Arcane showrunner and co-creator Christian Linke has defended the show against complaints that the second season felt “rushed”.
“When people watch season 1, there’s an aspect to the pacing… season 2 is a bit different in that regard,” Linke tells GamesRadar+. “I respect that people express that [opinion]. You’re right – the vast majority of the audience seems to be happy. But there are people who say, ‘It’s rushed. What’s going on?'”
For some, the stretch of episodes from Act 2 and Act 3 crammed in so much plot – and fast-forwarded through so many relationships – that it moved away from the interpersonal dynamics and more intimate politics that made the first season such a runaway success on Netflix.
As Linke explains, “We did approach season 2 a little bit differently in how we structured the episodes because we wanted, as creatives, to take these bets [and] take these swings. It seems like for most people that works really well. There’s some people who specifically wanted to see the continuation of season one in that regard and are disappointed. I’m not happy that they feel that way, but I respect that.”
Linke, though, points out that they couldn’t win either way; a vocal minority wanted more League of Legends champions and more story, while others remain steadfast in their belief that there was too much going on as Viktor and Ambessa made their final play in Piltover.
“Yeah, there are people who say it’s too rushed, too much going on. There’s also the flip side. I see like, ‘Where’s Camille? She’s part of Piltover. Where’s Blitzcrank? Where’s Twitch? Why didn’t you include them?’ On one side, you have people saying it’s too much. On the other, you have people saying we didn’t do enough and we did our best… It’s hard. We’re doing our best to include the right amount of story.”
Arcane season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
For more, check out our breakdown of the Arcane season 2 ending and why there won’t be an Arcane season 3. Then dive into our picks for the best Netflix shows and the best Netflix movies.