Arcane S2: Act 1
Nov. 9th, 2024 11:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
impyJust finished Act 1 of S2 of Arcane.
As someone who did not spend the last *checks notes* three years since Arcane S1 learning a damn thing about League lore, I must wonder how much of this season has already flown over my head. Some I get, like Viktor moving more towards his game counterpart. Some I feel like I'm missing giant chunks of, like anything involving Noxus, even if not Ambessa personally since I believe she and Mel are Arcane originals (even if Ambessa has made the jump now, or is about to do so). Like wtf is the Black Rose? Gonna be real honest here though. I do not care half as much about that as I do about Vi/Jinx or even Viktor and Jayce.
One of the things I do truly love about S1 is how even the characters I didn't necessarily care for/like, I could understand. Marcus was a piece of shit who pretty much damned himself and countless others due to his own inability to wait half a goddamn second or be a good person, but I could understand his motivations. Silco is arguably The Worst and I still got what made him tick and could be fascinated by him, even as I wished for his untimely death (and some more backstory).
This is something I'd kind of forgotten in the years since I first saw S1, but it did come rushing back to me pretty quickly for S2. I won't say we're there yet on the same level, nor am I fully convinced we'll get there since S1 didn't have any preconceived notions from me while S2 definitely does.
I didn't realize how much I desperately needed Mel to survive the bombing, even though I was 99.99999% sure she would since Ambessa didn't NEED Mel to die in order for her to go full on warrior queen. And sure enough, Mel survives with nary a scratch and Ambessa's still itching to go to war, even if she has to instigate it herself. I wasn't at all surprised by the reveal in ep 3 because of course she'd open the door to the Zaunites in order to get her way. It also explains why Mel survived that attack since it's Jinx with the flare for drama, not so much everyone else in Zaun.
Jinx being absolutely suicidal also makes perfect sense and while I get WHY they're giving her her own underling/mini, it doesn't mean I'm fully on board with that yet. Not against it, just...not fully there.
Oh, Caitlyn. For all we're reminded of Vander's bit about Vi having a good heart, I'd hoped your rage and heartbreak wouldn't lead you down this road and yet here we are. You go and break Vi's heart (and possibly a rib) and are hellbent on losing your soul, because S1 Cait wouldn't see murdering a child as an acceptable loss for taking out someone else. Yeah, yeah, I get the reasoning, and dude, why the fuck was Cait allowed anywhere near anything when she's grieving to the point of being someone else entirely?
Vi continues to break my heart simply by just getting screwed at every turn and still managing to try to do the right thing, only to have it blow up in her face. Possibly literally, especially if her sister's involved. :/
Ekko and Heimer playing spy cracked me up and was definitely needed as comedic relief. Sevika and Jinx teaming up and their mini wake for Silco was unexpected but perfect.
Never did catch the new guy's name (Vi's new drinking buddy/the only Enforcer to look at the war party going on and decide this was not what he signed up for), but I like him and I'm surprised he and Maddie made it through Act 1 alive.
I have faith in what's being set up, but I do worry we're going to spend too much time on Ambessa's fuckery. Then again, we do need a new villain to unite everyone, don't we.
Non-spoilery: ripped my heart to shreds as expected, but made my real world anger and wrath seem easier to deal with.
Might edit later with more thoughts. Wanted something down before I poked the fandom to see/hear their thoughts.
As someone who did not spend the last *checks notes* three years since Arcane S1 learning a damn thing about League lore, I must wonder how much of this season has already flown over my head. Some I get, like Viktor moving more towards his game counterpart. Some I feel like I'm missing giant chunks of, like anything involving Noxus, even if not Ambessa personally since I believe she and Mel are Arcane originals (even if Ambessa has made the jump now, or is about to do so). Like wtf is the Black Rose? Gonna be real honest here though. I do not care half as much about that as I do about Vi/Jinx or even Viktor and Jayce.
One of the things I do truly love about S1 is how even the characters I didn't necessarily care for/like, I could understand. Marcus was a piece of shit who pretty much damned himself and countless others due to his own inability to wait half a goddamn second or be a good person, but I could understand his motivations. Silco is arguably The Worst and I still got what made him tick and could be fascinated by him, even as I wished for his untimely death (and some more backstory).
This is something I'd kind of forgotten in the years since I first saw S1, but it did come rushing back to me pretty quickly for S2. I won't say we're there yet on the same level, nor am I fully convinced we'll get there since S1 didn't have any preconceived notions from me while S2 definitely does.
I didn't realize how much I desperately needed Mel to survive the bombing, even though I was 99.99999% sure she would since Ambessa didn't NEED Mel to die in order for her to go full on warrior queen. And sure enough, Mel survives with nary a scratch and Ambessa's still itching to go to war, even if she has to instigate it herself. I wasn't at all surprised by the reveal in ep 3 because of course she'd open the door to the Zaunites in order to get her way. It also explains why Mel survived that attack since it's Jinx with the flare for drama, not so much everyone else in Zaun.
Jinx being absolutely suicidal also makes perfect sense and while I get WHY they're giving her her own underling/mini, it doesn't mean I'm fully on board with that yet. Not against it, just...not fully there.
Oh, Caitlyn. For all we're reminded of Vander's bit about Vi having a good heart, I'd hoped your rage and heartbreak wouldn't lead you down this road and yet here we are. You go and break Vi's heart (and possibly a rib) and are hellbent on losing your soul, because S1 Cait wouldn't see murdering a child as an acceptable loss for taking out someone else. Yeah, yeah, I get the reasoning, and dude, why the fuck was Cait allowed anywhere near anything when she's grieving to the point of being someone else entirely?
Vi continues to break my heart simply by just getting screwed at every turn and still managing to try to do the right thing, only to have it blow up in her face. Possibly literally, especially if her sister's involved. :/
Ekko and Heimer playing spy cracked me up and was definitely needed as comedic relief. Sevika and Jinx teaming up and their mini wake for Silco was unexpected but perfect.
Never did catch the new guy's name (Vi's new drinking buddy/the only Enforcer to look at the war party going on and decide this was not what he signed up for), but I like him and I'm surprised he and Maddie made it through Act 1 alive.
I have faith in what's being set up, but I do worry we're going to spend too much time on Ambessa's fuckery. Then again, we do need a new villain to unite everyone, don't we.
Non-spoilery: ripped my heart to shreds as expected, but made my real world anger and wrath seem easier to deal with.
Might edit later with more thoughts. Wanted something down before I poked the fandom to see/hear their thoughts.