"Matt Mercer needs to pay my therapy bills" god what a mood. Matt and the Critical Role cast have caused me incalculable emotional damage over the years lmao.
@@cryofpaineagreed. Cathartic therapy abounds, ask any Critter. Personally, they've seen me through some shit. Hell, ask any cast member. It's a common take. I prefer to think of it as discount parasocial therapy.
Not Pike's mum, no, that was Pike herself! A bit younger, and before a certain event permanently altered her hair colour, but it was her. They took Grog in, and Pike and him have been like siblings ever since. :')
During the campaign, yes, but why would grog tell her this story if she was there? Young Pike in the campaign had black hair, and this gnome has brown hair.
@@bskec2177 because she probably meant that she never knew about all the stuff that grog unloaded on her in his story of why he was left beaten and near death. There is no reason they would change her backstory THAT massively, Grog and Pikes entire early relationship was built on the fact that she saved him from death after he saved Wilhand and she and Wilhand are the only members of the trickfoot clan with a connection to the everlight.
Yup seems like maybe Wilhand just did not tell her that Grog threatened him at first, or that he was a part of the murdering marauders. Even during the campaign Ashley kept forgetting if that was her great or great-great grandfather. Cause gnomes live for so long. And I think the hair they showed was actually black, it may have just looked brownish on screen. Her hair went white after a certain event pre-filmed campaign, but after meeting Grog. They are following already established canon.
But why did she first say Great Great Grandfather and in this flashback she says Grandfather? I am watching the campaign at the moment but I am not at that point yet 😊
Also, the “your armor’s not exactly the quietest” is an Easter egg from the campaign, Pike was constantly failing stealth checks due to her armor penalties. I got a chuckle out of seeing that in there.
Fun fact! So, back in the prestream, they encountered Grog's dad (not gonna detail it further in case it becomes a spoiler), and Matt asked Travis what his name is. Travis, in the moment, forgot he gave Grog a surname and what that surname was. So he names Grog's dad Stonejaw, giving us the wonderful name of... Stonejaw Strongjaw.
And Ashley called him Grog Stonejaw as far back as her very first character intro on the stream, on Narrative Telephone, and once as Fearne. Travis was exasperated
Underneath all of the trauma, Percy is a giant book nerd. The things that make his eyes light up are books and science and invention. He was fascinated by the Fae Realm from childhood, and seeing it brought out a childlike wonder in him. I think he was also trying to be overly optimistic and helpful to try to make up for accidentally causing Vex’s death.
Yeah, Percy also knows celestial ( which is known as a kind of nerdy posh language to learn from how the rest of the cast reacted in the campaign... Kind of sad that they didn't keep that little joke in the show as a very quick one they could have added in to the scene) which I'm almost positive was what was on the male Sphinx puzzle to find the entryway to his lair. If I'm remembering correctly from the campaign... It was celestial. Also yes Percy was VERY much still feeling extremely guilty and was making Vex little inventions and trick arrows as a way to apologize to her profusely at this point in the campaign.
While all of the critical role cast are producers on the show and have direct involvement, Sam and Travis run the day to day production of LoVM. The two of them wrote this episode. Although they've gathered an amazing collection of writers, the character growth for Scanlan and Grog in this one was too personal for them to give up. They also wrote "Scanbo" in season 1 for the same reason. Both have essentially sacrificed their voice over careers to run LoVM. Sam was winning emmys voice directing shows for Disney. The cast teased him throughout campaign 1 and 2 about his Disney money and he was often late getting to the table because he was directing for Disney. He gave up "The Bad Batch" to work on LoVM and a minor character he did before he left is his only non-LoVM role in the last two years. Travis went from 8-12 roles per year to 1 role each of his last two years. Many of the amazing actors they get is because of Sam's history. They got David Tennant (blue dragon) because Sam directed him as Scrooge McDuck for DuckTales. He directed Stephanie Beatriz (Kima the paladin dwarf) in Encanto. Lance Reddick was in Castlevania.
I really think that the reason why Grog and Scanlan are my personal favorites it’s because at first glance they are joke characters, the dumb barbarian brute, the horny bard very stereotypical but that’s just superficial they have very rich inner selfs and are way more complex than even other members of the group realize
No spoilers here but from the campaign: This is why I love Sam. He knows when Chaos is best and when to let things go a little crazy (his ads are a perfect example). He is so good at looking like he puts in 0 effort but in reality he puts ALL the effort in when he needs to. His speech in Calamity is still so stunningly epic, it might be my favorite part of that incredible series.
My favorite part of Grog's backstory is how he refuses to pretend or make excuses. He fully admits and accepts just how evil his acts were, which is what makes his decision to change so much more powerful.
"Standing up for the little folk," was the best answer to the strength question ever. It's not cliché, it's true, and it's in line with what we've always seen of Grog. He's a self sacrificer in every episode. He has power and has learned that power isn't to be used for yourself.
"A man who has known strength all his life can lose respect for that strength, but the weak man knows the power of that strength. And he knows compassion." Dr. Abram Erskine Captain America, the First Avenger.
The parallel between the beat downs Earthbreaker Groon and Kevdak gave Grog, with Grog on his back looking up at a snow filled sky is just beautiful. Also now that it’s not a spoiler, in the campaign when trying to decide what to do with Craven Edge, Grog says that he doesn’t mind dying to dragons or beholders as long as it’s a “beautiful death”, but he doesn’t want to die to Kevdak. It’s one of the reasons why Grog wants to hold on to Craven Edge.
14:45 In the stream campaign, they also got rid of Craven Edge before fighting Kevdak. However, instead of Grog destroying it like in the show, the group took it from him and banished it to a different plane of existence. However, he tried to get them to let him keep it. His argument for why he should keep it: "Look…If we're going back to Kevdak…You know I'm not, like, scared of death, right? I would die by a dragon. I would die by a beholder. And I wouldn't care as long as it was a beautiful death. But I don't want to die from Kevdak. Not him." Also, that was little Pike healing Grog, not her mom. The reason her hair was black and not white was that before the stream started, she had had black hair, but she got killed. The stress of being resurrected turned her hair white. One more thing: Grog hasn't yet found where his strength comes from. But oh boy, is he close.
