After a successful first season on Prime Video following a record-breaking Kickstarter, the team at Critical Role looks to up the ante in The Legend of Vox Machina season 2. After saving the realm from evil and destruction at the hands of the terrifying power couple in Exandria, Vox Machina is faced with saving the world once again—this time, from a sinister group of dragons known as the Chroma Conclave.
Before the first trio of episodes drops on Friday, January 20, 2023 for The Legend of Vox Machina season 2, we had the opportunity to speak with the executive producers and titular cast members: Ashley Johnson, Travis Willingham, Matthew Mercer, Taliesin Jaffe, Liam O’Brien, Marisha Ray, and Sam Riegel. Unfortunately, Laura Bailey was unable to attend.
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The transcription of the interview was has been edited for length and brevity.
BUT WHY THO: Ashley, as a cleric, sometimes it might seem that all you have to do is heal, but Pike really has amazing moments in combat, particularly when she’s aiding her friends. Can you talk about what it’s like to see Pike kicking so much ass during The Legend of Vox Machina season 2 and what it’s like to bring that to life?
ASHLEY JOHNSON: Oh, my gosh. I mean, it’s the coolest. From a bigger picture, playing this game and playing at the table with your friends, imagining what these battles feel like or look like inside your head, being able to present that to the world in a very, very cool way in an animated series, and being able to see that is a feeling I really don’t know how to describe fully because it’s just a really good feeling. On top of that, the fact that Pike is now able to be with the team a little bit more and is present and fully here, it’s pretty cool.
BUT WHY THO: Travis, over the course of the lead-up to the premiere, you’ve talked a lot about how season two dials everything up in terms of the humor, the gore, the character moments, etc. How do you think the series balances so many great epic battles and awe-inspiring moments while still being able to achieve that kind of relatable humor, even in the series’ most serious moments?
TRAVIS WILLINGHAM: It’s definitely a challenge, especially in a half-hour format. It’s something that we have to refine as we move through. We frequently find ourselves writing the first half of the season and finishing the second half and coming back and changing things in the first because really one of the keys to success is that pace. There’s kind of a clock in our heads when we’re in scenes where comedy is needed or when we’re hitting dramatic moments and just trying to send our fans on the most roller coaster turns that we possibly can in an episode. A lot of it has to do with us now moving through different locations through Exandria, so we’re excited to take the audience off of the continent of Tal’dorei and start to explore the world outside of that. We think we’ve got some good twists and turns in store for folks.
BUT WHY THO: Taliesin, fans got a lot of Percy’s backstory in season one. What can fans expect to see from his arc since he had such a big one in season one? Has he had enough time to deal with everything in the midst of a dragon invasion?
TALIESIN JAFFE: Oh, no, not at all. No, not even a little. I think that at the very least, for what’s coming up, especially with everybody else kind of getting a moment to look at what they’re doing, it’s going to be an awful lot of for Percy trying desperately to prove that he’s more than just a guy who gets possessed and almost kills everybody, but actually is helpful. But maybe again, it probably won’t go well is what I’ll put out there.
BUT WHY THO: Matt, at New York Comic Con 2022 you spoke about The Legond of Vox Machina bringing forth a lot of relatable trauma and I’m inclined to agree. What do you think makes this series so relatable for viewers in a world of dragons, ancient gods, and magic?
MATTHEW MERCER: For one, we all have a love of the genre. I love the fantasy genre for my entire life. I’m a big fan of swords and sorcery and mythology and fantastical beasts and all these things that make the genre great. But what makes our home games so wonderful and what I really enjoy about what we’ve been doing with this series since is capture the fact that we’re all just a bunch of dumbasses stumbling through this mass, well-known, well-tread genre. Relatability comes from the fact that we’re not writing characters to try and fit in the world. We’ve created characters that live in it but live in it in a way that is kind of the in-between. Between the expected Tolkieneqsue tropes of high elves and honorable people and the slap dickery that normal people have to deal with and often project every day. Anyone who’s played a tabletop role-playing game knows that it is sometimes a very unique blend of very serious dramatic moments and trauma and also moments of absolute ridiculousness. Like absurd ridiculousness. And that’s kind of what made our game so fun to play. That’s what made our stream grow so big. And those are exactly the important facets that we want to make sure to carry through honestly into this series. And it’s a big focus for us as we go forward.
