A Response to Grace Randolph Comparing Arcane to She Hulk and the Acolyte

[@timidwolf]

I'd argue that Arcane is the ONLY progressive show of the three, the other two relied on the men being pathetic morons for the women to succeed.

[@AscendantStoic]

As with everything crazy woke leftists get their hands on, in reality when they say "progressive" what it actually means is regressive ... so in way you are right.

[@A_YouTube_Commenter]

Major difference.

[@kharijordan6426]

Kinda odd they didn't know any other way to prop up their characters without making every other character terrible. Almost as if ...they aren't well versed in character writing at all.

[@svenkampen1647]

I don't know about only, but a show like She-Hulk in which the male boss and female coworkers mocking Jen for her otufit is resolved by her getting a designer suit certainly does not deserve that label.

[@callumholland8932]

Fr though in arcanes favour, its premimce is about Identity

[@ToxicVex267]

Arcane did what she-hulk and acolyte couldn't made a show centered around female characters only difference is. Arcane didn't have to belittle the male characters and allowed the female characters to fail and the story didn't have to bend over backwards for them.

[@RacingSnails64]

100%

[@AscendantStoic]

Bingo

[@greatestscott6599]

_Arcane_ do what Nintendon't

[@ryanchain9746]

@@greatestscott6599what? Nintendo has nothing to do with this?

[@greatestscott6599]

@ryanchain9746 Consult your nerd lore for answers -- section, "SEGA Ads".

[@MrHillBilly-j7f]

Comparing Arcane to that trash is borderline heresey. Arcane is a well written and well made show with amazing characters and real heart. She-Hulk/The Acolyte is watered down, sanitized, corporate slop.

[@johntrentis_my_hero6667]

💯.

[@daurydavis3983]

Nah

[@MrHillBilly-j7f]

@@daurydavis3983 "Nah" 🤓

[@chrisf2636]

Nahh, it’s corporate slop that was convinced by activists that the public would enjoy pharmaceutical levels of mysandry and narcissism injected into a shell of a story.

[@MjolnirFeaw]

Am I the only one to think the Acolyte had a first draft that was 10x better than the soup we finally got ?

[@thelastcrow5660]

One is art, the other two are products.

[@dominykhiro5667]

Arcane doesn’t feel like a product to you?

[@Zeel-ko1ni]

@@dominykhiro5667 The three of them are products and art in terms of creation but one is written better and treated better, that being Arcane

[@dominykhiro5667]

@ yeah it’s a good story wrapped in .png fight scenes and goofy MV concepts but dialogue is really good.

[@thelastcrow5660]

@@dominykhiro5667 No.

[@dominykhiro5667]

@@thelastcrow5660 oh

[@ClassicHarleyQuinn]

People love great characters and compelling characters. Who would have thought. Grace needs to stop.

[@AmeliaRobinson-bq1hj]

I think she is very smart she's just pandering to serton people.

[@RacingSnails64]

Exactly. I'll gladly listen to a story about a gay trans black woman if it's charming, funny, or otherwise enjoyable. But unfortunately so many progressive shows are lazy and preachy and lack genuine humor, and even insult/squander the franchises they're a part of. Don't make your story just reciting a message. Make it about rounded characters who are interesting to watch interact. That's why we like stories.

[@nicolasferreiro4492]

​@@AmeliaRobinson-bq1hjThat clip sounds anything but smart, someone who can't look at things beyond surface level (nor aware such a thing is possible) and wonders why the people who do think different from her.

[@RacingSnails64]

@@AmeliaRobinson-bq1hjPandering? Idk she seems either out of the loop or is feigning ignorance on why people really tune into stories.

[@ClassicHarleyQuinn]

@@nicolasferreiro4492 Grace always looks super tired so I wonder if that's part of the reason she's terrible at reviewing stuff. Literally missing half of what she's watching because her brain is struggling to take it in because she's exhausted. Edit: This isn't a dig at Grace as I've just noticed kinda sounded like it but just an observation.

[@thesilverspree2511]

One of the greatest achievements of Arcane is that it doesn't dumb down on the male characters so the females could be on top, nor does it rely on cheesy humor that makes even the youngest of my generation want to puke. The male characters are just as capable in their own way, some political, others capable of fighting similar to Vi, and the humor is actually funny, it adds to the feel of the show, doesn't make you want to unsee it- Arcane has excellent writing, and even after 3 years of the first season, I continue to find and read lil' details pointed out that are completely new to me. She-Hulk and The Acolyte could only dream of this-

[@svenkampen1647]

Calling that an archievement is kinda like congratulating people for not lighting your house on fire. I don't think not doing the obviously idiotic thing makes you deserving of praise.