The dark-haired gnome with Wilhand wasn't Pike's mom, it was our favourite gnome cleric herself. An event during the early stages of the campaign turned her hair white, but this was how she appeared originally 🙂
Yeah. That was the case in the campaign, but I think they're going with it being Pike's grandmother in the show. Pike refers to Pop-pop as her great-great-grandfather, whereas the woman who healed Grog referred to him as her grandfather. The fact that Pike never knew what happened to Grog also seems to back this up.
Yes you are right about Vecna. Considered one of the greatest Villains in the Dungeons & Dragons, Vecna was portrayed in the 3rd Edition Source Book " Deities and Demigod. Originally appearing in the Greyhawk Campaign setting, Vecna was described as a powerful wizard who became a lich.
OH MAN WAIT I just realized something watching your reaction!! The girl with pink hair talking to Scanlan said “One thing I’ve learned in life: no one comes back to save you”, right after the scene where Grandpa Wilhand came back to save Grog 😭 It just shows you how jaded she is to the idea that people can be kind and good
As a person with glasses, I am flattered by your "it just adds" :3 Okay, now I need a song from Scanlan for Grog`s working out :DD This episode is so sad and intense, and I teared up when you cried at the first five minutes of the episode, even before the intro. Seeing Grog being punished and almost dead, and how Wilhand and Pike (i think this was Pike, not her mom) saved him. And seeing that people are distrustful to Grog and how ashamed he is - it`s breaking my heart again. And what hurt me more than a Grog`s flashback is the scene where Kevdak does almost the same thing with his son. This is just... completes the picture. I hope Grog will destroy Kevdak.
During the Campaign, the battle against Kevdak lasted thought 2 episodes for a aproximated 3,25 hrs of battle (Test of Pride (ep 51) and The Kill Box (ep 52)) which was 9 rounds. Concidering that 1 round is 6 seconds in real time, the battle lasted 54 seconds. It was one of the most intense battle in CR1 since the Briarwoods battle.
Saundor was an Arch Fey, but the animation did have him look like the Vecna character from Stranger Things. Vecna IS a character from D&D that has already been in this show. Due to Copyright issues though, the LoVM refers to Vecna as the Whispered One.
It's so funny that you said "a broken clock is right twice a day" about grog, cause Percy used to say that a lot to him in the campaign, whenever grog had a surprisingly good idea 😂
Kevdak is voiced by Ralph Ineson who is probably most famous for General Tarakanov (the General who drove the shielded truck towards the Reactor to get an accurate reading) in Chernobyl and Dagmer Cleftjaw in Game of Thrones.
you've seen the weird knife-worm that Scanlan summons with the flute before, it's the same type of creature that Grog killed in season 1 by biting its tongue out, when they were sharing "craziest kill" stories.
So you've actually already seen Vecna in the show. He's "The Whispered One", the person the Briarwoods were trying to summon. He briefly appeared when Delilah completed her ritual before Percy shot her. Grog's uncle Kevdak truly is the worst sort of monster. And yeah, Grog spared Pike's great great grandfather and got his ass beat down for it. That was actually a young Pike that saved his life in return. She originally had black hair but during their home game adventures Pike was the first person in the group to be killed when a monster they were fighting cut her down the middle. She was revived but the shock of it turned her hair white and gave her that scar over the eye. After that she dedicated herself to learning how to fight to prevent herself from being vulnerable like that again. The band of musicians Scanlan meets here are actually part of his original backstory. Dr. Dranzel and his troupe actually took Scanlan in for a while before he met Vox Machina, teaching him their musical ways. It was changed here for streamlining purposes, but in the game these are the people who taught Scanlan everything he knew. Also love the little bit of "no one wants your damn autograph" and you see Dr. Dranzel himself shyly putting a pen away and hoping nobody sees it. That reaction at the end is 100% how so many of the games end for us. The instant Matt ends the episode with "and that's where we'll end tonight's episode" almost always comes at the most cliffhanger moments possible.
IIRC Vecna in D&D is a Lich, which are basically very powerful undead necromancers. It doesn't have much to do with the one from Stranger Things, as the group just used Vecna to name him that way. I believe the whispered one is just one of his names, which we briefly saw somewhat in the first season, so I'm sure he will become relevant in the future. Saundor actually reminded me a lot about the Sylvari from Guild Wars 2. They are basically literal plant people that have this shared hive like connection through "the dream" and the pale tree, but they also have this corrupted offspring of theirs called the nightmare court, which do evil and try to corrupt the dream and the pale tree, seeing to "free" the others from the influence and restrictions of the pale tree. Your reactions to the cliff hangers make me glad I was able to binge both seasons. lol I guess Grog knew Pike basically from when she was born, protecting her and her family this whole time. :')
Grog isnt smart, but he is WISE in the ways of certain things. He knows how the herd works. Travis, while embracing Grog's pathetic INT score of 6, also allowed Grog to be surprisingly good at the tactics of battle -- because he learned these things innately, growing up in the herd and raiding since childhood. That was Pike doing the healing. She used to have dark hair. We don't know much of anything about Pike's mom or dad yet -- not even folks who have consumed everything from Critical Role. Willhand raised her though, and taught her about The Everlight.
"...WISE in the way of certain things." Um, Grog's Wisdom is 10, so, no, not really. He's not UNwise, but he's average in terms of being a wise-guy. His Charisma is 13. He has a strong personality. So, when he makes a decision, it doesn't matter how smart or wise it is, he backs it up with conviction.
Literally every reactor has visibly cringed at the end of the episode 🤣🤣 they did such an amazing job, of taking a relatively tame episode and sucking everyone into it. that 20-25 minutes just flew by for me too
Grog arc! cam not wait until you see the pay off! EDIT: For title of chapter three, you should wait until all the drama is played out, so you can submit a complete tally.
Grog is always a great comedic relief but Travis knows how to pull on your heart strings for some of the most emotional moments of the campaign. Also, the upcoming battle is one of the greatest fights of the entire campaign. It's so badass, I can't wait to watch it.
I had a really awful day today. Really awful. By the time I finished this vid....I was smiling from your excitement and energy. I'm so glad you enjoyed it and thank you for sharing the smiles.
