Created by Critical Role Productions and Amazon Prime, The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3 once again follows the misfit band of mercenaries directly after the events of season 2 as they embark on a perilous journey to hell and back. The Chroma Conclave’s path of destruction spreads like wildfire while the Cinder King, Thordak (Lance Reddick) hunts down Vox Machina. Our lovable band of misfits must rise above inner (and outer) demons to try and save their loved ones, Tal’Dorei, and all of Exandria.
With two amazing seasons under its belt, The Legend of Vox Machina has proven to be one of the most unique and epic fantasy shows ever made in recent years, thanks largely to the dedicated team of Critical Role who have made many people fall in love with a band of dysfunctional yet lovable misfits on a grand quest full of great dangers, major emotions, and unhinged hilarity at every turn. This third season was hyped to be the biggest season so far with its promise of high stakes and epic battles as it tackles the darker trials and tribulations of the conclusion of the Chroma Conclave arc. Did this season live up to the hype? It absolutely f**king did!
The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3 is a phenomenal and magnificent third season, crafted to absolute perfection and fulfilling all expectations while also exceeding them. This season takes the series to a whole new level in terms of performances, writing, stakes, scale, and animation, giving us quite possibly the best season of the series so far, as well as cementing itself as one of the best ongoing fantasy epics. When it comes to all the heroes, villains, and supporting characters of this season every single cast member gives their all to their performances, as each of them has the chance to shine hugely in this season. Every member of Vox Machina has a strong arc in this season as they all face their greatest challenges in the war against Thordak and the remainder of the Chroma Conclave, while also strengthening their bonds between themselves as their relationships evolve further than ever before.
Percy and Vex, reprised amazingly by Taliesin Jaffe and Laura Bailey respectively, take a very central role in this season as their relationship evolves from being friends to lovers after so much build-up in the previous seasons. Despite their desire to confess their full feelings for each other, they are both held back by parts of their past that prevent them from wanting each other, leading to some of the most emotional moments of the season.
We also get a similar journey with Keyleth and Vax, reprised by Marisha Ray and Liam O’Brien respectively, who are facing their own struggles that prevent them from wanting to be with each other. Vax struggles with feelings of vulnerability and a deep fear of losing his loved ones, which motivates his fierce protectiveness toward the group, especially after becoming the chosen champion of the Matron of Ravens, the goddess of death, in the previous season. Keyleth meanwhile endures a great amount of self-doubt and attempts to gain more independence for herself as the odds stack against them. This leads her to grow significantly in this season and gain power she never knew she would be capable of.
Pike, reprised beautifully by Ashley Johnson, is faced with an unexpected path on the group’s journey that leads her to challenge her faith as a cleric of the Everlight. With the stakes as high as they are Pike begins questioning the power and her trust in the Everlight as it has not been helping in the battles ahead. This results in her needing to find power elsewhere, including from a much darker place, making for a fascinating arc for her character.
Grog, reprised by Travis Willingham, continues to provide great amounts of humor in this series but also manages to step up hugely since his development in the previous season. He really comes through for the team in unexpected ways, showing he can be more than the team’s constant source of muscle.
Then finally there is Scanlan, reprised by Sam Riegel, who is struggling to come to terms with being a father, after having discovered a daughter in the previous season, and makes multiple failed attempts to bond with her at the cost of pulling him away from his team that needs him in a critical point in time. It is fascinating to see the most comedic and immature character of the group really get a reality check as he tries to grow into being a better person for the ones he cares for. Seeing the group challenge themselves and their own inner demons was extremely investing and satisfying to watch and everyone does a phenomenal job performance-wise.
Just like in previous seasons, the series features a strong supporting cast of returning voices and special guest stars that each get their own chance to shine in this season with how major the stakes have been raised. The two standouts of the supporting cast for this season are Lady Allura and Kima, reprised by Indira Varma and Stephanie Beatriz respectively. These two characters only have had brief roles in the previous seasons but in this season they become more integral to the story and are more fleshed out than they were before. They also get to show how incredibly badass they can be on their own and together, becoming honorary members of Vox Machina as a result.
The villains of this season, from the Chroma Conclave to the return of Dr. Anna Ripley, are absolutely phenomenal both in terms of performance and writing. Kelly Hu brings an unhinged and evil performance in her reprisal of Ripley as she is now confirmed to be bonded with Orthax, the demon that had once bonded with Percy in season one. If you thought you hated Anna Ripley in the previous seasons you are going to end up loving to hate her even more with some of the horrific crimes she commits in this season against the group.
We also have the deceitful and manipulative dragon Raishan, played by Cree Summer, who plays as a sort of double agent for Vox Machina in the war against Thordak and the Conclave, but clearly has her own agenda that creates constant tension between her and them. Cree Summer manages to steal the spotlight throughout the series with her excellent performance as this snake-like trickster who gets under your skin just as much as she does with Vox Machina.
But the true villain that towers above all of the others in this season is Thordak, played by the late Lance Reddick in what may quite possibly be one of his best final performances. Lance Reddick had consistently proven himself to be an amazing actor in all the projects he has ever been in, but his role as Thordak is completely different from the rest as he brings immense presence, power, and evil as the almighty Cinder King. Not since Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug have we had a phenomenal dragon villain in media and it is all thanks to the legendary performance that Lance Reddick was able to give to this character prior to his sudden passing. He may be gone but the mark he made in this series as this character will never be forgotten.
The story of this season is the strongest of the series so far, not only for its characters’ arcs and themes but also for how it manages to dial up the stakes to incredible levels with bold twists and darker sequences on a grander scale that tops everything that has come before. It is a whole roller coaster of emotions from start to end as you feel everything these characters are going through as they take on the greatest threats they have ever faced in their lives while also traveling to the most dangerous places in their realm.
It truly is a moving season in a lot of ways and a lot of it honestly reminded me of the exact feelings I had when watching The Lord of the Rings trilogy for the first time due to how investing the characters are and how epic the story was. Even in a TV show format, this season felt so cinematic and powerful beyond anything I expected and it’s truly an experience that everyone should try to get into.
This season has many themes layered within it but by far the most important theme presented is love. This season shows how love changes us and how it can change the world. And it is not just about romantic love either as it is more about everyone you have around you and how it matters more than anything despite what others may say. It’s a truly powerful theme that plays such a huge part in an amazing season, making it by far the most emotional season of the series.
The animation for every season has been outstanding but season 3 features the best animation by far, especially when it comes to visuals, cinematography, and grand epic action. The world feels bigger, the battles feel larger than life and everything looks so amazing to look at thanks to animation that feels so much more improved in quality as the series has progressed. There are a number of beautiful and epically animated shots in this series that truly stay with you even more than the previous seasons. Combined with an epic score by returning composer Neal Acree and you have one of the most technically magnificent animated fantasy shows made in recent years.
The way this season ends almost felt like a grand yet powerful conclusion to the series but there are definitely still more things to come for the band of misfits as shown by the end of this season. And with the recent announcement of a fourth season, we shall expect more crazy and epic adventures on the horizon with Vox Machina and I couldn’t be more happy to see this amazing series continue. One thing for sure though is that it’s going to take a lot to beat this phenomenal season going forward. If you have not seen this series I once again highly encourage everyone to give it a chance because you will truly be in for something special. I’m going to give The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3 an A+ = 100.
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