HEY, there might be some SPOILERS under the thing 0:25 A duet 3:20 The B-story 4:30 LOVM announcements 5:20 Laura’s merch corner 8:35 Intro cinematic 10:25 EPISODE STARTS 11:55 Recap Ends 15:10 Whitestone Spring Break 17:50 Keyleth is really cool 19:45 FCG has personality because he was an ancient killer 26:25 Keyleth knows that people can come back different 30:05 The Lord is in 33:15 Kynan Leore was from C1, he tried to join VM and got dropped by Vax 40:15 One day at a time 41:05 Stained glass Voltron 44:55 Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III 46:05 Gwendolyn 55:55 An example of Chetney’s craft 57:00 Percy almost kills Chetney 59:30 Chetney’s gift to Gwendolyn 1:01:25 Wolfe and Leona de Rolo 1:02:00 Vex’halia 1:03:45 Derrig was Liam’s character for the Dalen’s Closet one-shot 1:09:55 Pike Trickfoot 1:11:55 Okay okay okay 1:13:00 Steal it 1:14:30 Vex recognizes Laudna 1:16:35 Vex gets her spare diamonds 1:17:10 Sam’s flask 1:21:55 Two souls 1:22:55 BREAK STARTS 1:28:55 Art Montage 1:32:55 BREAK ENDS 1:39:50 Ashton follows Percy 1:48:05 The Trinklets 1:51:00 The Council of bears 1:52:15 Casa de Trickfoot 1:57:40 Dropping vestiges 2:03:35 Defeating Delilah 2:04:25 Pike has not gotten better at baking 2:08:05 Pike is getting morning wasted 2:09:05 An organic moment 2:10:30 Extracting the tongue 2:12:50 FCG’s soul 2:19:00 Vex has blown some minds 2:23:05 Vex gets lit too 2:25:40 Jacking into the mainframe 2:29:40 FCG still has no feet or tongue 2:45:05 Laudna’s cabin 2:50:15 Map out 2:53:15 Battle begins 2:59:50 Disco Ashton 3:09:10 The Win action 3:10:15 Fearne should’ve taken Percy’s mask 3:18:05 The dice tries to escape 3:21:25 HDYWTDT 3:24:50 Can’t they be bad at DnD 3:27:35 Spiritual bleach 3:37:00 GOADED 3:47:20 HDYWTDT 3:49:00 Top of the next round 3:55:30 HDYWTDT 3:56:45 Tidal wave 4:06:05 FCG is stressed 4:08:35 Super stealth 4:14:35 The reveal 4:15:50 Episode Ends The in-game start date for the episode was the 24th of Sydenstar in the year 843. Sam’s gas can is a missing person poster for Marisha and says “MISSING! Answers to: Ray, Ginger Queen, Boss Lady, & Kentucky. Warning! Will Fight You. $100 REWARD”” Desiquest is a new actual play of all South Asian cast and inspiration from Indian myth and culture in their storytelling. It features some of my favorite players, including our own Anjali Bhimani, Rekha Shankar, and ThatBronzeGirl as DM. They’re doing a Kickstarter right now to support the show’s production. Give them your support if you think it seems cool! Any moments I missed? Feel free to post them here. Is it Thursday yet?
(This makes me so happy!) Well, bread bakers do get quite an upper body workout with all of the rolling and kneading they do. Besides, who doesn't love a good pastry to start their day?
I love that despite the fact that these are all considered NPCs, currently played by Matt, Matt still throws it to Ashley to describe the interior of Pike's house.
@@reinhardiseke6466 (C1 spoiler for anyone who hasn't seen it!) Knowing that Pike and Scanlan end up together for quite some time, I kept wondering if there was gonna be any sign of him. They weren't together when Bell's were there though... but still. Maybe Sam was wondering about that too lol.
Honestly when I first started CR I seriously underestimated Sam because he has such a goofy persona, but now after seeing his tactical brilliance and willingness to play the long game that I am terrified of what he could accomplish if he were ever to put him mind to something useful.
i've seen the clip before but it cut off before the entire rest of the cast started and omg that was a beautiful response to the chaos everybody fucking lost it.
I love how Sam was revelling in FCGs classic existential robot crisis of "I'm just a robot, so do I have a soul? Is that even possible? How will I ever know?" and Pike's just like: "I could just check, if you like. I have a spell for that." Matt's deadpan very Pike'ish devlivery there, *chef's kiss*
I actually really like what that means for FCG's arc. It felt like it was gonna be about ambiguity - but having it be revealed, it's very much like only after seeing the coin flip to know which result you actually wanted. Which, I hope I don't need to point out, is SUPER thematic with consideration to The Changebringer. So now that FCG has an answer - 'yes, you have a soul,' he has to consider what that means. He'd kind of already made up his mind about what 'mattered' if the answer was no, so this the much more interesting path. And, especially with the description of being 'fuzzy' compared to the more distinct souls of his companions, maybe the border between 'yes' and 'no' isn't even what he thought it would be. I'm real excited to see what eventuates from this revelation.
@@LukeLavablade I took that as meaning that FCG's soul, unlike a human soul, is not really part of his body. It's like how a cat can fill a container, as if they were a liquid, but at the end of the day, they are not that shape. That's my headcanon, at least
@@bleizy7866 I mean, it seems to be similar I'm description to how Pike regained her connection to her Patron in the series. Could be True seeing, with some free flavor.
I think they developed a very soft spot for Laudna in particular. If it had been someone other than her or FCG I don't think they would have come apart in such a bad way.
@@MissFotini I agree. And frankly, I'm all about it. That sandstorm scene single-handedly made me root for a Laudna-Ashton ship. So seeing all this character development in the wake of her death hurts _so good._
@@elbruces Percy never really lost his anger. He just learned how to channel it, and when to push it aside when the situation called for it. Those of us who watched C1 (or the Amazon series) knew that the name "Briarwood" would create an instant reaction in any one member of Vox Machina. I feel like current Percy doesn't want to let that box (the Briarwoods) reopen that initially led to him almost becoming a monster. It also helps having people around who know what you could potentially become and can help remind you of why you don't take that path. It's more difficult when a stranger just says, "Yah, life sucks," than when a friend who knows you says, "Yah, that sucks, and I'm here for you." Granted, we get the luxury of externally analyzing characters from a D&D game from an outside perspective, where they do it all "live." (And sorry if I'm a bit verbose. I'm super excited about this episode, and may have had a celebratory drink or three after all the joy this episode brought. I'm glad I was able to share this with all you amazing Criters!)
@@Amethystar Good observations. I'd be happy to read more of your takes under future videos. Don't worry about being verbose that was a worthy comment.
Casual reminder that serious, proper Lord Percival de Rolo once purposefully let raw sodium explode on himself to win a cannonball contest with a goliath
I just want to say I feel like Percy and Ashton could have come to terms with each other if they had a 3rd party mediator. Someone calm and reasonable, this 3rd person could guide the conversation and help them see each other, maybe he could bring some tea.
@@Direwolf181 cad had that same anger but he was more quiet and gentle with it. Always trying to get rid of it to make way for something he thought was more useful. Tho honestly it makes me look at talisen and wonder if he's as angry inside as all of his chaeacters.
@@Kris-wo4pj Probably, you tend to find characters are just parts of people expanded to fill the role, and given what I know about him then yeah probably
@@christopherlancaster6735 It's painful init 😂 I love them all dearly and they are all fantastically talented people but there's only so many times I can hear them butcher accents I know so well before I have to take a break lol!
Ah yes, the Cleric of the yeast domain. Featuring classics such as "Raise Bread", "Greater res-tart-ration", "Speak with Bread", "Planar Baking" and more delicious cleric magic!
If I had a nickel for every time Laudna was murdered for the purpose of psychologically torturing one of Laura's characters, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.
Hi! I literally discovered this today. I'm new to both D&D and Critical Role, but I'm a seasoned animator and love storytelling, and I would looooooove to animate some bits of this campaign! I want to get the characters and everything right, but where should I start? Can someone guide me on where I can find such descriptions?? This is awesome
@@Direwolf181 Oh one hundred percent! I think Cad would straight up unnerve Percy. I think Cad would intrigue Ashton. Molly would have so much fun messing with all of them.
@@Direwolf181 Cad gets along with everyone *to their face*. He’s a judgmental little shit and it’s great. He’d probably give Percy and Ashton their own “sleep well with your bad decisions” moment.
That "Do I look like the sort of person who doesn't know that?" hit hard, especially when you imagine it spoke in the halls of a *castle* who's lord is trying tto give you a 'life isn't fair' speech.
Shoutout to Matt for not only playing the Vox Machina characters but for understanding them well to do it accuratly in a way that respects the cast who originated those roles
@@grilledleeks6514 what do you mean by calm thy self? Im calm. I know its dnd, im commenting on the episode. Literally a simple complement on something im enjoying. No need for you to interject if you dont care. Just more on
Tal is so good at coming up with great lines on the spot with all his characters. The man is a oneliner machine. My fav from Ashton so far was "you know apologies have diminishing returns, right?"
