Prime Video’s Near-Perfect Fantasy Series Makes Game Of Thrones’ Red Wedding Look Small (Again)

Once again, Prime Video’s iconic fantasy franchise has proven with its first season 4 episodes that the show is a perfect match for the most jaw-dropping moments of Game of Thrones. The news that HBO’s second Game of Thrones spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, has been renewed for a second and third season will be music to the ears of anyone who enjoys the show’s lighter, more playful take on the world of Westeros.

After all the bloody brutality of Game of Thrones and its first spinoff, House of the Dragon, the relative simplicity of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms feels like a welcome suprise. The show still has plenty of moments of mature content and some gruesome gore, but A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is an altogether less grim and gritty fantasy show. In contrast, House of the Dragon’s focus on political machinations and warfare makes the show arguably even heavier than Game of Thrones.

However, neither of these official spinoffs feels like the most tonally fitting follow-up to Game of Thrones. That title actually goes to an unrelated Prime Video show that has recaptured the balance of brutality, subversive shock value, and compelling character-based fantasy drama that made the original HBO show a hit in the first place. Based on the actual play Dungeons and Dragons podcast Critical Role, The Legend of Vox Machina is currently starting its fourth season on Prime Video.

The Legend Of Vox Machina Has Twice Outdone The Red Wedding

The Legend of Vox Machina season 4, episode 3, “The Coronation,” proves that the animated fantasy show can go toe to toe with Game of Thrones any day when it comes to the jaw-dropping shocks of both shows. The first three episodes update viewers on what happened to Grog, Pike, Percy, Scanlan, Vax, and Keyleth since the season 3 finale, as well as introducing potential new party members and possible villains into the mix.

However, things only ramp up near the close of “The Coronation,” when the death cult, the Children of Truth, invade Keyleth’s coronation and stage a viciously violent ambush. Serving The Legend of Vox Machina’s new villain The Whispered One, these cult members are almost unstoppable thanks to their slavish devotion to their master. They don’t fear death, which allows them to attack with impunity during the big battle at the coronation.

This isn’t the first time that The Legend of Vox Machina has managed to rival the infamous Red Wedding from Game of Thrones with a shocking, sudden attack on its main characters. When the Chroma Conclave arrived in the show’s season 1 finale, this brutal moment completely reshaped the narrative of the series going forward. The titular band only defeated the Chroma Conclave at the end of season 3, with this moment going on to define two entire outings of the show.

The Legend Of Vox Machina Proves You Don’t Need To Kill Characters To Make A Big Impact

For fantasy shows that exist in the shadow of the Game of Thrones franchise, it can be tempting to kill off major characters for the sake of increasing a show’s stakes. However, this strategy has its downsides, as shows can soon run low on compelling heroes, and viewers often give up on shows that feel too grim, downbeat, or outright hopeless.

Fortunately, the Critical Role shows The Legend of Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein have avoided this mistake so far, as both can pull off truly brutal, shocking moments without losing major protagonists in the process. This is achieved by ensuring that moments of violence have tangible consequences outside death, like a major The Legend of Vox Machina character losing their eyes in the assault on the coronation and remaining unable to see at the end of the episode.

Release Date

January 27, 2022

Network

Prime Video

Showrunner

Brandon Auman

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  Laura Bailey

  Vex’ahlia (voice)

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  Taliesin Jaffe

  Percy (voice)

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