Critical Role’s creepy spin-off Candela Obscura just wrapped up its fourth season. If you’re getting ready to sit down and watch Circle of the Crimson Mirror wrap up this weekend, be prepared to set aside some time: its third and final part clocks in at just under six hours. (Don’t worry, there are no spoilers here!)
This week’s Into the Abyss follows February’s premiere Seeking Serenity and last month’s mid-season installment The Gilded Graveyard to round out the fourth chapter of Candela Obscura, which sees GM Liam O’Brien and veteran Lightkeeper Taliesin Jaffe – who also plays journalist Leo Amicus – guide Aimee Carrero’s clairvoyant Grimoria, Alexander Ward’s Doctor Edgar Lycoris, and Imari Williams’ soldier Malcolm Trills through an investigation in the town of Newfaire.
The final season of the spin-off show using the titular horror RPG (published by Critical Role's RPG studio Darrington Press) ends in appropriately epic fashion, with Into the Abyss clocking in at five hours and 50 minutes in total.
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That makes it about as long as watching the original Star Wars trilogy (i.e., A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, not Episodes I through III) back-to-back, though Star Wars beats it by about a half-hour, at six hours and 24 minutes. (Skip the credits and you might be close.) You could, however, watch all three Back to the Future movies (five hours and 42 minutes) or the good Indiana Jones movies (with a total of five hours and 44 minutes for Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, and The Last Crusade) in less time.
Given the length of the marathon, Critical Role unsurprisingly encouraged viewers to “take regular breaks” while watching the show, and the extensive length also caused the episode's on-demand video to be delayed from its regular schedule following the initial live broadcast.
Still, Into the Abyss doesn't take the crown for longest Candela Obscura episode to date. That goes to the episode two finale, Broken Path, at six hours and 13 minutes long, putting the latter episode in second place.
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It also has a long way to go before it surpasses the standard D&D adventures of Critical Role. The final episode of Campaign 2 sent the Mighty Nein off with a colossal seven-hour-plus finale, while the conclusion of Exandria Unlimited: Calamity topped the six-hour mark.
Still, Candela Obscura’s latest episode now ranks as the fourth-longest Critical Role episode of any kind by my count, which is no small feat for a group known for its RPG marathons. Be sure to stretch your legs every hour or so!
After wrapping up their final chapter, Candela Obscura will be bringing their tabletop terrors into the real world next month with their first-ever live show in Los Angeles. Maybe the real terror is for your buttocks.