Review: The Legend of Vox Machina “The Poisoned Ear” ;”Let the End Begin”; “The Ascension”
Overview:
Doty, take this down. I don’t want to talk about this one. Something terrible has happened, and my fellow adventurers are shaken. Even Jumbo is quiet. Short Stuff is facing something I don’t fully understand. Doty, just… stay close.
Doty, take this down. I’d like the record to show that I, Taryon Darrington, did not run. Doty, hold my things.
Doty, take this down. I don’t know how to write this one. Everything changed. These ridiculous, extraordinary people gave everything they had. I came looking for an adventure to put in a book. I found something else entirely. Doty… end of chapter.
Our Take(Spoilers):
This was quite possibly the most heartbreaking way to end a season. Before these episodes dropped, I saw that Sam Riegel said there might be a longer wait for season five. At first, I thought that was a good thing; we could use a bit of a break. But then they went and ended this season with one of the worst cliffhangers I’ve seen in media in a while. To be clear, by “worst” cliffhanger, I mean that now I want the next episode immediately.
There were also a few issues I had with it as well. Pike’s loss of faith has been telegraphed all season long. So when she starts to fall for the Whispered One’s words, it’s not surprising. In fact, I was incredibly pleased that they let a major character become villainous for a while. Emphasis on my use of the term “a while” and therein lies my issue. Maybe it’s because we’re getting three episodes at once, but Pike’s return to the side of good felt quick. I wouldn’t say that it was unearned because it most definitely was.
I intend to go into more depth on the characters and their journey’s thus far in my season review. One character I feel that I can discuss is Scanlan, because he was barely in this season. I know that the show has followed the podcast fairly faithfully and has made changes where necessary. I’m sure that this part of the show lines up with Sam Riegel missing from the podcast. Or it could have something to do with his recovery from cancer. Either way, Scanlan (and Sam) were missed greatly from this season.
When I first started watching The Legend of Vox Machina, I was worried that we wouldn’t get to see the end of this group’s story. With the next season being the final one, I’m pleased to know that we will get a well-earned conclusion. One nice aspect of the animated show format is that any characters that survive can maybe come back in other Critical Role productions.
