I’ve seen Brennan play a sadistic assassin, a hateful demon god, and a merciless lich, but none of them have come close to how frightening Adrian is. Brennan is a master at being unnerving through understatement and this role showcases it the best
Please, take your salvation seriously. If you haven't read at least three books of the Bible yet, please consider today. The first book of each testament and one you chose yourself, I'd say that's an important minimum amount for a mustard seed of faith, with a bit of forgiveness like Jesus Christ taught. Please, look inside. Find the light. Inside reflects outside. Love is God. God is love. Jesus Christ is Lord,
@@jamesmayle3787 Please, structure your grammar correctly. People cannot take you seriously if you cannot communicate your beliefs correctly, and with humility on the internet.
The energy of Executive Goth Taliesin Jaffe vs improv magician Brennan Lee Mulligan in the same room, on opposite sides of the same story is INCREDIBLE
Brennan was THE perfect person for this role. None better. His ability to hyperanalyze, his improv skill, his ability to debate, his ability to absorb knowledge with encyclopedic skill and regurgitate it flawlessly. He flat out NAILED this role, and was the most convincing person that could have ever been among the more prolific roleplayers.
Coming back to this video and reading this again, I think you couldn't be more right! Near perfect alignment of too many things that anyone watching can only be thankful to witness
Truly, it is my favourite performance of Brennan's. It's pure Oscar level acting. Adrian is TERRIFYING and a little... um... drawing. It's just absolutely fab. I was practically sad that he dies but at the same time. Such an insanely powerful death and such a tie up for Annabel's arch.
Brennan very quickly went from the friendly ex bishop to the total mirror shattering just cold, stone faced man, he delivers it in such a way that makes me want to root for him. A protagonist but not a hero sort of vibe from it.
In a world where the main characters are monsters by nature and a world where there is no true "good", he fits right in among the cainites he is devoted to eradicating.
@@kevlar427 "Who do you think you're looking at? Agent, these undead will not simply knock on my door and pull me from my roots. I AM the one who knocks."
He DID technically state that he, specifically, was not avoiding the attack and was giving it up to god, so I think that just implied that by god's will he was martyred, even when he himself was certain he would be thrown into perdition
@@ziwuriGod in the WoD is definetly real in some capacity (mechanically if nothing else). But I think what this outcome means remains open to interpretation.
The beauty is he, a line earlier, tried to drop that implication, he instantly clocked people didn't pick up on it, so rather than keep it a subtle reveal letting the cast slowly connect the dots, he decided to be explicit - his character wouldn't hide this data, so why should he? A lesser actor would wait for others to pick up on his implication. He knew it would be more effective to be direct.
god as a raised-catholic-but-turned-out-to-be-gay-agnostic, brennan as adrian both set off every alarm bell in my head and also made me desperately want to trust him. it's the conflict de-escalation tactics before the real conflict begins, it's the talking around the problem, answering questions with questions, giving just enough of an answer for you to need more, it's the casual show of force, the weaponized meekness, the "i want to help you" talk that's dropped immediately if the right person commands, it's the everything about him. fuck. a true masterclass.
@@jonathanjernigan3865 personally I don't think they see him as a positive potrayal as much as a really good one. Most of the time when it comes to the second inquisition stories like to show the leader as a sort of cliche, the zealous vampire hunter, the meek boss, the out of their league mortal. Brennan as Adrian gave out a very interesting image for how to make that zealous nature unique, by instead of making him someone so zealous as to hate into someone who clings on to the belief that there is salvation in the things he hunts. It makes people sort of sympathetic to his character as when he does die, as the storyteller says he sees his greatest fear come to life which for me isn't the fact that he died but the fact that Annabelle the miracle he was looking for turned out to fail him.
@@mattheww1930 this tbh- it's a good, nuanced, and suitably dramatic portrayal of a person of faith. Brennan understood the assignment, his dramatic role, and fulfilled it with grace
1:42:53 Brennan: "Your friends are monsters" One of the best exchanges in the entire series, Brennan is a phenomenal actor and really mastered his role as antagonist. He's 100% correct even though he was doomed to fail, what a fantastic character.
A bit of subtle irony in a world where the catholic god both opposes but directly does nothing about the curse, meaning in adrien's eyes his god should be just as complicit, but he refuses to see the monster that is historically the catholic church .
@@euandunbar8050 Its sort of the tragic opposite. In the world of Darkness the vamps beside Cain did get a option for redemption.Which is that Golconda thing Adrian briefly mentioned. However some vamps didn't exactly like it and actively killed off those who followed it, destroyed information on it, and hoarded the rest. So its more of a unfortunate "damning everyone else so you, yourself to keep power" kinda deal. Or rephrased the grand game of keeping powr Annabelle and Adrian discuss, directly involve measures that mitigate vampires making more positive institutions.
@@euandunbar8050 not really? I mean what you imply is heavy interventionism by God, which Christianity points out is not God’s way. This goes into a larger discussion of free will as by using intervention to dictate the course of events heavily would go against the concept of free will. He gives his faithful tools against the darkness but he cannot eliminate it. One of the previous courses was, specifically that Cain must walk the Earth forever marked by his sin, thus God is bound to his own word, unless he wants to collapse the universe.
@@euandunbar8050 This is only subtle irony if you're actually rooting for an interventionist, "all up in your business" kinda god, which the world of darkness game line just kinda doesn't have, at least in the modern setting and in relation to your standard monotheistic creator deity. It's the whole thing with free will, yknow? You solve everyone's problems infinitely and forever, is anyone really alive at all? If none of your choices have consequences because an omniscient being fixes all your fuckups for you, all of your triumphs lose meaning as well. And, I haven't seen the whole video yet, but isn't Adrian ex-catholic church? That would mean he very much does see problems with it, hence his leaving.
i don’t see anyone talking how f*ing perfect the DM here is. i came here for Brennan and wasn’t disappointed but damn that DM did such a great job setting a mood.
While most (including me) may disagree on the virtue and necessity of his actions, I think the scariest part of Adrian's character is that he isn't wrong. Victor wanted fame, power, and control over his land, the lives of his children, and the kindred of Los Angeles. Jasper hated kindred, including himself, to the point he only feeds on them, but he tortured and embraced a prisoner so that he wouldn't feel the guilt of feeding while doing what others of his kind do to humans. Nelli might be the most selfless and human member of the coterie, but she doesn't care if she has to take lives if it meant saving her friends and family. Adrian may have missed the mark on some, but he nailed Annabelle, she is a zealot of rebellion and can't see the fact that while she might say she wants peace, she really just wants to change the status quo and none of her friends want the paradise she says she wants. She kept attributing him to the catholic church, but he is an ex-priest, he isn't the church but she needs to see him as an institution because if he isn't, she actually has to listen to him. The moment I realized she was never going to join him and that he was absolutely right about Annabelle was the moment she said "... there are fronts all over the world, there always will be. There will always be people like you to take down and maybe I'm not going to be the best at sticking around to rule people cause that's not my style, but there will always be a need for the soldiers of the revolution." She, without actually realizing it, is saying that she is just removing one institution for another, but in her mind, because she isn't a ruler but a soldier of the revolution she isn't at fault for the institution. Adrian is brilliant and having Brennan play him is perfect as his personal kindness totally subverts our expectations of a villain. 10/10 Antagonist, would have my forehead seared with a crucifix again. Edit: Grammar and Spelling.
Adrian is brilliant because he wins even when he doesn’t he is out to destroy vampires because he believes they are monsters. You die when you die and being embraced is just a cold body feeding off the living. Annebelle throws a wrench into his theory she shows some level of empathy and restraint implying that she isn’t a monster that despite being a vampire there is still somehow some humanity left in her. when she chooses to side with the monsters and kill Adrian she proves she wasn’t acting out of humanity but spite against the system and he died proving she was a monster like them
I agree with most of this but 'We are the kingdom of the Lord God' is an institution sentiment. Adrian can be an ex-priest all he wants but simply not being an active part of an organization does not in any way remove you from being a part of it - especially if you act upon the perceived authority the power of that institution grants to you
@@alexisloveschocolate I don't really have that much experience with Christianity, so I have a question to ask, are we not in the kingdom of god? I mean we might have free will but we still have to abide by his rules to be "morally upright" individuals, not trying to be combative just getting insight. Also, not being an active part of an organization very much does remove you from being a part of it, because by this logic even though I left Boy Scouts in 6th grade I have still be a part of it since then. The Catholic Church and the act of being a Christian are two seperate things, he is acting on behalf of his supposed God but removing himself from the power that is the Vatican. He doesn't see himself as an authority, just someone making the hard choice for the betterment of humanity. I do apprecitate you agreeing with most of my comment, and would love to get a reply that can clear up any misconceptions I have. Peace and
I know that this is a video about Brennan, but two incredible things i like about this are 1. Erika's blood curdling scream at the end, and 2. The absolute joy i feel every time Jason says "multiple things happen at once."
One portrayal of a truly religious character that is nuanced and doesn't paint them as complete idiots, but as actual human beings with UNROCKABLE faith.
And imagine having actual factual proof of your religion; like vampires are real and the likeness and symbol of your lord can hurt them, if that ain't the closest thing to proof of a higher power i don't know what is.
as a Catholic and huge tabletop enthusiast, this is absolutely incredible. Brennan is not only bringing his incredible acting chops, but also a deep knowledge of theology and Catholic philosophy. my appreciation of this man only grows day by day!