[@thomas-stilinski8149]

​@svenkampen1647 these days I'd argue it doesn make you worthy of praise since so many people seem incapable of doing so

[@twentysecondcenturywoman]

It’s nice seeing a show for once not being sexist.

[@twentysecondcenturywoman]

@@svenkampen1647tbh in todays day, it is 🤣

[@IdenNonya]

Is the Acolyte one of those shows that dumbs down male characters?

[@PACIFICBboy]

It’s almost like people don’t care about gender, sexuality, race, etc…but STORY AND ENTERTAINMENT

[@saddlerrye6725]

No way! We all know that modern media is only being hated on by sexists/racists/homophobes/etc. because there is nothing to actually criticise!

[@conniefan123]

Some people care a whole lot actually. Saw someone calling arcane a bad show because "women get more screentime than men" xd

[@Milo-it1tf]

And there’s people that call a show “woke” just because two same sex characters kissing for one second, then they go on a tirade on how it grooms kids into being gay (even though people are actually born gay)

[@Of_infinite_Faith]

​@@conniefan123 these people are coddled. They're so used to the majority of media being dominated by men (often mediocre too, but they won't accept that) that one show put a little more focus on women triggers them and they feel like the don't have the spotlight anymore, their corporate mommy and daddy forgot to shower them with attention for two seconds and pander to them and they throw a tantrum

[@frustratedsquirrel]

@@Milo-it1tf nah, I was born straight and chose to go gay after a fake pregnancy-related trauma. It's not always the case.

[@fiaschampion3379]

Sexuality and race is treated normally as it should be. Easy as that. Arcane is proof that it's not minorities that drive people away from a show or movie, its how they are treated. Arcane is a true progressive show because everyone is treated equally regardless of race or sexuality.

[@emilysmall2777]

That is very true, it is interesting because they are treated differently because of class, but not immutable characteristics.

[@pirolovini]

Yeah but nowadays the idea of progressive is exactly what you saw in She Hulk and Acolyte...Cringe and just wrong. For example feminist should mean everyone equal...But the simple word 'feminist' makes everybody roll their eyes nowadays. They killed those words... Fascist doesnt mean shit nowadays...Feminist is a joke...All those words got killed and have no weight on it anymore. Thats all thanks to the leftists.

[@hysey_7518]

yes, even humanoid races

[@ProxyDoug]

On the poster, Ambessa is more of an antagonist, and it doesn't features the male characters because we weren't supposed to know if they survived the finale of season 1 or not.

[@Pottan23]

Riot also want people to shell out RP to buy Ambessa the champion so they are going to use her alot in the promotion material for Arcane

[@margarethmichelina5146]

Even in the season 2 intro, we can see how she is in her cocky pose while holding a black rose while her daughter, Mel is conflicted. You notice most of protagonists are wearing white clothes like Vi, Jinx, Jayce, Ekko, Mel showing they must be the "good guys", so yeah, Jinx despite being broken still has good side on her, while Victor is wearing a blue robe could be hinted he is either corrupted or being an anti hero meanwhile Caitlyn is wearing black and even has a breakdown and when she covers her face, you can see the shadow is resemble a crown, possibly she becomes Macbeth, a general who turns to be king and kill everyone who's in his way because of his paranoia. Ambessa is the only one who wears red and red is identical with power and dominance showing how powerful she is.

[@HasturBeta]

How people like her manage to function in day to day life is a constant surprise to me.

[@KaiHouston-m6j]

She lives in a society that treats her as a child.

[@OsloTime]

Failing upwards applies to SO many people lately, it's mind boggling and honestly frustrating.

[@HasturBeta]

@@OsloTime RIGHT. You can only see that happen so many times before you end up gaslighting yourself into wondering if you're crazy

[@seeinred]

The answer is very simple, actually. Americaaaa, f*ck yeah!

[@GiRR007]

By not being mindless consumers using money to dull the pain of their existence?

[@ideasaboutthings8857]

the thing is arcane has great writing, which created and continues to support the BELIEVABLE “in universe” evolution of these characters. its engrossing and a great ride. the characters don’t pander, they don’t “wink at the camera” they simply exist within the world they live in and they get be be strong/weak/sad/joyous/hurt etc and their experiences resonate with integrity and authenticity. the power of amazing writing that threat their characters with respect, the world they created with respect. its beautiful.

