It's like the Mom and Dad when their kid gets home from school after a fight and the Mom is like "I'm so mad at you for fighting." while the Dad is just "Proud of you son!" :P
Travis and Sam are agents of chaos - stuff that is going to fuel story conflict, drama or even just a kickass character moment always gets them going. That moment when Marisha is processing and trying to bargain with the prospect of bringing him back from this, and he just says "Marisha..." - he knows this is it, and that they have to honour the choice.
I love it. Wasn't mean, wasn't rude, wasn't snappy. Just a "hey man, let it happen." Marisha is trying so hard to find a way to undo or reverse it and then just realizing FCG and Sam have their mind made up I'm sure is just a helpless feeling. It's such a massive moment. Otohan has been such a thorn in their side. This Boogeyman figure they've actively avoided. She's the only character that has made the stakes feel deadly so far. Defeating Otohan should have felt like relief and like a massive victory. The fact that everyone still feels so defeated speaks to how much they love Sam as a player and friend and FCG as a character. Travis is a real one for knowing and appreciating immediately what Sam was doing and what it means.
It's so good and somewhat relieving to see the rest of the cast not enabling Marisha's out-of-touchness. I like her but she seems so oblivious to narrative dynamics sometimes which annoys me a lot, specially during C2.
Not just that, but all 8 of them had dice in this roll. Very rarely do you see a DM loan out their dice during a game, but Matt had to, because it’s him paying tribute. In a sense, each of those 20 d8s represented a life or a memory FCG saved: the other 6 players, FRIDA, Dorian, Deanna, Bertrand, Dancer, Imahara Joe, and countless others FCG touched.
It's Matt's expressions that get me. He is as devastated as the rest of the cast, and it shows. He normally keeps decently in DM mode during a PC death, but the Kamikaze run of FCG gets to him.
I think this may have been lost on some, but as a DM I was able to recognize this. But Matt's little speech at the end was a good indicator. Sam didn't just save his friends with his heroic sacrifice, he didn't just kill Otohan. He saved Matt's campaign. thousands and thousands of hours of work and world building. The party really had little hope of winning, a TPK was imminent, matt even joked about it. Realistically speaking FCG's sacrifice shouldn't have killed Otohan. Matt had him row just for sake of it. But you don't let a sacrifice like FCG's go unrewarded. The attack had to kill Otohan, rule of cool always trumps rules as written, especially in service to the story. And Matt being the absolute legend he is made sure Sam was 100% aware of the fact that there was no coming back from this. And he let Sam have the floor to make FCG's death have really meaning and emotional weight. Of course Sam being Sam had to twist the knife as much as possible. Two absolute legends, making an unforgettable moment.
It’s because in the past, Matt had the direct responsibility of killing the PC. This is the first time he’s watched a true sacrificial PC death where he couldn’t stop it. In a sense, Matt felt the same helpless feelings as a player watching their PC get taken out.
@@darkguardian50 I saw someone in another thread do out all the math for the hits she took and even with the healing pot she took, the blast would have dropped her to 0. Not by much, but it did. I think when Matt decided how much damage Sam should roll, he let it be enough.
@@LednacekZSome do. The Wildmother has been there for several PCs, both through narrative moments and dice rolls. So has the Matron of Ravens, and the Storm Lord.
Watching tal through this is devastating. Early on in the campaign during one of the 4 sided dive episodes, Tal said he was worried that FCG was going to kill himself trying to save the party. I think he meant it more that FCG was going to push himself too hard and get himself unnecessarily killed in some avoidable fashion, but seeing him pull this in the midst of a seriously deadly situation with no apparent hope of escape was heart rending.
Yeah, Taliesin was the one that got me too. When he takes his glasses off, and then just buries his face on the desk. And Liam looks like he's experiencing every kind of grief at once. They both always feel very in-character during the game, so that's gotta be a rough combo, feeling your own emotions AND the character's. Watching the whole table fall apart, and Matt as well, it wrecks me as much as the death does. One of the most painful things to me is that Ashton never even saw FCG's blaze of glory, neither did Orym. They didn't see him smile. They got knocked down after giving everything they had in this fight, maybe not expecting to get back up again, maybe feeling like they failed, and when they wake up FCG is just gone. Those two in particular are always throwing themselves in harm's way, preferring to take the hurt themselves (they go about it in very different ways, but the same intent, it's easier to hurt than to see a friend hurt), they shared that trait with Letters, and I think they're both always going to wonder if there was *something * they could have done if they had been awake. (I don't think there was, but I don't know if either of them will be convinced of that.)
