Season 1 Arcane blew the minds of general Netflix watchers when they came across the show. It is nothing less of a masterpiece, and when Season 2 was announced, the fans of LoL (League of Legends game) and Arcane were very expectant of what the new season will bring to the table.
With strong characters driving the revenge, political and an action – soaring drama, Arcane was highly commendable for its animation, score, screenplay and the pace of the plot. Season 2 is nothing short of Season 1 in comparison, in fact – it’s much better, bigger and larger than Season 1 in terms of its grandiose animation, thickening revenge-family drama, complex characters which expands to another universe.
Arcane Season 1: A quick run through
Season 1 of Arcane explored the class division between Piltover and Zaun. The war between two cities left our main protagonists – Powder (Jinx) and Violet (Vi) as orphans under the care of Vander. During a small heist that Vi and her adoptive brothers planned, Powder comes across magical crystals and steals them, which originally belonged to Jayce. Jayce and Viktor (his friend) worked together to stabilize the crystals that have mysterious and magical properties. All of the characters cross paths when Silco – an underground crime Lord of Zaun captures Vander. Powder, in an attempt to save him and Vi, uses the crystals which initiates a blast killing her brothers and Vander. This marks the original and deep split between the sisters – where Powder becomes Jinx and works on exacting her revenge and to come in the path of her sister.
Years later, Vi along with Caitlyn (an Enforcer) join forces for their own personal goals where they come across Ekko – a childhood friend of Vi and Jinx. He is the head of the Firelights’, a group which is against the activities of Silco. During a fight between Jinx and Ekko, Jinx becomes heavily injured and is saved by Viktor, using a procedure which causes hallucinations. The next episodes play the base for the upcoming war between Vi and Jinx and Piltover and Zaun. With Silco gravely injured and Jinx launching an attack at the end of Season 1 during the Piltover Council meet, the rift between two cities begins the onset of an upcoming battle in Season 2.
Act I Season 2: Vi’s gauntlet steals the show
Spoiler alert: Read at your own risk
Touted to be the most expensive animated series to be made, Arcane Season 2 kicks off with its Act I – having three episodes for each Act. Titled ‘Heavy is the Crown’, ‘Watch it all Burn’ and ‘Finally got the name right’ – episodes 1-3 of Act I starts off darkly, showcasing Caitlyn grieving her mother. The Season 2 acts as if the previous season has recently completed its run, even though it’s been three years since the final clash of Piltover Vs Zaun. The initial episode brings in details and ideas of larger world building, with our favourite characters showing different sides of them comparatively to Season 1. With Vi working on her guilt of abandoning Powder and losing her sister, who has changed into ‘Jinx’, she is pushed away by Caitlyn too.
Jinx, who has become borderline psychotic keeps herself low after losing Silco, but the political unrest amongst the masses have made her a ‘messiah’ of Zaun. Vi joins hands with Caitlyn in bringing peace to Zaun by being an Enforcer, and in trying to find forces that bring unrest. The Piltover Council is facing a political disorientation as well, with Ambessa trying to control and dominate for power. The grief theme explored through animation and score has set the pace for further tension in the upcoming episodes.
Isha, a young mute girl plays a small yet satisfying role that makes the viewers emotional, where the role of Jinx gets reversed as the elder sister. Isha, a marble eyed mini-version of Powder looks up to Jinx as she grieves Silco and laments about Vi joining the Enforcers, just like how Powder often prioritised Violet no matter what. The humane version of Jinx comes out when she plays along with Isha. And her protectiveness towards Jinx becomes nostalgic and not-so-surprisingly shocking when she puts herself in between Vi and Jinx during a fight. The Act 1 ends on a high note with Caitlyn taking up the position of the Head of the Piltover Council, and Vi backs away from Caitlyn after another fallout of bond with Jinx.
Act 2 Season 2: Vander is alive?
From showcasing the strength of the bond between Caitlyn and Vi to showing how greed and vengeance can separate even the thickest bond of people, Act 2 of Arcane Season 2 premiers to a brooding start. With Vi becoming the underground thug, fighting small fights after her breakup with Caitlyn, Caitlyn has already moved on with Officer Nolan. Though Jinx is aware of all the happenings in Piltover and Zaun, she is waiting for an attack so heavy that it could satisfy her raging mind and psyched brain looking for revenge and chaos.
