‘Critical Role’ 3×22 Recap: “Promises and Potential”
“Don’t steal is the suggestion. Don’t get caught is the rule.”
Critical Role recap: Campaign 3, Episode 22, “Promises and Potential,” aired May 5, 2022
Riches and Respect
Critical Role opens episode 22 with the Bells Hells rolling back into Jrusar to collect their reward from Jiana Hexum. The Hexum estate is as creepy and Dickensian as ever, but Ashton refuses to be cowed by it. He leads the Critical Role crew through the house up to a second floor office with a suspicious-looking crate in the corner. A crate Ashton recognizes, though they stay silent on the subject.
While Jiana Hexum payes up, she also seems interested in hiring them, but Ashton has already warned the Bells Hells to stay clear of her. It’s all too easy to see why– the world of Critical Role may be based on a game, but the fun stops at Jiana’s front door.
She asks to meet privately with Fresh Cut Grass, only instead of speaking with them, she precedes to paw at their face, inspecting them with about as much passion–and respect– as someone selecting a lobster from a tank. FCG asks her to stop with a gentle rebuff, but the whole incident is so unsettling it makes me dread seeing Jiana again… and I’m sure we will. Especially now that Ashton is more determined than ever to recover his missing memories of the heist that went wrong.
A new hunt begins
Critical Role has a unique way of reminding viewers that the world exists even when the adventures aren’t there, and Lord Eshteross is only too happy to catch the Bells Hells up. The investigation into Lady Emoth and her ties to Armand Treshi is heating up. (Refresh your memory here!) Knowing he’s in danger, Treshi has fled the city.
The ring that the Bells Hells planted on Treshi (Critical Role C3xE13) pointed his trail toward the city of Bassuras, which is the home of the Paragon’s Call mercenary group. It also holds deep ties for Ashton and FCG who both have history there; FCG’s maker, Dancer, worked in Bassuras.
Eshteross would like the Bells Hells to go to Bassuras via skyship, arrest Treshi and bring him back to Jrusar to face justice. The Bells agree to take the hunt, excited by the prospect of making Treshi pay for his crimes, but also by the fact that Bassuras is roughly on the way to Yios– which was their next intended port of call… Though if Bassuras is 900 miles away, who knows how long it will take them to make that trip. (It just goes to show how crazy huge the world of Critical Role really is)
Reporting to the principal’s office
Seizing an opportunity to follow up on some of his backstory threads, Chetney stops by Dyal Hall. As you may remember, (or not, at this point, honestly a lot has happened lol) Chetney first came to Jrusar looking for fellow lycanthropes. It was his acquaintance, Gurge, who first mentioned the Gorgynei (Critical Role C3E11) a group of blood hunters with lycanthropy who have apparently managed to tame their curse. Gurge didn’t know where the Gorgynei were, but said that Ajit Dyal might. And so the Bells Hells head back to school.
The Dyal Hall is a school in Jrusar and as you can probably imagine, it takes a bit of talking to convince the guards to allow a band of vagabonds like the Bells Hells onto the premises. But Ajit proves to be the kind of principal I think we all would have liked to have, and kindly gives Chetney all the information he has.
The Gorgynei once saved Ajit and his wife, and in return, he provided them with supplies when they were in the area. Nowadays, they are located in the Gloomed Jungles of Aeshanadoor. (Yios is also in Aeshanadoor, for anyone trying to keep track) Ajit warns Chentey to be careful, as ruthless people hunt lycans for their pelts. He also says that if the curse becomes too difficult for Chetney to bear, that he may be able to cure it. (But let’s be real, Travis has been waiting for years to play a werewolf, so that’s never gonna happen.)
Fractured Memories
After a full day of shopping Ashton decides that they are ready to try and recover their missing memories– specifically what happened during the heist at Jiana Hexum’s. The heist that landed them in her debt, and injured Ashton grievously. They know it has something to do with the crates that Jiana has at her house– the same crates that Evon Hytroga’s surveillance noted (Critical Role C3E21).
Imogen and FCG work together and attempt a deep dive into Ashton’s mind. Memories begin to resurface in fractured flashes. They see the night of the burglary, Ashton opening a crate with his hammer and reaching inside. They see runes on the floor flash red and Asthon’s terrible fall and the slow road toward recovery.
Ashton seems like he’s holding it together, until FCG releases the calm emotions spell, letting Ashton descend into a rage, pummeling a wall. When Ashton calms down, they say that it’s good the Bells Hells are heading to Bassuras– because that’s where Ashton met the Nobodies. Maybe they are still there.
Maybe that’s where the answers await!
Watch Critical Role on Thursdays at 7pm PST on Twitch or YouTube, and check out some of my favorite highlights here!
Critical Role Episode 22 Highlights
- “Don’t steal is the suggestion. Don’t get caught is the rule.” The gospel according to Ashton, lololol!
- How much does everyone hate Jiana Hexum right now? She is definitely going to be one of the big bads of this campaign, right?
- I’m so glad Lord Eshteross is okay. I was half convinced the Bells Hells were going to find out that Armand Treshi had killed him while they were traveling.
- AHHHHHH!!! They got a letter from Vex! (Seriously, have you watched campaign one yet?)
- Orym used the sending stone to contact Dorian and now I’m crying forever. Please, Critical Role Gods, please let Dorian rejoin the Bells Hells!
