned here for the show, she is the most deceptive of the Conclave after all, having snuck into Whitestone as that green-eyed child, she at some point replaced Yennen though, she hasn't always been Yennen. But now we wait for S3
So they weren’t poisoned by the wine they were knocked out so she could talk privately to the group and the eggs at the end were fused with gold. The gold they are hoarding is to help create more dragons
Theres some meta commentsry the cast made about their characters that well adjusted people don't become long term adventures and by that standard scanlan desire to always think about leaving makes him the most well adjusted
“I didn’t know dragons could take human form in this universe” dude, they literally killed the general who was a dragon in the very first episodes of this show xd
I find it super appropriate to note now that Scanlon slayed a dragon (in the show), and Sam Riegel beat HIS dragon; oropharyngeal carcinoma (HPV-linked Tonsil cancer). ua-cam.com/video/caRT9xzddxY/v-deo.html.
I haven't seen the original gameplay, but I suspect that the eggs aren't actually dragons, but are instead something like the Draconians from Dragonlance. Considering the dissent withing the Chroma Conclave, I doubt Thordak would want to have to try and keep a whole army of true dragons in line.
When I first started this show I had no idea what it was but enjoyed the randomness of the storytelling that felt fresh. Later I learned that it was from a DND campaign with dice rolls and it made so much sense. That together with the players being actors, knowing their trade and how to create characters and stories, makes this the epic show it is.
The return of the king! Glad you enjoyed this one, happy to have been part of the chorus requesting it 😄 season three is coming in October, be ready for that trailer to drop in a couple weeks! ❤️
If you want some live play , you absolutely must watch Critical Role’s “Exandria Unlimited: Calamity”. It is a prequel set 1,000 years before LOVM, so no spoilers for the show, but will flesh out much of the lore as well as show events surrounding the cataclysmic battle briefly seen in Vax’s visions. You’ll also learn a bit about the Matron of Ravens Most importantly, the cast, DM and production are impeccable. Half of LOVM’S voice actors are st the table, with spectacular guests accompanying them. No finer live play will ever be found
I wish I felt this way. I never made it past the first episode. I've always meant to go back thinking maybe I just wasn't ready for the change. I'm currently binge watching campaign 3. I do about 2 to 3 episodes per week as I have time. Once I've finished that maybe Calamity will be my next watch. Grizzled Wizard if you are reading this my opinion on Calamity is in the vast minority. Most people who talk about it praise it as the best or some of the best live play ever.
One thing I appreciate about this episode is that, in a way, it adds emotional depth to the "should we take a rest" discussion that always comes up in campaigns. Scanlan is basically asking for a long rest here, while the rest of the team wants to go on with either a short rest or no rest at all. I will admit, I haven't watched most of the first season, so I don't know if that is a direct parallel. But, I do appreciate how well it ties in to that discussion.
Yeah, basically. They learned that if they take a rest, the bad guys can also. They had to choose to take a Short Rest or march on, if I remember correctly.
Scanlan here isnt debating on resting, he wants to outright abandon the whole mission, its a significant change to the character made just for his arc in the animated show. In the game there was the usual democratic discussion about what to do (no one would every be branded a coward for pointing out the very real possibility of horrible death if they went into battle unprepared), and ultimately they did have a short rest, which allowed Umbrasyl to heal up as well.
In the live play, Scanlan annoyed me at first, but he eventually grew on me quite a bit. I know they're changing some story details to better fit a new medium, so not sure how it will play out in the show, but he really had some of the most clutch moves in the table game, especially later on. There's still hope! Can't wait for season 3!
