After finishing Candela Obscura: The Circle of Needle and Thread, I sat back and asked myself, “how are they EVER going to top that?” I’m pleased to announce that Candela Obscura: The Circle of Tide and Bone may not be to the same caliber as Needle and Thread, but it is by no means a poor entry into the eldritch horror anthology by the team behind hit Dungeons & Dragons series Critical Role.
Candela Obscura, a concept developed by Chris Lockey and Critical Role cast member Taliesin Jaffe, is ostensibly about a group of occult investigators in a secret organization that works to protect the innocents of the city of Newfaire from the horrors of the world beyond. In practice, the groups of investigators, known as Circles, are horribly broken individuals who are clinging onto their last vestiges of humanity, desperately hoping that by helping others they can save themselves… and many times proven wrong.
While Needle and Thread focused on a Circle knit together by the tides of war and death, dealing with themes of grief, survivor’s guilt, and PTSD, Tide and Bone looks to follow a Circle that has been touched by otherworldly forces far before the story starts. The Circle of Tide and Bone is filled with monstrous creatures that were once human – and perhaps are still human – grappling with who they are and how they have been changed – mutated – without their permission or agreement.
The cast for Tide and Bone is as follows:
Ashly Burch – Elsie Roberts
Noshir Dalal – Rajan Savarimuthu
Gina Darling – Cordelia Glask
Liam O’Brien – Cosmo Grimm
Sam Riegel – Oscar Grimm
Aabria Iyengar – Game Master
I will say, I was disappointed upon beginning this series that Spenser Starke did not return as Game Master, as he was a breakout for me last season. But Aabria Iyengar continues to shine. As a sultry, cunning spirit leading her circle into the dark, her style of storytelling is far more elegant and seductive than the viscera and brutality of Starke.
Cover Image for “The Antiquarian,” Credit to Critical Role Productions
Liam O’Brien as Cosmo Grimm (Occultist), an old and infirm man unwilling to give up his last vestiges of choice and agency in his life, is a stand out actor – especially during a scene during the first episode, “The Antiquarian,” where he fakes far greater illness and age than even Grimm’s advanced maturity of 97 (!!!).
Another character that immediately grabbed my attention is Noshir Dalal as Rajan Savarimuthu (Professor). Haunted by a past that infests his dead eyed, traumatized gaze, he covers it with a veneer of jovial charm and brings the kind of suave swagger to a character that makes you want to punch them.
Sam Riegel as Oscar Grimm (Soldier) and Ashly Burch as Elsie Roberts (Doctor) are both touched by the occult, the strange and horrible magic that infests the world of Candela Obscura, and though by the end of the first episode they are aware of each other’s condition, they have not had time to discuss what this might mean.
The final member of the circle is the beautiful Cordelia Glask (Magician), a casino owner (which is named, amusingly, the Glass Cat Casino), glamorous face to the operation, and played by Gina Darling. While her presence is understated, she is warm and lovely to the members of her Circle, bringing kindness to a group of people who react as suspiciously as wild animals when put too close to individuals they do not know.
One of the things I immediately appreciated about this entry into Candela Obscura (as I also enjoyed in Needle & Thread) is the connection between the characters. Cosmo holds them all together, bringing them into the Circle of Tide and Bone for his last field mission before retirement: Oscar as his grandson, Roberts as his doctor, Glask as a close friend, and Savarimuthu as the odd man out. Savarimuthu knows Roberts (very early on it is revealed that they were once together), but he is brought into the circle for his knowledge of the monster they are fighting and is viewed with suspicion by Oscar and Roberts (for different reasons).
The production in this season, which trades less on music (much to my disappointment; I don’t normally say that an actual play’s score is beautiful, but Needle and Thread had a world class soundtrack), and more on understated sound effects, is not one of my favorite choices. But I do appreciate the cut-ins that the editing team does when two characters are talking with one another, pushing in to allow us to better see their faces and subtle acting choices.
I would prefer if each season had it’s own title sequence, as while I was able to make some connections between the characters and the visuals in Needle and Thread, there are some baffling choices made with the order of appearance of names in Tide and Bone (what does Oscar Grimm have to do with math, science, or academia?)
Still from “The Antiquarian,” Credit to Critical Role Productions
Iyengar’s dangers that she brings through are different than Starke’s in other ways, too. While Starke focused on bleed, the magical corruption from the other worlds (and to a lesser extent physical damage), Iyengar focuses on brain (that is, mental damage) as it relates to feelings of embarrassment, betrayal, and guilt, instead of witnessing horrors that could drive a man mad.
I’ve enjoyed Tide and Bone more than The Circle of the Vassal and the Veil (the first chapter, run by Critical Role Dungeon Master Matthew Mercer), but not as much as Needle and Thread. If you need a slightly less intense introduction into the world of Candela Obscura this would be my first choice, but for those that want a truly horrifying experience, you may find it only mildly thrilling.
Asterinomous 