Vox Machina just hit rock bottom. From Delilah’s dark secrets to a devastating Scanlan reunion and a tragic dust-up, my heart is shattered.
The Legend of Vox Machina Season 4 episodes 7, 8, and 9 is an absolute emotional meat grinder. I am still trying to piece my soul back together and catch my breath after Critical Role left us on a cliffhanger like that.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE LEGEND OF VOX MACHINA SEASON 4 EPISODES 7-9
We spent the entirety of Episode 7 exploring the eerie, shadowed depths of Whitestone, and honestly, it was brilliant television. But man, did it get heavy. Delilah Briarwood is back, we know this. She is mixed up in the cult and gosh I was so ready for her to just be gone forever. It is here though, that we realize the tragic truth: this all started because she was just desperately trying to bring her beloved husband, Sylas, back from the dead.
The moment that completely gripped me was when Keyleth discovered Delilah’s journal and a rare, withered flower meant for the resurrection ritual. Because Keyleth has nature abilities, she’s certainly going to be able to bring the dead flower back to life. But it’s what happens inside Keyleth’s head that terrified me.
Looking at that flower, she actually starts to relate to Delilah. She knows Vax is dying. She knows his time is short. Suddenly, she looks at Delilah’s madness and sees a reflection of herself – that dangerous, terrifying willingness to do absolutely anything to save the person you love. The psychological weight of this episode was masterfully done, leaving me incredibly uneasy about how far Keyleth might go. But honestly, who could blame her?
After all that darkness, Episode 8 finally gives us Scanlan. So… yay, right?!
Well, yes and no. The gang tracks him down because they realize they absolutely need Mythcarver to take on the Whispered One. But let’s be honest, they also just desperately missed their friend. Unfortunately, the reunion is anything but joyful in the long run. It completely broke my heart to watch Scanlan’s face when they arrived. You can see where he feels loved and missed, yet cautiously optimistic. Of course, eventually we see the crushing realization that they only came because they needed something from him. He feels utterly discarded.
When Vox Machina asks him to join the fight, a deeply hurt Scanlan rejects them. However, he does hand Mythcarver over to Pike. This moment was especially devastating for Pike, who so clearly loves Scanlan. She is already drowning in grief after losing her grandfather, Wilhand, and now she has to endure feeling completely rejected by the man she loves. I wanted to jump through the screen and give her a hug.
If I thought the previous two episodes were rough, Episode 9 was basically one big, massive emotional battle that left me staring at my screen in horror.
Pike finally reaches her absolute breaking point. Blinded by grief and rage, she is ready to make reckless, dangerous moves. Grog steps in, desperately trying to pull his buddies back from the edge. He pleads with her, explaining that this self-destructive path is not what Wilhand would have wanted for her. It’s a beautiful, rare moment of emotional maturity from Grog – which makes what happens next a million times worse.
As they face the portal, Grog ends up getting too close without an amulet to protect him from the journey’s magical toll. I watched in sheer trauma as he literally turned to dust right before our eyes. Seriously, Avengers: Infinity War PTSD anyone!? I was practically screaming at my TV.
Instead of snapping Pike out of it, seeing Grog disintegrate causes her to completely revert back to pure, unbridled anger. Armed with her own amulet, she dives straight into the portal to avenge him, completely unhinged.
And that is the exact cliffhanger they leave us on. Not cool, Critical Role. Not. Cool. After what they put us through with Percy last season, and with the constant, looming threat of losing Vax hanging over our heads, doing this to Grog and Pike is just too much. I am a wreck.
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 highly anticipated fourth season of The Legend of Vox Machina season 4 episodes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are now streaming on Prime Video.