"Let's all sing kumbaya." "I've done that. That used to be my job." I love the mental image this gives of Brennan at a Youth Ministry camp singing around a bonfire. As incredible as his badass lines are, he still can sprinkle in a hint of comedy at times.
It's not the most intensely delivered line, but having this character's first line be a fairly calm "you had a copy of the Book of Nod right in your hands" was a brilliant way to introduce him. Right off the bat you know he's incredibly dangerous even if he never personally gets violent because he's several tiers of knowledge above every member of the inquisition we've seen so far (and even a whole lot of the vampires we've seen) and knowledge is power. Being able to convey that level of danger with a single calm line that isn't a threat in a totally non-violent situation doesn't happen that often. One sentence and we immediately know how serious this guy's entry into the story is.
"I told you your revolution was successful and you looked *heartbroken* ." It's honestly nuts to look back at this and see the throughlines between the themes Brennan challenges Erika's character with here and the way he challenges and looks deep in on Danielle Barkstock in the Seven. Not the same argument, but the same idea of putting the rebel under the microscope, whether that's as a martyr or a leader. Not dismissive of fighting for a cause but critical of whether one truly longs for success, are truly ready to get what they claim they seek. Danielle was so insistent on her dedication to being part of something larger she fully deceived herself into accepting the end of her own existence as *good* to her. As noble, a concept that she won't even be able to value once she's rotting food for worms. "Danielle doesn't need a story, right? You're just an ecosystem."
Though admittedly given the nature of the world, it wouldnt truly be the end. Institutions are very much like ecosystems in needing a variety of factors to stay stable enough to exist. Daniel's desires were a bit beyond the scope of play for a season, more the type of stuff you would get in a longer fantasy book reprecussions wise. Or a sci-fi series that notes the relativity of seperation for organisms. The world of DnD has such a vast spectrum of mixins for consciousness and perspective both induced on oneself or induced on others that its honestly a much different paradigm foundationally for the subject of self than one normally gets in human focused series. The implications of fully being able to communicate with with completely alien physiology, transform between various forms while maintaining a stream of consciousness and fully being able to parse that into ones perception as a human/humanoid are incredibly vast. Its a interesting case of a character who's foundational queries diverge from the more mundane relationship focus of their story.
This is a good point, need to figure out what it is we are doing something for (and her Beast, she knows just drives for revolution as is) but I kind of understand Annabelle. One was a success but we are still exhausted and there's still much more to do. Same as the little wins today against what's going on in the US, Russia, UK, Hungary, Ukraïne. Thing is some see one win and think that's it "you don't need my help anymore" when it's far from over.
Came here after ExU: Calamity and HOLY SHIT. I was taken aback and genuinely frightened by Brennan's masterful portrayal of a certain You-Know-Who alongside other NPCs. I would probably willingly walk the plank if he told me to, truly terrifying (in the best way).
he isn't "absolutely correct". He is a fanatic. A scarily convincing one at that, if you look at real life examples. I think that is part of what makes the performance so great - he is convincing because of his composed attitude, and his seeming kindness for Annabelle. Brennan uses soft inflections and very polite language. But beneath the surface he is a dangerous zealot who completely disregards any true empathy, with a hint of that coming out during his interrogation of Annabelle and X. Labelling all kindred "monsters" collectively, despite the fact that they have much more nuance than that. are they monsters, technically? sure, but their evil is not so different from that of the kine. There certainly are kindred who have more goodness in them than some humans. him declaring Annabelle a monster at the end after rambling on how she is a miracle before just proves how black-and-white his worldview really is.
None of the characters in this episode/compilation are correct. Just because Brennan is a charismatic and persuasive speaker doesn't mean all of his characters are automatically lawful good.
@@arcahmwinters70 I suggest you remind those people of the Baron bit from the second season Fantasy High. The man can do it all, and he can be bone chilling terrifying.
@@arcahmwinters70 To echo theromanus, Brennan is a masterful story teller so he can make you feel a lot of ways. He is a comedian at a college humour but honestly he's at his best when just scaring the everliving shit out of you. I've watched every Dimension 20 season and it's hard to compare his work in calamity to anything else he's DM'd on camera.
@@Vamper946 He's been a GM in a professional capacity since he was a teenager; when he started working at the Wayfinder Experience, which is a LARP Camp. He got the job by getting more referrals to the camp than anyone had previously by developing Bootleg Adventures, which still exists as Living Legends. And he Credits Wayfinder with his skill in improv which feeds back into his skills as a gm.
@@arcahmwinters70 LOL Yeah, while there were still a few little funny moments sprinkled in there, Brennan really got to stretch is existential dread muscles in EXU:C.
i had no idea this existed, this is fantastic! love seeing brennan flex his acting and theology muscles in synch, what a great character for this setting
@@nunbeam I believe he was a philosophy major and he has shown, especially during Fantasy High, that he has a very good knowledge of different religious beliefs. If I am not mistaken, though, his upbringing saw him learning more pagan/Celtic(?) traditions than Christian ones, but I may be very wrong about that and those are often not all that separate.
@@januarygrey I mean he's played D&D since he was a kid, and the Forgotten Realms cosmology is basically just a huge mashup of all the major (and minor) world religions.
if brennan has not spent his time auditioning for Actual Hollywood Roles because of his commitment to collegehumor & dimension 20, i completely understand. if he /has/ been spending time trying to become an Actor, and has yet to be Recognized, i'm absolutely livid. his skills are impeccable.
He’s a wonderful actor, but I think he would be totally wasted in Hollywood roles. Just saying someone else’s words, and not getting to fully and actively engage with the creation of a living story? He’d be bored to tears.
Brennan really made every vampire in this show look like either a child or a monster. And I have no idea how the dice work in this game, he beat the others by a significant amount but still died all the vampires get to make what seems like several moves before he makes one? Can't tell if the rules just seem weird or it's because this is obviously angled for the vamps to win.
As far as I know the Vampire the Masquerade system doesn't really account for someone playing a regular human. It was kind of built with the intention that every player would be playing a vampire of some kind. Characters are all supernatural in some way and balanced to be able to contend with each other, so I think it's less that vamps are overpowered and more that regular human was introduced into a system where they could really only be underpowered because they're not supernaturally fast or strong. So I think they're doing a Homebrew system which allows humans but because they've got no supernatural powers they turn out kinda weak. I think some of the newer upcoming expansions to the system are trying to find ways to add humans in a way where they're not underpowered? The newest setting is called Hunter: The Reckoning so I feel like it's probably a system that makes more room for Humans, but not much is known about it yet.
@@frankie-leighcollins7291 Hunter the Reckoning already exists, it's been part of both Worlds of Darkness. The mechanics are slightly different between them, but the gist is definitely that ordinary humans gain the ability to fight back against monsters.
@@frankie-leighcollins7291 they are playing V5. there are human antagonists in it but in this particular game they roll rarely and let the PC kind of run rampant
Even though Brennan out rolled, he did say he wasn't trying to actively avoid the attack and left it up to god. Jason Carl (The DM) values that above all else, even more so in this series then in some of his over stuff from what I've heard of his reputation. Given that Adrian is excommunicated and bound for hell. It falls to viewer interpretation on as to why God didn't intervene and save him. I think from a meta perspective it could have been that a miss would have proven gods existence to Annabelle, which might have derailed plans the DM had for the rest of this series given the amount of prep that would have had to have gone into all of this. It's not really easy to say without talking to Jason Carl himself though.
Jason Carl has such an amazing level, soothing tone. When someone presents an idea, the warm way in which he muses over it. Genuinely has a vampire-esque vibe to him. He feels steady, unperturbed by even the most chaotic of ideas. Jason Carl makes every supposition seem intriguing and worth exploring, too. He feels patient, measured, but also humored by the going-ons.
Adrian pushing Annabelle to be so critical of her beliefs, both those she had as a mortal and the beliefs that are a part of the immortal blood in her veins and her clan, was incredible and I'm excited to see her in NY By Night, even as a guest, to see if she grew from this.
It’s a shame Annabelle didn’t have more interesting arguments to throw at Adrian. She just kept repeating the same things he’d already given answers for. He wasn’t a “good” man, but at the end of the day, he went against most of his organisation to try and prove that these monsters could be saved. Only to have that kindness thrown back in his face by the one he tried so desperately to help
Mostly right. He never actually answered any of the questions about the righteousness of his Church or faith. Every time he was confronted by it, he dissembled, or turned the accusation back around, or answered a different question. The answer to the Missionary Paradox is easy. "God is perfect, we are not. We try to follow His plan the best way we know how." And he couldn't even muster that. And I don't for a second believe that was an unintentional falter on Brennan's part. It happened too often for that.
@@Pyre I think thats the point of his character though, he isn't there to convert her to the church or to tell her why the SI are the good guys. He's accepted he is beyond salvation himself and again left the active service of the church seemingly because of his personal beliefs as I think he mentions that he keeps needing to remind members of his own group that they are a religious group, not a military. He's very much disillusioned with the church because he understands it so well, especially since he was an ex bishop.
This was one of the most interesting, believable, and downright entertaining villains I've seen in a VTM campaign ever. Brennan has soo much range and it always shows.
It's a testament to Brennan's performance that during his scenes, while I'm obviously supposed to be rooting for the vampires, I _definitely_ don't. Think about this from the church's perspective, a bishop who believed in the redeeming power of Christ so fervently that he defied church doctrine and tried to save vampires. And the vampires killed him. What an absolute idiot. He impeded the efforts of the Second Inquisition for a stupid idea that was self-evidently false. Vampires are to be exterminated. That should have been unquestioned, but because of Adrian the Second Inquisition failed. If there ever is a Third Inquisition, there will be no one to speak for the vampires, and it will be even worse.
