Arcane season 2 was worth the wait (Episodes 1-3 review)

As a long-time fan of the League of Legends universe, I must say that Arcane Season 2 is nothing short of a marvelous masterpiece! The way Fortiche Animation has brought this rich and intricate world to life on screen is truly awe-inspiring.

Following a three-year hiatus, the beloved animated series Arcane has made its grand return on Netflix. The initial three episodes of its second and concluding season have been released, reimmersing viewers in the twin cities of Piltover and Zaun as they teeter on the edge of a fierce conflict. Now that it’s back on our screens, there’s no doubt that Arcane season 2 was well worth the patience.

In 2021, the release of the animated series Arcane, set within the world of the video game League of Legends, generated considerable buzz due to its compelling narrative, visually striking animation, and excellent soundtrack. This show was the first animated series on any streaming platform to secure the Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program, and I believe that the excitement surrounding it has been entirely justified.

Season 1 of Arcane concluded with an enormous plot twist. As the high-ranking individuals of Piltover convened to decide whether to grant self-rule to the underground city of Zaun, Jinx fired a rocket straight into their assembly hall across the river. The fate of those present remains unclear, leaving many wondering who lived and who perished. Now, our long wait for answers is over.

Season 2 of the mysterious series is being divided into 3 separate “chapters” or groups of 3 episodes each. The initial chapter was launched on November 9, providing ample material for a detailed analysis. Delve into our review of the first chapter, but be cautious: there will be major spoilers ahead.

Arcane Episode 201: “Heavy Is The Crown”

Unlike series such as “Cobra Kai” or “Stranger Things 4,” which appear to have released their episodes in installments over weeks and months due to Netflix’s strategy for keeping viewers engaged, the division of “Arcane” into three acts for its final season seems to be driven by creative considerations. If the first three episodes are any sign, it’s clear that this decision was well-made.

In each of the freshly released episodes, we delve into distinct aspects of the intensifying feud between Zaun and Piltover. By the finale, I was left astonished, gripping my screen tightly. The inaugural episode, titled “Heavy Is The Crown,” revolves around the consequences of Jinx’s shocking assault on Piltover’s elite at the end of the preceding season. In her rampage, she launched a rocket into a crowded room, leaving one to wonder if any survivors were left behind.

It’s impressive how well-crafted Arcane is at preserving the enigma surrounding whether characters such as Jayce (Kevin Alejandro) and Mel (Toks Olagundoye) made it through the explosion. To be honest, I assumed one of them might have perished, but it turns out they’ve merely been left shaken but unharmed amidst the chaos. Unfortunately, not everyone was as fortunate. The most significant loss in this episode is Caitlyn’s mother, Cassandra Kiramman. This tragic event provides ample opportunity for Arcane to delve into the emotional aftermath experienced by Caitlyn, as she grapples with her mother’s demise while taking on an even greater role within her household.

In addition to Jayce, there’s Vikor (Harry Lloyd), who collaborates with him on scientific research involving the Arcane, or magic. Viktor, like many others after the explosion, finds himself near death. But when Jayce transports Viktor back to their lab and allows the Hexcore to merge with him, a remarkable magical pause occurs, resulting in an extraordinary transformation during the second episode.

In “Heavy Is The Crown,” Vi and Caitlyn are pivotal figures, each grappling with the awareness that they came close to preventing Jinx from detonating the diplomatic gathering but ultimately fell short. Arcane consistently excels in character development, and this is evidently true for its second season. The internal struggle of Vi over deciding whether to partner up with Caitlyn as a peacekeeper is engaging, culminating in a satisfying resolution by the end of the episode.

Indeed, Arcane isn’t just about the story; its animation steals the show too. It boasts a unique style that intensifies the emotional depth of the narrative. Much like Arcane, there are few stories that maximize their medium as effectively as this one, and it’s no surprise that it won an Emmy – it’s always refreshing to be reminded of its excellence from the start. Only a handful of animated films or series can match its quality, with Sony’s Spider-Verse movies being among the exceptions. The voice acting and music in Arcane are top-notch as well.

