Review: The Legend of Vox Machina “Scanbo”; “A Silver Tongue”; “The Tide of Bone”

 

 

Overview:

“Scanbo”

With Percy’s vengeance taking centre stage, it is time for him to share the origins of his powerful pepperbox. Then, with the rest of Vox Machina on board, it is time to break his long-lost sister out of the Briarwood’s imprisonment. Meanwhile, they will need a distraction, and it is the unlikeliest of heroes that will step up to take on the dangerous Duke Vedmire. Unfortunately, Percy is moments too late to save his sister from their former mentor, Professor Anders.

“A Silver Tongue”

Percy’s sister is dying, and her vicious murderer, Professor Anders, has a few more tricks up his sleeve for Vox Machina. His dangerous magic turns the team against one another, but Percy is set on getting his vengeance. Meanwhile, Pike faces her dark side in her pursuit to reconnect with the Everlight. With victory in hand, Vox Machina is caught off guard when Lady Briarwood raises an army of the dead.

“The Tide of Bone”

The town is overrun with zombies, and Vox Machina are busy trying to survive, never mind saving the villagers. In their most desperate hour, Percy must take his rightful place of everything the Briarwoods stole from them. Unfortunately, their rally is still too little too late. Thankfully, an old friend arrives just in time to turn the tide of battle.

Our Take:

The hype behind Critical Role and The Legend of Vox Machina is beginning to make more and more sense. The Dungeons and Dragons web series has millions of followers for a reason. The Critical Role Kickstarter campaign broke film and television records for a reason. And if you haven’t been won over through the first half of the season, the latest batch of three episodes is a gamechanger.

The strength of this series is its reimagining of the source content. Up unto this point, Dungeons and Dragons adapted media has been less-than-thrilling. The 1980s cartoon failed to capture one of the most easily amused audiences in generations. Equally, the live-action blockbuster almost made the game less enjoyable simply by association. However, The Legend of Vox Machina is something all to itself, making the sword and sorcery genre adult, violent, and hilariously entertaining.

This latest batch of episodes truly sets the par for what this series can bring to audiences. All three pieces brought in a level of action that most shows lead up to in an entire season. Considering the heroes have already faced off against a dragon, it would have been difficult to estimate the level of villains that they would confront in these later episodes. Sure enough, the party faces an army of the dead, a full-on zombie apocalypse, and the season is still not yet finished. The stakes continue to be raised, and the show keeps getting better for it.

Additionally, the level of humour, love, and character arcs interjected between the action is impressive. Within nine episodes, we understand this group of would-be heroes, their motives, relationships, and goals. Something that takes a long time to develop is almost effortless. Meanwhile, it is done while simplifying the lore of an epic role-playing game to the point that it is approachable for everyone.

The fact each of these episodes introduces a new villain more potent than the next and kills them off as quickly as they appear is what makes The Legend of Vox Machina so enjoyable to digest. Each episode puts the protagonists in riskier situations. Watching them overcome and be victorious is like watching any fantasy epic squeezed into mini portions. A fact that makes climaxes like the return of Pike all the more satisfying. And we cannot wait to see what is going to happen next.