So I'm gonna avoid spoilers but Pike is the one who healed Grog. Her hair changes to white after an event I'm sure they're planning to cover probably next season. She just didn't know that Grog was part of the raiding party as Wilhan never told her
The Whispered One from the first season was Vecna in the original stream. Diplomacy ends with a handshake! If Matt Mercer thought more about the names beforehand he probably wouldn't have got so much grief from the party over Purvan. Travis was sometimes prone to clever ideas or comments during the stream, it became a running gag between him and Matt that grog would suffer a point of psychic damage whenever he did this. It was actually a younger Pike, Grog was just revealing the type of person he was before they met.
Adding on to the first point for others: Vecna is from D&D. They used him in Critical Role, but they've avoided using trademarked names so they've renamed things like The Whispered One and the Everlight, which in the campaign was Vecna and Serenrae
"If Matt Mercer thought more about the names beforehand he probably wouldn't have got so much grief from the party over Purvan" yes and thank God he doesn't, we wouldn't have Mike Hunt or the Celebone incident that has me in stitches no matter how many times I watch it
@@pabloc8808 To this day I cannot understand how he used Mike Hunt, that name's been a well used joke as long as I can remember. Once even heard it used on a supermarket PA system, like a Bart Simpson prank call.
@@timidwolf Mike Hunt I'm on the fence on whether it really was an accident, but I'm positive him naming a "semi-translucent rod" Celebone was 100% him not accounting for the Laura Bailey factor
@@TheParagade To be fair at this point in the campaign and in last season of LOVM he was only referred to as The Whispered One, even in the campaign. They only learn more towards the end of the campaign that his "actual god name" is Vecna... So they will probably just keep calling him The Whispered One instead of revealing his God name in the show due to copyright... But for a significant amount of time VM only knew him as The Whispered One in the campaign. So there technically hasn't really been a change from campaign to show regarding Vecna/The Whispered One....yet.
Not Pikes mother... Pike herself ^^ There is a reason for the change to white hair, which even people who have watched the Campaign only heard as a story, since it happened before they startet streaming... I hope they show it in the show at some point. My Headcannon is that the Gnom at the start of the episode, that got killed by Kevdak, was her Mother ^^
The dark haired gnome that healed Grog IS Pike, sh used to have dark hair but something happened (that’s a whole different story)and her hair turned white. I think it’s confusing because she says she didn’t know the whole back story behind Grog’s past. Don’t wanna spoil anything but the Trickfoot family story is about second chances, and how everybody deserves that second chance so the redemption of Grog and his close association with the Trickfoot family make it so much more meaningful.
Watching you watch this made me tear up about it and I watched the campaign years ago! Thanks so much for sharing this experience with us. Wild that they didn't hurt or kill anyone with this cliffhanger and it was just as big of an emotional hit when it ended. Can't wait til the last three! Then you will have to wait for the next season like the rest of us
Vecna is from Dungeons & Dragons, yes. Sondur is NOT Vox Machina's Vecna. Vox Machina's Vecna got name-dropped (well, title-dropped) back in Season 1. We even got a brief glimpse of him in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it flash in like... episode 11, I think it was. They used him by name in the campaign but had to file the serial numbers off the same way they did with Sarenrae and Pelor and the various other gods when making the animated series.
"Why is Grog smart all of a sudden" that does, in fact, have a reasonable explanation: Grog has a low Intelligence stat, but his Wisdom is slightly higher, which means he can have good ideas, but he is uneducated and knows very little about how things work. That mean he could come up with his infiltration plan and point out how flawed Pike and Scanlan's ideas were because they were talking about something he knew really well: the Herd. But if the guards had asked him random trivia he would've definitely failed
Can't wait to see your reaction next week because these final 3 episodes are going to be probably the most intense and hypeful episodes of the entire show so far
This is why I like rewatching these episodes as reactions. When I first watched this episode I thought it was good but I feel like getting to see it through someone else's eyes and someone else's perspective gives me new appreciation for it. Or sometimes makes me see things in a new way or a way I didn't originally see it. 10/10 Reactions. Your content is gold.
I think it says a lot about Vex and her feelings for Percy that she has seen him at his absolute MOST vulnerable and responded to that vulnerability with not just her personal support, but a call to support from the entire company. There's a REASON Orthax identified HER as the biggest threat to his control of Percy in the group.
This was one of my favorite episodes. I love the Grog/Pike backstory, which we never got to see in the live game as it was part of their shared backstory, much like the Vex/Vax backstory was created before their first actual home game.
That's why we love you - it's for your truthful and vivid emotions. And these comments after watching how good the aftertaste after wine . Thank you for taking care of our favorite characters together. Don't forget to buy more napkins next week :)
Kevdak is your typical bully who relies on the use of violent force to give him control over others. And I also noted that Grog may not have realized it, however, he has recognized the source of his strength.
Vecna sometimes called "The Whispered One" is indeed a character from D&D, The name is also used by main antagonist from the fourth season of Stranger Things.
Vecna being a trademarked name was changed to the (redacted for potential spoiler), just like Sarenrae was changed to the Everlight and the Beholder was altered visually to have a similar appearance while avoiding the name and exact appearance in the sunken tomb. Many little things were altered to avoid WotC taking a massive chomp of the money (and let's be honest... attempting to control things). So just be advised when names are mentioned they could have been altered from D&D/WotC owned materials.
Just to emphasize how brave Grog facing Kevdak is: in the stream, there's a moment when Pike and Grog talk, a little before they get to Westrun, when they realize they'll have to face Kevdak. Grog tells Pike that he knows he's a warrior and he's not afraid to die... But he doesn't want it to be at the hands of Kevdak. This is the one foe our big buddies is really scared of, Kevdak near killed him and left him for dead! But he's still facing him for his friends and for the little people. THAT'S courage!
One thing is Travis, despite playing a dumb character, is actually a very smart, tactical/strategic player. Sometimes that bled through in Grog despite his low intelligence
19:51 That is actually our dear Pike herself when she was younger. She died early on once b4 their game was streamed on the internet & her god the Everlight brought her back but it caused her hair to turn blondish white from the radiant energies or something.
Grog's voice actor, Travis Willingham, knocked it out of the park these last few eps! That Kevdak! at the end was hype! This was a great adaptation of the campaign. Grog was always the smart-dumb guy because of Travis. You've gotta be pretty smart to be that dumb, is what I always said about Grog.
In regards to Grog being "smart" this episode - it is HIS herd. He might not know a lot, but he KNOWS his people. No one can be stupid all the time. Everyone has their expertise, no matter how niche it might seem.
