In Prime Video’s The Mighty Nein animated series, we see the story of our main characters evolve. For some, that means more room to understand them and their relationships. For others, it means finally having to face the cold, hard facts of the darkness within them, even as we know where their journey will lead. Yes, we’re talking about Matt Mercer’s Essek. In the initial episodes of The Mighty Nein‘s first season, Essek makes some questionable choices, but they all seemed motivated by his true love for his mother and his desire to save her life. But in The Mighty Nein episode seven, “Belonging,” Essek makes his first truly awful, dare we say, evil, choice, a selfish decision that reveals how callously he will betray even his best friend at this point in his life. YIKES.
It’s one thing to hear second-hand about the awful crimes and choices that Essek made in The Mighty Nein‘s campaign. But to see them live and in front of us is staggering in a whole new way. When speaking to us about The Mighty Nein season one, showrunner Tasha Huo revealed, “I want to start at the beginning of that, right? And really see him make those really bad choices because when we meet him, he’s never felt love, and he is a sad hot boy, and he’s done really terrible things. I remember when Matt Mercer, in the live show, he talked about how, basically, Essek is a war criminal. And, I was like, wait, but we didn’t get to see any of that.”
But we SURE get to see it now. In episode six of The Mighty Nein, we saw how Essek’s selfishness indirectly led to the massacre of an entire Kryn army, as Tren Ikithon used the Luxon Beacon’s powers to suck the souls right out of the living. And, of course, Essek is the one who stole the Luxon Beacon in the first place. However noble his initial aims were, Essek’s theft drew the Kryn Empire and the Dwendalian Empire to the brink of war on which they now stand. But in episode seven of The Mighty Nein, Essek makes choices that are heartlessly evil in a way we have never seen.
His best friend Verrat has been on Essek’s side this whole time on The Might Nein. Verrat, voiced by Rahul Kohli, is an original character created just for the world of The Mighty Nein animated series. And, by no accident, he’s one we really liked. Verrat is a Kryn general and Essek’s most trusted confidant. Verrat discovers that Essek’s mother has contracted typhros, an ailment some Kryn experience when their many reincarnated lives begin to bleed into one another. However, he does not turn her in as the law demands; rather, he allows Essek more time with her. Verrat does not want war, and he wishes to become a father. He seems patient, jovial, and kind. Even when Verrat realizes that Essek has stolen the Luxon Beacon, he does not immediately turn him in to the Bright Queen.
But when Essek’s life is on the line for his own bad choices, Essek coldly betrays Verrat in The Mighty Nein episode seven. Essek goes to the Bright Queen and lies, claiming that Verrat turned his back on his people and stole the Luxon Beacon, giving it to the Dwendalian Empire. Not one for mercy, The Mighty Nein’s Bright Queen immediately executes Verrat as Essek watches. Without the Luxon Beacon, Verrat’s soul is lost forever, and so is his dream of ever being a father. And that is both COLD and evil, a betrayal from Essek greater than any we’ve seen so far. Essek then immediately moves to position himself to his own advantage, asking the Queen to allow him to retake the Beacon by force, which she allows.
Oof. Of course, we all knew that from the original campaign that The Mighty Nein‘s Essek made many terrible choices. Essek is at a neutral evil alignment at this point in The Mighty Nein‘s story, after all. But knowing and seeing are two very different things. We sure are a long way from redemption here. But we’ll just have to hold on.
The Mighty Nein is now streaming on Prime Video. New episodes release on Wednesdays. We shudder to think what choices Essek will make next on The Mighty Nein series.