Critical Role: Jester and Fjord’s Wedding — Live from Radio City Music Hall (Part 2)

Date: November 28, 2025
Podcast: Critical Role
Episode: Critical Role: Jester and Fjord’s Wedding: Live from Radio City Music Hall Part 2

Episode Overview

The second half of Critical Role’s epic live wedding event delivers a rollercoaster of battle, heartbreak, hilarity, and heartfelt emotion. The Mighty Nein, gathered for Jester and Fjord’s wedding, are ambushed by the vengeful hag Isharnai and her coven. Together, the party faces high-stakes combat full of legendary actions, powerful spells, and emotional consequences. As the magical dust settles, we finally witness the long-awaited wedding vows and celebration, ending in a night of love, laughter, and friendship.

Key Discussion Points & Highlights

1. The Battle: Isharnai Crashes the Wedding

• Initiative Chaos: The live show’s energy erupts as the guests realize the wedding is under siege. Players eagerly roll initiative, launching into high fantasy action.
  • "I would like you all to roll initiative." – Brian W. Foster [03:28]
• Yasha’s Opening Fury: Yasha unleashes a massive opening assault, dealing 59 points of damage in her first round.
  • "That’s 59 points of damage on the opening round of battle from Yasha." – Brian W. Foster [07:41]
• Legendary Actions & Spell Flurry: Isharnai counters with devastating legendary actions, including unique spells like Entropic Swarm (a ninth-level twist on Meteor Swarm) and life-draining magics that siphon power from chained witches strapped to her back.
  • "The chains have like a protective force field or something!" – Marisha Ray (Beauregard) [10:38]

2. Combat Escalates: Risks and Sacrifices

• Resilience and Healing: The party weathers massive damage thanks to smart use of Haste, evasion abilities, and clutch healing from clerics Jester and Caduceus.
  • "Describe to me how you avoid this terrifying spell." – Brian W. Foster to Sam Riegel (Veth) [19:10]
• Witch’s Regeneration: The bound witches allow Isharnai to rapidly regenerate, forcing the party to strategize about breaking the chains rather than focus solely on damaging her.
  • "We gotta take out the witches!" – Ashley Johnson (Yasha) [14:05]
• Counterspelling Showdown: The magic-users engage in a tense battle of counterspells and legendary resistances.
  • "She's going to use her reaction to use Tongue Twister. She counters your counterspell." – Brian W. Foster [58:48]

3. Critical Moments & Emotional Stakes

• Memory Loss—A Fraying Bond: Isharnai’s magic temporarily severs Jester’s memory of Fjord, adding chilling stakes.
  • "You look to your groom and see a stranger." – Brian W. Foster [37:40]
• Beauregard Dropped to Zero: Multiple party members are nearly wiped out, with Beauregard dropping to zero hit points after Isharnai uses “Destined Tragedy” to crush all accumulated Luck points against her.
  • "Beauregard, you drop to zero hit points." – Brian W. Foster [51:34]
• Thematic Use of Spells: Caleb capitalizes on the narrative weight by casting Wish to create a temple dedicated to the Traveler, providing both magical and emotional sanctuary.
  • "And I will use wish. To cast temple of the gods..." – Matthew Mercer (Caleb) [53:15]

4. Turning the Tide: Breaking the Chains

• Freeing the Coven: Yasha and Beauregard focus on breaking the witches’ chains (with a healthy dose of table banter and musical references!), weakening Isharnai’s arsenal.
  • "As Fleetwood Mac would say, always break the chains." – Marisha Ray [71:21]
• Isharnai’s Last Stand: Removing her tethered coven limits Isharnai’s legendary resistances, tilting the fight in the Nein’s favor.

5. Epic Finish: Defeating Isharnai

• Disintegration—The Killing Blow: Caleb deals the killing blow with Disintegrate, carving out Isharnai’s heart.
  • "How do you want to do this?" – Brian W. Foster [86:15]
  • "The beam of pure green light carves a circle around the heart in her chest, blasting a hole..." – Matthew Mercer (Caleb) [86:46]

Notable Mechanic:

• Isharnai’s Hag Soldier Spiteful Escape: Unless within 30ft of her “true anathema,” Isharnai cannot be killed and teleports away instead. The party targets her amulet to circumvent this, breaking it in a final joint effort.

  • "Yasha, your sword impacts and slides into the chain...the blade shatters the glass amulet outward. You gasp. As suddenly all the memories come flashing back into you – Yasha, Marion, Fjord." – Brian W. Foster [91:48]

• Victory & Sudden Return: Once defeated, reality rights itself and the group is transported back to a sunset wedding ceremony.

