I am so busy, and so behind, so let’s be quick about this, shall we?
I 100% meant to write this a week ago now, and quite simply, didn’t. Time just gets away from you… but perhaps the week to recover will be a good thing. That said, let’s dive in.
SPOILERS!
(Obviously, but you know that)
Hopes
I had a list of things I wanted to happen in those final few episodes. It was admittedly not a very long list, that began and ended with “Get Percy Back”.
Going into the season as a whole I obviously had many hopes, but those had mostly been met by the time we got to those final three, and I was just left with this. In a way, I found it odd, really, if only largely because in watching the Campaign, admittedly, Percy was not one of my favourites… but, an animated Percy grows on you, and I adore him, and to be perfectly honest, I have adored Perc’ahlia since their inception, but I have always loved Vex. Twinsies forever.
I find it to have been an especially cruel move to kill him and then Open With His Funeral. The tears that that created in me were not acceptable. He should’ve been revived! He should’ve! He was supposed to be there to fight Thordak, to fight Raishan! He was there! He and Vex have a future! A future that is canon and lovely and sweet, and I will be damned if you take that away from them. He was dead for just so long, so yes, a short list of hopes, but a list of hopes nonetheless and… Well, I am very glad it was met.
Perc’ahlia will get their happy ending. They damn deserve it.
This is not to say I did not like that change they made. It hurt, but narratively speaking, very well done.
But! Let’s speak of hopes in broader strokes, shall we? As we have not spoken about this series since the first three, let’s revisit the other hope we previously discussed: The Kissing.
Yes, thank the gods, not only has there been so much kissing this season, but Vaxleth!! My beloved favourite couple of the original campaign is finally, Finally, together in TLOVM. Thank the unholy dice gods. I am very happy this has happened, even if Percy had to die for Vax to get it through his thick angsty skull to just live in the moment and enjoy what you have while it lasts to be with Keyleth. Like, man, he was in love, head over heels, tripping over his own awkward ass in love, and it took them still three seasons! She had found her way there and then he got scared? Whatever, they’re together now.
Sure, he watched his sister crying over the grave of the man she loves to get there, but ya know what? It happened, and in my mix of fictional grief that was a joy to finally watch. Yeah, they love each other, gods damn it. They love each other. I love them.
Vex, though, brings us to another point that is fully wrapped up in the kissing hopes, because, yes, aside from Percy’s survival being greatly desired, also wanted was “I should’ve told you. It’s yours.” Vex, and the wonderful Laura Bailey, are some of my favourites, and I want her to be happy goddamn it. This moment in the campaign was so wonderful, and really set us on the path to the awkward flirtation that is their courting that really very quickly just becomes lust… and well, I have been hoping for this line since Saundor, and I am so glad we finally got it. If later than I had expected. I am still recovering from the gut punch that is his funeral, but this execution of that line and his revival was beautiful.
A Bard’s Lament
It is worthy of discussion, I think. A good portion of us, I would guess, were expecting it. I certainly thought they were laying some groundwork for it, though to his credit, this Scanlan does not spice. And we know it occurs after the Chroma Conclave. I was ready for that tear-jerking gut-wrenching scenario and I was scared, and yet hopeful for a Taryon Darrington… but no such came.
In some ways, I am relieved. That would be a truly – in a not necessarily but potentially bad way – horrific ending to that season. Ya know, “Kill the Dragons, Scanlan’s a Prick” bit of a stain on the arc in this construction. I do believe Sam said in an interview he did not want to end the season with Scanlan telling them to all go “f**k themselves”, which is a very valid approach, I think. I am glad we got the ending we did, everyone’s taking some time and that’s not inaccurate to the canon. (and that teaser!)
However… Does this mean we’re not getting a Taryon? It feels as though we have moved straight to the “One Year Later…” part of the campaign, and they met Taryon before that, and yes, he was there for that but not soon after Scanlan returned, Vecna began, and Taryon left us. So, I just wonder if we’re skipping him entirely? I sort of hope not.
With the teaser, though, it feels as though the next season is going to be the Vecna arc. From a narrative perspective I understand that bit between The Chroma Conclave and Vecna arc is not so easily traversed through in a linear, planned and written sense of narrative. It’s a clunky cleaning up of loose ends, really, before Vecna. It’s exploring backstory they’re not going to get to do again, because Vecna. It’s a breather for a bit… before Vecna. If anything, it’s a couple episodes of just stalling. They’re fun, don’t get me wrong, it’s some excellent stalling, and we, of course, love to see Kiki complete her Aramente, the development of the relationships, some exploration of Pike and Taryon. They’re good and fun. I do, though, see, that when it comes to writing the series, a lot of that can be spread out and adapted into the other arcs to be more linear, if not cut completely.
With that finale, though, ya know, we’ve not got A Bard’s Lament, that teaser in the Ziggurat, Vax seemingly has his thing going on he wouldn’t have gotten until after the Kraken death… Next season’s Vecna, right?
I hope we see Taryon, but irregardless I have a feeling the next season is going to hurt.