[@Bickiiification]

Shows how much you actually know about lore and World of league xD. Because Arcane pretty much burned original lore. Burned it to the ground.

[@eventua8474]

@@Bickiiification ehhh, League's lore gets retconned and swapped out every six months and has an entire multiverse to justify inconsistencies and new skin lines, if Arcane isn't canon, it's fine; if Arcane is canon, add it to the list lol

[@ProfessorOfLogicAtUnvOfScience]

​@@eventua8474 that doesnt change the fact that the writing isnt very good. Its as good as the lion king... and thats not a super high bar. Arcanes strongsuit is the animation, which is pretty good when it wants to be.

[@Bickiiification]

@@eventua8474 league's lore doesnt get retconned every six months. Moreover characters lore doesnt get retconned every 6 months. You are just making a thesis right now to fit it into your argument. And your argument is invalid. Another trololo that has little to no idea about the world and the characters in it, or rather source material in general. Arcane is EVERYTHING that people like you hate and call woke on daily basis, only difference is, there are hot chicks in Arcane.

[@jordanjames3194]

​​@@Bickiiificationagreed. Beside old lore isn't dead. There are many stuff carried to the new lore. Old lore got left behind because there are many inconsistencies due to multiple authors. Where there are Characters that stuck with no way to advance their story without heavily disturbing the story of other characters. With Arcane popularity, Riot got the chance to solidify the lore, and they took it. With some details being replaced to fit somewhere else like Scarner.

[@willajean1]

I am constantly dumbfounded that people do not understand it is always about the writing. Most of us do not care about the politics or how progressive something is, if its well written....that is what matters.

[@rodster811]

I'd argue too that it's also about respecting the source material

[@IdenNonya]

well written and believable

[@israelquiles9127]

It's not a feminist show. It's JUST A GREAT SHOW.

[@merdufer]

Grace has the same brain as studio executives and producers. She has been a fascinating window into the thinking behind all the bad decisions they've made over the years.

[@IdenNonya]

absolutely, she definitely has the same brain (it's kind of her thing, to look at things that way). She gets a +1, or a pass, tho because she actually does her research - she does more than the average viewer, by actually picking up a comic (she can learn, she can adapt, she can change her mind on stuff, and come up with her own ideas on things; so she definitely gets a +1 for that)

[@meganclare7]

I watch grace mostly for her box office thoughts anyway

[@merdufer]

@@meganclare7 When it comes to industry analysis she's usually good. Media analysis not so much.

[@timomahony1727]

Totally agree that Grace has an execs viewpoint. While I disagree with it, it's the reality of what Hollywood is and she paints a good window into it

[@jeremyusreevu237]

Grace Randolph, continuing to miss the point.

[@louiseguglielmetti7477]

Thank you! I feel the same way about Grace Randolph. Characters that come from a real place and are interesting will always be liked. Check box characters will always be disliked. 💜

[@Nartanek]

One thing they forget, i don't need to agree with a character to like them. I love arcane season 1 (waiting on S2 to be entirely out before I watch) yet I disagree with many of the characters decisions, but that's what makes it real. Like Vi is hot headed, somewhat masculine yes but she feels like a real person. She Hulk is just the writers talking down to me about patriarchy. One is a believable story the other is social commentary about how they hate me.

[@reeses8607]

All I can say is, Act 2 is going to RIP your heart out. 3-6 hit so hard.

[@mr_0n10n5]

On a writing standpoint, I'd argue that every writer wants to meet that level of quality. The writers of shows like the Acolyte and She Hulk thought thats what they were cooking. I kinda feel sick comparing those shows to Arcane because Arcane is just that much better.

[@coltonwilliams4153]

Someone actually called this comparison heresy.

[@NelsonStJames]

The difference that good writers possess that bad writers don't is that a good writer will eventually come to recognize when they've written something bad and become better; bad writers think everything they've written is on the level of Shakespeare and never do. There used to be a time when if one wanted to be a working writer you had to develop that ability to tell a good story, or editors possessed that talent and mentored a writer to that stage. Now editors and writers in the industry are all seemingly pulled from the same pool of mediocrity and entertainment across the board is suffering for it.

[@bryanwoods3373]

The sad thing is that the She-Hulk writers are good. They're just delusional. They predicted almost every complaint and wrote it into the show. But they wanted to punch back by baiting the anger instead of proving everyone wrong. So they fell into their own trap. They had a lot of great moments that they failed to pay off.