I'm no subject matter expert on the DnD lore/rules but the dragon just took Keeper Yennen's form. The Critical Role cast did a watch along when the episodes aired and they mention that when the dragon is in her form she does not have the mole on her face that she normally has. Loved your reactions! Excited for season 3 in October
So by now you've heard repeatedly that season 1's dragon episodes were part of a pre-stream adventure and that in the original game the party had been to Vasselheim before the Briarwood stuff began (the trip there to enlist help against the dragons was their second time to the city). Well the story that Scanlan was telling his fictional grandkids about, how Vox Machina saved the city of Kraghammer, that's actually the adventure that Critical Role began on. After defeating Brimscythe and saving the Sovereign again, Allura hired them to go into the Underdark to rescue Lady Kima since she had gone missing on a mission there. The party arriving at the Dwarven city of Kraghammer is where the private home game ended and where the very first episode of Critical Role Campaign 1 began. They explored the city, got clues that Kima was in the Underdark (also if you remember back to the "Weirdest kills" discussion in Season 1, where Keyleth's kill happened) and traveled through the Underdark on a dangerous mission fighting all sorts of crazy creatures for about a dozen episodes before escaping with Kima and the evil artifact she was trying to recover. They went to Vasselheim to put the evil artifact in a vault for safe keeping since none of them could destroy it, and only after they returned to Tal'Dorei following this trip (and about 24-25 episodes of the show) did the Briarwood arc begin with that dinner that they attended. From there through here the show matches up pretty well with the general story beats of what the campaign has done up to this point. The two of them being in the Dragon's stomach is actually a far better place than where they actually were in the campaign. Instead of going up the tailpipe like here, they had teleported in via Dimension Door and gotten separated on arrival. Scanlan was in the stomach, but Vax (shrunken down to even smaller than Scanlan's size thanks to a potion that shrank him so Scanlan could take him through the Dimension Door) wound up pinned *inside* the fleshy walls, pinned in the muscles themselves unable to move. For the entirety of the fight Vax was tiny.
0:52 Hey lookout behind you! The scene from your background has finally arrived. I've seen most people label episode 10 as the favourite, the grande finale dragon fight should have been just as good but its been changed from an epic team Vox Machina event into just a Scanlan moment. Scanlans arc is still cooking, its such a slow burn that the show writers have obviously thought he needed help to be more likeable and so added in this chapter of playing the hero...I'm interested to see how theyre goign to blend this high point back into his actual arc come season 3.
@@Moon-Goddess Oh, I have a shirt incoming of that. And hopefully it'll get a reactiom from Tal when I meet him again next month. Near 2/3ds through MIghty Nein!
So fun fact about why he used the gauntlets during the fall, when going into the giant form he got temp hp, so it plus the rage was enough to keep him from dying by fall.
We don't know where the real Keeper Yennen is currently, but it's assumed she's still alive, because killing her wouldn't help Raishan's cause at all. (See also how she only knocked out the others at the table). She's only been in that form for a short time, since last time we saw Yennen she was still herself (the animators said you can tell because real Yennen has a mole on her right cheek which Raishan lacks. But it's not exactly an obvious detail.) Yeah, we have met Raishan, she's the one who recognised Keyleth in Emon, with the poison breath. Voiced by Cree Summers (which added to the unsettling feeling when Raishan started speaking through Yennen, since as you said, Yennen had been voiced by Gina Torres.) Scanlan took me a LONG time to warm up to, props to Sam Riegel for managing to play a complicated mess that actually does have a growth arc though, (obviously it's a little but more of a nutshell version in the animation than it was during the campaign, because hundreds of hours > 22 minute episodes), because I did eventually end up liking Scanlan, and I find it difficult to change my mind about characters after that first impression (it's a me problem, lol. point is it speaks to the character creation that I changed my mind.) We have a date for season 3, October 3! So not too long to wait now. And there's a "trailer" in the form of the new opening title sequence for s3 that they released about a month ago, not an actual trailer though. The only thing you need to know about Ripley right now is that she's dangerously intelligent. Her plans have plans. A quick note so that you're not working under a false assumption, the direct one-to-one translation is a little less of a thing in this season, simply because of the sheer number of hours they were condensing. The Briarwood Arc had a huge impact, but it was only about 15 episodes long, so it was easier to keep a lot of the details almost blow-for-blow. The Chroma Conclave arc was... a fair few more than that, so they had to be more brutal with the cuts. Some things remain very close, like the Kevdak fight (especially for the key moments), but others have been shifted around in the timeline, or changed so everything moves smoothly. The Umbrasyl fight happened a little differently. We get to the same point, and most of the big moments remain the same (Percy still made the trap, Scanlan and Vax still ended up inside the dragon, Grog still hitched a ride etc) , and it keeps the feel of a DnD battle, but it's no longer a 1-for-1. I think they did a brilliant job translating it, but I'd hate you to look for comparisons from table to screen for this season (which do exist, and are pretty interesting) and be disappointed or surprised that they're different :) I've enjoyed watching you grow to enjoy these messy characters. They aren't perfect, but they're doing their best *curls around VM like a protective dragon * just silly lil guys.
