JourneyQuest S03E03 – "The Bardest"

[slurred] They assured me,
"Oh, no. Don't worry.

It's not going to be a long quest at all.
Couple of months. Six, tops.

We know exactly where we're going."
That was four years ago.

That hat is so cute on you.
It matches your beard.

Awww.

So...do you know where you're staying?

We're pretty full up,
but I have an awfully big bed.

[Miad snickers]

[Perf] Huh?
[Miad snickers again]

[Perf] What--? Oh. Oh!
Actually, I've got the--

Assassin!

♪ [Trumpet fanfare; theme music] ♪

[tavern sounds]

That's not an assassin.

[whispers] Are you sure?
They're masters of disguise.

That's how they get you.

No. Judging by the quill and the stupid hat,
I'm going to go with bard.

A bard?

And not just any bard. That's Silver Tom.

Silver Tom? THE Silver Tom?

Yeah.

Oh, Nara! He's the bardest!

No! He hasn't--

--gone.

Huh. Oh, well.

[slurred] I have finished a drink.
And you are too!

The [inaudible] here is great.

Daggie...Miad...Nara.

Have you gotten directions?

[Perf] Hm? Oh, right, yeah.
No, that's what...

See, this...this is why she's the best.

And you're drunk. Marvelous.

Where's the pass to Pale Mountain?

- Gone.
- Gone? What do you mean, gone?

- As in...not there.
- [Perf] [laughs] Because it's gone.

It was unstable to begin with,
and when the mining started, it collapsed.

You'll have to go around the range.

You dwarves and your mining.
You destructive, greedy little sods.

Wow. That's not racist.

Perf, we're going.

But...I...but I have
all these beers to finish.

- Fine. Stay.
- Oh!

Don't know how you can stand it.
Place smells like vom and bad sex.

Scram, beanpole. Before I lose my temper.

My pleasure.
Like the beard, Stumpy.

[Daggie] Shag a tree, moss-crotch.

[Perf] 'Bye, Nara.

Daggie, I am so sorry. She's usually...
exactly like that.

[Miad] Ladies and gentlemen, here she is...

...the hottest forty-eight inches
of halfling you have ever seen.

Put your hands together for MARIBELLE!

[Audience cheers and whistles]
♪ [minstrels play sultry music] ♪

♪
[Audience whistles]

What kind of tavern is this?

The best damn tavern in the land!

[Audience cheers and whistles]
[Audience member] Take it off! Take it off!

- Tom.
- [shouts in fear] Aah!

[sighs] Miss Birdsong.
What an unfortunate convergence.

You wouldn't happen to be
following me, would you?

No. Hand to gods, I...
I don't even really remember how I got here.

- Were you with a bear, earlier?
- What's that?

Nevermind.
[quietly] I have some information you need.

No-no-no. Thank you.
I'm quite well at hand.

And no amount of content you suggest
is going to earn you a co-writing credit.

[chuckles]

The wicked kings are going to kill Perf.

Not capture? Hold prisoner?

Outright kill?
Are you absolutely certain?

I overheard one of their puppets.

This drastically changes things.

What are you going to do?

Well, I thought this was a comedy.
That's what the opening would suggest, right?

Well...at the very least, this requires
a change in meter.

Tragedy calls for an entirely
different tone, you see.

Let's see...I play up
the doomed love angle,

underscore the crashing
sense of inevitability...

Yes. This can work.

But what about Perf?
We have to warn him!

[laughs] You're joking. You joke!
[laughs] Or you're high.

You are high. You have a potion smudge.

No-no-no.

Got it.

[Wren] I just thought you would care
a little more about your own protagonist.

[Silver Tom] It's not my role to care.
It's to record.

To craft him and them
into deep studies of the human condition.

We can't think of them as people.

[Wren] Don't you have any empathy at all?
We can't just let him die!

You want to affect history?
Pick up a sword.

You chose a harp.
Or flute? What did you choose?

A triangle? I actually don't know
what instrument you play.

