Since the beginning, it seems like Vox Machina has gotten by thanks to pure, unadulterated dumb luck. The ragtag bunch of misfits might see themselves as a found family, their dysfunction prevents them from acting as a true team most of the time. And yet, that hasn’t stopped them from saving Tal’Dorei from omnicidal dragons or the undead.
In the final three episodes of The Legend of Vox Machina season 4, that luck finally starts to run out. Not only is Vecna the Whispered One the most powerful enemy the group has encountered, he’s also the most clever as he’s always several steps ahead….
Episode 10: Vox Machina Risks Everything to Save Pike
We start episode 10 “The Poisoned Ear” with Vox Machina returning to Whitestone after the disastrous temple mission in episode 9. With Grog presumed dead and Pike trapped in Thar Amphala, the group has been shaken to their core. Taryon Darrington is especially devastated because Pike and Grog were the first members of Vox Machina he met and inspired him to become a hero.
Percy believes the only way to save Pike is by reopening the magical orb beneath Whitestone Castle and using it to enter the Whispered One’s realm. The council refuses because reopening the portal could allow the Whispered One to invade Exandria. Percy’s sister Cassandra is also against the plan, but Percy argues that he doesn’t want to abandon Pike the way he abandoned the people of Whitestone when the Briarwoods took over years earlier.
Even though the council stands in their way, Vox Machina decides they will not leave Pike behind. Vex tricks Cassandra into thinking she’s turned against Percy while Taryon prepares enchanted amulets that will allow the group to safely pass through the orb to get to Thar Amphala.
At the same time, Keyleth works on a possible cure for Vax’s blight using the magical flower she recovered from Delilah Briarwood’s laboratory. Vax is hesitant because he doesn’t trust anything connected to Delilah. He continues to place his faith in the Matron of Ravens while Keyleth refuses to believe fate should decide how their story ends.
Meanwhile, Pike arrives in Thar Amphala where she’s offered safe passage instead of imprisonment. Gideon, revealed to be the mortal form of the Whispered One, tries to convince Pike that the gods have always failed humanity. He claims they ignored the suffering of mortals and silenced anyone who challenged them. He even shares his own tragic backstory by placing his blood on Mythcarver, turning the sword into a mystical projector.
500 years ago, the Whispered One was a student who was tired of seeing nothing but death while the gods remained apathetic. He met a like-minded sorceress and together they found a way to reach the gods by mixing arcane magic with science. The duo implored the gods to undo the mass casualties and the damage they caused, only to be rebuffed. So the lovers decided that the only way to change things was to create the ultimate paradise.
But the gods intercepted their plans. Not only did they banish Vecna to Thar Amphala for his arrogance, but the love of his love was erased from existence. He insists he only wanted to eliminate death and give people true freedom. Whether the Whispered One is actually telling the truth is unclear, but Pike can’t ignore how his arguments connect to her own grief.
Gideon strengthens his case by revealing Grog’s restored body. He explains that Pike’s celestial bloodline is the final piece needed for his ascension. If she willingly joins him, he promises to resurrect Grog, her great-great grandfather Wilhand and everyone they’ve lost. Pike is torn between her faith and the chance to undo so much pain.
Back at Whitestone, Vax receives a vision from the Matron where she reveals that both he is destined to deliver the killing blow to the Whispered One, which will lead to his death. Cassandra eventually realizes she’s been played by her sister-in-law and the council confronts Vox Machina.
The council puts up a good fight but it doesn’t stop the group from activating the portal. Tary decides to stay behind to fend off the council while the rest of Vox Machina enters the portal.
Episode 11: Pike Turns Against Vox Machina
Episode 11 “Let the End Begin,” wastes no time throwing Vox Machina into battle.
Vax’s blight actually gives him a massive power boost in Thar Amphala. He’s able to detect the shadowstones that’s keeping the Whispered One’s followers alive, giving the team a way to eliminate their enemies. Percy ambushes the Dark Bard and stabs him in the stomach, destroying his shadowstone gem. Vex crushes Talia’s shadowstone gem by piercing it through her chest, while Keyleth uses her elemental powers to deliver a fatal blow to Death Knight. She even turns the Beastmaster’s own creatures against him.
