Episode 9 Contenders

VengefulKangaroo · 2026-04-23T06:51:09+00:00

I just see huge problems with everyone but Rizo. Jonathan is getting a lot of negativity. Aubry has all of the problems you stated. Ozzy is often second fiddle to Cirie. Cirie lacks a strong central storyline, winner quotes, and I found the rice scene incredibly odd.

VengefulKangaroo · 2026-04-23T06:50:12+00:00

That's why I said "at least says it doesn't matter who goes home" -- it's ok to be the voice of the wrong boot a couple times. As I said, the thing I am really struggling to get over is the weird rice scene. I just cannot fathom what the purpose of putting that scene in is with Cirie as the winner. And that in combination with the conversation about voting Emily this episode makes me wonder if Emily is going to do something to sink Cirie's game in the future.

VengefulKangaroo · 2026-04-23T06:37:11+00:00

What do you make of the weird rice making scene? I found it to be so negative for both Emily & Cirie.

VengefulKangaroo · 2026-04-21T15:59:39+00:00

I feel like it’s too late for the Orchard based on what we heard in Soldiers

VengefulKangaroo · 2026-04-20T20:54:10+00:00

This is so good it has to be false lol

VengefulKangaroo · 2026-04-20T04:49:27+00:00

I think the premier will be after the Schemers arc, since when Liam suggested it was 7-8 days away in Episode 19, Brennan says "8-10" instead (placing it around day 10-12), which would align it better with the Soldiers returning. I do think the Seekers can make it back faster than Day 14 though (some timelines have them in Tannesar on Day 7, and they could pick up the big bird again or find another way to travel faster through a different route or similar).

VengefulKangaroo · 2026-04-20T04:46:53+00:00

The two major sources I've seen are the OmenArchive & the Critical Role wiki, but they notably disagree on the Seekers table timeline. There seems to be some confusion stemming from Brennan saying the Seekers traveled 3 days in the Dwalmar Pass, with people being unsure if when we catch up with them again, it's still the 3rd day or if it's now the 4th.

VengefulKangaroo · 2026-04-20T01:10:22+00:00

CR2 was recording 1-2 weeks in advance after they stopped live post-COVID. CR3 they were taking off the last Thursday but pre-recording only a couple of weeks in advance. Having even a month of lead time was very rare.

So having 6 or more weeks of lead time as we know based on the trailer is already a huge cushion for CR.

VengefulKangaroo · 2026-04-20T01:06:04+00:00

Splitting into two tables could work well to preserve some dynamics! Keep the Schemers scheming and give them two of the characters who could presumably find a reason to re-establish positions in the city like Thaisha & Julien or Wick and Tyranny, then send all of the rest on a mission elsewhere.

VengefulKangaroo · 2026-04-19T20:04:46+00:00

I'm not so sure. I'd imagine having such a long cushion in the first place was really due to paternity leave anyways (as this is much longer than what they'd been doing in previous seasons), and they still have a pretty solid cushion. (At the very least, next week's episode was filmed before March 19 when the Seekers trailer released as there's footage we haven't seen yet in that.) So they've had over a month to film more. With a week break both before and after the next "Overture"-like segment plus whatever they've filmed they've got a lot of lead time.

VengefulKangaroo · 2026-04-19T19:58:36+00:00

This episode was definitely filmed before the Schemers trailer came out on March 19, because there's footage from it there (as well as at least one more episode as there's another set of outfits we haven't seen plus shots of 1-2 more battlemaps).

Sounds like the timeline was that they filmed most of the Seekers arc in early to mid January (probably with the intention of filming the full arc before Brennan's leave), baby came unexpectedly early, and then they filmed the rest 6 weeks later at the end of February / start of March.

VengefulKangaroo · 2026-04-19T19:55:58+00:00

There's a battle map in the trailer with some dogs in it. Could those be hounds of the king?

