#the legend of vox machina review | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

aspiringsophrosyne · 10 months

Text

Episode 10: The Kill Box

You ready for a fight? We got ringside seats, soda and popcorn. Just make sure you've got your splash guard ready to go.

The Good.

When the illusion over Whitestone is disturbed and ripples...that's a beautiful visual effect. This show's at its peak when it portrays magic so well it inspires wonder. Exandria is a gorgeous world; it's so gratifying when it's done justice.

Earlier, I said it was a good move to split the party because it serves the intervening episodes well. But that choice gives us something fun here, too. In the original, everyone was waiting in the wings to see if Grog would win or need to call for backup. Because the rest of the group needs to get to Restruun to help, and because the gnomes are spotted and threatened, the stakes get raised considerably. Half of Vox Machina is in dire straights and the calvary isn't guaranteed to arrive in time.

Note: in the game, Matt described the spike as going through Grog's shoulder. That's till bad, mind you. Much worse in real life than tv and movies would suggest, but I can't stand seeing it go through the gut. You could conceivably miss organs in the shoulder at least. Here? Not so much.

It always a pleasure to see Pike be bad ass. According to the episode commentary they actually slowed down her face bashing because otherwise it would've been a little much. Even then it's still sufficiently brutal.

Always good to hear Ike. And Liam was right. Grog's absolutely gut-wrenching (no pun intended) vulnerability sells this scene. Grog's usually a sillier character, but Travis is just as capable of making a character hilarious as he is playing them so that they break your heart.

And of course, the iconic as always call to rage. Even more hype here than usual.

I will never complain about this show's fight scenes. You can feel the difference between Grog fighting Kevdak before he rages and after. Likewise, the difference between fighting Kevdak before he swells up with the magic of the Knuckles and after. The hits' power and the weight of the impacts as Grog is slammed around the arena makes you flinch like it was you getting hammered to the stones so hard they crack.

The choice to have the rest of the crew come in, with no fan fair, in a corner of the screen where you could easily miss them...mwah! Beautiful. It feels organic, and it makes you feel excited for noticing it.

But once the fanfair starts....their silhouettes on the roof, the closeups, Grog's call to arms.....AH! I knew we were getting something special for this episode. The fight is sufficiently gruesome on both sides, and everyone gets to show off.

The episode would not have been complete without the Willingham Poke Ball drop. It was a particularly clever move by Laura in the game and seeing it play out was just magic. The rise and payoff of the music, that shot of bisected Kevdak when the smoke clears....there's no word but epic to describe it.

Keyleth is adorable, and the Raven Queen is a cockblock.

That last isn't the good thing. But it does make for a nice set up for what comes next.

The Bad. (Or at least, not so great.)

The only thing I could've possibly wanted out of the fight that I didn't get was a bigger sense of danger. The stream version felt incredibly tense throughout, as it was essentially a timed mission. The goal was to kill Kevdak (no mean feat) before the rest of the Herd killed them.

I get that this was basically a chance for everyone to get to be badass and go buck wild. And I support that. But getting just a little bit closer to that stream level of tension would've been nice.

This is why I think Percy's "This isn't going well!" falls flat, as from what we could see it was going pretty damn well up to that point. And even after it just wasn't a curb stomp in Vox Machina's favor. A better line might've been "The tide's starting to turn!" Or, if they really wanted to be cheeky: "They're getting a Second Wind!"

I'm also a little sad we didn't get a variation on Scanlan's Hold Person from the stream. Even though I appreciated the little nod to it via Vex's bramble shot, that move lacked the accidental ironic significance of the original. Grog got kicked out of the herd by his uncle for protecting a gnome. Only for a gnome to be instrumental in said uncle's defeat. It was so good!

Nitpicks:

What was Kaylie doing there at the start of the fight? Afterwards she just disappears. If you wanted to show that she was keeping an eye on Scanlan, it would've made more sense to have a shot of her watching from a distance. That way it isn't weird that she isn't in the fight after she said she wasn't letting Scanlan out of her sight.

~*~

After the fight in the tavern with Vex and Keyleth catching up: DUDE!! Talk. To. Each. Other. Give me my banter and character relationship development!

~*~

There isn't a full version of "When the Bald Man Cries" on the soundtrack. Release the full version, you cowards!!

~*~

Kaylie's speech to Scanlan could've been rearranged a bit so it served as a smoother transition into her revelation.

Instead of this:

Kaylie: I'm actually not too different from yourself. I grew up in Kymal, but I moved around a lot. Scanlan: Ooh. Kaylie: My mum gave up all her savings for my education. Scanlan: Uh, oh, oh, yeah? Moms are the best. Kaylie: Mine certainly was. You know, Dr. Dranzel spun many a tale about you, Scanlan Shorhalt. Scanlan: Yeah, I mean, that's not surprising. That guy seemed like a bit of a fanboy. Kaylie: But most of his stories I'd already heard... from my mother.

