HEY, there might be some SPOILERS under the thing 0:15 The next great villain of the Nordiverse 5:15 Laura’s merch corner 6:05 Intro cinematic 7:55 Episode Starts 10:10 Recap Ends, nobody rolls well enough to do anything until about 23:10 16:10 Gurge rejected Fearne 23:50 Fearne is speaking to the manager 26:55 Fearne dishes on her relationship with Gurge 27:55 Chetney gets the lock 29:50 Such a dear 36:25 It can be hard to retain conversations sometimes 38:15 Chetney will not be on his best behavior 39:00 Chetney knows sponsorship deals 40:50 Imogen is a horse girl, confirmed 41:50 Eshterosh 43:00 Esteros and Gurge 46:55 Chetney is usually worse than this 50:10 Preio Madali 52:10 Already planning for the ball 1:01:20 Chetney gets caught up on people’s motivations 1:03:15 Chetney used to have great hair 1:04:35 No sneak peaks 1:06:10 They read Sam’s flask 1:07:50 Mister’s age 1:11:25 Disguising Dorian 1:14:45 Making my way 1:18:10 Rollies 1:20:20 FCG shows off 1:24:20 Laudna goes cross-eyed 1:26:25 FCG interrogates Preio 1:31:35 Caressing Dorian 1:33:20 Ogre chef 1:35:45 Cheap wood 1:36:50 Chetney is not talking to Imogen 1:38:15 The size difference makes whispering difficult 1:43:45 I’ll have the meal 1:48:20 Bottle trick 1:50:15 Meeting Pretty 1:54:05 Chetney doesn’t know what a bookcase is 1:59:55 Artana Voe 2:00:55 Break Starts 2:09:05 Art Montage 2:10:55 Break Ends 2:12:10 Let’s cut 2:15:15 Negotiating payment 2:21:50 Dorian reminds Artana of a bounty 2:24:45 Pretty is the new best NPC 2:25:40 I ship Premogen 2:29:05 Orym takes it on the chin 2:31:00 Sunset math 2:35:30 Travis missed his chance 2:39:20 Rescuing a prisoner to get a job recommendation 2:41:35 Imogen has great skin 2:49:50 I want Fearne to have a monocle 2:58:20 Laudna is really trying to make the fast pass happen 3:01:15 Laudna is just making normal eye contact 3:03:25 Chetney just has manacles 3:08:20 Those cookies genuinely sound great 3:10:55 Lots of squirrels in the Eshteross manor 3:17:30 JH 3:18:50 First dates 3:20:30 Whitestone Andy 3:23:55 FCG asks the question everyone else was afraid to ask 3:29:20 They meet the coolest guard 3:38:55 Ashton takes advantage of Fearne’s blindness 3:49:15 Tuning FCG 3:50:20 FCG malfunctioning 3:52:20 Imogen is slick 3:54:20 So many bookcases 3:55:15 Kinkades 3:58:05 MAP 4:03:15 Nightmare King (I better not see any of y’all speaking of the Night Yorb) 4:07:10 Villain stuff 4:11:40 A cinematic escape 4:13:15 Record number of capers 4:14:20 Episode Ends The in-game start date for the episode was in the year 836. Sam’s flask(?) says “Werthering Heights by Bronte Secondson Wyvernwind” with a border of Werthers Originals and a picture of Dorian. Among several of my 2022 New Years resolutions: I will publish DnD material, probably on DM’s guild, and I will figure out what to do with my KZfaq channel. I have ideas for both of those things, but I need people to keep me honest, because I’m bad at making myself sit down and write things. Except for this I guess. Any moments I missed? Feel free to post them here. Is it Thursday yet?

"...with a ridiculous name of Gurge...." says Fresh Cut Grass

Ashton's soft, astonished "what the fuck, grass??" Is even funnier than Sam breaking his southern robot character to ask Fearne if she was planning on fucking the damn ogre 😆😅

chetney went from "fuck you dorian" to "dorian you're my boy" in 0.3 seconds and i think that describes dorian's personality better than anything else that's happened

Npc of the year. That guard who answered all their questions exactly how you would expect a bored guard would

The party telling Eshteross everything they´ve been up to since they last saw him is so cute, they´re like children telling their dad what they did in school that day

Chetney gives a promise of wooden toys: The whole team risks their lifes repeatedly and pay hundreds of golds to find a complete stranger.