@@jroldo8353 I think the problem with 5e is that the players are real powerful and the monster ratings are not accurate. My hope is that it will be better for DM's to create difficult combats with the changes coming later this year. Although I rarely play tabletop since BG3 came out.
As a DM, I really appreciate how these two last episodes really show off how a big boss battle should go in a game. Full disclosure, I haven't watched much of campaign 1. But they fully encapsulated that desperation with a tinge of hope that this kind of encounter can bring. No good DM wants to watch their players lose. As a DM, I want nothing more than for my players to feel like heroes. But being a hero means overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds. It's only fitting for the animated series that Vox Machina barely survive this encounter. And now we wait. I'm not sure if Vox Machina S3 or The Mighty Nein S1 will be next, but I cannot wait.
I think Pike was going to stay outside because she was out of spells. So she wouldn’t have had any healing. Ashley was a lower level than the other players due to filming other projects. Ps. I Scanlan is my least favorite character too. He’s… alright. But nothing more than that.
dragons in dnd can always shapeshift or cast magic whether its divine or arcane, in critical role lore dragons even worship (or at least acknowledge) their creator gods: Bahamut creator of the Metallic dragons and Tiamat creator of the Chromatic dragons. the Chroma Conclave arent the only dragons on the Planet of Exandria but they are given their spotlight due to their importance of fighting our heroes Vox Machina. Vorugal (the brute ice dragon) saw through scanlan’s illusion due to his natural dragon ability Truesight he has no magic spells but he has magic natural abilities that he was born with Raishan (the female poison gas green dragon) is the Strongest Magic Caster out of the Conclave Brimscythe (the youngest lightning blue dragon) had some magic letting him shapeshift into a person in season 1 ep 1-2 as General Krieg Umbrasyl has an obsession with the deities and gathering their Vestiges (cause Vestiges were created by the primes gods and their champions to wound the betrayer gods and their champions) letting Umbrasyl have access to the invisiblility spell and healing magic his healing magic was gold like Pike’s so Umbrasyl definitely worships the gods cause believing in 1 god means you believe in them all even the betrayers (stronger healing magic is usually from casters like clerics or nature magic like certain types of druids, but arcane casters like bards and sorcerers also have access to low level healing spells)
Yes, Pink hair is completely hereditary. For Gnomes. 7:40 and 12:30 Ah, good old Laid Bonus. Boon of DM's and Bane of player's. 9:56 he'd get along with General Grievous, wouldn't he? 16:10 gotta point out that Vex already has a vestige herself. I do consider her VM's worst character for being a filthy loot hoarder. She's worse in the campaign. The broom and boots moments are proof alone.
Fun Fact: In the original campaign, the final blow of the dragon was by Grog just like the dragon in the first season. For story purposes, they show shifted the final blow to Scanlan as he begins his own journey of self-correction.
we went a LONG time in the game before we saw ripplie again, when she did finalyl show up again it felt SUPER weird like 'why is she back now? why here? why doing this?' so even thought there is no pay off to ripplie in the 2nd season here it actually is a major pay off and explanation as to where the hell she was and WHY she was where she was doing what she was doing. it really ties it together, cause while it might be frustrating this season when she eventually comes back in season 3 or 4(idk when we will get there XD) it will seem super weird for her to pop back up like that without this context :3
Agreed. This is one of those things that they were able to improve on, due to the medium. On stream we only to get to see what the players see but, because this is a cartoon, we get to actually see the bad guys plotting. I'm excited to get to learn more about both Riplie and Thordak's machinations next season.