On the other hand, though, I kind of wish we got an animated Bard’s Lament. I’m sorry, but “What’s my mother’s name?!”, kind of iconic. Episodes following that have them referencing and joking about it themselves, they talked routinely about how much that whole moment effected them, it was big. I kind of wish we got it. Especially for some of the character development it encouraged in some of the others. It is a small part of me, that wishes for it. The rest of me is quite glad that is not how the season ended because that would be painful.
You never know, though, they rearrange stuff all the time, maybe we’ll get it next season. If not a line or two reference.
Dragons
Look, it’s The Chroma Conclave, they’re f**king dragons! Those Fights! I watch more live-action than I do animation but, oh my gods, those dragon fights! They looked so cool! It was so awesome to see animated.
The Vorugal fight with the demon? Beautiful! Then the Siege of Emon? Thordak?
We got the information that Thordak slaughtered twinsies mom right after Percy died, and then Vax still got the final blow on Thordak like he did in the campaign and it was awesome. That was one of the few final blows I knew I wanted to stay the same, similar to Grog getting Kevdak last season. Those kills mean something, they have to be kept. And, wow, was that Thordak kill animated, written and preformed so beautifully.
We saw Vex plead with her father to help, clutching the arrow from Percival… I did like that scene, that meant something too, for the portions of Vex we didn’t get to explore in the campaign that they are here. Vex’s ~daddy issues~ are well known, really, but there’s portions of it that didn’t make such a vocal appearance in the campaign as they do here. She thought her love was toxic, man. It’s a very well written arc that I appreciated.
Then, of course, the Thordak fight concludes with what we all knew was coming, no one more than Keyleth. After the siege those last few episodes feel like they briefly slow down, people split up, with the twinsies going off on their own (something they’ve threatened to do since Season 1), Keyleth going back to Zephrah, Grog and Pike staying by Scanlan and fetching Kaylee… They take a breather, not a long one, but Kiki’s on mission… there’s a dragon to find.
Wasn’t that cool? Look at Kiki go!! I do love Keyleth. It feels as though that should’ve been part of her Aramente journey, at least internally, if not actually physically. It was a really cool and perfectly tense moment. And then… and then! That Raishan fight was about ten minutes of that final episode and it was glorious. In perfect just karma, our favourite Druid takes down the Diseased Deceiver, the only way you can take down an undead fuzed dying dragon. Well done, Kiki.
And while we’re talking about this period of time, honourable mention for twinsies killing Ripley! That was a bloody cool fight. Ripley dying the same way Vex killed her before, and with the arrowhead? Twinsies on fire, well done, guys. I enjoyed the twinsie solo mission so much. The whole thing was constructed so well, and it was good to see this… grief… and determination, pull them together. To see, I suppose, what they must’ve been like before Vox Machina in this animated form, ya know, when they’re not literally children. They’ve always got each others back, we know that and they know that, but with the romances and the dragons you hadn’t really seen that in a hot minute and it was good to see again… and damn good fun. I love twinsies.
Vestiges of Divergence
Aren’t we down a few?
Like I don’t think twinsies picked up Cabal’s Ruin from Ripley. Yenk didn’t seem to have the Spire of Conflux in it. We don’t have a Whisper.
I imagine… some pursuits were cut for time, or they didn’t really fit in, or they’re saving it for later, or maybe they interfered with an arc they’re building.
I know it would’ve been perhaps an odd moment if the twinsies had murdered Ripley and then stopped to undress her before flying to safety from the burning and sinking ship. Besides, at that point, did we really need it?
Ya know, Keyleth has a staff already, and there’s clearly a building of power already being written that is inherent to her (as we do so well know) so perhaps without the game context they didn’t want to add an artificial extra to it… I don’t know.
They had enough vestiges to get through, clearly.
Pike, though, can we perhaps not barter with souls next time? To that point, what is going on with this subtly hinted at arc of Pike and her faith? I don’t recall Pike having an arc in regards to her faith, but to be fair, Pike’s presence was… infrequent… through no fault of her own. I can understand perhaps, why it is there, and perhaps more answers on that will come next season.
Speaking of, they’re renewed for Season 4 so… I love them, I’m excited, and I can’t wait.
To Conclude
This show means so much to me. Critical Role as a whole means so much to me and I am so glad that coming up on probably three years ago now I began to watch them, and I will continue to do so. They bring love, laughter and light to my life whatever may be happening. I adore them, and I adore this show.
Thank you for joining me on this ramble, not entirely well constructed look at this show for now.
I just get so busy at the moment, which is vastly unhelpful to the many other things I want to write. I am sorry I continue to be behind on posts, but given the chance I will get myself on top of it. I maintain, late, though I may have been, I have not missed one yet this year and that will continue I so hope.
Thank you, for reading as always. I do hope you’ll join me for whatever and whenever the next one will be.
In the mean time! Feel free to leave a comment or send me a DM on socials.
You can follow me on Instagram at: @thebomff or on Threads at: @thebomff
On to the next!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the images, narratives or characters present or referenced in this post. All rights belong to Critical Role and all other relevant parties.