Arcane season 2 remains searingly beautiful and devastating in Act II (Episode 4-6 review)

As a seasoned fan of animated series with a soft spot for shows that weave intricate narratives and boast breathtaking visuals, I must say that Act II of Arcane’s second and final season has truly left me spellbound. The emotional depth, the complex storytelling, and the jaw-dropping animation have combined to create an experience that transcends the usual boundaries of a television show.

Over the weekend, the second half of season 2 for the series Arcane was made available on Netflix. The first act concluded with Caitlyn (played by Katie Leung) assuming control as the leader of a new military state in Piltover, under the supervision of Ambessa Medarda, a Noxian general (portrayed by Ellen Thomas). At the same time, Vi (performed by Hailee Steinfeld) had a disagreement with Caitlyn following their intense fight against Jinx (Ella Purnell) and Sevika (Amirah Vann), resulting in Caitlyn returning to Piltover and Vi venturing deeper into the depths of Zaun.

To top it all off, Jinx has now become a symbol to the people of Zaun, after her fight with Vi set off a series of colorful powder explosions which shot up through the ventilation system and covered the people and buildings of Piltover. Whether Jinx likes it or not, she’s a symbol of resistance. That has some huge repercussions in Act II, as we see how the Zaunites are faring after Piltover’s declaration of martial law.

We’ll be getting into FULL SPOILERS for Arcane season 2 Act II below. But suffice to say out of the gate: the middle section of Arcane’s final season is even better than the first, and set things up for what should be a thrilling third act next weekend.

Arcane Episode 204: “Paint the Town Blue”

In Act II, the storyline contrasts significantly with Act I: instead of Jinx being absent initially as in Act I, it’s Vi who takes a backseat this time around. The focus shifts to “Paint the Town Blue,” which portrays Jinx emerging as a beacon of defiance for the people of Zaun, enduring immense hardship under Piltover’s recent military clampdown. This transformation is depicted through another fast-forward montage sequence. While it’s unclear how much time has elapsed since Act I, it appears to be at least several weeks.

The time jumps remain slightly jarring to me. Overall, I think they work and it’s easy to understand why Arcane opted to use them: so it can spend more time on the meat of the story it’s trying to tell. But it also does feel like we’re missing a fair amount. Caitlyn’s new romance with Maddie (Katy Townsend) is a pretty good example; we’ve hardly seen these two together at all, and now they’re sleeping together as Caitlyn copes with her new position as Piltover’s leader. I’d have liked to see a bit more development between them to set this up.

In summary, we don’t linger much on the jump as Caitlyn and Ambessa are preoccupied with suppressing a rebellion. Once again, Arcane effectively highlights the disparity in power between Piltover, who uses Hextech and Noxian forces against Zaun’s citizens, and the Zaunites, who yearn for basic dignity amidst humiliating search checkpoints.

In “Arcane” season 2, the phrase “Paint the Town Blue” carries a significant burden, skillfully connecting various narratives that lay the groundwork for Act II. Two characters particularly captivated me: Singed, Silco’s former scientist who summons a monstrous being against Piltover; and Jinx, whose refusal to assume a public role is riveting. I anticipated that Jinx would follow a predictable path in season 2, becoming a leader for Zaun after her assault on the Piltover council at the end of the first season. However, “Arcane” took an unexpected turn by using that traumatic event as another turning point for Jinx, leaving her desire to fight greatly diminished. Instead, she yearns for solitude to invent gadgets and nurture her new foster child Isha (Lucy Lowe). Interestingly, Isha encourages Jinx to assume leadership among the Zaunites, which ultimately pulls her back into the limelight.

The climax of this episode is a thrilling prison break where Jinx and Sevika break out a bunch of Zaunites who were captured at a rally, including Isha, only to have Singed’s creature Warwick (JB Blanc) arrive a short while later and tear through the guards. Warwick is a terrifying force of nature, and I loved how Arcane experimented with some different animation styles to show the blood-drenched world through his eyes. I also need to shout out the scene where Jinx finally accepts that she’s a hero to the Zaunites and they quietly move past her while placing their hands on her shoulders. It’s powerful stuff which is only made more impactful when it becomes clear that Warwick murdered a bunch of them minutes later because he couldn’t differentiate friend from foe.

