Masquerade | Critical Role: VOX MACHINA | Episode 99

[@oldschoolfrp2326]

2:14:25 Headcanon: Modify memory failed this time, but they actually found him 3 times during the past year and don’t remember.

[@MacroAggressor]

This. Absolutely this.

[@mitchellwilliam95]

Love it.

[@Will_Grey]

They haven't done greater restoration, so plausible.

[@RoxyGotMoxy.]

Wooooooowwww

[@racheljohnson9480]

That would just make me hate Scanlan more.

[@snowmiser4944]

I admire Matt's ability to stare at Sam as angrily as he did, for as long as he did; while Sam was wearing that shirt

[@Talonarz]

I think he was just finally able to let his real feelings about the shirt shine through.

[@nathanielmoss893]

Yeah that might not have been an act entirely lol

[@relyimah]

For real. It could almost be a screenshot for the most part of that speech. Unbelievable!

[@levisays7676]

I mean 😂 its a funny top an all but.... how many times can you really put up with someone wearing a top with a goofy picture of you on it? 😅

[@DarcOne13]

"Nobody calls Scanlan handsome more than Scanlan!" Yeah, that's what sold it for me, too, Marisha.

[@nathaniellange9526]

Genuinely took that as he has modified the guys memory lol

[@davidg.8031]

Can we all appreciate Matt's excellent acting as Tary's Dad? That shit was better than most movies.

[@noeljesper9825]

David G. Seriously. That man is a God.

[@flux_casey]

52:57 I think I pooped myself a little when I saw that camera angle on that face.

[@ElliFong]

That's the most intense acting I have ever seen as well. I had a "Oh shit" moment when I see that expression

[@erbgorre]

that dramatic closeup because everyone knew it was gonna be epic :D

[@Amyvenify]

Yeah, but what about Matt doing Brownie the Duck (between answers). THAT was amazing work. :-D

[@scooby45247]

i love the theory that lionel was a duckling that scanlan polymorphed into a half-orc barbarian and thats why he cant remember anything before the pond..

[@jeremytinker2039]

dizzybynature I kinda prefer the idea that his memory issues are the result of Scanlan repeatedly modifying his memory...

[@MnJiman]

It makes sense with his stats. If that is the case, Scanlan is godawful.

[@godturkey4098]

Well it wouldnt make much sense because Polymorph and True Polymorph only last for a maximum of 1 hour so he would have changed back to a duck rather quickly. Its a funny thought and would be even funnier if somehow possible but it isnt. HOWEVER maybe with the use of a spell scroll or maybe with his connections as the meat man Scanlan could have killed a duck and then used the spell Reincarnate and he comes back as a Half-Orc.

[@kaikorzon]

@@godturkey4098 read true polymorph over again.

[@brannlagrone6001]

Chase Winkler true polymorph is permanent if concentrated on for an hour

[@Claireffa]

Tary's speech, holy shit... 'And I even learned from Percival... The type of man I'd want to marry one day.' The hesitance, the wording.. Somebody give Sam Riegel an Oscar. First Scanlan's speech and now this... I'm legit crying T_T

[@bobina05]

I got a little teary eyed.

[@DamagesOverTime]

I actually think it was very unconvincing from the father's pov. This is a guy who had to constantly be working, not having time to see his own children for years, year after year after year for decades, longer than many people have even been alive, trying to keep the debt from drowning the family. You can tell the mother loves her husband and understands why he probably was waking up at 6am and working until 10pm day after day, and still supports him. The daughter matured enough to understand what was going on and tried to help keep the family afloat. And then you have Tary who steals what is left of the money the father was able to build after decades, to chase after his fantasies, spending it all on expensive toys, leaving his family destitute. Then comes back, having spent all the gold, tens of thousands of gold in a year, refuses his father's plea for help despite the father not even really blaming him for their situation, strikes deals behind his father's back, and tells him "Don't worry I've fixed the problem, all we have to do is give up everything you were working so hard to preserve and live in a farmhouse", he doesn't own up to anything, and refuses to not see himself as the hero. Tary is just as naive as ever, just an absolute child in his behavior, he would hardly have grown at all in his father's eyes. Sam is an excellent actor, and my favorite player on Critical Role by a far margin, but his speech should have never succeeded against the father's motives and ideals.

[@NeonUlti]

@@DamagesOverTime his father made terrible deals with criminals while also making money through shadey means, to keep his extravagent lifestyle, do you think all that money and fancy housing would mean anything to a kid who just wants time with their father, to be seen as the priority for once?, the fathers motives and ideals revolved around money thats it, the sister gave in and continued and the mother was faithful and loving, he wasnt fighting for life or death he was fighting for life or better more comfortable life, which for a kid who feels unloved by a parent wouldnt really mean much?, and are we forgetting it was the fathers bad deals that made him have to turn to criminals to bail him out?, tary left with what he thought was barely a dent in the massive fortune of his father, granted still stealing so cant really back him up on that one, but lets not make the father out to be the hero either, then the only time his father reached out to get him back was to solve all of the fathers problems, he clearly wasnt evil or cruel but neglect is neglect.

[@DamagesOverTime]

@@NeonUlti Oh definitely, I'm not saying the father was in the right, everyone kinda sucks in this situation. I was just saying that from the Father's perspective, based on his motives and ideals, what Tary was saying to him would've been entirely unconvincing for the father specifically. But I definitely empathize with how Tary would've felt growing up.

[@drailerplay]

I loved Percy/Talisan's rapid blinks at that point. They're a whole story unto themselves.

[@st4ne4rmthevill63]

"My god it's a shopping episode! It just appeared out of nowhere!" Everybody was so happy but Travis' reaction was absolutely priceless.

[@joaquinmarichal]

01:18:18 for anyone wanting to see it. It is priceless

[@averagegirl7113]

I like to think Matt makes the vendors more entertaining and flamboyant just to humor Travis during shopping episodes.

[@fiammaorsmth9840]

Tiberius really did a number on him.

[@pigeonf.6298]

@@fiammaorsmth9840 not really

[@pyrosianheir]

I legit thought he was just going to put his head down and take a nap. XD

[@HowManyTimes234]

yo... props to Mercer for staring DAGGERS at Sam through Taryon's proposal.

[@CassBlast5]

It was awe-inspiring; I could hardly watch

[@kevenmcgibbon6675]

it was bloody beautiful

[@setlerking]

The camera angle shifted too. That shit was fucking tense

[@tkthetank]

Yes, the camera angle change was awesome!

[@MidnightMagpie73]

I really wish they would do more camera swaps like that. Dang :D

[@galev3955]

I like how Travis is starting a bar fight, because it is both very in-character for Grog as he would surely be jealous of Lionel. But also he ensures their guest actually gets to play a bit instead of having to sit through all their personal drama.

[@shayposting]

It's also just Grog feeling shitty over the Scanlan situation and wanting to blow off steam.

[@dylanmcla]

I will always love how Lionel is a whole different kind of dumb than Grog.

[@Shornaal13]

His intelligence stat is actually average. It's his wisdom that's low.

[@SPACEHARICE]

@@Shornaal13 well 20 wisdom got is golden God kelyth

[@amethystsadachbia9885]

He's got a 12 Int! He's TWICE as smart as Grog!

[@retro_dystopian963]

AHarice ah yes keyleth sucks

[@PaulGaither]

Yeah, most of these players don't behave like their stats. 10 is supposed to be an average score. It kind of sucks that they don't, but in the end they just play who they want and the stats come secondary to die rolls and modifications.

[@danidm5820]

Props to Matt for pulling off a Hollywood-level performance as Taryon's dad while having to constantly stare at Sam wearing that ridiculous shirt.

[@MirunaNero]

... to be fair he *is* a literal Hollywood level voice actor

[@phoenixrising7736]

@@MirunaNero😂 true. But that shirt…. Whew…

[@Jelboo]

Some Thursdays, Sam Riegel wakes up and decides: "This whole episode will be about me." And by the gods does he pull it off.

[@michaeldrainville2425]

As two different characters no less

[@dylanl2368]

The whole reason grog yelled "C-A-T, cat" was because everyone said lion wouldn't win a spelling bee against him realizing that, this was the best moment of the show

[@jessbertrand7133]

This was such a touching moment. I love how Travis spends those small moments to pack so much meaning behind Grog.

