The Legend of Vox Machina 1x12 REACTION "The Darkness Within" 

"The real Percy would still be mad about that" Taliesin during the watch party: "I still haven't forgiven Sam for that"

With the way Cass sliced Delilah’s neck, if she were to come back as a ghost, she’d be called Nearly Headless Bitch.

I laughed so hard when you had your "I spoke too soon" moment

"I'm Perc'ahlia trash" Of course you are! We all are!

Lets not forget Percy's best line in the campaign: "Life needs things to live"

Percy's face of anguish when Vex takes off his mask absolutely broke me

Regarding Percy's hand, I'm pretty darn sure that's the beginnings of Diplomacy. I can't remember how it was described in the campaign, but it seems in LoVM it is mostly just a piece of residuum placed in his hand, instead of a glove.

Seeing reactors call transport via plants tree stride is the most campaign 1 thing ever

I love how the early part of this episode was just the "Let's drag Delilah around everywhere" episode

You: "I thought it would end with the Chroma Conclave, but I like the happy vibes instead." Me: "Yeah... uh-huh... happy vibes, no Conclave, a dragon-free ending, definitely that..."

I just hope that the Chroma Conclave is at least two seasons. I can't imagine all of that content put into a single season...

Can we just take a moment to appreciate Matt as Orthax? His vocal range is astounding!

It was great watching your takes on the series. I figured the glove thing was Diplomacy (though I could not remember the name of it) at the time. I look forward to whenever season 2 comes out to see how they divide up the next bit since doing all of it in one season feels like a lot. And I agree on Taliesin's great one lines. "Your secret is safe with my indifference" was so good.

And once Anna is done making her own hand, her and Percy will be mirrored ! Some couples like to match their outfits, those two take it to the next level.

It looked to me like they're reimagining Diplomacy as a prosthetic. With a lil' chunk of residuum to power it.

Was fun going on this ride with you. It's been a while since I saw Campaign 1, which I binged quickly, and often I wasn't watching -- I was listening while playing a game that doesn't take concentration. So I didn't remember that much. Your commentary helped fill the gaps in my memory. Much appreciated.

If you missed the cast watchalong, the guy Scanlan flirts with is the character designer, or something like that. I laughed out loud at 11:51. 😂 I think one of the things that it illustrates is just how good this show is at being fresh even for people who have seen it. And I would bet that the stone in his hand is "Diplomacy", but I think they could do both that, and use it as the explanation of his weapons being magic.

The gem in his hand is the first step of creating Diplomacy.

The book Pike was reading at the end there before helping Grog at the door was Tusk Love.

The one Taliesin Jaffe one-liner that I miss is: "Life needs things to live."

The stone in his hand is likely the show’s version of Diplomacy. Also, I’m a bit disappointed they started the Chroma Conclave arc before we got to meet Kaylie or Kynan.

I found you through the Legend of Vox Machina and stayed for Rebels. I hope I get to see you watch more of it because it's always great to see your insight and theories on it

Thank you for these Jesse! and with the magic of finding your videos later, It's only 3 months until season 2 comes out, and it's been confirmed what I was hoping for, that the Chroma conclave arc is split into 2 seasons!

I think it is diplomacy, and the gem is residuum glass which can both amplify magic but also can be used to absorb and store it.

The residuum in Percy's hand might be a part of Diplomacy They might introduce Zahra & Kash next season directly as Slayers take members, not sure about Kaylee & Kynan but hope they get mentioned somehow

The Gem in his palm im pretty sure that was supposed to be his diplomacy glove

The 6th barrel did have a purpose. Go back and look at Percy's shadow when that question is asked. It's pointed at himself.

Actually....I saw a person in real life drag someone by the hair once, all depends on how much hair you grab hold of...granted they did not drag them all the way down the steps of a ziggerat LOL However...they did drag the person several feet, and only stopped because the other person managed to start kicking them.

Well, when it was obvious they will adapt the "Briarwood Arch", I was ready to sing this at the end of the season: 🎶"Oh, misty eye of the mountain below 🎶 Keep careful watch of my brothers' souls 🎶 And should the sky be filled with fire and smoke 🎶 Keep watching over Durin's sons"🎶

12:07 I think this is going to be diplomacy. Because it can fit under a glove and is not a bulky mess of metal and wires, the animators do not have to sacrifice a small child to animate everything on time.

I think the stone in the palm of his hand is The animation version of diplomacy

I can't wait to see how they handle "Life needs things to live". :)

I like the design of the obsessed Percy, he reminds me of Ichigo from Bleach, the same edge lord

I really enjoyed watching your reactions throughout the season and loved this look for the final few episodes.

11:49 Spoke too soon did you? I'm sitting here laughing!

If you go back and watch that scene where Scanlon asks him who the sixth barrel was for, then look at Percy's shadow, it answers the question, but it's just a brief moment, easy to miss. What I would love to see is Season two being this fall, ending with a one-hour Winter's Crest episode as a Christmas special.

God damn this show is just so fucking good.

A little revenge. As a treat.

The idea that all the souls are sent to Orthax to feed as opposed to simple death was only speculated and implied in the campaign. I think it's great that they decide to make it overtly declared in this series.