We could do this:

Kaylie: I'm actually not too different from yourself. I grew up in Kymal, but I moved around a lot. Scanlan: Ooh. Kaylie: Even more so when I joined up with Dr. Dranzel's troupe. You know, he spun many a tale about you, Scanlan Shorthalt. Scanlan: Yeah, I mean, that's not surprising. That guy seemed like a bit of a fanboy. Kaylie: But most of his stories I'd already heard... from my mother. My mum, who gave up all her savings for my education. So that I could play and travel the way I do. Scanlan: Uh, oh, oh, yeah? Moms are the best. Kaylie: Mine certainly was.

Not perfect, but I think it flows better.

Down to the last two, folks. Then the fun really begins.

7 notes · View notes

crystal-lillies · 8 months

Text

Revenge pasta time babeyyyy

Percy, probably: look upon this garlicky pasta, Sylas, and despair

Prep wise, it didn't take too long. The red pepper flakes definitely give it a kick that I don't know if I'll add again, but it's not entirely unpleasant. Definitely add more ricotta cheese on the end step for balance of flavors and textures.

It was fun to make, but I will probably add, subtract, and/or change things next time I make it.

As it stands on its own, I would give the De Rolos Revenge Pasta a solid 8.5/10.

Not bad, Percy, not bad.

#flowerspeak #critical role #food #photo #photos #percy de rolo #percival fredrickstein von musel klossowski de rolo iii #mine #tlovm #the legend of Vox Machina #exquisite exandria #review i guess?

75 notes · View notes

niamhoftirnanog · 1 year

Text

I trawled through the Fandom Year in Review so that you don't have to: Critical Role Edition

Here is every mention of Critical Role and any associated topics across all categories.

Top 22 of 2022 - #4 Critical Role

Top 100 Ships - #35 Imodna. #68 Shadowgast

Top 100 TV Shows - #51 The Legend of Vox Machina

Top 50 Web Celebs - #6 Marisha Ray. #9 Laura Bailey. #10 Travis Willingham. #11 Sam Riegel. #12 Liam O'Brien. #13 Brennan Lee Mulligan. #15 Ashley Johnson. #17 Taliesin Jaffe. #18 Matt Mercer. #22 Aabria Iyengar. #23 Robbie Daymond. #30 Lou Wilson.

Top 50 Web Series - #1 Critical Role. #20 Exandria Unlimited.

#critical role #year in review 2022 #24% of top 50 web celebs are associated with cr. that's a lot #cr cast #exu #tlovm #exandria unlimited #the legend of vox machina

84 notes · View notes

nerdygirlreviews · 1 year

Text

And just like that, season 2 of The Legend of Vox Machina is behind us! But not entirely, as I was joined recently by my lovely friend @robb-stark to talk about everything that happened this season, and we just had the best time chatting about all the things, including but not limited to our beloved Vax'ildan, our favorite episodes, and the moments that stood out to us the most.

28 notes · View notes

nellie-elizabeth · 1 year

Text

The Legend of Vox Machina: The Killbox (2x10)

Goddamn, this show is something special.

Cons:

I'm not sure the utility of Kaylie coming back to witness the Kill Box fight. It feels like the exact same effect could have been achieved if Kaylie and the rest of the band had turned up after Kevdak's defeat, saying they'd gotten word that the herd was no longer going to be a problem. Having her around doesn't add anything, other than just a hint that she's trying to stay close to Scanlan for some reason, but I think that could have been achieved after the Kevdak battle.

The only complaint I have about the Kill Box fight sequence is that I wanted even more of it, which seems selfish because it was pretty incredible! I think the one thing that would have elevated it even just slightly, would be a bit more combo action. We saw each individual of Vox Machina fucking shit up, per Grog's instructions, and then obviously the awesome Vex and Grog combo there at the end, but my favorite part of the fight sequences is watching how all the different fighting styles and magics support and enhance one another. This fight had a lot of impressive single character actions, and then a lot of characters shooting a bad guy to protect each other, like Vex shooting bad guys near Percy and vice versa, which I obviously love, but I could have used some more combo creativity. This is such a nitpick though, it's only remembering the stream, how the Kill Box episode was one long combat from start to finish, and how fucking insane it was... when it ended here I was still eagerly wanting more.

The "I'm daddy" cliffhanger joke with Scanlan doesn't quite work because earlier he says he's not opposed to being called daddy, and then he says "I'm daddy?!" all incredulously at the end. I feel like it should have been him saying that he'd call her daddy, and then at the end he'd be like "I'm daddy?!" I don't know, for some reason the joke didn't land, even though the leadup to it was incredible.

Pros:

What to even say? This was so fucking good.

It was smart to check in at Whitestone at the start of the episode, see Kima, Allura, Gilmore, Cass, and Yennen all together. To remind us that Vox Machina has allies, and a place to fall back on, something they're looking to protect. This scene was so great, seeing everyone's relief, learning about Whitestone's magical defenses, seeing Cass in her leadership role. And Gilmore and Vax were pretty adorable too! Allura helps them to check in on Pike, Scanlan, and Grog, and we see that things aren't going so great for them...

