The Energy of Invention - An Adventure Zone Balance Video Essay 

_"Thus ends The Adventure Zone Balance, the story of four idiots that played D&D so hard that they made themselves cry."_ - Justin McElroy

Nothing makes me cry like "how does magnus die"

Sure, it's great to highlight the Arms Outstretched scene as the one that took our Dungeonmaster and Best Friend, Giffin McElroy, on an unexpected emotional thrill ride. But nothing in TAZ could possibly top the moment of sheer existential dread when chaotic elder god Justin Tyler McElroy purchased the Slicer of T'pire Weir Isles from Garfield the Deals Warlock and then aced a Persuasion check to trade it back to him in exchange for the Flaming Poisoning Raging Sword Of Doom. P.S. Great essay, I almost didn't want to comment because you're currently at 69. Nice.

The scene where Barry is talking about Lup and Taako responds with "Who?" because Justin knows what's happening always strikes me. It turns the scene on its head from what Griffin likely planned out, and hearing everyone's reaction just cements that feeling. It wasn't planned, it wasn't part of one of Griffins beautiful descriptions, it was in the moment. And despite that it remains burned into my memory as one of the most heartwrenching lines in that show. This video essay was incredible, and more people need to talk about TAZ as a story in video format, because it has an incredibly strong and intelligent fanbase that has picked up on so many aspects of the show I and others would have missed, and I want to see what they can create. It's a beautiful story, and everyone deserves to know about it.

“It’s a balance” I didn’t hold it together for 20 minutes to have you make me break down with 3 damn words!

It was authentic and felt real. It's amateurism wasn't crafted, it's passion never faked. Amnesty is more of an old school radio drama. which I think is what Cliff's background in radio really shines through. That old school episodic sci fi teledrama gives the material more reality. Just like the DnD jokes and shenanigans gives the fantasy story more reality and weight.

This. This is the reason Balance means the world to me. This is what I'm gonna show to people who tell me this is "just a show."

The world needs more video essays about taz like this

I always say that Balance has altered my way of viewing art and writing and stories and that the story itself had a huge effect on my entire being just as much as my creative process. It has shaped me as a DM, as a writer and as a person. Thanks for putting *why* into words.

The best DND games don't set out to be something epic, they start with a group of friends having snacks around a table and making masturbation and drug jokes in silly voices. And then slowly as everyone gets more emotionally involved and the DM tries out cool shit to impress everyone.And then you end up crying at the end before breaking open another bag of chips.

omg i was grinning and lip syncing along to the "sturdy, denim, and blue" line because it is just that impactful and GOOD. i love to talk and listen to other people talk about taz, it gives off the same energy you talked about in the intro, which despite being a great segway it also encapsulates perfectly what it's like. it really is a vibe listening to taz

You really made me see The Adventure Zone in a new light. I always considered it the story of the Tres Horny Boys with a paper thin fourth wall. However, that never really made sense because the characters in the story take the stakes deadly seriously, despite the humour. Now I realize The Adventure Zone is the story of The McElroy family telling the story of Tres Horny Boys to both the audience and each other. The stakes are very real to the characters and the “fourth wall breaks” are actually comments and asides made to the audience and the other story tellers by the story tellers. It’s quite appropriate then that a common reoccurring theme of the actual narrative is story telling, encapsulated best in the characters of Johann, Lucretia, and the Voidfish.

Thank you for this video. There's a surprising lack of TAZ content outside of animatics on RU-vid. I really would love to see TAZ grow more mainstream. Definitely earned a sub from me. I'd like to see what you think about inter-character drama in Amnesty. It's one of the few things I think Amnesty does better than Balance.

Oh, my god! I never even registered Griffin referring to the camera! That so explains why I so often tell people I was "watching" the adventure zone, when I don't say that about other podcasts!

Honestly amnesty ended up finally getting me in the same way balance did by the finale

I love how sometimes a TAZ animation will cut the dice rolls and exposition of cameras or narrating visuals. And sometimes people will keep it in. It brings me joy that people use Griffin's narration and world building in different ways to create a piece of art in a totally different medium from the original.

They made a joke character name Barry Bluejeans a three-dimensional fleshed out character and did the same for a servant who could only repeat his name like a Pokémon.

i really like that griffin describes what the "camera" does. it really helps me visualize the scenes.