This situation culminates in a major disclosure: Warwick turns out to be none other than the adoptive father of Vi, Vi, and Jinx, who appeared to have perished during the first season. Vander’s supposed demise served as the catalyst for their family’s separation; Vi held her younger sister accountable for it, leading Jinx to join Silco’s criminal organization. In the subsequent episode titled “Blisters and Bedrock,” we will witness how Vander’s reappearance brings them back together again.

Arcane Episode 205: “Blisters and Bedrock”

Title “Blisters and Bedrock” begins by showcasing an extraordinary sequence where Vi is seen grappling with alcohol addiction and engaging in combat in Zaun’s hidden fight clubs. Her appearance has changed, now sporting black hair and a leather jacket instead of the usual red hues. This segment, hinted at in some of the earliest trailers for Arcane season 2, does not disappoint. Although the timeline shifts this season haven’t always felt seamless to me, Vi’s storyline stands out as one of the most impactful — perhaps because it effectively demonstrates the lapse of time through snapshots of fights and drunken episodes, as Vi spends her days consumed by anger.

In no time, enigmatic events lead to Vi being brought together with her sister Jinx, who abruptly interrupts Vi’s melancholic solitude to share news of their father’s survival. To be honest, I hadn’t anticipated such a swift reunion, and the brisk pacing of the story does leave me wondering about how Jinx and Warwick managed to flee from the prison in the last installment, as well as when exactly Jinx made up her mind to locate Vi. However, it’s hard not to overlook these questions when the series is this captivating. The reunion between Vi and Jinx stands out as a pinnacle moment in the show, where they finally address their differences while chasing Vander/Warwick through the subterranean passages beneath Zaun.

Their story includes by far my favorite part of the episode: a flashback showing young Vander, Silco, and Felicia at their bar in the undercity. Felicia was Vi and Jinx’s biological mother, who died when they were young. Here we get to see her on the night she broke the news to her two best friends that she was pregnant, and how Vander offers up the name of “Violet” because Felicia is stressing about names. I won’t lie, I teared up in this scene. It was so cool to see these characters in their prime, when Silco was a quiet bookworm and they were all close friends. That it leads directly into a big ol’ group hug as Vander regains control in the present and Vi buries the hatchet with Jinx only adds to the emotional weight of the scene.

In “Blisters and Bedrock,” new developments unfold as Singed, Ambessa, and Caitlyn team up to track down Warwick, who has mysteriously disappeared. However, Mel (Toks Olagundoye) appears to be reunited with her brother, but it turns out he was a deception created by the witches who captured her at the start of Act I. The witches shockingly reveal that Ambessa had given them one of her children, imbued with witch powers, in return for their assistance in her bid for power. It’s later discovered that Ambessa deceived them and they knew it: Mel was the child they truly sought, and now they have her. We don’t catch up with Mel again during Act II, but we can anticipate a resolution to this storyline soon. Additionally, the intricacies of Ambessa’s dealings with dark forces might be further explored in author C.L. Clark’s forthcoming tie-in novel, Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf.

Towards the end, Jayce makes an appearance again after vanishing into the enigmatic Arcane anomaly in Zaun at the close of Act I. He’s been missing for weeks and now sports a beard, giving off an air of impending madness. His interaction with Salo (voiced by Josh Keaton) is eerily captivating. Previously confined to a wheelchair, Salo was using Shimmer to manage his affliction, but it was losing its effectiveness. In search of a cure, he met a mysterious healer in Zaun – Viktor (portrayed by Harry Lloyd). This healer somehow restored Salo’s health. However, Viktor takes control of Salo’s body for an intense conversation with Jayce. Yet, the transformation Jayce underwent during his time away causes him to take drastic action – he kills Salo. This is just a taste of the chaos that will unfold in the concluding episode of Act I.

Arcane Episode 206: “The Message Hidden Within the Pattern”

So far, we’ve delved deeply into the unfolding events of the story due to its growing complexity in the middle part of Arcane‘s final season. Yet, despite this intricate plot development, all the outstanding qualities that make Arcane stand out haven’t waned. The voice actors continue to impress, the soundtrack is a mix of catchy hits and chilling scores, and the visuals remain nothing short of breathtakingly stunning.

