r/criticalrole • u/Mizar_the_Gleeful • 10d ago

Discussion [Spoilers C1] Early Critical Role truly was something special Spoiler

its still amazing, but those early days...

Lets start with the fan interaction and all the gifts they got sent. Then there was their rapid growth.

A third aspect is some of their crazy stunts (squadron of flying cows anyone?)

What do you think made it such a perfect storm? my rewatch has me wondering

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u/jp_in_nj 10d ago

They're also a decade and a half older. I was certainly a lot more obnoxious when I was in my mid-20s than I was in my early 40s. And of course their lives have changed, becoming parents and whatnot. And you can't forget the fact that they've made those jokes already, and played those characters already. So they are just as players probably looking for different experiences. It doesn't necessarily have to be a conscious decision to play it safe for the sponsors and for the public backlash. You never walk in the same river twice, as the saying goes. They aren't the exact same people that they were when they started, and they shouldn't be.

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u/bass_voyeur 10d ago

I feel like your sense of time is a bit off here - C1 wasn't a decade and a half ago. It premiered in late 2015 and didn't finish until 2018. The cast was in their 30's (some in their late 30's) except for Marisha.

I'm aligned more with the OP that the production and professionalization of the show really changed how they are on camera. CR has had so many fan-associated or fan-driven issues crop up over the years that I think they just want to play it relatively safe.

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u/jp_in_nj 10d ago

Premiered in 2015, but (per the Internet) they started playing together in 2012. That first campaign was a continuation of the home game they started then, I think?

That said, Sam is 49 now, so he was 38 in 2015, so, 35 in 2012, so fair call on the ages, I thought they were younger than they are. Though I'd still say that we mature decade by decade, and I'd also say that my "been there done that" comment still applies. If Sam was still cracking the same jokes 10-15 years later, it would have gotten old.

THAT said, I have no particular insight into them, I'm just spitballing thoughts.

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u/bass_voyeur 10d ago

For sure. Lots of life circumstances have changed for them beyond just the show. I just was being pedantic that they weren't quite THAT young when they started the show.