If I've had one consistent complaint about this show all along it's been that I wanted a bit more downtime between the big, huge plot developments. And this batch of episodes gave me all the high-octane action and adventure I could want, and plenty of that slower character development stuff too! I'm so happy!
Cons:
This isn't specific to this episode, but I've been praising how all the various relationship dynamics have their little moments along the way, how impressed I am by the attention being given to all sorts of subtle dynamics in the background. For some reason, this episode made me realize that one relationship we've kind of lost out on in this season two is the Keyleth and Percy friendship. I hope we can get a moment or two with them coming up, or maybe some good stuff in season three.
For the most part I am really, really, pleased with the changes to Grog's story-line. However, from a pacing perspective, with regards to the fight to come with Kevdak and all that, I would have changed this around a bit. See, here what happens is that Grog makes his near-fatal error in stabbing Pike, and then immediately he overcomes the sword's influence and destroys it, then suffers consequences he needs to deal with in the aftermath. We know that coming up, he's going to have to face his evil and powerful uncle. In the stream, one of the things that was so cool about Travis's struggle with Grog was his desire to use Craven Edge during that fight: sort of a "one more time won't kill me" logic. In adapting it for animation, I think I would have kept the scene mostly the same, but not had Craven Edge actually destroyed: have it left somewhere, buried in rock or in a pocket plane or something. Then, when Grog is trying to muster up the courage to beat his uncle, have him reaffirm and hold to his choice to leave Craven Edge behind, because his strength lies elsewhere. It's a small thing, but I think the time between Grog realizing he needs to be rid of Craven Edge, and the time when Craven Edge is affirmatively destroyed/out of his reach forever, was too quick. There should have been one more step on that journey for him, in my opinion.
I've been praising the dragon animation, and I stand by that praise for the most part, but during the scene between Umbrasyl and Thordak, I noticed the 3-D meshing strangely with 2-D... Umbrasyl looked really odd and computer-y to me, while he was speaking with the Cinder King. That's the only time all season I've felt like the visual was jarring, so I thought I should mention it.
And a small thing that I've mentioned before but it's still true: I don't like that Pike calls Grog "buddies" in the plural. I think Ashley says that sometimes on the stream but they've really taken it and run with it and it's distracting and annoying!
Pros:
Let's start with our half-elf and human portion of the episode! I loved the vibes of the Fey Realm overall. Visually, it was so colorful and different and strange and sinister. I enjoyed how the very first thing we see there captures the duality beautifully. Keyleth sees a cute little creature, calls it a "floof," smiling in delight, and then immediately watches it get torn to pieces by vicious plants. That carries through, as we see the literally otherworldly beauty of this place, but also the violence and capriciousness.
I really thought we'd get straight to Syngorn and do the family drama stuff, but instead this episode's Fey Realm stuff has other narrative functions. We're establishing a vibe, we're introducing Garmelie, we're checking in with Vax's feelings about the Matron of Ravens and whatever pact he made with her. And more than all that, we've got his whole subplot basically dedicated to the Percy and Vax broken relationship. I'm... delighted by this? Of all the things I hoped they wouldn't drop from the show, it's the subtle, difficult bond between these two men who care about each other but can't always get on the same page. And here we get, if anything, an expansion on that theme from what's going on at this point in the stream! I'm very happy about it!
We start off with Percy's enthusiasm, trying to be helpful. All season long, that's the thing about Percy. He wants to prove that he has something to offer this group. Some recompence, I think, for the horrible trial he put them all through in season one with the Briarwoods. And at first he makes everything worse, getting Vex killed. And now here in the Fey Realm, all his book learning can't actually help them navigate the dangers. Vax is annoyed, and not hiding it, and poor Percy is just doing his damn best. Percy running after Vax during the swamp fight, and the exchange: "What are you doing here?" / "I wasn't about to give up on you" is such a perfect encapsulation of what's going on with Percy in this part of his journey. The thing is, he got his revenge, the thing he's been working for his entire life since his family was killed. And now what? Now, he wants to put the work in. He doesn't want to give up, even if he's not sure he'll ever earn forgiveness.
(Also, shout-out to Diplomacy getting its own buildup and moment of glory. Go Percy, we love to see his tinkering making a difference on the show!)
Then there's Vax. He's pissed at Percy, but he's also just in general really down about this Matron of Ravens stuff. I love Vax seeing the creepy undead vision in the water and just groaning and moving on. He's used to it, and more annoyed than frightened at this point. At the end, when he tells Percy thanks for trying to have his back, it's clear he thinks it's a useless gesture. "I'm moving in a different direction from the rest of you." WOW this breaks my heart. I hope we get more catharsis on the Percy and Vax front, even though I'm pretty sure I know what heartbreak we'll have to get through on the way. God, this show is good.
Garmelie! Billy Boyd sounds great, the lewd drawings were incredible, I loved how he kept popping up and offering to help, but clearly was having fun no matter the outcome. "Garmelie was merely the traveler on this journey." Yeah Garmelie, you sure are. Fucking amazing, I'm vibrating out of my seat about it all, just thinking about the future.
Lastly, loved the drug trip moment. Especially Vex's "oh heyyyy" as she flips over and stares at Percy. She sees a heart when she looks at him. And Trinket's voice, the two of them laughing... Keyleth crying and hugging the flowers... I mean, it's an easy laugh, but it was effective as hell. These characters are all so charming and beloved to me, I can't even tell you.
And if all that wasn't enough wonderfulness, I also really adored the Grog, Scanlan, and Pike stuff!
As I said, I might have adjusted the timing on the Craven Edge stuff, and instead of having his final defeat go here, leave it for another affirmative moment of rejecting the sword in favor of a different source of strength. However, I do adore the change overall, of Grog giving the sword up causing him to literally lose his physical strength! That's pretty genius. And Travis is KILLING it on the comedy front. His Grog accent, all the squeaky sad voice stuff, it's hilarious and charming and this is one of the funniest episodes of the show, between the Fey shenanigans and Grog's sad-sack weak routine.
And the Scanlan and Pike feels, holy shit. I will say that during the campaign I felt pretty neutral about Scanlan and Pike's romance arc, but I am very much endeared by the two of them here. Scanlan being sweet and soft and a caretaker for Grog, Pike clocking it, then Scanlan compensating with a dumb joke, and then realizing with shame what he's done... what a perfect, lovely setup for the two of them to actually start to capitalize on the vibe between them while working on Scanlan's character arc.
The makin' my way song was EVERYTHING to me. If you know, you know, and it's an added fun thing. If you don't, the song is still so fun, the whole traveling montage a good mix of levity and also moving the plot forward, showing exactly how helpless Grog is in this condition, and also how good Scanlan and Pike are as a team!
Y'all, I don't even know what else to say, this episode was everything to me, and despite my slight qualms about the Craven Edge situation, I am still so incredibly pleased with how it's all turning out.
9/10
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