The initial episode concludes with a thrilling assassination attempt on Mel during Caitlyn’s mother’s funeral, making matters worse as no one among the good-hearted individuals carried their weapons to the memorial service. Ambessa (played by Ellen Thomas) and her Noxian troops eventually arrive to neutralize the villains, yet it seems there’s more than meets the eye regarding Ambessa’s motives – something that Arcane subtly hinted at with its chilling act one conclusion. At present, Ambessa is among the most captivating characters in the series, and I eagerly await exploring where her narrative unfolds.

Arcane Episode 202: “Watch It All Burn”

In episode 2 of Arcane season 2, attention turns heavily towards Jinx. Despite being missing from the season opener, the writers ensure that her absence is compensated. The upper city’s nobles perceive Jinx as the most significant danger to Piltover’s safety and set a substantial reward for anyone who can capture her, hoping to lure other criminals of Zaun into apprehending her. Ella Purnell continues to be delightful to hear as Jinx, giving the character a mix of Harley Quinn’s anarchic vibe and a deep undercurrent of emotional distress. While Jinx doesn’t express regret for her actions, such as seemingly killing her foster father Silco in season 1, it’s evident that she’s been pondering over them extensively.

In this captivating installment, I found myself intrigued by several thought-provoking elements. For instance, we’re introduced to a young girl named Isha (Lucy Lowe), who inadvertently witnesses Jinx take down a bounty hunter. This encounter seems to spark a sense of admiration within her for our protagonist. Jinx isn’t quite the icon for Zaun as the trailers hint, but it’s clear she’s heading in that direction.

Incorporating characters such as Smeech and Jinx, the first act’s “Watch It All Burn” episode is undoubtedly the most enjoyable one. The opening episode predominantly delves into grief, while the third concentrates on widening rifts between Piltover and Zaun. Despite a bounty being placed on her head, Jinx continues to enjoy the mayhem. The hunt for Jinx provides insights into how Caitlyn, Vi, and their strike team are navigating Zaun’s chaotic landscape in search of her, taking advantage of the toxic smog called “the gray” as concealment. We’ll uncover more details about this in Episode 203.

In “Watch It All Burn,” it’s not just Jinx who has a significant narrative. Another key figure is Viktor, portrayed by Harry Lloyd, known for his role as Viserys Targaryen in Game of Thrones. After waking up from his magical stasis, Viktor extracts himself from a gel-like material to discover Jayce dozing off at his work station. The transformations in Viktor are profound; his voice is altered, his skin is imbued with magic, and his speech suggests that his mind is no longer purely human.

He’s equally unhappy because Jayce failed to keep his promise to eliminate the Hexcore and instead allowed it to merge fully with Viktor, making it an integral part of him. However, Viktor appears to be beyond human anger. He doesn’t lash out at Jayce; instead, he departs, informing his former comrade that they can no longer collaborate together.

Eventually, Viktor arrives in Zaun, encountering a band of distressed individuals addicted to shimmer who attempt to rob him. Instead of engaging them physically, Viktor appears to perceive past their tough exteriors the profound agony they endure. As one approaches, he employs his newly discovered magic to alleviate the deleterious effects of the shimmer that had warped their physique. The scene is both visually captivating and emotionally intense in a way reminiscent of a messiah’s actions, and it becomes evident that Viktor has an unusual path ahead. Episode 203 does not feature him, but he shares the spotlight with Ambessa as one of my top characters from act one.

A notable aspect of the episode features Heimerdinger (Mick Wingert) and Ekko’s (Reed Shannon) adventure to Piltover. Ekko has created a serene sanctuary hidden underground in Zaun, providing safety for its inhabitants amidst the city’s drug-plagued underbelly. However, an unusual illness affects the central tree, and Heimerdinger suspects his lab work in Piltover could provide a cure. They secretly travel through the ventilation system to reach the upper city, which includes a humorous sequence as they encounter Jayce along the way.

Arcane Episode 203: “Finally Got the Name Right”

In this pivotal episode marking the conclusion of act one, several storylines converge, culminating in a heartrending shift in the established order. We uncover the means by which Caitlyn and Vi’s squad, on their hunt for Jinx, navigate Zaun: they’re exploiting the smog known as “the gray,” releasing it into the undercity neighborhoods to create a smokescreen and keep residents indoors. Remarkably, they are leveraging the very ventilation system Caitlyn’s mother designed with the intent of bettering urban lives.