"It was a ballance" hit me so unexpectedly. But its honestly so true

I want you to know, that still to this day, whenever I do a Balance relisten, I always rewatch this video after. Balance makes me SO emotional, and you put a lot of feelings about WHY it's special into words that I feel like i have to watch it after every relisten in order to process the feelings I get after each relisten. It's a really special series to me, and I think this video does a good job of putting into words WHY it's special, beyond "it's cool and funny and I like it"

This was a quality video. I loved how you highlighted the ways the McElbois broke the rules of story telling in order to... tell a good story. Like, four idiots with no degrees in writing but who are in possession of some dice? Hella good at stories. Griffon breaks screenwriting rules in order to bring us deeper into story. These are the things modern storytellers might well need--and speaking of that, I should get back to my NaNoWriMo novel lol. ANyWaY I would love to see more content like this, video essays = my jam, TAZ = my jelly so thank you for being my bread and butter today.

7:29 YES THESE ARE MY TYPE OF PODCAST! (Also, I immediately recognized the Nightvale clip and I love that I did)

Okay so when I first listenED to the finale the winter after it came out while I was still in high school, I cried so hard at magnus and Julia’s reunion and the finale in general, that the next day AT SCHOOL I was in choir and we sang a song like tangentially related to someone losing their love to death as I was just in tears trying to push through it bc I absolutely could not draw attention to the fact that I was crying bout a podcast A FULL DAY AFTER HAVING HEARD IT

I listened to taz balance more than a year ago now but when that intro of yours played with the music I broke down in tears, I still to this day haven't found a piece of media that has made me care for a world like this series did (it also helped me pull out of a depressive spiral at the time so definitely has a big effect there). Now to actually watch the rest of your essay!

Im crying,, the balance arc is literally my favorite piece of media. Ever. Its so incredibly good, it feels like you yourself are watching these characters grow from a very close perspective, like you’re *present* when these events happen because you’re just so engrossed woth the story and it just feels like Griffin holds your hand the whole time and carefully tells you this wonderful story. Dammit im fucking getting a taz tattoo fuck everything

I think they're getting back to that looser style of character development with Graduation. Travis clearly knows what he's doing with the school setting, and with all the opportunities he's given the guys to show who their characters are through NPC interactions. Time will only tell if it catches lightning in a bottle the way Balance did- but then again, the lightning wasn't there when Balance began, either.

Glad i found this video. Thanks for reminding me of the “how does magnus die?” Scene as i really didn’t expect to tear up on my commute to work today but that was a great video essay overall and some choice editing!

Every time I hear "Now to understand this next part..." I instantly tear up. God damn these boys. Edit: God, No Dogs on the Moon works so well as a credits theme, lol.

I think the thing with amnesty is that it just is not balance. It doesn't have the same effect because it cannot. Its a different genre with different types of characters. If balance is shakespeare, amnesty is twin peaks: a darker and more soap operatic tone while still maintaining comedy and character depth. I cried at the end of amnesty too. I wasnt expecting to, but i had grown deeply attached to the pine guard (especially Ned). Of course amnesty didn't feel the same as balance: it wasnt. We're never gonna get that particular brand of magic again. But there are many schools of magic, and with the bulk of graduation looming on the horizon I'm very excited to get to know it's quirks and goofs and somber moments as it's own entity.

woah I never envisioned my silly lil animation being used in an honest-to-god video essay (hi, snuffysbox here!) but I'm so glad that it was this video essay! I have SO MUCH to say about how incredible Balance is but I'm not good with words, so to have someone put all those thoughts on video was a real treat

I'd love to see your take on Amnesty now that it's completed.

I was watching monster factory in the beginning of January, listening to mbmbam by the start of February. Then I watched this video. I didn't like play podcasts, cause i love gaming and want to expirence things first hand, or second hand through stories, not third hand years down the line This convienced me I'm relistening to Balance, and it still, STILL, fucks me up Thank you, Ladyknightthebrave, I've loved this, and everything else you've put out You're quick becomming one of my favorite video essayists

Way to make me wanna cry with that last line about it being a balance. 😭

This is a wonderful video, thank you! Balance is my favorite story in all of fiction because it's a story about storytelling and unity and love and it's great having something that combines my feelings on it!

I loved this so much the adventure zone is a piece of media that i think will always be held close to my heart, but 'then somebody has to murder shrek' had me fucking crying with laughter

Balance will always have a special place in my heart, and I can't even bring myself to read the comic because it was just so perfect in podcast form. Amnesty, however, would be super fucking great as a comic because they're taking it more seriously AND we would be able to see more of the side characters fleshed out (Griffin has said he hates RPing with himself). Anyway I'm real glad I found this channel you're great.