Yet their attacks aren’t enough to stop Delilah from using the blood of the Children of Truth to kickstart the ascension ritual.
Vax is the one who finds Pike and he’s shocked when she rejects his offer to go back home. Pike goes in on how she felt abandoned by the group drifting apart at the end of season 3. She believes Vox Machina are selfish and only care about themselves while having no qualms with ignoring the pain of others.
Unfortunately, nobody brings up how Pike is just as much to blame for her isolation from Vox Machina. She was the one who chose not to reach out to anyone for a whole year! She also chose to drink herself senseless with Grog instead of finding ways to help the people of Exandria recover from the devastation the Chroma Conclave wrought. But no one wants to have that conversation.
Gideon has convinced Pike that death itself is the real enemy and that his new world would spare everyone from experiencing that pain. She even turns her weapons on Vox Machina while declaring “I am his blood.”
Episode 12: The Whispered One’s Real Plan Is Revealed
It’s Pike vs Vox Machina in episode 12 “The Ascension.” She admits she already gave Gideon her blood before Vox Machina showed up, which explains why we’re in the middle of the ascension ritual.
The group holds themselves back from hurting Pike but sadly, she doesn’t feel the same way. To her, it doesn’t matter if she kills her friends because they can be revived after Gideon’s ascension. All she cares about is giving Gideon enough time to bring Grog back and complete his ascension.
When Grog is resurrected, he’s horrified to see his best friend has sided with the Whispered One. He reminds her that Wilhand would never want this future. Despite his status as a dumb barbarian, Grog is smart enough to recognize that he and Wilhand didn’t die for no reason and that grief isn’t a good excuse to sacrifice everyone else. After Pike accidentally wounds Grog during their fight, he rejects her attempts to heal him and leaves to face Gideon. It’s enough for Pike to finally realize how far she’s fallen. Her desperate attempt to save the people she loves is hurting them instead.
Pike renounces Gideon and rejoins Vox Machina as they confront Delilah. Vax (hopefully) kills Delilah for good this time while Pike refuses to allow Gideon to manipulate her again. Grog punching the shit out of Gideon while screaming “Stop! Using! Words! On! My! BUDDIES!” is chef’s kiss.
During the final battle, Vax carries Gideon into the sky before Keyleth lands the killing blow to prevent Vax’s fated death. Once Vox Machina returns to the ziggurat under Whitestone, Keyleth gives Vax her potion which frees him from the Matron’s divine influence. It seems like Vox Machina saved the day again and Vax’s life. Time to ride off into the sunset, right?
Wrong!
It turns out the Whispered One needed Gideon to die to complete his ascension. Every decision Vox Machina made throughout the season was the result of the Whispered One manipulating the group this entire time. When the group split up, Vecna was the one who planted the idea of reuniting them into Taryon’s mind by adding chapters of their adventures to his books. He exploited Pike’s wavering faith in her god, the Everlight and her compounding grief. No matter what anyone did, the Whispered One was there to ensure the outcome was in his benefit.
Now that he’s officially a god, the Whispered One broadcasts his message across Exandria through his followers. You see, he gets his strength from people’s belief in him. He figures that forcing Vox Machina to submit to him before all of Exandria will only make him even stronger. And if they refuse, then he’ll kill Vax since (thanks to Keyleth) Vax has been stripped of his divine powers. You know, the only thing that can stop the Whispered One now!
Before the Whispered One can finish his ultimatum, Keyleth is on her knees saying she’ll submit. The rest of Vox Machina follow suit. When it’s Vax’s turn, he spits in the Whispered One’s face and tells the god to “get fucked.” His final act of defiance costs him as the Whispered One kills him with a disintegration spell in front of his friends, lover and sister. The season ends with the Whispered One leaving as the ziggurat begins to collapse around our broken heroes.
Instead of delivering a triumphant ending, the season 4 finale subverts our expectations by handing Vox Machina their first real loss against a major antagonist. With season 5 confirmed to be the final season for The Legend of Vox Machina, the group has their work cut out for them.
Season 4 of The Legend of Vox Machina is available to stream on Prime Video.