Arcane has a keen knack for highlighting societal divisions; it does so because this conflict serves as the pulse of the narrative. The underlying tension is what shaped Vi and Jinx’s tumultuous childhood, ultimately driving them to oppose each other in this devastating struggle. “Finally Got the Name Right” delves deeply into this theme, not only by depicting Caitlyn’s descent into authoritarianism as she assumes command of the city’s martial law, but also through Jayce, Heimerdinger, and Ekko’s investigations into how magical experiments are harming the undercity.

The eventual showdown between Caitlyn, Sevika, Vi and Jinx is exciting stuff, with incredible animation and a banger of a song to accompany it. It’s cross-cut with Jayce, Heimerdinger, and Ekko going deep into the magical system that Jayce designed for experimenting on the Arcane to create Hextech weapons, like Vi’s gauntlets. That system pipes energy from the depths of Zaun up to Piltover, and in order to prevent any accidents in the upper city, Jayce placed a failsafe for it down at its base. It turns out that failsafe was responsible for the corruption of the tree in Ekko’s hidden village, because it was forcing any issues with the Arcane system to spill out into Zaun.

However, they don’t have ample opportunity to discuss it, as a catastrophe unexpectedly strikes the system. The ensuing chaos is quite extraordinary, as Hextech weapons start malfunctioning all over the city, and Jayce experiences a shocking revelation about his experiments gone terribly wrong. We may not immediately understand the consequences, but they will likely play a significant role in upcoming episodes.

One issue I’ve found in the initial three episodes of Arcane season 2 is that at times, the pace seems excessively rapid. The series has an excellent soundtrack, and it occasionally intensifies this by integrating music videos as montages within the show. Generally, I appreciate this approach; however, in these first three episodes, there were too many instances of it, which made me wish the show delved deeper into some of its rich emotional content by slowing down slightly.

In the early stages of Episode 203, Caitlyn and Vi exchange a kiss, and Vi expresses her concern that Caitlyn might change given their shared history with Caitlyn’s sister undergoing a psychotic transformation. However, it quickly becomes evident that Caitlyn is indeed changing, as she nearly shoots a child to attempt killing Jinx, though this outcome was successful. I found myself desiring more time to fully appreciate the situation. The majority of Vi and Caitlyn’s incursions into Zaun are condensed into a musical sequence at the beginning of the episode, lending an artistic flair but giving the impression that these events are transpiring at a faster pace than they actually are.

But really, that’s a small nitpick. Any issues that Arcane season 2 has are far outweighed by its virtues. And those virtues are on full display for Ambessa and Mel’s storyline in particular. We learn a lot more about Ambessa Merdada in this episode, such as the fact that she’s actually lost power in Noxus and is being hunted by witches. Those witches kidnap Mel right as she’s about to out one of Ambessa’s allies at court for using the drug shimmer, and Ambessa hinted earlier that they were responsible for the death of her son. There’s a lot more story here.

But the more immediate danger is what Ambessa will do next. The final montage of the episode, which shows how Ambessa actually set up the attack on the memorial in the season premiere in order to come to the rescue and instate martial law, is chilling. She’s a terrifyingly good strategist with a secret agenda, and I’m very worried for Caitlyn after Ambessa handpicks her to lead the new martial law interim government in Piltover. The warfare between the upper and lower cities is probably about to go from bad to worse.

Arcane Bullet Points

• It’s interesting that Jinx has a moment of quiet acceptance when she thinks Vi is about to kill her. Vi made her peace with her sister being “gone,” but it seems like Arcane might be setting Jinx up for a redemption arc by the end.
• There are a few quick scenes of a deformed person who looks like Silco gathering up wolf DNA and working on some kind of experiment. So it looks like Silco survived. For the League players, it seems like he’s turning into a champion known as Singed.
• I’d also be willing to bet that giant being we saw hanging at the end of the episode is another champion from the game: Warwick. It looks like the theories that Vi and Jinx’s father Vander might return as the werewolf may pan out. Hopefully we’ll find out more in act two.

Verdict

In today’s era overflowing with TV shows and movies, it’s a refreshing change to find a series like “Arcane“, clearly crafted with immense passion by Fortiche Animation. With its strong writing, exceptional voice acting, music, and visual narrative, it’s no wonder this show has touched so many people. Since this is the final season, we’re in for an emotional journey, and I can hardly wait to experience it!

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2024-11-12 22:42