Arcane has a lot of ground to cover in its second season. Riot Games and Netflix confirmed that its narrative will wrap up with the next nine episodes, meaning it must conclude arcs for Vi, Jinx, Caitlyn, Jayce, Viktor, Mel, and several other key characters. That’s a lot to ask, but judging from the first trio of episodes, it might just pull it off.
Things begin immediately where the finale left off and not much is explained if you’ve forgotten what happened over the past three years, so I’d recommend a rewatch.
Fortiche Productions has crafted an effective opening act that answers key questions, sets up even bigger stakes, and gives most characters enough room to breathe. At times, it can feel rushed, trying to jump between so many distant arcs at once, but it’s all in service of the revelations to come. Arcane remains stunningly animated, sharply written, and translates a gaming universe that sometimes feels impossible to engage with outside of adaptations like this.
Picking Up The Pieces
The first act is largely defined by different kinds of grief. The unfillable void that comes from losing a parent, or recognising that a sibling you once loved is no longer who they used to be and the easiest way to heal is by letting them go. Or in the case of Caitlyn and Vi, going on a warpath. After Jinx fires a rocket launcher at the council during the season one finale, it now lies in tatters and several of its members are dead – including Cassandra Kirraman.
Ahead of release, we sat down with some of the key figures behind Arcane to talk about bringing Vi to life across both seasons.
Her death pushes Caitlyn over the edge as she encourages Vi to join the Piltover enforcers and spearhead a campaign to draw Jinx out and finally bring Zaun to justice. Both girls are closer than ever as they exchange chaste kisses in quiet alleyways before taking up arms to put criminals into the ground.
On the flipside, Jinx has disappeared into the shadows, hoping she will no longer be labelled as a beacon of hope for the broken world she originates from. With Silco dead, Zaun has nobody to look up to, and in its place a motley crew of syndicates fight for power. It’s messy, morally grey, and wonderfully presented, even if more time with each side would have done wonders for the unfolding narrative.
Meanwhile, Ambessa makes a play for power in the fractured council while her daughter is pushed to the sidelines. Mel has enough to deal with anyway, as dark forces begin to pull her into a twisted new reality where she must confront an evil magic that threatens to drain her of life. This is potentially the most underdeveloped arc of the season thus far, and feels like it will have viewers who aren’t familiar with League of Legends’ overarching lore a little lost. Mel is a great character, but when she’s pulled away from familiar faces like Jayce and Ambessa, or is no longer working her way to the top of the council, she suffers.
Piltover And Zaun Have Reached A Boiling Point
Jayce and Ekko busy themselves with investigating the arcane as Viktor gradually morphs into a religious figure of sorts for the undercity. The first act focuses on building up a plethora of new forces between Piltover and Zaun, many of which seek to fill the voids left behind by the likes of Silco and Cassandra – only to be ignorant of the roles they played to begin with. It’s a vicious cycle of trauma, violence, and an unwillingness to forgive that in time will be broken, but only once core characters stand up and take notice.
The use of music throughout is once again outstanding. It can feel overbearing at times, but the majority of tracks help to inform the animation, emotion, and intention of key scenes in some seriously breathtaking ways.
Breaking this cycle is especially relevant in Vi and Jinx, who are both walking away from the right path in order to ignore confronting their problems or desperately trying to find family in a world that keeps on leaving them behind. Jinx has Isha, a young mute girl who is saved after an early action sequence before coming to view Jinx as a big sister. A blue burst of light in her life where before stood nothing but darkness. Fortiche is clearly trying to reflect on the role Vi played in Jinx’s life, and as an older sibling, you are constantly pushing family away to keep them safe or avoid making the same mistakes.
Vi meanwhile, becomes an enforcer with little resistance, believing that donning the blue will be the easiest way to eliminate Jinx and maintain her relationship with Caitlyn. One scene in an alleyway sees Vi confess to Caitlyn that every single person she’s ever cared about, tried to protect, or loved has left her behind. Everyone except Caitlyn, so throwing aside morals to join the enforcers feels like a way to prevent the horrors of loneliness rather than selling out to a way of life that killed her parents. Like a lot of things in Arcane, it’s complicated.
There is no good or evil, no right or wrong, and no heroes and villains. Everyone is acting on an agenda that either serves their pursuit of survival or to protect loved ones, even forces of nature like Ambessa who would rather treat her daughter like an enemy if it means keeping them out of harm’s way. Piltover is about to experience a revolution, and thousands are set to be swallowed up in its wake. There are a number of intricate moments and plot details we’ll be sure to delve into once the dust has settled, but right now Arcane is filling the board with pieces before the second and third acts knock them all down.
Press are only being given access to the first two acts, so we’ll be experiencing the final three episodes right alongside you.
Like the previous season, Act One is a precursor of what’s to come, a thematic foundation on which to build upon where revelations and tragedies will emerge thick and fast in remaining episodes. Considering how many threads it must bring to a close, it’s no surprise things are moving a million miles a minute. I want to spend so much more time with these characters, but Fortiche is using the finite to its advantage to tell an enthralling story that remains one of the best looking animated shows out there.
Arcane is at the beginning of the end right now, and it begins that journey with an ambitious opening act that, while rushed at times, is hitting all the right notes. It’s heartfelt and tragic while making me once again care about a universe that previously felt impenetrable.