Thank you for entertaining me with your reactions. I appreciate all the hard work you do on these videos, putting yourself out there, editing and still working a full time job. Thank You.
I definitely saw the visual resemblance between Saundor and Vecna from Stranger Things when you mentioned it. You are right about Vecna's origins being in D&D. His influence has already been felt in Legend of Vox Machina, but they couldn't use the name for copyright reasons. Instead, they used one of his other titles "The Whispered One."
They lose their power. They have to go alone to get their power back. Their best bud wants to help, and ask "what if I need you?" Pike and Grog are just the best.
You wondered about Vecna and his relation to D&D. Specifically, in Critical Role, “The Wispered One” is a nickname for Vecna. In the same way Goliaths are now Half Giants, Vecna is referred to as The Whispered One
Funny you should mention you wish he had Craven Edge, in the campaign the group tries to get Grog to give it up several times because they can tell it's not doing good things for him. It comes to a head right before they go deal with Kevdak, and Grog says he doesn't want to give it up because he's so absolutely terrified of his uncle and his sword is the only thing giving him the confidence to face him.
I meant to put this in the last episode but think of the fey realm as Disneyland and Percy spent the first 15 years of his life reading and watching everything Disney and finally getting to see it in person
Foul-mouthedLilGal reacts. ;) This was one of my favorite episodes. Lucky us got to see it through your eyes, as usual. It's late, that's all I got. See you for the next one. ❤️
You must be referring to the Stranger Things "Vecna" as opposed to the Lich Vecna in D&D. You have amazing insight even if two things aren't necessarily related, they may be related in other ways. I've seen you exhibit that in several episodes. Really cool!
"A new Gilmore... a more fabulous Gilmore"... I don't think anyone could be more fabulous than Gilmore, but just wait til you meet the M9's "Gilmore"... he's definitely glorious in his own way 🤣🤣🤣
Grog's backstory with Kevdak and his chosen family of the Trickfoots has to be one of the most wholesome ever and it just makes you want to root for him. By the way, when Scanlan infiltrates westruun as a dragonfly the big triangle-marked building is a symbol of the Cobal Soul. The monks that follow the way of the Knowing Mistress (the Sphynx's patron) had a Library there In the stream when Scanlan met Kaylee it turned from the funniest to the most heartrending live performances ever given by Sam Riegel. It's so surreal imagining it now but Scanlan was prepared to die for a moment and it just brought everyone watching the show to tears
Your reactions are my favorite!!! I love your theories and how invested you are in the characters! That is actually Pike not her mom, her hair wasn’t always white. She just didn’t know about Grog’s past. This episode really set up the next three in an amazing way and I’m absolutely on the edge of my seat waiting for them! (Also I love the nickname Groggles so much)
Season 1 Grog to Pike: But what if I need you?
Season 2 Pike to Grog: But what if I need you?
That really got me.
"Don't fall in love with her Scanlan"
Me: *laughs in spoilers*
*laughs uncomfortably remembering the campaign before THAT revelation* yeeeeeah...
"Matt Mercer needs to pay my therapy bills" god what a mood. Matt and the Critical Role cast have caused me incalculable emotional damage over the years lmao.
Critical Role is both therapy and trauma.
Oh man. After how well they pulled off Vex's nat 1, i am honestly scared for a handful of moments coming up
@@cryofpaineagreed. Cathartic therapy abounds, ask any Critter. Personally, they've seen me through some shit.
Hell, ask any cast member. It's a common take. I prefer to think of it as discount parasocial therapy.
Not Pike's mum, no, that was Pike herself! A bit younger, and before a certain event permanently altered her hair colour, but it was her. They took Grog in, and Pike and him have been like siblings ever since. :')
During the campaign, yes, but why would grog tell her this story if she was there? Young Pike in the campaign had black hair, and this gnome has brown hair.
@@bskec2177 because she probably meant that she never knew about all the stuff that grog unloaded on her in his story of why he was left beaten and near death. There is no reason they would change her backstory THAT massively, Grog and Pikes entire early relationship was built on the fact that she saved him from death after he saved Wilhand and she and Wilhand are the only members of the trickfoot clan with a connection to the everlight.
Yup seems like maybe Wilhand just did not tell her that Grog threatened him at first, or that he was a part of the murdering marauders. Even during the campaign Ashley kept forgetting if that was her great or great-great grandfather. Cause gnomes live for so long. And I think the hair they showed was actually black, it may have just looked brownish on screen. Her hair went white after a certain event pre-filmed campaign, but after meeting Grog. They are following already established canon.
But why did she first say Great Great Grandfather and in this flashback she says Grandfather? I am watching the campaign at the moment but I am not at that point yet 😊
@@ristridin_photography Just because saying "great great grandfather" every single time is a bit of a mouthful, I'd imagine.
Also, the “your armor’s not exactly the quietest” is an Easter egg from the campaign, Pike was constantly failing stealth checks due to her armor penalties. I got a chuckle out of seeing that in there.
"Stealth checks. Pike?" "☺2! ☺" CLANG-CLANG CLANG-CLANG CLANG-CLANG.
Fun fact! So, back in the prestream, they encountered Grog's dad (not gonna detail it further in case it becomes a spoiler), and Matt asked Travis what his name is. Travis, in the moment, forgot he gave Grog a surname and what that surname was. So he names Grog's dad Stonejaw, giving us the wonderful name of... Stonejaw Strongjaw.
18:39 Nobody insults Jaw-Jaw. "He aint no fecken gungan"- Travis Willingham
Travis is very good at coming up with names. My favorite is Tarvis.
And Ashley called him Grog Stonejaw as far back as her very first character intro on the stream, on Narrative Telephone, and once as Fearne. Travis was exasperated
Travis seems to have a habit of forgetting his characters' last names (looking at you Fjord.)
Underneath all of the trauma, Percy is a giant book nerd. The things that make his eyes light up are books and science and invention. He was fascinated by the Fae Realm from childhood, and seeing it brought out a childlike wonder in him. I think he was also trying to be overly optimistic and helpful to try to make up for accidentally causing Vex’s death.