And I'd love to stay and debate
bardic ethics with you,

but I have an epic to complete.

You know, for the future, they have the...clasps.

Can't just let him die.

[twigs snapping]

[Mother] What in Vieris' name
is wrong with you, child?

There was a monster there.

There are no monsters that close to town.
Now hurry.

This is a test. That is all.
My faith will not falter.

[zooming sound; leaves rustle]
[Death] My poor Carrow.

So strong, so pure.
You make it so hard on yourself.

This...hunger does not rule me.

You honor them too much.
They despise you.

[Death] You're beautiful, Carrow. Unique.
You are to be treasured.

I belong to Vieris.

He will embrace me anew
when I cleanse this...taint from my flesh.

[Death] Oh, is that so?

I have seen his mercy.
I've shepherded souls back from...death...

[Death] I remember.

I don't recall being consulted
on those occasions.

But I forgive you.

[strange humming sound]

Most abased soul, we find mercy in the light.

[Death] No, no, Carrow, don't.
He will not answer your prayers.

By the light of Vieris,
which shines true in the darkest vale,

may breath stir and blood quicken.

[Death] He does not deserve them.
You will only bring yourself more pain.

[Carrow] By the light of Vieris,
which banishes the deepest shadow,

may flesh and spirit be reunited!

If you will grant me nothing else,
at least allow me oblivion.

By the light of Vieris,
which burns beyond the dying of the world,

may this mortal form be...RESURRECTED!

[thunder]

Yes! I am restored!

[Death] My poor, dear Carrow.

NO!

[no audio]

[Carrow growls and laughs; children scream]

[Carrow growls; townsperson screams]

[Carrow growls; townsperson laughs]

It was great to work with Fran Kranz again,
have him back on set after Season Two.

Especially because we got to play more.

I felt like I learned a lot from him,
just technically, on set.

Like he would ask questions, technical
questions, literally,

about like what the cameras were doing
and where to go.

And I feel like it was fun, just really fun
to play and see his reactions, and see

how he really fits in with this group
in that everybody's so willing to play.

Kind of like, "Okay,
we'll shake that off,

and we'll try it this other way,
and take it from another tack."

Plus, it was just nice to hang out with him,
because we had a good time last season

and it was great to catch up and see
how he's doing and what he's up to.

I loved the fight.
The fight out in the innyard was super fun.

People would be like, "Are you guys okay?
Do you want to take this easy?"

We're both just like, "Nope!
Let's go for it!"

It was really fun just to have someone
who's just ready to be in and just play--

literally pull each other around by
the legs and push each other down.

It was really fun.

So, in Episode Three, Carrow basically
executes his nuclear option

and attempts to resurrect himself.

And he's driven to this decision
by another encounter with Death,

and it's something he's been hesitating on,

thinking that maybe he could heal himself
otherwise, or that Vieris would intercede.

And here he's basically trying
to force the issue.

And when it doesn't work,
when the flow of energy corrupts,

it is the ultimate rebuke,
and Carrow is left.

And it's where Death can first
really get her claws into him.

It's where you see the cracks in his faith
begin to really show.

In this scene, Carrow still believes that
Vieris is on his side,

and someone that he can call upon
to help out.

He realizes that he's never actually
tried "Resurrection," you know,

which is something like
a spell that he knows.

Death, if you notice...it's pretty obvious
that she knows what's going to happen,

but she needs to let Carrow
sort of find out for himself.

If she strongarms him too much,
then he's going to buck against that.

He needs to find these things out
on his own, and she's aware of that.

So she's just like [casually]
"Oh, no, don't, stop, don't do that,"

stuff like that, and allows him
to hang himself.

So when the resurrection happens,
it's incredible for Carrow,

because he thinks he's finally going
to be restored,

and it's under his own merit,
it's about the relationship with his god.

It's wonderful, and it is very emotional.

But then the other shoe drops.

He knows that it didn't work...
and now what's going to happen?

In fact, actually, it becomes
like an even worse scenario.

And that's really exciting, when that
plays out for the rest of the season.