I want to start by saying that I really felt the weight and gravitas of Kevdak as an adversary in this episode. His sheer physical size and strength, during the initial one-on-one combat with Grog, was so intimidating and legitimately distressing to watch. Seeing Grog stabbed with the wooden spike had me gasping. It was just such a smart narrative move to have Grog weakened in all sorts of ways, then at the mercy of watching tiny little Pike under Kevdak's boot, for him to have his big cathartic "where does your strength come from" moment. Just a brilliant restructuring of the way Grog's development happens in the stream. He realizes that his friends make him strong, and he's able to rage his way back into his full physical prowess, free himself of his impaled state, and rush back into the fight with Kevdak.

I was just really getting the feels about Grog and all his friends, especially the way he yells "No! Leave 'em!" when he realizes the herd is going after Pike and Scanlan, and then he says "they're more than just friends." Buddy! This is a smart change from the stream, because instead of Vox Machina lying in wait ready to ambush, Grog did fully intend to take this fight on alone, and it's only when the herd makes the first dishonorable move by getting Pike, Scanlan, and Kaylie involved, that all bets are off and Grog calls in his friends. Soooo glad they kept "Vox Machina, fuck shit up!!!" in there, because what a fucking line from Travis, holy shit. All the praise for his improv in the stream, and his performance here.

And the combat... so many individual shots I could call out about the group combat, but I think I just wanna say that the shot of Percy with his glasses flashing white as an explosion goes off behind him due to one of Vex's arrows is... the coolest fucking shit I've ever seen. The song was amazing, everyone was a total bad-ass, Grog was really getting to show off his more strategic mindset, focusing in on the gauntlets as he allowed his friends to clear the periphery for him.

Seeing the Titan Stone Knuckles in action, Kevdak pulling his arm off, really reinforced how bad-ass he is as a villain, but also was an excellent way to show that our good guys are having a real impact, here. Things aren't going great for them, but things are also not going so great for the herd. And then we get the poke-ball moment, one of Grog's most epic natural 20s brought to stunning life as he falls through the sky and slams down into Kevdak, cutting his evil uncle in half. I was so hyped for this episode, and that moment really, really did not disappoint.

And while I said above I would have loved even more combo action during the combat, there were a couple moments we did get that I enjoyed. Keyleth growing the wall of vines and Vex setting it on fire, Pike in peril and Keyleth as Minxie jumping out of nowhere to protect her... I particularly loved the moment at the end where Vax catches Vex when she tumbles off the broom.

Grog, as rightful Thunderlord of the Herd of Storms, immediately passes the mantle to Zanror, which is a nice moment. This season really does allow us to check in with most of our characters' families, between Vex and Vax's father and meeting their half-sister, Keyleth seeing her dad in Pyrah, Pike and Wilhand, Grog and the herd, even Percy gets to check in on Cass a few times. Funny how Scanlan is the only one who doesn't check in with family.

Oh, wait.

As if all that amazing combat wasn't enough, we immediately follow it up with an incredible tavern scene, full of so much fun, giving us a chance to decompress without ever fully taking our foot off the gas. I loved that they got "at dawn we plan" in there, as that's such a funny joke from the stream, and exemplifies so much of what Critical Role (and D&D in general, I suppose) can be. Lots and lots of discussion, and then total chaos once it comes time to actually implement the idea.

Keyleth and Vex fill Pike in on their adventure in the Fey Realm, while Percy talks with Grog and Zanror about how to kill Umbrasyl. Scanlan is up on stage singing a truly filthy song about masturbation, and Kaylie joins in... Vax seems to be enjoying the performance, when yet another vision from the Matron of Ravens unsettles him. The moment when Keyleth tries to ask Vax to dance and gets rejected is so quietly tragic! Kiki, he loves you, just hang in there, girl! I just loved all the vibes of this scene, the joy, the catharsis of everyone being together and safe and with new hope of defeating their foe.

And then...

Listen, the scene with Kaylie at the end filled me with so much dread, but in the best way. When you know what's coming, every compliment from Scanlan, every lascivious glance, it just makes you cringe. What a cliffhanger for people who didn't know what was coming!

As a last note, I loved the little detail of Scanlan telling Kaylie a story as they enter the bedroom: "and then, I disguised us all as cows!" This is obviously referencing an event from the stream that didn't make it into the animated show, but I also like that Scanlan is telling the tale of Vox Machina here. I've been so impressed with the adaptation in this show of Scanlan as bard, as storyteller, as the one who will pass the legend on through the ages. That's a common theme with this show, where not only are the big important plot moments adapted so well, often in surprising and fresh ways, but I feel that thematically, the characters are getting a chance to grow and develop much like we saw in the stream, albeit with the pacing drastically tightened up, and certain meandering paths shortened or cut.

And now, onward to episode eleven! I'm so mad the season is already over, I want more!!!