Yeah, Percy also knows celestial ( which is known as a kind of nerdy posh language to learn from how the rest of the cast reacted in the campaign... Kind of sad that they didn't keep that little joke in the show as a very quick one they could have added in to the scene) which I'm almost positive was what was on the male Sphinx puzzle to find the entryway to his lair. If I'm remembering correctly from the campaign... It was celestial.
Also yes Percy was VERY much still feeling extremely guilty and was making Vex little inventions and trick arrows as a way to apologize to her profusely at this point in the campaign.
Wait till he gets a nerdy best friend in season 4
"Matt Mercer needs to pay my therapy bills"...yeah, we've got a class action lawsuit ongoing that you can join if you want.
Put that on a T-shirt
Feel like this is therapy 😊
While all of the critical role cast are producers on the show and have direct involvement, Sam and Travis run the day to day production of LoVM. The two of them wrote this episode. Although they've gathered an amazing collection of writers, the character growth for Scanlan and Grog in this one was too personal for them to give up. They also wrote "Scanbo" in season 1 for the same reason.
Both have essentially sacrificed their voice over careers to run LoVM. Sam was winning emmys voice directing shows for Disney. The cast teased him throughout campaign 1 and 2 about his Disney money and he was often late getting to the table because he was directing for Disney. He gave up "The Bad Batch" to work on LoVM and a minor character he did before he left is his only non-LoVM role in the last two years. Travis went from 8-12 roles per year to 1 role each of his last two years.
Many of the amazing actors they get is because of Sam's history. They got David Tennant (blue dragon) because Sam directed him as Scrooge McDuck for DuckTales. He directed Stephanie Beatriz (Kima the paladin dwarf) in Encanto. Lance Reddick was in Castlevania.
From the wrap-up stream for Campaign 1, the ladies admitted that Vex, Keyleth, AND Pike all had crushes at one time or another on Percy. 😄
I really think that the reason why Grog and Scanlan are my personal favorites it’s because at first glance they are joke characters, the dumb barbarian brute, the horny bard very stereotypical but that’s just superficial they have very rich inner selfs and are way more complex than even other members of the group realize
And then there's the Trust episode that cements them as my favorites lol
No spoilers here but from the campaign: This is why I love Sam. He knows when Chaos is best and when to let things go a little crazy (his ads are a perfect example). He is so good at looking like he puts in 0 effort but in reality he puts ALL the effort in when he needs to. His speech in Calamity is still so stunningly epic, it might be my favorite part of that incredible series.
When Kaylie says "no one wants your damn autograph"... Dr Dranzel puts something into his inside pocket.. and Wilhand is voiced by the Fonz.. lol
Awww he did want the autograph 😭😭
Which was an odd rewrite since in campaign Scanlan and Dr. Dray have a long history
"I'm going to drink because Grog can't" gave me a flash of Conan...He cannot cry so I cry for him...
My favorite part of Grog's backstory is how he refuses to pretend or make excuses. He fully admits and accepts just how evil his acts were, which is what makes his decision to change so much more powerful.
"Standing up for the little folk," was the best answer to the strength question ever. It's not cliché, it's true, and it's in line with what we've always seen of Grog. He's a self sacrificer in every episode. He has power and has learned that power isn't to be used for yourself.
"A man who has known strength all his life can lose respect for that strength, but the weak man knows the power of that strength.
And he knows compassion."
Dr. Abram Erskine
Captain America, the First Avenger.
The parallel between the beat downs Earthbreaker Groon and Kevdak gave Grog, with Grog on his back looking up at a snow filled sky is just beautiful.
Also now that it’s not a spoiler, in the campaign when trying to decide what to do with Craven Edge, Grog says that he doesn’t mind dying to dragons or beholders as long as it’s a “beautiful death”, but he doesn’t want to die to Kevdak. It’s one of the reasons why Grog wants to hold on to Craven Edge.
14:45 In the stream campaign, they also got rid of Craven Edge before fighting Kevdak. However, instead of Grog destroying it like in the show, the group took it from him and banished it to a different plane of existence. However, he tried to get them to let him keep it. His argument for why he should keep it: "Look…If we're going back to Kevdak…You know I'm not, like, scared of death, right? I would die by a dragon. I would die by a beholder. And I wouldn't care as long as it was a beautiful death. But I don't want to die from Kevdak. Not him."
Also, that was little Pike healing Grog, not her mom. The reason her hair was black and not white was that before the stream started, she had had black hair, but she got killed. The stress of being resurrected turned her hair white.
One more thing: Grog hasn't yet found where his strength comes from. But oh boy, is he close.
White hair, that make 2 haha & grog can't wait...
The dark-haired gnome with Wilhand wasn't Pike's mom, it was our favourite gnome cleric herself. An event during the early stages of the campaign turned her hair white, but this was how she appeared originally 🙂
Yeah. That was the case in the campaign, but I think they're going with it being Pike's grandmother in the show. Pike refers to Pop-pop as her great-great-grandfather, whereas the woman who healed Grog referred to him as her grandfather. The fact that Pike never knew what happened to Grog also seems to back this up.
@@sullenskulls9709 16:37 Pike calls him grandpa
@@sullenskulls9709 She knew he was beaten to a pulp, not how it happened. All she knew was he got beaten saving Wilhand, not why he was beaten.
@@sullenskulls9709 Pike calls him grandpa too
@@sullenskulls9709 Check the credits, Pike's mom or grandmother is not mentioned.
"Do not fall in love with her, Scanlan."
Ooooooh boy. 😈
Dude, why would you?
smdh
Just say nothing.
Yes you are right about Vecna. Considered one of the greatest Villains in the Dungeons & Dragons, Vecna was portrayed in the 3rd Edition Source Book " Deities and Demigod. Originally appearing in the Greyhawk Campaign setting, Vecna was described as a powerful wizard who became a lich.
Kevdak is voiced by the great Ralph Ineson, one of those solid actors you see everywhere in smaller roles.
Fighting civilians here, robbing a bank during a hurricane in a b-grade movie, fighting radiation in Chernobyl...
OH MAN WAIT I just realized something watching your reaction!! The girl with pink hair talking to Scanlan said “One thing I’ve learned in life: no one comes back to save you”, right after the scene where Grandpa Wilhand came back to save Grog 😭 It just shows you how jaded she is to the idea that people can be kind and good
I don't want to spoil anything, but she is justified in feeling that way.
