Critical Role Review: C2 Episode 77
By: I.Am.No.Man
Episode 77: A Tangled Web
This weeks episode was a bit of a mixed bag. The story momentum basically comes to a standstill after the nonstop rush of the past few episodes. There are a few memorable moments scattered throughout the episode, but for the most part this seems to be much more of an interlude.
The action did kick off with the group ooh-ing and ahh-ing over Fjord's reforged sword and beefed up Captain America physique. Then there's a bit of a lull, some humor and jokes, and the Nein head back to Rosona to the Xhorhouse. Dairon checks in with the Nein. There's the usual "who's side are you really on" tension, Beau flirts some more, Jester questions if she's actually in a Traveler cult or not.
In a quick change of pace, Caleb stops in for one last visit with the imprisoned scourger. I will say, this is one of the most interesting story lines the Nein have going for them, maybe second only to Yasha, Obon and The Laughing Hand wreaking destruction and mysteries across the land. Caleb's visit with the scourger does not quite go as planned. It seems the scourger may have had a friend on the inside that gave her a weapon. Her stabbing of Caleb, while incredibly shocking, was short lived when a dozen crossbow bolts, and a Essik with his physics bending trash compacting of her body. This was one of the more intense moments of the episode and left the Nein a bit shaken.
After the events of the execution, The Nein retreated back to Xhorhouse and Caleb gained another private lesson with Hot Boi Essik. Dunemancy is shaping up to be more and more like a Doctor Strange style, reality bending mind warp. I'm intrigued to see where this will lead Caleb in the future.
The remainder of the episode is basically the Nein picking at every possible story thread available to them. Jester scries or messages every NPC, bad guy, mystery name, and friend turned villain that they know. It seems like all this information at once gets a bit overwhelming and the Nein still are not sure where to go from here. They still search for any clues as to where the Empire may be hiding the final missing dodecahedron. Beau also pulls an interesting move by giving Dairon one of their medallions of the Bright Queen. Will it be Dairon's death sentence or saving grace?
Maybe the most concerning story thread Jester uncovers is Yasha, Obon and the Laughing Hand. It appears that the nasty trio has been terrorizing their way through the Cobalt Reserve in Zadash, leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. Obon is up to something nasty, though his intentions are still hidden to the Nein.
We will have to wait another two weeks to continue the Nein's adventures. Now that the Nein are attempting to travel back into the Empire, I have the feeling they will find that things are not quite as they seemed from the outside. Especially with Obon attacking Zadash, portals to the abyss still opening up, and the war continuing to rage on. There will be a lot of story to plow through in the upcoming sessions. Let's hope this next week flies by and Thursday will be here before we know it!
Don't Miss It!
Critical Role will be taking a scheduled break next week, September 12th, while Matthew Mercer is in Sweden for Heroes Comic Con. As of the posting of this article there has been no mention of a Talks Machina episode planned for that week.
Also, I just wanted to shout out artist Ariana Orner, @ornerine on Twitter, for the amazing new character art!