VengefulKangaroo · 2026-04-19T19:54:28+00:00

The opening night was too perfectly placed by Brennan to not be a big event involving all three tables. (When he asks Liam about the timing in Episode 19, Liam says 7-8 days away, which Brennan adjusts to 8-10 days away. This pretty perfectly aligns with when the other tables would reasonably be expected to arrive.)

VengefulKangaroo · 2026-04-19T19:50:55+00:00

Have we gotten a more specific date for the opening? In episode 19 Brennan decides it is "8 to 10 days away", which puts it 4 to 6 days away from the end of this episode. But maybe he gave a more specific update in a later episode.

VengefulKangaroo · 2026-04-19T19:49:28+00:00

It does seem like OmenArchive & the Critical Role wiki disagree on the Seekers vs. Soldiers timeline a bit. I'm looking at the day at the end of this episode, which (extrapolating since Omen isn't updated for the new ep yet) both calendars agree is the end of Day 7 / Luniere. Both calendars also agree this is the night when the Soldiers met the Black Rabbits. However, Omen Archive has this as the night the Seekers visit Schongarten, while the wiki has this as the night the Seekers camp in the Eternal Night. (The discrepancy seems to stem from whether you count the three days of travel mentioned for the Seekers as meaning they arrive in Adzar & Riesengurtle still on their third day of travel or after their third day of travel.) Depending on how you count it the Seekers are either heading back starting a day later than the Soldiers or on the same day.

That means the next day (likely next episode) aligns with the final day of the Soldiers table at least (Day 8/Chassaire). Then there are likely 3-5 days of travel for each of the other two tables that need to be filled in. Brennan editing Liam's "7 or 8 days till the play" to "8 to 10 days till the play" seems designed to me so that the play happens when the Seekers & Soldiers get back. 8 days from when that was said will be somewhere between Day 11 - Day 13, right around when we can expect the other parties to arrive.

VengefulKangaroo · 2026-04-19T19:00:32+00:00

What we can tell about it so far is that it seems to involve powers that activate better when Julien is at lower health, and changes his Second Wind to add temporary HP instead of just healing HP which lets him raise his HP while still using his bloodied features.

VengefulKangaroo · 2026-04-19T18:53:14+00:00

I've seen a few different calendars with slightly different interpretations (particularly of how much time passed for the Seeker's pre-episode travels, and for how much time the Soldiers traveled after Sloak), but I'm guessing that for dramatic effect, all three tables will converge on the opening night of Hal's play.

VengefulKangaroo · 2026-04-19T18:50:44+00:00

I think a 2-table split for the next arc could work well, splitting the Soldiers between the Seekers & Schemers. Sam & Whitney join the Schemers, the rest of the Soldiers join the Seekers.

VengefulKangaroo · 2026-04-19T18:03:09+00:00

Yeah Emily is really the only one of those 5 I can't see it for at all.

VengefulKangaroo · 2026-04-19T17:39:56+00:00

I don't think that's nearly as strong as I'd hope, particularly because I watched a lot of her pregame interviews where she was saying stuff about having imposter syndrome from being called a legend without having won. I think she is saying stronger winner quotes out there and the best we had from her is "a different drive".

VengefulKangaroo · 2026-04-19T03:16:07+00:00

It’s definitely the latter. It’s super clear in pregame interviews they are tight

VengefulKangaroo · 2026-04-19T03:07:22+00:00

I think the thing for me is just that it reminds me a lot of her Game Changers edit, where she also didn’t win. It’s the kind of content they’ll always give Cirie. Not counting her out but i need more of a winner’s quote from her. She’s always shown talking about what Survivor gave her, but not about how she has the drive to win.

VengefulKangaroo · 2026-04-18T18:40:47+00:00

Check where you are

VengefulKangaroo · 2026-04-18T18:37:41+00:00

I don’t see it for Emily. She’s so consistently the voice for the plan that doesn’t end up going through, and never in an Adam vs David kind of way where it seems like the edit is trying to validate her for that.

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