I am a big fan of Matt’s one man Vox Machina show. Also, Matt when Percy was storming off was uncanny how I could hear Taliesin’s Percy through that at 1:36:26 “I will not stand here and allow this. I will not, in my home, in my city, bring Delilah back, and _that_ _is_ _final”_
But he did not get it. Delilah had been back for 50!!! years and LAUDNA is responsible for her not wrecking havok like?? He owes them. At this point they would have so much power as singular characters to defeat Delilah but he's like "its ok if you level 6/7 folks do it". I've never liked Percy, his character hasn't grown during all that time to not feel like he should give back to someone who kept Delilah from haunting his hecking CASTLE. I think Ashton in this episode is right imo and knows his past character enough to say something
@@thenamejenny On the contrary, they owe him a LOT for showing enough restraint and not incinerating Laudna's body. Percy has a lot more to lose now and knows that if Delilah has ANY chance at getting back to life, she'll take it and make it work. She's done it before, and will likely do it again. If she learns Silas was killed at the De Rolo wedding she WILL go after their kids first, and then them. Just by being made aware of the fact that Delilah is not fully gone should and would completely unsettle Percy and have him look over his shoulder for the rest of his life, even for the other ghosts of his past, because if one came back, why can't another? What guarantee would he have that Ripley or Silas isn't in someone's mind like Delilah is? 3 decades after he was finally rid of his tormenters, random people show up at his doorstep with a dead body that hosted Delilah in its mind, asking him to help with resurrecting the body.
It was the same way, when he introduced Kynan with his family name, then when they haven't catched on that he made Percy call him in his first name, so the players can actually remember him.
I think ive wanted to punch every one of Taliesin's characters in the face except Cadusus. Mat does a good job making the players deal with their old characters
Just watching the faces!! Talesin embodying Percy during the conversation. Ashley giving a little smile anytime Matt talks about Pike. It's amazing to watch. My favorite might just be the split second when Laura seems to be weighing the possibility that Jester travelled to Whitestone and defaced a temple.
Ash: I have this thing in my head as a constant reminder of everything I've lost, do you know what that's like Percy, hair bleached white by trauma and torture: Why I couldn't imagine...
This might be the most impressive session Matt's pulled off since the Chroma Conclave's first attack: playing your party's beloved old characters for two hours straight, keeping the players rapt and happy the whole time, and then following it up with a set piece too weird and creepy to get overshadowed by that accomplishment.
While it didn't have the burden of playing the OG characters, there was also that coalition meeting in late C1 where Matt had an entire strategy session complete with debates, points and counter points between like ten different NPCs and the party.
Yeah, I know Matt gets regular - fully deserved - credit for what he does, but taking a step back, even just the VM side of things here takes audacious confidence and ability. Not only is he playing these characters in front of the people who built every detail of them from top to toe, but he's challenged to hold in-character arguments on the fly opposite the very same players with their new PCs. These folks are mightily talented people.
Such a shame that the dice failed Orym twice in his persuasion checks against Percy even though he brought up the PERFECT arguments to get to him (and Matt was giving him advantage because of that).
He rolled the Ruidus d20s both times and failed both times. Marisha also rolled a Ruidus d20 on her death save and got a natural 1. Like Laura said, those dice are cursed.
@@colinmorrison5119 nah, I like that sometimes the dice tell you to go f yourself. And Matt gave him advantage, he was nice. And it fit with Percy's feelings perfectly, the dice know what they're doing, trust the dice! And it's more realistic, sometimes you can be very compelling and people still say no. (And Percy's right, Delilah must not return.)
1:53:00+ Love when Matt lets Ashley switch to Pike mode in describing how Pike's house is laid out and decorated. Also when Ashley and Laura point out that if Pike needs a drink of "water", that ain't happening. So funny when they catch Pike taking a snort of liquid courage from a flask!!
I loved that, and Ioved how readily Ashley was able to consider what would be in Pike's home. After all, she was Pike for many a year, so it felt natural for her to describe the scene. I'm currently going back through C1 (for the second time) and am at the point where Ashley went off to film Blindspot, so it's lovely to have the character make an appearance for me.
@@Amethystar personally I am going kinda backwards, I am like 10-15 eps into season 2, and more or less keeping up on s3, will kinda suck not getting a lot of the refrences tho
@@DarksideGmss0513 if you look at the commercial of this episode, she walked in. So i assume she's watching on a screen somewhere outside of camera view but in the studio (in case she's revived too)
i love how Ashley immediately went into the Pike voice and acted like her wbhen Matt's Vex asked for a sip from her flask and then immediately apologized when she realized she's Fearne now but Matt just let her go with it.
Vex « Oh » when she overhead Percy talking to Pike about Laudna being hanged on the Sun Tree hit me so damn hard. Like, you can see and feel the realisation and everything that go with it from her view. So sad but also it's also a beautiful part of the story. Definitely my favourite moment of this episode.
As soon as he described the guard captain I knew it was going to be the kid from campaign one. Kynan went from a scrappy fan of Vax to captain of Whitestone’s rifleman.
I'm so freaking happy someone else noticed him!!! He was one of my favorite side characters in C1 one I wish we got to see more of, so its awesome to see him here.
I recently started C1 and as soon as they said the name, I was like HEY I recognize that name! It's been great as so much of VM is currently fresh in my mind (I still have a long way to go but I'm glad to pick up on a few things XD).
It’s amazing how well Matt is at showing the physical mannerisms of his NPCs, especially one from the first freaking campaign. I knew it was Kynan just by how Matt wasn’t making eye contact with the others.
It's so telling that Percy thinks that because his daughter is reading a medical journal at a young age that it means she is also able to identify and experience her emotions... :)
I like A LOT about Critical Role, but one of my favorite things is Ashley pleading for game sessions to go on. Not sure why I find it so amusing, but it makes me chuckle every time. This was a great episode too.
This episode is just Liam being able to fanboy over Mariah's characters. He did it with Keyleth, he did it with Beau, and he does it with Laudna. He's the president of Marisha Ray's Characters Fan Club
Ashton's angry "I don't like to lose" (1:41:24) feels so much like when Percy got angry when he couldn't get things his way. They're so different from each other, and I think Percival may have had time to press that anger down, or to convince himself that he wasn't the same as the person now standing before him, but I believe somewhere deep down he sees himself in Ashton, and it hurts, scares, and saddens him. Their anger is less formal, more primal, and his was calculated, but it's the same anger.
Percy remembers what it was like to be where Ashton is now. He also knows that he can't talk him out of it, all he can do is give him a few words of advice and lay down the law.
a lot of very famous franchises should take *THIS* episode as an example of how to respect and treat the appearance of former beloved characters. all of this feels so honest and devoted by both matt and the cast that this is defentely not one of those cheap ways to serve fans with nostalgia. no *deus vox machina* can be found here. this feels honest and natural and made me super emotional💜
Deus ex machina cn have their place in a story. There are some good ones. I think that there are two types that people like: 1) the Deus ex machina doesn't sove your problem, but rewards you with a smaller freebi after the main goal is accomplished. I.e. Frodo destroyed the ring and was then rescued by the eagles 2) the Deus ex machina doesn't solve your problems but at least makes the impossible task slightly less dificult i.e. this situation. Pike can resurect but you are going to have to throw hands with Delilah.
I fully agree. The way that VM is portrayed here is incredible. Also the fact that Matt has Pike astral project the players instead of just handwaving the resurrection is incredible.
Yeah, but if they deal with Delilah within 1 mile of VM, you'll just hear a volley of pistol shots, magic here and there, and the Grand Poobah saying "I would like to rage"
@@neruba2173 You said that Laura's performance was "inexistent" as in it didn't exist. Laura is playing Imogen and Imogen played a pivotal role in the episode, therefore Laura's performance did in fact exist. See the connection?
Now, that's how you resurrect a PC. Make the party fight for it, and develop the character more. As soon as he was talking about the forest and the shack I remembered Laudna talking about it. Stuck in a past trauma. Well done Matt. Delilah trying to take her place. All perfect.
To be honest even after all of this, I don't think we are getting Laudna back as we knew her either. If they manage to pull this off I have a feeling Marisha is going to play Laudna significantly differently and I'm both curious to see what she does, and curious to see how the community reacts to it.
@@troikas3353 I'd love that. I've seen the resurrection path of oh wow. Death was a thing and I am now hardened. Bit or a lot. But Laudna was already a bit of someone else after Delilah texted her initially. So her maybe being more of her original self... Or behind door nuuumberrr 3!!!!- someone else else. Idk I'm excited to see it if they succeed. 🤞
Taliesin: if there are a thousand Percy haters (affectionate) I'm one of them, if there are 10 Percy haters (affectionate) I'm one of them, if there is one Percy hater (affectionate) it is me, and if there are no Percy haters (affectionate) I'm dead
I about died at Percy trying to be all serious and intimidating and Gwens just there being able to crack through all that easily like he's a crab claw.
It's a B-Story to rival that one season of Fringe where every episode was based on a psychedelic-prog-rock album that they actually secretly dropped in record stores around the country.
He's a truly mad genius. We should be grateful he uses his powers for good (if we stretch the definition of "good" to include obscure bits nobody even notices until it's pointed out/until it's too late)
@@Snuusnuu69 the joke is less about "lol he turning into a sunflower" but more "how long can Sam get more and more sunflower-themed before the rest of the cast calls him on it"
Matt - you come upon a cabin in the woods... Travis - is there a blueberry muffin in the window? Matt - no.. In an episode with all kinds of cameos about VM, Travis is still worried about Jesters trick coming back to haunt them.