The Wedding Ceremony (Vows & Speeches)

Ceremony Highlights

• Emotional Recovery: The group regains memories, presence, and composure, reuniting with family and friends (including Marian Lavore and Kingsley).
  • "If we could bring out the podium once more…Let’s get married.” – Brian W. Foster [93:35]
• Fjord’s Vows:
  • "You are chaos wrapped in kindness, a whirlwind with frosting on it...I will match your mischief with patience, your spontaneity with steadiness, and your boundless heart with one that is forever yours. I will follow you into every storm, every strange scheme, every wild dream, because anywhere you are, that's where I belong." – Liam O’Brien (Fjord) [94:43]
• Jester’s Vows:
  • "No, and you are a seaman so we got that part right. And you do have a bulging—wait, note, the rest…You taught me that love isn’t about being swept away, it’s about standing solid. It’s about choosing to stay. It’s about painting the same face a hundred times because I never get tired of staring at it. I don’t want the kind of love that looks perfect in a story. I want the kind that’s real. So I promise to stand next to you and hold you tighter every single day…" – Ashley Johnson (Jester) [97:04]
• Official Pronouncement:
  • "Then in the presence of friends, family, and any who may be looking down upon us, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss." – Sam Riegel (officiant) [99:58]

Reception: Laughter, Music, and Toasts

• Band and Guests:

  • "For one night only, returning vocalist Scanlan Shorthalt..." – Brian W. Foster [101:52]

• Best Man’s Toast (Beauregard):

  • "Ford, you are now setting sail on what will be the greatest adventure of your life. You are trading in your ring of fire for your sapphire...You’re no longer a boy...Now you’re a man who will have a ball while eating." – Marisha Ray (Beauregard) [104:29]

• Yasha’s Toast:

  • "May all your ups and downs come only in the bedroom." – Ashley Johnson (Yasha) [107:03]

• Caleb’s Toast:

  • "It is a gift that this day is possible, in spite of all improbability. Yes, I am bringing math into this...It was always meant to be. This. What a miracle. We get to be here together, in this place, on this day, with two people we love so dearly, holding on to joy." – Matthew Mercer (Caleb) [107:06]

• Caduceus’ Banter:

  • "Now, ladies and gentlemen, I am told that…there’s food on the table, there is dancing to be had, and apparently some sort of fountain with chocolate that I did not..." – Sam Riegel (Caduceus) [110:05]

Wedding Epilogue

• Mysterious Gift:
  • "A flash of white catches you at an immense speed...it is thick, viscous and liquid. As you look into the rafters and find an owl staring down at you before it flutters out of the chateau into the night sky…" – Brian W. Foster [110:40]
• Closing Words:
  • "And thank you all for joining us for this wondrous celebration. We love you all so very much. And is it Thursday yet?" – Brian W. Foster [111:58]

Notable Quotes by Timestamp

• On Memory Loss and Rediscovery:
  • "You look to your groom and see a stranger." – BF [37:40]
• On the Battle’s Stakes:
  • "We gotta take out the witches!" – Yasha [14:05]
• On Love and Belonging:
  • "You showed me that the best things in life don’t always come with a plan. Sometimes they arrive covered in paint, laughing too loud and leaving pastries and dicks in places they shouldn’t be…and somehow, that’s exactly what my heart was waiting for." – Fjord [94:43]
• On Found Family:
  • "You are my best friends. You took me in when I was a wayward, feral creature and became the found family I never had." – Yasha [106:14]
• On Destiny:
  • _"But those other outcomes...they were never going to happen. It was always meant to be. This. What a miracle." _ – Caleb [107:06]

Key Timestamps (in MM:SS)

• Initiative & Battle Start: [03:28]
• Yasha’s Opening Turn: [06:07]
• Isharnai’s Regeneration: [13:40]
• Entropic Swarm Spell: [17:20]
• Jester Forgets Fjord: [37:40]
• Temple of the Gods Wish: [53:15]
• Chains Broken, Witches Freed: [71:48]
• Final Blow (Disintegrate): [86:46]
• Wedding Ceremony: [94:43]
• Jester’s Vows: [97:04]
• Wedding Pronouncement: [99:58]
• Reception, Toasts: [101:52] – [107:06]

Tone and Style

The tone of the episode swings from the high drama and tension of a climactic battle, to signature Critical Role humor (banter, puns, song references), and deeply sincere, emotional storytelling as characters reflect on their found family and enduring bonds. Epilogue moments bring laughter, closure, and a feeling of cathartic celebration—the perfect ending to a saga years in the making.

For New Listeners

This episode showcases why Critical Role is beloved: expert improvisational storytelling, unforgettable character moments, and the real, loving camaraderie of its cast. Even if you missed the lead-up, the heart of this episode—the fight for love, for memory, and for one another—shines through.

"It was always meant to be. This. What a miracle. We get to be here together, in this place, on this day, with two people we love so dearly, holding on to joy."
– Matthew Mercer (Caleb) [107:06]

To Jester and Fjord, the Mighty Nein, and to friendship, laughter, and love: Is it Thursday yet?