9/10

#review #tlovm #tlovm review #the legend of vox machina #critical role

20 notes · View notes

foldybikes · 1 year

Text

first three episodes down, was fun but having some mixed feelings compared with tlovm season one so far. unsure if I like the memes and scanlan's joke about purvon, bit meh. memes always date a work, especially with the speed we're cycling through them nowadays. they're having to set up a lot of background stuff very quickly and it doesn't always work seamlessly. I enjoy the gravitas of the earthbreaker groon fight more in the actual play campaign, I'm hoping scanlan's arcane magic moves beyond just bigby's hand and shows his full impressive range (bards are insane), and victor hits different without the atmosphere of the table (though I can't fault the acting or writing for that, the character was fine, I just love table victor vs percy).

that said, I do like how pike gets a good amount of screen time and characterization, how they wove in the twins' backstory and the deserved recognition liam's dramatic 'don't go far from me' line gets. and the dragon attack was suberb, what a treat to have that visualized! seeing emon burned to cinders and the show not shying away from gore was very neat. Lance is so good as thordak and I'm excited to see more of raishan. also enjoyed osysa's sharp and painful insights on the characters, especially scanlan, which you can view as a throw-away joke at the expense of the court jester, but really cuts to the heart of his issues. plus more overt focus on keyleth's motivations and fear is a better path than the campaign took sometimes. plus the whole show is just goddamn gorgeous, I love phil bourassa's sleek designs and the care and detail put into the vista's and cityscapes and divergence scenes.

anyway I like it and I'm excited! waiting to see how the rest of the episodes go, I'm sure they'll redeem some of the pacing doubts I have. can't wait to see certain fights and rp moments, and the opportunity a scripted and animated medium brings to those. can't wait for ep four!

#critical role #critical role spoilers #tlovm spoilers #the legend of vox machina #cr1 #vox machina #foldycr #giving this all the tags so people can filter and block spoilers #spoilers don't detract from the drama and quality of a story but they can reduce the impact #anyway this is just my nuanced take! I'm looking forward to reading more reviews of this season

19 notes · View notes

creativedifferencespodcast · 1 year

Text

The Legend of Vox Machina continues to be one of the best animated series on TV! And there’s more on the way from the adventuring party at Critical Role! What do you hope to see in the future of Exandria?! And find out why Demi thinks The Legend of Vox Machina is so great in episode 233!

#creative differences #podcast #tv review #the legend of vox machina #vox machina #critical role #ashley johnson #matthew mercer #laura bailey #taliesin jaffe #liam o'brien #marisha ray #sam riegel #travis willingham

16 notes · View notes

historyhermann · 1 year

Text

Things Get Better?: LGBTQ Representation in Animation in 2022 [Part 2]

Continued from part 1

youtube

In 2022, there was a plethora of LGBTQ characters in Western animation, from gay warriors Orc and Iago in Battle Kitty to a lesbian drama teacher in Dee Dee Holloway in Big Nate. Other series featured gay couples (as in Baymax!), gay and lesbian parents (as in Firebuds), and many other lesbian, bisexual, non-binary, and queer characters. [3]

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the nineteenth article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on January 16, 2023.

Some series had more representation than others. One of these was The Legend of Vox Machina, airing on Amazon Prime and based on the Critical Role roleplaying podcast, which featured lesbian, bisexual, and queer characters, specifically Vex'ahlia "Vex" de Rolo, Vax'ildan "Vax" Vessar, Lady Kima, Keyleth of the Air Ashari, Scanlan Shorthalt, and Lady Allura Vysoren. Stephanie Beatriz, a bisexual actress, voiced two of these characters: Lady Kima and Lady Allura. In addition, there were was a reboot of Monster High which premiered on Nickelodeon in fall 2022, with more gender diversity and LGBTQ characters, such as a non-binary monster named Frankie Stein and two lesbian moms (Medusa and Lyra).

Just as powerful was the reboot of The Proud Family in a series named The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. It aired on Disney+ from February to April of 2022. Created by the same person as the original, Bruce W. Smith, it includes three gay characters: Randall Leibowitz-Jenkins, Barry Leibowitz-Jenkins, and Michael Collins. There were also one-time lesbian characters and queer vibes among other characters, who are part of the show's mostly Black cast.

One of these characters is Maya, a 14-year-old anti-racist activist voiced by Keke Palmer. Although Palmer is an actress who has described herself as sexually fluid and queer, it remains to be seen whether Maya will be "sexually fluid and queer as much as Palmer is in real-life."

This was followed, later in 2022, by the much-expected Dead End: Paranormal Park, which Netflix recently cancelled. This series broke barriers as the first animated series with a trans protagonist named Barney Guttman. He is voiced by a trans male actor, Zach Barack. The show also includes Norma Khan who likes multiple genders and is ambiguously queer, and Courtney, who is non-binary. This series goes beyond the barrier-breaking of High Guardian Spice, a series by a trans male creator, Raye Rodriguez, who voiced one of the show's characters (Caraway), or the trans male lead character in Wendell & Wild (Raúl Cocolotl), who was said to be the first trans man in an animated film.

2022 heralded the end of the much-beloved Disney series, Amphibia. The series featured LGBTQ characters who were confirmed after the show's finale, like bisexual Sasha Waybright, voiced by bisexual actress Anna Akana. There's also Mr. X, Frodrick Toadstool, and Toadie who are gay, Yunan and Lady Olivia who are lesbian, Ally who is pansexual, and Jess who is bisexual.