Its even worse when you remember this: It is unlikely that every Second Inquisition member was wiped out. The third inquisition will be using Adrian as an example to dissuade others like him. "You want to save the creatures? A bishop by the name of Adrian tried that. Like you, he was a true believer in the power of Christ, yet he failed. The Vampires he put his trust and faith in murdered him in cold blood. The creatures are to be exterminated, nothing else."
@@kstar1489 "Self-evidently" in the eyes of the church. *I* know that most of the vampire PCs are trying their best, but the Inquisition makes a good point that most vampires don't. The church will now say, "Adrian believed vampires could be redeemed, and look what happened to him."
20:15 I'd say Anabelle's lack of killing is more cowardice than temperance. She has beaten people, helped to kill them and had them killed but has never had the courage to stain her own hands with it, instead letting other people do the dirty work for her. Ellenore is a prime example of this, embraced by Ramona as a favour to Anabelle, Anabelle is definitely responsible for her death. If you want another example, Nick, all the way back in season 1, she beat him to within an inch of his life but didn't have the guts to finish him, instead having Nellie do it for her. He was killed by her decree but she didn't have the courage to do it with her own hands. The way I see it, having someone killed is worse than killing them yourself because it's just as evil and infinitely more cowardly.
100% she has a great arc leading up to this. At first she very idealistic, but it becomes more and more about the Vamily season by season. It feels like Adrian is working off of the Intel from before Demetrios was compromised, and believed the hype about Annabelle being some kind of saint. Love this series
The start of Brennan as Adrian with the vamps just sounded like he is the good guy and such and then at the end without much issue goes "Torch the monster stake the girls." that was good.
The world of Darkness style of actual play shows function more like stage plays/larp compared to other actual play shows. The players only breaks character sometimes and usually just to ask the GM for gameplay stuff while the entire time they are playing they all talk in character. Resulting in the tone and suspension of disbelief to be much more intense compared to D20 or Critical role.
Brennan's compelling arguments are made more powerful because the people he is speaking to are literally creatures that must feed on the living to survive. I'm sorry but that's a monster and he exercised way more patience than most would in dealing with them. His character was not a good person and never claimed to be but when the alternative a vampires the church looks good in comparison.
Not only that but they’re so SO edgy. My god I’d lose patience with the constant apathy regardless of their being vampires. Good portrayals by the actors but extremely annoying people to deal with
@@Goliath5100 Yeah, Adrian lined it out very early on with the quote about aesthetic opposition and even used the dog chasing car metaphor, very reminiscent of Heath Ledger's joker. Basically, both the Joker and Annabelle are one in the same as they're chaos without any real purpose. It's about sending a message, but that message is that we live in a society. Victor and Nelly were charismatic by the sheer fact that they knew they were monsters amd had an understandable goal with a clear endpoint. Rule LA, and then run it the way they saw fit. Basically, the way they saw fit would be through order, mot too dissimilar to the Camarilla. Anabelle however wanted to fight the idea of a system by building a system, so basically We live in a society, Batman.
I bet you eat meat, does that make you a monster? Especially since you don’t even need to eat meat. While vampires actually have to drink blood to stay alive. A monster is not what you are but who you are, when it comes to intelligent beings, right?
@@kstar1489 But I kill my meat before eating it and Vampires are capable of going to blood banks or getting blood from other sources. Instead, some actively kill people and that makes them monsters. If a vampire drank pig blood I wouldn't care just like if I ate human meat it would be an issue.
What a tragedy that the things that make Adrian right are 100% dependant on the fantasy setting where vampires and holy magic are real. Adrian doesn't translate to the real world very well becasue dark magic being real is what makes him right. What a great example of Brennan's ability to craft a character that "Yes ands" the setting.
I love WoD, and I love BLM. I don't think I'd ever get around to watching LA by Night, just too much. This is perf, thanks for putting it together. Truly a compelling character.
With the support of four seasons of built up tension the last season is pure gold. There are so many good moments throughout the whole series, if you can get through the first 2-3 episodes you are in for a great ride.
I love Adrian. He's a fantastic character, wonderfully portrayed. Every little detail fits to create a graceful, logical and chilling personality. Amazing!
The thing is, Adrian isn’t EVIL. He’s not GOOD, but he’s not the kind of villain that would become a main bad guy. Adrian TRULY DEEPLY believes in the idea that vampires can be saved. His ENTIRE GOAL is to prove that Vampires not only have souls but the fact that they do means they can be saved by God. He’s working within a system that despises him to make it what he considers to be better. At the same time, he is actively participating in that system and allowing the evils it perpetrates in the name of chasing his own good. And even more than that, in a personal level, he considers anyone vampire or otherwise who commits sin to be beyond help.
everybody talks about how incredible all of these mindblowing Brennan lines are, but can we give credit to Erika's "What? You and your nose ring against the Catholic Church?" absolutely fucking roasted Carver
@@samuelstensgaard4828 right? He would just look like the institution he left if he was to display something like that. And for a man who had given up so much already he wouldn't have a reason to not give that up too (if he ever was to begin with personally, not all Bishops are like that) . Adrian is a calculating individual I feel, so he would totally see that as a terrible way to get others on side as a lot of humans step away for that same intolerance.
@@teeth716 actually quite a lot. Specifically a man such as Adrian who is so devoted to his religion that he would break the rules of an organisation claiming to follow the words of that religion to save one of the very creatures he was ordered to wipe out seeing a same sex relationship and not being stereotypically homophobic about it. In fact, quite the opposite, he congratulates it and states how important it is, specifically with the “condition” Annabelle has. Not only does it shine a light on how not every devoted Christian/Catholic is a gay hating monster but it also shows the character’s attitude and personality. This man is a follower of god, not the institution that’s made in his name. He sees someone he believes to be saved despite being the enemy of the church and does everything in his power to ensure not only that he can save her but that he can show there’s a method to liberating vampire kind without killing the converted. He was more than willing to allow the others to join him and Annabelle and seemed just as shocked as the others when one of his men insisted on having Carver and Elenor in a separate car to Annabelle. However he isn’t a fool either, he realises there is a method he must take and has a limit to what rules he can bend or break. No matter how much he disagrees with it. In a way Adrian and Anne are the same in that way. They both will bend or break the rules for what they believe in but at the same time honour a code that has kept them and the people around the alive and secret. The only difference is that Anne by the nature of her clan will always need an enemy to fight while Adrian actually has a goal in mind and bends and breaks the rules to achieve that goal.
From the perspective of someone that hasn't seen the show. It seems like Adrian is actually right. Vampire's are monsters that feed on the living to survive and many of them feel no guilt in this. Adrian wishes to kill them all except the one that he sees as within arms reach of redemption. But she chose to throw away that chance to have her life back just to save the monsters she calls family. In life or in death, he wins either way.
I also watched the whole thing, and while I enjoyed it, I found it veeery slow in parts, and would go in and out of paying attention. I also find B Dave Walters endlessly annoying, so it made it a rough watch sometimes, but it was still rad.
@@majorzipf8947I absolutely thought the same thing, like dude, I know the lights are down, but we can see you and your almonds are a little distracting from the dramatic moment! And then I remembered that he is a little pod person who needs a constant stream of almonds and/or salami to fuel him, and forgave him. And then it turns out it was a blood capsule, lmao
Carver at 12:45: *Buddy hug!* Me: Fuck no! He will do anything to win! You can not trust him!!! He would expose every corner of his soul for a mere 5 points!!!
I'd argue that would even be the objectively correct choice, and the fact that she didn't makes for a super duper interesting character! Was sick as hell all the way through.
“I won’t trust the system” Family is a system Friendship is a system Rebellion itself is often realized through systems People are social animals, we NEED systems
The bigger the system the more it breeds corruption. We don't need a system to thrive. The system just indoctrinated you to a point where you would be lost without it.
@@ktmziek6331 which system? As I said there’s more than one and I suppose it depends on your definition of thrive, modern life with highly specialized jobs? Definitely need systems for that, living in an isolated farm? Not so much. But I do agree with you that bigger organizations tend towards corruption
Not a system. THE System. Systems are needed for greater feats than individuals can accomplish, true. But when one refers to 'the system' they often mean a large overarching organization often far removed from individual needs.
While not directly the same, Brennan's portrayal of a true believer reminds me very much of the assassin from Serenity. Guy believes totally and completely in something and it gives him a power very few, if any, can stand against.
Yes! And the fact that they both accept that they can't/won't share in the utopia they want to create, because the darkness they have to wield to create it would render them ineligible. Compelling stuff!
@@katlbird Adrian as a character was also a beautiful progression of the archetype. Good enough, 'good' enough as a person that unless you pay painstaking attention to what he *doesn't* say, most of us would not consider him the same kind of monster.
i know it's besides the point but it's cannon that the banu haqim like to discuss philosophy with the catholic elements of the sabbat, two players who understand faith and philosophy on this level having a discussion in character would be interesting.
By martyring himself on the cross Adrian might've just gotten a ticket to heaven. Not the first Brennen character to sneak past the gates of heaven lol.
Yepyep. Also Annabelle saying "What did you do to him?!" after literally seeing X go for the throat and try to feed off him like... I don't know what her character was thinking, but man that has got to be like... some form of Vampiric Privilege to ask the guy that was getting his blood sucked what *HE* did to the vampire sucking the blood.
