The Legend of Vox Machina: Season 4

From the very first five minutes of its pilot episode back in 2022, The Legend of Vox Machina made it abundantly clear that it was setting out to create an epic fantasy with a difference. Their way. The band of mercenaries and unlikely heroes have battled all manner of enemies, conspiracies, and villains throughout their travels across the world of Exandria, to such an extent that, by the time this fourth season begins, the group seemed to have achieved absolutely everything. Having defeated the dragons of the Chromatic Conclave that nearly destroyed the world in the first part of the series, Vox Machina now faces peace and the pursuit of their individual goals, rather than those of the group.

And that is important because the tone we find in Vox Machina is that of a scattered and fragmented group which, a year after the defeat of the dragons, lives in relative peace. Percy and Vex lead a life of luxury in their mansion in White Rock, whilst Vax and Keileth travel the world finalising the trials to complete the Aramenté ritual and culminate in Kiki's ascension to Voice of the Storm of her Ashari people, all the while the rogue feels that his end, due to the strange condition he suffers from, is drawing ever closer. Grog and Pike drown their boredom and sorrows in tavern after tavern, unsure of what to do, whilst Scanlan is missing in action alongside his daughter, with little desire to return to the life of risk he led with the others. It is time to fan out the plotlines and also to begin closing chapters in preparation for the adventure's conclusion.

Vox Machina could not remain separated for long, and now a new threat—far more dangerous and less tangible—looms over the entire world. The Cult of Truth, which worships a being known as The Whisperer, is gradually taking hold of the vulnerable minds of Exandria's inhabitants. Its followers, moreover, seem imbued with a strange kind of magic that prevents them from dying, no matter how severe their wounds, and the group really has its back against the wall here. There are losses, there are tears, and there is a real sense that this time it might not turn out quite as the critters (as fans of the Critical Role sessions are known) know it, because the best way to encourage everyone to watch this brilliant animated series is that they've decided to reimagine some storylines in a different way. That leads to a couple of moments that took my breath away.

The fourth season of Vox Machina is the beginning of an end that will come (it's more than confirmed) in a fifth season that Critical Role are already producing. The third batch of episodes, despite having taken a step up in terms of ambition and animation quality (and raising the bar once again here), disappointed some due to the confusion of its storylines and its lacklustre ending. But we must bear in mind that it is truly difficult to translate a tabletop role-playing experience such as Critical Role's original Dungeons and Dragons game into Vox Machina, which is just over 10% of its duration in animated episodes. It is not always possible to keep everything on screen, nor can one ignore the need to provide context for a world that is unfamiliar to the regular viewer. However, whereas plots were stretched out in previous seasons, this fourth season has taken a slower, much more focused approach, shifting the narrative weight of the world directly onto the characters.

All the members of Vox Machina have much more screen time on their own, except for Scanlan, who barely appears in a couple of episodes of the main storyline, but whose role is taken over by the charming Taryon Darrington, a new member of the group. Although in the original tabletop game this character was played by Sam Riegel, here the role has been handed over to five-time Emmy winner Wayne Brady, who has made the character his own. And after a couple of episodes, it's as if the narcissistic and naïve artificer had always been there with the others. Greater prominence has also been given to members who previously ceded the limelight to others. For example, Vex and Percy are now less in the driving seat, and it is the stories of Grog, Keleth, Vax, and above all, Pike, that guide the narrative.

The voice acting isn't the only thing that stands out this season; whilst Brady as Taryon is a highlight, Andy Serkis in his role is also worth mentioning, and he immediately becomes one of my favourite characters. There are also moments, especially in the final episode when the climax unfolds, where Neil Acree's soundtrack shines once again in all its glory, and of course, the action sequences have been refined to create truly impressive scenes where the CGI is beyond reproach. This is D&D at its finest, and the characters act accordingly. Having finished watching the twelve episodes of this penultimate season, I can only count down the days until the Season Finale arrives to give a fitting ending and a rest to these characters who have given so much to television, and whose spiritual heirs in The Mighty Nein still have a long way to go to take the show to these heights of success.