Continued in part 3

Notes

[3] This includes lesbian characters Nadja el-Koury and Danielle in Human Resources, Laura Feinberg as a bisexual woman in Little Demon, a queer non-binary couple (Gladys and Wren) in Pinecone & Pony, a non-binary Faerie student named Jae in Supernatural Academy, and a non-binary transformer named Nightshade in Transformers: EarthSpark. In addition, Dragon Age: Absolution, which only aired for six episodes in December 2022, featured four of LGBTQ characters (Miriam, Hira, Roland, and Lacklon), with Qwydion voiced by Ashly Burch who came out as queer and pansexual in July 2022.

#the proud family louder and prouder #the proud family #the legend of vox machina #monster high #lgbtq #gay #disney plus #amphibia #netflix #dead end netflix #high guardian spice #wendell & wild #Youtube #animation #pop culture #reviews

15 notes · View notes

vaxxy-the-raven · 1 year

Text

(The Legend Of Vox Machina - Season 1 Episode 3 - The Feast Of Realms)

Episode Rating - 5 out of 5

"They were so cruel with this opening and I love it.

Am I a bit peeved over the family tree rewrite? A little, I admit.

Cassandra should be younger than the twins and we're missing both Vesper and Ludwig.

Also Percy being too depressed to appreciate Vex looking like that is not as funny as the memes about it are, but is it still pretty funny.

Keyleth being her usual Disney Princess self is lovely! But her reaction to Vax's greeting is annoying, he has food in his mouth Keyleth, what did you expect? Vax singing good morning? Come on, girl, give him a break lmao.

Then Grog ruining Vax's day before he even has breakfast is such a brother thing to do. A+ sibling representation there.

Then Allura!! The door!! Vax getting revenge!! Scanlan flirting with Pike!! This scene is so good, poor Percy trying to save face with an unimpressed Allura always cracks me up.

Then the dinner!

There's a slight animation error that has Vax looking a little depry when they first arrive, but the curtsey more than makes up for it - also, he looks so pretty!

("No thoughts, just pretty boy" is the biggest mood of the season.)

Also petition for Vax to have a ponytail in season 3 if we don't get the beads and braids. So much nicer than whatever he has going on normally.

Also everyone looks great here, Vex especially so. Hooo boy. Her and Percy having matching necklaces and chokers is so cute, I fucking love them.

Pike and her fancy shots, then her telling off the audience.

Scanlan flirting with Reginald. My new favourite otp.

The Briarwoods' entrance, tho.

Sylas walks like a man who knows he's the sexiest man alive and that his wife is the hottest woman alive. Love that for him.

Also Vax immediately wanting to help Percy? Asking what he needs? Offering to snoop?

Love him. Love him. Love him.

The safeword bit is funny, but it doesn't make sense without the earrings??? Like, what???

Then Scanlan failing that charisma check so bad was funny, Allura totally knew he was lying through his teeth.

The dinner scenes are a bit grating, but still kinda funny.

Vax and his stealth roll is beautiful, love that sneaky boy!

Then we get to see Simon! Yes!

I hope we see more Simon next season! I adore him!

Also the long shot on Vax's crotch while he picked that lock was so fucking rude. 10/10 thank you

Then the scene where Delilah has Sylas charm Uriel to stop him from drawing suspicion on the pair and Whitestone?

Sylas touching the sovereign and nobody stopping him?

I do think he should have said "You don't need to do that, Friend." rather than just "You don't need to do that.", but maybe that's just me?

Still hot though!

And only Keyleth seeing it? Does she realise what's happening or ???? Baby girl, what do your (Half) Elf eyes see? What do you know?

Also the tension when Delilah finally addresses Percy, everyone panicking - thankfully Vex is there, they'd be lost without her sometimes.

Syals saying "Charmed" like that, though, and right after charming Uriel? Perfect. Beautiful. Amazing.

The beads joke is a bit… eh.

When Delilah tells her little story in a passive aggressive attack on Percy? Percy's reaction?

Fuck me. That was good.

The Briarwoods feigning offence as they leave? They know.

I bet Delilah's things had some sort-of alarm spell on them.

There's another animation error in this scene - as the scene opens we see a servant giving Sylas dessert, but as the Briarwoods leave he has his dinner in front of him again.

(Not mad about this! Genuinely find it really funny.)

Then of course, Vax having his attention stolen by the fire - he had plenty of time, surely.

Then we see the Briarwoods' walking past the mirror to their room and Syals has no reflection while Delilah does? Finally confirming that Delilah wasn't a Vampire while Sylas is one? Because that did confuse people during the campaign. Love it.

And the confrontation! Vax panic-flirting! Then, foolishly, running into the couple instead of to the side and away???

That fucking staredown???

Percy telling the others about what happened to his family, the group rushing to help Vax.

Sylas caressing Vax's face and talking about him being curious while Delilah watches from the bed, the vibes suggesting so many different possibilities???

"You look delicious."????

The bite???? Ahhh????

The ensuing fight, Delilah's spell hitting Pike in the back and looking like when Pike hit her back off the wall in Episode 2???

Keyleth's clutch thorn wall???

No Mercy Percy? Poor Desmond? Scanlan coming out in the end and realising his party fucked up big time?