[@MoonChild426]

Woah.. good catch

[@mohammadfletcher5312]

thank you.

[@gabrielrognon6238]

I felt that. and to be faire lion would probably win, he is dim witted but not uneducated^^

[@TraskTrojanek]

Yes, this was so good! Grog felt replaced :(

[@floridachomps2885]

When his character sheet said: Totem of the Duck I knew this was going to be good lol

[@cosmicfungi5829]

When Grog said "Cat, C-A-T!" it made me cry :( He's so heartbroken that his buddy replaced him and he wanted to show that he's better than who he used to be!!!! AAAHHHHHHH :( :( :(

[@grahamwilliams9700]

aww

[@phoenixrising7736]

How could scanlan do this to our giant buddee 😭

[@conorocallaghan9493]

I audibly gasped when Taryon said everyone’s names in a very quick manner. It’s funny how the small things can do that.

[@ExcellentU]

I can't believe how much I've grown to love Taryon in such a short time span. He's so pure, so innocent, so optimistic!

[@xEvilRaptorx]

So... arrogant... >.>

[@Companion92]

@@xEvilRaptorx Yes, but like in a cute way

[@tamarakw7724]

same, at first I didn't want to like him because he's not scanlan, but he grows so you so quickly

[@NoriMori1992]

Same! I can't believe he's leaving already! 😭 He grew on me so fast and I thought he'd be with them way longer than this!

[@koacado]

AND he knows how to identify things and defeat any door !

[@modusoperandie]

“This is my husband Percival and this is Percival’s husband Taryon.”

[@Ghrelt]

Polyamory ftw!

[@charlesvanzee4879]

@@Ghrelt Poly-Armory in their case!

[@Skip6235]

@@charlesvanzee4879 bravo

[@matthewrobinett1012]

Poly-machina

[@wolfnote6679]

@@matthewrobinett1012 love this joke

[@joegaylord87]

"I always had a thing for her, but no that I know she's his daughter... eh." "You're not the first." The backstory behind that throwaway comment is amazing.

[@ShadowsDoubt]

What's the back story on that? Or will I find out sometime in the remaining episodes?

[@maximumdm9612]

It’s playing on how scablands hot on her before the reveal

[@patchwilliamson]

@@ShadowsDoubt Scanlan tried to sleep with his daughter when he first met her; before he knew she was his daughter.

[@ShadowsDoubt]

Thanks guys. I completely blanked out on that when I was watching the episode. Only to remember like 3 episodes later lol

[@davidbergfors6820]

wow, I had forgotten about that. thank you for reminding me!

[@najangZ]

I love how this all shifted. When Scanlan left, Vex and Vax were the most angry and frustrated but when he came back they both welcomed him with hugs and love while everybody else was emotionally unstable about him I fucking love these guys and how amazing they are at roleplaying

[@sydney4814]

Except Keyleth, she seemed pretty neutral happy to see him, only seeming sad after he very vocally disrespected her completing her AraMante...

[@TheVoltage2]

@@sydney4814 How did he disrespect her? He congratulated her. Said good things. The only way you get disrespectful out of what he said is if you assume he was being sarcastic, which is unlikely considering his VERY submissive attitude.

[@grimeydanny4214]

vex and vax realized they fucked up and felt bad about it pike and grog did nothing wrong and felt abandoned i love these guys

[@18Hongo]

@@grimeydanny4214 and Percy, though hypocritical, was right on the money. Scanlan's little temper tantrum might have brought up a few uncomfortable home truths, but he madeva lot of very disingenuous and spiteful accusations too. It really showed how hypocritical and self-absorbed he was. Which was necessary; he wasn't as obvious about his pain as the others, so bringing it all out in one big speech helped to hammer it home. It was some excellent roleplaying on Sam's part, even if half the fans didn't fully pick up on it.

[@ryanfzl01]

@@18Hongo you're just popping into every reply covering percy's dick moves

[@queenofbabble24]

Travis' face whenever something romantic or romance-adjacent comes up. His reaction to Tary's confession about Percy is adorable

[@Revolos55]

Timestamp 57:30 to jump right there

[@michaelj.mccall6530]

All of them

[@ellemars1817]

Pike and Grog were like "Oooohhh" Keyleth was like "Awww" and Percy's like "Not bad"

[@phoenixrising7736]

The whole tables faces were just amazing. I had to pause so I could examine each expression and again at the “you can leave my house.”

[@Barrlounge]

Jon Heder and this episode is proof that you don't need to know how to play D&D to be able to play D&D...

[@mauibermudez5960]

Laura’s smile as she says “I run up and hug him” is such a heartwarming thing

[@GeorgieChaos]

Percy's come a long way from 'your soul is forfeit' to 'I know I'm feeling emotional and I know that's when I need to shut up and listen to you'. (timestamp around 3:25:00 )

[@cibrinyark339]

[Spoilers] Okay so I love Travis. Like I could see him when the meat man was revealed just thinking and thinking. And when he was in the bar taking swings at Lion it started to make sense of why Grog did that. He was jealous because Lion was the meat man's giant and not him! And what makes it even more sad is when he goes by vex and vax and screams "C-A-T CAT." It was because he has improved so much yet it didn't help bring the meat man back and it's killing him on the inside because he misses his friend dearly but feels like he was easily replaced and wants to show how he's better. Travis is a truly brilliant role player! So sad though :(

[@hatvanmoos6329]

I kinda feel like kiki on this one. I am so confused on how I should feel about this....

[@Rk9MichealWolf]

This makes a lot of sense... Also do you think this is the same thing with Pike and Kaylee? After their conversation i feel like Pike felt like she missed what Scanlan does for Kaylee now. Knowing someone want them to always be happy.

[@cibrinyark339]

WolfInDisguise hmm I'm not too sure because pike always brushed off scanlan about it so it isn't quite the same but I do think she had a special affection for him because their both gnomes. Maybe she's upset because she wasn't there to even say anything to his leave. And she's really protective of Grog and knows how much it hurt him. She taught him letters and probably knew it was for scanlan or something to that nature and is more worried for Grog about this all.

[@thepenguin11]

cibrinyark339 It was not because he left, it was about how he left. He basicaly called everyone an self centered asshole and left.

[@haylox669]

Omg... thank you for pointing that out. Right over my head.

[@JefferyPeterson]

Knowing that John was specifically told not to mention the Meat Man and it's one of the first things he brings up, and watching Sam's face when he does it was amazing.

[@beardlessdragon]

"If you don't want to be a part of this, you can leave my house." The biggest OH SHIT moment we've gotten in a long time. Tary hasn't been around for many sessions number-wise, but he's already had awesome character growth in the year that has passed in-game

[@RoxyGotMoxy.]

This episode was the first time Matt Mercer has ever scared me. The Chroma Conclave ain't got shit on Howard Derrington. That freaking death glare.. Holy crap I almost apologised on Tary's behalf! XD

[@Mad3bunny]

Yeah that look would make me scared shitless. XO

[@Deltajugg]

What about that one time when he was dressed as Geralt and screamed at Laura as a vampire servant in occupied Whitestone?

[@TopRapter]

The real death glare was from the earlier episodes. Matt wanted to "prank" Liam with the death glare and Liam who was just arriving and taking his seat couldn't even look at Matt in the eye and while looking at the table said "I know I know disadvantage on all my rolls" or something, and Matt laughed and said he was just joking with him. Wish I could remember which episode that was.

[@tonijo3154]

You know he's a good actor when he is ROLEPLAYING in a GAME and it still manages to slightly trigger some of my PTSD. That glare felt so much like my father as a child. It was almost uncomfortable to watch. I was internally screaming at Tary to change what he was saying... to watch out for the coming hits... I KNEW his character was ready to explode physically in SOME way. It was terrifying. That shit is real. Damn Mercer. Fantastic. He and Travis are seriously brilliant

[@johnevans8752]

Now that you have faced down a world threatening draconic conspiracy, it’s time for something truly menacing and epic... parents...

[@ThomasGiles]

"Cat. C-A-T." --most emotional line, for me.

[@elliel.5915]

"I even learned from Percival, the t... the type of man I'd like to marry one day". God that made me tear up. Sam's delivery was perfect.

