The Mighty Nein | 1x5 | Little Spark | Full Uncut Reaction!
Added 2026-01-24 19:25:41 +0000 UTC
Comments
You're more disgusted that he killed his cat than that he killed his parents...hmmmm? :/
rrrebo
2026-03-02 02:58:24 +0000 UTC"I was so sure... until I wasn't." Honestly, even if someone doesn't want to watch the whole campaign, watching that scene where he tells Beau and Nott about his past is incredible.
Vanessa Aves
2026-02-05 05:14:17 +0000 UTCI'm pretty sure that's what Liam was setting out to test when he created Caleb: can the unforgiveable ever be atoned for? Can a character who's done unforgiveable things, and fully understands what he did, ever be made sympathetic for an audience? Caleb was a child soldier, essentially. Utterly brainwashed. But as you say, he still did what he did. Most people find a way of forgiving him. If you turn out to be the exception, that will be completely valid, and genuinely interesting to watch unfold. You're also running into one of the subtle ways in which the adaptation to an animated story falters. In the tabletop campaign, all three Volstruckers had false memories magically implanted by Trent and all three killed their families on the same night. The absence of those details, without rewrites elsewhere to better integrate the change, affects how Caleb comes across compared with how the character was originally conceived. For one thing, it makes him even more culpable than when the story was first told in the game. You actually put your finger on a second way in which the adaptation slightly creaks when you asked how long they had been together as Nott gave her 'I am the parent' monologue. This is a straight lift from the campaign - another example of how Sam Riegel can step away from playing a ridiculous character to break your heart without warning. But in the tabletop game, Nott and Caleb had been together a lot longer than the few days we see here. The line loses some impact here because it feels odd that Nott should feel so strongly, so quickly. I'm really enjoying your reactions. Your Vox reactions drove me nuts because of your Scanlan hate, but they were still instant watches as soon as they dropped. Here, I've never paid for a collection on Patreon before but there's no way I was waiting for YouTube to see these.
Andy Darley
2026-02-03 23:50:40 +0000 UTCBeen sitting on your reaction, thinking about it. First of all, the rawness and proximity of losing Murderpaws probably has bearing, as it should. I think everybody who loves their cat companions had a visceral reaction. I also think it’s important to acknowledge that nobody hates Caleb as much as Caleb does. He believes himself beyond redemption or value, too. Part of the journey for him (and the audience) is discovering that even he can return from his past, with time and effort. There’s always a way back to one’s humanity, even if one can’t erase what they did or ever make it okay. I think it’s actually a pretty important (and difficult; ambitious) thing to tackle with a D&D character and I think it’s really awesome that Liam did it, and that they aren’t pulling any punches with it in the show.
Jason Marbach
2026-01-25 23:59:08 +0000 UTCYeah he probably felt indebted to the empire but at the same time still your family dude :(
Kingston Lor
2026-01-25 00:20:05 +0000 UTCIf it helps, I suspect Caleb would say his actions were/are irredeemable. There's also a line of dialog in this episode about him being institutionalized after the events of the flashback. That's touched on a bit more in Caleb's origins comic if you're interested, but it's been a while since I've read it and I can't remember if it has spoilers for the rest of the campaign/show (probably it does).
Aquitaine
2026-01-24 22:38:36 +0000 UTCI think Caleb/Bren and his backstory is meant to be complicated. He was definitely groomed by Trent, someone who was an authority figure in his life and became like a surrogate father figure to him. Caleb also murdered his parents and cat, on top of all the other dubious or outright evil things he did while he was a Volstrucker. I think one of the things this series will deal with is redemption. Who is worthy of it and who isn't? What do you have to do to redeem yourself when you've committed horrors in your past? Is redemption still a worthy pursuit even if you can never redeem your past? I guess I'd say, for me, it's fine to be angry with Caleb at this point, while being open for that opinion to change as the story progresses.
Aquitaine
2026-01-24 22:10:33 +0000 UTCThank the mortis gods, I need something less bleak than the news to watch
Jason Marbach
2026-01-24 19:26:28 +0000 UTC