[@callmev3531]

3:11, I just imagine female characters like Vi, Jinx, Sevika, Mel, Ambressa and (if we're talking recent female characters) Sofia Falcone from The Penguin listening to this speech with their faces buried into their palms.

[@Christo_Trismegistus]

Sofia Falcone is one of the best female characters we've had this year. But people just want to see good acting and good stories. She hulk, the Acolyte and Agatha were all shows that had terrible acting and were terrible written

[@Hanoua2]

The thing that makes the whole difference to me in Arcane, is the fact they never make it a BIG DEAL, you don't have the characters complaining about how hard it is to be a woman/gay/trans, or randomly introducing a toxic bigot being overly anti-gay ect... They just exist, their sexual orientation is just a small part of their actual character

[@jibekmechler139]

I don’t know if I would entirely agree with this as the entire show is about oppression and bigotry. Vi, Powder, Viktor, etc are all minorities in this world. I think it just shows how things like bigotry affect people much better than shows like she-hulk, but it still definitely has those themes

[@lifeisadrag7705]

@@jibekmechler139 Ditto, it's moreso they're focusing on one form of bigotry, classism, which the common man can acknowledge and relate to in some aspect because it humanizes both the upper and working class. Rather than other things that are as personal, but brings out a lot more emotions in people like race (skin color), gender and or sexuality. Because in the universe of Runeterra, there's a whole different culture, and relationship with identity that doesn't narrow to skin color or gender. In this universe, Cait and Vi being sapphic women are part of their characters- and I'd argue is pretty damn important not just a "small part" because like most people their love for one another fuels their ambitions, their wants. The pull Vi feels toward having to destroy her family again in order to avenge her lover's mother, yet clean up her mess is compelling and sympathetic to people. Acting as though it doesn't exist and or to downplay it feels like a bit shallow in understanding Vi's character because it does play a role in who she is as a person, it just happens that said person is another woman.

[@themanwhocantbemovedbyatru1988]

​@@jibekmechler139 Their bigotry is based on the societal status quo between 2 cities. With Piltover making sure that Zaunites stay down in Zaun, and making sure they don't have the chance to be economically powerful and stay side by side as equal to them.

[@Killerwale-hk4wy]

I'd argue Arcane is not a feminist show. Having a good female cast does not make a show inherently feminist, just a good show with a female cast. Arcane is in a fantasy world where misogyny isn't that big of an issue. It doesn't focus on that. It focuses on how compelling female characters are written aside from those things. Arcane is good because it is well made. Compelling female characters NOT at the cost of the male cast And amazing story with superb animation. And even though the cast is in large part female it is never something that's constantly thrown in your face. That really is not the focus of the story. (And omg the designs and whole show in general look so damn good). Arcane doesn't lack good male characters. Victor Ekko, Jayce, Heimerdinger, Vander, that Doctor guy and Silco are all intriguing characters with arcs on their own. Though not having Silco anymore is sooooo sad. I miss the fathers of the show, but they really had a whole season to shine. Arcane also writes about men and writes them well for similar reasons.

[@Argnos2293]

Your comment made me realize that the “doctor guy” is not once ever referred to by name despite being a very important character. (His name is Singed)

[@Killerwale-hk4wy]

@Argnos2293 ah yes, I forgot his name.

[@jRoy7]

@@Argnos2293 His "real" name gets mentioned once by Caitlin, but he's never actually called Singed (at least by S2E6).

[@Chuck_EL]

She can't speak on being progressive when she openly shipped Reylo while throwing Finn under the bus and defending Disney burying Finn's character

[@Drums_of_Liberation]

As if Finn had any character to bury. Dude completely unlearned his lesson of not running away in Force Awakens to immediately try and run away first chance he got in Last Jedi. Only thing he was good for was shouting MaRey Sue's name.

[@Chuck_EL]

​​@@Drums_of_Liberationyou just don't like my post blocked idiot

[@svenkampen1647]

@@Drums_of_Liberation I think that is what people mean by burying the character. Finn was mostly getting buried because of Poe being alive, which is a shame because he was like the only unique new character everyone else was a worse do-over of an existing character or position, but a Stormtrooper defector actually had a lot of potential to do unique new persepctives on the same universe. too bad they did nothing with it. It's literally not important at all.