When Brennan said, "That used to be my job!", I really feel like he used his own experience as a LARP camp and D&D camp person mixed in with his knowledge about religion in how HE would approach the world if Vampires were real if he were a catholic.
Thank you for this video, I've been a fan of Brennan for a while and thanks to this I've watched the entirely of LA by Night in the last month and now am moving onto NY by Night and without this video to give me the impetus to do so I would never have been introduced to any of the characters in this show. Also Brennan is a terrifying antagonist to the vamily in general and a perfect match for Annabelle in particular.
I would argue that we find the more human antagonists more terrifying, simply because we can see aspects of ourselves, our neighbors, and people we've seen throughout everyday life. Gods and eldritch entities cause an innate fear of the unknown, but that can be quelled to a certain extent.
"I'll see you in the fire Annabelle" -excommunicated "See you there" -Brujah Remarkable scene interaction quotes. I crafted a heartwarming Ventrue anarch once using the CwoD flaw system that made it so he could only drink from "Cows" and the type: "milking cows". "Mr. Higgins" who had always been a man of faith at heart despite being turned into something he didn't want to be by a power hungry child of a nearby prince who wanted his farm lands. As a Blood bound slave he had watched first hand how terrible the ventrue were. His master made the Fatal mistake of forgetting to keep the bond strong with Higgins in his business travels. When the master did return to a visit he found Higgins had organized his farm with quiet anarch feeding areas using animals so that no one in the surrounding towns would be harmed. And using his power vested in his small town and his huge gun collection he had become Baron Higgins. Baron Higgins and a band of rallied upset anarchs ended the unlife of the monster that took his mortality and murdered his wife in a hail of high powered shotgun and rifle rife spread out within the corn stalks. He'd go on to attend night church and talk with a member of the sacred order every Sunday because he was that slack jawed type of decent folk. He set up strong policies with anarchs that NO human could be harmed except them sicko types that's child molesters and rapists or harming good people of the town. And if you do intervene you don't be seen doing it leaving no evidence. Basically a common farmers shotgun justice. The town had almost no crime rate. Course the other characters at the table made it very difficult sometimes. And he had to go on down to the pokey and get two characters out before sunrise for screwing up. He opened a big drive in movie, he made sure the poor in town at least got a real good steak on Mondays down at the food shelter. His ballot was influential enough to help get bus transportation to run 24 hours for those late night slaughterhouse workers. This balance was kept even further with treaties to an old glasswalker from in town who really liked his wife's cooking before the attack that changed his life and ended hers. Talking about a time when Higgins was mortal and his wife made pie for the neighborhood brought Higgins to tears and sniffles. Was great peace with supernaturals getting into midnight races on back roads for bragging rights and then some. The Camarilla ventrue systematically broke what they had going down like a chess player only another one who played the game would notice. And Higgins was beaten on many fronts including a usda inspection to force the killing of a good portion of so called diseased cows in the area. With one close call being a drag out fight against a full blown archon of which he would had been destroyed if not for the direct intervention of the glasswalkers who run the farmers market festival who smelled things weren't right when Higgins didn't show up with his steaks or call anyone to say why he didn't come. Higgins has NEVER done that. Having barely survived and the foe identified as some sort of vampire agent by the more gifted anarch PCs who was a detective by trade with high auspex. Over time the town began to unravle with Higgins being put into positions where he sacrificed humanity to protect all those in it and enforce policies. See starting the game he had set a response date at which if he started losing humanity and he noticed it then he would have a heart to heart with his priest of the order and set things in order as he believed an upstanding decent man o God should. Higgins was one of those types of anarchs I rarely get to play that make a huge difference and transform supernaturals in a small town into a community that seem more like old townies and young brash kids he gives something to do to keep them out of trouble. Eventually Barron Higgins would call over his order priest for confession and allies that truly loved and respected him for an out of the ordinary meeting as a result of having slipped drasticly in humanity through a story event. Higgins would tell them all how he loved and appreciated them all and that it was time for his ,"Walk with God" Leaving his Barony to who was most responsible among the other player characters. The following morning farmer higgins put on his Sunday best and walked with his priest into the sun. So there were no misunderstanding it was recorded and given to the other anarch players. Higgins remains were swept up and there is a new second burial mound by his wife's.
![เปิดใจ "อาจารย์เบียร์ คนตื่นธรรม" อดีตเคยสุดทุกทาง ถ้าใช้หนี้หมดไปบวชแน่ l [Nickynachat]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/IxeE0xVhy08/mqdefault.jpg)
Brennan wearing full priest regalia is sending immensely dangerous energies
it makes me act up tho-
@@mistamemewide that is what is implied by dangerous
@@yewwowduck stick around for the whole vid, you'll figure it out :)
Forgive me father for I have sinned
Dangerous or hot?
“When you KNOW what the night is full of, you have to start asking HOW it got so full.”
Love the ways he can turn a phrase.
Honestly underrated line is "I would not expect lions to understand the power of the lamb", like that rules
"One walks in the light of Christ, but not as a fool" is such a good line.
Goes with a line from the Koran about trusting in god, but tying up your horse just to be on the safe side.
my favorite in this is "no harm no foul- well harm to you foul to me"
Yoḥanan ben Zakkai said, "If you have a sapling in your hand and they tell you the Messiah is here, finish planting the sapling."
"My faith protects. Kevlar helps." - Michael Carpenter, Dresden Files.
“I told you your revolution was successful and you looked heartbroken. Because you don’t wanna win, you wanna fight. That’s your beast.”
That little bark he did in there... terrifying!
I’ve seen Brennan play a sadistic assassin, a hateful demon god, and a merciless lich, but none of them have come close to how frightening Adrian is. Brennan is a master at being unnerving through understatement and this role showcases it the best
lich? i know the demon god is asmodeus and sadistic assassin is the shadow cat whos the lich
@@steventucker812 the villain from the unsleeping city ch1
@@steventucker812 not just any lich... Robert Moses (actual, real life villain) as a lich. It was solid gold.
@@steventucker812 from which campaign is the shadow cat?
@@justkiddingde6506 fantasy high sophomore year
26:45 "Your aversion to me is a largely an aesthetic one."
I have never seen a character so thoroughly deconstructed in a single sentence.
Yea that was honestly amazing
I need to use that in my daily life honestly, this is a great line
@@alexxpanda6412but the context is so specific that you wouldn't, right?
"I have wonderful news, you're all saved" is probably the scariest thing I'd hear As a vampire if it came from Brennan's mouth
"Oops! I'm good at this" 🤣🤣🤣
Carver: oh you motherfuckers have a drone don't you!
Adrian: Oh nah, more than one certainly
Please,
take your salvation seriously. If you haven't read at least three books of the Bible yet, please consider today. The first book of each testament and one you chose yourself, I'd say that's an important minimum amount for a mustard seed of faith, with a bit of forgiveness like Jesus Christ taught. Please, look inside. Find the light. Inside reflects outside. Love is God. God is love. Jesus Christ is Lord,
@@jamesmayle3787 Vishnu is cooler. Become death, destroyer of worlds!
@@jamesmayle3787 Please, structure your grammar correctly. People cannot take you seriously if you cannot communicate your beliefs correctly, and with humility on the internet.
The energy of Executive Goth Taliesin Jaffe vs improv magician Brennan Lee Mulligan in the same room, on opposite sides of the same story is INCREDIBLE
Much as this sounds like a pun in context, but it felt like a damn religious experience.
Brennan was THE perfect person for this role. None better. His ability to hyperanalyze, his improv skill, his ability to debate, his ability to absorb knowledge with encyclopedic skill and regurgitate it flawlessly. He flat out NAILED this role, and was the most convincing person that could have ever been among the more prolific roleplayers.
It feels like one of those roles you create for a LARP and hold onto until the right player comes along.
Coming back to this video and reading this again, I think you couldn't be more right! Near perfect alignment of too many things that anyone watching can only be thankful to witness
Truly, it is my favourite performance of Brennan's. It's pure Oscar level acting. Adrian is TERRIFYING and a little... um... drawing. It's just absolutely fab. I was practically sad that he dies but at the same time. Such an insanely powerful death and such a tie up for Annabel's arch.
"Whoops. I'm good at this."
This is why he's a DM. Practice makes perfect, and perfect always needs a polish.
56:49 for reference ❤
Better way to say it:
Practice makes PERMANENT.
"If you wanted holy communion, all you have to do was ask" like dang that's such a good line
This dude is made of coffee, d&d, and and an endless stream of perfect one liners
Brennan very quickly went from the friendly ex bishop to the total mirror shattering just cold, stone faced man, he delivers it in such a way that makes me want to root for him. A protagonist but not a hero sort of vibe from it.
like walter white
He's an antagonist but not a villain.
In a world where the main characters are monsters by nature and a world where there is no true "good", he fits right in among the cainites he is devoted to eradicating.
@@kevlar427 "Who do you think you're looking at? Agent, these undead will not simply knock on my door and pull me from my roots. I AM the one who knocks."
"Torch the monster, stake the girls" 😎
The implication of Brennan rolling 6 successes against two failures for 'Letting God do what he will" and dying horrifically is *chef's kiss*
It was his chance to become a martyr. In Annabelle's eyes if no one else's.
He DID technically state that he, specifically, was not avoiding the attack and was giving it up to god, so I think that just implied that by god's will he was martyred, even when he himself was certain he would be thrown into perdition
It's pretty significant that he was her first kill as well.