Matt: "It's your story man! Tell me where you want to go!" Taliesin: "Small Claims Court!!"

39:10 Chetney: "Eh you'll figure it out I don't have time to put you through business school. Fuck." Holy shit what a line, I've been laughing for the past three days

The greatest trick the devil ever played was writing himself out of the Nordiverse so he could sit back and troll his friends from the sidelines…

Sitting Travis and Robbie together at the table is the comedy team we didn't know we needed in this campaign.

Lord Esteross being this Batman-like "work in the shadows to serve the light" patron while also just being an old man who likes cooking is such a wholesome character, i love him so much

The entire interaction with Pretty almost brought tears to my eyes. That was probably the best compliment he got in a while. Matt absolutely nailed it with the roleplaying.

Name a more iconic duo than a critical role party and rolling extremely low to get through a door

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Travis Willingham is Critical Role's #1 fan.

Pretty cool they added this side D&D story thing to the NordVPN show.

Liam: you could have been a gnome werewolf Travis, you blew it! Travis: Nervously sweating.

The scene with Pretty was just about the most heartwarming thing. As a line cook, I know just how rare and special compliments from customers can be. He's just so darn cute, I hope the date goes well.

I'm honestly so happy that Ashley/fearne is more involved this campaign. Yasha and pike were amazing characters, but Ashley is really in her element as fearne and it's enjoyable to watch.

“Barbarians are so complicated,”-Taliesin, playing one of the simplest classes in the game that he’s made Matt homebrew into being some Eldritch rules abomination.

Chetney: "Just. Act. Normal." Ashton: "When? HOW?!?" Pretty much sums up the vibe for this campaign.

having worked in a professional kitchen, Pretty is a realistic representation of how it feels when the customers appreciate the work you put in.

matthew mercer i am begging you, please bring pretty the ogre back as a returning npc,, he deserves his own michelin-starred restaurant by the hundredth or so episode of this campaign,

Half way through the episode I realized Sam is dressed up like Steve Buscemi in the How do you do, fellow kids meme. Absolute Legend.

Every time Travis says “I love working with wood.” The table just loses it.

Chetney (re: Orym): "These kids today!" Dorian: "He's not actually a child...!" Dorian has Orym's back.

Normally I hate lying/the fallout of lying in fiction because it gives me incredible second hand embarrassment, but Fearne is so delightful in her lying and kleptomania that I almost look forward to her failing checks because her ways to get out of them are so wild and amazing to watch. Thank you, Ashley, Fearne is a joy.

The whiplash of seeing Laura sending messages as Jester, chaotic, and now she is sending them calm and courteously as Imogen is great lol.

I love that Eshteros tries so hard to bake. He's quite a powerful intimidating figure yet I picture him in a pink flowery apron slaving away in the kitchen trying so hard to make decent cakes after everyone has left his house.

Chetney - I stopped counting after 101, there no point. Tali as himself- that's true He a lich confirmed.

"... And that's why I REALLY like maple syrup". Best scene change EVER.

From the writer that brought you Tusk Love, comes the all new steamy adventure. Antler Love. A Fawn falls in love with a wild man. Their passion grows for one another as their time goes on, but a Warden wants her all for himself. Who will she choose? Her wild man, or her knight in shining armor? Find out in Antler Love

Ashton - Has the highest INT on the team. Also Aston - "I'll hit it with my hammer." Perfection.

F.C.G: I’ve always been told that slow and steady wins the rake. Laudna: It’s race. F.C.B: Nope.

Ashley tried so hard not to say that Time was a weird soup, there.

“The sizzling of a fresh whatever” Sounds like the meals I’ve thrown together with my college budget.

Me halfway through this episode: If they break Pretty's heart, I'll never forgive them. >:[

I'm fully on board with the theory that Pretty is Buddy's son, because of course his first reaction to this new bundle of life would be "You're pretty."