[@fearlessfailure2848]

Finn could've been a great character. A child soldier turned traitor to the army that kidnapped him. He should've been a broken and conflicted character who has a good heart deep down, instead he turncoats and gets trash tier MCU dialogue while blowing away the soldiers he used to serve with, soldiers who's conscription into the first order was probably just as dubious as his own.

[@svenkampen1647]

@@fearlessfailure2848 And then in the final movie you have the other stormtrooper deserteurs and the dialogue is like "We just knew it was wrong." "So did I" "I guess there is just people born good and people born evil. Everyone that's still a stormtrooper has it coming I guess." I think at least that other version of the third movie they leaked actually had Finn sway some Stormtroopers to their side, which seems like a good conclusion to his story, even if the story itself was not great and it did not progress there in a logical way across the movies.

[@sarmadhabibkhan3036]

1:35 Cus being a woman, gay or trans is just another normal thing in that universe and not the focal point of that entire show.

[@Rinn_Ckhristian]

Facts

[@lifeisadrag7705]

When stuff like the Void exists- yeah nobody is gonna be tweaking over two guys kissing 💀

[@drtaverner]

Arcane doesn't pander. Pandering is not inclusion.

[@A_YouTube_Commenter]

Yes. You solved the puzzle.

[@rayeiswriting4372]

I believe in diverse representation. But you’re right, pandering is not representation.

[@rodimusmagnus5586]

​@@A_KZbin_Commenter Why did I hear Arkhamverse Riddler saying that?

[@nicodemous52]

If you write it well and if it makes sense within it's own context... You can be as diverse and inclusive as you want and nobody will care. People care, when quality and vison were obviously sacrificed on the alter of diversity.

[@beccaknight5763]

Exactly! The poor writing as she said is the issue. Most people are just looking for good writing and story telling.

[@the3miles]

How could Arcane have so many empowered female leads and sneak in a trans character in WITHOUT getting hate? That is because when the female empowered characters talk, they never talking about how they had nothing because men held them down. Or how bad life is as a trans-cat person is. I didn't even know Lest was "trans", and as the only source is from the English voice actor, I feel like it is still up to interpretation. If you want her to be a trans, go for it. But someone who don't really feel like it would do anything to the story can ignore it. After all, she is just there to show us that people from Ionia have a hatred towards people from Noxus, and it show us that Mel is not seen as a Noxian. Of course, we will see how the other two acts show us. And in Season 1 Act 1, I could emphasize with Powder, so at the end of episode 3 of Season 1, I tear up. Even though I'm a dude, I can relate to her, and I don't think I'm a girl and ask for a sex change because I can relate to a female character. That is how you write a good character!

[@Keram-io8hv]

Yesterday I discovered catgirl was trans Still hottest girl in the show

[@keiichi8191]

I don't think there is a "trans character" in the show. There's a character who is voiced by a trans person, but I've seen nothing but fanboy/fetishist speculation that the character herself is supposed to be trans. Personally, trans characters in a fantasy show never makes any sense to me and always just seems like immersion-breaking anachronistic nonsense.

[@overthemoon34]

​@@keiichi8191 Lest's voice actor in a BUNCH of languages are all trans, Lest is absolutely trans.

[@twentysecondcenturywoman]

I don’t think the character is trans, they just wanted a different voice for the character since the character isn’t human. Now what they meant by that idk 💀💀

[@overthemoon34]

@@twentysecondcenturywoman All of her voice actors in each language is trans. Also, being a Vastaya doesn't mean that your voice sounds different.

[@daishikaze3986]

That is why I don't think entertainment is going to bounce back, because the only people allowed to write things these days can't understand the simple premise you have just outlined. They aren't going to let more experienced writers back in the door, that would be admitting they were wrong. This is why someone like Marc Zicree and his wife started their own production company, because they know they aren't going to get anymore work in Hollywood even though they have a proven track record of success

[@twentysecondcenturywoman]

Fr. Audiences are only able to watch something if it holds their hand. Arcane doesn’t do that and I love it. I lowkey look like a schizo though trying to decode a scene and why it was animated the way it was. 10/10 🤣

[@AppleBaron]

I facepalmed so hard when she compared Arcane to that slop. Great response.

[@justwrath2049]

Patron Simon here. One of your best commentaries I've seen! The point you're making here, all the while being respectful to the creator you reference, needs to be stated a lot more often than it currently is in the media landscape. I for one really tend to gravitate towards creators with that kind of balanced stance. Just write a good story with relatable characters, including various kinds of people painted in a variety of lights, with their differences from the norm not awkwardly pushed in your audience's face, and they will be drawn to it.

