The Mighty Nein Season 1 Episode 6 Review

The Mighty Nein

Prime Video

Season 1 Episode 6

Many Gifts

The Mighty Nein seek out a notorious smuggler in Zadash called “The Gentleman”, who can provide them with protection against Volstrucker assassins – on one condition. They must procure an ancient treasure for him. But they must learn to work together or face deadly consequences.

The first few episodes of this first season have taken the time to give viewers and fans the story of how this group of would-be heroes comes together and it has been great to have those relationship-building moments as we see how those personalities act with each other despite their personal baggage and secrets. The beginning of this episode is a spectacle of action and horror as Yasha (Ashley Johnson) cuts a swath of destruction across the land as she makes her way into the Empire.

I absolutely love that her reputation as the “Orphan Maker” proceeds her as she takes on a garrison of soldiers at the border in a bloody rampage that would make any Barbarian proud. I also love that the story gives her flashback moments that not only speak to who she is as a character, but also what and who is driving her actions forward.

The remaining members of the Mighty Nein have made it to Zadash and I continue to fall in love with and be impressed by the art direction of this series. It’s something I appreciate and admire with the work of the studio and the attention to detail of every frame. I also really love the fact that the group is still leery of each other and continues to keep secrets, especially Beau. There is a prevailing feeling that there is something missing from this group and while I know what it is, it is something the viewer will begin to feel as the episode and the season continues.

While the political conflict continues to play a dangerously growing role throughout the series, it is the interpersonal conflicts and the groups’ connection to them that make the episode and the series compelling. You feel more for Essek despite his actions because the situation for his mother is so dire. You can understand why he would turn to forces outside the dogmatic thinking of his people to find the answers that he seeks and Matthew Mercer continues to play the character with a presence that cannot be denied.

While things get more complicated for Trent with the king, Molly runs into someone who seems to know more about him than he does before the group is brought to see the local crime boss known as The Gentleman, played with smarmy charm by Nathan Fillion. There’s something Caleb needs and their new benefactor can get it for them, but not without a price. A price that will require the group to sneak into a once hidden treasure vault to locate something of value and return it.

What happens next could be considered your typical dungeon crawl that is a staple of more tabletop role playing games, but Critical Role and the Mighty Nein add some impressive visual and contextual flair to the events as well as calling back to something only CR fans will remember. I was instantly excited with that reveal as well as the additional story for another one of the characters that I was excited to see. There are fun and thrilling visual moments throughout the sequence and they reminded me of what I love about this genre broadly and these characters specifically.

Episode 6 has some of the biggest spectacle when it comes to action and thrills so far this season and there continues to be some fun and inventive moments throughout the episode as story elements and character elements continue to merge and evolve. It is a wonderfully exciting episode that makes me excited to see what is coming.