I am so so so sad that Orym's persuasion after asking what Percy's friends did for him when his soul was bound by another.. Such a great line halted by the roll of the dice
Spoilers for C1: I mean, it was good-ish (great delivery obviously, it's Liam), but It was also kind of dumb because it doesn't really address Percy's concern about Delilah at all, it's just emotionally manipulative (and slightly meta on Liam's part but we'll allow it because of all the characters Orym is the one where it's at least plausible he knows about that story lol). Because when Percy was dead and his soul was being tormented by Orthax, there was no inherent risk associated with resurrecting him, Orthax wasn't going to hitch a ride or anything, therefore Orym's point was a manipulative non sequitur. Percy is 100% right in this situation, Delilah must not return, if you can save your friend under that condition, great. (He could be nicer about it but hey, _Trauma_ works in mysterious ways, they're lucky he didn't throw her corpse into an acid pit frankly lol). So to be honest I'm kind of glad it didn't work (even though I want Laudna back).
@@mayaenglish5424 I think that the point wasn’t the dangers of Delilah verses Orthax - the point was ‘what were your friends willing to do to save you even when it might have been smarter to leave you dead’. Was it meta? Ish? Orym and Laudna are the most likely to know that he had demonic possession problems or the general story of Whitestone. And given that Percy has the mask hanging in his office it seems pretty clear he’s not exactly been keeping that aspect a secret. Orym was pointing out the need that the ragtag group of adventurers had for saving their friend, however corrupted - and drawing a parallel that would be distinctly familiar.
@@arlanengin6904 Laudna wouldn't know anything, she died before Percy and VM got to Whitestone and didn't stick around after the rebellion against the Briarwoods, and she already made it clear she didn't know what happened in Whitestone since she left (unless she was lying but I don't think so). Orym is the only one who would even have a _Chance_ of knowing any of that through living in Zephra which is why I said slightly lol. (I mean mayyyyybe there's some bastardized version floating around in Scanlan's play but I think if he got _too_ specific Percy would have shot him lol). And that was my point entirely, it was just Orym being manipulative saying, "Well you were dead once too! And your friends cared and brought you back!" But the circumstances were different, and no, it wouldn't have been "Smarter" to leave Percy dead, especially considering he Mild SPOILER for C1 helped save the world later, a couple times END SPOILER. And there were no consequences for bringing him back, UNLIKE with bringing Laudna back, where there is a clear and immediate theat attatched to her resurrection. That's the whole reason the comparison falls flat, Percy literally was like "Fine, lets go talk to Pike about resurrecting your friend," right up until it threatened the safety of his family and the world. (And there's no reason anyone would know what that mask means unless they were there. It's only meaningful to Percy, VM, a couple of corpses, and to us. So that point doesn't really make sense).
@@mayaenglish5424 I'm mostly saying as a character, from Percy's perspective it would have likely been smarter to leave him dead - it's about the danger that a warlock with an evil patron presents to those around them. If he wasn't the warlock at the time, if he wasn't bound by deepseated vengeance, he would have treated himself with the same disregard as Laudna. I'm not at all saying that his fears about the danger she presents are unfounded - just my understanding of why that would have been a convincing point to him. I can tell you feel very strongly about this, so I'll just say I guess I found the scene less egregious than you did meta-wise. Matt said it was the perfect point to make and gave him advantage. Do I feel like it was probably a bit meta-gamey? Yes. Do I know exactly what knowledge Orym had access to from watching and listening to Keyleth? Not even a little. Since Matt hasn't said "Hey, that's probably not something Orym would be familiar with" maybe I'd feel like it was more meta-gamey. But he hasn't, which seems like a pretty clear indicator to me that Liam's not really stepping out of line. He's playing a character that has a lot of knowledge about Vox Machina. Not just the stories told after they became heroes and saved the realm - first person accounts his character has been privy to as they meet, discuss, and possibly reflect with Keyleth.
Amidst so many heartfelt and beautiful moments in this episode, it made me so happy Taliesin getting to meet his old character when his new character is the exact polar opposite in terms of social status, upbringing, and mannerisms - and roleplay the s*** out of what that confrontation would look like.
@@brettchew3771 I think Caduceus would let the chips fall where they may (as long as neither of them pulled out a weapon) and called both childish in some not-so-thinly veiled criticism of how they were both being stubborn while still validating their feelings. Neither of them are terrible people, so Cad could probably find a way to diffuse the situation, though I don't think Ashton is much of a tea drinker.
The whole sequence between pike and FCG almost made me cry. I couldn't help but watch it over and over again. Both are healing oriented clerics, but one is tier 4 and one is tier 1-2, and needs spiritual guidance. FCG was struggling internally with "what am I? Am I alive? What if I'm not? Can non-living folks be a 'cleric?' Do I have control of myself? Can a robot built to be an assassin do the opposite? Can I close wounds instead of causing them? Am I doing this right? What does it even mean to be a 'cleric,' to be a healer, to be _alive?"_ And so on. And then pike came in and said "THIS is what it means to be a 'cleric.' We don't just close wounds, we _heal._ You are alive and never even knew, and you've already found purpose when the rest of us haven't even started looking. You're doing great, sweetie :)" Agh, such a beautiful scene. If c3 ever gets animated, this is the scene I will look forward to most.
@powercockatrice3223 game power tiers. Tier 1 is levels 1 to 5, tier 2 is 6 to 10, tier 3 is 11 to 15, and tier 4 is 16 to 20. Pike and the rest of Vox Machina are all 20th level legendary adventurers, whereas Bell's Hells are all tier 2ish (level 7 here, I think??)
I think my favorite thing in this episode so far is Tal’s little smile as Matt is describing the clock tower. That proud “Yep, I built that.” sort of smile.
It felt so....exhilarating and unnerving at the same time to hear Taliesin telling off essentially himself. But I think I heard a hint of pride in Tal's voice. Pride that Percy was still the highborn asshole he embodied in C1, and pride that Matt pulled off such an accurate Percy that he felt like he was looking in a mirror.
Hearing Ashton talk with Percy helped me understand what Tal mean when he said he had a bit of a hard time to figure what punk would be like in Exandria and I kinda can see the direction he went with
Percy vs Ashton was very vivid. "Do i look like the kinda person who doesnt know that?" Coming from ashton to the lord of the castle rang out in my ears. Good moment
A lord of the castle who, when he was younger than Ashton, watched his entire family be slaughtered and then was tortured for weeks. Ashton and Percy really are mirror images of each other, which is why it makes sense that Ashton disliked him.
*Major spoiler for Campaign 1* 17:50 I love how Matt describes Keyleth's walk where the grass grows behind her "leaving a faint image of where she once stood." It's paying homage to Vax's druidcraft where he left snowdrops for Vox Machina. Almost had me in tears as well.
@@Achridian I may be reading too much into the druidcraft, but Syndestar is still our equivalent of late summer, so grass growing is keeping with the summer theme. Or I'm looking for things that aren't really there and it's just keeping with Keyleth's theme, since she's a druid, and Matt is a brilliant storyteller.
@@GeorgyKong yeah probably, I think he was just setting Keyleth’s vibe there and enhancing Liam’s description of falling in behind Keyleth with what he notices there. Brilliant moment.
I love that the CC/subtitle champ caught the last phrase of their little duet - and then they immediately pretended like they weren't singing. So good!!!
FCG's response to what do you do - "Oh, I'm an assassin created a thousand years ago by a long-gone civilization". So casually accepting of that. Hilarious!
You've got to give credit, Laudna's backstory, calling back to one of the defining moments of Vox Machina was genius on Marisha's part, well and what Matt contributed as well, of course.
Not really, just a bunch of lame pandering. It's the same with Orym's trash, relating himself to Whitestone and Keyleth, and then they get to use that "plot" to ex machina out all their mistakes.
@@ferrari250tr I hope by this point you watched the 4-Sided Dive Halloween episode that followed episode 35 because Matt talks about this. He debated when to insert Keyleth because he doesn't want the party to use her as a way to transport everywhere and then have her be an option to call anytime the group gets in huge trouble. Matt also loves the tie ins because it shows that Vox Machina and Mighty Nein had impact on Exandria. If you really think it's "lame pandering" then I'm not sure if this is the show for you.
I'm a legit fool I made a connection with Derrig now. He was in the de Rolo wedding one shot. That was Derrig- Will's father and Orym's father in law! Gaaaaaahhhh how did I not put that together until now?!?!
It’s anger!mom, where instead of “oh goodness what happened” it’s “what the FUCK went down goddammit!?” both of them will get you tea and tuck you in though 👍
Wanna know what broke me this episode? (Besides everything) Laura as Imogen watched Vex'ahlia walk away and whispering to Orym "You can see the resemblance".
@@selkiedraws Matt does a pretty good Grog! (Rewatching C1 while waiting for new episodes.) And as much as I love Ashton, Grog ended C1 as a level 17 Barbarian, and even with age would be formidable... but that doesn't mean they both wouldn't enjoy the fun. Rewatching C1 and just finished the first fight between Kern and Grog, and man, that fight is still one of the top 10 moments of C1.
@@Amethystar I am Watching C1 for the first time while waiting for episodes (I started with C2) and both fights with Kern were amazing! I just watched them investigate the Storm Giant Fortress.
I loooove watching her reactions!!! I feel like she is really amazed by her friends's talents, and that is truly beautiful. She reacts so genuinely, though quickly changes her presence when her characters are summoned. She is such a beautiful being!
