Amazon Prime Video’s original series The Legend of Vox Machina ,season two episode nine entitled “A Test of Pride,” starts with a flash back into Travis Willingham’s Grog Strongjaw as he was once a raider who killed people. The interesting part about this is how he grew a conscience when he met Ashley Johnson’s Pike Trickfoot’s grandfather due to him seeing a picture of him and Pike. From the look on his face, the viewer can tell that at that moment all of his guilt hit him all at once. As a result of this, he ends up helping Pike’s grandfather escape from his old gang which leads to a serious confrontation between him and his uncle. Unfortunately, he loses and is banished from his gang. However, the viewer could argue that was the best thing that could have happened to him. This is due to how Pike’s grandfather decides that they will take him in to live with them as his way of saying thank you for saving him.
Additionally, the viewer sees how Grog’s time has changed him from the person he was to who he is now. This is demonstrated by how when he helps survivors of a ruined town, they act afraid of him which makes him sad. This is due to how he looks like the members of his former gang who are currently ruling the ruined city. In his mind, he sees how much fear they have of him which reminds him of how he used to love the fear people had towards him. Now that he is different, he no longer likes the look they give him, which is why he feels as if he needs to fight the leader of the gang ,who is his uncle, in order to find some redemption.
At the end of the episode, the viewer sees Ralph Ineson’s Kevdak as he tries to honor a deal with one of the dragons. From what the viewer can tell he does not like being told what to do by anyone. The interesting part about him is that he actually cares somewhat about his gang members. This is demonstrated by how he was slightly upset that one of them died as a result of the dragon giving him a warning of death should he not keep up their deal. This can lead to the viewer assuming that he can develop a conscience as he recognized his gang member’s death was not right. Unfortunately, this idea is quickly dismissed as he ends up beating his son due to him wanting to take over the gang.
Rating: 8.5/10