@@thefracturedbutwhole5475 Oh I know, trust me
19:48 that’s actually just baby Pike, and also her picture in Willhand’s locket.
I love that you call him Groggles. It does make me think of Beer goggles, but I suppose Ale Groggles would be more correct.
As a person with glasses, I am flattered by your "it just adds" :3
Okay, now I need a song from Scanlan for Grog`s working out :DD
This episode is so sad and intense, and I teared up when you cried at the first five minutes of the episode, even before the intro.
Seeing Grog being punished and almost dead, and how Wilhand and Pike (i think this was Pike, not her mom) saved him. And seeing that people are distrustful to Grog and how ashamed he is - it`s breaking my heart again.
And what hurt me more than a Grog`s flashback is the scene where Kevdak does almost the same thing with his son. This is just... completes the picture.
I hope Grog will destroy Kevdak.
During the Campaign, the battle against Kevdak lasted thought 2 episodes for a aproximated 3,25 hrs of battle (Test of Pride (ep 51) and The Kill Box (ep 52)) which was 9 rounds. Concidering that 1 round is 6 seconds in real time, the battle lasted 54 seconds.
It was one of the most intense battle in CR1 since the Briarwoods battle.
Saundor was an Arch Fey, but the animation did have him look like the Vecna character from Stranger Things. Vecna IS a character from D&D that has already been in this show. Due to Copyright issues though, the LoVM refers to Vecna as the Whispered One.
I really would have put a spoiler warning there. It would have been a lot of fun for her to figure that out in later seasons
Our boy's getting real close to learning where his strength comes from. I can't wait to see this fight, especially if it's done like the live show.
It won't be as epic because they can't spend the time on the fight. Plus the whole gang isn't even there.
Well, if it's done like the live show they'll get Wil Wheaton to show up and rub his dice curse all over Matt's dice between sessions. 😄
It's so funny that you said "a broken clock is right twice a day" about grog, cause Percy used to say that a lot to him in the campaign, whenever grog had a surprisingly good idea 😂
Kevdak is voiced by Ralph Ineson who is probably most famous for General Tarakanov (the General who drove the shielded truck towards the Reactor to get an accurate reading) in Chernobyl and Dagmer Cleftjaw in Game of Thrones.
you've seen the weird knife-worm that Scanlan summons with the flute before, it's the same type of creature that Grog killed in season 1 by biting its tongue out, when they were sharing "craziest kill" stories.
I believe that's a sandkheg. A cousin of the ahnkheg. Now if they can just get some of that sandkhegs hide. 😉
The thing Grog killed in season 1 was their legally distinct version of a Bulette (sometimes called a land shark). It wasn't shown to be worm like.
That GOD DAMNED cliffhanger!! Very strong episode
So you've actually already seen Vecna in the show. He's "The Whispered One", the person the Briarwoods were trying to summon. He briefly appeared when Delilah completed her ritual before Percy shot her.
Grog's uncle Kevdak truly is the worst sort of monster. And yeah, Grog spared Pike's great great grandfather and got his ass beat down for it. That was actually a young Pike that saved his life in return. She originally had black hair but during their home game adventures Pike was the first person in the group to be killed when a monster they were fighting cut her down the middle. She was revived but the shock of it turned her hair white and gave her that scar over the eye. After that she dedicated herself to learning how to fight to prevent herself from being vulnerable like that again.
The band of musicians Scanlan meets here are actually part of his original backstory. Dr. Dranzel and his troupe actually took Scanlan in for a while before he met Vox Machina, teaching him their musical ways. It was changed here for streamlining purposes, but in the game these are the people who taught Scanlan everything he knew. Also love the little bit of "no one wants your damn autograph" and you see Dr. Dranzel himself shyly putting a pen away and hoping nobody sees it.
That reaction at the end is 100% how so many of the games end for us. The instant Matt ends the episode with "and that's where we'll end tonight's episode" almost always comes at the most cliffhanger moments possible.
Same for Percy, with the white hair. In the flash backs last season his and Cassandra's hair was brown but after their trauma, white.
IIRC Vecna in D&D is a Lich, which are basically very powerful undead necromancers. It doesn't have much to do with the one from Stranger Things, as the group just used Vecna to name him that way. I believe the whispered one is just one of his names, which we briefly saw somewhat in the first season, so I'm sure he will become relevant in the future.
Saundor actually reminded me a lot about the Sylvari from Guild Wars 2. They are basically literal plant people that have this shared hive like connection through "the dream" and the pale tree, but they also have this corrupted offspring of theirs called the nightmare court, which do evil and try to corrupt the dream and the pale tree, seeing to "free" the others from the influence and restrictions of the pale tree.
Your reactions to the cliff hangers make me glad I was able to binge both seasons. lol
I guess Grog knew Pike basically from when she was born, protecting her and her family this whole time. :')
Grog isnt smart, but he is WISE in the ways of certain things. He knows how the herd works. Travis, while embracing Grog's pathetic INT score of 6, also allowed Grog to be surprisingly good at the tactics of battle -- because he learned these things innately, growing up in the herd and raiding since childhood.
That was Pike doing the healing. She used to have dark hair. We don't know much of anything about Pike's mom or dad yet -- not even folks who have consumed everything from Critical Role. Willhand raised her though, and taught her about The Everlight.
"...WISE in the way of certain things." Um, Grog's Wisdom is 10, so, no, not really. He's not UNwise, but he's average in terms of being a wise-guy. His Charisma is 13. He has a strong personality. So, when he makes a decision, it doesn't matter how smart or wise it is, he backs it up with conviction.
Literally every reactor has visibly cringed at the end of the episode 🤣🤣 they did such an amazing job, of taking a relatively tame episode and sucking everyone into it. that 20-25 minutes just flew by for me too
Grog arc! cam not wait until you see the pay off!
EDIT: For title of chapter three, you should wait until all the drama is played out, so you can submit a complete tally.
Grog is always a great comedic relief but Travis knows how to pull on your heart strings for some of the most emotional moments of the campaign.
Also, the upcoming battle is one of the greatest fights of the entire campaign. It's so badass, I can't wait to watch it.
Grog knows his emotions better than his numbers :)
I had a really awful day today. Really awful. By the time I finished this vid....I was smiling from your excitement and energy. I'm so glad you enjoyed it and thank you for sharing the smiles.
