Arcane Season 2 Act 3: Stumbling on the Landing

     This blog post will be discussing spoilers for Arcane Seasons 1 & 2. I am writing this after watching the entirety of Season 2 in order to have a better informed opinion on the series as a whole, though I will only be discussing a specific Act in this blog. Enjoy reading!

    Finally, after years of waiting and a couple of weeks to build hype, the much awaited conclusion of Arcane was finally upon us. While it may have hiccupped here and there, Arcane had remained as an unquestionably good show, illustrating what could be done with an adaptation of an IP as well as inspiring a new generation of artists with its striking visuals and art style. However, following a weak second act for its final season, I was forced to ask an uncomfortable question: Has Arcane lost its sauce?

    In spite of my strong attachment and love for the first act of the season, the second installment of the season had let me down somewhat. Its separation from the major conflicts in the show in favor to focus on the Warwick healing story (which I already wasn't a fan of) had allowed for doubt to creep into my expectations for the show moving forward. While its visuals had remained unparalleled by most modern animation projects, the writing had taken a bit of a dip, and that was a stumble I couldn't ignore. However, I forced myself to remain positive going into the third and final act, ready for a hopefully amazing conclusion that could stick the landing. Did I get my wish? Not really.

    Episode 7, "Pretend Like It's the First Time," was amazing, giving me a huge swell of hope for the rest of the act. Following the ending of episode six, where the audience was left with the image of a dying Warwick, sacrificing Isha, and destroyed cult, I'm sure all of the viewers were expecting an immediate follow up to the events of the last act. However, Arcane took an unconventional risk and instead gave viewers a story so disconnected from the last act, it almost felt like a standalone movie. While on paper, I would expect this decision to anger me and further feel like a misstep from the team, in practice, this quickly became my favorite episode from the season.

    The episode immediately immerses the audience in the confusion Ekko feels as he wakes in a familiar workshop, alongside Benzo (his father that died in season one) and Powder (a version of Jinx that isn't crazy). Without fully diving into pure plot summary, the premise of the episode revolves around Ekko and Heimerdinger being transported into an alternate universe where Hextech wasn't invented, showcasing the prosperity and idyllic society that has grown in its absence. While the episode makes sure to drive home the point of how perfect the world is without Hextech, I really liked the implication that Heimerdinger learned from his mistakes from his original universe and focused on improving life for everyone, not just Piltover. Its an understated character arc that turned out being one of my favorites in the entire show after this episode, and I'll get back to it in a later blog post.

    Giving Ekko (and in a way, the audience) the "perfect" universe where all of the old characters (except for Vi) are alive and well, where Ekko and Jinx have a romance, and Piltover and Zaun are at peace is a great way to deliver on plenty of fanservice moments while still underscoring the entire episode with a little unease. Then this unease is transported to Jayce, who also explores an alternate universe, but its a desolate hellscape rather than a paradise, giving an explanation to why Jayce came out of the wild rune completely different in the previous act. I really enjoyed the stark contrast between both universes, and seeing how both parties have to work in order to return to the original universe. The differences in tone, artstyle, and emotional development really nail the idea that no matter what, the characters won't be the same when they go home, despite how different the circumstances are.

    I particularly liked the decision to have Jayce experience the hellish future that Hextech created all by himself, isolating him with nothing but his thoughts and the constant reminder that he is responsible for the end of everything. While most fans eagerly focus on Ekko's adventures with his perfect universe, I was far more intrigued by Jayce's journey through the caverns and postapocalyptic landscapes of the arcane. To have the "Man of Progress" confront the direct result of his rash and uncalculated development of Hextech is such an interesting premise, especially as he breaks his leg at some point, forcing himself to make a leg brace for himself, leading to him inching forward like Viktor would with his disease. I don't know, I just thought it was really neat to have Jayce be put in Viktor's position, with no support system or company to keep him afloat, resulting in a man crazy and desperate to prevent that future from happening, to a point where he would kill his own partner with no hesitation.