Vax with wings is like a F-35. Knowing that originally Percy was supposed to get the armor, he would have been an AC-130. Idk what Mercer was thinking lol
Sorry this took so long, I had to slay a copyright dragon 😅
It was a painful wait! I love this show!
It's wild when a Copyright Dragon's lair action is it outright blocks your Reaction for a round
Worth the wait 😂
😂
@@alexkramerblogs10/10 joke
Can we just appreciate the fact that Scanlan's ultimate phantasy, his dream, doesn't even involve a romantic partner at all? Meeting Kaylie caused such a shift in him, suddenly she's enough. Her happiness, her kids. Them being a family, that's what he wants now, not getting laid. Just like the Sphinx said, love found him, only it wasn't the kind of love he was expecting, but it changed him profoundly.
If you go back to early in the season there was an odd moment with an angry-looking green-eyed girl who came through the portal to Whitestone. That was Raishan in disguise. As with the dragon in the first season - they can transform into humanoid forms through magic.
We do actually have a release date for season 3. It is October 3rd! I am so excited.
I'm just going to say, Umbrasyl was extremely composed for a dragon that had two people fly up his anus then cut out through his gut. I'd be at least 5% more traumatized by that experience.
"That's where Uriel kept the family atomics." God damnit, that got me good. 😂
"He'll never be my favorite." We shall see.
5:43 this I’m no longer afraid line and shot are so cool
15:18 lol not surprised you easily got over your favorite character’s demise
Was a fun season. Ep 3 and 10 were my favorites. Enjoyed your reaction to it. Look forward to watching se3 when it comes out.
Great reaction. So looking forward to next season
Those crystal formations exploding were part of a 'Lair Action' for the dragon
1:10
Possibly my favourite easter egg of the whole series.
Critters far smarter than I deciphered the fantasy text on this page before it morphs.
The text is a letter that Keyleth received from a guest character, Kerrek (Patrick Rothfuss).
Ker was from Westruun and helped the party for some of their time. Later Patrick wrote a letter from Ker to Keyleth, updating her on the rebuilding of Westruun and sending heartfelt words of encouragement along with a ring engraved "Pass through Fire"
Patrick sent that to set, and included a recording of himself reading the letter in character that was played as Marisha read the original.
This is what happens when your animators are also some of your biggest fans.
NO WAY! I knew of the letter but had no idea that it was in the book.
@@brianewing5778
The Q&A session from their watch party. It's asked about at 1.06.10
ua-cam.com/video/ORUD8YqDp5E/v-deo.htmlsi=GRhZt_BEi-XMQ7v7
@@I.Lostalim I'll have to check it out! Thanks!!!
Season 3 drops October 3rd!! Its gonna be so wild!
October is when S3!is meant to drop
As someone who watched Campaign 1 live all those years ago, and has an idea on where things are going, I think Scanlan's story arc is only just beginning. Some may even say it's spicy.
I see what you did there 😂
I really hope we see......'The Meat Man'
@@brianewing5778 I wonder if Amazon will have the balls to actually do Suude lol...
@@jroldo8353 As far as I know Amazon doesn't have a say in the matter. Also The Boys.
Just to answer questions probably already answered. Raishan is the green poison drsgon who cast spells. There was a hint to her with the little child that had green eyes.
that little kid with green eyes was the dragon. then she took Yennin's place where shes at or if shes alive TBD.
8:53 fun fact black dragon hordes are made up of artifacts from civilizations they've destroyed or conquered
Couple of details:
Yes, some dragons (but not all) can shapeshift in this universe - the very first dragon they faced from the opening two episodes of season 1 was shown to have this ability.
Raishan (Yennen) was shown in the opening episode of season 2 in the attack on Emon - she's the green serpentine dragon with the poison gas breath.