Jinx, though not instigating or working on dropping bombs in places, her followers Isha works in her name and drops Jinx’s signature bombs on Checkpoint, starting a much bigger uproar of the citizens. With Sevika working on trying to bring in Jinx to the picture, we encounter Warwick – a werewolf-like creature. The penultimate episode and final episode of Act 2 is a roller coaster ride of different emotions and new ones at that, which even Season 1 couldn’t bring into the plot.
Turns out Warwick is nothing or no one else but Vander who was brought back to life by the powers of Shimmer and Signed used the body of Vander for further experiments. Jinx tracks down Vi, who is self-loathing and destroying herself into an abyss of darkness through booze and ring fights. She informs Vi of Vander being alive, and they together with Isha work along to get to him. The bond which was once lost gets repaired and we get to see how blood is thicker than water as they try to throw aside all their hate, revenge motive and other issues just to stick to their hope of seeing their father – Vander alive again. The final episode of Act 2 ends with Vander being released, unleashing a battle like atmosphere where the beast goes on a killing spree. Jinx and Vi try with their utmost might to stop Vander aka Warwick, but his double-psyche gets confused as we get to see his human side and beast side fighting to keep sane. Isha, in the course of saving Jinx, amidst the chaos, takes Vi’s gauntlet and inserts one of Jinx’s signature bombs and blasts the arena, putting the episode and Act 2 to an end.
Act 3 season 2: Multiverse and Parallel Universe
The final episodes of Arcane Season 2 bring in much more confusion, complexity to the core of the characters and much more intrigue to the plot with the Hextech corruption. With Ekko getting a specific episode this season, fans couldn’t ask for more of Arcane as his character stood out to be the best after the leads in Season 1. Heimerdinger, Ekko and Jayce disappear into another universe where they live an alternate life, which affects their present life in the Arcane universe. Viktor and Jayce’s relationship as friends and partners in Science, runs deep as we see Jayce shooting through Viktor in the previous Act but is also saved by Viktor in an alternate universe and also a hooded guide who gave him the Hex Gem when he was a kid.
Meanwhile, Ekko in another universe works closely with Powder and starts to have feelings for her. His signature weapon – Z-drive , a time- loop device is created and designed by him for an upcoming competition and during the course of the process, he starts to long to stay in that universe, gradually reminding the audience of the upcoming doom.
Jayce joins hands with Mel, Caitlyn and others against Singed, Ambessa and her Noxis army to take over and protect Piltover. Ambessa, blinded by greed and power has made questionable choices affecting the people of Piltover and disrupting the whole universe. While Caitlyn gets betrayed by Maddie, who has played her since the start under the instruction of Ambessa, Mel comes to the rescue who challenges her mother for combat. In the end, Ambessa and her army is put to a stop by the powers of Wild Rose. Viktor and his followers capture the soldiers and control them under his hive mind, though Jayce tries to stop him and his army. Ekko helps Jinx and team to aid Vi in the battle, and he also launches the Z-drive at Viktor, disarming him.
“You’ve always wanted to cure what you thought were weaknesses. But you were never broken Viktor, there is beauty in imperfections. They made you who you are and what I admired about you.” – Jayce pleads to Victor’s emotional psyche.
Final Arc to Arcane
The pounding question to the viewers and fans since the start of Arcane Season 2 was whether Vi and Jinx finally reunite and put things aside after all. They do, but at the cost of a life. The battle which was nothing less than chaotic and a beautiful mess with a masterpiece animation and addictive scores, Jinx and Vi do not face-off this against each other as they both join hands together to fight Warwick (Vander) and stop others from hurting him. Though Jinx tried to reason with Vi in the last Act as Warwick – a beast is Vander indeed, Vi was fighting to keep herself alive and to connect to the emotional psyche of Vander.
This time, it is Vi who feels lost when Vander unleashes his beastly powers and screams as he goes on a rampage and killing spree, throwing soldiers and people aside. Jinx on seeing Vi losing herself in a contemplation between fighting and killing off and saving Vander, saves her from the attack of Warwick. She sacrifices herself to save Vi when Warwick attacks her and they both fall together as we see Jinx was never the villain she portrayed to be.
“You still don’t get it sis, I’m always with you. Even when we’re worlds apart.”
The end of Arcane finishes off with Caitlyn and Vi joining hands together and travelling Runeterra to look for the remains of the Hextech and also to search for Jinx, in case if she is still in the air ducts after falling off the ledge with Warwick.
Arcane Season 2 is out on Netflix and is available for streaming. Stay tuned to AnimeKing to know more about the Arcane universe and their characters.
Source: Netflix