    For all of the strengths of Episode 7, Episode 8, "Killing Is A Cycle" plunges into a significant dip in the quality that had been established for Arcane. While "finale setup" episodes are common in other shows, I hadn't expected such a lame episode from Arcane. This is to say, Episode 8 wasn't a bad episode, it just felt a little boring, with small flairs of excitement, which is uncharacteristic for Arcane, which has never made me feel bored with any other episode before. Having said this, I'll focus on what I did like about the episode first, and then glance over the negatives.

    Pretty much the only good scene from this episode was the moment where the first Viktor drone attacks Jayce and Mel in the council room. I had already liked the intimate moment that Jayce and Mel were having, each having gone through their own traumatic journeys this season and coming out drastically different, and the idea that Mel went to Jayce for comfort, as she has in the past. However, Jayce remains in his frenzied, future-focused state from the previous episodes, and he can't connect with her emotionally the way he used to, since he's so fixated on what might happen. He even lashes out at her as he blames Mel for funding his Hextech research in the first place, accusing her of manipulation and taking advantage of him, which shows that Jayce does feel used by her throughout the series, and was aware of it the whole time.

    As much as I liked this convergence of storylines and the character drama that arose from it, the breakout star of this scene is Viktor's drone. Elegant, efficient, and deadly, this singular drone establishes the severity of the threat Viktor poses to Piltover and our main characters, as he almost killed two characters in a minute with just one drone. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Jayce and Viktor here, as they take an almost ex-romantic approach to one another in describing their relationship and how they talk to one another, which was an angle I hadn't really considered before, but felt almost natural in its delivery. The tension of the scene is palpable and it gives a nice showcase to both Jayce and Mel's abilities following their respective journeys, setting up the future finale fight that will transpire in the next episode.

    However, that's pretty much the only good thing from Episode 8. Jinx's conversations with Caitlyn and Vi feel hollow, which is in part owed to the depressive state Jinx is in following Isha's death, but it also means that any apologies or emotional messages that are exchanged between characters here feel like they fall flat, since Jinx is clearly thinking about other things, and it feels less impactful than if she were fully responding and taking responsibility for her actions. Instead, Jinx allowing herself to be arrested feels like its less out of a genuine reflection about what crimes she's committed and more of a mental shutdown where she wants to isolate herself to mourn Isha, lessening the impact of her finally answering for her crimes. Even worse is that after Jinx escapes her cell and leaves Vi inside, implying that she will be committing suicide, Caitlyn and Vi have sex in the prison cell. While I understand that this is a pure fanservice moment for shipping fans that have waited years for a lesbian sex scene on Arcane, this could not come at a worse time. Ambessa and Viktor are rallying forces for an invasion of their city, Jinx has just left to go kill herself, and instead of worrying about any of this, Caitlyn and Vi instead have sex, which feels very uncharacteristic of Vi given her attachment to her sister.

    Episode 9, "The Dirt Under Your Nails," is a pretty good finale, since it offloaded so much dead time onto the previous episode, making this one feel super fast-paced, high-energy, and constantly stimulating. Before I get into it though, a minor issue I had: this title for the finale sucks. It makes no sense for the rest of the episode, only referencing the very last line of the show that is uttered from Vi towards Caitlyn, where I feel like if you are going to title the episode after a phrase between characters, it should've been one between Jinx and Vi, since the two sisters were the focus (at least originally) of the show.

    Starting off the episode with Jinx and Ekko was the best decision made for this finale. It feels intimate, heavy, but the use of the Z-Drive reversing Jinx's several suicide attempts as Ekko reasons with her to not kill herself adds a certain flavor to the scene. I wouldn't quite describe a scene of repeated suicides as "whimsical" but the lack of stakes in her repeated attempts lightens the otherwise dreadful tone of the scene. I do wish that we got more scenes between the two talking, since there was apparently a lot of scrapped material that got cut from the final version of this episode, and I feel like it would've done a lot to contextualize what happens later in the episode.

