This article contains spoilers for season two of “Arcane.”
It has been over three years since audiences paid a visit to the gilded steampunk towers of Piltover and the biohazardous depths of Zaun, but “Arcane” finally made its return in its second and final season.
While not necessarily as consistent in story or pacing as the first, it keeps its record of emotionally devastating character arcs, a catchy soundtrack and some of the most stunning 3D animation put to screen (made by French studio Fortiche). Most of all, it works to create a complex, layered narrative and potent themes that almost make you forget that it is a show based on a multiplayer strategy game.
Released in three episode arcs, it is one of the few shows on streaming that has a solid justification for batch releases.
Democracy Dies to Thunderous Applause
This season’s first arc showcases some of “Arcane’s” highs. The first episode follows immediately from the events of the last season, but also serves as a powerful tale of political manipulation and how quickly authoritarianism and rampant militarism can take hold of the pair of warring cities.
After Jinx launches a missile into Piltover’s council chamber, the powers that be immediately push to purge the entirety of Zaun, invading in full force without consideration of the many civilians caught in the crossfire.
While Jinx and Vi still are the protagonists of the show, the political narrative pushes the spotlight on Caitlyn, the daughter of the Kiramman family, whose mother was killed in Jinx’s attack. The first arc portrays her descent from sheltered noble into fascist military leader, and while she questions the regime herself, she is blinded by her hatred and hurt.
Those emotions are fostered by Ambessa, a military leader from the distant country of Noxus, to aid in her hostile takeover of the city. It only took the act of a single individual and a moment of tragedy for Caitlyn to wage war on the undercity. It serves as a fascinating indictment of the easily exploitable rhetoric used to justify militarization and further abuse of those already trampled on. Those with privilege begin to view their world as black and white or us versus them.
That said, where this plotline struggles is in the latter two acts, where much of this political turmoil is either sidelined or quickly resolved in favor of turning the story’s attention to its characters.
A Jinxed Family
While the season does still focus on Vi, the protagonist seems to play a more reactive role, acting as a support for the stories of her sister Jinx and her love interest Caitlyn. Vi is the center of some of the more dynamic action sequences throughout the season, particularly that stunning opener for episode five, as she fights herself to the bottom of a bottle covered in grease and black makeup.
Her story this season seems to fit well alongside many of the other characters in that she is forced to let go of what she cares about. As the season reveals, the more she holds on to what she loves, the more pain that inevitably follows.
In contrast, Jinx remains the face of the show, and for good reason. The last season saw her change from innocent child to loose cannon, and she continues to grow throughout this season.
Left without a father figure after the first season, Jinx now takes on the role of the older sister to Isha, an orphaned child who grows attached to the rebel. What is more, the revelation that Vander, Jinx and Vi’s adoptive father, has been resurrected as a hulking werewolf, allows the two sisters to reconnect in the second act despite their previous estrangement.
Although the middle three episodes are far more disjointed compared to the first three, it is the arc with the greatest development between Jinx and Vi. It feels somewhat rushed how quickly they are able to put aside their differences, and still, it is also perfectly appropriate. It was Vander’s death that drew a rift between the two sisters in the first place, so it is only natural that he is the one who brings them back together.
The person who truly sells Jinx as a character is actress Ella Purnell, who embodies the character with all her tenderness and her pain, unveiling that longing for family, as well a desperate desire to break that never ending cycle of violence.
Turning Back Time
Concurrently, the scientist Jayce decides to utilize the unstable Hexcore to save the life of his partner Viktor. The result, however, is Viktor evolving into something of a messianic being with the ability to heal wounds, while simultaneously joining them into a hivemind.
By investigating the city’s Hextech and the “Arcane,” the source of its power, Jayce, Heimerdinger and Ekko are inadvertently sent across spacetime. In the beginning of the third act, Ekko and Heimerdinger land in an alternate timeline, one where Zaun is thriving at the cost of Vi having died in the first season.