BUT WHY THO: Liam, there are some jaw-dropping moments in The Legend of Vox Machina season two, just like there were when y’all were sitting around the table during the Chroma Conclave arc. What’s it like seeing those carefully planned out moments, some of which you had the ideas for, along with some of those twists and turns brought to life in animation?
LIAM O’BRIEN: It’s mind-blowing. We lived in our mind palace for so long and have had those memories sort of etched into our brains. I thought before we started this entire series, like, how could it live up? How could it live up to my imagination? Nothing beats imagination. Maybe that’s true, but boy, howdy season two, episode one, when the dragons come and things start to fall, it was there. It is just awe and dread inspiring. And it really feels like in the first episode of the season, what the hell are these guys going to do? They’re just going to eat it?
BUT WHY THO: Sam, the musical numbers that Scanlan puts forth in this season are fantastic and mix in a variety of genres. Do you have a favorite style that you got to perform for the series or is there a genre that you hope to incorporate in the future? And when can we expect that live concert?
SAM REIGEL: Any day now we will have a live musical performance, possibly at an Ice Capade show if I get my way. We’ve gotten to play with a lot of musical genres, from hip-hop rap to 80s power ballads and even a little country western music this season. My heart is truly an 80s – 90s rock sort of vibe. But I really liked doing the duet with Ashley Johnson in season two that’s probably one of the funest songs that we’ve ever done on the show, and I hope the fans like it too. Live concert, ya. Just please sign the petition. Let’s get it going.
BUT WHY THO: Marisha, at New York ComicCon 2022 when you asked about Keyleth being the strongest member of Vox Machina, you said, “You can be the most powerful person in the world, but if you don’t believe it, then what good is it going to do?” I think there’s no better way to describe Keyleth as a character and her arc. What do you hope that viewers will get out of watching Keyleth take her next steps to become what everyone knows she can be in The Legend of Vox Machina season 2?
MARISHA RAY: I’ve always hoped that Keyleth could inspire everybody, especially young women or young people who might be questioning themselves. Honestly, just to be any type of inspiration for people to be able to trust their gut and find their voice. I think that’s just so important, especially in today’s world and today’s climate.
BUT WHY THO: Without giving too much away, who is outside of your own character, who is your favorite character arc that you see in season two and we’ll just kind of go down the line? Liam. Sam Mercia.
LIAM O’BRIEN: I’m going to say Vex. I love seeing Vex, who is so guarded in season one, so like closed off to the group in a lot of ways because she’s so protective and careful. Seeing her open up and welcome in the rest of Vox Machina and just we get to see all the colors of the rainbow with her.
MARISHA RAY: I was also going to save Vex. Instead of changing my answer, I’ll just add to that because I think also knowing that Vex needed the approval of her family, her father specifically, so deeply and really trying to come to terms with if she actually needs that and finding that comfort and support from members of the group. And also, of course, there was a little bit of like threatening girl drama with Keyleth moving in on Vax. So having the ladies come together was super rewarding and super great.
SAM REIGEL: I was going to say your character, Marisha, I really liked Keyleth’s growth in this season. She still has someplace to go in season three and forward, but in this season, she gets some really cool moments. There’s one episode in particular where she really sort of comes to life and steps into her own and I think it might be my favorite episode of the season.
The cast of Critical Role is always a treat to talk to. Their energy and passion for the stories that The Legend of Vox Machina season 2 tells is undoubtedly infectious. Be on the look for the three-episode season premiere exclusively on Prime Video on Friday, January 20 with 3 episodes dropping every Friday throughout the 12-episode season.