    The entire battle segment is very well done, giving a sense of scale to the Noxian invasion of Piltover while still taking small moments to recognize the intimacy of battle, granting precious time to witnessing the deaths of side characters and unnamed extras to highlight how war touches everyone (except our protagonists, I guess). The progression of the battle feels reasonable, starting as a ranged exchange between the Noxian arrows and artillery against the Piltoven Hextech cannons, then becoming a melee fight as the Noxian army begins to drag forward Viktor's cocoon. I will allow myself a moment of personal grief: The hulking monster that drags forward the cocoon was 100% supposed to be Blitzcrank and I will never forgive the studio for not letting my favorite League character have a cameo in Arcane. 

    

    Moving forward, I thought that Maddie's betrayal was pretty obvious, but still very welcome, as I don't know a single person who liked her character, and the way she died was really satisfying. The joint fight between Mel, Caitlyn, and Ambessa was choreographed excellently, and the reveal that Viktor's cocoon was a decoy genuinely surprised me a little bit. Warwick's return as a blank slate super-powered soldier was really, really disappointing, since it felt like an insult to his character. Arcane had already removed the bestial savagery that made him feel like a serious threat, but after this, he didn't even have the emotional appeal of having Vander's conflicting minds- he was just a strong puppet, and I feel like this was quite possibly one of the worst decisions made in the entire show. Just abysmal.

    Ambessa's death felt earned, deserved, and emotionally heavy, which was exactly the sort of end I was hoping for her. As an antagonist, I knew she would have to be defeated somehow by the end of the show, but I wasn't sure the show had the confidence to kill her off, especially right after her release as a playable character in the game. Nevertheless, it was a solid sendoff, and I liked that Mel had the satisfaction of saving her from the Black Rose, even if she did die anyways. The setup of Mel being someone with the powers of the Rose but as an opposing force to them is an interesting premise that I really hope gets developed in the future Noxus show that they've been teasing.

    As cool as the final battle was, I don't really have a whole lot to say about it. As has become the expectation for Arcane, the visuals were stunning. Every frame could be framed within someone's house as a piece of art without a second glance, especially the "god Viktor" sequences. I was a little upset by how quickly and easily the entire cast was brainwashed by Viktor's drones, as it made everything feel pretty useless in terms of what came before. If he could beat everyone that quickly and effortlessly, what was the point of allying with the Noxian army? Besides that oversight though, it did a great job at making me filled with dread, since there's something very emotionally overwhelming about watching the entire cast get beaten so quickly, selling the sheer power and threat that Viktor has become after his evolution.

    The Ekko sequence was amazing, high-octane action that had me on the edge of my seat. I especially liked how it felt so dangerous and risky even with his Z-Drive plot armor, which allowed him to turn back time pretty much anytime he got caught. It was also realistic that he wouldn't be able to actually beat Viktor like this, pushing him to risk everything and push the Z-Drive past its limit, damaging Viktor. Jayce's emotional reasoning with Viktor was a really heartfelt conclusion to the whole show, though I couldn't help but feel like a scene of this emotional gravity should belong to Jinx and Vi, since they were originally the focus of the show. As an ending, it was nicely open ended, though I feel like there were so many loose ends that could've been solved by maybe ten extra minutes. Overall though, it recovered from the dip in quality that I was afraid would tarnish the show at the end.

    SO! My final thoughts on Arcane season two: While it was entertaining throughout, and maintained its mastery of the visual arts in every single episode, story-wise it felt a lot more rushed and crammed than season one. Personally, I believe that this season suffered from being two seasons mashed into one: with the true season two focusing on the rise of fascism in Piltover, and season three concluding with all of the arcane Hextech magic stuff as a focus of the season, rather than awkwardly sharing the spotlight with so many other character driven stories. I still recommend this show to anyone who's a fan of animation, video games, or both!

They definitely should've had Blitzcrank though.....