That jazzed 'I'm going to go fight god now' energy is exactly the same jolt I think every Critter got from this Grog story arc, it's incredible!
So I'm gonna avoid spoilers but Pike is the one who healed Grog. Her hair changes to white after an event I'm sure they're planning to cover probably next season. She just didn't know that Grog was part of the raiding party as Wilhan never told her
The Whispered One from the first season was Vecna in the original stream.
Diplomacy ends with a handshake!
If Matt Mercer thought more about the names beforehand he probably wouldn't have got so much grief from the party over Purvan.
Travis was sometimes prone to clever ideas or comments during the stream, it became a running gag between him and Matt that grog would suffer a point of psychic damage whenever he did this.
It was actually a younger Pike, Grog was just revealing the type of person he was before they met.
Adding on to the first point for others:
Vecna is from D&D. They used him in Critical Role, but they've avoided using trademarked names so they've renamed things like The Whispered One and the Everlight, which in the campaign was Vecna and Serenrae
"If Matt Mercer thought more about the names beforehand he probably wouldn't have got so much grief from the party over Purvan" yes and thank God he doesn't, we wouldn't have Mike Hunt or the Celebone incident that has me in stitches no matter how many times I watch it
@@pabloc8808 To this day I cannot understand how he used Mike Hunt, that name's been a well used joke as long as I can remember. Once even heard it used on a supermarket PA system, like a Bart Simpson prank call.
@@timidwolf Mike Hunt I'm on the fence on whether it really was an accident, but I'm positive him naming a "semi-translucent rod" Celebone was 100% him not accounting for the Laura Bailey factor
@@TheParagade To be fair at this point in the campaign and in last season of LOVM he was only referred to as The Whispered One, even in the campaign. They only learn more towards the end of the campaign that his "actual god name" is Vecna... So they will probably just keep calling him The Whispered One instead of revealing his God name in the show due to copyright... But for a significant amount of time VM only knew him as The Whispered One in the campaign. So there technically hasn't really been a change from campaign to show regarding Vecna/The Whispered One....yet.
Not Pikes mother... Pike herself ^^ There is a reason for the change to white hair, which even people who have watched the Campaign only heard as a story, since it happened before they startet streaming... I hope they show it in the show at some point.
My Headcannon is that the Gnom at the start of the episode, that got killed by Kevdak, was her Mother ^^
I love watching people react to that ending. And yeah, it sucks having to wait, but what comes next deserves its own episode.
The dark haired gnome that healed Grog IS Pike, sh used to have dark hair but something happened (that’s a whole different story)and her hair turned white. I think it’s confusing because she says she didn’t know the whole back story behind Grog’s past. Don’t wanna spoil anything but the Trickfoot family story is about second chances, and how everybody deserves that second chance so the redemption of Grog and his close association with the Trickfoot family make it so much more meaningful.
Watching you watch this made me tear up about it and I watched the campaign years ago! Thanks so much for sharing this experience with us. Wild that they didn't hurt or kill anyone with this cliffhanger and it was just as big of an emotional hit when it ended. Can't wait til the last three! Then you will have to wait for the next season like the rest of us
Vecna is from Dungeons & Dragons, yes.
Sondur is NOT Vox Machina's Vecna.
Vox Machina's Vecna got name-dropped (well, title-dropped) back in Season 1. We even got a brief glimpse of him in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it flash in like... episode 11, I think it was. They used him by name in the campaign but had to file the serial numbers off the same way they did with Sarenrae and Pelor and the various other gods when making the animated series.
"Why is Grog smart all of a sudden" that does, in fact, have a reasonable explanation: Grog has a low Intelligence stat, but his Wisdom is slightly higher, which means he can have good ideas, but he is uneducated and knows very little about how things work. That mean he could come up with his infiltration plan and point out how flawed Pike and Scanlan's ideas were because they were talking about something he knew really well: the Herd. But if the guards had asked him random trivia he would've definitely failed
Can't wait to see your reaction next week because these final 3 episodes are going to be probably the most intense and hypeful episodes of the entire show so far
This is why I like rewatching these episodes as reactions. When I first watched this episode I thought it was good but I feel like getting to see it through someone else's eyes and someone else's perspective gives me new appreciation for it. Or sometimes makes me see things in a new way or a way I didn't originally see it.
10/10 Reactions. Your content is gold.
26:50
I am glad I'm not the only one who screamed at the tv when they ended the episode there.
You can't get more fabulous than Shaun Gilmore, but the Mighty Nein certainly get someone interesting as well.
Oh, poor Matt's soul. I can't wait to see it.
Maybe not as fabulous but from the far off realm of Minnesota...
I _LOVE_ both, but the one in Zadash is my fav :)
I think it says a lot about Vex and her feelings for Percy that she has seen him at his absolute MOST vulnerable and responded to that vulnerability with not just her personal support, but a call to support from the entire company. There's a REASON Orthax identified HER as the biggest threat to his control of Percy in the group.
The little emotional monologue from Grog is the difference between intelligence and wisdom .
This was one of my favorite episodes. I love the Grog/Pike backstory, which we never got to see in the live game as it was part of their shared backstory, much like the Vex/Vax backstory was created before their first actual home game.
The phrase, "where does your strength come from," has finally Groon on you.
So that brown haired girl wasn't pike's mother, that WAS pike.
"I was a little emotional there at the end" only at the end? :D great reaction as always, looking forward to next weekend ^^
That's why we love you - it's for your truthful and vivid emotions. And these comments after watching how good the aftertaste after wine . Thank you for taking care of our favorite characters together. Don't forget to buy more napkins next week :)
Kevdak is your typical bully who relies on the use of violent force to give him control over others. And I also noted that Grog may not have realized it, however, he has recognized the source of his strength.
"Nooooo!" Your reaction at the end was great 👍.
I liked that we got a nice little reversal on Pike and Grog's conversation from season 1 "But what if I need you?"
I don't even cry watching the episodes alone, but when I watch you almost crying I cry too lol
Vecna sometimes called "The Whispered One" is indeed a character from D&D, The name is also used by main antagonist from the fourth season of Stranger Things.
Travis is such a brilliant voice actor... g'damn.
