Deron Generally
Deron GenerallyThe Legend of Vox Machina
Prime Video
Season 3 Episode 4
Hell To Pay
While Vax, Keyleth, Pike, Grog and Scanlan seek magical armor in the Hells of Despath, Percy, Vex, Kima and Allura try to survive against the savage Vorugal. Can each team survive the fires of hell, and the frigid doom?
Pike and most of her teammates find themselves in hell and Pike is having a difficult time navigating the demon filled hellscape because she is losing her connection to the Everlight. Something that will make the next part of their journey a lot more difficult. This is a uniquely Pike focused episode and I love that.
The animators continue to craft some beautifully dark and disturbing imagery throughout the issue and is elicits the same emotions and uncertainty that Pike is dealing with throughout the episode. I love seeing Pike dealing with the reality of being in a place where her redemptive powers are a hindrance. You definitely see how the place is affecting her more than the others. There is a disturbing scene that illustrates that reality and Ashely Johnson absolutely delivers on Pike’s fears.
Things are not much better for the others as Vex and Percy find themselves looking for the missing Kima with an increasingly angry Allura. Pike and the others make their way to the lair of Zerxus where Pike decides to play a very dangerous game with the demon for the vestige. A game whose stakes increasingly rise and whose dangerous rise with them. I don’t want to say too much about it because it is so well done and tense it should be experienced. There is a lovely verbal sparring match between Pike and Zerxus filled with revelations about both characters.
Luis Carazo is brilliantly charming as Zerxus and I love seeing the character deal with not only his lost humanity, but also the demands of who and what he has become. It’s a darkly intriguing characterization that makes me interested in seeing an animated version of his final fall. The characters play off each other really well and Carazo plays a wickedly likable demon with an engaging backstory.
Episode 4 delivers on everything I was hoping for with a Pike focused episode. Ashley Johnson continues to showcase the emotional depths of Pike Trickfoot while also allowing her to be a conflicted, confident badass that is both bolstered and hampered by her need to help others. She is wonderfully complicated character and I look forward to seeing how this challenge to her faith plays out this season.
The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3 Episode 4