I honestly do think that Graduation has the potential to take the flame from Balance. Nothing will ever be as powerful or spectacular as balance, but with Griffin Clint and Justin playing and Travis behind the wheel with a fresh take on storytelling I feel like we might get something amazing. We already got that amazing character moment with Justin and everyone loves all of their characters so

In a lot of ways, thinking about it, how they did the adventure zone reminds me a lot of the movie of The Princess Bride, they had a lot of breaking rules, but it made sense in setting

Hey! Just wanted to say that I found this video months ago on a desperate search for someone talking about TAZ, and I instantly subscribed. Thank you not only for discussing one of if not my favorite piece of media in an insightful and interesting way, but for all the other videos I’ve seen on your channel since! They’re all amazing. I hope you’ll continue making them and that you’ll gain the audience you deserve! I’m rooting for you :)

Wowza. I've got three things to say 1: Wow, you really knocked it out of the park with your FIRST video essay! I'm always impressed by your analyses and how well crafted they are to have a cohesive narrative 2: The Adventure Zone Balance changed the trajectory of my life I think. It introduced me to D&D and finding other shows that would shape high-school me to make who I am now and yeah. It DID feel like I was discovering the story with the McElroys too, that was something special. 3: You can't just play LUCRETIA REPRISE like that without warning!

balence is one of the best storys I will ever hear in my life

Those first few cords of Wonderland and I started crying. It's been literal years since my umpteenth re-listen, and yet the opening to Wonderland shook it all back up. I love TAZ.

man why is it that i tear up even watching fucking animatics from TAZ i barely cry in my actual life

I cried so much of this video because TAZ: Balance means so much to me emotionally and this is a nice video about the structure or lack thereof great job!

I absolutely loved the Balance Arc and I deeply regretted my decision in watching the animatics before listening to the podcast as I believed that I would never get through 69 (nice) hours of content. Great video!

Good video and I do agree that Amnesty needed something. Like the characters that they introduced and the abandoned later showing up and having evolved off screen so to speak. I would have liked to hear at least a brief line either in the narrated introduction or epilogue of a campaign just to know how the NCPs have grown in the wake of a recent monster attack

I just discovered your Happy Death Day video and loved it so much I came to see what else you have done and OMG. Balance is one of my favorite stories ever and you nailed so much of what makes it a moving and fantastic story. I also agree with your small Amnesty take; it was good but the randomness of DnD and the boys not knowing what they were doing really gave Balance a certain charm that their arcs since just haven't been able to capture. Thank you for this great analysis. Subbing for sure.

i havent listened to the intro music to balance in ages and i have such visceral goosebumps about it

I discovered you by a trick of the algorithm two days ago and I’ve gone through dozens of your videos and each one is insightful and engaging and well written. Easiest sub I’ve ever given.

This was amazing, it perfectly summarized why Balance means so much to you, and me, and probably most people who adore this podcast. The clips and images you pulled are perfect and match up with your points beautifully. I can’t wait to share this with other fans!

i just finished relistening to Balance and i swear, i never actually thought about it the way you described it before, and i'm very happy i watched this bc it just makes me appreciate Balance all the more. some of the ideas you threw out are actually really neat and interesting!

I watched this about two months ago and it finally prompted me to go back to Balance, which I had stalled out on about halfway through gerblins. I binged the whole thing in a few weeks, so thank for this beautiful essay for prompting me to give it another shot!

Thanks for a great video essay and introducing me to a whole new bunch of TAZ animatics and fanart. I also, just 'cause I haven't seen anyone else mention it in comments, admire the punny title.

so yes the balance arc to me is by an extremely large margin the most incredible and fulfilling piece of media I have ever consumed and I agree amnesty at the start didn't hit the same notes and I have my own overly pretentious ideas of why that might be on a meta-textual level but more importantly I think amnesty when taking as a whole and at the end does ht some of those same emotional highs. I agree it's not the same as balance and honestly, I think it would be insane to expect it to but you and the brothers and I do agree that some of the spontaneity of the story was lost in the way it was planned out from the beginning but I think this is less of a fault and more of a necessity the characters of amnesty are important don't get me wrong but the fact that amnesty was so much shorter I think required more to be planned from the beginning. The story of the balance arc is about our 3 main characters learning to grow and form BONDS with others and how important those bonds are but the focus of the story is always on those characters. Amnesty is very similar but with the little time it had and the planning from the beginning, it was a story of the community and the worlds our characters inhabited and grew in. admittedly this leads to less impactful moments like what the balance arc was able to do but by the end at the final episode I think it works as a full package and is its own different yet beautiful story. This may have made no sense but I am writing it as a "stream of conscious" thing so I hope I was at least somewhat coherent. Anyways I have been really enjoying graduation and I think Travis is really coming into his own as a dm especially compared to dust so I can't wait to see where it goes.