@@gabepatton9851 Is there any lore significance to that? Is Adrian salvaged, or just coocoo bananas?
@@ziwuriGod in the WoD is definetly real in some capacity (mechanically if nothing else). But I think what this outcome means remains open to interpretation.
That moment at 45:04 when he just drops the hammer of "We aren't waiting. That's us." Utter chills.
The beauty is he, a line earlier, tried to drop that implication, he instantly clocked people didn't pick up on it, so rather than keep it a subtle reveal letting the cast slowly connect the dots, he decided to be explicit - his character wouldn't hide this data, so why should he?
A lesser actor would wait for others to pick up on his implication. He knew it would be more effective to be direct.
Brennan's improv dialogue is better than most comparable scripted pieces. He deserves more acting opportunities with such a talent.
He's doing exactly what he wants. He's married and happy and I love it
That's the power of improv. If you can do improv, you can do anything that involves dialogue/lines in some fashion.
god as a raised-catholic-but-turned-out-to-be-gay-agnostic, brennan as adrian both set off every alarm bell in my head and also made me desperately want to trust him. it's the conflict de-escalation tactics before the real conflict begins, it's the talking around the problem, answering questions with questions, giving just enough of an answer for you to need more, it's the casual show of force, the weaponized meekness, the "i want to help you" talk that's dropped immediately if the right person commands, it's the everything about him. fuck. a true masterclass.
It’s very interesting looking through these comments and seeing religious people take Adrian to be a positive portrayal
@@jonathanjernigan3865 Ironically enough, they are much like vampires, because they too cannot see themselves when confronted with a mirror.
@@kelly-bo-belly that goes hard
@@jonathanjernigan3865 personally I don't think they see him as a positive potrayal as much as a really good one. Most of the time when it comes to the second inquisition stories like to show the leader as a sort of cliche, the zealous vampire hunter, the meek boss, the out of their league mortal. Brennan as Adrian gave out a very interesting image for how to make that zealous nature unique, by instead of making him someone so zealous as to hate into someone who clings on to the belief that there is salvation in the things he hunts. It makes people sort of sympathetic to his character as when he does die, as the storyteller says he sees his greatest fear come to life which for me isn't the fact that he died but the fact that Annabelle the miracle he was looking for turned out to fail him.
@@mattheww1930 this tbh- it's a good, nuanced, and suitably dramatic portrayal of a person of faith. Brennan understood the assignment, his dramatic role, and fulfilled it with grace
1:42:53 Brennan: "Your friends are monsters"
One of the best exchanges in the entire series, Brennan is a phenomenal actor and really mastered his role as antagonist. He's 100% correct even though he was doomed to fail, what a fantastic character.
"your friends are monsters" adrian said calmly.
A bit of subtle irony in a world where the catholic god both opposes but directly does nothing about the curse, meaning in adrien's eyes his god should be just as complicit, but he refuses to see the monster that is historically the catholic church
.
@@euandunbar8050 Its sort of the tragic opposite. In the world of Darkness the vamps beside Cain did get a option for redemption.Which is that Golconda thing Adrian briefly mentioned. However some vamps didn't exactly like it and actively killed off those who followed it, destroyed information on it, and hoarded the rest. So its more of a unfortunate "damning everyone else so you, yourself to keep power" kinda deal. Or rephrased the grand game of keeping powr Annabelle and Adrian discuss, directly involve measures that mitigate vampires making more positive institutions.
@@euandunbar8050 not really? I mean what you imply is heavy interventionism by God, which Christianity points out is not God’s way. This goes into a larger discussion of free will as by using intervention to dictate the course of events heavily would go against the concept of free will. He gives his faithful tools against the darkness but he cannot eliminate it. One of the previous courses was, specifically that Cain must walk the Earth forever marked by his sin, thus God is bound to his own word, unless he wants to collapse the universe.
@@euandunbar8050 This is only subtle irony if you're actually rooting for an interventionist, "all up in your business" kinda god, which the world of darkness game line just kinda doesn't have, at least in the modern setting and in relation to your standard monotheistic creator deity. It's the whole thing with free will, yknow? You solve everyone's problems infinitely and forever, is anyone really alive at all? If none of your choices have consequences because an omniscient being fixes all your fuckups for you, all of your triumphs lose meaning as well.
And, I haven't seen the whole video yet, but isn't Adrian ex-catholic church? That would mean he very much does see problems with it, hence his leaving.
"I'll be waiting for you in the fire, Annabelle" GAH DAMN
That cold "I don't feel hope" was absolutely chilling.
i don’t see anyone talking how f*ing perfect the DM here is. i came here for Brennan and wasn’t disappointed but damn that DM did such a great job setting a mood.
yesss, Jason Carl is SO damn good!
Jason Carl is very very good.
Jason Carl basically runs World of Darkness at this point, he's the right man for the job
While most (including me) may disagree on the virtue and necessity of his actions, I think the scariest part of Adrian's character is that he isn't wrong. Victor wanted fame, power, and control over his land, the lives of his children, and the kindred of Los Angeles. Jasper hated kindred, including himself, to the point he only feeds on them, but he tortured and embraced a prisoner so that he wouldn't feel the guilt of feeding while doing what others of his kind do to humans. Nelli might be the most selfless and human member of the coterie, but she doesn't care if she has to take lives if it meant saving her friends and family. Adrian may have missed the mark on some, but he nailed Annabelle, she is a zealot of rebellion and can't see the fact that while she might say she wants peace, she really just wants to change the status quo and none of her friends want the paradise she says she wants. She kept attributing him to the catholic church, but he is an ex-priest, he isn't the church but she needs to see him as an institution because if he isn't, she actually has to listen to him. The moment I realized she was never going to join him and that he was absolutely right about Annabelle was the moment she said "... there are fronts all over the world, there always will be. There will always be people like you to take down and maybe I'm not going to be the best at sticking around to rule people cause that's not my style, but there will always be a need for the soldiers of the revolution." She, without actually realizing it, is saying that she is just removing one institution for another, but in her mind, because she isn't a ruler but a soldier of the revolution she isn't at fault for the institution. Adrian is brilliant and having Brennan play him is perfect as his personal kindness totally subverts our expectations of a villain. 10/10 Antagonist, would have my forehead seared with a crucifix again.
Edit: Grammar and Spelling.
Good insight. If there's always a need to fight, then you can never win. So what are you fighting for?
Adrian is brilliant because he wins even when he doesn’t he is out to destroy vampires because he believes they are monsters. You die when you die and being embraced is just a cold body feeding off the living. Annebelle throws a wrench into his theory she shows some level of empathy and restraint implying that she isn’t a monster that despite being a vampire there is still somehow some humanity left in her. when she chooses to side with the monsters and kill Adrian she proves she wasn’t acting out of humanity but spite against the system and he died proving she was a monster like them
@@gmacwizard8890 njjjn8
I agree with most of this but 'We are the kingdom of the Lord God' is an institution sentiment. Adrian can be an ex-priest all he wants but simply not being an active part of an organization does not in any way remove you from being a part of it - especially if you act upon the perceived authority the power of that institution grants to you
@@alexisloveschocolate I don't really have that much experience with Christianity, so I have a question to ask, are we not in the kingdom of god? I mean we might have free will but we still have to abide by his rules to be "morally upright" individuals, not trying to be combative just getting insight. Also, not being an active part of an organization very much does remove you from being a part of it, because by this logic even though I left Boy Scouts in 6th grade I have still be a part of it since then. The Catholic Church and the act of being a Christian are two seperate things, he is acting on behalf of his supposed God but removing himself from the power that is the Vatican. He doesn't see himself as an authority, just someone making the hard choice for the betterment of humanity. I do apprecitate you agreeing with most of my comment, and would love to get a reply that can clear up any misconceptions I have. Peace and
Brennan's little "Oops! Im good at this :)" at 56:47 is so goddamn good
It’s so cheeky. I love it!
I know that this is a video about Brennan, but two incredible things i like about this are 1. Erika's blood curdling scream at the end, and 2. The absolute joy i feel every time Jason says "multiple things happen at once."
One portrayal of a truly religious character that is nuanced and doesn't paint them as complete idiots, but as actual human beings with UNROCKABLE faith.
And imagine having actual factual proof of your religion; like vampires are real and the likeness and symbol of your lord can hurt them, if that ain't the closest thing to proof of a higher power i don't know what is.
All things are possible in fiction.
Yeah. Completely unrealistic portrayal.
@@TC-sl8ol xd
@@Saltier so can a credit card by cannon. hardly proves anything really
as a Catholic and huge tabletop enthusiast, this is absolutely incredible. Brennan is not only bringing his incredible acting chops, but also a deep knowledge of theology and Catholic philosophy. my appreciation of this man only grows day by day!
56:47 - Brennan speaks gospel
Right? I was surprised and impressed
@@bar6612 He's a philosophy major and a grade-A uber nerd, I wasn't really surprised
"Let's all sing kumbaya."
"I've done that. That used to be my job."
I love the mental image this gives of Brennan at a Youth Ministry camp singing around a bonfire. As incredible as his badass lines are, he still can sprinkle in a hint of comedy at times.
It's not the most intensely delivered line, but having this character's first line be a fairly calm "you had a copy of the Book of Nod right in your hands" was a brilliant way to introduce him.
Right off the bat you know he's incredibly dangerous even if he never personally gets violent because he's several tiers of knowledge above every member of the inquisition we've seen so far (and even a whole lot of the vampires we've seen) and knowledge is power.
