The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3, Episodes 7-9: Into the Unknown

Oct 23

Oct 23 The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3, Episodes 7-9: Into the Unknown

**This review has major spoilers for The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3, episodes 7-9.**

I sobbed at least once in every one of these episodes. Just wanted to get that out of the way at the top. Because this episode drop messed me up!

I have to wonder if The Legend of Vox Machina is heading into some new territory for all critters. After the release of episodes 7-9, “Cloak and Dagger,” “Siege and Silence,” and “Thordak’s Throne,” I did what I always did after watching the new episodes. I went to see what people who have watched Critical Role thought about them. Reminder: I’ve never seen the original source material. I’m watching the animated series from the point of view of a new fan.

Part of the reason I wanted to check what was up was because I was wrecked by Percy’s death. I knew how his story ended, as it’s one of the few spoilers I know about Critical Role. The death shocked me. However, so did Vex’s death in Season 2. This is Dungeons & Dragons, so death isn’t the end of things. I was looking up what other Critters thought about how it happened. Something fascinating happened for the first time.

Long time Critters didn’t seem to know where the story was going either.

I saw debates among fans that the change in how and why Percy died put all fans in a new, unexplored direction. One mentioned in this thread that the creators could sideline Percy for the time being for both Vex’s story arc and because Percy doesn’t have any more major story beats until the end of Campaign One. It would give Vex time to grow as a person before bringing him back. I also saw another person worried about such a drastic change from the original source material. Another post altogether focused on how the heroes could save Percy versus someone like Kashaw, who Vax saw get claimed by the Matron of Ravens (which was a moment that messed me up. I was sobbing!). Vax didn’t see the Matron with Percy; therefore, there was hope for him.

All this confusion is sort of fun for me. So much of my Vox Machina journey has been enjoying the episodes and then seeing what Critical Role lore I was behind on. It’s the first time in three seasons I’ve felt on equal footing with the rest of the fandom. It’s exciting not knowing where a story will go. It makes the series new again for everyone. I think this was an incredibly smart choice for the creators to make.

Speaking of incredible choices, these three episodes were stellar. As I said at the top, they ran me through the ringer of emotions. While Thordak tricking our heroes’ army was pretty apparent, it was still harrowing to watch, not knowing who might die at any moment. While I felt fairly safe that most of the named characters would be okay, I was genuinely shaken by Kashaw’s demise.

That was a raw moment as his spirit watched Zahra scream for him. It was by far one of the most beautiful death scenes I’ve witnessed in media in a long time. There was peace in the moment. While the chaos of battle faded around him, Kashaw had serenity in death. The head nod from Vax sent the man into tranquility. Funerals and grief are for the living. Kashaw found peace with the Matron. It was one of the most powerful moments of the series.

At first, I was surprised that our heroes took out Thordak so early in the season. They’ve knocked out two dragons in the course of a few episodes, granted with a lot of help from giant demons, the Vestiges, armies, and allies. The more I sat on the thought, though, this was a perfect pace in terms of character and world-building.

It’s a nice progression to see how not just the Vox Machina crew but the world as a whole has changed. Season 2 was a struggle for everyone. They were caught off guard by the Chroma Conclave in the beginning, playing catch-up for the entirety of the season. Now, it feels like real development has happened across the board, from main characters to recurring fan favorites. The dragons are a problem for all of Exandria. Once they’re done with Tal’Dorei, nothing was stopping this enemy from spreading to the rest of the world. Through the actions of Vox Machina, they brought together their allies to unify the world once more.

It was also incredibly satisfying to see Vex’s father finally acknowledge her.

Raishan’s betrayal is intriguing to me as it sets her up as the long-term villain, probably going into the next season. It was well-broadcasted that she was going to backstab them. She told Vox Machina to their faces to expect it, one of the heroes’ few dumb moments in the season so far as they act shocked that the person who said she would backstab them actually backstabbed them. I adore Raishan as a wild card. She’s the real villain of the Chroma Conclave with depth and nuance. I have no idea where this story is going, but I can’t wait to see it.

Last dragon side note: I’m glad we saw Lance Reddick’s full run as Thordak. He was such a talented man, and he will be missed.

Anna Ripley is just so cool. She’s such a cool villain. Her basically voguing her way through her fight with Percy was excellent. It was also her flashback at the beginning of the episode that made the ending hit so hard.

There are specific story tropes in writing. These are the kind of shorthand we’ve gotten used to in media to help quickly tell a story. For example, if you see that something is a “Chosen One” or a “Damsel in Distress” character, you can guess at least the basic story beats of what these tales will cover. People who know storytelling well and know the rules of how these things function can then know exactly how to break the rules. This is what they did so well with Anna. By showing her own traumatic childhood, reinforcing how she and Percy have always been narrative foils, it sets up the surprise death. Percy has been on a journey of change. In theory, as he offered her his help and forgiveness, she would have accepted this as a happy ending. However, Anna is not a reformed character like Percy. The gunshot heard around Exandria goes off, and Percy dies. That is how you break storytelling rules in the right way for the biggest emotional impact.

Finally, my wonderful ship of Vax and Keyleth finally getting together! I wish we got to see more of their moments. Percy and Vex desecrated every room with their lovemaking. We’ve waited so long! Give me a little more Vaxleth love, please!

The Legend of Vox Machina’s third season continues to be the best of the show. The excitement I feel not knowing where the story is going is by far the best part. The best compliment I can give is that watching Season 3 makes me want to play more tabletop. I just started my own TTRPG journey, and these episodes make me want to adventure more. It makes me want slow-burn romances for my characters. It makes me want to have more surprising twists and turns from my GM. The Legend of Vox Machina is so good that I want to play the game, too. I can’t wait to see what the final three episodes hold because this has been one hell of a ride… that will probably take us back to Hell to get Percy’s soul back.