I Love Talisons' response to Travis' character going stealthy down the bookcase stairs. "I look forward to your next character." 😂

I love how different chetney is compared to travis's past characters. At the very least in terms of physicality. And he's such a grumpy old man but also manages to be very sweet at times. His chaotic energy and voice kind of remind me of Nott!

This isn't really in game related, but 2:43:32- the way liam grabs that chip outta laura's hand- y'all that sibling energy is adorable XDDD

Only on the rewatch I realised that it was Travis himself who made the cart into a bookcase. Matt literally said a table on wheels, a sort of serving cart. 😂

1:51:24 Remember Buddy the ogre from the Darrington brigade oneshot? He called everything "Pretty". Bet my socks that Pretty is Buddy's son, look at Liam's face when he realises that possibility too xD

"You fucked up travis, you could've been a gnome werewolf" Travis: "Shit, reset" knowing damn well Liam guessed his biggest secret

Laura, as Imogen: "Is this guy real bad guy, like is he a criminal? Has he killed people? Are we about to let a killer go free?" Laura, as Jester: "Fuck Marius, He probably hasn't even killed anybody".

I am so here for the blossoming friendly rivalry between Fearne and Ashton over repeatedly stealing the same shit back from each other

If I’ve said it once I’ll say it 10,000 more times. Robbie is an absolute natural and meshes so well! Without a second thought casting invisibility on Travis, giving both of them a chance to shine

12:55 I love how Fearne starts describing the dire wolf cast of GoT.

so many people in the current group have that thing that everyone reacts to them with. for FCG it's "WHAT IS THAT THING," for ashton its "you have FRIENDS?" for laudna its "what is her DEAL she's so CREEPY," etc etc, i just find it funny

Sam is genius. He's written himself out of doing the sponsor ads now.

41:40 In case anyone wanted to know from a real horse girl: A mare is an adult female horse A filly is a baby female horse A Stallion is an uncastrated adult male horse A gelding is a castrated adult male horse A colt is a baby male horse A foal is a baby horse male or female

The group argument about dating the cook got surprisingly meta there for a minute The girls: Well, we just think he was a sweet guy and he deserves a good night out with some company! FCG: But you're not serious about this though, right? Don't give this poor guy false hope! Ashton: There's no expectations attached to this, it's a date! And this is why dating is an emotional minefield, folks.

"lets just go look at the tower we don't have to get in" M9 flashbacks to caleb suggesting the same thing then 30 min later Beau and Caleb are inside the tower

i like that instead of turning to crime they decided to ask their grandpa for help and when it worked they were like "huh....so we dont just have to always be criminals"

Ok but who else teared up at Pretty the Oger chef because seeing someone else get the complement they've clearly needed for a while had such a strong effect by proxi.

the way every person who knows ashton in town reacts to him making friends feels like they're his older relatives and he's their loner child who finally left his room, it gets me everytime

At this rate, between encouraging Eshteross and Pretty, these guys can just make a solid career as positive food critics. Screw adventuring, just tasting all the foods of Tal'Dorei. Diners, Drive-ins, and dives: Tal'Dorei edition!

Eshteross is just the grandpa everyone needs and I couldn't be happier. The kids need to visit more.

Oh god Travis. Misremembering the cart as a bookcase then seeing his face when Matt retells it. Pure gold

3:21:54 the way Matt picks up a cookie and casually reminds them where they are with the deadpan «you have not left» had me crying, thank you

Ashley and Travis are such big fans of each others’ characters

In the cartoon show I need to see at least one time where somebody says a name and the whole gang quickly rummages their packs for notebooks and frantically write down the name while constantly asking them to repeat the name. Good comedy.

Chet: “It’s all lies Imogen! I wanna wear your skin as a hat!” 😂

2:58:22 i can imagine laudna running for city legislature to allow trolly Fast Passes. and then i can imagine her dead creepy smile face, comedically cross eyed, on newspaper print under headlines "pale corpse woman pushes for gondola express premiums between the spires!"

Chetney's obsession with wood... chasing a "wild man".... talks like a werebeaver, walks like a werebeaver...

Fearne and Ashton having fun stealing harmless knick knacks from each other is the BEST lmao

Living in Europe means that every Monday afternoon I now sing, very loudly, "It's Thursday niiiiiight!" and only feel slightly stupid for it.