![[ˢᵖᵒᶦˡᵉʳ] FCG snaps | Critical Role | Campaign 3 Episode 31](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/iShUia9XSa8/mqdefault.jpg)
HEY, there might be some SPOILERS under the thing
0:25 A duet
3:20 The B-story
4:30 LOVM announcements
5:20 Laura’s merch corner
8:35 Intro cinematic
10:25 EPISODE STARTS
11:55 Recap Ends
15:10 Whitestone Spring Break
17:50 Keyleth is really cool
19:45 FCG has personality because he was an ancient killer
26:25 Keyleth knows that people can come back different
30:05 The Lord is in
33:15 Kynan Leore was from C1, he tried to join VM and got dropped by Vax
40:15 One day at a time
41:05 Stained glass Voltron
44:55 Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III
46:05 Gwendolyn
55:55 An example of Chetney’s craft
57:00 Percy almost kills Chetney
59:30 Chetney’s gift to Gwendolyn
1:01:25 Wolfe and Leona de Rolo
1:02:00 Vex’halia
1:03:45 Derrig was Liam’s character for the Dalen’s Closet one-shot
1:09:55 Pike Trickfoot
1:11:55 Okay okay okay
1:13:00 Steal it
1:14:30 Vex recognizes Laudna
1:16:35 Vex gets her spare diamonds
1:17:10 Sam’s flask
1:21:55 Two souls
1:22:55 BREAK STARTS
1:28:55 Art Montage
1:32:55 BREAK ENDS
1:39:50 Ashton follows Percy
1:48:05 The Trinklets
1:51:00 The Council of bears
1:52:15 Casa de Trickfoot
1:57:40 Dropping vestiges
2:03:35 Defeating Delilah
2:04:25 Pike has not gotten better at baking
2:08:05 Pike is getting morning wasted
2:09:05 An organic moment
2:10:30 Extracting the tongue
2:12:50 FCG’s soul
2:19:00 Vex has blown some minds
2:23:05 Vex gets lit too
2:25:40 Jacking into the mainframe
2:29:40 FCG still has no feet or tongue
2:45:05 Laudna’s cabin
2:50:15 Map out
2:53:15 Battle begins
2:59:50 Disco Ashton
3:09:10 The Win action
3:10:15 Fearne should’ve taken Percy’s mask
3:18:05 The dice tries to escape
3:21:25 HDYWTDT
3:24:50 Can’t they be bad at DnD
3:27:35 Spiritual bleach
3:37:00 GOADED
3:47:20 HDYWTDT
3:49:00 Top of the next round
3:55:30 HDYWTDT
3:56:45 Tidal wave
4:06:05 FCG is stressed
4:08:35 Super stealth
4:14:35 The reveal
4:15:50 Episode Ends
The in-game start date for the episode was the 24th of Sydenstar in the year 843. Sam’s gas can is a missing person poster for Marisha and says “MISSING! Answers to: Ray, Ginger Queen, Boss Lady, & Kentucky. Warning! Will Fight You. $100 REWARD””
Desiquest is a new actual play of all South Asian cast and inspiration from Indian myth and culture in their storytelling. It features some of my favorite players, including our own Anjali Bhimani, Rekha Shankar, and ThatBronzeGirl as DM. They’re doing a Kickstarter right now to support the show’s production. Give them your support if you think it seems cool!
Any moments I missed? Feel free to post them here. Is it Thursday yet?
Shit you’re fast
Thank you so much!!
Thank you flando dear! ❤❤ again always wonderful to see your post
Again, Flanders helps me find my place every time I have to turn off the vidoe.
I don't get how fast you are at posting this but we appreciate it!
Laura when meeting her old character: She’s beautiful!
Taleisin when meeting his old character: That fucker.
I mean, both are understandable reactions!
@@High-LordHarza love the Bi-rate profile!
@@High-LordHarza yeag Vex is very beautiful and Percy is snd always has been a dick but we love him anyway
@@bonzupippinpaddleoxacoppil484 Thank you, I love it too xD
Oh you know damn well he would. Percy is absolutely the kind of person that can easily piss off someone, he has before.
If Eshtaross and Pike both decided to take up baking after being legendary warriors, the bakers in Exandria must be fucking terrifying.
Bloodcakes anyone? Lol
And remember the cupcake, even baked goods are dangerous af.
(This makes me so happy!) Well, bread bakers do get quite an upper body workout with all of the rolling and kneading they do. Besides, who doesn't love a good pastry to start their day?
Remember the Shadow Baker? Obviously part of their special ops.
@@Timeseye at this point we have enough super bakers to make a whole new adventuring party
I love that despite the fact that these are all considered NPCs, currently played by Matt, Matt still throws it to Ashley to describe the interior of Pike's house.
If you look at Sam during this: it almost seems like he's waiting for her to describe a very specific and extremely large painting 😂
@@reinhardiseke6466 (C1 spoiler for anyone who hasn't seen it!)
Knowing that Pike and Scanlan end up together for quite some time, I kept wondering if there was gonna be any sign of him. They weren't together when Bell's were there though... but still. Maybe Sam was wondering about that too lol.
I was kinda hoping for Ashton or someone to see a Vax painting and ask why Lady Vex was on the wall twice.
lmao chetney almost having a fuckin stroke over being asked to work with metal had me wheezing as if I was the one about to die of old age
I had to see this comment to remember why he might not want to work with it as a werewolf.
I bet the whole time he was thinking "don't stab royalty....don't stab royalty!"
Okay but there's never been anything funnier than an unspoken B story where the main character is slowly transforming into a sunflower
legit this was the first time I heard about this but I bursted out laughing, I kinda wanna go back at old quip ads to see this xD
Honestly when I first started CR I seriously underestimated Sam because he has such a goofy persona, but now after seeing his tactical brilliance and willingness to play the long game that I am terrified of what he could accomplish if he were ever to put him mind to something useful.
@@taylorforsyth4278 well, he has an emmy, and was the producer for another thing that won a major emmy. he's flipping brilliant
@@taylorforsyth4278 It's like everyone says, he was the one that had the least contact with the game, but also the one who gets it the most
i've seen the clip before but it cut off before the entire rest of the cast started and omg that was a beautiful response to the chaos everybody fucking lost it.
I love how Sam was revelling in FCGs classic existential robot crisis of "I'm just a robot, so do I have a soul? Is that even possible? How will I ever know?" and Pike's just like: "I could just check, if you like. I have a spell for that." Matt's deadpan very Pike'ish devlivery there, *chef's kiss*
I actually really like what that means for FCG's arc. It felt like it was gonna be about ambiguity - but having it be revealed, it's very much like only after seeing the coin flip to know which result you actually wanted. Which, I hope I don't need to point out, is SUPER thematic with consideration to The Changebringer. So now that FCG has an answer - 'yes, you have a soul,' he has to consider what that means. He'd kind of already made up his mind about what 'mattered' if the answer was no, so this the much more interesting path. And, especially with the description of being 'fuzzy' compared to the more distinct souls of his companions, maybe the border between 'yes' and 'no' isn't even what he thought it would be. I'm real excited to see what eventuates from this revelation.
@@LukeLavablade I took that as meaning that FCG's soul, unlike a human soul, is not really part of his body.
It's like how a cat can fill a container, as if they were a liquid, but at the end of the day, they are not that shape.
That's my headcanon, at least
I wonder if there is actualy a spell for that, probably just improv tho
@@bleizy7866 I mean, it seems to be similar I'm description to how Pike regained her connection to her Patron in the series. Could be True seeing, with some free flavor.
*Baker's Kiss
I love how the past few episodes following Laudna’s death have established that Ashton is a nervous wreck under all the swearing, bluster, and anger.
I think they developed a very soft spot for Laudna in particular. If it had been someone other than her or FCG I don't think they would have come apart in such a bad way.
@@MissFotini I agree. And frankly, I'm all about it. That sandstorm scene single-handedly made me root for a Laudna-Ashton ship. So seeing all this character development in the wake of her death hurts _so good._
Right?! I think Laudna meant a lot more to Ashton than they're letting on. Tal has been in top form with these emotional moments.
@@Drekromancer All aboard the good ship Tombstone!
@@samuraiko Ok now I'm shipping them exclusively for the sake of the ship name
Ashton's like "I'm you but angry" to Percy and Percy's response is basically "good job kid"
Percy used to be angry. He got over it.
@@elbruces Percy never really lost his anger. He just learned how to channel it, and when to push it aside when the situation called for it. Those of us who watched C1 (or the Amazon series) knew that the name "Briarwood" would create an instant reaction in any one member of Vox Machina. I feel like current Percy doesn't want to let that box (the Briarwoods) reopen that initially led to him almost becoming a monster. It also helps having people around who know what you could potentially become and can help remind you of why you don't take that path.
It's more difficult when a stranger just says, "Yah, life sucks," than when a friend who knows you says, "Yah, that sucks, and I'm here for you." Granted, we get the luxury of externally analyzing characters from a D&D game from an outside perspective, where they do it all "live."
(And sorry if I'm a bit verbose. I'm super excited about this episode, and may have had a celebratory drink or three after all the joy this episode brought. I'm glad I was able to share this with all you amazing Criters!)
Im glad at least one character is willing to admit that Percy is a rich person who deserves exactly zero respect. Percy sucks, and so does vex.
@@Amethystar Good observations. I'd be happy to read more of your takes under future videos. Don't worry about being verbose that was a worthy comment.