She’s also the green eyes kid when they fled eamon the one grog said was brave
So it's time to kill a dragon. Lots of campaign easter eggs from the table in this one, particularly the contents of Dream Scanlan's book being a letter to Keyleth from another character who briefly accompanied the group, it was a very heartfelt letter if you ever get round to looking into it. In addition there's Vax's wings; Matt implemented a system for certain legendary items - including the Vestiges - where they could enhance in states; Dormant, Awakened and Exalted, the improvement in the Deathwalker Ward's state allows a once a day spawning of wings.
Grog turned bigger so the distance and impact of the fall was reduced, the fall still sucks but broken bones are better than being a red paste on the floor. Scanlan getting the kill is purely for the show though, Grog got the kill on the table - Invisibility was a problem but once his Legendary Resistances ran out Keyleth's Faerie Fire exposed him, Percy and Trinket still ended up downed in the fight, alongside an NPC called Shale who was also hunting Umbrasyl expecting death. Raishan's surprise request for an alliance also happened a bit later in the campaign, but it is well positioned here for the show, she is the most deceptive of the Conclave after all, having snuck into Whitestone as that green-eyed child, she at some point replaced Yennen though, she hasn't always been Yennen.
But now we wait for S3
Season 3 releases october 3d, trailer should drop this weekend, it’s SDCC weekend
So they weren’t poisoned by the wine they were knocked out so she could talk privately to the group and the eggs at the end were fused with gold. The gold they are hoarding is to help create more dragons
Theres some meta commentsry the cast made about their characters that well adjusted people don't become long term adventures and by that standard scanlan desire to always think about leaving makes him the most well adjusted
“I didn’t know dragons could take human form in this universe” dude, they literally killed the general who was a dragon in the very first episodes of this show xd
I find it super appropriate to note now that Scanlon slayed a dragon (in the show), and Sam Riegel beat HIS dragon; oropharyngeal carcinoma (HPV-linked Tonsil cancer). ua-cam.com/video/caRT9xzddxY/v-deo.html.
If I'm not mistaken, season 3 is October 3rd, so not a very long wait for you. They released the new OP as a trailer a while ago.
I haven't seen the original gameplay, but I suspect that the eggs aren't actually dragons, but are instead something like the Draconians from Dragonlance. Considering the dissent withing the Chroma Conclave, I doubt Thordak would want to have to try and keep a whole army of true dragons in line.
That random dune joke caught me off guard. Well done.
Yeah....
"I didn't know dragons could take human form."
You forgot the first dragon at the start of Season 1! :)
17:40 well, season 1 episode 2 showed us that they do x) remember General Krieg?
The dice rolls made some doors to be major villains 😂
"First time a f**king door actually helped us" was one of my favorite lines of the show.
You did not remember the first dragon they took down that had the human form?
The blue thunder dragon Brimscythe as General Krieg Tristan.
17:43-Um...did you not notice the literal 2 first eps of the show?
When I first started this show I had no idea what it was but enjoyed the randomness of the storytelling that felt fresh. Later I learned that it was from a DND campaign with dice rolls and it made so much sense. That together with the players being actors, knowing their trade and how to create characters and stories, makes this the epic show it is.
The return of the king! Glad you enjoyed this one, happy to have been part of the chorus requesting it 😄 season three is coming in October, be ready for that trailer to drop in a couple weeks! ❤️
You most definitely knew dragons could take on human form.
Thanks so much for your passionate and honest reactions always!!! Really excited to watch along with you in season 3
5:58 They fly now?
It really sucks that Sam Riegel has been dealing with cancer. he is usually my fav character.
In the campaign, Grog was able to take down Umbrasyl with an epic counter-attack.
Yep, I believe they said in writing the season of the show, they already had Grog's big moment, so they wanted to give this one to someone else.
@@playlistb3795 Which is only fair given that Vax was the one that killed Brimscythe and they changed it in the show to give Grog the kill.