When I say this is my favourite episode of any show ever...

That being said, Vex'ahlia was robbed of two nat 20s in this fight! She should have hit Delilah!! Twice!!! Ahhhhhhhh-"

Vax Suffering Rating - 5 out of 5

"My boy is paralysed and then felt up by a (very sexy) Vampire?

He gets bitten by said Vampire?

He throws himself out a window?

He hits a flagpole during his fall and lands on concrete?

He gets torn up by Vampire claws after grabbing a broken shard of glass and cutting his hand trying to protect himself?

Then he nearly gets choked out?

Before being hard yeeted onto concrete again?

And he still looks so pretty?

Baby Boy, Baby Boy-"

(masterpost)

#can you tell that i like this episode?#tlovm spoilers #tlovm review #tlovm s1 e3 #the legend of vox machina #tlovm #lynias watches tlovm #stop being gay on main lynias

7 notes · View notes

scarlettshanaart · 1 year

Text

My very 1st review

youtube

You don’t have to understand me, I just need viewers😅😅😅

#legend of vox machina #vox machina #critical role #review #dnd #Youtube

4 notes · View notes

retrokid616 · 1 year

Text

pre-game for critical role campaign 3 episode 48

so last week we got a new nord ad

still want a gridman/Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad tie in ad we know you can do it sam anyway over on the legend of vox machina's end this week and HOLLY SHIT WAS THAT THE TRAVELER!?

youtube

anyway let's see if the bells can handle the creepiest dragon matt can think of this week on Critical Role

see y'all in the live-blogs tonight.

#cr spoilers #the legend of vox machina #the mighty nein #the traveler #campaign 2 #campaign 3 #critical role #live blogging #pre game #retrokid reviews #Youtube #tokusatsu gifs #dragons #denkou choujin gridman #gridman universe #ssss.gridman

4 notes · View notes

aspiringsophrosyne · 1 year

Text

Episode 7: The Fey Realm.

If high fantasy's your thing, have we got a show for you today. Cursed swordsman, mysterious faerie realms, and grappling with destiny. Just make sure to get your seat before the lights go down.

The Good.

I appreciate Keyleth's freak-out after they realized they were separated from the gnomes and Grog. Too often, when characters don't get a moment to be distraught, it makes the stakes feel lower than they should. Or makes it feel like the cast doesn't care about each other all that much. So that was refreshing.

Also, good call to split up the group. That makes it easier for the show CRew; no need to figure out how to write and animate seven characters at once. Plus, that divides the audience's attention, making the plot easier to follow. And in smaller groups, it gives individual characters more time to shine.

Serious kudos is deserved for the design of the Fey Wild itself. Young Heller, episode director, and guest for the watch along, nailed it on the head when he described the Realm of the Fey as a character unto itself. Honestly, it comes across as even more alien and other here than it can in the game. Unless the DM wants to change things up, the game mechanics don't vary that much when you hang out there. So it can feel like only another weird area among many, depending on the story you're trying to tell.

Watching Craven Edge soak up Pike's blood from a distance while she's trying to heal, without even a wielder, is disturbing. It gives the impression that if left unchecked, this thing could turn into something even more dangerous than it already is.

Getting rid of Craven Edge was more involved in the stream, so they knew they had to make its destruction here brutal enough that it felt like death for the sword. For my money, they managed it; Grog breaking the sword had the visceral impact of a bone breaking in half. And the small ocean of blood it expels is like all its power and evil being released back into the world.

Holy shit Billy Boyd as Garmelie. He is perfect; the design and Billy's performance are just spot on what I would imagine a native fey creature to act like. Whimsical, self-interested, sort of smart ass, charming as all hell....everything about it is fantastic. I only wish we could've seen more of him. No notes.

Well, except for Garmelie's notes which....yeah, exactly right. Absolutely accurate to the stream. What a fabulously gross, cheeky little gremlin man.

My reactions to Pike and Scanlan's song, in order:

Oh, is this the song Sam hinted at during the pre-season interviews?

Wow, Ashley and Sam sound great together. They should do more duets.

...Wait, what are those lyrics?

These ridiculous little shits. (<-affectionate)

If you know, you know. But if you don't, it's just a good song.

Don't think we didn't pick up on those nine eyes Vex saw when she was sliding into a bad trip. It's weird and ominous to think that, in this universe, that's still around. And that the person who will trigger the confrontation with that whole thing....technically isn't even born yet.

I can't say enough about how pretty the Fey Realm is. Just....so gorgeous at every point.

And, of course, Cheech Marin is Trinket. Of course, he is.

The Bad. (Or at least not great.)

One thing that bothers me is that there are two angles they tried to hit in this episode that, due to poor execution, just...don't work. One is Percy being a more ineffective guide to the Fey Realm than he thinks he is, and the other is that the Realm Does Not Like the Matron's Champion in general on life vs. death principles.

When Percy warned the half-elves that the forest they were traveling through could pick up on a poor mood, we all knew what would happen. Vax has, understandably, been in a funk for days. So it wasn't hard for the audience to guess that the negativity-detecting plants would take one look at this boy and collectively go: get his ass.