[@cussundriakneal9904]

I can even see Tary looking down for a moment, fair cheeks flushing a bit brfore he straightens back up and delivers the rest of the line. Sam often deflects, but he's really an amazing actor as well. You could hear the embarressment and vulnerbility in his voice at admiting something so personal about a dear friend.

[@crizzcrizz360]

And Percival/talesins look of "uh, nice, i have options" was even better. ❤

[@dms-f16]

Matt Mercer can jump from a heart-wrenching performance of an old man having to face loss and change to an incredibly accurate duck... can we get him an Oscar? Are there Oscars for D&D? There should be!

[@joeyuzwa891]

We could call it a Gary

[@SassySimian]

Golden Dragons (not real yet out there but in my heart they are)

[@wakka0222]

If you ever wanted an example of Matt's AMAZING DM skills, 43:55 is where you go to. No big conflict, no hilarious side characters, just a description of Taryon's room, left covered in dust, but he remembered to put in the footsteps Taryon's mother left when she came in and out to borrow books. That is some AMAZING attention to detail right there.

[@cecilia7932]

Holy crap I missed that. That's amazing!

[@rayannlopez6963]

Smash cut to the article about him describing the smell of a sandwich to a waitress

[@edwardnotyourconcern6519]

Travis's intelligence is so underplayed. You can tell by his expressions when he figures stuff out, and it is usually before anyone else.

[@bowserbrowser6559]

Yup and he's so committed to his character and the story unfolding that he just quietly waits, usually with a gleeful look on his face haha

[@igglywompus]

I think Travis and Sam are the most intelligent ones at the table, in terms of straight up processing information really quickly. They're both totally committed to the story and they will hold a lot of knowledge close to their chest, let things play out naturally and don't meta-game. I really respect the decisions both of them make.

[@piranhaplantX]

@@igglywompus While I'll admit Liam isn't necessarily as quick on the uptake. He at least approaches them in how much he's willing to let things play out in most instances. This isn't to say the rest are necessarily bad though. At least not much more than any other average player (still probably better, considering the average I'm used to)

[@DJ_Kie]

Yeap. And he absolutely made sure the guest gets to have fun and instigated the fight rather than VM doing their usual soap opera waffling about while the guest is sat there silent.

[@cadeezell]

Hence why he doesn’t play low intelligence anymore. Laura is pretty quick too. I genuinely wonder how much longer that major illusion fight with Pikes family would have lasted if she didn’t figure it out

[@fordsmolko872]

"You're not the first man to panic at the loss of his shackles..." damn Percy. 😭😭😭

[@camiart_casual]

No mercy!

[@camiart_casual]

Freaking Percy and his brilliant one-liners.

[@panheaddragonwolfpaw]

I want that on my gravestone.

[@karencris9221]

"...I hope you eventually enjoy the freedom that you've just been given from your legacy"

[@romafleg6218]

@@camiart_casual Let's all not forget about "life needs things to live"

[@borgevino]

The ring that says "Do not go far from me".... tears! instantly! I miss the twins so much.

[@vipe650r]

Jon's comedic timing with his character is freaking amazing. And the nuance it takes to play a reasonable intelligence character with no wisdom is amazing. So freaking great.

[@partingofways]

Using the fates reroll on that persuasion check just makes it so much more meaningful. I love it.

[@chris_croissAnt]

What is the fates reroll?

[@ParadoxicWasHere]

@@chris_croissAnt I'd recommend watching the Battle Royale in the playlist above this one

[@TheBoomstickBros]

2 years late but right?!?!?! His whole story started with Vox Machina beating him up and his story closed thanks to the reward he got for beating them back. Tary had THE best character arc on the show. He went from this snobby, annoying, rich kid to a lovable, grateful, and charitable person that I’ve grown to like as much as if not more than many members of the party. He was easily one of the weakest members of the party but he ended up being the non-magical swiss army knife that the party lost when Scanlan left. Thank you for coming to my TED talk

[@SocialistSadako]

@@TheBoomstickBros I fucking agree. He has the single best story arc in the entire campaign, and it was short and concise yet so rich and authentic, full of comedy and drama and sincerity. And for a snobby rich kid he turned out to be so surprisingly relatable and down-to-earth too, feeling more real than many of the rest of the cast. He is definitely my favorite character on the show except maybe Scanlan, but Tary just has this quality to him that is so endearing and ugh... I love him so much. To me Taryon alone was worth the long, boring slog that was all the episodes before he showed up.

[@Xenodude2000]

It's insane how I had almost forgotten the family interactions of the Darringtons by the end of the episode, even if that had me on the edge of my seat for the first hour. I legit can't understand how these people keep surpassing themselves like this constantly. The acting, the intrigue, the humor, the way it ties into past episodes, the camera angles, the pacing. Just everything. Pure quality.

[@Evija3000]

Better than most stuff on tv with barely any of the resources. I credit it to acting/improv talent and passion for what they do.

[@xEvilRaptorx]

You can always join the conspiracy train that it's all prewritten haha

[@seven-cats-3]

Definitely one of the best episodes!

[@Xenedris]

It’s the kind of shit that happens when you get a group of people that commit to roles, and these people do this professionally. Even as voice actors you have to commit to the personality. Also this game was going for years pre stream. My longest campaign was 3 years with an insanely brilliant DM, who is in the process of now refining that campaign for publication, and we had moments like this within our campaign thanks to his storytelling and the role committal of every at the table. I was truly sad when that campaign ended because a few of us had expanded IRL shit that kept us from rolling it up again as a group. Now that 2020 is what it is and I’m on my second run through of c1 I miss that group even more and this episode really hits the feels button.

[@SocialistSadako]

This was such an incredible jam-packed episode. Just absolutely incredible moments for both of Sam Riegel's characters. Sam's a fucking genius.

[@drod87705]

While Matt is acting as Scanlan as the Meatman, and He says the small one has been dealt with, you can see Travis aka Grog start cracking his knuckles and whatnot. I think he was thinking "This dude killed Scanlan, it's fucking on."

[@Draezeth]

I took it more as "Matt gave us our next quest: break Scanlan out."

[@nataliepeters8459]

I saw that too I was like oh Grog will tear you apart if you hurt our Scanlan especially since I hadn't figured it out yet either 😳😅

[@DCompani13]

@@Draezeth it was either or Grog was either preparing to kill or bust Scanlan out.

[@erbgorre]

grog spelling out 'CAT' was the saddest thing in 99 episodes of critical role. poor big guy :'(

[@duncanallaire2392]

I kind of don't get it? Like I see that he's frustrated and that's how he proves some worth to himself but they didn't really take it anywhere, I would have loved to see that explored

[@AlmightyMister]

That's what he did in the past year. Plus, Scanlan "didn't hear"? Grog's speech/ inspiration when they resurrected him, so that left a scar on Grog.

[@shellshiver7095]

its sort of explained in the next episode, where grog tells scanlan he learned, he learned to read, to spell... and that scanlan, who was his best friend, never knew... that grog, despite not being that smart.. took a lot of time to learn, and that he was smarter than Lionel.. and he felt like he was replaced when he yells that, hes showing he's grown, as a person.. hes taking time to learn instead of fight...and that his best friend wasnt there for it (at least thats how i see it, but its up to interpretation)

[@KickyFut]

No, I agree! It's to show what he's learned. I think he has gained restraint, already... I think he hit Lionel because he knew he could take it... Otherwise, I think he can be quite patient, especially with *this* team!😅

[@Ask4This]

@@duncanallaire2392 Grog spells out C-A-T to Vax (3:20:30) because earlier Vax and Terry were discussing Lionel's stupidity relative to Grog, and Terry says "This guy seems like he would lose a spelling bee to Grog. He's really dumb!" (1:54:46). Great call back by Travis.

[@sammiehopkins9408]

You know, I kinda missed Scanman.... but now that he's back and Tary's leaving.... I kinda miss Tary now =[

[@LobbsterSockrates]

I think Vex's friendship with Tary was really healing for her (esp. since they got similar dad issues and seeing him reconcile with his dad after she had reconciled with hers was probably also really good for her) and that's why she was the most forgiving and understanding of Scanlan

[@Clorgisclorg]

I feel like Jon Heder was given orders not to say Meat Man, to keep up the mystery. But, at the same time, it seems almost in-character that he would mess that up.