"it's all just my opinion" *continues to state real facts and storytelling rules* In all seriousness tho, you did a very great job on this video essay! not only was I reminded of such a great time I had listening, but the mention of several storytelling techniques that griffin completely ignored was very valid! great job!

Thank you for sharing this with us. You have no idea how much all of this just harmonized with how I felt with the whole Balance Arc. I'm crying because what you're saying is matching what I also felt about the series. I don't know if you'll eve read this, but thank you for all the care and effort you put into your videos. I've been having a bit of a rough patch in my personal life and your videos have been helping immensely. Adding this one to my favorites. Maybe it's time to give the Balance arc another listen. Thank you!

Ngl I totally understand how you're not amnestys biggest fan but I absolutely LOVED amnesty only because of the goofs, of course, but because of the character creation and the concept that the characters had their own lives. Like I LOVE how characters grow offscreen because that's what people do and I just felt that. It felt like dipping in on people's lives every so often and made the world feel huge for me. But totally understand your opinion and I feel it

God you are just hitting me with all the emotional quotes today, im literally crying

RU-vid recommended your Atlantis video and I was delighted when I went to your channel and saw a taz video essay!! This was super enjoyable and very well done. Thanks for sharing it with us!

This show and this arc are what got me into D&D. This is what made me want to play. The idea that you can start something so silly that’s so much fun, with people you love and you’re allowed to be creative and roll with the punches, that over time can become something wonderfully made and ties in all the ridiculousness from before, that makes you feel like the world is REAL. It’s why I actually started playing, and the best sessions I remember are the ones where we did stupid things and just vibed and had fun without a REAL story in mind from the very start.

I didn't expect to find a video essay about Balance, let alone one that would make me cry just referencing certain scenes with as much love as you did here Thank you

literally, the only thing that needs polish in this video is the audio. I really recommend getting a Sampson Q2U or Yeti Blue mic. The Q2U is really affordable and gives you so much flexibility in audio. Aside from that, I am really really excited to see your next video and the future of your channel! :) (and your music videos are pretty rad too)

The idea that these guys goofed around bullshitting their way through missions for a couple arcs before Griffen really started to plan out an overarching story is absolutely CRAZY to me. And it really showcases his writing skills, and his ability to think on his feet. Having entire plot points and arcs that he probably spent days writing and revising skipped just because his family moved the story in a different direction shows real dedication that I don't think can be seen in any other form of storytelling. No story has ever felt more natural or organic.

You have somehow singlehandedly revived my absolute adoration and undying love for balance and the storytelling of it, wow dude

just found this video! i really liked it! and i love balance so much and i definitely agree about the eleventh hour being the turning point. the entirely of the chalice monologues just stab me in the heart in the best way ("Julia wouldn't want me to" gets me EVERY TIME)

okay so youtube recommended your atlantis video and it was wonderful and I didn't comment there! because you said two things at the end! one was that that was your second video essay (which, wow, okay, both this one and that one are amazing in-depth analysis with refreshing takes that really do the media they're analyzing justice, so like, go you) and the other was that your first one was about the adventure zone, at which point I rewinded ten seconds to make sure that's what you said and impulse clicked until I was watching this video we have here and look, I was having an already emotional day but I've cried with both and to be fair I have lots of feelings about atlantis and taz:balance so that probably wasn't that hard and my point is i'm gonna go look at the rest of the stuff you've posted

When you were talking about amnesty i just kept saying “dont worry it does”

Man, I just started binging your essays, I cannot believe your first one was that balance video sitting in my watch later! This is such a lovely video, I love balance with my whole heart, and I think you definitely captured why. Watching the story grow, watching them build it from the ground up, it’s amazing every time I go back to it. Thank you so much for your work! It’s made my day really great!

This is exceptionally done. One of my favorite pieces of media dissected and discussed very well. I found your channel via your essay on Rogue One, and I saw you did this and also a video on Doctor Who. Needless to say, you have my attention! Well done!

Taz balance is beautiful, and the intro music gripped my heart tight after so long

One of the fun things about running the balance game is deciding whether to stick to the original Canon or go off the walls in the same way that the mcelroys Did

Think Balance is due a relisten from me! I remember when I first listened and was blown away by some of the more intense emotional beats after expecting a purely comedy show. It sometimes felt like a near perfect balance of comedy and drama, and like you said I think I huge part of the appeal is experiencing the story along with the players and dm. I sometimes watch animatics of moments on youtube and I never fail to get hyped because the players' building excitement is there too. Like the example you used with 11th hour and they realise they're going to be playing a grounhog day arc. Their excitement is so infectious and I love it

This video made me cry all the tears and feel all the emotions that TAZ did. This story is so special to me because I’m the only person in my circles who listens to it and loves it to death. It feels like this huge universe is a dream I’ve been having, and one that really has a hold on my heart. It inspires me in how to be a storyteller, and how to be a better person, really. Thank you for your video, your analysis was spot on and beautifully written! I’m very grateful I found you 😊

Man I love this show so goddam much, hearing the moment with Barry, and the wonderland scene made me SOB

Omg I'm so surprised this was your first video essay it's so good! I love taz and this was really entertaining to watch.

