'The Legend of Vox Machina' Season 1, Episode 6 goes all freedom fighter

Episode 6 follows the grim return of Percival De Rolo and Vox Machina to Whitestone, Percy’s childhood home. The dark welcome is met with old friends and a rebel leader in need of a prison break, allowing Vox Machina to do what they do best: wreak havoc.

It’s like Shawshank but with More Magic

Episode six opens with Vox Machina making their way into Whitestone. After being greeted with disturbing caricatures of themselves hanging from the branches of the Suntree, the party sneaks their way through the streets, deftly avoiding the zombie giants that patrol the city. After being hidden from sight by some townsfolk, one of them notices Percy’s crest of the De Rolos and points them in the direction of an old religious leader named Keeper Yennen. Meeting up with Keeper Yennen, she brings Vox Machina to a hidden room where they begin to plan a prison break for a resistance leader, a childhood friend of Percy named Archibald Desnay. Archibald is being held by Captain Stonefell and the massive Duke Vedmire, making the plan to break him free dangerous, yet necessary.

Splitting into two teams, Vox Machina and the rebels of Whitestone move in and attack the prison. While Percy, Vax, and Scanlan fight against what can only be a cursed door made by the dark gods, the “front door team” makes their way confidently into the prison. Meeting up with them eventually, the party is discovered and the prison devolves into a battleground as Vox Machina fights their way to Archibald’s chamber. Finding him, they race to exit as Stonefell intercepts them, holding Scanlan as a hostage. Giving the order to kill him, Scanlan is able to trick Stonefell and the guards and narrowly escapes their clutches before the battle ensues. Resistance fighters and Whitestone guards fall alike as Captain Stonefell surrounds the party. Archibald charges forward to open the path, allowing Vox Machina to escape. However, Percy sees Stonefell and a name begins to burn on the side on the barrels of his pistol: “Pepperbox.” Hunting him like an animal, Percy sets to erase a name from his list. Meanwhile, the party fights to secure the exit, as Scanlan shows off a new spell he’s been working on that still needs a bit of development. Percy, with his prey cornered, slowly carves pieces out of Stonefell with his pistol as smoke rises from his collar, his eyes dark and inhuman.

Delivering the killing shot, Stonefell’s name is removed from Percy’s list, as Vax catches up with him to get Percy to leave. In the final moments of their escape as the prison burns to the ground, Archibald reveals that Percy’s sister Cassandra, who he long thought was dead, is in fact still alive and in the hands of the Briarwoods. Percy is seen with a new light, as hope for his family returns after years of pain and hatred.

The Lengths Taken to Avoid Therapy

Episode six is a dark but hopeful strike against the growing evil of Whitestone. Vox Machina finally gets a look at the damage and destruction of Percy’s youth, and the darkness and horrors that await them ahead. Whitestone is a shockingly desperate setting, beautifully set against the bright lights and sounds of Emon. The city feels like a festering wound, reflecting not only its undead wardens but also the darkness eating away at Percy’s soul. The episode perfectly reflects both the plot and the central character in a way that drags me in for more and more.