The Legend of Vox Machina: The Trials of Vasselheim (2x02)

I've got to say, this show is bringing such joy into my life right now...

Cons:

I thought visually that Vasselheim wasn't quite as cool looking as I wanted it to be? Individual details were cool, but the first view of the city as a whole, that first big sweeping view, wasn't quite as impressive as what we saw of Emon or even Whitestone. I don't know, maybe I need to re-watch to appreciate it more.

This is an exposition-heavy episode, what with Highbearer Vord briefly meeting Vox Machina just to tell them no, then to the Slayer's Take, then down to see Osysa. It's a lot of information imparted very quickly, about the ancient history of this world, and setting up the Vestiges of Divergence fetch quest, and meanwhile we're cutting back to Grog's subplot. So once again I'm in the position of saying I enjoyed all the individual things I was seeing, but wish there was another five minutes so the transitions between all these different scenes and characters and concepts could have a bit more breathing room.

Pros:

But let's actually start with the Grog subplot stuff, because honestly I'm pretty impressed so far! Grog is a character who I think might be particularly hard to translate from stream to screen. It's the way Grog's utter stupidity is contrasted with Travis' performance of it, the way he is so very much in on the joke the whole way through. You can't really translate that to animated form. And yet, I think they've done a decent job! He's affable and ridiculous and sweet and also super violent, all of these things mixed together. He's too stupid to realize his evil magic sword is talking to him, even after Gilmore points out that it's sinister and Groon tells him it's a weakness to rely on it. But he's also smart enough to realize he's being asked a trick question during his trial with Groon, even if he can't quite get to the answer Groon is looking for.

I've got to say, the Grog butterfly meme moment was fucking hilarious to me, I don't care how stupid it is. I also really liked the moment when he asked Groon if perhaps he'd been told his name and then forgotten, as I think it shows that Grog, while not much of a thinker, does have some self-awareness about his own limitations. As a bonus, this episode also includes the famous Critter greeting, which is Grog's mishearing of the words "good day," as "bidet." It's so charming and funny and sweet that they managed to include that in there for us.

Also a nice little treat was getting to see Victor, although I was a little confused as to whether the explosion at the end was meant to be the demise of that character, or whether he'll get to have his heroic participation in the endgame too. Who knows. Either way, hearing Matt do that ridiculous voice was such a delight. And we get to be reminded of Anna Ripley, that lingering threat...

And then there's the Slayer's Take! I love the way they folded in the backstory that the show skipped over, incorporating it as part of Vex and Vax's past. Such a smart way to have Zahra feel like a familiar, established character, and get the purpose and function of the Slayer's Take established easily and seamlessly. Kash is one of my favorite side characters from all of Critical Role. Zahra too, but I just love Kash's dry delivery and snarky one-liners. The way he flatly expressed his disinterest in Vex's flirting was great. And the arrow through the wanted poster of the twins... what a jerk! In the best way, of course.

Instead of a bar-room brawl between Vox Machina and the Slayer's Take, instead we get a visit to Osysa, an ancient Sphynx who sponsors the Slayer's Take and acts as a representative for the Knowing Mistress on Exandria. Here, we get a test of wills, as all of the various members of Vox Machina confront their fears. I like how extremely fantasy-tropey this whole segment was, but I was also just so, so impressed with how Osysa's insight and delivery told us so much about the characters so succinctly. Keyleth fears failing her Aramente, she also fears becoming an Archdruid and outliving her support system. Vex seeks approval from a distant father. Vax relies entirely on his sister. Percy wallows in self-pity and yearns for forgiveness. Pike worries about saving her loved ones. And Scanlan... well, nobody cares about Scanlan, you see. (FUCK this is gonna hurt. If you know, you know.)

Once Pike leads the way in standing her ground and demanding to be heard, Osysa gives them the guidance they need. She explains about the Vestiges of Divergence, sending our heroes on a fetch quest to find powerful items to help defeat the dragon. The animation in showing the Vestiges, the history of the Calamity, was so beautiful and strange, and Osysa was so sinister and mysterious and gorgeous. This season feels a lot more D&D-ish, in a lot of ways, than season one did. We've got dragons, and now we've got this mission where our heroes need to track down magic items to save the day. I don't say that as a criticism, I actually kind of love it. I know where this is all going, broadly, but I continue to be delighted by the clever way they streamline, rearrange, cut, and add to this animated show!

Okay, onward to episode three. I'm sure everything will be fine. I'm sure I won't burst into tears at all.

8.5/10