“And so, one of the Exandria’s greatest warriors had vanished in a blinding flash of light, having made the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of his loved ones. His name was FCG, a proud Bells' Hell.”
I imagine that this is the first time in a long time, maybe even the first time period, Ashton had felt that much grief about someone he’s lost. He was more angry than sad when Laudna died but FCG and him were very close. I don’t think he realized how much he’d grow to like FCG or how protective he’d feel of the little robot
@@FireWolf583Not only did Ashton realize it, he's outright said it several times, especially early on in the campaign. Ashton may be in constant physical pain at all times, but this seems like the second time he's ever been truly hurt.
I've seen him angry and sad and happy and playful and giddy and calm but I've never seen him truly devastated like this. I'm worried for Ashton after this. Laudna too. They've both been walking a tightrope and I think this might be enough to push them over the edge.
I wasn't a viewer when Vax said goodbye or Molly died so this was my first live CR permadeath, incredibly ballsy play from Sam to save his friends from an unwinnable slaughter. This was a full blown Iron Giant moment, the gentle robot originally designed to be a weapon making the ultimate sacrifice to protect those they love
What Sam did was really amazing. The entire fight was so hopeless at this point. Chat was miserable, people were angry at Matt for going too hard on them, people were angry at Matt for going too easy on them, people were angry at chat for being angry, it was really bad. Then it all just completely went away the moment Sam did this.
I don’t think Matt planned to make Otohan defeatable. The dice rolls were totally random and not planned but it still seems like Otohan wasn’t gonna die easily. I think maybe the goal was to kill one or even two of the party and flee again. FCG and Sam himself realized this and put an end to it
@@FireWolf583 yeah, I'd be curious to hear matt's thoughts on that fight. He started looking pretty concerned towards the end so I wonder if it went worse than he expected. Hopefully he'll be on the next 4 sided dive.
@@FireWolf583I think it was less of making otohan not defeatable but just they weren’t strong enough and Matt was hinting during the fight that this would be a TPK and it could make for an interesting story lol
@@minorglitch01 I agree. After fully killing Chet in the first round and then only knocking people unconscious for the rest of the fight I'm curious as to what Matt's goal was with this encounter. Especially with how frequently laudna has been checking the scry ball and they still couldn't manage to outrun otahan. No shade intended here, but it didn’t seem like Matt expexted Otahan to actually die here so I wonder kind of outcome he intended. Either way what we got was incredibly powerful and utterly unforgettable. RIP FCG ❤
I think they got unlucky to lose one of their main DPS from the first fight, Chetney, right away. And then left him too low to use any blood magic. Imagine using that ability that punishes multiattacks on her! Also them constantly avoiding her ment she had the attack while they weren't prepared. Instead of them being able to surprise attack her or sth
for all the jokes and the clown sam riegel can be at the table, he is without a doubt one of the best dnd players of actualplays, not only because he makes compelling characters but an overall great player
Time and time again Sam Riegel shows his utter expertise at playing this game. In every character he puts his whole heart. With Scanlan he wanted so badly to save wish for Vax, and made the narrative decision to not. For the betterment of the story and the better ending. With Nott he sacrificed her own story to better Calebs story, put aside her fear of water to help Fjord, among many other sacrifices. In Calamity as Loquatius he made a story-turning speech. And here with FCG he makes the decision that saves everyone. Sam is a master of playing his characters to the betterment of the story in the deepest and most profound ways. In ways that cause conflict and change, in ways that advance the stories they tell, in ways that matter. He is truly one of the best players at this table and maybe in the dnd actual play space in general. And really he's just having fun and playing to his strengths. Amazing.
you can tell matt just cares about every single one of the characters, but more about the people behind them. Sam would sacrifice himself for his friends in reality, absolutely insane play.