Being able to convey that level of danger with a single calm line that isn't a threat in a totally non-violent situation doesn't happen that often.
One sentence and we immediately know how serious this guy's entry into the story is.
"I told you your revolution was successful and you looked *heartbroken* ."
It's honestly nuts to look back at this and see the throughlines between the themes Brennan challenges Erika's character with here and the way he challenges and looks deep in on Danielle Barkstock in the Seven. Not the same argument, but the same idea of putting the rebel under the microscope, whether that's as a martyr or a leader. Not dismissive of fighting for a cause but critical of whether one truly longs for success, are truly ready to get what they claim they seek. Danielle was so insistent on her dedication to being part of something larger she fully deceived herself into accepting the end of her own existence as *good* to her. As noble, a concept that she won't even be able to value once she's rotting food for worms. "Danielle doesn't need a story, right? You're just an ecosystem."
Though admittedly given the nature of the world, it wouldnt truly be the end. Institutions are very much like ecosystems in needing a variety of factors to stay stable enough to exist. Daniel's desires were a bit beyond the scope of play for a season, more the type of stuff you would get in a longer fantasy book reprecussions wise. Or a sci-fi series that notes the relativity of seperation for organisms. The world of DnD has such a vast spectrum of mixins for consciousness and perspective both induced on oneself or induced on others that its honestly a much different paradigm foundationally for the subject of self than one normally gets in human focused series. The implications of fully being able to communicate with with completely alien physiology, transform between various forms while maintaining a stream of consciousness and fully being able to parse that into ones perception as a human/humanoid are incredibly vast. Its a interesting case of a character who's foundational queries diverge from the more mundane relationship focus of their story.
This is a good point, need to figure out what it is we are doing something for (and her Beast, she knows just drives for revolution as is) but I kind of understand Annabelle. One was a success but we are still exhausted and there's still much more to do. Same as the little wins today against what's going on in the US, Russia, UK, Hungary, Ukraïne. Thing is some see one win and think that's it "you don't need my help anymore" when it's far from over.
1:15:13 for this quote ❤
Came here after ExU: Calamity and HOLY SHIT. I was taken aback and genuinely frightened by Brennan's masterful portrayal of a certain You-Know-Who alongside other NPCs. I would probably willingly walk the plank if he told me to, truly terrifying (in the best way).
Everytime Brennan says 'go to a location' my mind goes to "never follow a priest to a secondary location"
It's always a church.
Nah nah nah your not getting me to no secondary location
Street Smarts!
my man straight up said "oops, I'm good at this." this is amazing!
Its so weird to be absolutely correct and be the "villain" in the story, but brennan absolutely did it and i love him for it
he isn't "absolutely correct". He is a fanatic. A scarily convincing one at that, if you look at real life examples. I think that is part of what makes the performance so great - he is convincing because of his composed attitude, and his seeming kindness for Annabelle. Brennan uses soft inflections and very polite language. But beneath the surface he is a dangerous zealot who completely disregards any true empathy, with a hint of that coming out during his interrogation of Annabelle and X. Labelling all kindred "monsters" collectively, despite the fact that they have much more nuance than that. are they monsters, technically? sure, but their evil is not so different from that of the kine. There certainly are kindred who have more goodness in them than some humans. him declaring Annabelle a monster at the end after rambling on how she is a miracle before just proves how black-and-white his worldview really is.
None of the characters in this episode/compilation are correct. Just because Brennan is a charismatic and persuasive speaker doesn't mean all of his characters are automatically lawful good.
@@ziwuri nah he is spitting facts
@@Inkspeckle phenomenal analysis
He is good guy there
"I have wonderful news. You are all saved." - said inquisitor throwing a torch on the dry wood of the pyre.
The energy he brought to this was so vastly different than Dimension 20.
"People thinks I'm nice, but I really just conform to the genre"
- Brennan Lee Mulligan
@@arcahmwinters70 I suggest you remind those people of the Baron bit from the second season Fantasy High. The man can do it all, and he can be bone chilling terrifying.
@@arcahmwinters70 To echo theromanus, Brennan is a masterful story teller so he can make you feel a lot of ways. He is a comedian at a college humour but honestly he's at his best when just scaring the everliving shit out of you. I've watched every Dimension 20 season and it's hard to compare his work in calamity to anything else he's DM'd on camera.
@@Vamper946 He's been a GM in a professional capacity since he was a teenager; when he started working at the Wayfinder Experience, which is a LARP Camp. He got the job by getting more referrals to the camp than anyone had previously by developing Bootleg Adventures, which still exists as Living Legends. And he Credits Wayfinder with his skill in improv which feeds back into his skills as a gm.
@@arcahmwinters70 LOL Yeah, while there were still a few little funny moments sprinkled in there, Brennan really got to stretch is existential dread muscles in EXU:C.
i had no idea this existed, this is fantastic! love seeing brennan flex his acting and theology muscles in synch, what a great character for this setting
Wait, has he spoken about theology before this?
@@nunbeam I believe he was a philosophy major and he has shown, especially during Fantasy High, that he has a very good knowledge of different religious beliefs. If I am not mistaken, though, his upbringing saw him learning more pagan/Celtic(?) traditions than Christian ones, but I may be very wrong about that and those are often not all that separate.
@@januarygrey he’s non-religious, atheist most probably
@@kstar1489 you don’t have to be religious to have an understanding of theology.
@@januarygrey I mean he's played D&D since he was a kid, and the Forgotten Realms cosmology is basically just a huge mashup of all the major (and minor) world religions.
if brennan has not spent his time auditioning for Actual Hollywood Roles because of his commitment to collegehumor & dimension 20, i completely understand. if he /has/ been spending time trying to become an Actor, and has yet to be Recognized, i'm absolutely livid. his skills are impeccable.
He’s a wonderful actor, but I think he would be totally wasted in Hollywood roles. Just saying someone else’s words, and not getting to fully and actively engage with the creation of a living story? He’d be bored to tears.
@@feuilletonistesome comedy movies and shows use lots of improv. He's a great comedian. but I do love his dramatic roles like this one too.
"I dont feel hope" gave me shivers. If I'm fighting a guy and he hits me with that I'm out
Brennan really made every vampire in this show look like either a child or a monster. And I have no idea how the dice work in this game, he beat the others by a significant amount but still died all the vampires get to make what seems like several moves before he makes one? Can't tell if the rules just seem weird or it's because this is obviously angled for the vamps to win.
As far as I know the Vampire the Masquerade system doesn't really account for someone playing a regular human. It was kind of built with the intention that every player would be playing a vampire of some kind. Characters are all supernatural in some way and balanced to be able to contend with each other, so I think it's less that vamps are overpowered and more that regular human was introduced into a system where they could really only be underpowered because they're not supernaturally fast or strong. So I think they're doing a Homebrew system which allows humans but because they've got no supernatural powers they turn out kinda weak.
I think some of the newer upcoming expansions to the system are trying to find ways to add humans in a way where they're not underpowered? The newest setting is called Hunter: The Reckoning so I feel like it's probably a system that makes more room for Humans, but not much is known about it yet.
@@frankie-leighcollins7291 Hunter the Reckoning already exists, it's been part of both Worlds of Darkness. The mechanics are slightly different between them, but the gist is definitely that ordinary humans gain the ability to fight back against monsters.
@@frankie-leighcollins7291 they are playing V5. there are human antagonists in it but in this particular game they roll rarely and let the PC kind of run rampant
Even though Brennan out rolled, he did say he wasn't trying to actively avoid the attack and left it up to god. Jason Carl (The DM) values that above all else, even more so in this series then in some of his over stuff from what I've heard of his reputation. Given that Adrian is excommunicated and bound for hell. It falls to viewer interpretation on as to why God didn't intervene and save him. I think from a meta perspective it could have been that a miss would have proven gods existence to Annabelle, which might have derailed plans the DM had for the rest of this series given the amount of prep that would have had to have gone into all of this. It's not really easy to say without talking to Jason Carl himself though.
@@Gabriel_Oliver overall it does leave the question open as to if there is a higher being or is faith in that higher being the true source of power.
The story is great but…. Can we all agree Brennan is WAY too attractive in this character oh my god
Never had a man in a priest collar do THAT to me
i am … SO happy that i'm not the only one who thinks this.
1:24:33 him re-incorporating the “data points” she brought up is such amazing improv
Near the end where they almost break character before the absolutely heart wrenching scene... Brennan and Erika are heart breakers 😭
THE WINK 🙌
Time stamp?
@@katelynnitti3009 1:44:57 :D
That wink made my heart flutter
Good lord, Brennan’s ability to rep persons of faith is amazing
He majored in philosophy in college
Literally.
Jason Carl has such an amazing level, soothing tone. When someone presents an idea, the warm way in which he muses over it. Genuinely has a vampire-esque vibe to him. He feels steady, unperturbed by even the most chaotic of ideas. Jason Carl makes every supposition seem intriguing and worth exploring, too. He feels patient, measured, but also humored by the going-ons.
Adrian pushing Annabelle to be so critical of her beliefs, both those she had as a mortal and the beliefs that are a part of the immortal blood in her veins and her clan, was incredible and I'm excited to see her in NY By Night, even as a guest, to see if she grew from this.
“Well, if you wanted holy communion all you had to do was ask.”