Love that you mention Vecna. Fun fact, in DnD Vecna has a title....his title is The Whispered One among others ;)
Vecna is from D&D, but he has nothing to do with the Stranger Things Vecna in terms of Personality or Design ^^
You will definitely love Laura Baily's character in the "Mighty Nien".
Vecna being a trademarked name was changed to the (redacted for potential spoiler), just like Sarenrae was changed to the Everlight and the Beholder was altered visually to have a similar appearance while avoiding the name and exact appearance in the sunken tomb. Many little things were altered to avoid WotC taking a massive chomp of the money (and let's be honest... attempting to control things). So just be advised when names are mentioned they could have been altered from D&D/WotC owned materials.
Just to emphasize how brave Grog facing Kevdak is: in the stream, there's a moment when Pike and Grog talk, a little before they get to Westrun, when they realize they'll have to face Kevdak. Grog tells Pike that he knows he's a warrior and he's not afraid to die... But he doesn't want it to be at the hands of Kevdak. This is the one foe our big buddies is really scared of, Kevdak near killed him and left him for dead! But he's still facing him for his friends and for the little people. THAT'S courage!
One thing is Travis, despite playing a dumb character, is actually a very smart, tactical/strategic player. Sometimes that bled through in Grog despite his low intelligence
19:51
That is actually our dear Pike herself when she was younger. She died early on once b4 their game was streamed on the internet & her god the Everlight brought her back but it caused her hair to turn blondish white from the radiant energies or something.
In D&D, Vecna is a "lich," which is like an undead wizard.
Grog's voice actor, Travis Willingham, knocked it out of the park these last few eps! That Kevdak! at the end was hype! This was a great adaptation of the campaign. Grog was always the smart-dumb guy because of Travis. You've gotta be pretty smart to be that dumb, is what I always said about Grog.
In regards to Grog being "smart" this episode - it is HIS herd. He might not know a lot, but he KNOWS his people. No one can be stupid all the time. Everyone has their expertise, no matter how niche it might seem.
I absolutely love your reactions; feelings dialed up to 200%! Also, I'm right with you on being so amped for next week to see how this all plays outs!
The energy from you this episode, I've not seen you spike your microphone so many times in one episode before. LOL
'would this not be their Vecna' - interesting thought, keep an eye on it I would; might be handy in the future
Thank you for entertaining me with your reactions. I appreciate all the hard work you do on these videos, putting yourself out there, editing and still working a full time job. Thank You.
Man I love your reactions, you get me more emotional watching you than when I watch Them by myself
You have such a pure heart
I definitely saw the visual resemblance between Saundor and Vecna from Stranger Things when you mentioned it. You are right about Vecna's origins being in D&D. His influence has already been felt in Legend of Vox Machina, but they couldn't use the name for copyright reasons. Instead, they used one of his other titles "The Whispered One."
Oh darlin you have no idea how fantastic it's going to get. You're going to laugh harder, cheer harder, and cry harder.
They lose their power. They have to go alone to get their power back. Their best bud wants to help, and ask "what if I need you?" Pike and Grog are just the best.
You wondered about Vecna and his relation to D&D.
Specifically, in Critical Role, “The Wispered One” is a nickname for Vecna. In the same way Goliaths are now Half Giants, Vecna is referred to as The Whispered One
I'd call that a spoiler.
@@AGhastlyGengar It's not though. It's not a reveal, it's a name change. He will never be called Vecna in the show, for legal reasons.
@@AGhastlyGengar how?
@@FulcanMal why not? Vecna is a D&D IP, so they can use it, that´s the whole OGL point
@@FulcanMal We didn't know it was Vecna at this point in the campaign
Funny you should mention you wish he had Craven Edge, in the campaign the group tries to get Grog to give it up several times because they can tell it's not doing good things for him. It comes to a head right before they go deal with Kevdak, and Grog says he doesn't want to give it up because he's so absolutely terrified of his uncle and his sword is the only thing giving him the confidence to face him.
FOR STRONGJAW!!!!
Edit: Vecna, ya don't say? Lol thats so last season with the Briarwoods. (Slowly shifts eye contact cause he knows whats coming)
"So it was a little emotional there at the end..." *Takes BIG drink of wine*
Edit: That was Pike, her hair color changed.
Ahahah, yeah, that cliffhanger got me too. I cannot *WAIT* to see the fight in the next episode. My boy Grog's gonna fuck some shit up, I can feel it.
Opening scene reminds me of the GoT scene of the wildlings raiding Olly's village.
I meant to put this in the last episode but think of the fey realm as Disneyland and Percy spent the first 15 years of his life reading and watching everything Disney and finally getting to see it in person
Foul-mouthedLilGal reacts. ;)
This was one of my favorite episodes. Lucky us got to see it through your eyes, as usual.
It's late, that's all I got. See you for the next one. ❤️
"A new more fabulous Gilmore..." just you wait! If they do him justice, it will be your new favorite NPC!
You must be referring to the Stranger Things "Vecna" as opposed to the Lich Vecna in D&D. You have amazing insight even if two things aren't necessarily related, they may be related in other ways. I've seen you exhibit that in several episodes. Really cool!
I would love for someone to have called Kevdak out and been like, try fighting me without your magic guantlets
Yeah, but he is still probably stronger than the rest even without them
"A new Gilmore... a more fabulous Gilmore"... I don't think anyone could be more fabulous than Gilmore, but just wait til you meet the M9's "Gilmore"... he's definitely glorious in his own way 🤣🤣🤣
Grog's backstory with Kevdak and his chosen family of the Trickfoots has to be one of the most wholesome ever and it just makes you want to root for him.
By the way, when Scanlan infiltrates westruun as a dragonfly the big triangle-marked building is a symbol of the Cobal Soul. The monks that follow the way of the Knowing Mistress (the Sphynx's patron) had a Library there
In the stream when Scanlan met Kaylee it turned from the funniest to the most heartrending live performances ever given by Sam Riegel. It's so surreal imagining it now but Scanlan was prepared to die for a moment and it just brought everyone watching the show to tears
Your reactions are my favorite!!! I love your theories and how invested you are in the characters! That is actually Pike not her mom, her hair wasn’t always white. She just didn’t know about Grog’s past. This episode really set up the next three in an amazing way and I’m absolutely on the edge of my seat waiting for them! (Also I love the nickname Groggles so much)
I love you're reactions to this show ! It warms my heart ❤️