That's what you see? The somewhat smile, almost relaxation, though not quite, and realization, to me, is him realizing Sam is SAVING his campaign by doing this. This was a Party wipe if Sam doesn't do what he did. Matt is completely on Edge and nervous during the last half of the fight or so as he just flat out doesn't roll bad once the entire fight. He knew this campaign was as good as done for because it was a fight they couldn't win. Even with the contraption off Otohan she is still slaughtering through them all. He even starts only knocking people unconscious instead of full killing like he did with Travis in the beginning of the fight. it was like he was trying to find an out but didn't know how to get out of it. And in comes Sam with another one of his brilliant ideas, that not only saves his friends, but the entire campaign.
5:38 i cried harder when FCG mentioned F.R.I.D.A. 😭 i know this is a game and it's fictional but my first thought was when and how are they going to tell them that FCG is gone 😢
Two time Emmy award winner Sam Riegel, the only player able to utterly destroy the table with polar opposite emotions, either uncontrollable laughter or uncontrollable sobbing.
"The unknown future rolls toward us. I face it, for the first time, with a sense of hope. Because if a machine can learn the value of human life, maybe we can too."
Me too. He always gets hyped at the coolness aspect of what's going on, even if it's tragic. But he also goes into super Friend Management Mode and Hang in Matt's Every Word Mode.
He's a great hype man at the table. He spent pretty much all of this fight dead, but was still having the time of his life and keeping everything cheery while others were getting stressed out.
I think this was the point he hatched the plan. Either here or right before because he was watching his health. He was throwing the kitchen sink to stop the TPK.
If you notice his eyes in his final monologue: There isn't a glimmer, a moment, or a thought of regret in Letter's/Sam's eyes. No worry, or "what am i doing." Just a happy twinkle, and a smile of goodbye to his friends; his life-bringers. The first words he said to the group are the same ones he leaves them with: Have A Smiley Day! God I Love D&D and Critical Role.
To quote Epsilon: "There are so many stories where some brave hero decides to give their life to save the day, and because of their sacrifice, the good guys win, the survivors all cheer, and everybody lives happily ever after. But the hero never gets to see that ending. They'll never know if their sacrifice actually made a difference. They'll never know if the day was really saved. In the end, they just have to have faith."
Between this and X-men 97 if I had a nickel for every time last week that a character traditionally seen as comedic but tortured self detonated to defeat a greater evil I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but weird that it happened twice though.
Ashton is not going to be the same after this. The one he cared for most was also his first real friend. A Faithful Care Giver, to a Broken Greymour Boy
i hope this isn't a spoiler but i can't remember if it was before they closed this episode or within the first 5 minutes of the next, but.... ashton taking FCG's changebringer coin is making me think and hope that ashton will become the changebringer's champion somehow. i mean a being of chaos and possibility, desperately trying to see what their fallen friend saw in this god they never believed in and now have to save, finding comfort? resolution? in this god... that's something talisen would do
I know that Laura was shouting detonate earlier, but the proof is in the pudding here - none of them expected for that to Actually be an option hurdurhur robot self-destructs is well known and often executed trope but then... but then sam says, ok bet Devastation.
The chat for this went crazy, People were losing their minds. and yet Sam always manages something like this. The clutch counterspell vs Vecna... Stabbing the baby manticore in C2 and now this. This is up there with the amazing cupcake adventure in awesomeness. If you have not seen this watch, it on Monday but trim your fingernails first. Critters rock.
I understand that this is an incredibly sad moment, but the main thing that kept running through my head was how does this effect Orym's deal with Nana Mori.
@YouAnd_OnlyYou Yes, exactly...since FCG didn't come back from Ruidus "okay," I think this means the terms of the deal have not been met, and Orym is free from having to serve her. I don't think any of them realized this in the moment, and with Matt allowing this to happen (by essentially making it unavoidable with how powerful Otahan was), he can't really negotiate around how much this means the deal is off.
@@phillipbernhardt-house6907 The deal is they have to come back to Exandria all alive. They did that. Waiting to see if Matt will stand on that fey loophole.
1. I will never recover from this. Ever. I am beyond devastated. My sweet boy, he was so special:( 2. Someone animate this immediately 3. Sam Riegel once again showing me why i love this game so much and why i love critical role and why he's my favorite
And this is the first permadeath in CR. Now you know why they named their new game as it is, because the Blaze of Glory should feel like a Dagger to the Heart.