Ashton talking a bear for a full minute just for matt to respond with growls is peak
No one ever has or will be as much in love with Keyleth as Liam is. He loves her timelessly and forever
It's the carryover from Liam being in love with Marisha and being jealous of Matt.
@@SoyDrinker He was?
@@Hazearil No
@@Hazearil He is fucking with ya
Forever... and always
Casual reminder that serious, proper Lord Percival de Rolo once purposefully let raw sodium explode on himself to win a cannonball contest with a goliath
ACCSHUALLY! The goliath did not participate in said cannonball contest. He was the judge
@@MrJunga Heck. I'm rewatching C1. Haven't gotten that far yet. I just remember that at one time, Percy was young and stupid too.
@@rael1hp he was indeed stupid. Stupid enough to impress a goliath cannonball contest adjudicator by drawing blood
I CANT BELIEVE I FORGOT ABOUT THE CANNONBALL CONTEST good times good times
😂😂😂😂 as a scientist I can confirm that sometimes we make informed choices.... not necessarily smart ones.
I just want to say
I feel like Percy and Ashton could have come to terms with each other if they had a 3rd party mediator.
Someone calm and reasonable, this 3rd person could guide the conversation and help them see each other, maybe he could bring some tea.
I see what you did there. 😏
@@bigdrew565 God this makes me miss Cad even more than I already do XD
@@Direwolf181 cad had that same anger but he was more quiet and gentle with it. Always trying to get rid of it to make way for something he thought was more useful. Tho honestly it makes me look at talisen and wonder if he's as angry inside as all of his chaeacters.
@@Kris-wo4pj Probably, you tend to find characters are just parts of people expanded to fill the role, and given what I know about him then yeah probably
@@Kris-wo4pj "The Matron has a special destination for those who burn temples....So I would suggest putting your back into this."
In this episode of Critical Role, Matt sees how many different British accents he can do.
I have to imagine Matt has practiced both immediately before this episode and at other times doing all the Vox Machina voices.
I see your comments in so many crit videos I wachtxD
Need to say Hi
I love Matt dearly, but as a Brit, honestly, he can do none accurately 😂
@@christopherlancaster6735 It's painful init 😂 I love them all dearly and they are all fantastically talented people but there's only so many times I can hear them butcher accents I know so well before I have to take a break lol!
@@christopherlancaster6735 I think he could do an alright Simon Templeman with the way he’s doing Percy
When Matt says "I'm used to blowing minds" as Vex, Laura's face sells it.
Ah yes, the Cleric of the yeast domain. Featuring classics such as "Raise Bread", "Greater res-tart-ration", "Speak with Bread", "Planar Baking" and more delicious cleric magic!
how is this not a top comment holy crap
You don't want to know what she can do with a rolling pin.
@@Reepicheep-1 now THAT'S a spiritual weapon
Hmmm you know I would love a paladin of bread right now
welp im making a new cleric now.............
If I had a nickel for every time Laudna was murdered for the purpose of psychologically torturing one of Laura's characters, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.
Ohh noo It broke me poor Laudna :"(
It took me a moment. But that is genious. Devious. And absolutely true.
absolute GOAT comment
I appreciate the phineas and ferb reference, Thank-you
Hi! I literally discovered this today. I'm new to both D&D and Critical Role, but I'm a seasoned animator and love storytelling, and I would looooooove to animate some bits of this campaign! I want to get the characters and everything right, but where should I start? Can someone guide me on where I can find such descriptions?? This is awesome
Getting to see Taleisin FINALLY getting the chance to tell Percy everything he's always wanted to to his FACE was a crazy kind of catharsis.
All of Tal's characters (sans Cad of course he gets along with everyone) would HATE each other XD
@@Direwolf181 Oh one hundred percent! I think Cad would straight up unnerve Percy. I think Cad would intrigue Ashton. Molly would have so much fun messing with all of them.
@@Direwolf181 Cad gets along with everyone *to their face*. He’s a judgmental little shit and it’s great. He’d probably give Percy and Ashton their own “sleep well with your bad decisions” moment.
@@transientanus yeah Molly would be a total troll
That "Do I look like the sort of person who doesn't know that?" hit hard, especially when you imagine it spoke in the halls of a *castle* who's lord is trying tto give you a 'life isn't fair' speech.
Shoutout to Matt for not only playing the Vox Machina characters but for understanding them well to do it accuratly in a way that respects the cast who originated those roles
It's dungeons and dragons man. Calm thy self.
@@grilledleeks6514 Try doing an (noncomical) impression of all of your friends while they’re in the room lmao not as easy as it seems
@@grilledleeks6514 what do you mean by calm thy self? Im calm. I know its dnd, im commenting on the episode. Literally a simple complement on something im enjoying. No need for you to interject if you dont care. Just more on
@@grilledleeks6514 That's a weird comment to make on a really chill praise.
@@grilledleeks6514 lame
“Why are we splitting the Bill with somebody who lives in a castle” underrated observation.
Tal is so good at coming up with great lines on the spot with all his characters. The man is a oneliner machine. My fav from Ashton so far was "you know apologies have diminishing returns, right?"
Because they are doing this to resurrect your friend and risk bringing Delilah back. That's why.
@@ShadowsOfEssence wooosh
@@leonardoandrade471 still can’t beat cad’s speech to Trent, “I hope you find someone who will mourn you when you’re gone”🔥
@@leonardoandrade471 From, "life needs things to live" to "help, it's again!" tal is the quote-making machine
Is there anything more Taliesin in Ashton than immediately being irritated at Percy and then immediately loving Vex?
The look on Liam's face when Imogen asks Percy if he was here during the Briarwood incursion was pure gold.
1:07:52
@@sandraisyearning Thank you! That timestamp is so helpful
Where you there when they came to murder your entire family, exile you, steal your whole life, bring back an ancient evil?
@@forged8323 I think BH is playing the "we dont know any of this in character" pretty well.
"And one of them is Delilah Briarwood"
Why am i gasping i already knew that!!!
😂 excelent comment Barbie meme😅
The delivery was so good though
Using the party's gag of whispering during Laudna's message spell to build out this encounter was genius!
Matt is such a wonderful DM
Hadn’t realized that until now
Holy shit that’s good
Pretty bad some of the cast didnt actually giver a shit about what was happening there.
Yes! I was looking for a comment that would point that out.
@@neruba2173 i like to imagine that they were immersed so deeply that the bigger picture eluded them
That makes her messages even more depressing if that's what's being projected constantly.
I am a big fan of Matt’s one man Vox Machina show.
Also, Matt when Percy was storming off was uncanny how I could hear Taliesin’s Percy through that at 1:36:26
“I will not stand here and allow this. I will not, in my home, in my city, bring Delilah back, and _that_ _is_ _final”_
But he did not get it. Delilah had been back for 50!!! years and LAUDNA is responsible for her not wrecking havok like?? He owes them. At this point they would have so much power as singular characters to defeat Delilah but he's like "its ok if you level 6/7 folks do it". I've never liked Percy, his character hasn't grown during all that time to not feel like he should give back to someone who kept Delilah from haunting his hecking CASTLE. I think Ashton in this episode is right imo and knows his past character enough to say something
PRECISELY WHAT I THOUGHT. OUTSTANDING!
@@thenamejenny You're forgetting she literally murdered his entire family and destroyed the entire kingdom but sure okay
@@thenamejenny On the contrary, they owe him a LOT for showing enough restraint and not incinerating Laudna's body. Percy has a lot more to lose now and knows that if Delilah has ANY chance at getting back to life, she'll take it and make it work. She's done it before, and will likely do it again. If she learns Silas was killed at the De Rolo wedding she WILL go after their kids first, and then them.
Just by being made aware of the fact that Delilah is not fully gone should and would completely unsettle Percy and have him look over his shoulder for the rest of his life, even for the other ghosts of his past, because if one came back, why can't another? What guarantee would he have that Ripley or Silas isn't in someone's mind like Delilah is? 3 decades after he was finally rid of his tormenters, random people show up at his doorstep with a dead body that hosted Delilah in its mind, asking him to help with resurrecting the body.
at 1:03:49 you can see Taliesin making a look of "We knew Derrig?" and then Matt clocks the confusion then translates it to Percy and responds as Vex
Omg that's so amazing
It was the same way, when he introduced Kynan with his family name, then when they haven't catched on that he made Percy call him in his first name, so the players can actually remember him.
you see the whole conversation play out on Tal's face too
Ashton talking with Percy is like that meme of the dog looking in the mirror thinking “who’s this asshole?”
When even Taliesin wants to punch his old character, you know that Matt has done a great job acting as Percy!
I mean I love Percy dearly but guys a dick XD
I think that was how Percy was always designed, a stuck up prick, but agreed
It's always Taliesin who wants to punch Percy, even when playing Percy
Percy is very punchable
I think ive wanted to punch every one of Taliesin's characters in the face except Cadusus.
Mat does a good job making the players deal with their old characters
There's something so wholesome about Travis fan-boying over Vox Machina cameos
He is Critical Role's biggest fan :)
Best hype man ever \o/
I don't know what's going to happen if Grog shows up. Travis might just explode.
I honestly don't think there's a bigger Critter than Travis Willingham.
@@Dinodudematt There's going to be a drinking game that devolves into a bar fight is what's going to happen.
Just watching the faces!!