[@superz-dc2xm]

Remember we're still in Piltover and Zaun, I'm so hyped for the other regions!!!

[@melindawolfUS]

Arcane is a masterpiece. It’s not propoganda and that makes a huge difference in how enjoyable it is to watch. It's art that pushes boundaries in the animation medium. The subtle expressions on the characters faces and body language is amazingly thoughtful! It's just crazy good from the writing, to the music, to the animation, It's rare to see a show that hits it out of the park on so many levels

[@cole6843]

Arcane is pretty darn good!

[@JustCauseFan]

Arcane just shows that people don't care about gay characters or strong female lead charaters, they want good written characters and Arcane is of unbelievable quality Victors quote is so fitting for this "in pursuit of great we failed to do good", they pursue DEI and fail to do good products

[@Bickiiification]

Also, people care if characters are attractive. That's the main thing.

[@Hazyhazefq4eh]

0:16 WTF 16 seconds in and trump gets mentioned😭What next, he’ll get mentioned in pop tart cat meme☠️

[@ThanaxOfficial]

Ikr? 😂 To be fair, though, Arcane is a progressive show. The only difference being that it was actually well made by people who actually passion on what they did.

[@tempestfrost4213]

Arcane is about a badass mcs who happens to be female/lesbian and the other are about badass female lesbians The difference is so small but fking huge

[@gamingguru2k6]

The distinction between art and propaganda, is that art allows for personal interpretation. Propaganda has no room for any interpretation. People can still value or put their own meaning onto Propaganda, but that doesn't change something from having an overt message that can't be interpreted as anything else.

[@callmev3531]

Which is important because something like Arcane goes out of it's way to be nuanced, giving each of its characters a complex, sensible perspective that works with the context of their situations, essentially meaning there can be heroes and villains on both sides of a conflict, which gives levels of moral complexity to the conflict. Things like The Acolyte, with their focus on oppression narratives, fail to treat the people involved as nuanced, creating a boring, predictable narrative structure that tells you who it wants you to route for or against, even if the series does a terrible job at making it's "heroes" be people the audience can be engaged by and the supposed "villains" be individuals the audience can hate and want to see beaten. One type of work understands how to handle moral complexity and ambiguity, while the other wants to move the goalposts on what is moral to make villains appear to be misunderstood heroes fighting the establishment, while also not challenging why the establish is the way it is towards Darksiders like the supposed real heroes of the narrative, the wars the Sith waged on the galaxy that the Jedi fought to stop them.

[@svenkampen1647]

So the first Iron Man movie was propaganda?

[@callmev3531]

@@svenkampen1647 I'm gonna go ahead and assume they referring more towards things like She-Hulk. Iron Man as a film got an audience invested in a growing cinematic universe with it's focus on character, lore plot just as much as its themes, but something like She-Hulk almost exclusively cares about its themes (as in just lip-service to social issues while be cartoonish and lacking in any nuance in presenting them, throws about anything at the wall in terms of lore, has characters that are uninteresting at best and unlikable at worst, and barely has any plot to speak of.

[@svenkampen1647]

@@callmev3531 I just mean Iron Man is literally "Arms Dealers are bad." - The movie. there is no valid interpretation of the movie other than that. Does it have better writing and characters? Yes, but OPs definition of art vs propaganda says its about the possibility of different interpretation and that's it. And most early MCU movies had very clear not up for interpretation don't do war anti-militarism messages.

[@callmev3531]

@@svenkampen1647 , The film also doesn't deny the need for weapons or the military in it's narrative, it has nuances about the subject of the weapons industry or similar topics like capitalism that propaganda wouldn't have. There is even direct reference to the atomic bomb, a weapon that caused horrific devastation the world hadn't seen from a weapon before, yet it was used to demoralize a relentless and ruthless conquering nation and ended a world war (which is paralleled with the Iron Man Suit as a dangerous new weapon that can solve an immediate need but create a lasting danger in the future). Or to put more simply "How ironic Tony! In trying to rid the world of weapons, you gave it it's best one ever! And now I'm gonna kill you with it." Tony can be Iron Man and make his suits because he's a rich businessperson and has resources to make them himself, which is dubious to say the least, as he is essentially a super-abled vigilante that can act as judge, jury and executioner based on his whims, whims thankfully tempered by a sense of justice and honor despite his egotism. My point is that there are still room for nuances and depth to give these subjects for it to not be considered propaganda, which would remove all of that only to show the greedy industrialists being greedy (including Tony himself) and the suffering they cause, but the larger issues beyond them that create the need for the weapons industry in the first place, the way Iron Man addresses that weapons still are unfortunately still needed to protect peace, but that in the wrong hands, the greedy like Obadiah and Raza will exploit them, exploit the conflicts they're used in, all to gain more power.