[@OkRoach]

Yeah, Sam told in Talks Machina that Jon wasn't supposed to call him "The Meat Man" but "Aes Adan". You can see Sam giving a quick look at Matt some moments after. Sam also said that, if Jon didn't told them he was "The Meat Man", maybe Vox Machina would not have investigated further with the Ziggurat bait, and Scanlan was to never be seen again. But Laura said that she would have investigated anyway, since... well, they are still a bunch of paranoid folks. And knowing that, 1:47:00 is horribly funny to watch. Poor Jon :P Matt tried to save it later by convincing Vox Machina he "Dealt with the past, little Meatman" and "He's now in prison", and Sam sighs in relief. When Laura made the investigation check for Illusion, Matt said in her ear "You see the shadow is smaller than the man" or something like that, and she didn't tell the group since she obviously seen Jon reaction and didn't want to scrap Sam's narrative. Plus, after the whisper, she made sure to NOT look at Sam or react in any way, and poor Ashley was just waiting for a reaction. It was also a way for Vex to talk to Scanlan alone, and was ready to fail a Modify Memory if that was what Sam/Scanlan wanted. At the end of the day, Jon messed up, Sam lost 10 pounds in sweat, Laura is the PoTG, Matt is a master of improv and Brian smells like cabbage.

[@minuteman1043]

SPOILER FOR CAMPAIGN END : So Lionels little slip-up may have directly resulted in the victory over Vecna. (No way would they have beat him without Scanlan.)

[@spenceradey5766]

Wait but to be fair, and yes I do know it's just a role-playing thing, but Lionel has a twelve intelligents

[@jackr9798]

I didn't notice that. I thought he had five.

[@yashmody1]

@@OkRoach wait... who the f*** is brian?

[@cathaldotcom]

im a year late obviously, but this whole Tary Scanlan arc was crazy - Scanlan leaves, I cry - Tary enters, I hate him -Tary leaves, i cry -Scanlan returns, i hate him Edit: This is suddenly getting a LOT of traction. When I say "I hate him" i mean it in the same way that literally all the members of Vox Machina do. It's all just story telling lads. Me saying "I hate scanlan" Just means Sam did a great job at playing him. I love my lil gnome boy.

[@JaydenSparks]

Same! I hate Scanlan right now and want Tary to stay now!

[@spliter3230]

@@JaydenSparks keep watching and you'll be on the floor crying over bard gnome

[@JunYuki]

@@JaydenSparks I never hated Scanlan. He was hurting, deeply and not one of Vox Machina cared enough to just sit down and listen.

[@No_Named_Nobody]

It was a weird ride, but I didn't hate Scanlan when he came back.

[@kuroninjaofshadows]

@@JunYuki Yeah, I do not get how shallow some of these commenters are. Scanlan was in a bad place, and just acted it out perfectly. If anything I am starting to get over how much I liked Taliesin's portrayal of Percy.

[@nicholasvantol5542]

What a beautiful end to Tary’s arc. Props to Matt and Sam for creating that story. And the cast did an awesome job playing through and supporting it. Well done guys.

[@NumbFlynn]

When Percy started explaining to Jon how to roll checks and attacks, I thought it was a little condescending. Then I realized Jon genuinely didn't know the mechanics, and I was blown away because from the way he played his character I assumed he'd been playing DnD for ages. He was very impressive.

[@FulcanMal]

Jon Heder is such a good actor I genuinely thought he had some sort of autism. I have never seen Nepolean Dynamite or any of his other work, so I wasn't familiar with him.

[@retro_dystopian963]

Percy is just an all around shit head lol... Tal has to attempt to be the smartest in every room

[@johnathanmushet7128]

@@retro_dystopian963 Percy has to attempt that, Tal isn't Percy, he was just being helpful.

[@retro_dystopian963]

johnathan mushet it was out of character lol legit that’s how Tal is

[@retro_dystopian963]

johnathan mushet even in C2 he plays a the same way and on other shows and even during announcements that’s just the type of guy Tal is lol he swears he has the largest IQ among everyone because he uses unconventional words in uncommon ways

[@rikimaru700]

I love how the minute Sam begins as Scanlan, Ashley and Travis just refuses to do anything with him. It's great

[@roxana5490]

That grudge goes deep

[@cFull_Rtrd]

getting mad over your friend trying to be happy is selfish, he wanted to spend time with his daughter

[@roxana5490]

@@cFull_Rtrd I think it was more than that, specifically that Scanlan felt like their friendship didn't mean much because Scanlan basically said "you all never cared about me and I felt it". That, plus being blinsighted that he gtfo'ed seemingly without any remorse.

[@ShardCollector]

And Ashley literally looks at Sam like he's a piece of shit. I felt sorry for the guy for a while.

[@Demonrifts]

@@cFull_Rtrd I like to imagine that during episode 85, you were practicing yoga and managed to get your head stuck between your cheeks. That's the only explanation I can think of that would justify a comment like this that so blatantly ignores the reality of how that scene went. He didn't amicably part ways with them, like your comment disingenuously implies. He exploded, threw a tantrum, and spun the narrative to guilt his friends into thinking they were the bad guys in the situation. Scanlan's own inability to form an open, trusting relationship with his companions led directly to his downward spiral and eventual break. He never communicated to them how torn up he was about his daughter and, with his deception skill, nobody would ever guess something he didn't want them to know. The only thing that they were able to pick up on was that he was starting to act like a bit of an asshole leading up to the Thordak and Raishan fights, which led to Vax, particularly, reciprocating the behavior, specifically, when he picked him up and carried him off after their first encounter with Raishan. It was fantastic acting on Sam's part, but don't think for a second that Scanlan was an innocent party in their confrontation.

[@drewdeckard5753]

I really love how Travis acted during the bar fight. He was working through Grog's emotions as Grog would, but Travis was still loving seeing Lionel in action, and afterward he went back to playing Grog properly

[@alwaysgettingthere]

There was so much tension in this episode, but Lionel was absolutely a great comedic foil.

[@katherineh.4645]

And Jon Heder's comedic timing was god-tier.

[@saraheunice3486]

The moment your brain explodes when you remember the guy playing Howaardt in a rage and Mariya being adorable with Tary are the same person. And he's making that switch within minutes all while continuing a seamless background narration. As someone who has done this sort of stuff as a professional storyteller I am in awe of his skill. I don't think I've ever seen better.

[@theanyktos]

Seriously, I completely forget Matt's even there sometimes, I just see the characters. And I see the others as their characters too, but with Matt it's so much more impressive, when you consider that he not only has to keep multiple NPCs and their accents and mannerisms, not to mention the information they have at their disposal and whatever their motivation is, in mind WHILE ALSO paying attention to what the PCs are doing, how they interact with these NPCs and the world and what it means for the broader narrative he has planned, WHILE ALSO having to have vivid descriptions of any locations and people they might encounter ready at the drop of a hat, like, damn son, I would not like to have to live in your head, it's gotta be real crowded in there.

[@higglybiggly1174]

It's genuinely amazing. It's not just the voices, it's the mannerisms and faces he takes on when he assumes these characters. From hard and stern and angry Howardt to loving and timid Mariah. It's an amazing skill and what makes this show come to life.

[@dbomb9922]

the conversation between terry and his father is some of if not the best acting ive ever seen... mat mercer is a blessing to the internet and the world... we need more people like him.

[@mandylewis4161]

damian dbomb Agreed.

[@dankmessiah]

Mercer with the face twitches. Love how into it he always is.

[@DrHokeyPokey]

53:03

[@RemyBGK]

I am so glad I started from the beginning. This scene brought tears to my eyes. And to be honest I was so upset when Taryon said he was going to stay behind. And when Scanlan came back I was a bit disappointed (even though I love Scanlan). Sam Reigel is a master of RP :)

[@SomeKindaSpy]

I adore him.

[@h.mansari8802]

I love when they burst into random yet perfectly synchronised song.

[@saint_sam]

thats when you know you've max leveled your friendships

[@moonstruckstarlet6607]

they are all performers also

[@jackmack4181]

GREAT BALLS OF FIRE

[@HDloly]

Gotta love them parties

[@zekebarton8645]

What time is the song?

[@Skip6235]

Sam and Matt just putting on a freaking masterclass in improv acting here

[@warlock8923]

58:40 "There was an idea, Grog knows this, called the Darrington Brigade Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people to see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could."

