Amac Productions

Oh, Essek, Essek, Essek.

What a serious bit of trouble you’ve gotten yourself into, haven’t you?

I mean, what could have possibly gone wrong by letting a man consumed by power not only have the Beacon, but learn to open it as well. Surely, nothing negative could have come of that.

I also would like to amend my statement from one of my other reviews. Essek isn’t just pining for more time with his mother, he’s cherishing the only time he’ll have left with his mother. Because should the Bright Queen find out that his mother’s past lives are bleeding into this one, she’ll be executed. For good.

No more being reborn.

Essek won’t have his mother anymore.

Well, I can’t blame you for wanting to find a cure for that. I can’t even blame you for doing whatever you needed to. However, maybe involving Trent was a terrible decision.

Also, Astrid and Eadwulf should let Essek attack and hopefully kill Trent. I think it would be best for all. Even them.

Who appear to be little more than puppets for him to control. They don’t look healthy at all. This was the life Caleb was once destined for?

I think he should be grateful he lost his mind instead. At least, he was able to regain it and some form of freedom.

These two look little more than unhealthy puppets or dogs on a leash. Only able to do whatever Trent demands.

He appears more human than any of the volstruckers.

Yikes.

Essek realizes his terrible mistake but probably believes that he’s in too deep to do anything about it now. Because confessing to the Bright Queen that he helped steal their most scared relic to save him mother won’t really help him. He wants to live.

He needs to make up a story.

After all, he’s the one looking for the Luxon. Just make up a story about how you found it, dude. Let the Bright Queen rain hell down on Trent and his volstruckers herself. Maybe we’ll even get lucky and show the King and the empire that Trent is a lying a*shole who should not be trusted.

Who wants a war. Or at least doesn’t care that there’s going to be a war.

‘People are going to die!’ Superman 2025. He would not be chill with this. Nor the idea that we’re just manufacturing a war for the sake of gaining more power.

Please, for the love of everyone, please get the Beacon away from Trent.

Meanwhile, The Mighty Nein who have no name and have been mistaken for somehow being involved in the massacre at the circus are trying and failing to explain their way out of it. Although, to be fair, I don’t think either Jester nor Nott were trying very hard.

Jester was a having a good time.

And Nott was hoping to get lucky.

So… Yeah. That seems on brand.

Jester’s impromptu dialogue feels much more natural here. Whether that’s because Sam and Travis wrote the episode and have a firm understanding of Jester or because they didn’t bother to give Laura a script and let her improv the whole thing. I don’t know. Either way, Jester felt way more like Jester this episode and I loved it.

So kudos to whoever nailed her this episode.

The layers added to her character this episode represented how much Laura did with this seemingly flighty character during the campaign. It’s easy to look at Jester and think she’s fun and happy all the time.

But as observed by Marisha/Beau, Jester is more unhappy than she lets on.

In this episode, we come to understand that the Traveler hasn’t been around for a bit and she’s missing him. All her antics are a way of getting his attention again. Though underneath it all, she thinks she’s done something wrong to lose his favor. There is so much more to Jester than meets the eye and I loved how Laura Bailey brought her to life before and now.

She’s an excellent character and by far one of my favorite characters in The Mighty Nein.

It’s also weird and somehow perfect she ends up naming them with such glee at the end as well.

Like it fits, even though it was Liam/Caleb in the campaign. Jester would pick a name for them like The Mighty Nein.

Got to love Nott in the background who is already warming up to Jester like she did in the campaign. For the longest time, I think Nott only liked Jester out of the group. Like truly liked spending time with her while she warmed to the others. Except Caleb. She loves Caleb.

The details of this show are amazing.

Without being told, we can see how Nott is jonesing for booze and going through withdrawal.

Jester is able to discern there’s more to the drinking than a simple addiction. While still also making a pamphlet for the Traveler to get more people to follow.

Molly’s card also meaning Traveler. Whether or not that’s true or he did that cheer up Jester, I don’t know. Either way, I love it. Because Molly is just so damn good at reading people.

Jester is in the background of the cell drawing on the wall.

Everyone thinks she’s a little crazy for talking to herself, but they also don’t know what to do with that. Because even when they point out how weird it is, she keeps doing it and insisting that he’s real. Despite the fact that no one can see him.

Seriously, The Mighty Nein learning that the Traveler is real was one of my favorite things in the campaign. Because I believed Jester the entire time and so did the actors, but the characters didn’t know what to make of her supposed ‘god.’

