Arcane Season 2 Check-In

Arcane Season 2 Act II dropped, at the time of this writing, yesterday, so after 24 hours, I feel entitled to talk spoilers. How we feeling, gang? I know the CaitVi shippers and the JayVik alliance are all hurting, and belive me, I'm right there with you, but through all this misery, its safe to say that yeah, Arcane season 2 is pretty good. It wouldn't be a self-indulgent blog post from me if I didn't find a way to complain about something I love. While I firmly belive that Arcane season 2 is firing on cylinders, we gotta talk about the elephant in the room—the pacing.

Up front, I'll address that the events of Act III could entirely justify the season's wild pacing. If this thing sticks the landing, and I have hope it does, then I will—humbly and deservedly—shut the fuck up.

Let's talk Act I. Overall: love it. It wastes no time getting to what we care about. The aftermath of the council bombing is the chief motivator for Act I and all its agents, whether that's Cait and Vi going after Jinx or Viktor's transformation after Jayce using the Hexcore to heal him. My chief complaint is that that, seemingly, there are superfluous elements in the Piltover camp that eat away screentime. Vi's drunk friend and the Abe Sapien looking guy on Caitlyn's cop squad are literally just warm bodies to fill out these group shot. Maddie has plot relevance in Act II, being Cait's rebound and all, so I can only hope Rambo and Fish Guy return in a meaningful way.

Vi's recruitment to the enforcers is rushed, but here it feels intentional. The whole thing is a mistake, so she has to be drunk and emotionally compromised to want to do it. Caitlyn's fall into full fascism works. She always had it in her, this was just the spark that lit the powder keg. A redemption for her is on the way, but let's not forget that police brutality music video in episode 3. I will say that Viktor coming back and immediately fucking off was a little fast, especially since by the time act II rolls around, he's built his commune off-screen. Otherwise, Act I is very good. Isha's introduction is a little sloppy btu Act II's character work makes up for it.

Time for Act II.

First off, I'm cool with the show kinda slowing down in Act II. Extending focus on Jinx was a good move considering how tired I was of Vi by now. She's great, obviously, but I feel like her character arc is at an end? Where do we go from here? Unfortunately, the Piltover/Zaun conflict isn't very present in Act II. Its much more about Piltover getting its act together to combat whatever Noxus has going on, and beneath that, Vi and Jinx running around with their dog dad. Act II has the unfortunate task of managing all of this madness and being the meat of the story where things are most uncertain. Its easy to catastrophize, especially after theses events, but I have to say that I was struck with worry over how things were possibly going to be resolved in the following 3 episodes.

Act II is where the pacing issues begin to show. Vi's time as a pit fighter is window dressing, an excuse to give her a cool outfit and even more angst. Its hard to grapple with how much time has past when this period of Vi's life is told in music video. Oppositely, I think Jinx and Isha were developed well here because we actually got to see them. There's also a fair amount of characterization-by-music-video going on, but I can forgive it thanks to the amount of on-screen characterization. I would have liked more time with exploring this weird new family dynamic Sevika (my beloved), Isha, and Jinx have, but alas. Act II nails Jinx, cementing her at the Act's emotional core and protagonist.

Vander's return as Warwick was handled well, if not predictably. It hits all the right beats, bringing the sisters together and putting them at Viktor's commune for the Act's climax, making it hard to ask for more. Putting Vi and Jinx in the same place eliminates the need for any cutting away and gives the writing time to slow down and dig into their dynamic. Watching them repair their relationship was a treat.

Anyway, what is this show's deal when it comes to Ekko? He makes such a splash in season 1 that I can't believe he isn't on the front line in every scene here. Shelving him and Heimerdinger at the end of Act I is certainly a choice, one I hope turns out for the best. Their absence in Act II is so conspicuous that I can't see it as anything other than a gamble we're seeing play out in real-time. We know Ekko returns because of the trailers, and belive me, I wouldn't mind seeing the last of Heimerdinger, but Ekko feels a little wasted here.

On one hand, I'm mourning Ekko's potential as a player in how the Zaun/Piltover conflict is playing out, but on the other, is Ekko really that interesting? Just hear me out: when has Ekko ever been wrong? Sure, he's acted on outdated information or wrong assumptions, but I mean philosophically? The Boy Savior is the voice of reason in this conflict, and while that's a valid point of view to explore, its conspicoous how he's the only character's without a true flaw. Okay, so he's angry. Who in this show isn't? That anger never leads him to hurt others, like Vi ad Jayce do, and his want for Zaun independence never leads him to oppress his own people, like Silco did. My theory: his flaw is trusting Heimerdinger. That little furball is 300 years old and just now developed empathy for Zaun. We know he wants to do good, but his track record isn't amazing. We'll just have to hope that Ekko's tenure as his pupil doesn't end like that of Jayce and Viktor's. (Side note: great that Ekko and Jayce got to talk. Really great stuff there, hoping to see more of that. Probably won't, considering we only have 3 episodes to wrap this up, but a boy can dream.)

Now that I've got that off my chest, it time for me to suit up as Jayce Talis' defense attorney. Simply put: we do not know enough about Jayce's disappearance and subsequent return to understand why he killed Viktor. Given the release schedule, I think the cliffhanger was a strategic move. We get something to worry and speculate about thanks to sheer lack of information because the show the so focussed on other tings. Arcane bought itself time. Its like a magic trick. We were all misdirected and now the trick is on us. At first, I felt cheated, but looking back, its brilliant.

Another touch is the visual storytelling of Jayce's design. His beard and hair are obvious, as well as his dirty clothes and mutated hammer, but the leg brace is something that's really stuck with me. Viktor's leg's brace was an explicitly visual aspect of his design in season one, and now Jacye has one on the opposite leg. Its possibly made of Jayce's hammer or Viktor's old cane, most likely the latter. All this is ironic since Jayce has always been a physically fit man, embodying both brains and brawn, but expure to the Arcane has left him physically and mentally compromised. I also noticed something about this scars. He has new ones on his lips and face, and while the one in his eyebrow remains, the one he sustained last season fighting alongside Vi likes to disappear. Can't tell if its just an animation thing or its genuinely gone. It could be hidden thanks to the way Jayce's hair falls. I should know, I've spent a long time looking at this man's face.

Additionally, and this is admittedly a reach, but Jayce also has his collar up, just like Caitlyn does in her evil vampire commander outfit. Both of them have this subtle visual cue when they are at their most "malevolent." Doubt it means anything really, but its worth mentioning. Vi and Caitlyn have reconciled (sort of), so I'm hoping that Cait and Jayce coming back together might be the next big milestone in their respective developments.

So far, this season feels like a series of calculated risks. The Arcane team is strategically choosing when to speed up and slow down. Sometimes, that results in the overuse of needle drop montage or Ekko and Heimerdinger being MIA for a whole Act. Other times, it results in a masterful gambit like what they just pulled off with Jayce and Viktor. I can only hope that Ekko and Heimerdinger's return will be as expertly done.

I'm worried. We all are! I'm just one of many fans who wants to see their favs have a happy ending. I have confidence that Riot and Fortiche can wrap this thing up satisfyingly. Its a big task and we all have big expectations, but its possible, and I know they'll kill it.