The Legend Of Vox Machina Makes One Actor's Role In Another Show Official Canon
The Legend of Vox Machina has made a voice actor's role in another show canon to the D&D universe. The Legend of Vox Machina season 4 has been as expectedly meta as previous entries. Although the show still has a dramatic narrative with genuinely great character arcs and story beats, it still often finds time to include references to Critical Role, the tabletop series on which it is based. Moreover, it often references the careers of The Legend of Vox Machina's cast. For instance, one of the more self-referential elements of season 4 was the canonical Legend of Vox Machina appearance by one of the show's main voice actors. Matthew Mercer, known for being the Dungeon Master for several Critical Role campaigns, has voiced several characters across The Legend of Vox Machina's four seasons, from the dragon Umbrasyl to season 1's main villain, Sylas Briarwood. However, in the first batch of season 4 episodes, a character with Mercer's likeness, voice, and name appeared as part of a Whitestone ball.
This just goes to show how on the nose Prime Video's fantasy franchise can be, especially in regard to referencing its cast members. To further prove that point, season 4, episode 5 features a direct nod to the career of the voice actor for Taryon Darrington, the team's newest member. At the beginning of the episode, when Vox Machina is planning their break-in to the Cobalt Archive, Gilmore says they must be joking. Taryon replies, "Were it a jest, you would be in hysterics, for Taryon Darrington took five years of improv." This is undoubtedly a pointed nod to the career of Wayne Brady, who voices Taryon, and whose best-known role is in the improvisational comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway? Not only that, but it makes Brady's career essentially canon to The Legend of Vox Machina, with his character sharing a defining trait of his stardom.
Tary giving a presentation of the Brigands he's hunting in The Legend of Vox Machina season 4
Aside from being a fun reference to Brady's career, the joke does well to flesh out Taryon's character and allows him to continue being a breath of fresh air in The Legend of Vox Machina season 4. Since the beginning of the show, The Legend of Vox Machina's main strength has been how it took Critical Role's characters and voice roles and slotted them into a well-written TV show, without losing sight of what makes each of them so great. That said, a show with a fixed core set of characters that never changes could grow stale over time. It is worth noting that this was not the case here, even as of The Legend of Vox Machina season 3's ending. Still, the possibility of that happening eventually existed if nothing new was introduced in season 4. Thankfully, Taryon has prevented that reality, along with the other compelling ways the show's central characters are being written.
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Taryon could have been annoying, but the show has, thankfully, focused on how his eccentric, over-the-top nature can be endearing instead. Combined with his genuinely competent moments of skill, Taryon has slotted into a show with such a tight-knit group of central characters seamlessly. Wayne Brady is a big reason for that, with the actor's voice work providing Taryon with all of the right things that he needed to fit in as a member of the titular group.
It is also worth noting that Taryon feels so refreshing because this exact concept, adding someone new to a beloved group of characters, is incredibly difficult to do. That said, The Legend of Vox Machina has succeeded with ease, be that due to Taryon's good heart, funny writing, or the incredible voice acting from Wayne Brady, whose most notable other role in Whose Line Is It Anyway? is now somewhat canon to the show via his character's background in improvisational comedy.
Release Date
January 27, 2022
Network
Prime Video
Showrunner
Brandon Auman
Directors
Young Heller, Eugene Lee, Alicia Chan
Writers
Eugene Son, Travis Willingham, Chris Wyatt, Kevin Burke, Suzanne Keilly, Mae Catt, Todd Casey, Ashly Burch, May Chan, Marc Bernardin
Laura Bailey
Vex'ahlia (voice)
Taliesin Jaffe
Percy (voice)