Caleb freaking out over his necklace the entire episode.

This never really came into play in the campaign. We come to know why he had it, but he never lost it. For him to lose it before the rest of the Nein know why it’s important is such a good change.

Because we’re not at the point where we help the wizard find his crazy components and other shit without asking why. Not yet.

We got a little taste of it during the fight when they fought to give an opening for Caleb to finish the monster of how well they’ll work together. But they’re not sure why he cares about a necklace so much and he’s not sharing so there’s a huge lack of importance to them right now.

Whereas in the campaign, when it’s brought up, we already care for Caleb and vow to protect him.

That’s not here.

So Caleb has no idea he has five other people at his back to protect him when the volstrucker appears.

Yikes.

I do love that change.

I loved their entire moment in the cell as they fought and yelled and gave each other shit. This is the basis of the Nein, honestly.

They’re a bunch of assholes who work better together than apart. At the end of the day, they’ve never fit in anywhere else, but they fit together. They find a home together as pointed out by Molly with his cards, that they’ve never had before.

They work, because they don’t work well without each other.

Not to mention, they’re all a bunch of assholes.

But they’re not assholes to each other. They learned that quick enough. They’re better together and being honest with each other. Even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard.

Such as Beau taking a moment to be nice.

Loved that we kept some form of Beau turning to Fjord to learn to people better.

Nott and Jester’s relationship begins to flourish.

Beau and Caleb bond over their mutual interest in books and research. Not to mention the volstrucker who would like to kill them both.

Jester being the muscle of the group.

Nott mocking Fjord for not being the muscle of the group.

Molly understanding how to bring people together when they need it most.

Beau trying to do the right thing even though she’s not sure the entire time.

All the best pieces of the campaign are put front and center. While certain details are changed and the story is streamlined for effect. The basis for the campaign and all the relationships that were forged between these characters are still at the heart of the story.

The moment when they all grieve a little girl, they barely knew simply for the life that was lost was perfect.

The Mighty Nein are not perfect people. They will never be. They’re not going to be heroes people cheer about like Vox Machina. They’re people who didn’t fit in anywhere but with each other, trying to live each day the best they can, together. They do the right thing because shouldn’t you?

If you can, shouldn’t you do something?

Even when it scares you?

Even when you’re not sure?

Especially then.

I love The Mighty Nein because they all feel like ordinary people thrust into incredible situations that only they can solve because they know what it’s like to be the little guy. To be pushed around or treated unfairly. They do not want that for others. They’ve lost things. People. They wish for other people to have it better.

And somehow, that makes them heroes.

Even though it’s not what they planned.

Life just happened to them.

Overall, this is a fantastic episode with amazing details from the campaign placed everywhere for you to see. Both my girlfriend and I found that while watching The Legend of Vox Machina we found ourselves longing for the campaign. We missed the little things, like the cast joking around with each other or giving each other a hard time.

Watching The Mighty Nein – however – I have no such issues.

I wondered if this was because during the first two seasons of The Legend of Vox Machina, the cast members recorded separately. Until season three, which neither of us has watched yet. Meaning the cast couldn’t play off each other, they had to guess what other people would do.

Unlike here, it feels like the cast is in the room. Voicing the characters, adding their flourishes to them, and improving as needed. Able to bounce off each other and make the characters feel as real to us with the same chemistry that makes Critical Role so much fun to watch.

Which is so why I need the cast to have done echoes for Uk’otoa.

Please!

I also love that Matt gets a main character to play in this series. It felt wrong that he got left out of the fun of voicing characters with his friends during the first series. Here, he gets to shine as Essek and we know that there’s more to come from him.

I loved this episode so much. I loved the pacing. The timing. The storytelling. Acting. All the little details. I’m sure I missed or forgot some. I need to watch this episode again it was so good!

Last things, last!

The ending. The volstrucker appearing, holding Caleb’s necklace. Both Caleb and Beau claiming the volstrucker is there for them and her haunting voice as she proclaims that the master will be pleased.

Like damn, whoever is voicing her gave me freaking chills with that line.

Also, Caleb if you run or wet yourself, I do not blame you.

The idea that they’re fighting a volstrucker next episode is beyond amazingly fun for me. I cannot wait! Can you?

Please, please, drop a comment, and let me know what you think about the episode! I need more people to discuss this with!

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