An emotional Caleb manipulating fire in The Mighty Nein episode 5
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Kyle McLeod
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Kyle is a senior writer at ScreenRant and has been part of the team for over two years. Having led coverage on The Walking Dead projects alongside Rick & Morty, Kyle is well versed in numerous genres.
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Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Mighty Nein season 1, episode 5, "Little Spark."
Each week, The Mighty Nein continues to get better and better, with episode 5 being the best yet, but despite "Little Spark" being filled with action and emotion, it contained one minor problem. Given how much people enjoyed The Legend of Vox Machina, expectations have been unsurprisingly high for the follow-up, and thankfully, The Mighty Nein has delivered.
Critical Role's new Prime Video show has bettered most competitors and instantly became one of the biggest hits of the year, as evidenced by its overwhelmingly positive reviews, which makes keeping up this strong momentum even harder. Fortunately, the spinoff has stood up to the challenge, and its latest outing highlighted exactly what makes this fantasy franchise so good.
Caleb's backstory provided a very strong insight into why he has become the man he is today, but this didn't detract from the overarching plot. Each character's story continued to progress, with The Mighty Nein not relying on its Legend of Vox Machina connections to succeed, yet the absence of a fan favorite remains a point of frustration.
“Little Spark” Is Easily The Mighty Nein’s Best Episode So Far
A young Caleb looking worried as he looks ahead in The Mighty Nein
The Mighty Nein's pacing has been a significant strength, as the first two episodes were entertaining introductions into this fictional setting and welcomed some of the key characters before episodes 3 and 4 really upped the stakes. Now, episode 5 has gone one step further, as "Little Spark" reached new highs for this fascinating show, and it'll be hard to top.
Caleb's reserved and self-loathing attitude has lacked context up until now, but after learning about his backstory, it all makes sense. Seeing him evolve from an aspiring wizard who comes from humble beginnings into a ruthless servant of the Dwendalian Empire was both absorbing and heartbreaking, especially after seeing him kill his parents and cat upon Ikithon's orders.
The juxtaposition between Caleb murdering Owelia and the flashback to him setting his childhood home ablaze was easily one of the show's best scenes yet, and Liam O'Brien's performance proves just how important he is to The Mighty Nein's cast. Visually, the episode was stunning, and alongside furthering Caleb's journey, it helped grow the group's dynamic.
Nott taking care of Fjord was a nice touch, while Jester and Molly's blossoming friendship also stood out as a personal highlight. Furthermore, the eventful conclusion helped set up an even more interesting future for the series that makes the next episode a must-watch outing, yet I still have one small complaint that prevented "Little Spark" from being even better.
Despite How Great The Mighty Nein Has Been, We’re Yet To Properly Meet One Of Its Best Characters
Yasha with a sidewards look into the camera in The Mighty Nein episode 1
While The Mighty Nein's first five episodes have been excellent, the lack of Yasha has been a big point of contention. In the Critical Role campaign, she was a key part of the group, and she's also been a relatively significant part of the show's advertising, with Prime Video users even able to select her as an avatar for their profile.
All of this would suggest she'd be at the heart of the series, yet outside a very brief scene in the first episode, she has been completely absent. Given the quality of The Mighty Nein, it's clear there is a plan with Yasha, and the overall product hasn't suffered much without her, but there is no doubt she'd elevate the story.
Additionally, Ashley Johnson being one of Critical Role's most notable members makes it also feel like a slight waste not to have her voice acting talents be more prominent throughout season 1. Fans loved this character in the CR campaign, and her unique personality will bring a lot to the story, making her delayed arrival all the more frustrating.
When she does eventually get a more formal debut, it'll likely be worth the wait, and I'd expect her to play a big role in potential future seasons, which could make The Mighty Nein one of Prime Video's best fantasy shows. Still, until she's interacting with the other members, Yasha's absence will prevent the series from reaching its full potential.
Why The Mighty Nein Is Taking So Long To Introduce Yasha
Yasha holding a sword and looking menacing in The Mighty Nein
Despite the painful wait for Yasha's true introduction, The Mighty Nein has good reason for holding off. Firstly, it makes sense to build the rest of the team early on, as there are a lot of contrasting personalities for the audience to get used to, and letting them bond and grow as a team will make Yasha's presence more special.
Seeing how she fits into this already established group should be a joy to watch, but it's not the only reason she hasn't been more active. Like Essek, Yasha's first real appearance will probably come in tandem with what the main group is doing and be given a big spotlight, helping us understand more about her character.
Whereas we're still waiting to find out more details about Nott and Molly's background, Yasha's episode may give us a look into her past while also outlining her current goals before she stumbles across the central cast.
Of course, it'll likely take at least another season until we fully understand her character in full, but the same could be said for every key player in The Mighty Nein. Therefore, Prime Video hopefully won't keep us waiting much longer, as fans are eager to see this warrior steal the spotlight and shake up this captivating fantasy series.
9.9/10
The Mighty Nein
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-MA Animation Sci-Fi & Fantasy Action Release Date November 19, 2025 Network Prime Video Writers Tasha Huo Franchise(s) Critical RoleCast
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Laura Bailey
Jester
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Marisha Ray
Beau
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Mighty Nein
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