I love how when matt asked sam how he wanted to do this he didnt describe the explosion and how it ended otohan but instead described what FCG experienced in those last few moments
@@KBBQEnjoyer Oh, it's you who's saying that lol. Asked and answered. I'd disagree with you but I feel it will just empower you to complain a lot, and who wants that?
I suspect Matt knew because it looks like they're exchanging texts for a few minutes before that, but it hadn't really hit because he was concentrating on answering and also keeping the game running.
@@jobear41 possibly. They were obviously exchanging texts but I assumed they were discussing mechanics. Like about how the rage thing worked because we haven't seen it since much earlier in the campaign. 50-ish episodes ago. I don't think Matt fully grasped what Sam was doing until he did it.
This was such a brutal fight and it needed a brutal end There were three explosions that day in Kreviris. One, devastating the tunnels bellow. Another, destroying the music hall. And the third, a blast fueled by the overwhelming strength of a loving soul
All the comments saying otohan was too op should probably remember that Matt was rolling well enough to bankrupt a Las Vegas casino (I think he got like 8 crits). If his luck had been worse, it probably would have just been "challenging" instead of "life and death."
I love how such a poignant moment is punctuated with a 20d8 damage roll. That's D&D for you. Kudos to Mercer for forgoing the Reflex save for half damage, that would have played out very differently. "Ok FCG blows apart for 38 points... Travis your up."
He said ottahan had around 40 smth hp so after a 38 she would have been one round from death. For like 11 hp at most this was the right call from matt imo.
It's possible that Sam pulled- well, a Sam- and said he felt like FCG's arc was done and wanted to give the party an Avengers moment, thus the OP encounter, but then- did not tell Matt that the Blaze of Glory was his plan. Either way, We got Regal'd yet again.
Watched the entire thing when it went live on YT. Can't believe this was the 1st "live" view I caught up on. What an ending! Sam Riegel continues to surprise me.🤯😭
Yeah, no s**t. I never see anything live due to the time difference (still asleep). But decided to log in after waking before work. Yeah some mild spoilers I thought but hey. Nice at breakfast... could not be that much... would be only be 20 minutes anyway. 3 guesses which 20 minutes... man. One way I spoiled myself for when I can see the whole thing tomorrow, but on the other end it is the most impactful one live bit I could have seen and it kind of feels good to have been there for this.
@@frogfairy1163 IKR! I'm not usually able to view the episode live on YT because of my sleeping schedule too, but for some reason I caught it just after Sam's ads and I wasn't able to turn my phone off for the rest of the day. I kept watching for hours while I did something else. But I'm glad I did. Credits to Matt for allowing it to happen, though I suspect Otohan still has a few HP left, not to mention the ability to take half damage. The fact that Sam manages to pull off impactful moments like this is astonishing to me even after all the years they've been playing DND as a group. They're all topnotch players, but Sam pulling on our heartstrings is really something else. Can't wait to see the VOD in a couple of hours. Cheers!
@@awkwardaquamarine19 Yeah Otohan for sure had some HP left. But kudos for letting FCG have the win for the blaze of glory. Felt fair, logical. Intent, sacrifice and story trump de technical numbers game in this case I think and it's not like Otohan hadn't suffered a fair bit of damage by that point. It was a hard won victory no matter how you slice it even with a few waved hitpoints. Would have felt wrong for me if Matt hadn't. The perfect, if sad, end to FCG's story. The character was one of my favorites, but it all fits so nicely like this and Sam gave a beautiful fitting end speech. To go back on any of this would cheapen the moment. Will miss FCG though.
@@frogfairy1163 Same. I'll miss FCG as well. It gave me a mini heart attack when Chetney was killed earlier (spoilers). I could tell that Travis made peace with the fact that he could be killed in game (as I suspect all of them are with their characters), but I'm glad they brought him back. Travis and Sam have a knack for creating really entertaining characters. Meanwhile, Taliesen and Liam seemed most affected by FCG's heroic sacrifice.
Yet again Sam making the entire cast cry… in campaign 1 it was Scanlan using his level 9 spell slot to fight their enemy, thus reducing the chance of bringing back Vax. Campaign 3 is FCG sacrificing himself to defeat Otohan
Ratings out the window! Great and unexpected, I think this is the first time that a character will stay dead. Unless there is a cloud storage with FCG Lol
