Critical Role: Candela Obscura Chapter 3, Episode 1 Recap & Spoilers

Warning: The following recap contains spoilers for Critical Role’s Candela Obscura: Chapter 3, Episode 1: “The Antiquarian.”

Critical Role returned to the Fairelands with Game Master Aabria Iyengar and a brand-new circle of investigators in Candela Obscura’s third chapter, Tide & Bone. Here’s how the third installment of the horror anthology kicked off its first episode, “The Antiquarian.”

The Formation of Candela Obscura’s Circle of Tide & Bone

Tide & Bone’s character-driven premiere jumpstarted when former Office of Unexplained Phenomenon officer Silva Sarkis escaped Grayslate Sanatorium and sought help from Candela Obscura. It was within the walls of The Antiquarian, a book shop and Candela chapterhouse in the Sidle, that the Circle of Tide & Bone forged a shaky alliance, buoyed predominantly by their individual relationships to the shop’s owner Cosmo Grimm. Liam O’Brien saw Marisha Ray play the middle-aged Auntie Bee in Candela Obscura’s Circle of Needle & Thread and said “hold my beer,” committing to a 97-year-old, wheelchair-using Occultist in Tide & Bone.

Lightkeeper Nokari represented one of many voices urging the elderly Cosmo to retire from fieldwork, positioning the investigation of Grayslate as his potential last assignments with Candela. Though Cosmo’s worked with Candela for decades, this case marked the first official formation of the Circle of Tide & Bone. Cosmo hand-selected three individuals for the investigation: Doctor Elsie Roberts, his “grandson” Oscar Grimm, and local casino owner, Madam Cordelia Glask. The specific details of Silva’s report prompted Nokari to invite Rajan “Raj” Savarimuthu into the fold, due to his personal history with the suspected phenomena at Grayslate.

Ashly Burch’s Elsie proved perturbed by the expansion and formation of this formal circle, particularly when it came to Raj. While Noshir Dalal’s Professor and the Doctor had past romantic hang-ups, tension and trepidation radiated among nearly every interpersonal dynamic in the fledgling party. Burch took several tokens during Tide & Bone’s strained start, introducing a new mechanic to Candela Obscura that would reach its climax in the second half of the episode.

The interpersonal dynamics that propel the Circle of Tide & Bone are amplified by Candela Obscura‘s production, with this chapter employing a split-screen mechanic in one-on-one role-playing moments between characters.

The Maw Returned to Terrorize Grayslate Sanatorium

Despite Cosmo Grimm’s disposition as the only member of Tide & Bone particularly gung-ho to work with his team, the new circle set aside their differences to question Silva about Grayslate. It was here that audiences learned of the episode’s baddie, The Maw, an abomination disguised as a seductively beautiful member of the clergy or, as Sam Riegel’s Oscar “Cary” Grimm described her: “a sex-crazed nun.” At Grayslate she went by the name Sister Iovar, with Silva connecting her to patient disappearances. Having lost his sister to this creature in childhood, Silva’s testimony solidified Raj’s personal investment in Candela’s investigation.

After their conversation with Silva, Tide & Bone decided to infiltrate Grayslate that evening. Cosmo, Elsie, and Madam Glask raised commotion in the sanatorium’s lobby, coaxing Director Greenvale out of her office. Cosmo’s theatrics allowed Elsie to slip into the director’s office, while Oscar and Raj explored the back lawn by candlelight.

With the aid of Silva’s map and Raj’s insect-based methods of bleed detection, Oscar and Raj were able to identify a path toward The Maw through a hole in the sanatorium’s lawn. However, all hell broke loose when Oscar went to intercept Cosmo, Elsie, and Madam Glask. Oscar’s report of Raj’s maggoty findings cost Elsie the final token from her beast pool, setting off a riveting chain of events.

Ashly Burch’s Dr. Elsie Killed Sam Riegel’s Oscar Grimm

The demure Doctor Elsie proceeded to hulk out into a deformed creature that was described as parts orca and parts mantis in nature. Iyengar then further articulated how Elsie’s transformation worked mechanically, having Burch roll six d6s. Each one Burch rolled would then have to be resolved through an act of violence before she could return to her human form. Though Burch only rolled a single one, that proved enough to kill Riegel’s ex-con, Oscar.

After Elsie tore through him like paper, Riegel and Iyengar revealed a twist of their own that saw Oscar converse with an unknown entity beyond the threshold of death. Here, audiences and players alike learned that Oscar has been burdened with a twisted immortality and has now died seven times. Riegel’s hard candy-loving character must give up a piece of himself each time he dies, with past sacrifices including a portion of his charisma and memories of his wife and one of his children. Oscar determined the only thing he had left to give was the memory of his other child…Cosmo Grimm.

Previously masquerading as Cosmo’s grandson, the plot twist that the seemingly young Oscar was actually the 97-year-old man’s father marked a banner moment in the episode. The emotional fallout of this reveal dovetailed perfectly into Oscar’s difficult choice to give up his memories of Cosmo’s childhood as a part of his ongoing bargain with death.

Tide & Bone’s Final Showdown with The Maw in Candela Obscura

Elsie’s transformation and Oscar’s reincarnation threw the tentative trust among the Circle of Tide & Bone into a tailspin, with Gina Darling’s Madam Glask particularly betrayed by the turn of events. Furiously recalling that she has let Dr. Elsie into her home with her girls, Glask contemplated abandoning the mission on principal. Though Dr. Elsie explained the origin of her monstruous form, a result of her attempts to cure herself of the terminal lung condition Cullet, it did little to sway Glask. Ultimately, the love she harbored for Cosmo, one of her oldest friends, proved strong enough for her to push beyond the betrayal and confront The Maw with the rest of the party.

(Though Elsie’s clothes ripped during her transformation in Candela Obscura, there wasn’t a precise clarification on how this impacted her presentation when she returned to human form. While it’s likely her outfit was simply tattered during this final stage of the investigation, it’d be a missed opportunity not to mention the comedic potential left behind in this open-ended moment.)

The hole in Grayscale Sanatorium’s lawn led down to Oldfairen ruins, where the party found The Maw accompanied by someone called The Serious Man, recognized by Raj, Cosmo, and Oscar. Though Oscar’s memories have been fractured as a result of his many deaths, he recognized The Serious Man as the reason behind his condition. A combination of the blood activated ghost blade sheathed in Cosmo’s wheelchair, the warding poem from Raj’s mother, and Elsie’s first self-initiated transformation into her beast made quick work of The Maw, leaving only The Serious Man.

This final stage of combat held one last major character reveal when Raj unleashed a swarm of his insect “children” from the hive within his body (this sequence also brought the professor’s use of the drug Scarlet further to the forefront). Though Raj intended to kill The Serious Man with this maneuver, Oscar fought to keep him alive in order to get answers. Ultimately, the group hauled The Serious Man’s unconscious body with them as they retreated back to process their eventful first investigation at The Antiquarian.

If you’re looking for more after that recap of Critical Role’s Candela Obscura, check out what Matt Mercer has said about a video game.