The Legend of Vox Machina continues its incredible second season, with even lighter episodes plot-wise feeling impactful and fun.
The Legend of Vox Machina has become a new favorite show of many a Dungeons & Dragons player. The raunchy and violent fantasy series, which is a Kickstarter-born adaptation of the streaming show Critical Role starring a number of major voice actors, has just released episodes 7-9, after the last batch ended in yet another deathly cliffhanger.
The official synopsis for Vox Machina Season 2 reads: “In Season 2, after saving the realm from evil and destruction at the hands of the most terrifying power couple in Exandria, Vox Machina is faced with saving the world once again – this time, from a sinister group of dragons known as the Chroma Conclave.”
According to fans of the web show, this is likely to be the best arc that the series portrays, and so far this season is certainly delivering that. So let’s get into it, but first a WARNING: Legend of Vox Machina SPOILERS AHEAD!
Vox Machina moves fast, though sometimes too fast
The Legend of Vox Machina has been very admirable in how it is able to condense so much playtime of the streaming show into 30-minute episodes. The show does this by combining storylines, and it’s done well enough that you likely wouldn’t be able to tell if you’re not super familiar with every moment of the stream.
In fact, the condensing actually works in the series’ advantage, as because of this, every episode has forward momentum, so even episodes that could be considered filler are stuffed with important character moments, and every beat feels significant to the overall plot.
Though the sheer amount of material can sometimes mean that moments which could be drawn out become somewhat rushed, diminishing the tension that such beats could bring. Examples include Pike’s major injury at the start of this episode batch, and the build up to the corrupted villain Saundor also feels hastily done.
But in spite of this, tension is still very much present in these episodes, mainly due to their multiple battles. The action during these episodes is incredibly strong and varied, making creative use of each player’s abilities. The best fight is definitely the one between Vex and Saundor in the echo tree, with the animation of Vex gliding through the branches looking spectacular. And even if Saundor was somewhat rushed, Vex’s emotional arc is still compelling, and it’s clear that her troubles are far from over.
Characters are amazing, for the most part
We’re repeating what we’ve already said many a time, but it’s still incredible how the show is managing to give every lead not only screentime, but meaningful development.
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Case in point, Grog. These episodes finally dive into his past, giving depth to the character that is pleasantly surprising, and just enough has been changed from the original stream that it adds a new layer of narrative tension to his arc. It’s funny how the most blood thirsty member of the party has an arc about stepping away from his violent past. The arc itself can be just plain funny in general; Pike and Scanlan having to drag Grog’s weakened body around is arguably the funniest part of the show thus far.
In terms of weaknesses, perhaps the romances are a little too neatly set into motion, with all the guys and girls growing closer together at seemingly the same time. And while the leads are really shining in this batch of episodes, the side characters are somewhat weaker this time.
The band has yet to make an impact, as do the central villains of the season, the Chroma Conclave. By this point last season, the Briarwoods had been much better defined, and the Conclave are coming across as rather generic in comparison, which is a shame after such a bombastic opening episode with them.
However, this arc is set to continue over Season 3 as well as Season 2, meaning that there’s plenty of time to give the dragons more development in the future. Fingers crossed they’ll improve.
The Legend of Vox Machina Season 2 Episodes 7-9 review score: 4/5
The Legend of Vox Machina continues to wow with its episodes. While some aspects may be better than others, no episodes has felt like a dud, and each is clearly building towards a greater story, with greater moments in between.
The only concern is whether or not the series will be able to keep up this trajectory, because the upcoming final batch of episodes certainly have a lot to live up to.
The Legend of Vox Machina is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video. To see when future episodes will drop, check here. As for more Vox Machina content, check here.