The upcoming finish of the 2024 TV schedule implies that it’s now time to look again at a few of the prime new releases from the previous yr, and The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3 for viewers with a Prime Video subscription qualifies as considered one of my favorites. Produced by Important Function – a.okay.a. the group behind the Dungeons & Dragons sport that impressed the sequence – this present truly flew beneath my radar till I found it by happenstance. Now, simply over a month after the Season 3 finale, I appeared again and got here to a realization: my tackle how Important Function kills off TV characters has modified after the final a number of weeks.
With The Legend of Vox Machina renewed for no less than another season, it’s price taking a look at how the present has already dealt with character deaths for an concept of what might pack probably the most punch because the adventures proceed. First, although, I have to share some context on why I’m invested in how TV exhibits deal with deaths, and it’s not simply because I’ve been an leisure journalist for many of my grownup life.
My Traditional Stance On TV Resurrections
For as a lot as my community TV bread and butter these days tends to contain crime and medical dramas, I’ve liked sci-fi and fantasy going again to once I was a child and doubtless too younger to be watching a few of what I did. Tips about life and demise might be fairly free in these genres, however some exhibits are completely nice about having penalties stick. Physician Who’s farewell to Amy and Rory, Breaking Unhealthy’s ending for Walt, His Darkish Supplies refusing to lighten the heartbreaking ending from Philip Pullman’s supply materials… if it makes me cry for higher or worse, I’m on board.
After which there are exhibits that aren’t so nice about letting penalties stick. After I just lately appeared again at what a Supernatural govt producer advised me on the three hundredth episode purple carpet, I remembered that I can’t even rely what number of occasions the principle three characters died and have been introduced again over fifteen seasons. I misplaced loads of my funding within the Arrowverse as soon as Arrow launched the Lazarus Pit – or, as I known as it again in 2015, “the magical pool of do-over juice” – and The Flash might simply use time journey to undo deaths.
On the flip aspect of Physician Who, I nonetheless want the long-lasting time journey sequence hadn’t introduced again Gallifrey within the fiftieth anniversary episode or Rose for something apart from David Tennant’s finale, and I believe that the funniest (and in addition most infuriating) factor George R.R. Martin might do with the unfinished A Music of Ice and Fireplace ebook saga can be to simply depart Jon Snow useless to utterly diverge from what Sport of Thrones did together with his supply materials. And I nonetheless like to make use of selective canon on my beloved X-Recordsdata to disregard a few of these resurrections!
Principally, I might be typing via tears whereas writing a couple of TV episode, devastated by a fictional demise or loss, and nonetheless need penalties to stay slightly than be undone via magic, divinity, or futuristic tech. And as long-winded as this rationalization could also be, it 100% informs how I beforehand felt about The Legend of Vox Machina and why wanting again on the finish of Season 3 shifted my perspective.
My Unique Ideas On The Main Vox Machina Deaths
Happily for me, The Legend of Vox Machina doesn’t deal with demise and coming again calmly, and – importantly – has guidelines in order that resurrections can’t simply occur each time someone drops useless. Vex was useless for mere moments again in Season 2, and Vax needed to pay an infinite price for her to return again. Season 3 wasn’t totally clear on the timeline, however Percy was seemingly useless for weeks and will solely be introduced again because of the fluke of his soul being trapped by Orthax. Plus, he appeared… effectively, very just lately useless when he did spark again to life.
And once more, Vax is evidently going to have a value to pay for going towards the Matron to revive Percy’s soul to his physique, and it’s price remembering that Percy couldn’t simply leap proper up and get again to enterprise with Vex. The Season 3 finale happily spared us from seeing what Percy appeared like earlier than Pike what she might to repair his decaying physique, and he had a restoration course of forward of him after being introduced again. Kash’s demise even added depth to how transferring on to the subsequent airplane works in Exandria… and conveniently eliminated him as someone who might make it simpler to carry Percy again.
Plus, it actually felt like Percy may not come again. Episode 7 of Season 3 is considered one of my favorites of the sequence regardless of killing off considered one of my favourite characters, and if I hadn’t been spoiled about Percy most likely coming again, I might need actually believed it was the top for him. From a story standpoint, Percy dying after realizing he’s a modified man however being killed by the nemesis who wouldn’t change was an awesome – albeit tragic – conclusion to his arc. In contrast to when Vex died in Season 2, Percy’s story might have ended neatly together with his demise. He didn’t have to return again.
All in all, A+ to The Legend of Vox Machina for making it so tough and so expensive to carry anyone again from the useless, not least as a result of the tragedies and the implications resulted in a few of the most memorable animation of the complete sequence. On the identical time, although, there have been some parts of Season 3 that initially felt a bit like cheats.
Keyleth after all wasn’t going to die when mastering the earth elemental kind, and her largely 1:1 battle towards Raishan didn’t really feel prefer it had the very best stakes. Scanlan was undoubtedly not going to remain comatose eternally, and it didn’t take a lot for him to get up as soon as Kaylie arrived. Ripley’s continued refusal to die was irritating, though the payoff with the twins taking her down at sea was undoubtedly definitely worth the wait.
My largest takeaway instantly after binge-watching Season 3 through my early press screeners was that I’m A-OK with The Legend of Vox Machina resurrecting characters so long as there are penalties, stakes, a value to pay. Now, I’ve a unique take.
Why Revisiting The Finale Modified My Thoughts For What Comes Subsequent
Look, regardless of the style, medium, or goal demographic of a present, there’s one storytelling system that I believe at all times works: the rule of three. The primary massive demise was Vex, which was shortly undone. The second massive demise was Percy, with a resurrection that took some time and was very a lot not assured to work. A 3rd massive demise ought to stick, regardless of who it’s.
Do I’ve a least favourite member of Vox Machina who I’m simply in search of an excuse to need killed off? Actually not, and I don’t know who I’d select if I needed to choose one. But when we’re going to proceed worrying about these characters dying, the subsequent particular person to be killed off – if there’s a subsequent demise, anyway – ought to keep useless. If something, the resurrections of Vex and Percy would make the subsequent demise sticking hit all of the more durable, and I really like an excellent hard-hitting tragic twist.
Alas, it’ll be a while earlier than followers see simply how tragic (or not tragic) Important Function will go, because the present wasn’t renewed till Season 3 was already releasing. For now, you’ll be able to at all times watch and rewatch the three seasons to this point streaming on Prime Video and discover some upcoming viewing choices on our 2025 TV schedule.