Critical Role’s popularity spiked with the release of the animated series The Legend of Vox Machina. But even before then, the group of nerdy and incredibly talented voiceover actors had garnered a faithful fan base that would – and still does – eagerly await the next Thursday night. Their riveting storytelling, compelling diverse characters, and of course, all the hilarious antics, are some of the elements that have contributed to the web series’ global success. In March of this year, Critical Role celebrated its 7th anniversary, and looking back, the group's journey is filled with memorable moments.
To look at some of the most notable, it’s worth revisiting the show’s second campaign. Like Vox Machina, the Mighty Nein were a diverse and colorful bunch of unique characters that perhaps, tended even more towards chaos than their predecessors. Once again, Matthew Mercer, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Liam O’Brien, Taliesin Jaffe, and Ashley Johnson, presented us with an unforgettable tale of friendship and adventure. Here are some of the best moments from their 2nd campaign, "The Mighty Nein", that epitomize everything fans love about this Dungeons & Dragons series:
1. Episode 8 “The Gates of Zadash” – Extreme syphilis
There always comes a time in every D&D adventure when one of the party members rolls an awful perception check during their turn at taking night watch. Sometimes, the bad roll is inconsequential because there was no threat lurking in the dark - or the DM was feeling benevolent. Other times, the whole party falls victim to a surprise ambush. What happened to the Mighty Nein in Episode 8 was precisely the latter. However, their ambushers got way more than they bargained for.
When the moody wizard Caleb, played by O’Brien, said to the bandits, with the utmost graveness, “We all have syphilis. Extreme syphilis.” No one could keep a straight face. Of course, every other member of the Nein followed his lead and pretended to be infected too. When the spell “Friends” came to an end, the party resorted to reducing the bandits’ leader to ashes, making the rest play “boulder, parchment, shears” to pick a new de facto leader, forcing the surrendered attackers to strip down, and sending them on their way with a life lesson, one gold coin each, and the name “Mighty Nein” to strike fear into their hearts forever. What makes this moment even more worthy of making into this list, is precisely how it became a running gag and the bandits recurring characters that would show up a total of four times, specifically in Episode 8, 23, 92, and 141.
2. Episode 27 “Converging Fury” – The Funeral
If the previous entry on this list was the paradigm of the hilarity the group can channel on a whim, this one occupies the other end of the emotional spectrum. Even though there were fewer players at the table this scene did not lose any of its impact. As a matter of fact, their absence added to the desolate feeling of this moment.
Losing a party member is not easy nor should it be. Although another character will come to fill the void, they shouldn’t feel replaceable. Critical Role never fails to make each PC feel meaningful, and the bonds formed within the group real. In this case, although the Mighty Nein may not have known each other for terribly long in-game, the time that they did spend together, held considerable weight in all their lives. During the funeral, Beau, Caleb, and Nott prove how much of a lasting effect Mollymauk had on all of them, and it's impossible not to be moved by the actors’ heartfelt performances. Moreover, the fact that Molly’s funeral acquires a whole new connotation almost a hundred episodes later, establishes the full relevance of this moment in the grander scheme of the story.
3. Episode 42 “A Hole in The Plan” – Wall of Fire
With the Mighty Nein things seldom go according to plan; that’s what makes their adventures so unpredictable and fun. The more elaborate the scheme, the higher the chances that they are going to botch it. Sometimes it’s the dice, others it’s a sequence of risky decisions that follow Murphy’s law. One of these botched plans resulted in one of the tensest standoffs in the second campaign.
As the consequences of their plan confront them, the realization that Captain Avantika knows that they were the ones who broke into her quarters begins to dawn on them. In the fateful moment in which Vera’s eyes lock on Caleb’s, the wizard, with all the resolve of a man who’s determined not to go back to jail, casts “Wall of Fire” across the deck of the Squalleater. What makes this moment so great is, for one, the cutting tension and insanely high stakes, and two, without a single word of dialogue, we can understand a big part of Caleb’s personality. His decision to take the first hostile action was not panicked but a carefully calculated risk. The way in which Liam waits until the last moment to cast the spell, coupled with the fact that Mercer took the cue to end the episode there, made this one of the most impeccable uses of timing in the series.
4. Episode 56 “The Favor” – Heroes of the Dynasty
One thing this list proves is that the Mighty Nein are experts at getting themselves into sticky situations and just as talented at barely getting out of them. As with the previous entry, Caleb is the one to grab the reins and take action, but this time the stakes were even higher as the group was on the verge of getting arrested and triggering the animosity of the whole Kryn Dynasty.