[@samiskillman2614]

considering Taryon is a copy of Tony Stark, this is even funnier to me

[@diligent_lop]

I friggin' love how well Matt and Sam improvise the fictional novels Tarry reads

[@wolfnote6679]

Shits blows my mind especially bc i think Sam started it to mess with Matt and throw him off guard lol

[@wolfnote6679]

But the improve is amazing

[@asianotakuguy]

I thought they were just movies they parodied the names and plots of tbh

[@DarkAlice]

@@asianotakuguy Yeah they're just movie references lol

[@yourpalluna5848]

" I am angry, frustrated, and violent... so im going to try something new... and drink chocolate milk... and listen to you." I love this phrase cause of how it shows off Percy's development... through him jsut going to Vex and stress drinking hot chocolate pspsps It's just so funny I love it 3:25:36

[@loganusher591]

Grog is always one of my favorites but Travis really shines in the little details. It hurt to see how upset he was that he was replaced as scanman's big dumb guy and the C-A-T comment meant so much to grog growing as a character but still so sad for how he's feeling!

[@TheChocolateEagle]

I think it's really interesting to see the difference between when Tary started, and the whole pamphlet business, vs now when he's able to just flawlessly rattle off all their names to his sister

[@SirJebusHRM]

Is this Jons first time playing D&D? Dude is a goddamn natural, not just at the rp parts but even in the combat. 10/10

[@Draezeth]

Ooh cookies! (Nom)

[@Draezeth]

Ooh cookies! (Nom)

[@Elbereth_TV]

He's the guy who played Napoleon Dynamite, coincidentally Lionel is just a bardbarian napoleon dynamite

[@piranhaplantX]

@@Elbereth_TV yeah, he's essentially playing as Napoleon Dynamite who is playing DND.

[@NokturnalMTG]

Yeah except that he spoiled a huge fun moment from VM

[@bend2211]

Back to back earthquake and firestorm...someone has been reading her spellbook.

[@Sentrygun84]

Ben D She peaked hard in the battle royale. Put her under some actual competitive pressure and she suddenly gets good lol.

[@yev1243]

Taken from Matt Emmerson 0:40 - New t-shirt and announcements 4:52 - Laura's present (d'aaaww) 6:39 - let's dive into tonight's episode... of Critical Role 8:02 - intro ends 11:08 - and that's where we left off (recap ends) 12:45 - Tary's idea 13:12 - Wooosh 14:50 - A LOT of Ahnkegs 15:55 - Phrasing 18:15 - Goodness Gracious 18:40 - high-power bug spray 20:15 - Grog's jug of poison 22:02 - farewell old orc friend 23:25 - Talesin Jaffe what are you talking about 23:52 - Pike's idea 24:10 - Boom Boom Shake Shake the Room 25:25 - Pike's Pest control 26:34 - Brand new mine 27:07 - mission accomplished, lets go 27:42 - The grumpy lily 28:53 - Grog looking for some lovin' 29:15 - talks begin 30:10 - Introducing Du'alla 31:10 - scrying 31:42 - What she sees 33:10 - The deed 33:50 - Persuasion check 34:50 - Tary's not finished 35:42 - Sweetening the deal 37:00 - "The more you press" 38:00 - That's some Moriarty shit right there 39:00 - leaving the Grumpy Lily 40:03 -Taryon Darrington: Homeowner! 40:40 - back at Tary's place 42:20 - Tary likes his bed 42:38 - stealth check 42:55 - "go minxy for me" 44:08 - memories 45:27 - Bertholdt's Breakfast Banquet 47:07 - Marian Darrington 48:38 - Family meeting 50:30 - news and proposal (first news) 52:20 - Death Stare 52:42 - Holy shit 53:27 - now the proposal 54:44 - Tary the Optimist 55:22 - Howards Retort 57:00 - What Tary has learned 58:40 - But wait! There's more 58:55 - The Darrington Brigade (No way is Howard buying this) 59:44 - Persuasion check 1:00:04 - The fates 1:00:30 - the result (he bought it) 1:02:05 - a broken man... 1:03:01 - "I'm sorry" 1:04:00 - metaphors 1:05:18 - Howards' Thoughts 1:09:33 - Tary's decision 1:10:55 - Phrasing 2 1:11:50 - Tary has to get his robet 1:12:00 - they're just hangry 1:12:50 - Mommy's boy 1:15:35 - Escape from Brave mountain 1:17:32 - "The first thing that catches your attention" 1:18:05 - A Festival? 1:18:18 - A shopping episode! (poor Travis) 1:19:25 - The farmers Market 1:21:17 - "I've heard of you!" 1:22:55 - potion of tongues 1:23:42 - A large figure 1:24:35 - Grog's way out of shopping 1:24:50 - Here comes a new challenger (Jon Heder) 1:26:15 - Looking for help 1:27:50 - THE MEAT MAN COMETH 1:28:00 - A strange interaction 1:33:20 - I don't talk to many girls 1:35:50 - off to meet the Meat Man 1:37:00 - empty Tavern 1:37:30 - search for mutton 1:38:21 - coffers gone 1:39:00 - The meat man? 1:40:24 - Investigation check 1:40:36 - Whispers 1:41:50 - what he wants 1:43:23 - What he will trade 1:45:32 - A very good threat 1:46:14 - Blonde of hair, Arcane traveler 1:48:05 - Do you know the meat man? 1:48:52 - The fate of the first meat man 1:54:27 - Insight check, Nat 20 and whispers 1:55:20 - "we know him" Vex follows 1:55:58 - Vex hug 1:56:23 - Return of Scanlan! 1:57:30 - Break starts 2:01:10 - Fan art (personal Favorite: 2:07:10) 2:11:38 - Break ends 2:12:55 - Scanlan pulls vex into an alley 2:13:15 - hat of disguise comes off 2:14:32 - Modify Memory 2:14:44 - Roll initiative 2:15:40 - What are the odds? 2:16:18 - The gang finds out 2:18:18 - Lionel goes to protect Scanlan 2:19:53 - Scalan's reasoning 2:22:00 - back into the tavern 2:22:31 - Sam's way of RP-ing 2 characters at the same time 2:23:56 - Real talk 2:24:55 - Scanlan's year 2:25:40 - Nothin' but abs 2:27:25 - simple revenge (Idiot's guide to becoming a Mob boss) 2:29:10 - What Lionel saw 2:33:00 - sounds like a cult.. 2:35:25 - Seems a bit much 2:35:43 - The futility of insight checking scanlan 2:36:55 - Scanlan tells Kaylee about himself 2:38:37 - Wise words 2:41:35 - What's Kaylee's Mother's name (for the record it's Sybil) 2:42:05 - The sound of tiny violins playing for Scanlan's tiny Tragedy 2:44:43 - Grog not happy 2:47:00 - Pike and Grog remove their earrings 2:48:02 - Lionel tags along 2:49:00 - Grog doesn't like Scanlan's new big guy 2:51:30 - Bar fight incoming 2:51:46 - Roll initiative (lionel vs Grog) 2:54:35 - Happy rage 2:58:05 - Off a ducks back (Totem of the Duck?) 2:59:43 - Reverse Pile-driver throw 3:01:40 - Lionel starts... Grinding on Grog 3:02:14 - Grog is stunned 3:04:40 - Wave Kick! 3:06:02 - Grog's feelings (exit Grog) 3:07:20 - "anyone else want to fight?" 3:09:16 - Lionel's Backstory 3:11:45 - "I don't remember much as a baby" 3:12:10 - Best Origin Story EVER 3:13:40 - "That's a continent" (Kiki derp) 3:14:38 - "A real killer babe" (Scanalan and lionel have a similar taste in women) 3:15:35 - Boulder, Parchment, shears, with a twist 3:16:00 - Twin talks 3:18:40 - it sounds like vex is getting at something 3:21:40 - A pickled Pickle 3:22:30 - Boulder! 3:24:25 - A quick pick 3:26:40 - That's just nasty 3:27:45 - Vulcan death pinch 3:29:04 - "haha that tickled" 3:30:12 - Tary and Percy flirting 3:31:00 - surprisingly small amount of collateral 3:32:37 - Vax and Kiki were going to make an exit 3:33:33 - Party line 3:34:04 - Best done in person 3:35:13 - Duck sense & Commune with ducks 3:36:12 - Enter the Ducks (some quality duck role-playing to follow) 3:37:20 - The ducks are all-knowing 3:38:57 - Scanlan's gratefulness 3:40:30 - Scanman goes to apologize to Grog 3:41:10 - Apology not accepted 3:41:30 - Scanman goes to apologize to Pike 3:42:06 - The apology 3:43:06 - Pike's response & Real talk 3:48:00 - Goodnight Pike 3:48:33 - "I think she can still hear me" 3:49:24 - One more adventure for Tary 3:50:13 - Scanlan returns the Salt rock 3:50:20 - Scanlan leaves (but not really) 3:51:10 - The game ends (but not really) 3:52:00 - Shorties 3:52:35 - The game ends (for real this time) & post game discussion 3:54:35 - Is it Thursday yet?