Talesin embodying Percy during the conversation. Ashley giving a little smile anytime Matt talks about Pike. It's amazing to watch.
My favorite might just be the split second when Laura seems to be weighing the possibility that Jester travelled to Whitestone and defaced a temple.
Ash: I have this thing in my head as a constant reminder of everything I've lost, do you know what that's like
Percy, hair bleached white by trauma and torture: Why I couldn't imagine...
Not really bleached, but greyed out.
@@oldchannelforayoungstupidf2649 His hair is always described as white, not gray.
@@nommyyt yeah, but it wasn't bleached
@@adoragrayskull it was shocked
why are you all like this?
"He is very old. He could go at any second. Today could be the day ~"
-- "Roll a consitution saving throw"
I wish he would have actually done it and collapsed and then forced the other players to make a performance check doing CPR
I love that the joke for any older character so far was that they're always on the brink of death lmao
i swear to god i didn't even question why Sam was in a sunflower outfit
One does not question a Riegal ad
😄
True, but now I want to know about the joke
I have gotten to the point where Sam doesn't surprise me anymore lol
He's conditioned us. It's all been normalized
This might be the most impressive session Matt's pulled off since the Chroma Conclave's first attack: playing your party's beloved old characters for two hours straight, keeping the players rapt and happy the whole time, and then following it up with a set piece too weird and creepy to get overshadowed by that accomplishment.
While it didn't have the burden of playing the OG characters, there was also that coalition meeting in late C1 where Matt had an entire strategy session complete with debates, points and counter points between like ten different NPCs and the party.
Yeah, I know Matt gets regular - fully deserved - credit for what he does, but taking a step back, even just the VM side of things here takes audacious confidence and ability. Not only is he playing these characters in front of the people who built every detail of them from top to toe, but he's challenged to hold in-character arguments on the fly opposite the very same players with their new PCs. These folks are mightily talented people.
I like how Marisha's old character had to ask them to take notes at 38:19
matt getting to do bear noises after all this time was so so good
I still always hear "what's a whaleeee???" every time Matt does bear noises 😂
it made me so happy.
"Don't BOTCH my ressur--" is hands down my favorite Marisha Ray quote now LMAO
8:35 for reference.
timestamp?
Gave me serious Linda Belcher vibes.
"Bye! Bye! Love you! * smooch smooch smooch * STAY OUTTA MY ROOM! BYYYYEE!"
Loved that moment, glad I wasn’t the only person who caught it.
Thank you ... I actually skipped that part. Glad you pointed it out.
Yup I caught that one.
When Matt does the "ok ok ok ok" for pike I almost died😭
I was waiting for it and when it finally hit it was amazing
At 1:11:55.
I loved Ashley just immediately hiding behind the Mister plush.
😆😆😆
@@CraftySeaPickle Ikr, as soon as she was mentioned you hear laura go 'okokokok' then when matt did it, everyone was like WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Such a shame that the dice failed Orym twice in his persuasion checks against Percy even though he brought up the PERFECT arguments to get to him (and Matt was giving him advantage because of that).
He rolled the Ruidus d20s both times and failed both times. Marisha also rolled a Ruidus d20 on her death save and got a natural 1. Like Laura said, those dice are cursed.
WHEN WILL THEY LEARN TO STOP ROLLING RUIDUS DICE?!?
I'mma get a set from their store just to gift them to my DM.
Honestly it's also pretty compelling as a story point. I love that not all of VM are receptive and friendly to the BHs
I applauded it, so well done. There was a case to make for a Brennan Lee Mulligan "I grant you a nat 20".
@@colinmorrison5119 nah, I like that sometimes the dice tell you to go f yourself. And Matt gave him advantage, he was nice. And it fit with Percy's feelings perfectly, the dice know what they're doing, trust the dice! And it's more realistic, sometimes you can be very compelling and people still say no.
(And Percy's right, Delilah must not return.)
I'll never get tired of Sam calling Matt various random things starting with M xD
Vax isn't mentioned in the episode at all, and yet he is felt so strongly
he’s just always on the outside of our view, like a shadow, or a raven flying overhead
@@akirastcroix yes, a thousand times yes!
don't make my cry how dare you
Ah yes meta raven
@@pablothecoffeelover2551 Insert Taliesin raven noises
Vex being the Bells Hells' sugar mama is the best thing I could have hoped for lmao
😄
Cringe
@@calconone7250 yeah your comment is
@@TentacleTeeth Cringe
@@calconone7250 look at yourself in the mirror and give yourself a real reason to cringe
1:53:00+ Love when Matt lets Ashley switch to Pike mode in describing how Pike's house is laid out and decorated. Also when Ashley and Laura point out that if Pike needs a drink of "water", that ain't happening. So funny when they catch Pike taking a snort of liquid courage from a flask!!
I loved that, and Ioved how readily Ashley was able to consider what would be in Pike's home. After all, she was Pike for many a year, so it felt natural for her to describe the scene. I'm currently going back through C1 (for the second time) and am at the point where Ashley went off to film Blindspot, so it's lovely to have the character make an appearance for me.
@@Amethystar personally I am going kinda backwards, I am like 10-15 eps into season 2, and more or less keeping up on s3, will kinda suck not getting a lot of the refrences tho
@@denisehamstra1062 I have ;)
Ashley's reaction to Pike and everyone in VM makes me so happy 😭😭😭 I'm overjoyed she's here fulltime for campaign 3
I remember Matt saying multiple times that having her at the table this much is one of his favorite things of C3
I only wish Marisha could have seen all of this I'm pretty sure she was watching at home or somewhere else in the studio and freaking the fuck out
@@DarksideGmss0513 if you look at the commercial of this episode, she walked in. So i assume she's watching on a screen somewhere outside of camera view but in the studio (in case she's revived too)
@@DarksideGmss0513 she said in 4 sided dice shes in the studio watching on a tv while its actually live.
i love how Ashley immediately went into the Pike voice and acted like her wbhen Matt's Vex asked for a sip from her flask and then immediately apologized when she realized she's Fearne now but Matt just let her go with it.
Marsha’s “please dont botch my resurrection” before the intro was amazing
Trinket having a family is the most wholesome thing ever.
Vex « Oh » when she overhead Percy talking to Pike about Laudna being hanged on the Sun Tree hit me so damn hard. Like, you can see and feel the realisation and everything that go with it from her view. So sad but also it's also a beautiful part of the story. Definitely my favourite moment of this episode.
I can imagine her in the stairs
As soon as he described the guard captain I knew it was going to be the kid from campaign one. Kynan went from a scrappy fan of Vax to captain of Whitestone’s rifleman.
I'm so freaking happy someone else noticed him!!! He was one of my favorite side characters in C1 one I wish we got to see more of, so its awesome to see him here.
Not me waiting for the Simon the snake belt cameo
I knew I remembered him, just been so long for me it was just out of my reach.
I recently started C1 and as soon as they said the name, I was like HEY I recognize that name! It's been great as so much of VM is currently fresh in my mind (I still have a long way to go but I'm glad to pick up on a few things XD).
It’s amazing how well Matt is at showing the physical mannerisms of his NPCs, especially one from the first freaking campaign. I knew it was Kynan just by how Matt wasn’t making eye contact with the others.
It's so telling that Percy thinks that because his daughter is reading a medical journal at a young age that it means she is also able to identify and experience her emotions... :)
I like A LOT about Critical Role, but one of my favorite things is Ashley pleading for game sessions to go on. Not sure why I find it so amusing, but it makes me chuckle every time. This was a great episode too.
She missed soooo many episodes, I can only imagine how great it feels to finally be here for all of it and to want more.
That's the best feeling as a DM, to call it for the night and have players beg me to continue. Lol
This episode is just Liam being able to fanboy over Mariah's characters. He did it with Keyleth, he did it with Beau, and he does it with Laudna. He's the president of Marisha Ray's Characters Fan Club
**Marisha
Ashton's angry "I don't like to lose" (1:41:24) feels so much like when Percy got angry when he couldn't get things his way. They're so different from each other, and I think Percival may have had time to press that anger down, or to convince himself that he wasn't the same as the person now standing before him, but I believe somewhere deep down he sees himself in Ashton, and it hurts, scares, and saddens him. Their anger is less formal, more primal, and his was calculated, but it's the same anger.
Percy remembers what it was like to be where Ashton is now. He also knows that he can't talk him out of it, all he can do is give him a few words of advice and lay down the law.
@@elbruces Or point them in a direction for all that anger to be useful.
"Make waves."
As someone who’s noticed Sam’s progression into a flower I feel recognized
a lot of very famous franchises should take *THIS* episode as an example of how to respect and treat the appearance of former beloved characters.
all of this feels so honest and devoted by both matt and the cast that this is defentely not one of those cheap ways to serve fans with nostalgia.
no *deus vox machina* can be found here.
this feels honest and natural and made me super emotional💜
That has to be the funniest thing I've read all day. "Deus Vox Machina" I love it! 😂
Deus ex machina cn have their place in a story. There are some good ones. I think that there are two types that people like:
1) the Deus ex machina doesn't sove your problem, but rewards you with a smaller freebi after the main goal is accomplished. I.e. Frodo destroyed the ring and was then rescued by the eagles
2) the Deus ex machina doesn't solve your problems but at least makes the impossible task slightly less dificult i.e. this situation. Pike can resurect but you are going to have to throw hands with Delilah.