I think the residuum and its casing in his hand explains his multi-class into warlock and his using magic.

19:58 I kinda got the feeling that he used the freed up space in his hand. so yes. I believe he shoved that piece of crystal in the hole he shot in his hand. and Yes, I believe that is Diplomacy.

My one complaint is that we didn't get to hear Suntree say "Hey Kiki..."

Transport Via Plants* Tree Stride is a minor tree-step where the druid can flash between several in a grove, useful for hiding in battle. but they got it wrong in the campaign ALL the time, too.

Keyleth actually casts Transport Via Plants. But everyone makes that mistake, it's ok.

Actually the scalp can absolutely keep the hair still in there nice and tight, you can carry literal tons with how much your hair can carry, I mean your neck would snap, but you could carry it.

17:50 I’m guessing they’re gonna have the decision happen RIGHT before the discovery of the Deathwalker’s Ward to add oomph to the blow…

I just recently rewatched C1 and Vax and Keyleth didnt actually become official for awhile. Their 1st kiss happens after Sylas and Delilah nearly killed him and Vax definely didn't it not fully with Keyleth's permission. They were will they wont they for awhile (the entire Briarwood arc to be specific) She admitts her feelings when Vax got brainwashed by the acid trap. They don't actually become official until after the Deathwalkers Ward is retrieved.

Would love if you made more Critical Role content

Yeah you spoke too soon 🤣 I look forward to the next season, but from what I know of Critical Role I wonder if future villains will ever be as good as the Briarwoods. As long as Percy and the elf twins have an important role I'll be happy, those three are my faves. Oh, also Pike but thats mostly due to my love of the cleric class 😁

"Oh it would have been nice if they ended with the Chroma Conclave" Me: 😃😃😃

Hi! I wanted to ask if you will react to season 2 or not. I enjoyed your S1 reactions.

He used Diplomacy a reasonable amount later, after he upgraded it to also have the magical silence bubble so he could use his gun without alerting everyone in a mile of where they were. I figured the season would end on them being told they were being invited to the Cloudtop the next day or something like that, then we'd get something similar to the Briarwoods scene from the end of Episode 2 showing Raishan in human form in Pyra releasing a giant indistinct form of fire and darkness that would raise hell.

Is it Thordak yet?

Keyleth blushing has she a thing for both siblings

I may be remembering wrong but wasn't there a moment in the campaign where Keyleth told Vax that they couldn't be together and only a few episodes later (after a dragon fight I think) Keyleth stood in front of Vax's door and said she wanted to try anyway? Just because they kissed in the campaign doesn't mean they were together. Overall I don't have a problem with what they are doing with Vax and Keyleth because I don't think the storyline will be "Will they won't they" imo. Keyleth will focus on her Aramente and the Chroma Conclave and Vax probably will talk to someone about his feelings but I don't see any of the typical tropes happening that I normally assosiate with "Will they won't they"

Keyleth did turn down Vax initially. I remember that because Scanlan commissioned a painting of him and Pike and the players had fun with Keyleth crying over the emotions going on and breaking Vax's heart and Scanlan crying at the exact same time in happiness seeing the painting.

4 Ancient Dragons, all 4 look roughly the same size. That instantly bothered me. Thordak is supposed to be twice the size of Vorugal according to Matt, THE biggest Ancient Dragon anyone has even heard of.

5:02, 5:17, 5:35: the faces all critters make while watching this episode.

Percy's gun DIDN'T have magic. Any magic imbuement that the bullets had was due to his "Scar of Orthax" (when he took the feat Magic Initiate: Warlock). He was stuck with non-magical weapons for a LONG time.

just caught up on all these (binge watching for the win!) and I hope we at some point get to see Kash and Zahra. If we don't I'll be very dissapointed

I was expecting Season 2 to be more along the lines of the Pyra/Vasselheim stuff that happened before the Briarwood arc in the game. Maybe going there to get information on The Whispered One and the spinning orb of death, then stumbling into the Slayers Take stuff on the way back from Pyra with Hotis as the overall big bad for the season. I just hope that this means they have more pretty much confirmed, since 12 episodes won't be enough for the whole Conclave arc.