[@LoryK98]

Boostin' up

[@krazykyle1018]

I appreciate the effort for all the time stamps. I hope you have a great life ahead of you:)

[@Praesentaneus]

Boost!

[@averagegirl7113]

1:56:58 RETURN OF THE BIG MUG!!!

[@Law-of-EnTropy]

What was Vex "getting at"?

[@whitemoonwolf13]

love how smug tal looks after tary's confession like, "yeah, i'm amazing. you fucking wish you had a son-in-law like me" and i love it XD

[@Katie-Kat26]

I said the same thing!! I fucking loved it!

[@cussundriakneal9904]

Everyone except Grog lowkey had the hots for Percy, and its the funniest thing to me! X,D

[@nathan8268]

Something I find fascinating about DnD groups is the roles the players have, not just within the game, but the meta-roles that develop amongst the players. Grog has the role of the big dumb barbarian with a heart of gold and a fierce loyalty. Travis also understands how that character can break the tension at the table and the perfect time to do it (thinking about the "is there any more stew?" line). It's really cool to see.

[@icequeen9]

There are ducks that have seen the ziggurat, with their own two eyes. Ducks of dark origins. Ducks with arcane secrets. Think of them waddling around in the dark. Sinister Ducks.

[@st4ne4rmthevill63]

Nega Ducks...

[@lotmyle5465]

Darkwing duck!

[@1Psycho2anotherHBWS]

With the Darrington Brigade One Shot, we delve more into this idea of "Sinister Ducks"

[@thebingusgod7278]

quackthulu

[@xEvilRaptorx]

In my crew's campaign I made a backstory that some sort of shape-changers came to my hometown to kidnap all the gifted children. My DM pictured a cat swarm carting off babies haha

[@michaelj.mccall6530]

I am so unbelievably grateful to whomever put the second camera angle on Matthew Mercer

[@SPACEHARICE]

Grog was fine when scanlan left for someone who isnt very smart he understood why he left. He was more mad that scanlan instead of saying Hi he tried to trick him Not only that scanlan found a new Big Brute to hang out with "replacing him in his mind" Scanlan even says himself he found someone he trusts to protect him

[@chrisweb8]

I got that impression too, that he felt replaced.

[@sheylarochelle7072]

I got that impression as well

[@jamiepape147]

And that's why he punched Lionel...

[@josemjosexd]

And that's why he spelled cat when he left, to show he would win a spelling contest

[@johnpatrick1647]

To be fair, they drove Scanlan away. While he was on his death bed, barely clinging to life, they decided it was a great idea to cover him in mayonnaise and hog tie him and let his daughter see them treating her father as joke and a chump. They crossed the line, not Scanlan, and showed that they weren't really friends. Even those that weren't in on the "prank" did nothing to stop it. Now, like the good little narcissistic psychos that they are, they are trying to gaslight Scan in to thinking he somehow wronged them by going to be with his daughter.

[@bartholen]

So... let's see how many levels we're dealing with here: Matthew Mercer plays an NPC who plays an alias to Scanlan who Sam Riegel plays, so it's Matt Mercer acting as Sam Riegel acting as a player character who's acting as an alias to his character acting as an NPC. My head hurts.

[@xXJAKMACKXx]

fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU *POP*

[@CERap22]

Matt Mercer's a DUDE, playing a DUDE, disguised as ANOTHER DUDE!

[@samfowler2073]

What?

[@MFZBitch]

@@CERap22 I read that in the voice of the narrator of the "Two Brothers" trailer in Rick and Morty

[@kindle1951]

@@CERap22 BRILLIANT!

[@NoriMori1992]

3:49:47 "Take your earring off! … We take ours off when we [sleep]. I'm taking mine off now, goodnight!" Me: *remembers how wearing their earrings to sleep saved them from assassins when Hotis attacked them*

[@LazorJunkieninja]

That fate die usage was amazing. Taryon grew strong enough that he was able to defeat almost the entirety of Vox Machina and used that power to come home and repair his broken family.

[@SocialistSadako]

God I know right? Fucking Sam Riegel and his fucking brilliant story arcs

[@roxelmillian7242]

What do you think would happen if it was low? Instead of the floor getting hit, do you think Taryon would've been hit out of fury and anger and frustration of his father? Ik Matt said that it would've been a bad situation. And would've outcasted Taryon from the family and not be a darrington anymore. Thank you fate dice 👏.

[@codamouton]

What was the fate die. I saw him use it but dont know what it is or when he got it?

[@roxelmillian7242]

@@codamouton i think it was like a one shot thing. Taryon was having a dream and he was challenged to defeat Vox Machina ( who were trying to beat him ) and he won. Winning the fate dice that allowed him to change his fate. I can't remember if it was an episode or a one shot.

[@codamouton]

@@roxelmillian7242 cool thanks I'll look into it

[@itzzbowserjr]

I love how you can hear the crew dying of laughter in the back after Lionel punches Keyleth. One of the great things about this show. 3:15:30 is the time stamp

[@iveybullard8988]

Taryon really grew on me since his first appearance and here i am so proud of what he did. That whole scene with him and his family was amazing.

[@cussundriakneal9904]

I love how Travis was trying so hard to be grumpy and silky as Lion kept giving his hysterical lines, even when all he wanted to do was laugh like the rest. But Grog was not happy, not amused, and very, very jealous of the half-wit Half-Orc. Love this episode SO much, for so many reasons, start to finish, so good!

[@Asmodeus696]

Matt's FACE when Pike firestorms the remaining Ahnkegs! Oh dear gods that was an excellent "holyshit!" expression!

[@deathless12345678]

Clerics man 🤷‍♂️

[@ProperlyGaming]

People be sleep to just how powerful clerics can be especially high leveled ones. Everyone usually just think of them as the ones who can tank damage and keep the party on their feet but they got access to some pretty powerful offensive spells.

[@megabuu761]

"If you don't want to be apart of this that's fine. You can leave my house." What a POWER PLAY

[@VioletShinobi]

The 1st 10 seconds of meeting him has Lionel complaining about a wonky memory. Explains a whole lot when you consider the spell his employer loves using. Also explains why with 12 INT he still has a hard time organizing his thoughts. Lots of holes to fill in probably.

[@sebastianrotenberg752]

Also he’s literally a duck

[@suspence96]

Timestamps, y'all 5:00 Present for Liam 8:07 Start 18:10 Good-ness Gra-cious 23:17 Tal is once again the most interesting man in the world 23:42 Earthquake 49:10 A Talk with Good Ol' Dad 56:38 A Well-said speech 59:34 Big Money No Whammies/Fate Die 1:13:15 The NPC we don't deserve 1:23:50 A Guest 1:27:45 The- the what? The WHAT?? 1:39:00 Ace 1:41:43 Mention of guns 1:55:10 He-he's what? 1:55:55 Vex shows her hand 1:57:30 - 2:11:38 Break 2:14:25 back at it again with old tricks 2:15:30 the dice speak 2:16:25 a lovely time 2:36:55 hoo boy "all the others" hoo boy 2:41:30 slam and dunk sir 2:49:02 Grog and Lionel 3:09:40 Duck-Tales o-woo-ooo 3:16:14 Twin Talk (Bonus: 3:18:18 Secrets? Bonus bonus: watch Sam) 3:34:12 Tal has experience to share 3:35:13 Commune with Ducks 3:40:30 A Talk with Grog 3:41:25 A Talk with Pike 3:51:27 Shorties 3:52:45 End of Gameplay Feel free to add more in the comments; I'm sure I missed a few beats.