The significance of the final point is never more evident than in “The Message Hidden Within the Pattern.” In this episode, Jinx and Vi take their father Vander/Warwick to Viktor’s commune deep within Zaun. Their goal is to have Vander healed by Viktor so he can return from his bestial state. The commune is breathtakingly beautiful, adorned with swirls of color and atmospheric light. The journey into Vander’s subconscious in this episode resembles fine art more than typical animation from a video game-based series. In addition to this, Arcane excels at close-ups of characters, particularly Vi, Jinx, and the rest, providing an impressive level of detail that I have not seen in recent animations. Frankly, I can’t recall any other animation that comes close. Arcane deserves recognition for its exceptional work in this episode.

“The Secret Embedded in the Design

In essence, Jayce appears to kill Viktor under the influence of some malevolent force. This act, in turn, seems to cause the deaths of everyone Viktor had ever healed, who were bound to him by magic. The ensuing events echoed the chaos that ensued when the Protomolecule overtook Ceres Station in ‘The Expanse’. As Vi, Jinx, and Caitlyn witness the horrifying unfolding of this situation, they realize that the healing powers of Viktor may not be as beneficial as they initially seemed.

However, we don’t have much time to ponder over it, as the narrative swiftly shifts into a gruesome fight. Ambessa summons her Noxian troops, and Vander’s sanity crumbles following Viktor’s demise. The ensuing battle is graphically depicted and hard to watch, culminating in an emotionally charged moment where Isha, the child, seems to give up her life to protect Jinx and eliminate Vander before he could inflict harm on others. This intense scene promises to be one of the most impactful moments of the season, leaving me eagerly anticipating how Arcane will conclude in its last three episodes.

Arcane Bullet Points

• We didn’t see Heimerdinger or Ekko at all in Act II. They went into the Arcane warp dimension with Jayce but never came back out. They also don’t show up in the preview for Act III, so at this point I’m starting to wonder if Arcane actually killed them off. I’d be disappointed if that’s the case, but it would also be pretty shocking. Hopefully we get confirmation one way or the other in the final stretch of episodes.
• Theories have abounded for a while now that Vander survived Arcane season 1 and would return as Warwick in the second season. Warwick is a werewolf-like champion in League of Legends. The version we see in the show looks pretty different, but the captions of Netflix’s images from these episodes confirm that the beast we see is the show’s take on Warwick.
• One thing I do hope Arcane makes a bit clearer is the exact details of what’s going on with Jayce and the Hexcore that melded with Viktor. Viktor seems to be doing good by healing people, but his death seemingly causes hundreds of people linked to him to also perish, which is pretty bad; conversely, Jayce seems like he’s possessed by some evil force, but if he’s purging the world of Hexcore magic, it may not be as terrible as it seems. It’s hard to know who the good guys and bad guys are in this situation, which works really well. But I do think Arcane needs to give us a bit more clarity in the home stretch in order for the ending to be fully comprehensible.
• In case you missed it, Singed is the person who created Shimmer, the drug which ran rampant through Zaun. And lo and behold, he was actually a Piltover scholar forced to stop his studied, presumably for inventing the drug.
• If Vander is actually dead, it’ll be an interesting course for Arcane to have brought him back only to then kill him off again so quickly. It seems like he’s mainly around to bring Vi and Jinx back together.
• Credit where it’s due: Arcane has not been shy about killing off main characters. That’s especially notable considering that a lot of these characters are based off beloved video game characters about whom viewers may have outsized expectations.
• Speaking of deaths, we’ve got to shout out Rictus, Ambessa’s right-hand man who was mashed to a pulp by Warwick. Now that he’s dead and Ambessa is on the outs with Caitlyn, it’s going to be very interesting to see what happens in Piltover and Zaun in the series finale.

Verdict

In the second half of Arcane’s final season, I found myself utterly captivated as it elevated the tension significantly, delving into the heartfelt emotions that bind the estranged sisters Jinx and Vi. The narrative has become intricate, and although there were moments that seemed to rush past a bit too swiftly, given the vast amount of storyline it needed to accommodate within its nine episodes, I can hardly complain. Pair this with animation that is nothing short of breathtaking, and it’s clear that Arcane season 2‘s second act surpasses its already impressive first half.

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2024-11-19 22:42