I fully agree. The way that VM is portrayed here is incredible. Also the fact that Matt has Pike astral project the players instead of just handwaving the resurrection is incredible.
Yeah, but if they deal with Delilah within 1 mile of VM, you'll just hear a volley of pistol shots, magic here and there, and the Grand Poobah saying "I would like to rage"
Thanks, boomer.
OMG this episode! "a black feather behind her ear" gave me goosebumps. I'm sure there will be more as the episode plays out.
1:22:17 Liam getting the zoomies was amazing!
"Would it be ok if I took a sample of the tree?"
Henry Crab Grass approves.
i swear if henery makes a cameo appearence im gonna lose it XD
@@mixmastermike2128 they'd have to go to him...I don't think he travels very far lol
No grabass Henry crab grass
Laura's face lit up when Trinket and his kids showed up.
And that was about it. Laura's performance was inexistent for this episode.
@@neruba2173 Hardly, Imogen still plays a pivotal role in the narrative.
@@deathbykonami5487 What does that have to do with any of what I said?
@@neruba2173 You said that Laura's performance was "inexistent" as in it didn't exist. Laura is playing Imogen and Imogen played a pivotal role in the episode, therefore Laura's performance did in fact exist. See the connection?
@@zgamer45 Dude Im not even a native english speaker and I can understand a figure of speech when I see it.
Now, that's how you resurrect a PC. Make the party fight for it, and develop the character more. As soon as he was talking about the forest and the shack I remembered Laudna talking about it. Stuck in a past trauma. Well done Matt. Delilah trying to take her place. All perfect.
But the real question is how do you resurrect a PG-13? 😂
@@brandonvangieson8087 lmao. Sorry, PC! (Edit)
To be honest even after all of this, I don't think we are getting Laudna back as we knew her either. If they manage to pull this off I have a feeling Marisha is going to play Laudna significantly differently and I'm both curious to see what she does, and curious to see how the community reacts to it.
@@troikas3353 I agree. Can't wait.
@@troikas3353 I'd love that. I've seen the resurrection path of oh wow. Death was a thing and I am now hardened. Bit or a lot. But Laudna was already a bit of someone else after Delilah texted her initially. So her maybe being more of her original self... Or behind door nuuumberrr 3!!!!- someone else else. Idk I'm excited to see it if they succeed. 🤞
1:05:30 Travis' shrug after Orym said they missed Bertrand is PRICELESS.
Taliesin: if there are a thousand Percy haters (affectionate) I'm one of them, if there are 10 Percy haters (affectionate) I'm one of them, if there is one Percy hater (affectionate) it is me, and if there are no Percy haters (affectionate) I'm dead
I about died at Percy trying to be all serious and intimidating and Gwens just there being able to crack through all that easily like he's a crab claw.
He's a tough badass... until his little girl wants something then he melts XD little Gwen has him wrapped around her finger
Someone please make a compilation of Sam slowly turning into a sunflower
Confirmed I need this in my life!
Check out the Reddit. It's been done. 😂
I totally did not pick up on this at all. Now I have to go see the compilation. Some Critters have great eyes for detail!
It's a B-Story to rival that one season of Fringe where every episode was based on a psychedelic-prog-rock album that they actually secretly dropped in record stores around the country.
I’m surprised it doesn’t exist already.
Sam revealing the B-story that he's slowly turning into a sunflower in the Quip ads sent me.
And, like... It absolutely was there. He didn't make it up, like the rest of the cast assumed. It was all there in plain sight
He's a truly mad genius. We should be grateful he uses his powers for good (if we stretch the definition of "good" to include obscure bits nobody even notices until it's pointed out/until it's too late)
i dont get it.
@@Snuusnuu69 the joke is less about "lol he turning into a sunflower" but more "how long can Sam get more and more sunflower-themed before the rest of the cast calls him on it"
@@weebjeez ty, went right over my head.
Liam: "I am on the verge of tears right now..."
All of us are Liam
Matt - you come upon a cabin in the woods...
Travis - is there a blueberry muffin in the window?
Matt - no..
In an episode with all kinds of cameos about VM, Travis is still worried about Jesters trick coming back to haunt them.
With all the cameos this campaign, and all the Fey shit, I'll be kind of sad if Isharnai doesn't show up. Maybe Ira could be working with her?
@@TheLordofMetroidscatching up, but while I doubt they are working together I wouldn’t doubt they know each other.
I am so so so sad that Orym's persuasion after asking what Percy's friends did for him when his soul was bound by another.. Such a great line halted by the roll of the dice
It was so good. "With all due respect", then went straight to the deep cut.
Spoilers for C1: I mean, it was good-ish (great delivery obviously, it's Liam), but It was also kind of dumb because it doesn't really address Percy's concern about Delilah at all, it's just emotionally manipulative (and slightly meta on Liam's part but we'll allow it because of all the characters Orym is the one where it's at least plausible he knows about that story lol). Because when Percy was dead and his soul was being tormented by Orthax, there was no inherent risk associated with resurrecting him, Orthax wasn't going to hitch a ride or anything, therefore Orym's point was a manipulative non sequitur.
Percy is 100% right in this situation, Delilah must not return, if you can save your friend under that condition, great. (He could be nicer about it but hey, _Trauma_ works in mysterious ways, they're lucky he didn't throw her corpse into an acid pit frankly lol).
So to be honest I'm kind of glad it didn't work (even though I want Laudna back).
@@mayaenglish5424 I think that the point wasn’t the dangers of Delilah verses Orthax - the point was ‘what were your friends willing to do to save you even when it might have been smarter to leave you dead’.
Was it meta? Ish? Orym and Laudna are the most likely to know that he had demonic possession problems or the general story of Whitestone. And given that Percy has the mask hanging in his office it seems pretty clear he’s not exactly been keeping that aspect a secret. Orym was pointing out the need that the ragtag group of adventurers had for saving their friend, however corrupted - and drawing a parallel that would be distinctly familiar.
@@arlanengin6904 Laudna wouldn't know anything, she died before Percy and VM got to Whitestone and didn't stick around after the rebellion against the Briarwoods, and she already made it clear she didn't know what happened in Whitestone since she left (unless she was lying but I don't think so). Orym is the only one who would even have a _Chance_ of knowing any of that through living in Zephra which is why I said slightly lol. (I mean mayyyyybe there's some bastardized version floating around in Scanlan's play but I think if he got _too_ specific Percy would have shot him lol).
And that was my point entirely, it was just Orym being manipulative saying, "Well you were dead once too! And your friends cared and brought you back!" But the circumstances were different, and no, it wouldn't have been "Smarter" to leave Percy dead, especially considering he Mild SPOILER for C1 helped save the world later, a couple times END SPOILER. And there were no consequences for bringing him back, UNLIKE with bringing Laudna back, where there is a clear and immediate theat attatched to her resurrection.
That's the whole reason the comparison falls flat, Percy literally was like "Fine, lets go talk to Pike about resurrecting your friend," right up until it threatened the safety of his family and the world.
(And there's no reason anyone would know what that mask means unless they were there. It's only meaningful to Percy, VM, a couple of corpses, and to us. So that point doesn't really make sense).
@@mayaenglish5424 I'm mostly saying as a character, from Percy's perspective it would have likely been smarter to leave him dead - it's about the danger that a warlock with an evil patron presents to those around them. If he wasn't the warlock at the time, if he wasn't bound by deepseated vengeance, he would have treated himself with the same disregard as Laudna. I'm not at all saying that his fears about the danger she presents are unfounded - just my understanding of why that would have been a convincing point to him.
I can tell you feel very strongly about this, so I'll just say I guess I found the scene less egregious than you did meta-wise. Matt said it was the perfect point to make and gave him advantage. Do I feel like it was probably a bit meta-gamey? Yes. Do I know exactly what knowledge Orym had access to from watching and listening to Keyleth? Not even a little. Since Matt hasn't said "Hey, that's probably not something Orym would be familiar with" maybe I'd feel like it was more meta-gamey. But he hasn't, which seems like a pretty clear indicator to me that Liam's not really stepping out of line. He's playing a character that has a lot of knowledge about Vox Machina. Not just the stories told after they became heroes and saved the realm - first person accounts his character has been privy to as they meet, discuss, and possibly reflect with Keyleth.
"Enjoy your castle!" "There's nothing you could offer me I would want." *chef's kiss*
A key part of talisien's characters: requiring the last word
Amidst so many heartfelt and beautiful moments in this episode, it made me so happy Taliesin getting to meet his old character when his new character is the exact polar opposite in terms of social status, upbringing, and mannerisms - and roleplay the s*** out of what that confrontation would look like.
The only thing that would have been better is if Caduceus was standing between them trying to keep the peace.
@@brettchew3771 and molly egging them on from the side
@@brettchew3771 I think Caduceus would let the chips fall where they may (as long as neither of them pulled out a weapon) and called both childish in some not-so-thinly veiled criticism of how they were both being stubborn while still validating their feelings. Neither of them are terrible people, so Cad could probably find a way to diffuse the situation, though I don't think Ashton is much of a tea drinker.
@@Amethystar Maybe Darktow island iced tea? 😉
@Jamaal Gaylord Don't you mean the other side? 😏
While being at their core the same angry person.