Percy wasn't wrong about the vines; Vax was never going to be able to pass through them unscathed.

Likewise, when the rest of the group seems to think Percy doesn't know where he's leading them or is lost, that idea is undercut by the fact they've just reached the upside-down waterfall. The very same waterfall from Scanlan's vision of where Fenthras was. So the visual tells the audience Percy is actually on the right track, no matter how skeptical of him the group is in-universe.

As for Vax, the encounter with the mood forest muddles the idea that the Fey Realm is against him because it doesn't like death-aligned individuals in general.

Because Vax was initially attacked due to his emotional state, the potential takeaway was that the Fey Realm doesn't like bad vibes. And Vax is nothing but bad vibes right now.

It's another case of the script and the dialogue telling us one thing while what's actually happening tells us something contradictory. It's frustrating.

More Grog nerfing....eh. Makes a little more sense than some of the Season 1 moments, and it makes the fight in Episode 10 go even harder, but it still feels a little cheap to me. If I'm going to be nitpicky.

And that's about it. Next is a good one folks. See you there.

6 notes · View notes

nerdygirlreviews · 1 year

Text

Sooooo the audio file for coverage of the last three episodes of The Legend of Vox Machina season 2 is just around three hours, pre-edit, and before doing the spoiler section/outro... so apologies in advance if this next one is a rather long one as well, clearly I had a lot to work out about the finale of season 2 and I hope my reverence and appreciation come across adequately!

And a very happy (almost) love day, and Happy Galentine's Day to all those to celebrate ♡✨

#the legend of vox machina #tlovm #critical role #cr1 #nerdy girl reviews #nerdy girl reviews podcast #podcast #vox machina #the legend of vox machina spoilers #tlovm spoilers #vex'ahlia #vax'ildan #percy de rolo #percival de rolo #scanlan shorthalt #keyleth #keyleth of the air ashari #pike trickfoot #grog strongjaw

18 notes · View notes

nellie-elizabeth · 1 year

Text

The Legend of Vox Machina: Into Rimecleft (2x06)

Eyyyyy we're splitting the party, this should be good.

Cons:

Okay. So. Keyleth encouraging Vax to talk to the Matron of Ravens... I get why they added this little detail in, but to be honest it's a characterization change I'm not sure about. Keyleth in the streams has always been very dismissive or even distrustful of the gods. It feels weird that she should be the one to gently nudge Vax towards exploring that relationship. Maybe I'm misremembering and Keyleth says something to him in the stream too, it's hundreds of hours of gameplay and character choices aren't always 100% consistent, but this just rang false for me as a Keyleth moment.

Literally I have no other complaints though, this episode is perfect.

Pros:

I've been saying that all the episodes could use a couple more minutes of breathing room, and this episode really helped by having a section where everyone's just walking on their journey to meet the second sphinx, and they have a chance to chat, to catch up. The aforementioned Vax and Keyleth moment happens there, and we have Pike worrying about Grog, we have the ADORABLE moment of Percy giving Vex his coat... he's so smitten, I love it. It just really gave the group a chance to breathe and check in with each other before their next big moment of tension.

Grog's nightmare at the start of the episode was so intense, and was mirrored so beautifully by the agonizing ending where he stabs Pike with Craven Edge! This is changed in circumstances to how it happened on the stream, although something similar did occur, and it's so brutal to see it play out! Travis is killing it in the voice acting department. He really only offered comic relief last season, but now he gets to shine.

That goes double for Scanlan - see, when I started watching Critical Role during campaign one, my original favorites were, quite predictably, the twins and Percy. Percy's got that anime angst thing going on, and then pretty quickly so does Vax, after the Sunken Tomb incident. But as I kept watching, slowly emerging to the forefront of my "favorite characters" list was... Scanlan Shorthalt. It's partly the genius of Sam Riegel. He's such a charismatic man, he can take the jokey little gnome bard character and just shatter you to pieces with what happens next. And since watching this show, they have the time and space to set that up properly... hot damn, this is one of my absolute favorite episodes of the whole show thus far.

To start, we see that Scanlan does have people checking in on him, in their own way. He's not as completely isolated as he pretends to be, it's just that his humor is deflecting people from noticing his pain. Grog offers to carry him to warm him up, and yeah it's a comedy beat, and yeah Grog is manhandling him, but that's Grog's way of showing he cares, too. And Pike wants to talk to him about Grog, and yeah she tells him off for making a dumb joke, but she was looking for some sincere conversation from him, and he was the one who failed to give it.

Then we get Kamaljiori. This is a significant shift from how this encounter went down on the stream. I actually laughed out loud when the sphinx just introduced himself, because let's just say that's definitely not how it went the first time around! I love how Kamaljiori's trials are similar to Osysa's, in that they both involve touching on the insecurities of the party members: Vex doesn't have family who cares about her other than Vax, Grog needs to find where his strength comes from, etc., but it's also different. They're finding fun ways to mix up all the different combat scenarios from the show, what with this being a one-on-one test of strength that's ultimately won by emotional damage.

