The following contains spoilers for Critical Role Campaign 3, Episode 91.
Sam Riegel may have elicited a few chuckles from the “Pussy in Bio” joke emblazoned on his canteen during the first half of Thursday’s Critical Role episode, but by the end of the five-hour affair, he had brought the table and the entire internet to tears when his character Fresh Cut Grass nobly sacrificed themself in another deadly battle against Otohan Thull.
Critical Role fans trained on tragedy remain ever-vigilant of the warning signs and two such signs came prior to Thursday’s steam: when word spread of the upcoming episode’s longer-than-usual runtime and Critical Role issued an ominous “stay hydrated” in their weekly newsletter. For those already primed for waterworks, their fate was seemingly sealed when Otohan Thull – proud owner of nearly complete Bells Hells body count – arrived on the scene. Thull added to her lethal stat line Thursday in a combat encounter that resulted in everyone’s favorite Aeormaton, Fresh Cut Grass, taking the high-ranking lieutenant out once and for all in an explosive blaze of glory.
In his final moments, Riegel brought Dungeon Master Matthew Mercer and the entire Critical Role table to tears in a stirring speech about the love and humanity FCG found within their friends. Riegel’s words echoed across social media, with many fans sharing in their shock and offering send-ups to the smiley robot. Though many Critical Role player characters have perished in the past, few have done so in such a permanent manner and to such effect. For instance, Travis Willingham’s first Campaign 3 character, Bertrand Bell, died early on in the campaign in a more preordained manner. Therefore, FCG’s sacrifice has already ascended to the echelon of Critical Role’s canon of heartbreaking permadeaths such as Vax and Mollymauk Tealeaf.
Bertrand Bell, Dorian Storm, and FCG’s romantic partner F.R.I.D.A. were among the absent Bells Hells members and allies mentioned by the Aeormaton in their final moments. Both F.R.I.D.A. guest star Christian Navarro and his Critical Role partner-in-crime Aabria Iyengar are known to react to the show live on social media, and the pair issued hilariously diametric responses to last night’s tragedy. Where Navarro praised his fictional romantic partner’s sacrifice, Iyengar saw an advantageous job opening, providing some necessary levity to the Twitch chat.
As with Molly, FCG’s death will irrevocably alter the course of the Bells Hells as a party and Campaign 3’s story and fans minds have been left spinning in the possibilities. While some are dreading the heartbreaking moment that F.R.I.D.A. first hears the news, others have already begun theorizing about Riegel’s next character, with Luc Brenatto’s name even being thrown around. A faction of Critical Role fans have been left part-wondering, part-hoping that FCG could still be brought back via the Wish spell or a similarly powerful bargain. Rest assured, the episodes following FCG’s sacrifice are sure to be a continued emotional whirlwind for Critters and players alike.