[@SageSchispell]

That present at minute 5 made me go "awww"

[@CristinaAnaya96]

SPOILERS: WHEN VEX WAS TALKING ABOUT SECRETS SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT MARRYING PERCY I'M SCREAMING

[@graceh7685]

@@CristinaAnaya96 spoilers!!!

[@CristinaAnaya96]

@@graceh7685 edited it so that it's under the cut now

[@graceh7685]

@@CristinaAnaya96 thanks! I already knew, I just didn't want anyone who hadn't gotten there yet to have it spoilt :)

[@tuckcav7502]

Am I the only one that LOVED the camera angle they used for Howard Darrington during Tary's speech?!?!?!

[@michaelj.mccall6530]

That extra camera angle was 🏅🏅🏅🏅

[@Wolfer1OOO]

And the duck...that's also the duck cam :P

[@theotherlesscoolaccount359]

Can we take a second to appreciate Mercer's exceptional duck role-playing?

[@hallecute2]

Zak Rodgers HE'S SUCH A GOOD DUCK

[@Ekami-chan]

This is a 4 year old comment, but yes, I absolutely lost it at the duck finding some food on the floor as people try to think what to ask it! 😂

[@PhenixArcher]

Can we all just take a minute to appreciate how Percy took the IRL time to learn what makes up TNT enough to know that one of the components is an insecticide.

[@mandylewis4161]

Pheonix Archer That was awesome.

[@TheCSJY]

It's just trinitrotoluene. You can make it so many different ways.

[@FriendlyNeighborhoodDM]

I'm pretty sure that Taliesin Jaffe already knew that, regardless of having Percy for a character (which is still pretty awesome by itself). I wouldn't put it past Percy to know this small detail as a character, but would be slightly skeptical of it as a DM since he gets his "black powder" from a 3rd party vendor and doesn't necessarily make it himself. But knowing Percy, he probably researched the crap out of the material so most likely he'd know what it was made of.

[@ob6733]

Jay Dee It has been established that Percy can and does mass produce his own powder, that's one of the things he set up for the musketeers. I also think he mentioned he had a smaller powder setup before in castle grayskull. He bought the powder from the guy because it was faster and easier than going back and producing it himself.

[@Phnxkon]

just felt like player knowledge being abused without confirmation from the gm. but im not the gm so meh

[@brandonbuchner1771]

When Heder said "Meat Man" you can see Sam get annoyed behind his steely visage. He mentioned on Talks Machina that he gave Jon ONE instruction and that was to NOT mention the Meat Man, and he did within like 2 minutes of being there.

[@Lensah23]

Matt playing Howard Darington hit a chord with me, i didn't realize how much of a mess my own dad was until i saw Matt play that role. He too was like Howard. Thank you Matt, for helping us see and reflect upon the Howard's in our life.

[@DemianCorvus]

I just... was really scared of Mercer's face as Howaardt Darrington when his son came with news. I love how he pasively impose and when anyone but Taryon speaks he dismisses them and keep the conversation with the only one he deemed at least worthy of speaking to him. He was such a well made NPC xD. Also... DAMN YOU SAM, how did you manage to make us love Tary that easily XD.

[@ikariiprince]

This episode does not get talked about enough!! There are so many great roleplaying moments from Taryan’s speech, to his father’s reaction, to Pike confronting Scanlan. I love these characters so much

[@SilencerNate]

Damn Sam...you did amazing. Travis, I was near tears with how well you handled that. And Jon...RP was dead on target. Thank you, all three of you, for making this an exceptional episode!

[@Shornaal13]

Look at Pike holding grudges like a pro! She's not a gnome, she's a dwarf!

[@ShardCollector]

Yeah! You could swear it's Ashley who has grudge against Sam by the way she looks at him 😅

[@jakefairbanks6155]

It's going in the book!

[@jonathanpeterson1189]

@@jakefairbanks6155 Doty, take this down. On my way here I saw the short man that looks strangely like me at little gnome girls room. She peered into his soul as though projecting a spiritual weapon into his mind. Only a true stalwart warrior could withstand it, such as myself. Tarting Darrington. As it is I fear for this gnom…*Crack* sweet mercy! It seems the gnome has just tried to rearrange the new man’s face! Like some kind of Picasso… whatever that is.

[@fiapritchard905]

I immediately go and hug him Sams face 🥲🥲🥲 And then when Laura says she hugs down coz scanlan is a gnome He smiles wider my heart ☺️☺️☺️

[@ScorchHellfire]

Theming Commune with Nature around ducks is comedy gold. Especially since it makes Matt roleplay a duck. xD

[@paulkline1574]

"Oh, is that what Gnomes do? They go into the forest?" Awk, awk, awkward

[@isthisajojoreference]

What's really makes it for me is that Scanlan is a forest gnome.

[@arcticfoxinsox]

The character development from Tary at being able to rattle off the names of vox machina so quickly compared to how he was at the start :,) 47:40

[@ScorchHellfire]

lol! That fight between Grog and Lionel. The angry replaced friend eager to lash out vs. the oblivious replacement that enjoys the beating. xD

[@leonardosr98]

18:15 it's just great how they all casually sing great balls of fire then act as if nothing happened

[@voidwalker9755]

I like to think that Sam started the song as a little sign that Scanlan was coming back

[@FlameExecutioner]

Technically Taliesin started it with the "Bam bam bam bam", but Sam definitely started the singing part.

[@janmichael2967]

You can see sam eyes not whating to leave tal hanging

[@Galphanore]

That's playing D&D for ya 😄

[@benjoe1993]

Most underrated joke of this episode from Teliesin: Calling the Transport Via Plants spell "Leaft" after someone called it "Tree Uber"

[@hayleesci7208]

“i hold his hand and just listen” the character development 😭

[@SocialistSadako]

yesssssssss!! I was so mad at Vex and Vax when Scanlan left but they really did a turnaround in this episode.

[@austinboylan5476]

@@SocialistSadakoVax supported him leaving

[@kemopon7]

Damn I really wish Scanlan had succeeded that Modify Memory. Just to see how it played out.

[@derekthoma9096]

same, I was so mad when it did not work lol

[@הדרהלוי-ב1ה]

@@derekthoma9096 Should have worked... He has warcaster.

[@theorder7346]

@@הדרהלוי-ב1ה Well, it had a higher probability of working.

[@amrox9656]

@@הדרהלוי-ב1ה He rolled with advantage because of warcaster, he just got 2 nat 1s

[@dylanhecker6686]

@@amrox9656 timestamp? I don't remember Sam saying that

[@lumberjackmagnum7416]

I'm a newbie critter only having watched Mighty Nein and now Vox Machina. I am truly shocked that Chard isn't talked about more as a special guest or character. He literally brought the entire group to tears throughout this episode and it's been amazing. This character was a lot of fun to watch especially compared to the heaviness of this episode. Three cheers to the entire cast and guest star for how exciting this episode was and the cleverness they all employ in character development and enjoyment!

[@hayleesci7208]

i love taryon so goddamn much. i can’t believe we’ve only had him for so little time and we already have to say goodbye :(

[@SocialistSadako]

Same. I love him so, so much ;-; our brilliant golden boy who grew so much

[@julianaayu]

Vex: “....but we just finished your room”

[@TheBrywarrior90]

I think he was just supposed to be a kind of...vacation for Sam. He even mentioned in a uh... an interview or a Talks Machina or something where he said he expected Tary to die within the first like two episodes or so. I assume he either had another meme character or he would've taken an actual break for a while until they needed Scanlan to come back. Tary was a great addition to Vox Machina, and I'd love to see him again, but I am more than happy to have Scanlan back. Even if it's only temporarily.

[@NoriMori1992]

Same, I'm devastated.

[@piranhaplantX]

@@TheBrywarrior90 Yeah, I think he was a bit frustrated with the narrative dead end he hit with Scanlan. So Tary was his way of taking a break from him while parodying/trolling the group. Tary even encompasses a lot of the quirky and sometimes negative traits of many in the group because of this. But i think things with Tary went on for longer than he expected and he developed him rather well. Then he likely told Matt a session or two before Tary got kidnapped that he wanted to cap off Tary's story and here we are, or were for you, now.