[@MasterWubz]

Arcane is a masterclass in every category. The writing, the world-building, the architecture and designs within the 2D painting, the character designs weapon designs, the ANIMATION, the SOUND DESIGN, the MUSIC, the VOICE ACTING, the sheer amount of content to watch even all just in one episode, It's all so gracefully packaged together and executed to perfection. I seriously try and watch back Arcane to find something wrong with it, any micro-detail that's done wrong, plot-holes, mistakes or any imperfections at all, and I cant. find. any. What is right with Arcane and it's writing: Arcane genuinely immerses you and SHOWS you exactly what made these women we're seeing on the screen powerful. No male character is put down so the female character(s) can appear stronger, we're given their stories to prove that they earned that status of being powerful, stories that were written not just with a very loving care to the league fans, but written so that anyone can start watching, understand the world and fully enjoy without having fomo from not knowing game lore. Stories that were written by people who understand what it means to write a damn good emotionally attaching story, people who understand how to satisfy the audience, and all along with some of the most scene-connective music I've ever witnessed in any animated show/movie. The music perfectly amplifies every single emotion the scenes are provoking. What is wrong with She-hulk + The Acolyte and their writing: She-hulk is immediately able to contend with and often is more physically capable than the actual hulk after a few training sessions, while hulk had multiple movies before fully developing into a much stronger and fully conscious being. The excuse? She just has a special unique way of synthesizing gamma radiation. You can sum up she-hulk's entire season into one 40 minute episode if they just cut the filler dialogue/scenes that had no impact on the story, and the epic final climactic moment of the season was her and Megan Thee Stallion twerking, followed by she-hulk jumping out of the screen to break the 4th wall and say that they couldn't come up with an ending. You can sum up the acolyte all in one 30-40 minute episode if again, they just cut the filler dialogue/scenes that had no impact on the story. And once again like She-hulk, the main character is immediately able to contend with and sometimes overpower the specifically male character(s) that have years/decades of training over them. Like someone here in this comment section said, "The problem is that they make a lot of writing choices based on ideology instead of what's best for the story/characters or even common sense". It's lazy writing solely for the sake of making the female characters appear stronger, without showing us/convincing us how they got to where they are and why they are so much more superior with limited effort, they just are. Of course there are many cases of both men and women main characters being written to immediately appear superior without earning it first, but specifically when talking about these two shows. Here's the kicker though, you are called sexist if you point out what they are doing when writing women. Bring back genuinely empowering non-ideological writing, no more writing that puts a specific group/person lower to make the main group/person appear more superior. True power is something you earn, not something you are given.

[@rayeiswriting4372]

ALSO, I’ve figured it out, Arcane shows females as competent “bad guys” too. (Even though there’s no bad guys.) I love Schnee’s analysis on gender and Arcane. It mixes up a LOT of tropes in a beautiful tapestry

[@Shapoufiiie]

That video of Schnee's was amazing and really, really good. I loved how he tackled both the way the men and women were written in Arcane.

[@twentysecondcenturywoman]

YES

[@falcont2tjockey]

Very, very well said. I think you encapsulate the overall problem in perception of modern media. Politics and woke are buzzwords from people not being able to articulate whats bothering them about the stories, and its mostly badly written, poorly presented and unidimensional characters.

[@oldman5247]

Grace Randolph sometimes reminds me of the old stereotype. Regarding white blonde girls.

[@MikePhillips-x6m]

Yes, dumb blonde. 😂

[@HK23783]

I have watched her videos before, and her voice is so fucking grating. She fucking shouts all the time

[@twentysecondcenturywoman]

There are stereotypes for a reason, and she completely fills it. Everything she said was straight up violently stupid.

[@A_YouTube_Commenter]

I like Grace. She's like a drunk wine mom that'll watch recent movies and act like she knows what's going on.

[@coltonwilliams4153]

So you like watching her make a fool of herself.

[@A_YouTube_Commenter]

@@coltonwilliams4153 Yeah. But she doesn't see it.

