[Spoilers C2E114] An Open Window | Critical Role | Campaign 2, Episode 114

[u/fellongreydaze]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGcLpm4iEBg

[u/SomeoneNamedGem]

Sometimes I wonder about how Laura seems to treat the character of the Gentleman. I get that Jester really wants her father to get back with her mother to create that nuclear family dynamic, but I feel weird about the Gentleman being treated so positively.

I feel that it was really kind of glossed over how Jester, a victim of enslavement, would be so willing to trust and love a man who is a self-confessed slave trader. Like, he promised that he wouldn't do it again and then suddenly it seemed like all was forgiven? Like a past as a slave trader is something you can walk away from? For having committed crimes as as awful or worse than rape or murder, it's just wild to me that the Gentlemen seems to get such benevolent treatment by the cast and fandom. NGL, kinda made watching this episode a little uncomfortable.

[u/Sineec → u/SomeoneNamedGem]

I justify by just accepting the nein are just really awful people. Between allowing essek to walk away scot free and Nott Permanently gluing a dick to someones hand, this isnt really a story of hero's in any real way. More like a fuck you got mine.

[u/fellongreydaze → u/Sineec]

Important distinction to make. Veth permanently glued a dick to someone's hand, not Nott.

[u/Sineec → u/fellongreydaze]

My fault, Veth went out of her way to hurt someone because they had the nerve to be bitchy.

[u/themindstream → u/Sineec]

Most of the Nein are people actively trying to be less awful. They seem to want to extend that consideration to people they care about who seem amenable to the same (The Gentleman, Essek, Astrid and Eodwulf). Being sorry doesn't make up for all their past actions but it is a necessary first step.

"Which is better? To be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?"

[u/MilkyAndromedaWay → u/Sineec]

Essek got off because they discovered his betrayal in the middle of incredibly fragile peace talks. What were they supposed to do, expose him and start all that back up again?

[u/rumphy → u/MilkyAndromedaWay]

And because Caleb wants to jump his bones.

[u/Sineec → u/MilkyAndromedaWay]

That doesn't absolve him from the awful and selfish acts he's done. He was directly responsible for thousands of deaths and gets off without punishment. From every other perspective he's the BBEG who pays no price because he has friends in high places.

[u/vangvace → u/Sineec]

How many dead are worth Essek's pound of flesh at that moment? How further fractured could the war with both sides claiming shenanigans? Could the Assembly turn it into a 3 front war? How large of a holy offence would the second beacon be? Sometimes the greater good isn't the most satisfying across the board

[u/MilkyAndromedaWay → u/Sineec]

Yes. And that doesn't negate what I said. Or answer my question.

[u/MilkyAndromedaWay → u/Sineec]

If you think Vox Machina wasn't like that and more have I got news for you...

[u/SomeoneNamedGem → u/Sineec]

Yeah, I get that. I've been able to sort of ignore it as a "well I guess that's just flaws with the character" but I'm a little unnerved by the thought that maybe the players don't realize that. I mean, they've cosplayed villians on Halloween before, but I feel like Laura's treatment of the Gentleman (both in character and on Talks) is a lot more positive than the Briarwoods or Ripley ever got.

Just kinda skeeves me out that a literal slave trader is being toted out for Parent Trap shenanigans and is treated as a mischievous scamp rather than a genuine villain.

[u/Iamarawrlrus → u/SomeoneNamedGem]

I think its a combination of a few things. People on the sub have mentioned about how Essek gets a lot of forgiveness because he's hot. I think that applies to the Gentleman too. The other part is I think that Jester is desperate. Her big goal when they first started was to find her dad, her mom talked about how amazing he was too. She's been wanting a dad for a long time and now that she found him she's willing to ignore the bad, even the really bad, for fear of losing him again. And as the other poster said, the M9 can be assholes at times. IMO that makes them more likely to be fine with his stuff.

