As The Legend of Vox Machina goes on, the present tackles increasingly, pulling in not simply from the unique Crucial Position marketing campaign however from subsequent precise play classes and the entire world of Exandria that’s since been constructed out.
And but, even with the stakes at an all-time excessive, the inventive staff behind The Legend of Vox Machina by no means loses sight of what really makes the present particular: not the fight and even the world-building, however the characters and their relationships. The consequence isn’t simply an epic fantasy present with a grand scope, however one which houses in on the intimate private stakes.
[Ed. note: This review contains spoilers for The Legend of Vox Machina season 3.]
Picture: Prime Video
The third season of The Legend of Vox Machina picks up proper the place the final one left off: Raishan (Cree Summer season), one of many dragons within the group bent on taking up the world, reaches out to the adventuring celebration and affords them intel on a magical merchandise that would cease the tyrannical dragon chief.
However, predictably, the adventurers of Vox Machina have so much happening on this season, and never simply in the case of defeating the large dangerous dragon. Bard Scanlan (Sam Riegel), for example, needs to restore the connection he has along with his estranged daughter. Druid Keyleth (Marisha Ray) and rogue Vax (Liam O’Brien) dance round a romantic relationship whereas going through their very own inner battles, as do Vex (Laura Bailey) and Percy (Taliesin Jaffe). Pike (Ashley Johnson) grapples along with her religion, and barbarian Grog (Travis Willingham)… nicely, Grog’s really fairly peachy this season. There’s world and lore to develop and minor character backstories to flesh out, and nonetheless, even with all of that in 12 half-hour episodes, the present doesn’t really really feel prefer it’s taking over an excessive amount of.
It’s as a result of the creators know when to decelerate. Improvised banter is constructed into the unique marketing campaign, but it surely proves to be a useful asset in determining when to let the emotional beats sit for a second. The characters could also be going through growing stakes and greater foes, however they’re additionally feeling the consequences of these issues.
For the viewers, that is extremely useful. Today, a number of high-stakes reveals don’t hassle to essentially drill in on the downtime or the moments between massive world-ending plot factors. Eight hour-long episodes go by in a breathless blur. However The Legend of Vox Machina checks in with the characters, how they’re feeling about themselves, their mission, and one another. Even with every part occurring, they’re not on on a regular basis. There’s an entire bit the place they take a second to relaxation and get better in Scanlan’s fabulous dream mansion, for example, and it’s an opportunity for them to hit pause and mirror. And a number of the greatest selections the inventive staff makes are in integrating extra of those moments that weren’t within the unique marketing campaign.
Picture: Prime Video
Living proof: Percy’s demise. Within the tabletop session, he was lifeless for a bit, however shortly revived. And for a D&D recreation with buddies, that is sensible, because you need to preserve the sport going. However for a tv present, having a simple resurrection would flip an enormous consequential second into only a handwave. Dr. Anna Ripley (Kelly Hu) could be simple to dismiss as a risk, and there wouldn’t be an opportunity for the remainder of the characters to mirror. In the end, Percy does come again (differently, with new ramifications), however turning it right into a few-episode-long arc actually simply emphasizes the private stakes in a manner that this present does very nicely.
The writers and administrators have a frightening process with this present: Adapt hours and hours (and hours) of precise play into 12 half-hour episodes. The truth that they’ve so well zeroed in on what’s essential to the characters and the story is spectacular, as is the truth that they know when to vary these beats and make them match throughout the construction of tv. Letting Percy’s demise sit longer permits for the opposite characters — significantly Vex — to essentially reexamine their very own priorities, whereas additionally heightening the truth that characters can and will die in the event that they don’t defeat the large dangerous.
It’s not that The Legend of Vox Machina has extra episodes or run time to fill these emotional beats in than different fantasy reveals; it’s that the creators know to present them simply as a lot weight because the epic battles and large villain showdowns. The motion sequences are actually enjoyable and intense, however they’re not dragged on or given extra priority than quiet moments watching a dawn. The attract of Crucial Position has at all times been the characters (and the actors behind them), and that concentrate on the small stakes in addition to the massive ones is what ranges up The Legend of Vox Machina. And within the third season, when so a lot is going on, but there’s nonetheless house for that muchness to breathe, it’s extra evident than ever that this present is one thing particular.