God I fucking adore this man
That is one of the single most intense emotional rollercoasters I have ever been on.
watch exu calamity
It’s a shame Annabelle didn’t have more interesting arguments to throw at Adrian. She just kept repeating the same things he’d already given answers for. He wasn’t a “good” man, but at the end of the day, he went against most of his organisation to try and prove that these monsters could be saved. Only to have that kindness thrown back in his face by the one he tried so desperately to help
Mostly right. He never actually answered any of the questions about the righteousness of his Church or faith.
Every time he was confronted by it, he dissembled, or turned the accusation back around, or answered a different question.
The answer to the Missionary Paradox is easy. "God is perfect, we are not. We try to follow His plan the best way we know how."
And he couldn't even muster that. And I don't for a second believe that was an unintentional falter on Brennan's part. It happened too often for that.
@@Pyre I think thats the point of his character though, he isn't there to convert her to the church or to tell her why the SI are the good guys. He's accepted he is beyond salvation himself and again left the active service of the church seemingly because of his personal beliefs as I think he mentions that he keeps needing to remind members of his own group that they are a religious group, not a military. He's very much disillusioned with the church because he understands it so well, especially since he was an ex bishop.
Gods he's SO GOOD
"Oops I'm good at this"
This was one of the most interesting, believable, and downright entertaining villains I've seen in a VTM campaign ever. Brennan has soo much range and it always shows.
It's a testament to Brennan's performance that during his scenes, while I'm obviously supposed to be rooting for the vampires, I _definitely_ don't. Think about this from the church's perspective, a bishop who believed in the redeeming power of Christ so fervently that he defied church doctrine and tried to save vampires. And the vampires killed him. What an absolute idiot. He impeded the efforts of the Second Inquisition for a stupid idea that was self-evidently false. Vampires are to be exterminated. That should have been unquestioned, but because of Adrian the Second Inquisition failed. If there ever is a Third Inquisition, there will be no one to speak for the vampires, and it will be even worse.
Its even worse when you remember this: It is unlikely that every Second Inquisition member was wiped out. The third inquisition will be using Adrian as an example to dissuade others like him. "You want to save the creatures? A bishop by the name of Adrian tried that. Like you, he was a true believer in the power of Christ, yet he failed. The Vampires he put his trust and faith in murdered him in cold blood. The creatures are to be exterminated, nothing else."
“Self-evidently” um, no
@@kstar1489 "Self-evidently" in the eyes of the church. *I* know that most of the vampire PCs are trying their best, but the Inquisition makes a good point that most vampires don't. The church will now say, "Adrian believed vampires could be redeemed, and look what happened to him."
"Ooops, I'm good at this" is by far the best way to say "You are five steps behind me" without directly saying it. :p
The “whoops I’m good at this” god it’s so good
"A deal with the devil which for me is God" is one hell of a quote.
Your youth pastor will never be this cool.
"Woops! I'm good at this." Love that line.
20:15 I'd say Anabelle's lack of killing is more cowardice than temperance. She has beaten people, helped to kill them and had them killed but has never had the courage to stain her own hands with it, instead letting other people do the dirty work for her.
Ellenore is a prime example of this, embraced by Ramona as a favour to Anabelle, Anabelle is definitely responsible for her death. If you want another example, Nick, all the way back in season 1, she beat him to within an inch of his life but didn't have the guts to finish him, instead having Nellie do it for her. He was killed by her decree but she didn't have the courage to do it with her own hands.
The way I see it, having someone killed is worse than killing them yourself because it's just as evil and infinitely more cowardly.
100% she has a great arc leading up to this. At first she very idealistic, but it becomes more and more about the Vamily season by season. It feels like Adrian is working off of the Intel from before Demetrios was compromised, and believed the hype about Annabelle being some kind of saint. Love this series
The start of Brennan as Adrian with the vamps just sounded like he is the good guy and such and then at the end without much issue goes "Torch the monster stake the girls." that was good.
Just thought I should say. Props to the GM for just letting the scenes play out. He's running the game but he's not made himself the focus.
The world of Darkness style of actual play shows function more like stage plays/larp compared to other actual play shows. The players only breaks character sometimes and usually just to ask the GM for gameplay stuff while the entire time they are playing they all talk in character. Resulting in the tone and suspension of disbelief to be much more intense compared to D20 or Critical role.
Brennan's compelling arguments are made more powerful because the people he is speaking to are literally creatures that must feed on the living to survive. I'm sorry but that's a monster and he exercised way more patience than most would in dealing with them. His character was not a good person and never claimed to be but when the alternative a vampires the church looks good in comparison.
Not only that but they’re so SO edgy. My god I’d lose patience with the constant apathy regardless of their being vampires. Good portrayals by the actors but extremely annoying people to deal with
@@Goliath5100 Yeah, Adrian lined it out very early on with the quote about aesthetic opposition and even used the dog chasing car metaphor, very reminiscent of Heath Ledger's joker. Basically, both the Joker and Annabelle are one in the same as they're chaos without any real purpose. It's about sending a message, but that message is that we live in a society.
Victor and Nelly were charismatic by the sheer fact that they knew they were monsters amd had an understandable goal with a clear endpoint. Rule LA, and then run it the way they saw fit. Basically, the way they saw fit would be through order, mot too dissimilar to the Camarilla.
Anabelle however wanted to fight the idea of a system by building a system, so basically
We live in a society, Batman.
I bet you eat meat, does that make you a monster? Especially since you don’t even need to eat meat. While vampires actually have to drink blood to stay alive. A monster is not what you are but who you are, when it comes to intelligent beings, right?
@@kstar1489 But I kill my meat before eating it and Vampires are capable of going to blood banks or getting blood from other sources. Instead, some actively kill people and that makes them monsters. If a vampire drank pig blood I wouldn't care just like if I ate human meat it would be an issue.
@@grimjudgment6527 we live in a kindred society
Brennan being just a human is dope
What a tragedy that the things that make Adrian right are 100% dependant on the fantasy setting where vampires and holy magic are real. Adrian doesn't translate to the real world very well becasue dark magic being real is what makes him right. What a great example of Brennan's ability to craft a character that "Yes ands" the setting.
I love WoD, and I love BLM. I don't think I'd ever get around to watching LA by Night, just too much. This is perf, thanks for putting it together. Truly a compelling character.
With the support of four seasons of built up tension the last season is pure gold. There are so many good moments throughout the whole series, if you can get through the first 2-3 episodes you are in for a great ride.
I love the vibes of this at the same time that I feel that tension will eat me alive. Everyone here is such a talent.
congratulations to brennan lee mulligan for being the only man to ever make me skip a beat
I love Adrian. He's a fantastic character, wonderfully portrayed. Every little detail fits to create a graceful, logical and chilling personality. Amazing!
47:40 this part is so scary. Adrian is prodding to make sure that no humans have been eaten. Super subtle
The thing is, Adrian isn’t EVIL.
He’s not GOOD, but he’s not the kind of villain that would become a main bad guy.
Adrian TRULY DEEPLY believes in the idea that vampires can be saved. His ENTIRE GOAL is to prove that Vampires not only have souls but the fact that they do means they can be saved by God.
He’s working within a system that despises him to make it what he considers to be better.
At the same time, he is actively participating in that system and allowing the evils it perpetrates in the name of chasing his own good.
And even more than that, in a personal level, he considers anyone vampire or otherwise who commits sin to be beyond help.
everybody talks about how incredible all of these mindblowing Brennan lines are, but can we give credit to Erika's "What? You and your nose ring against the Catholic Church?" absolutely fucking roasted Carver
Not nearly enough people talking about
“So my friend, that’s my girlfriend”
“Congratulations.”
I do appreciate how even a genius like Brennan was like "yeah if I make this guy also homophobic he becomes like 100 times less interesting"
@@samuelstensgaard4828 right? He would just look like the institution he left if he was to display something like that. And for a man who had given up so much already he wouldn't have a reason to not give that up too (if he ever was to begin with personally, not all Bishops are like that) . Adrian is a calculating individual I feel, so he would totally see that as a terrible way to get others on side as a lot of humans step away for that same intolerance.
What’s there to talk about?
@@teeth716 actually quite a lot.
Specifically a man such as Adrian who is so devoted to his religion that he would break the rules of an organisation claiming to follow the words of that religion to save one of the very creatures he was ordered to wipe out seeing a same sex relationship and not being stereotypically homophobic about it. In fact, quite the opposite, he congratulates it and states how important it is, specifically with the “condition” Annabelle has.
Not only does it shine a light on how not every devoted Christian/Catholic is a gay hating monster but it also shows the character’s attitude and personality. This man is a follower of god, not the institution that’s made in his name.
He sees someone he believes to be saved despite being the enemy of the church and does everything in his power to ensure not only that he can save her but that he can show there’s a method to liberating vampire kind without killing the converted.
He was more than willing to allow the others to join him and Annabelle and seemed just as shocked as the others when one of his men insisted on having Carver and Elenor in a separate car to Annabelle.
However he isn’t a fool either, he realises there is a method he must take and has a limit to what rules he can bend or break. No matter how much he disagrees with it.
In a way Adrian and Anne are the same in that way. They both will bend or break the rules for what they believe in but at the same time honour a code that has kept them and the people around the alive and secret. The only difference is that Anne by the nature of her clan will always need an enemy to fight while Adrian actually has a goal in mind and bends and breaks the rules to achieve that goal.