This comment is for those who, unlike Jesse, haven't seen the original campaigns yet. If, by any chance, you are into checking out the original campaigns, here is a more or less "completionist" set of videos to binge in your spare time (when you are not busy with your other responsibilities) - you might need to bookmark those or copy somewhere into your notes: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DYBM3myR914.html "Exandria: An Intimate History" is a short 10-minute video that serves as the definitive chronological reference for the in-game universe of Critical Role campaigns and the works of fiction associated with it. It also provides a glimpse of the Exandrian cosmology, theology, history, geography and political structure of the world in which the characters go on their adventures. ru-vid.com/group/PLQRE5geahRYYCgnbidlk-XVIPaob7P2-x Campaign 1 (Vox Machina), with the obligatory inclusion of chronologically relevant one-shot game sessions featuring familiar characters, discussion panels from various conventions etc. (the Briarwoods arc starts at ep. 24, if you want to revisit that specific section). Be advised on the following issues: - the first episodes of the show have blurred character intros (fair use technicalities). In the first episodes they didn't have their own official illustrator, so used reference pictures off the internet. Unfortunately, the Geek & Sundry overlay covered the names of the artists, and it appeared as if CR didn't give them credit where credit was due, so those artists threatened to sue CR for copyright infringement. While the issue resolved itself later, with both the onboarding of Kit Buss and tons of fan art pouring in, in these earlier episodes the intro artwork is blurred out. A version of character intros with visuals is available at: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_b1oZmPrpDg.html - audio issues in the first 4 episodes. Viewers are strongly advised against using headphones to prevent eardrum damage. Closed captions provided with the video can help alleviate the problem. - one member of the original cast left the show after ep. 26 of the campaign and is no longer involved in anything related to Critical Role. For this reason, his character never appears in the animated series (as it's his, not CR's, intellectual property). While most of the drama regarding said player happened behind the scenes, it still hurt the community. The details about the incident are googleable, however, proceed with caution. ru-vid.com/group/PLX5UqtXlg76n7cwlGrJsQNAI9oU_6g7ej Campaign 2 (The Mighty Nein) - same world, about 20 years later, new adventuring party. ru-vid.com/group/PL1tiwbzkOjQzSnYHVT8X4pyMIbSX3i4gz Exandria Unlimited - a "filler" mini-campaign between C2 and C3, featuring Aabria Iyengar as the DM and Matt Mercer as one of the players. ru-vid.com/group/PL1tiwbzkOjQydg3QOkBLG9OYqWJ0dwlxF Campaign 3 - current; ongoing; updated weekly; includes lots of spoilers for and cross-references with C1. Have fun!

I think the residium he had installed in his hand is going to be a combination of Diplomacy and an explanation/replacement for Magic Initiate. Like how they've changed some things in how they work to make it make sense in a way to those who don't know D&D rules. We can't really have "He took a Feat". So I'm guessing with Residium being magical.......

Orthax's voice really reminded me of the Angel of Death from Hellboy 2

Scanlan trying to get a gun was one of the best bits in the live show, with a brilliant payoff. I know time is limited in the animation, but I wish we had gotten some more of scanlan bargaining for a gun earlier

The thing that got me was in the ziggurat we did not see Vax commune and I am wondering what will happen with his path with Pike and the deviation to who Vax becomes Champion too and see how they progress that into season 2, what are your thoughts Jesse?

You're great!

I really enjoyed watching your reactions to this series. 🙂 Suggested addition for the future: Full-length reactions in watch-along format-only 10-20 seconds of footage from the actual show, just enough for viewers to sync up their own copy of the show on their end at the start. (A lot of reactors who do this put them behind a Patreon paywall, which I'm fine with.)

Personally i'm hoping they take some time to introduce Kaylie which is a bit of a shame they didn't get to yet

I also thought the glove/gem was "Diplomacy." Might be wrong though. I havent watched C1 in a while.

1:33 nah... Delilah uses Pantene. Because she's worth it.

I have a 50 buck bet going with a friend of mine over how Season 2 is going to go. I see the season being the destruction of Emon, Travel to Vaselhiem where they learn of the Vestiges, q uick pit stop in Phyrra, Retrieval of the Deathwalked Ward and the Deal, Kevdak and the retrial of the Knuckles, Fight with Umbrassyl, Vax commits to being a Paladin during that fight and ALL the Animation Budget going into him spreading his wings. If that is what season 2 is my friend owes me 50 bucks. Anyone think I'm too far off?

Spoilers: I absolutely LOVE the start of the Chroma Conclave arc the way Matt describes it in the campaign, with the confusion of what's going on and differently coloured shadows dashing through the clouds before the attack. It was epic. The reveal of the dragons flying openly towards Emon at the end of this episode was quite underwhelming in comparison. I hope they're going to do it justice in the next season.

Cant wait for season 2

It could still be a good starting point. We'll still see a destroyed Emon and it rebuilding so NOW we'll start caring about it.

Great reaction for great show. Keyleth make me think of Kaylee from Firefly. I would ship her with Vax instead of Vex. I just create a lovely ginger druid wood elf in Baldur's Gate 3. Even thinking to reinstall pillar of eternity : deadfire with the critical role DLC. Don't know if you are a gamer, but i would watch the heck of a BG3 walkthrough (or Divinity Original Sin 2) from you.

Star wars Rebels ? It's about to get epic good in the next five episodes. Also you need to dothe Bad Batch and the book of Boba? 🙂

No reaction to season 2?

I'm guessing Vax and Keyleth will make it official when Vax starts his Raven Queen arc. That's gonna make Kiki realize how important he is to her

😍😍😍😍❤

Yup. You spoke too soon 😆

Can you react to arcane next???

Yaknow I usually "spoil" reactors with the goldfish 1000. I know it won't hit as hard here as it does other places but it exemplifies why I loved the concept of Keyleth but was very much put-off by Marisha's "style of play"

Disastrous bisexual... Makes sense, we get an extra syllable over disaster lesbians since we get an extra gender over them too ;-p

I find Percy so cringe, but the story was so good. I am glad that other people have different opinions. Love this reaction series!