I love Matt's reaction to Chutney's decision to run @ 4:11:38. Like he genuinely did not see that coming, then totally just rolls with it and continues narrating. Downright masterful.

Jrusar is probably one of my favourites cities in Exandria. It's just absolutely fantastic and every description of it has me riveted. I REALLY need 'a rainy night in Jrusar' ambient noise to just regularly listen to. Everything about it is so gorgeous, the concept of this immense, intricate city high above a jungle and enveloped in all that mist is incredible.

i was totally convinced that Chetney was just gonna be another troll character but that last sequence was performed so perfectly. Travis and Chetney molded into one and now im hooked on the fact that Travis is playing a rogue and not some tank or tank-ish character. Well done

2:39:20 ish FCG (but mostly Sam): Yeah we’re talking about now busting out a werewolf man from an ivory tower so that he can recommend you for an apprentice carpenter job? Is that what’s happening? Matt: *dying of laughter*

"I need multiple strong individuals to aid me in the herculean task of moving this mountainous bookshelf." *IT WAS ON WHEELS!*

40:10 Mercer says, "It's your game, man, tell me where you want to go!" And that line really got me.

I was deeply sick with COVID when this episode aired I thought it would help with the illness. I ended up falling asleep and having a fever dream where FCG was trying to cut my bed in half

Anyone else curious why Sam is dressed up as “hello fellow kids” Steve Buscemi?

FCG: Are you going to f#&k this ogre? Three foot tall Nott the Brave to a minotaur: Is there a Mrs. Sunbreaker? Sam "I live to troll" Riegel, everybody

Ashton's background is perfect for this setting. They're just so messy and get in so much trouble, they forget who they're on good terms with. And if the story fits the next npc can be more hostile or friendly when it fits, like in response to a check. Some information is easier or harder to get, some people are harder or easier to deal with. Love it.

Elven dude: hey is someone invisible here. *Shattering of glass* Elven dude: he just left

Fuck, Travis is killin this. Fucking dying, best character in this batch.

Laudna: It's nice to be believed in! Imogen: Can I roll an insight check?

So glad Travis is back... I haven't laughed this hard in a long time.

Sam invented the Nordlore but now he just sits to the side and let's the chaos unfold

The group: lets take Pretty to the theater! [Somewhere on Exandria] Artagan: AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The ladies get flirty and get a date, while the boys blow their money and get shot at 😂 i love this

Chetney: *Exists* Marisha: *Can't*

I think Dorian might be en route to become best friends with Chetney, and I'm fully on board with that arc

The fact that the gals all decided to keep their promise to take Pretty out is really sweet. Seeing nice/sweet characters who aren’t conventionally attractive or normal get used purely as the butt of a joke makes me sad sometimes. Pretty may be an ogre, but he’s a sweetheart who takes pride in his work, and he deserves nice things.

3:21:50 Matt starts roleplaying Eshteross eating cookies while listening to The Party discuss dates

travis seems like he's having so much fun with chetney, i love it

Can we keep Robbie? Like, for good? I can't imagine being emotionally prepared to say goodbye to Robbie or his character. Let's just adopt him

Sam Riegel: Smiley day to ya, fellow kids!

3:23:25 Ashton's rant sounded too specific. You ok bro? Whos sister did you kiss? lmao

When Ashton asks "what have you been reading", I really wanted FCG to mention something about an "old book called Tusk Love" or something like that.

They're really taking the comedic moments to a whole new level this season . Fearne and Chetney are to die for

I love how during this whole episode Sam was dressed like that guy from the "How do you do fellow kids?" meme.

At 23:00 and a few minutes before, you can see Matt is a forgiving DM, he mentioned that Fearne has her hand released like 3 times to let Ashley knows that she can do her spell now…

Greatful to see that Chetney keeps up the tradition of rogues going on solo missions that inevitably go tits up.

3:29:22 For some reason, this simple guard exchange made me laugh the hardest.

Liam and Laura's sibling energy can not be contained. He stole that snack so fast, lmao

2:43:32 Liam stealing whatever Laura’s eating is top tier sibling behavior