The Legend of Vox Machina is set to return for Season 3 as a long-awaited entry in the 2024 TV schedule. The new batch of episodes has to pick up where Season 2 left off with the deceitful dragon Raishan infiltrating Whitestone with a proposition for the band of heroes. More than a year has passed since fans with a Prime Video subscription saw that cliffhanger; now, having been fortunate enough to see all twelve episodes of Season 3, I can safely say that what comes next was worth the wait... and why the Critical Role cast's comments about fan reactions 100% make sense.
With three dragons of the Chroma Conclave still alive after the end of Season 2, Vex (Laura Bailey), Vax (Liam O'Brien), Percy (Taliesin Jaffe), Pike (Ashley Johnson), Keyleth (Marisha Ray), Scanlan (Sam Riegel), and Grog (Travis Willingham) together face bigger challenges than ever before that not only take them to different continents, but also different planes of existence. As the trailer suggested, going to literal hell isn't exactly fun for Pike in particular, but there's plenty of fun to be had for viewers, and even the animation hits harder this time around.
Critical Role – a.k.a. the team behind the show and the Dungeons & Dragons campaign on which it's based – pack a lot into just twelve episodes. Prime Video once again releasing the episodes in groups of three instead of all at once guarantees that fans will have plenty to talk about each week. I spoke with the cast during the Prime Video press day for The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3 to ask if there are any episodes that they were particularly excited to see reactions to, and quickly received an emphatic "Yes!" from Ashley Johnson. Travis Willingham then shared:
Oh my gosh, yes. I've got a bulletin board. [laughs] I can tell you also in my calendar that when they drop, I will be allotting a certain amount of time – I don't know what it'll be – and just checking out those reactions. Whether it's on social media or actual reaction videos, the community of people that go through and spend their time watching it and sharing it and help evangelize the story has been amazing. Gosh, I feel like every three episode drop has something in it, if not more than one moment, that I will be very, very anxious to see how people react to.
Fans, be prepared for Travis Willingham to possibly get a look at your reactions to the various episodes of Season 3! Avoiding spoilers, he didn't name any specific episodes, but suffice it to say that there will be more than enough for fans to talk about after each block of three. Liam O'Brien got a little bit more specific about the reactions he can't wait for, saying:
Definitely the back end of the season, the final three. I can't wait for just the lamenting.
Would it really be a season of Vox Machina if there wasn't reason for some lamenting? The final three episodes of the first and second seasons were certainly eventful, to say the least, and that's a trend that won't be changing this season.
I went on to mention that I had some undignified reactions to Season 3 when I watched, to which Marisha Ray responded with a nod to an iconic line from the original campaign: "We do nothing with dignity!"
When I posed the question to the other half of the Critical Role cast about if there were any episode reactions they really wanted to see, there were some immediate answers:
- Taliesin Jaffe: "Oh yes."
- Laura Bailey: "Yes, yes! I can't wait."
- Matt Mercer: "All of them."
Matt Mercer is of course the Dungeon Master for the original D&D campaign as well as Legend of Vox Machina voice actor for many characters, including but not limited to Sylas Briarwood, Trinket, Orthax, Umbrasyl, and various Season 3 characters who I won't spoil here. He elaborated:
Every episode has some beat, some moment that I want to see new fans who don't know what's coming and react to it, but also original Critters who watched the original campaign to see the moments that they were hoping to see show up and actually see things that surprised them that they weren't expecting in their reaction. There's definitely a handful episodes that I definitely want to watch, but every episode has something strong to it.
Mercer has also spoken about the "very cool ways" of telling the original story in a way that can surprise newcomers and Critters alike. Sam Riegel got a bit more specific about reactions he's hoping for, and his words are undoubtedly going to be encouraging for any fans who have been hoping for their favorite ships to sail. He said:
I'm always excited to see when people react to deaths, but in this season, I really want to see them react to the romance, the sexy time stuff, because it's always fun to see people blush.
Remember, kids: releasing on Prime Video means that The Legend of Vox Machina can potentially show more than could air on network TV, just like the non-animated best Prime Video shows can do. The cast members laughed, with Laura Bailey and Matt Mercer picking up on Riegel's tease of "sexy time stuff."
- Laura Bailey: "I can't wait."
- Matt Mercer: "Watch Season 3 with your parents, y'all."
- Laura Bailey: "Do not!"
I'm not going to dip into spoilers here, but as a viewer, I'll second Laura Bailey's suggestion of not watching with parents! In all seriousness, fans have a lot to look forward to, and the wait is nearly over. The first three episodes of The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3 will premiere on Prime Video on Thursday, October 3.
In the meantime, if you want to refresh your memory on Season 2 or binge-watch every episode so far, the first two seasons are streaming free on Prime Video's YouTube page now.