What follows is perhaps one of “Arcane’s” most emotionally resonant episodes (2x7), showing a world of possibilities, where all live without strife. Ekko is even able to express his love for Jinx. The hypnotic fantasy draws audiences in, and we almost refuse to leave the warmth of the utopia. Following the heaviness of the rest of the season, the episode allows us to take a breather, but Ekko knows he cannot stay.
Being a character defined by his selflessness, Ekko does everything in his power to return to his own timeline, knowing that he needs to help prevent the approaching disaster. Doing so allows him to invent the ability to travel back four seconds in time. The time travel effect is gorgeously animated by Fortiche and utilized with creative finesse in the final episodes. Most of all, it is also a thesis statement for Ekko’s story. Despite finding the ability to turn back time, he can only do it for that short amount of time. The four-second limiter is a reminder that he has to continue moving forward, and rather than changing the past, it gives him the chance to change the immediate present.
Ekko was the MVP of the season. Despite being absent for the entirety of the second act, the focus he is given in the last easily compensates for it.
‘Till Death They Shall Not Part
Meanwhile, the crux of the season hinges on the relationship between Viktor and Jayce. Jayce, having found his way back from an apocalyptic wasteland seems to have been driven mad, even nearly killing Viktor at the end of the second arc.
It is later revealed that he is not only completely sane, but the one who entrusted him on the mission to take down Viktor was Viktor himself–an older version of him who saw the destruction he wrought.
Viktor’s character from the first season always centered on curing his frail body, believing it to be a weakness. In that search, he would evolve into a being without any of them, including the emotions of love, sadness, or joy.
Jayce represented everything Viktor was not: capable, fit, charismatic, and yet the two of them felt that they were two halves of a whole. Apart, they quite literally nearly destroy Runeterra, but together they are able to achieve their mutual visions of progress and evolution.
Aesthetic Explosion
The show is, of course, not complete without all the elements that bring this story to life. 3D animation often seems to have hit a plateau, as the rounded, smooth style of Pixar and Disney can only progress so far. While the “Spider-verse” movies have cell-shading and a comic book pop, shows like this years’ “Blue Eye Samurai” maintain more of a storybook aesthetic.
For “Arcane,” Fortiche utilized a painted look that sets it apart from all of its contemporaries. Disrupting those visuals with the punk rock feel of Jinx’s spray paint and messy scribbles, it defines the character of this world and the contrasting cities. The jaw-dropping animation was made on a “high” budget, according to showrunner Christian Linke. While he says the exact figure is off, the budget was reportedly $250 million for both seasons (a total of 18 40-50 minute episodes), making it the most expensive animated show to date.
Per minute of animation, however, it costs far less than most animated projects today, including feature films like “Across the Spider-verse” or “Transformers One.”
The breathtaking sequences are joined by a riveting score by Alexander Temple, Alex Seaver and Andrew Kierszenbaum as well as a diverse mix of guest artists. From Belgian rapper Stromae to hard rock band Fever 333 to even Hong Kong singer Eason Chan, the soundtrack was not bound by any one style or language, effectively creating one of the more unique soundtracks for a project in recent memory.
Letting Go of the Enemy
The second season of “Arcane” feels convoluted, with at least five storylines running parallel to each other and not nearly enough time to cover it. With more episodes or a longer runtime, perhaps they were able to flesh it out further, but at their core, these plotlines share that constant theme of letting go.
The ending of “Arcane” is bittersweet. There are no true “happy endings,” because all have been forced to lose or let go of something dear to them. What is left is perhaps a somber determination to march forward, facing the challenges that curse you, as by loosening that grip that these characters are able to push past it.
The future of Piltover and Zaun is left uncertain with an uneasy resolution that never truly had full closure, and even the show’s canonicity is questioned in the context of its source material (given some rather key character deaths). Still, it seems that the teams at Riot and Netflix have their eyes set on future frontiers in expanding the animated world of “League of Legends.”
Until then, at least, both seasons of “Arcane” are available to stream on Netflix, and the first even has its own physical release. While the curtains have drawn, it seems that the story of rival sisters and rival cities will not leave viewers’ minds for a while, until the next stop on the journey comes into view.