‘Critical Role’ 3×31 recap: Breaking Point
Fresh Cut Grass hits their limit on Critical Role!
‘Critical Role’ 3×31 recap: Campaign 3, Episode 31 “Breaking Point” Aired August 18, 2022
Nightmarish goodbyes
Imogen has just seen something amazing through the telescope: a city on the moon– not that she tells the Nightmare King. Though he doesn’t appear to need much assistance with the machine. Looking through the telescope, Ira cackles that he can see exactly what they are doing.
But who is he speaking of? Why the Unseelie Court and their Exandrian allies: Otohan Thull and Ludinus Da’leth. The Nightmare King can see that they are close to finishing their machine– the machine that he devised before they kicked him off the project (called it!)
The Nightmare King has a chance to watch them fail. To make them fail. And with all the attention on the Calloways, the Unseelie Court has forgotten about him. Best he take his leave. Before the Bells Hells can stop him, he takes the Moontide Crown and disappears.
Missing past
While the most of the Bells Hells are busy puzzling out the Nightmare King’s next moves, Ashton wants to know more about Fearne’s parents. They seem extremely odd (even for fey) their memories are like Swiss cheese and they weren’t nearly as shocked about the fact that they’d been gone for ninety years as they should have been.
Imogen and FCG delve into Ollie’s mind and memories come splintering back to life. Countless times where they wanted to leave. When they begged to go home to their daughter. When the Nightmare King wiped their minds clean. It doesn’t absolve them from leaving Fearne in the first place. But knowing they wanted to return means more to her than she can say. When they go to sleep that night, Fearne crawls into bed with them; the family finally reunited.
Sticks and Stones
Of course before Fearne goes to bed she cuts down two of the magic purple stones and hides one in Imogen’s bag and the other in Laudna’s dollhouse (because reasons). When Laudna shows imogen the rock, the next morning, Imogen destroys it immediately, but Laudna knows that Delilah is watching. Whispering that the Bells Hells aren’t really Laudna’s friends. They don’t have her best interests at heart. They will betray her.
Ordinarily it would be easy to shake off. But FCG has just cast sending to Dancer– his “maker.” Dancer curses FCG, tells them never to contact her again. And throws some kind of psychic attack at FCG, making them go dark.
A glitch in the system
The Bells Hells watch FCG go dormant. Unable to rouse them, Chetney does what we’ve all done when faced with faulty computer equipment. He smacks them. And awakens a monster.
FCG’s eyes go red and they attack the Bells Hells more viciously than they’ve ever attacked anyone. Not only physically, but with words that haunt all of them– especially Laudna– already raw from Delilah’s words. Dark magic uncoils from Laudna and she subdues FCG (with an assist from Fearne).
Coming together
When FCG comes back to consciousness, they have no memory of what happened. But what is clear is that they were the monster that killed their old party. It’s a lot to take in, and the Bells Hells are all visibly shaken.
But Orym and Ashton are not willing to let the party end here. Each and every one of them are powder kegs just waiting to go off. So they agree here and now to keep eachother in line. They are better together.
And together they remain.
Watch Critical Role Thursdays at 7pm PST on Twitch and YouTube! Check out last week’s Critical Role recap here, or watch me talk about all the highlights and theories here!
Critical Role 3×31 Highlights
- Ludinus Da’leth?!? He is a very powerful wizard from Campaign 2. This is going to be a lot of trouble for the Bells Hells.
- Ashton shattered the Veliscatter Scope to see if it was magical. I can’t even talk about this right now.
- Orym sent a message to Keyleth!!! You all– if you haven’t seen the Legends of Vox Machina on Amazon yet, do yourself a favor and binge out so we can squeal about this together!
- Loved Orym telling Imogen that it was time to step up and be the leader that the Bells Hells so desperately need. It’s so true– there is so much chaos in this crew that they sometimes feel rudderless. Hoping Imogen can give them some direction.