[@vini2308]

49:35 It's just so nice to see how Liam and Laura react to Maria. Such a sweet character, and they both feel it, as Vax and Vex and themselves. Liam shoulders just collapse...

[@vasya_pupkin1489]

I like that Taryon said about Scanlan being handsome just after they first met - it's exactly what I was expecting of Sam.

[@FlintMcroy]

Timestamps (spoilers ahead) 0:40 - New t-shirt and announcements 4:52 - Laura's present (d'aaaww) 6:39 - let's dive into tonight's episode... of Critical Role 8:02 - intro ends 11:08 - and that's where we left off (recap ends) 12:45 - Tary's idea 13:12 - Wooosh 14:50 - A LOT of Ahnkegs 15:55 - Phrasing 18:15 - Goodness Gracious 18:40 - high-power bug spray 20:15 - Grog's jug of poison 22:02 - farewell old orc friend 23:25 - Talesin Jaffe what are you talking about 23:52 - Pike's idea 24:10 - Boom Boom Shake Shake the Room 25:25 - Pike's Pest control 26:34 - Brand new mine 27:07 - mission accomplished, lets go 27:42 - The grumpy lily 28:53 - Grog looking for some lovin' 29:15 - talks begin 30:10 - Introducing Du'alla 31:10 - scrying 31:42 - What she sees 33:10 - The deed 33:50 - Persuasion check 34:50 - Tary's not finished 35:42 - Sweetening the deal 37:00 - "The more you press" 38:00 - That's some Moriarty shit right there 39:00 - leaving the Grumpy Lily 40:03 -Taryon Darrington: Homeowner! 40:40 - back at Tary's place 42:20 - Tary likes his bed 42:38 - stealth check 42:55 - "go minxy for me" 44:08 - memories 45:27 - Bertholdt's Breakfast Banquet 47:07 - Marian Darrington 48:38 - Family meeting 50:30 - news and proposal (first news) 52:20 - Death Stare 52:42 - Holy shit 53:27 - now the proposal 54:44 - Tary the Optimist 55:22 - Howards Retort 57:00 - What Tary has learned 58:40 - But wait! There's more 58:55 - The Darrington Brigade (No way is Howard buying this) 59:44 - Persuasion check 1:00:04 - The fates 1:00:30 - the result (he bought it) 1:02:05 - a broken man... 1:03:01 - "I'm sorry" 1:04:00 - metaphors 1:05:18 - Howards' Thoughts 1:09:33 - Tary's decision 1:10:55 - Phrasing 2 1:11:50 - Tary has to get his robet 1:12:00 - they're just hangry 1:12:50 - Mommy's boy 1:15:35 - Escape from Brave mountain 1:17:32 - "The first thing that catches your attention" 1:18:05 - A Festival? 1:18:18 - A shopping episode! (poor Travis) 1:19:25 - The farmers Market 1:21:17 - "I've heard of you!" 1:22:55 - potion of tongues 1:23:42 - A large figure 1:24:35 - Grog's way out of shopping 1:24:50 - Here comes a new challenger (Jon Heder) 1:26:15 - Looking for help 1:27:50 - THE MEAT MAN COMETH 1:28:00 - A strange interaction 1:33:20 - I don't talk to many girls 1:35:50 - off to meet the Meat Man 1:37:00 - empty Tavern 1:37:30 - search for mutton 1:38:21 - coffers gone 1:39:00 - The meat man? 1:40:24 - Investigation check 1:40:36 - Whispers 1:41:50 - what he wants 1:43:23 - What he will trade 1:45:32 - A very good threat 1:46:14 - Blonde of hair, Arcane traveler 1:48:05 - Do you know the meat man? 1:48:52 - The fate of the first meat man 1:54:27 - Insight check, Nat 20 and whispers 1:55:20 - "we know him" Vex follows 1:55:58 - Vex hug 1:56:23 - Return of Scanlan! 1:57:30 - Break starts 2:01:10 - Fan art (personal Favorite: 2:07:10) 2:11:38 - Break ends 2:12:55 - Scanlan pulls vex into an alley 2:13:15 - hat of disguise comes off 2:14:32 - Modify Memory 2:14:44 - Roll initiative 2:15:40 - What are the odds? 2:16:18 - The gang finds out 2:18:18 - Lionel goes to protect Scanlan 2:19:53 - Scalan's reasoning 2:22:00 - back into the tavern 2:22:31 - Sam's way of RP-ing 2 characters at the same time 2:23:56 - Real talk 2:24:55 - Scanlan's year 2:25:40 - Nothin' but abs 2:27:25 - simple revenge (Idiot's guide to becoming a Mob boss) 2:29:10 - What Lionel saw 2:33:00 - sounds like a cult.. 2:35:25 - Seems a bit much 2:35:43 - The futility of insight checking scanlan 2:36:55 - Scanlan tells Kaylee about himself 2:38:37 - Wise words 2:41:35 - What's Kaylee's Mother's name (for the record it's Sybil) 2:42:05 - The sound of tiny violins playing for Scanlan's tiny Tragedy 2:44:43 - Grog not happy 2:47:00 - Pike and Grog remove their earrings 2:48:02 - Lionel tags along 2:49:00 - Grog doesn't like Scanlan's new big guy 2:51:30 - Bar fight incoming 2:51:46 - Roll initiative (lionel vs Grog) 2:54:35 - Happy rage 2:58:05 - Off a ducks back (Totem of the Duck?) 2:59:43 - Reverse Pile-driver throw 3:01:40 - Lionel starts... Grinding on Grog 3:02:14 - Grog is stunned 3:04:40 - Wave Kick! 3:06:02 - Grog's feelings (exit Grog) 3:07:20 - "anyone else want to fight?" 3:09:16 - Lionel's Backstory 3:11:45 - "I don't remember much as a baby" 3:12:10 - Best Origin Story EVER 3:13:40 - "That's a continent" (Kiki derp) 3:14:38 - "A real killer babe" (Scanalan and lionel have a similar taste in women) 3:15:35 - Boulder, Parchment, shears, with a twist 3:16:00 - Twin talks 3:18:40 - it sounds like vex is getting at something 3:21:40 - A pickled Pickle 3:22:30 - Boulder! 3:24:25 - A quick pick 3:26:40 - That's just nasty 3:27:45 - Vulcan death pinch 3:29:04 - "haha that tickled" 3:30:12 - Tary and Percy flirting 3:31:00 - surprisingly small amount of collateral 3:32:37 - Vax and Kiki were going to make an exit 3:33:33 - Party line 3:34:04 - Best done in person 3:35:13 - Duck sense & Commune with ducks 3:36:12 - Enter the Ducks (some quality duck role-playing to follow) 3:37:20 - The ducks are all-knowing 3:38:57 - Scanlan's gratefulness 3:40:30 - Scanman goes to apologize to Grog 3:41:10 - Apology not accepted 3:41:30 - Scanman goes to apologize to Pike 3:42:06 - The apology 3:43:06 - Pike's response & Real talk 3:48:00 - Goodnight Pike 3:48:33 - "I think she can still hear me" 3:49:24 - One more adventure for Tary 3:50:13 - Scanlan returns the Salt rock 3:50:20 - Scanlan leaves (but not really) 3:51:10 - The game ends (but not really) 3:52:00 - Shorties 3:52:35 - The game ends (for real this time) & post game discussion 3:54:35 - Is it Thursday yet? EDIT - added the rest of the timestamps, hope you critters enjoy, what an episode. (Times fixed)

[@CartoonFreakChannel]

flint mcroy you got the Goodnight Pike wrong... it's 3:48:00

[@FlintMcroy]

Thanks, fixed now

[@nathanielmaloco8227]

flint mcroy I

[@khaveernarsai871]

Mnhg

[@TheFully]

Marking for my eventual re-watch, thank you.

[@TallyVal]

Me: Hey this character kind of reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite. Me 10 minutes later: Wait a second...

[@averagegirl7113]

I am 100% positive he named his character "Lionel" because it's close to "ligar"

[@andrewroman4982]

I listen to all of these episodes while I work and was like dammit who is that he sounds so familiar lol. Until I took a bathroom break 3 hours in and looked at the cast like oh shit, no wonder lmao.

[@urixl]

What really?!! I gotta re-watch every bit with him again.