The Legend of Vox Machina Season 4
What happens when the gods just stop answering? In The Legend of Vox Machina Season 4, that silence is what turns one broken believer into a cult leader. Vox Machina is pretending to enjoy their lives apart, but this new threat is the perfect excuse for them to get back together. The lingering question is, will they all make it out alive?
The Legend of Vox Machina is an action-adventure fantasy show based on the first campaign of the Dungeons and Dragons Web Series by Critical Role, which was created by the voice actors who return for the show. It has similar vibes to The Mighty Nein because of the found family storylines, Masters of the Universe for that dose of fantasy worlds filled with magic and wonder, or Castlevania for unexpected team-ups and amazing fight scenes.
There will be spoilers ahead, so if you haven’t watched, I advise you to do so and then return.
Vox Machina has 7 members with an 8th added this season. In the beginning, they are split up so you have Grog with Pike, Keyleth, and Vax, Percy and Vex, and Scanlan with his daughter, with Taryon Darrington later becoming a part of the team.
Grog is dumb and likes to fight, but he’s the heart of the group, and it broke my heart when he died. Luckily, it wasn’t for long. Grog grew up with Pike, who struggles with her deity, the Everlight, which gives her the ability to heal and form light weapons, but with the constant deaths of her loved ones, she turns towards putting faith in the Whispered One and fighting her friends.
Percy and Vex, who are secretly married, are living the rich life this season. Percy is playing around with a mysterious orb that we later learn leads to the Whispered Ones' dimension, Thar Amphala. Percy is so smart, and I love that he hands that to the group, but I really think he needs a vestige because he stresses me out in fights with just that gun. Vex is trying to adapt to a noble life, but when people claim a monster is in the forest, she goes to investigate. Both of them are pretending they are happy living this noble life, but really, they long to be using their skills in the heat of the action.
Keyleth and Vax are trying to complete her water trial, which of course she does, so that she can do her aramente. With all her trials done, she does her aramente, which makes her the Tempest, the leader of the Ashari. Her ceremony reunites the team, but they are attacked, and while everyone puts up a good fight, her dad is blinded. Vax, on the other hand, is just trying to support Keyleth the best way he can, but after his deal to save Percy last season, he is being infected by a blight. He is the champion of the Matron of Ravens, but she speaks in riddles, which can be confusing, and his dedication to her puts a small rift between him and Keyleth and his sister. Vax is trying to help everyone survive, and Keyleth is trying to cure Vax because, no matter what, they care for each other deeply. Both of them have such a strong dedication to what they want to do, and just because fate tells them one thing doesn’t mean they are going to just accept it. It is heartbreaking that in the end, Vax ends up dying, and I was like, wow, Keyleth can't get a break.
Scanlan is one noticeable person who’s missing from most of the episodes. They eventually go to him because they need his vestige, and it’s sad. After all, he’s explaining his feelings to them, and they really just want the sword. I feel like they felt bad that he felt this way, but it was bad timing due to the cult and the possibility that this evil entity would return. I’m glad he told them how he felt and is going on a journey of self-discovery, but it did feel like an important part of the team was missing.
Then you have Taryon Darrington, the newest member of Vox Machina, and his biographer, Doty. We are introduced to him when he meets Pike and Grog, and he later helps round up the team. He was so annoying to me at first, but he really grew on me. When we met his father, it made me realize he acts like that due to a lack of love and support, which makes him feel like he has to stand out in order to be recognized. I’m glad he realized his father was evil, learned to be a better team player, and realized there’s more to life than pleasing him. His gems, which could do a variety of things, were cool to see on screen. I was very happy that they decided to make him a member of Vox Machina. It was a great idea to have him stay back in the end because he didn’t really have a relationship with Pike, but it also showed how he grew to realize he doesn’t need to be at the center of every story.
It was interesting to see how the Whispered One had been orchestrating events to spread influence since Season 1. Because of this, he has cultists everywhere, and at the time, there were other distractions like the Briarwoods and the Chroma Conclave, which distracted Vox Machina and other heroes so that this cult could grow. I loved how they used the Whispered One to explain how Delilah came back, which was a huge surprise, and why she would be aligned with him.
Besides Delilah, a few of the Whispered Ones’ other followers clearly go back to Season 1, but it's been long enough since I watched that I couldn't place them.
The Deities' lack of presence is a recurring theme this season. The Whispered One is on this journey not only because of their neglect of him but also because of the killing of his partner. His mindset is that if you can’t beat them, then try to gain as much power as them and challenge them, I guess. With Vax, there are issues with the Matron of Ravens because she gives him vague answers, but he stays loyal due to her saving his friend and usually having his back. Pike loses faith in the Everlight due to its not speaking to her and saving her family, so she starts doing what she feels is right. It’s interesting to see these characters dealing with these deities, and I wonder if more will make an appearance.
The show has some beautiful fight scenes, which are one of my favorite parts about it. I love seeing how the team will work together to take out their enemy and what surprises will come up. I loved how Vax eventually gets the ability to see the cultist’s weakness so they can’t resurrect, and on top of this, he gets a cool new outfit. He was willing to sacrifice himself in the fight with the Whispered Ones’ human vessel, but in a cool moment, Keyleth helped in order to save her man, which was such a satisfying conclusion to that battle. Overall, the show has some inventive battle scenes that kept me very entertained.
Season 4 of The Legend of Vox Machina really threw the team into chaos. They are not only facing a foe that has an army of followers, but the followers are also able to come back alive after being killed. With this new threat, it does make me wonder, will the gods finally take action, or keep ignoring the ones that need help?