Thank you for making this. I think that you did a good job. Also now I have another way to convince my teachers to listen balance.

I listenes to this podcast years ago along with my dad and this video essay makes me squeal out loud in nostalgia

how have I only found this now?? i love this. thank you. im reliving the beauty of this podcast. the fucking rollercoaster of the entire adventure . also damn nice. "it was a balance" damn son lovin it

In 20 minutes I'll have watched all of your videos thus far and I couldn't be happier about it

13:26 - 13:41 this reminds me of what my ceramics teacher says about "learning the rules so that you can break them" when creating art

This video was really heartfelt and put the development of the podcast into words very nicely! I just (25 minutest ago) finished the Balance Arc for the very first time and it was a ride. Thank you for putting this strange feeling of loving TAZ into a video essay.

It's really cool to see people talk about the Mcelboys, they're wonderful and I can't put into words why, but you did beautifully!

I think they finally did with the ethersea prologue. The story telling and the organic way it played and they melded it to their style made it feel like I was listening to a mini series arc. I legit cried at the end. Twice. The first was at the end when brother seldom was talking about how the world ended and the second was about the brief history of founders wake.

Well, I’m surprised I found your DW essay before I found your TAZ essay. Both are good for sure, though this one didn’t have to do the legwork that your DW essay had to do. Speaking as some random person who just sorta appeared and has no idea how one might go about making an effect video essay, I must say you do a remarkable job of making video essays!

I can tell from your other videos that you've improved a lot at making these visual essays!! Regardless, this one was fantastic and I loved all the taz balance fanimation you used! =)

Catch me crying while you play little recaps of the story

I love how this spiraled into many many good video essays

I still remember listen to the end of taz, I remember getting home as I was listening to mangus reuniting with Julia. I remember putting my bag down, just slumping down and crying. I haven’t listen to to it again, I can’t bring myself to do so

I came across this video I think shortly after it came out, after seeing TAZ content around the internet for a while I paused the video shortly in and decided to go listen myself. I remembered to come back to this essay after I finished Balance, I just finished it and man am I glad I did. Excellent video!

I been eating up all you videos and i can belive it took me so long to get to this one, i love taz and i love this, thank you for sharing❤

This was great! I loved how you broke everything down! I"m re listening to Balance now and I appreciate your insight :) It's going to be fun going back and listening to it with the storytelling elements you discussed in mind! Keep up the great work!

I just finished binging the entirety of the Balance arc for the first time, and this video was such a fantastic capstone on that wonderful experience. Subbed and excited to see your channel grow!

I always tell people that Balance was the greatest story ever told, and I mean it. It's so much more than just a dnd podcast.

With regards to the way show don't tell is used or ignored within the adventure zone, I think it demonstrates a really good understanding of podcasts as a medium. The issue I always come across with dnd podcasts is that they try to present too much information and I as a listener lose track of what is going on. It's a problem that even occurs to a lesser degree while playing dnd. Podcasts are not a format in which the listener wants to relisten to the same section multiple times, so if information is not processable immediately, it doesn't get processed. This is very different than books or dnd where readers or players can reread or ask questions respectively. If you go into the podcast trying to show a whole world, people will get lost, but if you ask someone to imagine a single video from a single angle, they can - particularly in a film savvy environment. Show don't tell is great advice sometimes, but creators need to be careful not to show too much too quickly.

This video made me think about so much stuff from balance that I haven't thought about in so long. Thank you.

I just discovered your channel today and spent a good 5 hours gobbling up your videos until this one wrecked me and I had to take a break. The videos are fabulous, keep at it, good luck, and if anyone needs me I'll be re-listening to TAZ. Again.

Hey, thankyou for existing and taking the time and effort to take a long, thoughtful look at the creations of others. Your view on the world of media has value, and I'm glad to have seen some of The Adventure Zone through your own unique lens. P.S.- You always have a future.

your analysis is fantastic and taz is the best absurdity epic that exists so thank you for giving it what it deserves

wow i would KILL for more video essays about podcasts :eyes:

Great essay! I haven't seen many video essays on TAZ, and not much analysis outside of long Tumblr text posts, so this is much appreciated!