The final episodes of The Legend of Vox Machina Season 4 take fans on an emotional roller coaster before ending on a devastating cliffhanger.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE LEGEND OF VOX MACHINA SEASON 4 EPISODES 10-12
The Legend of Vox Machina Season 4 has just ended, with its final three episodes, and it is safe to say that I am absolutely devastated. My heart is completely shattered, and I am genuinely furious at Critical Role for doing this (just kidding, I love you all, but what the heck!).
Season 4 is over. But the story is far from it. To no one’s surprise, the animation this season was drop-dead gorgeous, and the action in these final episodes was cranked up to eleven, but that ending? How dare they.
The Legend of Vox Machina Season 4 Episode 9 ended with Grog’s death. And while many were holding out hope that it wasn’t the end, it didn’t take long for us to realize he actually was dead. That said, Pike was given a way to bring him back.
Gideon is actually the Whispered One, which was a bit of a shock. On top of that, he needs Pike’s blood to complete his ritual and fully ascend to godhood. Because Pike is completely blinded by her grief over losing Grog, Gideon plays her like a fiddle. He promises her that if she gives him her blood, he will use his power to bring Grog back to life. Out of desperate, fierce love for her best friend, Pike agrees. She aligns herself with him, which means she is now actively fighting against the rest of her team.
Meanwhile, the rest of Vox Machina is determined to help Pike. Percy ignores the warnings of his sister (and Vex lets her think she has won before deciding that yet, they absolutely have to reactivate the portal and go help Pike). But before all this can happen The Raven Queen (I really hate her) finally reveals everything to Vax. She tells him point-blank that if he is the one to kill the Whispered One, he will die. But it doesn’t sound like he has much of a choice. She tells him it has to be him and this is his unalterable fate.
The emotional climax of the battle hits home when Grog is actually brought back to life. But instead of being a mindless puppet, Grog does what Grog does best: he uses his massive heart to get through to Pike. He convinces her to break away from the Whispered One’s influence and fight alongside the team again. The fight that ensues is beautifully animated, but that didn’t stop me from burrowing myself into my couch, terrified of what was about to happen.
Vax closes in for the kill, ready to accept his fate, but at the absolute last second, Keyleth steps in and delivers the killing blow to the Whispered One instead. Does this mean that Vax is safe? It sure seems that way. The bad guy is dead. Keyleth even steps up with the specialized elixir she made from the flower Delilah found to cure Vax of his blighting curse. It feels like a classic, hard-fought Vox Machina victory.
Except it was a total trap.
It turns out that The Whispered One needed his mortal body to die. Vox Machina didn’t defeat him at all. They accidentally completed his ritual for him. By killing his physical form, they allowed him to fully shed his mortal shell and ascend as a literal God. Not terrifying at all. But hey, at least Vax is safe from death… right?
Well, not exactly. The Whispered One demands that Vox Machina bow down and kneel before him, threatening to obliterate Vax on the spot if they refuse. To save Vax’s life, the team has no choice. One by one, our proud, chaotic heroes submit and drop to their knees. Everyone except Vax, that is. True to his stubbornness, Vax refuses to bow. Instead, he looks a literal God in the eye and spits on him.
And then… the Whispered One disintegrates him. Just like that, he turns Vax to dust right in front of Keyleth and the rest of the horror-stricken team. Cut to black. End of season four. WHAT?!
Leaving us on a cliffhanger where Vax is dead, a literal evil God rules Exandria, and the rest of our favorite mercenaries are forced onto their knees? It is going to be a brutal, agonizing wait for The Legend of Vox Machina Season 5.
While Prime Video and Critical Role haven’t given us an exact, locked-in premiere date for the fifth and final season yet, standard production timelines mean we are likely looking at mid-to-late 2027. To make us wait over a year to see how they fix this? My heart can’t take it.
About The Legend of Vox Machina Season 4
The Legend of Vox Machina Season Four is set a year after the Chroma Conclave. Vox Machina has separated, searching for love, family, and purpose. But as always, the call of adventure is a breath away. When a long-slumbering evil awakens to threaten the realm, they must reunite to take on an epic foe.
The Legend of Vox Machina season 4 is now streaming on Prime Video.
