The third episode of The Mighty Nein is a highly entertaining turning point which features a new character, some fantastic thoughtful moments, terrifying action, and a giant magical toad.
This episode begins with a terrifying clip of the carnival overhead, people running, Caleb and Nott fighting, and a person, with horns and whose skin is purple (one day I hope to get some clarity about the races in Neinworld, but for now I’m grateful they’re avoiding modern placid sci-fi worldbuilding and going straight to the action), with blood on their face, watching bodies around them in what is presumably the title carnival, screaming.
I have to interject and say the animation for this series is actually very deft and well done, and while I found the pacing for the first and second episode to be somewhat slow, that seems to change here. This episode felt like a half-payoff; a lot of the character buildup from the previous episodes begins to come due here, but it’s also continuing, and the coming-due ends with a cliffhanger. The combination is entirely entertaining and helps create the best episode of this series yet.
When we get back to the main show, we’re introduced to Screaming Devil: it’s actually Mollymauk “Molly” Tealeaf, tarot-card reader, counselor and general peacekeeper of a carnival. This new and intriguing character is introduced to us as a very sexy, tattooed lover, and quickly revealed to be the center of their community. He and his partner’s carnival is about to collapse financially, and they need a full house to survive. The first half of the episode feels entirely like setup; we’ve got not only yet another new and complex character to learn about, but a whole bunch of associated characters: show leaders, acrobats, carnies and more, including Toya the musical owner of the aforementioned toad. Molly’s quickly revealed not only the counselor but one of the two owners, and is extremely deft at getting people into seats. I loved Molly through and through, and I felt this episode was totally unfair to him. We watch as his entire family is destroyed, and honestly, I hold Caleb and Nott primarily responsible.
Beau isn’t actually that interesting for me in this episode, being essentially too focused on getting the Shiny Object (a pearl which seems to be more like an oyster, hiding a message with an important name) to interact more than negatively with the people around them. Jester Lavoree and Fjord Stone don’t have too much a serious role to play here; we do see a lot of character deepening, with Fjord gently trying to probe and understand the Traveler (and maybe, just a little, doubting the Traveler is real. Jester’s trying to help Fjord have fun. At the same time, Fjord is still struggling with his identity - the mirror rooms in the carnival were an excellent metaphor for Fjord figuring out who he is, ending with the image of Fjord as captain. Fjord and Molly so far are the two characters with the most in common, both having lost work families and father figures, and I’m curious to see how their relationship develops in the future.
Nott and Caleb are still my favorite pair up so far in the series. I’m never going to forget how Nott softened when Caleb called up the familiar cat spirit and cried to hold it. The quest continues for more magical components as Caleb works to find the Lumino beetles he found advertised at the end of Episode Two. I enjoy seeing this mini-team work together - they’ve developed a great relationship in two episodes, and watching Nott struggle with her addiction and alcoholism is a sharp note of reality in the mellow music of the carnival, even as we marvel at Nott’s ability to deceive entire crowds with a half-mask and great acting.
Watching everything go to hell as the characters begin to interact more and more was riveting. Nott and Caleb’s first attempt at theft fails, but the second is horrifyingly successful, and the Devil Toad once triggered rips its way through what looks like half the performers and the audience. Jester finally gets more magic from the Traveller, and Fjord works to save others. We finally get the payoff from the teaser starting the episode, and our team seems to be together for the first time - only to hit another cliffhanger as they’re all arrested.
As a Deaf person I don’t usually comment on voices but I think it’s absolutely cool that Lucy Liu is voicecast as the Empress of the Kryn Dynasty - her résumé is fully stocked with Empress roles, and she comes across as fairly terrifying and imperious in this episode. Right now I’m betting that the Kryn are the gooder guys, if not the good guys, but the complex plotting of this series makes it tough to tell. In this episode she shares exactly why she’s so concerned about the beacon falling into the hands of ignorant, if ambitious humans - and what would happen to her own people in the process of getting the Beacon back.
Cute Clever Carnie Convo Cameos
Bear: I studied at the Van der Fluit School of Performing Arts for this?
Sick man: You are the soothsayer, no?
Molly: I am indeed. Now, let us say some sooths, the cards tell me… you should rely less on mystical remedies and get a real physician.
Sick man: A doctor? Can they be trusted?
Molly: The cards don’t lie, friend.
Molly: Everything will be dandy as a de Rolo – a reference to Vox Machina, the first animated series produced by Critical Role
The bird race is called eisfuura; I get lucky sometimes learning names thanks to using captions when captions are done well, and this series does them well!
Jester: You are strong, and you don’t need a carnival game to tell you so.
Overall
This episode gets a 10/10 from me. I think Molly is the bee's knees from his tarot reading to his tattoos to his mysterious powers, and I'm enjoying seeing the Nein brought closer and closer together.
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