After a series of bad rolls, when all words no longer produced any effect and things were going downhill, O’Brien made a decision that visibly split the group. This same decision was one that would completely change the course of the campaign, opening a realm of new possibilities that had previously been sealed. For that alone, the return of the dodecahedron deserves a spot on this list. But more than that, it was an incredibly climactic moment that was also permeated with poetic justice. We can fully see Caleb’s growth in this scene, from someone who was lost and aimless to a man who is finally ready to take charge of his own fate and, in doing so, save his friends.
5. Episode 93 “Misery Loves Company” – Jester’s Cupcake
If Caleb Widogast was the MVP of the past two entries on this list, we must now give the floor to Jester Lavorre. This was likely one of the greatest moments of trickery in the history of D&D and further asserted Bailey’s amazing out-of-the-box problem-solving abilities. The rapidly-changing emotions circling around the table reflected how every fan must’ve felt watching this scene unfold: from puzzlement to laughter, to alarm, to anticipation, to incredulity, and to hysterical stupefaction.
With one nigh stale blueberry cupcake sprinkled with some magic dust, Jester managed to accomplish what her friends were willing to give up their happiness or even rekindle a war over. No one could have foreseen that this complicated predicament could have such an uncomplicated solution. In one single genius move, the little blue tiefling managed to outfox a wicked ancient hag, break her friend’s curse and claim our hearts even more. This moment should serve to remind players of the handiness of “Modify Memory” and DMs to be mindful of the items they decide to put in their PCs’ hands.
6. Episode 97 “The Fancy and the Fooled” – Essek is the Mole
Throughout the Campaign, there were many shocking reveals, some of which could've very well-made this list. However, this spot has to be dedicated to the reveal that everyone’s favorite “floaty hot boy” was the Xhorhasian traitor all along.
Essek Thelyss could be one interesting character study. Undoubtedly one of the most - if not the most - psychologically complex NPCs in this Campaign. At some point, Mercer admitted that his initial plans for the character completely changed as a result of the group’s unyielding insistence to befriend him. Essek was supposed to be an antagonist but became much more of an anti-hero the more he got involved with the Nein. The fact that this reveal is so emotionally charged as a result of the party’s fondness for the drow makes it worth the list but, on top of that, it marks a pivotal moment in one of the most remarkable NPC character arcs in Critical Role.
7. Episode 114 “An Open Window” – Lucien’s Revenge
No antagonist thwarted the party’s plans as much as Lucien. More than once the Tombtakers gave the Mighty Nein a run for their money. But nothing caught the group as unprepared as when Lucien put them irrevocably out of their bodyguard job. This incident stands out as it effectively alerted the group to the severity of what and who they were dealing with.
Sometimes, the adventuring party needs a wake-up call to realize that although they’ve gotten strong and capable, they are not invincible gods exempt from making fatal mistakes. DeRogna’s assassination served to spur them out of their relaxed complacency and begin grasping the real dimension of the obstacle they had ahead of them. Also, on a less serious note, this event resulted in the Mighty Nein adopting a Weekend at Bernie's type strategy that gave rise to a series of absurd comedic moments thereafter.
8. Episode 127 “Sarsaparilla, Licorice, and Red Hot” – The Mighty Nein’s Flawless Heist
There comes a point in any gamer’s life where what initially was supposed to be a stealth mission somehow escalates into a bloodbath. In D&D all it can take sometimes is one failed Stealth or Persuasion check. But in this case, the Mighty Nein had no one to blame but themselves.
What was intended as a non-lethal mission became a massacre at the drop of a dime. While Yasha, Fjord, and Caduceus stood outside wondering about how the others were doing, the stealth plan they all had agreed upon was being thrown out the window in favor of an unprecedented level of violence even for the Mighty Nein’s standards. Beau took her time considering the most effective way to murder a slumbering guard, while Veth and Jester witnessed how Caleb almost single-handedly annihilated everyone on sight — except for Cymie. The Mighty Nein were never the spotless heroes, but the Vergesson Sanatorium heist was the one incident that really made them look like the baddies. Still, it made for a hilarious sequence filled with dark humor.
9. Episode 140 “Long May He Reign” – Caduceus’ Divine Intervention
This list could not have been complete without what might very well be the most poetic moment in the entire Campaign: When the Mighty Nein finally became nine.
In real-time, it had been years since Molly’s death but the anticipation to see him again was real nonetheless. At first, when Mercer rolled a Natural 1 for the resurrection spell, it seemed like the penultimate episode would have a more bitter than sweet end. For Jaffee, however, there was one more thing left to try before throwing in the towel. That is how the most beautifully ironic “Divine Intervention” in the history of this tabletop RPG came about. Caduceus Clay, the one member of the group that did not even get to meet Molly, was the one to revert the dice gods’ apparent decision.
This moment felt like the culmination of the Mighty Nein’s epic adventure and should, without a doubt, be elevated as the quintessential example of the masterful narratives Critical Role weaves into reality, bringing out everything that is great about Dungeons & Dragons.