The Legend of Vox Machina is back! The third season is full of epic battles, moving moments, and higher stakes than ever before. While the jokes and bits are still ever-present in this group of weirdos, the tone of this season gets more and more serious as it goes on, dealing with heavier themes of love and loss of love, death and grief, and the pressures of having the weight of the world on your shoulders.
Knee-deep in dragons, Vox Machina, Protectors of the Realm, must fight their way out of dangerous situations, all while keeping their party intact. They’re growing stronger, and braver, but they still need more Vestiges of Divergence if they stand a chance against the Chroma Conclave. Their quest takes them all over Exandria, and even to the hells themselves. Different members of Vox Machina are faced with trials and tribulations that seem to be tailored specifically for them, whether it’s to get a vestige, to unlock powers, or an enemy they face who just wants to make them suffer. And also, they’re a found family, and as with any family, there are internal conflicts that arise. (And unlike blood family, some romances arise, too.)
I would kill or die for any of them.
And, of course, as always, there are queer characters throughout. The badass couple Allura and Kima — voiced by Indira Varma and Stephanie Beatriz — are still standing by Vox Machina to help them wherever they can. We also have nonbinary actor Mara Junot voicing nonbinary character Emprex J’mon Sa Ord.
Bonus: they’re hot.
Plus, we have the return of straight-actress-who-loves-to-play-queer-roles Tracie Thoms as the Everlight, Gilmore is still relentlessly flirting with Vax, and the team meets someone in later episodes that speaks of his husband. I’m not sure if Rachel House is queer in real life, but she played Mary Reade in Our Flag Means Death, and voices Dohla in this show, someone from Allura and Kima’s past.
In the third episode, Allura and Kima seek out help from an old friend in Draconia, who turns out to be one of their ex-party members from when they were young adventurers like Vox Machina. Kima is worried there will be bad blood, because she thinks Dohla once had feelings for Kima before she and Allura got together, and as it turns out, she’s not wrong. But it’s not jealousy over their relationship she’s been harboring, it’s jealousy at the credit they received. She wasn’t invited to be on the Tal’dorei Council with them, and she’s bitter about it. So the couple has to wonder: Will Dohla bury the hatchet and help her old friends?
Having to ask your ex for help, CLASSIC.
One thing this show has done really well from the start is encapsulate the fun of D&D adventures, while also just telling a great story. It’s something Critical Role in general has always done well, and it translates so beautifully to this animated series. Another thing this show has always done well is to make sure it’s accessible to people who have never watched Critical Role, while also having plenty of little easter eggs and nods to Critters who watched all of the Vox Machina campaign. They really walk the line well, not making the inside jokes so obvious that they’re excluding anyone, but enough that if you know, you know. It’s clear this show was written by people who have passion for these specific stories, which isn’t surprising because some of the episodes were written or co-written by the cast themselves.
Something the animated series has the ability to do that Critical Role couldn’t during their playthrough is dip a little more into some backstories of characters that were considered NPCs in TTRPG format. We get to see flashbacks of when Percy joined Vox Machina, Anna Ripley’s childhood, Allura and Kima’s past, and more. It really helps round out these characters and this world in a way that makes a familiar story feel brand new.
M’ladies.
The Legend of Vox Machina has shown the breadth of what these nerdy-ass voice actors can do. It’s making me even more excited for their Campaign 2-inspired show about The Mighty Nein, which is sure to be even gayer.
The Legend of Vox Machina streams on Prime Video.
