Doing A Lot Of Things Right: Absent Fathers & Redemption in The Legend of Vox Machina

By: Mithrandiel

I was about 9 or 10 years old when I walked into the living room and my mom mentioned, rather matter-of-factly, that she thought she saw my dad on TV.

For kids whose fathers were in their life, that might have been a cool moment. For me - I was shocked. I didn’t know my dad. He wasn’t around - and in this era of pre-DVR, pre-Tivo television, that moment on the news was lost to me forever. A fleeting chance to see my dad was gone, and while I might have been disappointed in the moment, it passed just as quickly as the excitement arrived.

In other words, as someone who grew up without their father [though we did reunite when I was 16], stories that feature absent fathers always strike a chord with me. It’s also why I was particularly moved by Jester’s conversation with The Gentleman in Campaign 2.

Yet, it was in The Legend of Vox Machina season two where a particularly powerful narrative around an absent father really came to a head.

For those unfamiliar, one of the main characters is a gnome musician/bard named Scanlan. Extremely well versed in all things perverse, he’s the embodiment of rock star living: traveling from town to town, indulging in food, wine and women without a care in the world.

The superficial attractions lead to insecurities around finding substantive love, sure. Beyond that, however, Scanlan is concerned about one thing: self-preservation.

That is until he runs into a young woman named Kaylie. Also a gnome, Scanlan is actually smitten with the girl initially, even getting to the point of being bound to a bed in his underwear before she makes a stunning confession: she’s actually his daughter.

Contemplating killing him for the pain he put her and her mother through, Kaylie instead makes it clear that she wants nothing to do with him.

Scanlan is understandably distraught. He had no idea that Kaylie existed. Sure, he may have put his foot in his mouth by describing in vivid detail some exploits with another gnome that ends up not being Kaylie’s mom, but the point still stands: he never had a chance to do the right thing for Kaylie - and he wants to try and make it right.

When he tells Kaylie this, she looks over her shoulder and says: “For all the wrong things you’ve done, you’d have to do a hell of a lot of things right.”

So, he starts on a path of doing a lot of things right…and that path starts with his victory over fear in the group’s fight against an ancient dragon named Umbrasyl.

One of the elements of The Legend of Vox Machina that I really appreciate is how character arcs are much easier to follow. Over the course of dozens of multi-hour livestreams, it can be hard to appreciate the slight adjustments to a character’s behavior. While you can certainly spot the differences from say, Keyleth in episode 20 vs. episode 102, the gradual evolution can often be lost in the numerous hours of dialogue and frantic action.

Presented in this more streamlined narrative, you can appreciate the key moments that help characters shift their worldview, and Scanlan’s discovery of his daughter absolutely turns his world upside down, and we all get to see how that changes him as a person.

As the fight with Umbrasyl is reaching its climax, we see Scanlan struggling with his own sense of self-preservation. His friends, including those who have attained impressive levels of power after acquiring legendary weapons and armaments known as the Vestiges of Divergence, are being scattered about - battered by powerful attacks and nearly melted by acid at every turn.

Scanlan is overcome with fear and is prepared to flee, when Kaylie’s words ring in his mind again:

You’d have to do a hell of a lot of things right.

Scanlan’s commitment to beginning to make things right for his daughter means that he abandons all rational thought - landing the killing blow on Umbrasyl while the ancient dragon was preparing to finish off his friends.

Those familiar with the broader story of campaign one can fully appreciate the gravity of Scanlan’s dedication to this path. His fervent pursuit for redemption leads him to topple ancient dragons, venture across planes, meet the Gods themselves and ultimately become one of the Saviors of Exandria.

Yet, despite all that he does, you can imagine that with each momentous accomplishment, Scanlan reflects on the years lost, imagines Kaylie in his mind and says to himself:

Well, it’s a start.