If you want some live play , you absolutely must watch Critical Role’s “Exandria Unlimited: Calamity”. It is a prequel set 1,000 years before LOVM, so no spoilers for the show, but will flesh out much of the lore as well as show events surrounding the cataclysmic battle briefly seen in Vax’s visions. You’ll also learn a bit about the Matron of Ravens
Most importantly, the cast, DM and production are impeccable. Half of LOVM’S voice actors are st the table, with spectacular guests accompanying them. No finer live play will ever be found
Seconded. EXU Calamity is the best gateway drug to CR live play.
I wish I felt this way. I never made it past the first episode. I've always meant to go back thinking maybe I just wasn't ready for the change. I'm currently binge watching campaign 3. I do about 2 to 3 episodes per week as I have time. Once I've finished that maybe Calamity will be my next watch.
Grizzled Wizard if you are reading this my opinion on Calamity is in the vast minority. Most people who talk about it praise it as the best or some of the best live play ever.
One thing I appreciate about this episode is that, in a way, it adds emotional depth to the "should we take a rest" discussion that always comes up in campaigns. Scanlan is basically asking for a long rest here, while the rest of the team wants to go on with either a short rest or no rest at all.
I will admit, I haven't watched most of the first season, so I don't know if that is a direct parallel. But, I do appreciate how well it ties in to that discussion.
Yeah, basically. They learned that if they take a rest, the bad guys can also. They had to choose to take a Short Rest or march on, if I remember correctly.
Scanlan here isnt debating on resting, he wants to outright abandon the whole mission, its a significant change to the character made just for his arc in the animated show. In the game there was the usual democratic discussion about what to do (no one would every be branded a coward for pointing out the very real possibility of horrible death if they went into battle unprepared), and ultimately they did have a short rest, which allowed Umbrasyl to heal up as well.
Can't wait to meet Matt, Marisha and Laura next month, and then meet Taliesen and Travis again cause why not. I'll have met allof them then.
In the live play, Scanlan annoyed me at first, but he eventually grew on me quite a bit. I know they're changing some story details to better fit a new medium, so not sure how it will play out in the show, but he really had some of the most clutch moves in the table game, especially later on. There's still hope!
Can't wait for season 3!
I'm no subject matter expert on the DnD lore/rules but the dragon just took Keeper Yennen's form. The Critical Role cast did a watch along when the episodes aired and they mention that when the dragon is in her form she does not have the mole on her face that she normally has. Loved your reactions! Excited for season 3 in October
at least you only have to wait until OCT 3 for Season 3!! lol really looking forward to seeing the rest of this story arc!
So by now you've heard repeatedly that season 1's dragon episodes were part of a pre-stream adventure and that in the original game the party had been to Vasselheim before the Briarwood stuff began (the trip there to enlist help against the dragons was their second time to the city). Well the story that Scanlan was telling his fictional grandkids about, how Vox Machina saved the city of Kraghammer, that's actually the adventure that Critical Role began on. After defeating Brimscythe and saving the Sovereign again, Allura hired them to go into the Underdark to rescue Lady Kima since she had gone missing on a mission there. The party arriving at the Dwarven city of Kraghammer is where the private home game ended and where the very first episode of Critical Role Campaign 1 began. They explored the city, got clues that Kima was in the Underdark (also if you remember back to the "Weirdest kills" discussion in Season 1, where Keyleth's kill happened) and traveled through the Underdark on a dangerous mission fighting all sorts of crazy creatures for about a dozen episodes before escaping with Kima and the evil artifact she was trying to recover. They went to Vasselheim to put the evil artifact in a vault for safe keeping since none of them could destroy it, and only after they returned to Tal'Dorei following this trip (and about 24-25 episodes of the show) did the Briarwood arc begin with that dinner that they attended. From there through here the show matches up pretty well with the general story beats of what the campaign has done up to this point.
The two of them being in the Dragon's stomach is actually a far better place than where they actually were in the campaign. Instead of going up the tailpipe like here, they had teleported in via Dimension Door and gotten separated on arrival. Scanlan was in the stomach, but Vax (shrunken down to even smaller than Scanlan's size thanks to a potion that shrank him so Scanlan could take him through the Dimension Door) wound up pinned *inside* the fleshy walls, pinned in the muscles themselves unable to move. For the entirety of the fight Vax was tiny.
