The Legend of Vox Machina 4-6 (Spoiler-Free) Review
Some significant improvements have been made between the first three episodes and this batch! In this spoiler-free review of The Legend of Vox Machina’s second episode drop, I’ll be talking about episodes four, five, and six. We see our heroes head to Whitestone to confront the Briarwoods. There are, of course, some trials and tribulations along the way, including an especially Dungeons and Dragons-esque encounter in episode five. There’s a lot to love in these episodes, and any complaints that I have are fairly minor.
Well-Executed Running Gags
There are running gags in The Legend of Vox Machina, some of which draw from the campaign itself. The most outstanding of these is the fact that the bane of Vox Machina’s existence is… doors. They were pretty subtle with this, I thought, in the first batch of episodes, but these next three really make sure the audience is aware that this is going to be a regular occurrence; nothing stops Vox Machina like a door. I’ve found these gags to be executed to great effect throughout the series so far, and am enjoying them quite a bit. I’m not sure how much people who aren’t familiar with Critical Role will enjoy them, but I think that anyone who has played Dungeons and Dragons can at least relate to some degree.
In addition to these in-your-face gags, there are also a few subtle references to the original campaign—things that only people who are fans of the first campaign will really get. I’ve found that all of it enhances, rather than detracts from, the core experience of watching the show. This is really shaping out to be a solid Dungeons and Dragons show, rather than being a fantasy animation that just happens to be inspired by a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. It really feels like you’re just watching an animated version of someone’s home game, and I think that’s an excellent accomplishment that will really set this show apart.
Outstanding Visuals
I had some complaints about the visuals in my review of the first three episodes, but the show has stepped it up considerably for these three new episodes. Yeah, there are a couple of awkward scenes here and there that could have used some extra polishing, but overall there is a noticeable improvement over what I saw in the first couple of episodes, where a few of the animations just generally looked bad. These latest episodes have some really amazing scenes, especially when it comes to the combat; I was really impressed by what I saw! I hope that this is a sign that the worst of the visuals are behind us with this show.
The horror visuals, in particular, I found to be especially excellent. I was surprised by how much The Legend of Vox Machina amped up the horror elements in this latest batch, and it was done to great effect. I am living for the horror in this show and I can only see it getting cooler from here.
Some Humor Falls Flat
To be entirely honest (which... you know, is kinda necessary for a good review), some of the humor in the show is starting to fall flat, for me. I get that this is supposed to be a raunchy D&D show because, let’s all be honest, most D&D tables get a little raunchy. Players and dungeon masters alike can be really slapstick, and Critical Role is certainly the king of slapstick comedy. However, while it works well for the table and works well on occasion, I’m finding it to be a bit much for the show. I’m hoping that they dial back some of the slapstick gags, because some of them were more groanworthy than chuckle-worthy, especially with Scanlan’s horniness. Scanlan was a much more well-rounded character in the first campaign, so I’m hoping we get to see some more depth with him soon.
A Bit of Plot Convenience
My only other complaint that’s worth mentioning is that the fourth episode has a bit of plot convenience that I found to be disappointing. It wasn’t a huge deal and it makes sense within the world, but I found it to be a bit too convenient for my liking. I’m not doing spoilers here, so I can’t go into more details than that, but it’s really my only complaint of any significance for this latest batch of episodes. I really would have liked to see a bit more struggle and foreshadowing for the events in the fourth episode to make it more believable, rather than having it end with something adjacent to a deus ex machina.
Hey guess what, I was wrong! Upon a rewatch after writing this post, I noticed that did actually sneak a bit of clever foreshadowing into the fourth episode. It's quick and easy to miss, but I found it clever. Noticing this is actually going to bump up my star rating for the fourth episode! I'm leaving my original complaint here so you can see how wrong I was. I'm good like that.
Overall Rating
All right, so let’s talk about my overall ratings for these episodes. The fourth was originally my only four-star rating for this batch, as I thought the plot convenience at the end was a bit much, but then I rewatched the episode and I noticed that the ending was foreshadowed quite cleverly, so I'm bumping up the rating for that episode! That means that EVERY episode in this second batch is going to be a five-star episode for me!
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Conclusion
Great improvements have been made in this batch over the previous one. I think that the first two episodes of the series are going to end up being the weakest overall, and I’m sure that there are some reasons for that which we aren’t really privy to, just yet. My expectation is that this latest batch of three episodes is going to be the standard for the episodes to come, which is a good thing! It means that this show is well on its way to being a five-star season for me, which is a really impressive accomplishment.
If you want to find out what my thoughts are on the remaining two batches, the best way to do so is to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me on social media! I’m @TLBainter on most platforms, and I’ll have links for everything at the bottom of this post. Thanks so much for considering supporting me, in whatever form your support comes in. I greatly appreciate it!
Until next time, bye!