The whole sequence between pike and FCG almost made me cry. I couldn't help but watch it over and over again. Both are healing oriented clerics, but one is tier 4 and one is tier 1-2, and needs spiritual guidance. FCG was struggling internally with "what am I? Am I alive? What if I'm not? Can non-living folks be a 'cleric?' Do I have control of myself? Can a robot built to be an assassin do the opposite? Can I close wounds instead of causing them? Am I doing this right? What does it even mean to be a 'cleric,' to be a healer, to be _alive?"_ And so on. And then pike came in and said "THIS is what it means to be a 'cleric.' We don't just close wounds, we _heal._ You are alive and never even knew, and you've already found purpose when the rest of us haven't even started looking. You're doing great, sweetie :)"
Agh, such a beautiful scene. If c3 ever gets animated, this is the scene I will look forward to most.
I came looking for someone who was moved as much as I was by that scene!
Tier 4?
@powercockatrice3223 game power tiers. Tier 1 is levels 1 to 5, tier 2 is 6 to 10, tier 3 is 11 to 15, and tier 4 is 16 to 20. Pike and the rest of Vox Machina are all 20th level legendary adventurers, whereas Bell's Hells are all tier 2ish (level 7 here, I think??)
Yes. This scene absolutely tire me asunder.
Matt bringing out the Pike voice from when Ashley couldn’t be there in C1…
Matt, as Pike, saying "okie okie okie okie" was so good
I think my favorite thing in this episode so far is Tal’s little smile as Matt is describing the clock tower. That proud “Yep, I built that.” sort of smile.
Liam was me when Matt called the break. I was also running around my apartment screaming in disbelief.
I was laughing giddily. My dog thinks I'm insane (that's not new)
Same!!! OMG it was SOOO good!! 💚💚
He's so indearing to have such a reaction these years later.
Liam is so darn cute
It felt so....exhilarating and unnerving at the same time to hear Taliesin telling off essentially himself. But I think I heard a hint of pride in Tal's voice. Pride that Percy was still the highborn asshole he embodied in C1, and pride that Matt pulled off such an accurate Percy that he felt like he was looking in a mirror.
Matt impersonated each of their old characters so well. I love everyone's faces as soon as he starts describing them. So much nostalgia 😊
This week in Bell's Hells, our bands of voice actors trying their damnes not to squeel everytime old characters make a reappearance.
Hearing Ashton talk with Percy helped me understand what Tal mean when he said he had a bit of a hard time to figure what punk would be like in Exandria and I kinda can see the direction he went with
Honestly, Mollymauk was the most punk of any character yet.
Percy vs Ashton was very vivid. "Do i look like the kinda person who doesnt know that?" Coming from ashton to the lord of the castle rang out in my ears. Good moment
A lord of the castle who, when he was younger than Ashton, watched his entire family be slaughtered and then was tortured for weeks.
Ashton and Percy really are mirror images of each other, which is why it makes sense that Ashton disliked him.
“that’s not a d20”
“that’s not.. eyesight”
As a person who can't function without glasses, I felt that in my soul :D
@@syntia13 same LOL
"1"
Matt: **describes Percy with a rough beard**
Travis: **beardly nod of approval**
My favourite thing this episode is Ashley's identity crisis between Fearne and Pike
Love that Ashley hides behind the Mister plush whenever Matt does Pike
Ashton - "shit somewhere inappropriate and think of me"
Gotta be up there with the best quotes of campaign 3
He said that to the wrong member of VM. I realize Scanman wasn't there. But shitting in inappropriate places is HIS job 😄
@@rossburns9814 That castle is no stranger to inappropriate shits. Vax had the twirls. I think scanlan shit on a bed. Then there's Grog....
The Meatman sends his regards...
*Major spoiler for Campaign 1*
17:50 I love how Matt describes Keyleth's walk where the grass grows behind her "leaving a faint image of where she once stood." It's paying homage to Vax's druidcraft where he left snowdrops for Vox Machina. Almost had me in tears as well.
I actually thought he was gonna describe snowdrops growing behind Keyleth and if he did I might’ve died on the spot
@@Achridian I may be reading too much into the druidcraft, but Syndestar is still our equivalent of late summer, so grass growing is keeping with the summer theme.
Or I'm looking for things that aren't really there and it's just keeping with Keyleth's theme, since she's a druid, and Matt is a brilliant storyteller.
@@GeorgyKong yeah probably, I think he was just setting Keyleth’s vibe there and enhancing Liam’s description of falling in behind Keyleth with what he notices there. Brilliant moment.
I'd like to imagine that Vax is still there with her, forever walking in her footsteps, never seen nor heard...But always there...
@@booklover7889 This made me tear up immediately, wow.
loved seeing the gang giggling and gleefully listen to matt describe their C1 characters. they look SO HAPPY!
I was too. Just giddy fan boy here
Laura and Taliesin are so proud of their fictional children
Ashley and Travis singing Spice Girls in the middle of battle with absolutely no one paying attention is such an under appreciated moment. (3:07:07)
omg I didn't even notice that lol
ashley and travis may honestly be my fave pair of the bunch hey, their friendship reminds me of myself and my friends being goofs 😅😅
The way this group randomly breaks into song always gets to me...and not it a good way. It feels like watching a move with my parents!
I love that the CC/subtitle champ caught the last phrase of their little duet - and then they immediately pretended like they weren't singing. So good!!!
Ashton and Percy re-enacting the spider man meme slayed me
time code?
@@Ivan_D995 starts 1:39:50 (When Ashton follows Percy) They both angry bois
*screaming at cat meme*
@@PattPlays "i had everything taken away from me!"
"I don't even care who you are"
Ashton kisses Percy while upside down?
FCG's response to what do you do - "Oh, I'm an assassin created a thousand years ago by a long-gone civilization". So casually accepting of that. Hilarious!
Yes, pure gold!!!
"I haven't tried to kill any friends in nearly a week!" 😃
"Oh, um, I thought it would have been longer..."
You've got to give credit, Laudna's backstory, calling back to one of the defining moments of Vox Machina was genius on Marisha's part, well and what Matt contributed as well, of course.
Not really, just a bunch of lame pandering. It's the same with Orym's trash, relating himself to Whitestone and Keyleth, and then they get to use that "plot" to ex machina out all their mistakes.
@@ferrari250trwho shit in your cereal
@@ferrari250tr I hope by this point you watched the 4-Sided Dive Halloween episode that followed episode 35 because Matt talks about this. He debated when to insert Keyleth because he doesn't want the party to use her as a way to transport everywhere and then have her be an option to call anytime the group gets in huge trouble. Matt also loves the tie ins because it shows that Vox Machina and Mighty Nein had impact on Exandria. If you really think it's "lame pandering" then I'm not sure if this is the show for you.
@@ferrari250trwhy watch something you have so much disdain for?
When Vex realized who Laudna was I got goosebumps.... so good!
I'm a legit fool
I made a connection with Derrig now. He was in the de Rolo wedding one shot. That was Derrig- Will's father and Orym's father in law! Gaaaaaahhhh how did I not put that together until now?!?!
And it is a beautiful thing. Liam's talked about how Derrig in the one-shot even then was meant to set up Orym.
Ok, but what ever happened to Larkin? That's what I want to know.
@@Michelleishappy now THAT's a set up I would want to see XD
Gotta love that at 32:36 it’s Travis and Laura - parents - who immediately recognize the shenanigans of a child
Pretty sure Liam and Sam are parents too but yes good point.
*sigh*
They aren't the only people at the table who are parents.
Ashton is becoming my favorite character cause they're lowkey the mom of the group and I'm here for it
Despite Orym begin most well adjusted person among them, it's Ashton that keep the group together.
It’s anger!mom, where instead of “oh goodness what happened” it’s “what the FUCK went down goddammit!?” both of them will get you tea and tuck you in though 👍
Wanna know what broke me this episode? (Besides everything)
Laura as Imogen watched Vex'ahlia walk away and whispering to Orym "You can see the resemblance".
it was actualy Orym that wispered that tp Imogen, but yes
Taliesin has the best 7th level character meets a 20th level character reaction. "We are way out of our depth" I love it lol
I hope when they come back from saving her I hope they meet Grog cuz I want Grog to meet Ashton. Barbarian to barbarian.
There's gonna be a fight. And I'm not gonna bet on the outcome^^°
I just want it to happen so I can hear Matt play Grog.
@@selkiedraws Matt does a pretty good Grog! (Rewatching C1 while waiting for new episodes.) And as much as I love Ashton, Grog ended C1 as a level 17 Barbarian, and even with age would be formidable... but that doesn't mean they both wouldn't enjoy the fun.
Rewatching C1 and just finished the first fight between Kern and Grog, and man, that fight is still one of the top 10 moments of C1.
'show me what you have learned'
@@Amethystar I am Watching C1 for the first time while waiting for episodes (I started with C2) and both fights with Kern were amazing! I just watched them investigate the Storm Giant Fortress.
Bakers truly make the world go round, don't they
Amen
Bakin my way
@@diggerdog9205 And my protein shake is now up my nose. Thanks a lot. :D
That could be Eshteross' retirement plan/hideout- baker in Whitestone! ^^
Ofc they do. They got the dough
Matt: So, Travis
Travis as Travis: oh!
Matt: I mean Chetney
Travis as Chetney: oh...
I love when Ashley is present; she sits watching like a little kid at a magic show
I loooove watching her reactions!!! I feel like she is really amazed by her friends's talents, and that is truly beautiful. She reacts so genuinely, though quickly changes her presence when her characters are summoned. She is such a beautiful being!