critical role s2

[kradeelav]

putting aside jokes from the last post, I do have scattered meta/story-thoughts on critical role!  (spoilers up to Whispers of War, and yes, I know the latest big one.)

• CR feels to me like a great modern introduction if somebody wanted to make the case for loving/appreciating theatre and plays! I am not a live action media-watcher at all to the point I actively avoid it (the tropes don’t jive with me, harder to find subtitles for, mainstream actors feel like a pathetically narrow definition of “character design”, the sets are repetitive, etc) - but I can see the strengths of the medium re: theatre easily now, especially since it’s a stripped down version of movies.
  • Where CR shines is in the improv and chemistry of the players, and Matt having an uncanny skill for being able to quickly sketch out sets verbally and for not being afraid to dip a toe in the dramatic and more anime-esque designs than “standard european DnD” - I suspect because he’s been a VA in so many anime series that’s lent a hand there.

• My personal favorite has been Molly, but S2′s has the rare honor of being one of the casts where I genuinely like them all to a significant level; you kind of need them all to some degree and they’re also equally assholes to said degree.  :D!
  • I joke, but that was a frequent(?) tongue in cheek comment I’ve seen from fans of S1 (which I have no plans of watching) as the first band was much more heroic in archetypes and tone - wheras the Mighty Nein are still remarkably … “good-aligned” in my box of favorites.  Very similar to the Tellius game’s cast, actually; mercenary-ish, hearts of gold, deceptively fucked up pasts, deceptively complicated loyalties to fucked up countries they called their homeland… Goes without saying I am very interested in where Yasha’s character arc is going to move in that last respect.
  • Molly is My People™ purely because of the favorites being high charisma, laid back, five thousand different personalities to switch to like a nervous tic when things get too intense, weirdly sharp and brittle with certain topics, a little flighty, and a lot being in denial from his past.  Caleb is growing on me for tangential reasons, even though I despised Anders archetype (lol sorry! I know there’s a few of his fans around), which he seemed to take a page from.
  • (also: mollyyyy….. why…… :c )

• ( completely unrelated note: there used to be discussions of which Fire Emblem character should be played by who if it was a live-action movie and holy shit my vote instantly goes for Matt being Zihark - his expressions almost creepily fit what I’ve had in my head for years, let alone general body language tics and his ability to keep a phenomenal poker face (which imo is one of the more important bits to his character i never see mentioned) and look - i’m not gonna lie, that was one of the big reasons i kept watching for those first three episodes before being invested in the characters, lmao )

• The episode where Laura/Jester was out briefly (around the Gentleman’s lair?) was hilarious because it showed just how much the players/actors personality and body language bleeds into their characters - for all of their skill, Tal and Matt did a terrible Jester (and knowing it), wheras Brian/Caleb, literally the least similar character on the surface being a skittish anxiety-ridden bean, did a remarkably good impersonation - not just the voice, but the leaning forward, knowing the exact kind of boisterous “random” she is (imo she’s actually the most predictable of the bunch), and man that was a treat but also felt like watching top tier “acting 101″.