Critical Role Review Episodes 69 & 70
By: I.Am.No.Man.
Episode 69: Passed through Fire
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Summary: Vox Machina return to Whitestone and attempt to resurrect the slain Percy. Events transpire that lead Vox Machina closer to the ultimate battle with the Chroma Conclave.
Why to Watch: The acting and emotions in this episode are engrossing. The story is fantastic and plays out like something out of a movie. There was a great balance of humor, hope, and story-telling. The classic Mercer twist at the end of the episode makes this one of the most memorable episodes so far. At a running time of under 3 hours it’s definitely one of the more approachable episodes to watch in one sitting.
Highlights:
The battle is over, the dust settles (9:07)
What can we do? (15:18)
Scanlan finds a thing (25:50)
Everyone is not ok (43:05)
That’s really weird guys (48:24)
Return to Whitestone (54:04)
Where’s Pike? (56:38)
Oh how grief does strange things to people (59:38)
Percy has the worst luck (1:03:59)
Calling Percy home (1:11:38)
The Ritual (1:19:29)
Scanlan speaks the truth (1:40:27)
Keyleth’s Letter from Kerrek (1:58:20)
Scanlan’s deal (2:28:00)
An ominus meeting (2:44:14)
Lowlights:
Besides a couple of technical difficulties (at 2:13:30 and again at 2:23:25) this episode was pretty flawless.
Episode 70: Trust
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Summary: Vox Machina must carefully choose how far to trust their new, dangerous ally.
Why to Watch: Watching the tense action unfold after the surprise cliffhanger in episode 69 is pretty crazy. Each member responds so differently to Raishan’s reveal and subsequent demands. The roleplaying is spot on and the episode builds layer on layer of intensity.
Highlights:
Raishan’s tale (13:50)
Keyleth’s rage (19:30)
Thordak’s promise (26:10)
Percy’s compromise (31:08)
The Vote (58:15)
The Plan (1:12:15)
Scanlan’s got a gun (1:59:45)
Kima wants some action (2:36:55)
Scanlan, do the thing (2:51:10)
Kiki and the Sun Tree (3:09:30)
This is how I die (3:16:40)
Lowlights:
Role Playing: Things got a bit intense for Keyleth in this episode, which led to a lot of angry yelling and threatening that could have been so dangerous to the entire party.
Story Progression: For being a 4 hour long session, it definitely felt like nothing happened. There was so much scheming and talking about scheming and distrustful side-eyeing… and that’s about it. This episode sets up a promising next session though!
Review: I loved these two episodes. They were very story driven, intense, and emotional for everyone. It sets up and exciting match with Vorugal and an interesting twist in the Chroma Conclave’s alliance that hopefully works in Vox Machina’s favor. I’m getting all hot and ready for another huge Monster battle! Let them Fight!!
