Taako has so many memorable moments, courtesy of Justin McElroy, that it’s difficult to pick just one. From his “abraca-fuck you!” to his previously mentioned reunion with Kravitz, it really does seem like it’s a nonstop barrage of hilarity and/or poignancy. I mean, mostly hilarity because he can’t stay serious for more than a few moments, but still.

And actually, that’s a good segue into my favorite Taako moment, which comes from one of the interludes. He and Kravitz are on their first date at the Chug and Squeeze, a wine drinking and pottery crafting joint that somehow recently opened up on the BoB’s moon base. After some jokes, Kravitz asks why Taako isn’t doing something a bit less dangerous, and the high elf’s answer is surprisingly and sadly honest, mixed with the trademark Taako sarcasm.

Because I’m worried no one else will have me … Well, I mean, that’s the truth. If I can’t be honest at the Chug and Squeeze, then I – frankly, my man, I don’t know where I can. What else am I gonna do? As far as anybody else knows, my career as a chef is over. Nobody wants an adventurer who’s got as little experience as I’d have going on. I can’t tell any – I can’t put any of this in my resume; it’ll look like scribbles! So that’s out. I don’t have a lot of job prospects on that front. So here I am.

Despite the levity, this is actually much sadder than it initially appears, especially in light of what’s revealed several episodes later: that he’s fought the Hunger for 100 years with his friends and his forgotten sister, Lup. Oh, and also that the deaths he had supposedly caused while touring with his cooking show were not actually his fault, as revealed by the Chalice during “The Eleventh Hour.” There is just so much he doesn’t know about himself that makes this moment so depressing. But at the same time, when Lup is released from the Umbra Staff (and after he realizes his assistant willfully poisoned the people in the town for revenge), it just makes their reunion that much sweeter.

Art Credit: Maximum Fun