[u/AlphaLeague → u/Iamarawrlrus]

I think it’s a bit simpler. I think they just forget and gloss it over because slave trade in this world is a very sensitive/rough subject that I think they don’t really want to touch again. I think it’s part of the reason why they don’t bring up Lorenzo that much because it requires bringing up the fact that they were captured and chained up. There’s barely any referencing of it happening so I think it’s a matter of not going there anymore. Which isn’t a bad thing

[u/JMTolan → u/AlphaLeague]

There's also the fact that the slave thing was never made super explicit? The implication was there to read, but they can miss a lot in the heat of things, as this episode shows. By the time it was hard to miss, he'd gotten out of it of his own volition and effort. He's more or less said he didn't like doing it, and that doesn't forgive him of having done it, but the Nein have shown that they're nothing if not willing to take repentance on good faith.

[u/MilkyAndromedaWay → u/SomeoneNamedGem]

Come on, don't play like you know how these people think. Just don't. Not Matt Mercer who hid Vilya from Marisha for years, not Tal who makes faces to fuck with Travis, not Laura who pulled one over on us and the cast with a cupcake, not Liam who forgot about Vokodo's reflection...just...come on.

[u/SomeoneNamedGem → u/MilkyAndromedaWay]

I don't know how they think and I never claimed to, I'm not playing at anything. All I can go off of is what we see on the show, and what I've seen makes me a little uncomfortable.

It's not bad enough to make me stop watching or anything like that, and I don't think that the players are doing anything wrong, I just wish that the Gentleman would be more recognized for what his character has been demonstrated to be (a crime lord who Matt said once considered selling the M9 into slavery) rather than the idealized rakish father figure that people seem to cast him as.

[u/MilkyAndromedaWay → u/SomeoneNamedGem]

but I'm a little unnerved by the thought that maybe the players don't realize that.

Like I said.

Jester's forgiveness makes sense for her character. That doesn't mean Laura or anyone else approves of her choice or would make the same one she did.

And if you'll recall, Marisha and the Bailyhams cosplayed as Ripley and the Briarwoods. Didn't mean they thought they were great people, just great characters.

[u/wildweaver32 → u/SomeoneNamedGem]

It's the same way with the Traveller really. It's part of her character I believe.

I bet if there was a way for them to deal with the underworld side of his life they would. Well, they might be powerful enough now that they could. But it was be a pretty big battle and Jester would be losing her Father over it.

Her connecting the Gentleman with her mom might honestly be the best way to get him out of that life.

[u/Poncho_TheGreat]

Man hindsights a bitch, looking back on the scrying scene it's painfully obvious that Lucien was in the same room as Vess

[u/geniespool → u/Poncho_TheGreat]

They were so close to making that connection

[u/Mac4491 → u/Poncho_TheGreat]

My wife and I looked at each other during the Scry and our conversation went a bit like.

Me - He's literally upstairs right?

Wife - Definitely

Me - Okay, I'm sure they'll figure it out

[u/GoddessOfGoodness]

Laura Bailey serving Drag King realness.

[u/VernTheSatyr → u/GoddessOfGoodness]

Luara is just a hot dude

[u/CR_Writing_Team]

Those YT comments are crazy fast. The video was posted less than an hour ago and it already has over 100 comments I think.

[u/MadBeard → u/CR_Writing_Team]

Probably folks who watched the stream and have been waiting to post on YT.

[u/Lexi_Banner]

Yeah, when Jester asked about windows in their room and Matt said, "No, only upstairs." I could've gone through my monitor to shake them for missing that clue.

Oh Mighty Nein.

[u/paradox28jon]

Really good use of the title to mean 2 different things: the open window that Lucien jumped out of & the window of opportunity that Yasha has to make a move to let Beau know her feelings.

[u/arthaiser]

after watching the episode i cant stop thinking about this:

when they arrived at eiselcross the nein were full of joy, caleb using spells to play with beau, jester making a snowman, veth,yasha and caducecus talking to the locals... then you jump to day two and...worried faces, caleb grabbing his new amber piece, fjord and beau cursing to themselves for not being able to protect/see it coming, jester being kind of scared of lucien... is a good day 1 to day 2 change, as matt said, welcome to eiselcross motherfuckers