Fucking Scanlan, pulling out a pop ballad to wound Kamaljiori's heart... and it's honestly such a good song? Sam has such a good voice, damn! I actually got goosebumps. It's such a funny twist, and so heartfelt, and Scanlan actually finds a friend who understands him on an emotional level, who he can joke around with but who understands there's a heart under all that, and that he's having a hard time. It's so heartwarming for Scanlan to find this, and he even gets his own Vestige out of the deal! Mythcarver. I like how they've added in the twist about Mythcarver being tied to all the other Vestiges, so it can lead them to find the others as we go.

And then... just to pile on the angst... looks like with Ripley's assist, Umbrasyl has found Vox Machina. This was such an epic showdown, and again it's increasing the menace of these dragons. We just watched how Vox Machina couldn't get a hit in on this Sphinx, and now Umbrasyl is able to go toe to toe with him! I was genuinely moved by Scanlan and "Kammi" defending each other during the fight. This ancient powerful being risked his life to protect his new little friend. In fact, he lost his life, after thanking Scanlan for letting him see Osysa once more before the end. This totally broke my heart!

And while we're all being sad about this Sphinx dying, meanwhile Grog is losing his battle to control Craven Edge, as he ferociously tackles Umbrasyl single-handed. Keyleth is trying to get a plane shift spell going, Grog is covered in Umbrasyl's blood and won't stop attacking, Pike tries to stop him and... gets impaled for her trouble! Gasp!

I'm actually really excited to see the Fey Realm stuff play out and the Westruun story also take strides, while our party is split up. It feels like it's a good opportunity to mix things up, and honestly will build to a really satisfying reunion in a few episodes!

A couple small things to call out: the Vax and Percy tension is still there simmering in the background. He's short with Percy about reading the runes, then shoulder-checks him on his way to go face the Sphinx. I'm obsessed with guilt-ridden Percy trying to make nice with Vax and just getting nowhere... I hope we get some of that in the next batch of episodes. Keyleth has a moment where she's hesitant about trying an unfamiliar spell, and Vax calls her "Kiki" and encourages her to try, and she is quite calm and more self-assured than we'd normally see her as she agrees to try. I love this! She's growing into her confidence more and more! Grog's attempts to hide what's happening with Craven Edge are very suspicious but also very funny. This week, he claims he was talking to the trees, to throw Pike off the scent.

And that's it! I can't believe this show keeps making me wait after such tense moments. Pike is seriously injured, Grog is drowning in guilt, the group is separated... can't wait to see more next week!

10/10

#review #tlovm #tlovm review #the legend of vox machina #critical role

18 notes · View notes

therandomavenger · 4 months

Text

#blog post #Legend of Vox Machina #Fall of the House of Usher #Foundation #Cunk on Earth #Mrs. Davis #TV Shows #Year in review

0 notes

vaxxy-the-raven · 1 year

Text

(The Legend Of Vox Machina - Season 1 Episode 2 - The Terror of Tal'Dorei pt.2)

Episode Rating - 4 out of 5

"The start of this episode was great. Those poor guards.

Very violent. Loved it.

Also Vox Machina showing up as Fince (Finch?) tries to suggest they're dead lmao.

Then Vex teasing Vax about his relationship with Gilmore, sending Pike to babysit Vax while hoping Gilmore's fondness of Vax will get them something to help them fight the dragon.

Scanlan trying to step up as leader, Vex scaring him off using Trinket. Hilarious.

And Vax and Gilmore? Ahhh. I love these dumbasses. The sexual tension between them is so heavy and Gilmore just bleeds flirtatious banter.

Poor Pike did not sign up for this, though the reading material does pique her interest.

Also Gilmore joking about not being a dragon. Okay sir. 👀

Then of course, the Grog and Scanlan shenanigans as they chase Fince around Emon is so entertaining. It was brilliant.

Ass ale anyone?

The sandwich bit is really endearing, while the door bit had me cackling when I first saw it.

Vax really likes to act like he's so smooth and sauve, fucking love this cocky dumbass.

My favourite olive theif ever.

The confrontation in the basement, the Krieg reveal? Very tense, very fun.

Not Vax low-key flirting with Krieg and wondering about his armour and sneaking technique.

(Relatable.)

Then poor Vex figuring it out?

The room investigation feels a bit dragging in my opinion, though it does give us a lovely Vax'leth moment with some jealous Vex angst.

The lair reveal was amazing, then the dragon transformation?

The fight? The detail of the gold melting after being struck by lightning? The d20 effect when Scanlan's Hand throws Vax??

I loved this fight so much and David Tennant sounded amazing! He was brilliant!

I am disappointed by the end though, knowing that in the original campaign Vax killed Brimscythe but seeing Grog get the kill in the show.

I hope this doesn't become a pattern, but I trust Critical Role.

Also, Vax's reaction to them getting the keep breaks my heart every time. I love him????

Then that Briarwood teaser? That scene has no right being so fucking sexy. My Gods."

Vax Suffering Rating - 3 out of 5

"Vax gets beat to fuck and its hot as fuck. Not as much emotional damage, though."

(masterpost)

#tlovm spoilers #tlovm review #tlovm s1 e2 #the legend of vox machina #lynias watches tlovm

6 notes · View notes