Delicious in Dungeon

Episode 22

Episode 22 of Delicious in Dungeon serves up another welcome helping of fun while incorporating a few novel character beats along the way.

The big draw for me in this episode is how it gives us a new situation for Senshi and, by extension, the group. Throughout the show, Senshi is the steady hand at the party's rudder. He introduced himself out of nowhere to help them solve two problems simultaneously: how to save Falin while still surviving the harsh and resource-intensive environment of the dungeon. Senshi has also been a guide through the environs of the world below, helping the team identify new creatures, how best to approach them, and how to prepare them for flavor and grit. Senshi often goes so far as to offer helpful life advice about physical and mental well-being that goes beyond simple dungeon factoids or cooking tips. Senshi has been the firewall against failure in most instances the party has faced up until now.

Which is why this episode offers such a unique twist on the formula. For perhaps the first time, Senshi was truly out of his depth. He runs away and gets captured, leaving the party to fend for themselves without his experienced guidance. The loss of this paternal figure spurs the party to create fun new solutions, like crafting familiars to help solve the problem, and opens the door to new insights into who Senshi is as a person that we haven't seen before. It's refreshing, and though we only get a brief glimpse of Senshi's backstory at the end of the episode, it sets up some exciting revelations for next week.

There's also a ton of wonderful little moments with the familiars. Marcille explains a lot of great world-building details regarding how magic works, gives us a roundabout insight into the villain's true power, and more. Not to mention the hilarious emotes that the familiars have or Laios goofballery when given the power to craft a custom monster that turns him into an overgrown child (or reveals his childlike nature) doodling monsters in the margins of his homework. It's all great fun.

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Grant is the cohost on the Blade Licking Thieves podcast and Super Senpai Podcast.

Delicious in Dungeon is currently streaming on Netflix.