0:52 Hey lookout behind you! The scene from your background has finally arrived.
I've seen most people label episode 10 as the favourite, the grande finale dragon fight should have been just as good but its been changed from an epic team Vox Machina event into just a Scanlan moment.
Scanlans arc is still cooking, its such a slow burn that the show writers have obviously thought he needed help to be more likeable and so added in this chapter of playing the hero...I'm interested to see how theyre goign to blend this high point back into his actual arc come season 3.
Season 4 scanlan will be the best. Also scanlan never killed a dragon, grog killed Umbra in the campaign.
11:58-"It's bad, we're running!"
I see what you did there. I salute you.
@@Moon-Goddess Oh, I have a shirt incoming of that. And hopefully it'll get a reactiom from Tal when I meet him again next month. Near 2/3ds through MIghty Nein!
"Help- it's again"
@@dzgw I said that when I met him again the second day. :)
So fun fact about why he used the gauntlets during the fall, when going into the giant form he got temp hp, so it plus the rage was enough to keep him from dying by fall.
not sure when the mighty nine is airing October is season 3
We don't know where the real Keeper Yennen is currently, but it's assumed she's still alive, because killing her wouldn't help Raishan's cause at all. (See also how she only knocked out the others at the table). She's only been in that form for a short time, since last time we saw Yennen she was still herself (the animators said you can tell because real Yennen has a mole on her right cheek which Raishan lacks. But it's not exactly an obvious detail.)
Yeah, we have met Raishan, she's the one who recognised Keyleth in Emon, with the poison breath. Voiced by Cree Summers (which added to the unsettling feeling when Raishan started speaking through Yennen, since as you said, Yennen had been voiced by Gina Torres.)
Scanlan took me a LONG time to warm up to, props to Sam Riegel for managing to play a complicated mess that actually does have a growth arc though, (obviously it's a little but more of a nutshell version in the animation than it was during the campaign, because hundreds of hours > 22 minute episodes), because I did eventually end up liking Scanlan, and I find it difficult to change my mind about characters after that first impression (it's a me problem, lol. point is it speaks to the character creation that I changed my mind.)
We have a date for season 3, October 3! So not too long to wait now. And there's a "trailer" in the form of the new opening title sequence for s3 that they released about a month ago, not an actual trailer though.
The only thing you need to know about Ripley right now is that she's dangerously intelligent. Her plans have plans.
A quick note so that you're not working under a false assumption, the direct one-to-one translation is a little less of a thing in this season, simply because of the sheer number of hours they were condensing. The Briarwood Arc had a huge impact, but it was only about 15 episodes long, so it was easier to keep a lot of the details almost blow-for-blow. The Chroma Conclave arc was... a fair few more than that, so they had to be more brutal with the cuts. Some things remain very close, like the Kevdak fight (especially for the key moments), but others have been shifted around in the timeline, or changed so everything moves smoothly.
The Umbrasyl fight happened a little differently. We get to the same point, and most of the big moments remain the same (Percy still made the trap, Scanlan and Vax still ended up inside the dragon, Grog still hitched a ride etc) , and it keeps the feel of a DnD battle, but it's no longer a 1-for-1. I think they did a brilliant job translating it, but I'd hate you to look for comparisons from table to screen for this season (which do exist, and are pretty interesting) and be disappointed or surprised that they're different :)
I've enjoyed watching you grow to enjoy these messy characters. They aren't perfect, but they're doing their best *curls around VM like a protective dragon * just silly lil guys.
How were you not sure if dragons could take human form in this show? They killed the lightning dragon/general is season 1 lol.
All that to beat one ancient dragon. The show didnt hold back showing how badass they were
If only Ancient Dragons were that difficult in normal 5e play
@@playlistb3795 3.5 is definitely the better version. I consider 5e a good set to start new players...
