The Legend of Vox Machina Season 4 Episode 8 Review

The Legend of Vox Machina

Prime Video

Season 4 Episode 8

The Bard’s Lament

Doty, take this down. An outing involved music, shouting, and at least one spectacular fight. I saved the day. Doty, make sure you got that last part.

A man makes his way to a nondescript building in search of someone called The Meat Man. When he enters, we see the return of our favorite Bard going full end of career Elvis alongside his daughter Kaylee. Vox Machina has tracked him down looking for Myth Carver and the tension within the group continues to be showcased.

I really like that the tension is palpable and that the issues the team are dealing with continue to be there with Pike being not so subtly angry at Scanlon and Keyleth and Vax discussing her recent discovery and what it might mean for his condition.

The meeting between Scanlon and the rest of the team is interesting as the Bard believes he’s changed and has set up some pretty strict rules that will keep him from rejoining the team. Pike and Taryon bond over their mutual dislike of the new Scanlon and the pair hatch a plan that is almost doomed to fail while Vex tries a different approach to getting in Scanlon’s good graces. An approach that will require more lying by omission which has definitely worked for them before (That was sarcasm for anyone unfamiliar with the concept.).

The team decide to have a bonding moment with Scanlan and it is incredibly awkward and funny while Pike and Kaylee have a moment as well. One that Pike definitely needed. Things take a dramatic turn when the truth of their mission is finally revealed and Scanlan does not take it well. Fans of the original campaign will recognize the moment that comes next and I love that the speech itself has more emotional resonance and meaning than it did in love action. It isn’t forced and is given great context by another character in its aftermath.

In the background of the episode is a B plot that is perfect for a character like Scanlan as a member of his band steals Myth Carver and attempts to escape with Vox Machina and Scanlan on his trail. What follows is the most unexpected and brilliantly executed musical battle between the two Bards. It is so brilliantly unhinged and visually exciting that I had a smile from ear to ear throughout it.

This episode is delightfully strange, but perfectly in step with Vox Machina. It has an obscene amount of humor throughout as well as some deep emotional moments that make these character multi-dimensional. I really loved the tone of this episode and where it leaves the group at the end both in their quest and with these feelings and emotions towards each other.