Episode 9 ramps up the stakes as Vox Machina embarks on a perilous mission to prevent Delilah Briarwood from completing a dangerous ritual before her expanding army can. What starts as a meticulously planned operation soon spirals into chaos, leaving the team reeling and facing one of its darkest moments yet.### Delilah’s Power Grows
We begin this episode with Taryon putting his tracking gems to good use. The group follows across the desert until they find Delilah’s secret stronghold. But they discover something more terrifying, a second anti-magic orb.
Vox Machina observes from a distance as Delilah addresses the Children of Truth. Clearly she is more influential, with more followers rallied around her cause. She talks with conviction about an end that is coming, and promises her faithful followers a way to something better.
It’s a sight that confirms everyone’s worst fears. Time is running out, and Delilah is advancing faster than expected.# Percy’s Dangerous Strategy
Percy finds the orb, and thinks that they may finally have a way to defeat Delilah.
Percy speculates that since the artifact suppresses magic around it, it might also nullify Delilah’s supernatural powers, including the ones that have made her so difficult to kill. If they can get her and her allies into the orb chamber, they might finally have the upper hand.
Taryon chimes in to expand on the idea. His plan is simple, but incredibly risky; trap Delilah and her followers close to the orb, then detonate huge quantities of black powder to destroy them all in one devastating blast.
The plan is dangerous, but it gives them the best chance they’ve got.# Vax’s Condition Is a Serious Problem
As the team prepares for the mission, Vax continues to fight his deteriorating condition.
The nearer he gets to the anti-magic orb, the more the pain increases. His physical state adds another layer of tension to the group, forcing them to weigh the success of the mission against the health of one of their most important members.
Still Vax will not stay behind## Breaching the Cult’s Fortress
The operation starts with Percy, Keyleth and Taryon sneaking underneath the orb chamber to place explosive barrels.
Nervous as he is, Percy manages to keep Taryon focused. Sorry, a small mistake almost crashes everything. A nearby guard hears the sound of a barrel falling and the trio are put in an unexpected confrontation.
One of Taryon’s magical devices keeps the fight hidden from the rest of the cult. The group manages to neutralize the threat and continues setting the trap.
Meanwhile Vax and Vex take a different tack.
They disguise themselves as desperate cult members and join the growing queue of followers clamoring for an audience with the cult’s priestess. The cultists have been given special pendants that are supposed to let them ascend to Thar Amphala.
Finally Vax reaches the ritual circle, and then manages to stall the process, manipulating things long enough to pull the priestess into the ritual space with him.
The deception provides the distraction Vox Machina needs.# Pike’s Judgment Is Cloudy With Revenge
But the plan, though well thought out, starts to go wrong as fighting breaks out all over the stronghold.
Pike is obsessed with the need to face Delilah herself. Instead of focusing on the mission, she allows her emotions to take over, and the rest of the team faces dangerous complications.
Her resolve is understandable, but it does point out one of Vox Machina’s biggest weaknesses. Personal feelings interfere with strategy, again and again.
This flaw pays again.# A Heartbreaking End But . . .
Things are just starting to settle down and then disaster strikes.
Grog helps the priestess out of immediate danger and then tries to help Pike through the chaos. But a sudden attack sends him straight into the anti-magic orb.
The effects are immediate and horrifying.
Grog appears to evaporate before Pike’s eyes and she is heartbroken. Overcome with grief and rage, she discards all caution and steps through the portal to Thar Amphala.
Meanwhile, the rest of Vox Machina escape just in time, as the explosives detonate, destroying most of the stronghold behind them.
The mission may have succeeded in part, but the cost seems huge.## Review
Episode 9 is one of the most powerful and emotional chapters of Season 4 to date. The series balances action, suspense and character drama very well while taking several major storylines to the breaking point.
The apparent loss of Grog is one of the season’s biggest shocks, and Pike’s emotional decision adds uncertainty at the start of the final stretch of episodes. Whether Grog is really out is unknown, but there’s no denying the psychological effect on the team.
But the best thing about the episode, perhaps, is how it reinforces a continuing theme of the series: Vox Machina is still a terribly flawed bunch. After all they have been through, they still have a lot of work ahead of them concerning trust, communication and emotional discipline.
With Delilah still standing and a long way to go, the final episodes are now well set up for an explosive conclusion. The road ahead looks bleaker than ever and there is no way to know who will survive the conflict waiting on the other side.