night-filled-mountain:

So apparently, I can’t stop writing about this episode?? These are some random thoughts on each member of the M9, the things they said and did this episode, and the dynamics we’re seeing among them. Spoilers ahead! Beware!!

FJORD

Made some major progress in Trusting the Group when he finally told them about his patron and the probable source of his powers…and then fucked it up by lying to them about the dream.

Why did he lie? Is he just tired of all the weird looks and questions? The poor guy has spent his whole life trying to blend in, after all. But is it more than that? Does his attraction to god-like power (and/or Avantika) go deeper than he let on? Is he afraid the M9 will reject him if they know how deep that rabbit hole goes? And don’t get me started on the dang accent, which, the more I think about it, throws everything about Fjord into question. Did he really grow up in an orphanage? Does he really not know anything about his family? Was he really just a simple sailor, or did he have some ulterior mission? WHO ARE YOU, FJORD? WHO ARE YOU!?!? 😵😵😵

CALEB

The only member of the M9 who’s bothering to seriously question Fjord’s motives and headspace right now…and obviously, it’s blatant hypocrisy on his part, and he admitted as much to Beau (”As a huge liar…I think he’s lying to us”). Caleb’s obviously worried about the threat Fjord’s current storyline is posing to group cohesion and to Caleb’s own goals, but is he worried about Fjord himself? 

Nott’s scolding about the tentative way Caleb said “We’re friends” was hilarious (and represented some progress–we’ve gone from “I want to hear you say it” to “Don’t say it like that”), but I am, as always, dying to see one of those glimpses of real empathy from Caleb–especially since the parallels between him and Fjord are growing surprisingly strong. After the Lorenzo debacle, we had that one incredible Caleb/Fjord exchange (”You cannot blame yourself when you are taken advantage of”), and now we have Caleb, of all people, asking Fjord if he really wants “the responsibility of that much power.” It’s not exactly the time or place right now, but it’s feeling more and more important that Caleb break down and share his backstory with the rest of the group–and especially with Fjord, who he actually promised it to a million years ago (along with the mariner’s armor, in exchange for the Glove of Blasting).

BEAU

As typically curt and blunt as she was, I thought Beau was really ethically consistent in this episode. She was right that it’s one thing to know (or suspect) your teammate’s freaky secrets, and another to share that with the rest of the group or press them to do something about it. She’s kept 100% quiet about Caleb’s backstory, not even hinting at it when the subject of Trent or the Soltryce Academy comes up, and she’s extending Fjord the same courtesy while he struggles with his own messy web of truth and lies. Interesting that she belongs to an order whose first goal is to hoard information, and she’s been diligently doing just that, but despite Caleb’s repeated prompting, she hasn’t quite made the leap to the Cobalt Soul’s second goal: using that information to take down corrupt systems.

Also totally fascinating, and kind of hilarious: On separate and unrelated occasions, both Caleb and Fjord have entrusted this young, chaotic mess of a monk with essentially being their ethical bodyguard, watching them for any sign of a slide toward the dark side. And of course, they’re both supposed to do the same for her. This has just become the weirdest and wildest friendship/pact triangle–or quadrangle, if you throw in Caleb and Nott’s promise to help each other accomplish their goals at all costs! More and more, this campaign seems to be shaping into “pacts with gods and shady higher powers vs. pacts with friends who are just as confused and fucked up as you are.” And I know which side I’m on, and I’m rooting for it so hard, even though I have no idea what it will mean for their powers or their epic “destinies.”

NOTT

I very much enjoyed Nott’s fun, chaotic arcane-trickster raid on the Squall-eater’s cargo hold, but what I enjoyed even more was her absolute devotion to helping Fjord accomplish his goals and retaining group unity. Nott was dead serious when she turned that corner after Molly’s death and declared her love for the group. She’ll throw in her lot with her family under any circumstances now, even if it means talking over Caleb’s objections, which is a huge and (I think) a positive step for her. Especially when she’s promising support to Fjord, who I think she’s had less one-on-one bonding with than anyone else in the M9 (even Caduceus!). She really is the loving kleptomaniac mother they all deserve.

JESTER

After some really poignant moments last episode, Jester spent most of this one being adorable and/or hilarious, but that was ok–it was Fjord’s time to shine. I loved her drawing angry pictures of Avantika in the background, and Beau checking up on her and counting the pencils she was breaking. Also, Beau took a leaf out of Nott’s book and called her “Jessie,” and I melted into a speechless puddle of Jello. Other highlights: Jester using “Sapphire” as her pirate name, Avantika calling her “adorable,” and Jester and Caduceus teaming up for the spooky Thaumaturgy whispers.

CADUCEUS

Basically spent this episode being the other half of Team Adorable Clerics, charming Avantika with his cooking skills and color palette, and totally failing to recognize the significance of a gun to his head. But I also loved his calm reassurance, to Fjord and the rest of the group, that they will help Fjord figure out what’s going on and then help him decide how to proceed.

Also, it’s becoming increasingly common for Fjord, Jester, Caduceus, and Yasha to talk about and bond over their different experiences of dreams and visions and deities/patrons, and it’s getting so deeply intriguing. Not only does it highlight the whole ‘complex epic destiny’ vibe that I talked about in my last post, but it really serves to set Beau, Caleb, and Nott apart, since they don’t share in that kind of experience at all. It’s part of what made them so fascinating when they briefly became their own little tag team after Molly’s death: Not only are they the most Neutral-feeling members of the party, but they’re the three without any kind of divine or mystical “higher” compass to follow. They’re always left entirely to their own devices, blundering about and doing the best they can, and that makes the three of them so precious to me in a way I can’t quite define.

YASHA

Much as I loved Yasha getting her ass slapped by Beau and choosing Janet as a pirate alias…her shining moment in this episode was definitely her insight into Molly’s connection to Avantika’s cult and Fjord’s backstory. Ashley’s and Taliesin’s face journeys throughout the episode, their whispering together, and the restrained emotion Yasha showed when she finally spoke up…ugh, it just makes it so frustrating that Ashley probably won’t be back for ages! There is so much potential for Molly’s and Lucien’s stories to keep on unfolding despite Molly’s death, and that one moment made me so, so eager to see Yasha deeply involved in it, to see her push for answers and find some sort of closure.