The Legend of Vox Machina: The Frigid Wastes (3x05)

I might have a bit of a hot take about this one! Buckle up.

Cons:

This is a small thing, but shouldn't the episode be called "The Frigid Doom"? I loved that the Umbrasyl fight episode was called "The Hope Devourer." It feels like it's breaking the precedent. And I wonder if we'll have "The Cinder King" and "The Diseased Deceiver" as episode names coming up later? It doesn't matter, but I just wondered!

So, my hot take. I really loved this episode, I think it holds up in quality with the season and the show in general, I think it's wonderful as per usual. BUT, I think this section, where we're having more and more significant changes from the original canon, is bringing up some question marks for me here and there. I was a little startled in the last third of this episode to realize that yes, we were killing Vorugal in this installment. I had sort of thought that maybe he'd harass them and get away, and we'd have the real death in episode six or something. The reason I thought this is that Vorugal being in a position to kill felt kind of too... random and lucky? I really missed the planning aspect. The goristro v. dragon showdown in the campaign was one of the most clever moments of forethought that Vox Machina ever had. Here, it was just sort of a happy accident, and that was a little bit of a letdown.

I also think giving the emotional arc of one of the dragon kills to Kima is kind of strange, just because there are seven main characters on this show and making room for them all is already a bit of a challenge. I liked the Kima and Allura stuff here, but that bit where she goes off to solo-engage Vorugal didn't hit the right emotional beat for me because I didn't understand the emotional or the strategic payoff for why she had to run out there alone, and then call in the reinforcements. It's a small detail, but that big epic moment of her charging down and using Mythcarver to stab the dragon in a weak spot, it was definitely cool but I was also like "why"? She should have had the ranged attackers covering her as she approached instead of rushing off without any strategic setup in mind.

I really don't mind that this is different from the show, but given that I know the big events that are coming down the line, I also wanted to mention that not having Raishan around for the Draconia arc makes her presence and ally-ship with Vox Machina feel a little more muted? Maybe we'll get a check-in with the good ol' Diseased Deceiver in episode six. I also recall feeling like Vorugal's ultimate fate was much more... tied to the future of Draconia in a concrete way, in the stream? Like, in the past couple of episodes, we haven't really seen any of the Dragonborn around except for the one traitor lady who got eaten. It made the fight feel like it was happening in this isolated icy wilderness. Umbrasyl's fight happened in a cave, sure, but the outcome of that was deeply and convincingly tied to the fate of the entire city of Westrunn, and the Herd of Storms specifically, in a way I liked. They tried to give Kima and Allura more of a character tie to this place through Dohla, but that's a pretty weak link.

Last complaint, and this is a smaller one but it bears repeating: not only did Vox Machina part ways rather unceremoniously in episode three, but they reunited rather unceremoniously too, in the midst of the Vorugal and Yenk chaos. It seems wild to me that the twins at the very least weren't checking in with each other or having a significant glance of relief that the other one was okay.

Pros:

My hot take basically boils down to: there were things here that were not how I was expecting them to be and I kind of miss some elements of what originally happened... but that's not the same as thinking that the episode has any serious flaws. This was still a pretty kick-ass episode of a kick-ass show, and the combat stuff here was... whew. All-time. I don't know how they keep one-upping themselves with the animation, but they really, really do.

Let's start by talking about the Kima and Allura of it all. We open with a flashback that shows them with their original adventuring party. We learn that they were something of an enemies to lovers arc, always bickering and disagreeing with each other's plans. Then, we see them take on combat together, each saving each other's lives, and Kima taking risks but ultimately being a bad-ass and saving the day. We get to watch the moment Allura starts to appreciate Kima for the amazing person she is, and that felt very special! Just, overall, the care and concern these two have for each other, all the beautiful romance, it felt really rewarding and special to see. The voice actors are killing it. I loved the part where Kima explains that she doesn't have a death wish, but her running towards danger is a way to keep Allura safe! I also feel like seeing what an established relationship looks like in the context of an adventuring party is a fun way to further explore the themes we've started touching on with Vax/Keyleth and Vex/Percy.

I'm trying to think if there's anything else to even talk about before I just spend the rest of this review praising the combat sequences... oh, some good comedy beats with Pike losing her hair: "I don't want to die bald!" and "Cram it, de Rollo, I'm having a day." I also want to specifically call out Percy's line of dialogue "fuck it, let's get weird," which is a 100% Taliesin Jaffe special; I love when the show can capture the blend of the characters and their creators in fun little ways.

But let's get into it: the big highlight of this episode was the stellar combat. I feel like I could just spend the next several paragraphs listing moments that were cool, but I shall try and restrain myself a bit.

Fighting the demon on the Hell-side of things while the other group fights Vorugal on the Draconia side, waiting for that portal to open, was a really cool setup for the tension in the early part of the episode. I wish it had been a plan to bring through Yenk for that kaiju fight instead of just a happy accident, but that's ultimately probably a nitpick. I loved Vax going in close while the others call him crazy, then Grog and Scanlan having to go in to get him out of the scrape. Keyleth is on portal-opening duty so doesn't get many hits in here, but Pike gets to do what Pike does best, being a shield, and now she's got her fancy new Vestige! I loved that we got to see it in action here for the first time, hopefully as a tease for things to come.

Over on the other side of the portal, the Vorugal fight is more about growing tension. Kima is missing, Allura is losing her mind, Percy and Vex are trying to keep cool heads. They get to be bad-ass with Vex's broom, with Percy taking his moment and using Bad News for a devastating shot that saves Kima at the last second. We then also get the pairs splitting off differently, with Percy and Allura running from Vorugal, while Vex goes to save Kima from falling down a cliff. There's a great moment when Allura is trying to apologize for not being more cautious, and Percy tells her to forget it, then says "let's go find our ladies." I loved that. The Percy/Vex relationship stuff here is so funny and perfect because Vex is the one all flustered about things and Percy's just like... whatever, you said we aren't together, so we aren't together! I know it's an act, but it's a fun inversion that he's playing it cooler than Vex, at least for now.

And then... the portal is open, the gang from Hell is spilling through, and a demon is hot on their heels! The visual of this is intense - the fire, the ice, the collision in the middle, a showdown of EPIC proportions. I loved every minute of it, and I loved how Grog and Scanlan were actually geeking out about the fight and placing bets on who would win. It really earns the epic-ness of Vorugal's eventual defeat when you see him take down such a formidable foe. And I think this fight with Vorugal did better what I wish they'd done with Umbrasyl in one way: the damage done before Vox Machina gets in there and starts the final push, really does make Vorugal weaker and thus more possible to defeat! We see the direct impact of Yenk grievously wounding him, then we see Kima exploit a weakness, and then everyone else is able to run in and finish him off.

The Keyleth and Vex combo killing is so cool! If we're keeping track, we've got Grog getting final hit on Brimscythe, Scanlan getting the Umbrasyl kill, and now I guess we can call it a three-person combo with Keyleth enhancing Vex's shot, Vorugal on the verge of death, and then Kima putting his lights out. So that just leaves Thordak and Raishan... really curious what changes happen to their deaths as well.

This is one of those combat sequences where it's just like... kaiju fight, so cool! Vox Machina and Kima and Allura getting in the mix, so cool! Just go watch it, what are words going to do to convince you?

This episode ends with something very exciting for fans of the stream... Scanlan introducing us all to his Magnificent Mansion! I'm hoping that means episode six has some actual downtime where everyone can breathe and have a chat, before we turn our attention to other things. I can sense Glintshore coming for me, and I'm not sure I'm ready!

8/10