Let’s recap and review the first 3 episodes of Vox Machina season 2
Vox Machina Episode 2: “The Trials of Vasselheim”
This episode continues to underline the importance of the serious moments in this show. And the importance of looking down before you step out of a portal to a place you’ve never been before. “Good thing these titties were here!”
Okay, maybe things aren’t too serious. Oh, Grog; never change, buddies.
The party finds themselves in Vasselheim, which is where Grog seems to begin a new character arc. Season 1 didn’t give much on the Goliath’s past or how he came to join Vox Machina, but focusing on Craven’s Edge for a second episode in a row by it speaking to him and Grog’s encounter with Earthbreaker Groon may indicate that we might find out about our favorite Big Boy after all.
The rest of the party seek out the Slayer’s Take, a guild that gets paid to hunt rare monsters around Vasselheim. Kashaw and Zahra’s rapport with Vax and Vex is entertaining; they’re competitive in a friendly way, but it feels like it could turn deadly. Not to mention they’re both wanted: wouldn’t they know that before ever going back to the guild?
Their arguing eventually angers Osysa, the gynosphynx patron of the Slayer’s Take. Osysa isn’t just powerful; she has a sharp tongue. She knows the party very well and spends some time dressing down each of them, saving her sharpest barb for Scanlan:
"Scanlan: “You don’t have to call out my shit, ok? I know I can be kind of annoying.” Osysa: “Nobody cares about you. I’m no different.'” Scanlan: “Damn.”"
The dialogue is one of the best parts of this series. It adds levity to the serious moments and is all the more impressive when you consider that it’s all based on improvisation from the Critical Role campaign. It’s what makes this series what it is: a story told by seven voice actors being guided by the Dungeon Master, with genuine character arcs and legitimate natural 1s and natural 20s on attack and charisma rolls, constitution and wisdom saves.
I have been playing D&D for the last 22 years and am currently playing three different campaigns with three different characters; needless to say, this is something I deeply care about. As a player myself, I appreciate the way these conversations and decisions feel “real,” ie improvised in an actual campaign. The dialogue will only get better (and funnier) down the road.
I enjoyed Episode 2. It had much less carnage than the pilot but it was well-paced, had a mix of humorous and intense moments, gave us more information on the plot and introduced us to some new… friends?
One more episode to go for this week.