@@jroldo8353 I think the problem with 5e is that the players are real powerful and the monster ratings are not accurate. My hope is that it will be better for DM's to create difficult combats with the changes coming later this year. Although I rarely play tabletop since BG3 came out.
As a DM, I really appreciate how these two last episodes really show off how a big boss battle should go in a game. Full disclosure, I haven't watched much of campaign 1. But they fully encapsulated that desperation with a tinge of hope that this kind of encounter can bring. No good DM wants to watch their players lose. As a DM, I want nothing more than for my players to feel like heroes. But being a hero means overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds. It's only fitting for the animated series that Vox Machina barely survive this encounter.
And now we wait. I'm not sure if Vox Machina S3 or The Mighty Nein S1 will be next, but I cannot wait.
Season 3 is October 3rd. They have not announced season 1 of the Mighty Nein yet.
I think Pike was going to stay outside because she was out of spells. So she wouldn’t have had any healing. Ashley was a lower level than the other players due to filming other projects.
Ps. I Scanlan is my least favorite character too. He’s… alright. But nothing more than that.
Hey, broke even isn't bad considering your previous attitude
And I maintain that it’s a fair opinion to have, Scanlan is an ass. I love him, but he’s a lot and definitely rubs some people the wrong way
dragons in dnd can always shapeshift or cast magic whether its divine or arcane, in critical role lore dragons even worship (or at least acknowledge) their creator gods: Bahamut creator of the Metallic dragons and Tiamat creator of the Chromatic dragons. the Chroma Conclave arent the only dragons on the Planet of Exandria but they are given their spotlight due to their importance of fighting our heroes Vox Machina.
Vorugal (the brute ice dragon) saw through scanlan’s illusion due to his natural dragon ability Truesight he has no magic spells but he has magic natural abilities that he was born with
Raishan (the female poison gas green dragon) is the Strongest Magic Caster out of the Conclave
Brimscythe (the youngest lightning blue dragon) had some magic letting him shapeshift into a person in season 1 ep 1-2 as General Krieg
Umbrasyl has an obsession with the deities and gathering their Vestiges (cause Vestiges were created by the primes gods and their champions to wound the betrayer gods and their champions) letting Umbrasyl have access to the invisiblility spell and healing magic his healing magic was gold like Pike’s so Umbrasyl definitely worships the gods cause believing in 1 god means you believe in them all even the betrayers
(stronger healing magic is usually from casters like clerics or nature magic like certain types of druids, but arcane casters like bards and sorcerers also have access to low level healing spells)
Yes, Pink hair is completely hereditary. For Gnomes.
7:40 and 12:30 Ah, good old Laid Bonus. Boon of DM's and Bane of player's.
9:56 he'd get along with General Grievous, wouldn't he?
16:10 gotta point out that Vex already has a vestige herself. I do consider her VM's worst character for being a filthy loot hoarder. She's worse in the campaign. The broom and boots moments are proof alone.
Fun Fact: In the original campaign, the final blow of the dragon was by Grog just like the dragon in the first season. For story purposes, they show shifted the final blow to Scanlan as he begins his own journey of self-correction.
we went a LONG time in the game before we saw ripplie again, when she did finalyl show up again it felt SUPER weird like 'why is she back now? why here? why doing this?' so even thought there is no pay off to ripplie in the 2nd season here it actually is a major pay off and explanation as to where the hell she was and WHY she was where she was doing what she was doing. it really ties it together, cause while it might be frustrating this season when she eventually comes back in season 3 or 4(idk when we will get there XD) it will seem super weird for her to pop back up like that without this context :3
Agreed. This is one of those things that they were able to improve on, due to the medium. On stream we only to get to see what the players see but, because this is a cartoon, we get to actually see the bad guys plotting. I'm excited to get to learn more about both Riplie and Thordak's machinations next season.
Nah the gauntlets just increased his HP enough to survive the fall!
Vax with wings is like a F-35. Knowing that originally Percy was supposed to get the armor, he would have been an AC-130. Idk what Mercer was thinking lol