The Mighty Nein has premiered on Amazon Prime with new episodes releasing on Wednesday. The Mighty Nein chronicles Critical Role’s second campaign, and arguably the campaign that Critical Role is known for. I have introduced my husband to both The Legend of Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein, even though my husband has never watched a full episode of Critical Role before. I am loving The Mighty Nein, and I think the show streamlines the campaign in a way that’s easy to follow.

There will be spoilers for both the show and the campaign.

The Mighty Nein follows seven characters, with six being introduced in the first four episodes. Caleb Widogast (played by Liam O’Brien), Nott The Brave (played by Sam Riegel), Beauregard Lionett (played by Marisha Ray), Jester Lavorre (played by Laura Bailey), Fjord (played by Travis Willingham), and Mollymauk Tealeaf (played by Taliesin Jaffe). Yasha (played by Ashley Johnson) makes an appearance, but doesn’t say much and isn’t connected with the group at this moment. Caleb and Nott meet after Nott steals Caleb’s spell components. Beau is investigating an attack with the Cobalt Soul, and Jester has a run-in with Fjord after his ship is wrecked in a storm. Mollymauk is helping Gustav prepare for the carnival. After the carnival is ransacked by a devil toad, the characters team up to prove their innocence and that they were not behind the attack on the carnival.

My favorite characters in the campaign were Fjord and Caduceus, who have not been introduced yet. From the show, I like Beau and Molly. It’s interesting because, during the campaign, I disliked Molly, which I would say is a somewhat unconventional take considering how much the fandom loves Molly as a character. I liked how Molly was portrayed in the show. They were less pompous, and I like how there was more emphasis on the Tarot cards. Beau’s story with The Cobalt Soul is one of the major plot points in the show, as it should be. I also liked how the earlier episodes emphasized how all the characters met. In the campaign, they meet, but the show ties everything together in a nice way, so it provides more emphasis on Caleb and Nott’s friendship before meeting the others.

Focusing on the NPCs, I liked how Trent Ikithon is a major focus right away. One thing I wish from watching the campaign is more emphasis on Trent and how evil he was. He would appear every now and then, but was more of a background character. In the show, that’s not the case. He is ICKY. He is a major player in the upcoming war, and he experiments on people, which is again, really gross. Trent’s early appearance helps establish his eventual downfall, and I look forward to it. Another notable NPC is Dairon, Beau’s mentor. Dairon is voiced by Ming-Na Wen, who also plays Melinda May in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I thought that was a perfect casting for the character. Dairon was one of my favorite NPCs from the campaign, and I love how she’s voiced by another one of my favorite actors.

With most of Critical Role’s campaign adaptations, there are changes from the campaign to the animated show. The first notable change was Yasha. In the campaign, Yasha knew Molly from episode one, whereas in the animated show, Yasha is nowhere to be seen. I think this change may have been necessary, considering Ashley Johnson was still filming Blindspot during the campaign. I think it could have been more difficult to explain narratively why Yasha disappears. If I had to guess, I think the group will meet Yasha when she’s under Obann’s influence, and they will have to free her. I wonder if this will happen in the first season of the show or a lot later. Another change was the death of Gustav. In the campaign, Gustav survives the attack, whereas in the show, Molly is forced to kill him when he’s turned. I think this provides Molly more direction as a character. It gives more meaning to the scimitars that he carries.

I’m curious to see if Avantika will appear this season or if she will be saved for later on. The Mighty Nein is an enjoyable rendition of Critical Role’s beloved campaign. The Mighty Nein can be streamed on Amazon Prime.