Bible only says man shall not lay with another man, never says anything about two chicks
From the perspective of someone that hasn't seen the show. It seems like Adrian is actually right. Vampire's are monsters that feed on the living to survive and many of them feel no guilt in this. Adrian wishes to kill them all except the one that he sees as within arms reach of redemption. But she chose to throw away that chance to have her life back just to save the monsters she calls family. In life or in death, he wins either way.
1:20:16 gave me chills holy shit Brennan is so good at what he does
This alone has given me enough reason to watch the entire thing from ep 1 now
I also watched the whole thing, and while I enjoyed it, I found it veeery slow in parts, and would go in and out of paying attention. I also find B Dave Walters endlessly annoying, so it made it a rough watch sometimes, but it was still rad.
How is no one talking about the fact that (right at the end) Brennan had a fuckin blood capsule ready to go for dramatics? Seriously this show.
For a second I thought he was eating an almond and I was so confused.
@@majorzipf8947I absolutely thought the same thing, like dude, I know the lights are down, but we can see you and your almonds are a little distracting from the dramatic moment! And then I remembered that he is a little pod person who needs a constant stream of almonds and/or salami to fuel him, and forgave him.
And then it turns out it was a blood capsule, lmao
"Whoooops! I'm good at this!" is such a Brennan line and it is so fucking perfect.
“You’re gonna break my heart”
“So you broke mine?” Oh my god this is so fucking good oh my god
This is the most intense character-driven story I think I've ever seen.
"That's not morality?" Fucking nailed it!
I genuinely thought Brennan was Snacking near the end but that was SPECTACULAR.
1:44:57
Brennan and Erika's friendship >>>
THAT WINK
it was so comforting to see Real Human Brennan during all this tense in character stuff too
Gave me chills
OMG I just noticed that!!!
I love the amount of filibustering Brennan was doing in the first meeting with the others
59:30 It's an underrated moment. He doesn't want to do it but he does what has to be done
Carver at 12:45: *Buddy hug!*
Me: Fuck no! He will do anything to win! You can not trust him!!! He would expose every corner of his soul for a mere 5 points!!!
Man, Annabell is made of sterner stuff than me. If Father Mulligan here offered me a way out of vampirism, I'd take that chance in a heartbeat
I'd argue that would even be the objectively correct choice, and the fact that she didn't makes for a super duper interesting character! Was sick as hell all the way through.
I'd imagine it wouldnt be too easy considering that you have a beast inside that would say otherwise.
I'd got with Adrian so long as I kept my immortality.
@@flapjaxattack Golconda is very much possible, and with help even more
Brennan Lee Mulligan got a lot of the catholic bits right. He is brilliant!!!
“I won’t trust the system”
Family is a system
Friendship is a system
Rebellion itself is often realized through systems
People are social animals, we NEED systems
The bigger the system the more it breeds corruption. We don't need a system to thrive. The system just indoctrinated you to a point where you would be lost without it.
@@ktmziek6331 which system? As I said there’s more than one and I suppose it depends on your definition of thrive, modern life with highly specialized jobs? Definitely need systems for that, living in an isolated farm? Not so much. But I do agree with you that bigger organizations tend towards corruption
Anabelle even admits earlier that what she would have during the 100 years is a system so Adrian's assessment of her philosophy is 100% correct.
Not a system. THE System. Systems are needed for greater feats than individuals can accomplish, true.
But when one refers to 'the system' they often mean a large overarching organization often far removed from individual needs.
While not directly the same, Brennan's portrayal of a true believer reminds me very much of the assassin from Serenity. Guy believes totally and completely in something and it gives him a power very few, if any, can stand against.
Yes! And the fact that they both accept that they can't/won't share in the utopia they want to create, because the darkness they have to wield to create it would render them ineligible. Compelling stuff!
@@katlbird Adrian as a character was also a beautiful progression of the archetype. Good enough, 'good' enough as a person that unless you pay painstaking attention to what he *doesn't* say, most of us would not consider him the same kind of monster.
i know it's besides the point but it's cannon that the banu haqim like to discuss philosophy with the catholic elements of the sabbat, two players who understand faith and philosophy on this level having a discussion in character would be interesting.
Oooh, fuck, I love the smug little “oops, I’m good at this” from Brennan
This man needs to be cast in everything
Annabelle is talking to a bishop and she is the one that comes across as the deranged zealot.
By martyring himself on the cross Adrian might've just gotten a ticket to heaven. Not the first Brennen character to sneak past the gates of heaven lol.
Very strong, Very spooky Priest vibes. 10/10.
1:41:27 Did anyone else get tingles during that? Brennan did an awesome job right there!
y e a h y e p
First time I watched it…. And the second… and the third. 😮💨 I was not prepared for the sound he made.
Yepyep. Also Annabelle saying "What did you do to him?!" after literally seeing X go for the throat and try to feed off him like... I don't know what her character was thinking, but man that has got to be like... some form of Vampiric Privilege to ask the guy that was getting his blood sucked what *HE* did to the vampire sucking the blood.
Critters and d20'rs from arrrrround the world: Go give LA By Night som love. It's really, really good!
When Brennan said, "That used to be my job!", I really feel like he used his own experience as a LARP camp and D&D camp person mixed in with his knowledge about religion in how HE would approach the world if Vampires were real if he were a catholic.
"I'll be waiting for you in the fire, Annabelle"
"See you there."
Holy shit!
Wow! Brennan is something else! Fantastic performance!
Thank you for this video, I've been a fan of Brennan for a while and thanks to this I've watched the entirely of LA by Night in the last month and now am moving onto NY by Night and without this video to give me the impetus to do so I would never have been introduced to any of the characters in this show. Also Brennan is a terrifying antagonist to the vamily in general and a perfect match for Annabelle in particular.
How is this incarnation of the Brendaddy so much more terrifying than his Asmodeus?
I would argue that we find the more human antagonists more terrifying, simply because we can see aspects of ourselves, our neighbors, and people we've seen throughout everyday life.
Gods and eldritch entities cause an innate fear of the unknown, but that can be quelled to a certain extent.
"I'll see you in the fire Annabelle"
-excommunicated
"See you there"
-Brujah
Remarkable scene interaction quotes.
I crafted a heartwarming Ventrue anarch once using the CwoD flaw system that made it so he could only drink from "Cows" and the type: "milking cows".
"Mr. Higgins" who had always been a man of faith at heart despite being turned into something he didn't want to be by a power hungry child of a nearby prince who wanted his farm lands.
As a Blood bound slave he had watched first hand how terrible the ventrue were. His master made the Fatal mistake of forgetting to keep the bond strong with Higgins in his business travels. When the master did return to a visit he found Higgins had organized his farm with quiet anarch feeding areas using animals so that no one in the surrounding towns would be harmed. And using his power vested in his small town and his huge gun collection he had become Baron Higgins.
Baron Higgins and a band of rallied upset anarchs ended the unlife of the monster that took his mortality and murdered his wife in a hail of high powered shotgun and rifle rife spread out within the corn stalks.
He'd go on to attend night church and talk with a member of the sacred order every Sunday because he was that slack jawed type of decent folk. He set up strong policies with anarchs that NO human could be harmed except them sicko types that's child molesters and rapists or harming good people of the town. And if you do intervene you don't be seen doing it leaving no evidence. Basically a common farmers shotgun justice.
The town had almost no crime rate.
Course the other characters at the table made it very difficult sometimes. And he had to go on down to the pokey and get two characters out before sunrise for screwing up.
He opened a big drive in movie, he made sure the poor in town at least got a real good steak on Mondays down at the food shelter. His ballot was influential enough to help get bus transportation to run 24 hours for those late night slaughterhouse workers.
This balance was kept even further with treaties to an old glasswalker from in town who really liked his wife's cooking before the attack that changed his life and ended hers. Talking about a time when Higgins was mortal and his wife made pie for the neighborhood brought Higgins to tears and sniffles.
Was great peace with supernaturals getting into midnight races on back roads for bragging rights and then some.
The Camarilla ventrue systematically broke what they had going down like a chess player only another one who played the game would notice. And Higgins was beaten on many fronts including a usda inspection to force the killing of a good portion of so called diseased cows in the area.
With one close call being a drag out fight against a full blown archon of which he would had been destroyed if not for the direct intervention of the glasswalkers who run the farmers market festival who smelled things weren't right when Higgins didn't show up with his steaks or call anyone to say why he didn't come. Higgins has NEVER done that. Having barely survived and the foe identified as some sort of vampire agent by the more gifted anarch PCs who was a detective by trade with high auspex.
Over time the town began to unravle with Higgins being put into positions where he sacrificed humanity to protect all those in it and enforce policies.
See starting the game he had set a response date at which if he started losing humanity and he noticed it then he would have a heart to heart with his priest of the order and set things in order as he believed an upstanding decent man o God should.
Higgins was one of those types of anarchs I rarely get to play that make a huge difference and transform supernaturals in a small town into a community that seem more like old townies and young brash kids he gives something to do to keep them out of trouble.
Eventually Barron Higgins would call over his order priest for confession and allies that truly loved and respected him for an out of the ordinary meeting as a result of having slipped drasticly in humanity through a story event.
Higgins would tell them all how he loved and appreciated them all and that it was time for his ,"Walk with God" Leaving his Barony to who was most responsible among the other player characters.
The following morning farmer higgins put on his Sunday best and walked with his priest into the sun.
So there were no misunderstanding it was recorded and given to the other anarch players. Higgins remains were swept up and there is a new second burial mound by his wife's.
That sounds like an incredible game. Great story. R.I.P. Baron Higgins.
"That is...a double Bestial Failure..." The dice really do tell a story.