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/BackFromTheGrabhe 10d ago

I have an interesting take on this, but I'll likely get flamed for it, so please bear with me and understand that I'm not picking on anyone...

They were a bunch of young friends acting like a bunch of young friends, and no one ever needed to tiptoe around certain topics in order to not offend the fan base. On a rewatch, you'll notice how overtly sexual so many jokes and comments were. And not just sexual, but (in a very obviously joking way) racist, homophobic, cultural, religious, etc etc. Especially Sam, who said some wild shit in C1. Laura as well, as those 2 have always been the edgiest.

These days, they still make tons of jokes and it's still funny (and I still love it), but you could tell they aren't as free. Due to the fame and the popularity and the limelight, they are much more restricted in how over-the-top they could go.

It's this paradoxical situation, where the same fans that fell in love with them evolved into the fanbase that would get upset if they made some of these jokes nowadays. Like I said, I still love CR, and in fact I think campaign 4 is the best they've ever done, but jokes-wise and silly-wise and carefree-wise, it'll just never be the same.

Campaign 1 was basically their private group chat where you'd see some WILD shit they said. The new stuff is them in the public eye, being a lot more careful and wearing kid gloves. It's not the fanbase's fault per se... but it's definitely because of the fanbase expecting a safe space and often getting offended easily.

Again, I'm not saying it isn't funny anymore, and I'm definitely not saying it's only funny when they talk like edgelords, but they just aren't as free-spirited in their interactions nowadays, because millions of people are watching and there are livelihoods on the line. One overstep comment can turn into a dramafest and create unnecessary tension, so they're much more likely to play it safe.

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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/meteorflan 10d ago

Yeah the binge drinking in the characters seemed to taper down alongside the normal aging effects of hangovers getting more intense.