Sci Fi TV Review: The Mighty Nein

The Mighty Nein is darker than The Legend of Vox Machina and is dense with lore, but so far it has delivered a decent fantasy entry with pristine animation and an interesting central group.

What Is It?

This adult-animated fantasy series from Critical Role Productions is set in the world of Exandria (on the continent of Wildemount) and takes place about twenty years after the events of its predecessor series, The Legend of Vox Machina. The show follows a ragtag band of outcasts, fugitives, and misfits who must come together when a powerful arcane relic—known as “The Beacon”—falls into the wrong hands and threatens the very fabric of reality.

Streaming: Prime Video

Starring: Laura Bailey, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Matthew Mercer, Liam O’Brien

Created By: Critical Role Productions

Johnny Jay’s Thoughts:

The Mighty Nein comes from the same people who brought us The Legend of Vox Machina, and it takes place on the same world of Exandria (about twenty years after the events of the earlier series) but on a different continent. The setting is Wildemount, where two of that continent’s major powers—the oppressive Dwendalian Empire and the Kryn Dynasty, run by the drow elves—are on the verge of war. A powerful artifact known as the Beacon—believed to grant reincarnation to those who have died—is stolen from the Kryn, setting events in motion that could lead to a deadly conflict across the land.

That is a pretty simplistic description, and I hope I got all the details right, because I have to admit that I am somewhat confused by all the lore at this point. The series throws you right into the action with not much in the way of introduction to the various factions driving the storyline. And having watched The Legend of Vox Machina does not help because The Mighty Nein does not have much connection to the earlier series. So I have basically been reading Wikipedia and other sites to try and keep up as the show progresses.

But despite its convoluted nature and the amount of lore thrown at the viewer early on, I will say that I have been enjoying this one so far. The ongoing arc is establishing the lead-up to war, but the focus is more on the group of misfits that come to be known as “The Mighty Nein”. This disparate crew includes the young tiefling cleric Jester Lavorre, the down-on-his-luck human wizard Caleb Widogast, the goblin thief Nott the Brave, the half-orc Fjord Stone who mysteriously gains magical powers, the human monk Beau Lionett, and the tiefling former carnival leader Molly Tealeaf (I will let you look up the races on Wikipedia rather than spending time describing them here).

Each of these characters has their own story, some directly tied to the overarching arc, others not connected at this point. They find themselves thrown together in the classic fantasy-story manner and decide they have no other choice but to join forces. The name “The Mighty Nein” comes from a misunderstanding of what one of the characters said (“nein,” which is not a number but the German word for “no”), as there are only six members at this point (seven if you count the imaginary—or not-so-imaginary—Traveler). It appears that at least one more will join at some point based on the promo pics, but by the fourth episode, the team consists of six/seven.

Those who enjoyed The Legend of Vox Machina should find plenty to like about The Mighty Nein, as it has delivered a good fantasy story so far, and it benefits from a well-established world (as long as you have a scorecard to keep up with it). The main group offers a decent assortment of fantasy characters but does not follow the typical pattern of a strong warrior, a powerful wizard, a stealthy elf, a grumpy dwarf, a halfling along for the ride, and so on. You can find traces of these archetypes throughout the team, but for the most part, each character offers some interesting twists on the fantasy formula.

The Mighty Nein does rely on its share of well-worn fantasy tropes (the powerful artifact that must be retrieved, the misfit band of broken heroes forming a team, war is coming yet again, etc.), and it does its share of copy-and-paste lines. But it offers enough original ideas and character twists—along with a dense story that keeps the action moving—to maintain the viewer’s attention. And while this one is definitely darker than The Legend of Vox Machina, it still throws in humor from time to time. It also delivers some excellent animation along with a first-rate voice cast (mostly the same group from the previous series), making it a solid fantasy entry thus far.

I plan to stick with this one, as the story seems to be coming together nicely now, and those who enjoy a good fantasy tale should find much to like about The Mighty Nein.

What’s Next?

Amazon ordered two seasons of The Mighty Nein in advance, so it will at least continue its story into a second year. The Legend of Vox Machina has been renewed through its fifth season, which will be its last, and it seems like the newer entry from Critical Role will need about that long to play out its story. I like its chances, though, seeing as this animated franchise has performed well for Amazon so far.

Are you watching The Mighty Nein, and do you believe it stands out as a fantasy entry? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments section below.

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