Critical Role Review Episode 71 & 72
By: I.Am.No.Man
Episode 71: Vorugal
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Summary: The conflict boils to an exciting climax in this episode when Vox Machina take on another Chroma Conclave ancient dragon. The adventurers assemble a rag-tag team of allies to aid in the battle and attempt to lure Vorugal out with a hellish beast conjured from a nightmare realm.
Why To Watch: An epic battle, dangerous close calls, and a tense alliance that may not last through the fight. If you love the thrilling danger of fighting an enormous white dragon, this episode is for you.
Highlights:
Larkin the Dwarf Mercenary (1:34:00)
I don’t trust that dwarf (1:43:10)
Larkin is who now? (1:45:00)
Make us all white Ravenites (2:08:51)
Scanlan’s Inspiration (2:20:00)
The Gate (2:21:45)
Holy Shit (2:24:09)
Vorugal (2:27:09)
Pike is a badass mothafucka (3:09:15)
Larkin’s Reveal (3:47:49)
Pike’s a Fighter (4:09:58)
Vex’s How do you want to do this (4:34:38)
By the Skin of His Teeth (4:38:17)
Lowlights:
So….Much….Planning!!! The group spends so much time planning and planning and talking about plans that I found myself wishing Vorugal would surprise them to get the battle going. And, in the end… their plans didn’t really go all that well anyway. It was fun to see how creative they got, trying to use Yenk to fight Vorugal for them.
Episode 72: The Elephant in the Room
[arve url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn8tLbXWAtc&index=80&list=PL7atuZxmT954bCkC062rKwXTvJtcqFB8i" /]
Summary: Vox Machina recover and regroup after the intense battle with Vorugal. Keyleth harvests dragon teeth, hide, talons and blood from Vorugal’s corpse and tries out her new Vestige of Divergence. Grog and Vex’ahlia loot the enormous dragon horde and find rare gems, rings, magical boots, and a powerful paladin greatsword.
Why to Watch: Honestly, this episode is entirely skippable. I didn’t get a whole lot out of it. If you love watching loot-hoarding and magical item playtime this episode could be enjoyable for you.
Highlights:
I Encourage Peace (46:40)
Looting the Horde (1:05:15)
Grog’s Bag of Holding (1:08:00)
Grog’s New Boots (1:31:30)
The Aerated Wine Cellar (1:39:00)
The Kiss (2:57:40-3:04:45)
Lowlights:
Audio is missing from 45:45-46:30 but they have subtitled it if you watch with subtitles.
While these more lighthearted episodes aren’t always slow or boring, this one felt especially dragged out. There were some funny moments and fans who shipped Vex and Percy finally got what they’ve been waiting for. I found myself rolling my eyes through most of Keyleth’s playing with her new staff and messing with Grog. The humor just didn’t hit any marks with me and felt like a completely unnecessary waste of spell slots and time.
Review: Episode 71 was a great, solid episode. It had everything I love about DnD and Critical Role. Monsters, battles, near death moments, and some humorous badass moments. Although the episode 72 wasn’t my favorite, it does begin to set in motion the final steps to Vox Machina’s showdown with Thordak the Cinder King. The next couple episodes promise to bring more excitement, more adventure, and an interesting conversation with that sly green dragon Raishan. I can only leave you with this image as a teaser for next week!
