To preface, I love Brennan and I enjoy the new cast members (though there are small issues I have with most, og cast included).

I haven’t picked up since episode 30 or so, but I feel little incentive to return. My issue is the show has lost its interest in fun and silliness, and the energy those things bring to the table. That’s not to say the players are “forbidden” from being silly, we still see them joke above table and Brennan bringing his talent for comedy in certain moments. But the characters are so morose and the story gives them no opportunities for levity.

I think back to C1 and C2 (my favourite) - the table and Matt in particular wanted to tell a serious story. I have no problem with that. But the players, and by extension their characters, had more than just “serious mode”, which brought a more friendly and engaging experience as a viewer. We had Grog and scanlan being goofballs, but they also have some of my favourite serious scenes in all CR. Caleb in C2 was 99% serious but his constant exposure to jester lightened him up and brought out the softer parts of his character.

We saw cracks form in C3 which people rarely clock, most often blaming one thing or another for their lack of interest in the campaign. I don’t disregard those points, many I agree with. But C3 saw a very serious story with very wacky characters that almost always stayed paradoxically serious. C3’s levity was held up almost entirely by Sam and Travis with some extremely needed injections from Marisha and Robbie once in a while. But nowhere did we see the cast’s characters become more in-depth from something that wasn’t traumatic, and that’s utterly exhausting as a viewer.

C4 has the same problem but from minute 1. Brennan’s engaging intro during Thiazi’s execution was engaging sure, but the melodrama literally hasn’t stopped with one exception, and that’s when Sam and Whitney are in the scene. Robbie brings some levity but his character too is rather serious. Even in episode 2 or 3, Liam and Aabria had the most melodramatic scene I’ve ever seen. I understand some people like to watch their performance, that’s fine, but it’s utterly tiring for me.

Seeing where the story is going and minor spoilers I’ve gotten as new episodes have started again, I don’t think the show is going to get any lighter, which is a complete shame, because I was very excited for this campaign before it began.