[@cesly87]

She trying to stay hip so she can talk with her kids and their friends when she drives everybody to cheerleading practice.

[@A_YouTube_Commenter]

@@cesly87 Exactly, you know the type. 50 acting 15.

[@JohnHenrysaysHi]

Thank you for your insight, JesterBell! Hope you're feeling better!

[@JamesMiller-ce1df]

Thank you for so clearly expressing my similar thoughts.

[@andrewcook4873]

I think you’re right about having an immersive experience, if you break your world in order to deliver a message then you’ve done something wrong. The She-Hulk thing is a perfect example, she tells him that she knows way better than him how to control her anger because she gets catcalled all the time but we know that he has been through hell to get where he is and her claims are just not credible. We might think that she just doesn’t know what he has been through so doesn’t know any better but the show goes out of its way to show that she’s correct and it just breaks the world as we know it. So of course people are going to blame the message for breaking the world because that’s exactly what just happened. If your story is good and consistent then it doesn’t matter what the message is people can like it or ignore it however they like. But if you break the story in order to deliver your message then you just make people hate the message for ruining the story which is the exact opposite of what you intended.

[@Bickiiification]

Your comment is a textbook example of misoginy. For real. And I do agree, that she-hulk is not a great show. But this take of yours is so bad and it shows your fragile ego so much, that its almost a psychiatrist's porn.

[@thealvinpodcast2024]

In the end, it's all about being entertained. I don't give a damn about what message a movie or show is going for. If the characters or story work for me, and that's already a thumbs up.

[@sentientbottlecap]

You managed to say what I’ve tried to convey for a long time but couldn’t put into words, thanks 👍

[@Warm_Fireplace]

Great analysis, i completely agree =D Thanks for your work and the video!!

[@MajorSmurf]

People like Grace don't understand what we want because they've made some phantom in their head of what they think we want. None of us have a problem with a characters sexuality, gender and so on (As long as that is not their only reason for existence or something that is constantly put at the forefront. Your sexuality or gender != personality). All we want to watch is amazing stories with will written characters with a main character that we can enjoy. You can have a snarky, rebellious female character who doesn't like or hates men in your story who can still be loved by the audience but to do that she would need to be well written. She would need a good logical maybe tragic backstory and the story needs to explore why she feels that way, moments of self reflection and than maybe as a character arc she gets over her hatred through the introduction of other likeable characters for her to conflict with, become friends or even fall in love with. The problem with She-hulk and so on is that they just hate or belittle other characters for zero reason. They're just not enjoyable because their personality is unlikeable from start to finish. They're also not allowed to grow, or fail. They are outright stale characters in poorly written material. I mean if most of us had a problem with say female characters. Entertainment like anime and manga would not be seeing the huge popularity spike that they are under going. Many of the most loved anime have a huge cast of female cast members, and I would argue most people would be able to name more of their favourite female characters than male. Honestly I think Black Lagoon, Kill la Kill or Re:Zero is the perfect template for writing female characters.

[@L.G.127]

The thing I like about Arcane is that they did/do smt that today media can't do. As I know they start making of it somewhere at 2016 and waited until 2021 to see it. They put a lot effort and time to protreat how everything can effect a character, but mostly I like about it that they don't make it about gender. Yeah, they protreat smt about pain in both gender, but not in the way it is centered in

[@igoonx15]

Imo the reason why this show is so great despite most of the show is are powerful females, is because that’s not the whole identity of their characters, they have strengths and weaknesses, the writers are not relaying on dragging male characters down to let the females shine, the writing is realistic and well thought of. The reason why people hated SheHulk and many other shows/movies with female leads is because they just can’t do anything without bringing up how men are dragging them down and so on and so forth. This show is the opposite imo, men and women alike are just existing, both can do good and evil and their gender is never the main point. Something other shows/movies seem to focus on a lot without proper execution. This show amazingly written and that’s all people wants.

[@JoshuaHopkins-j9o]

It's almost like the actual "modern audience" couldn't give a rip if the protagonist is a dope female... so long as it's dope "No one likes a show off" "Unless what they're showing off is dope as fuck"

[@alexman378]

If they’d actually shut up and listen for a single moment instead of listening to what their own say about us, they wouldn’t be surprised about many things.

[@Promis_QS_Panda]

Very very well articulated point. You hit the proverbial nail in the head.

[@T.H.A-t4c]

At this point, if Grace fails to recognize the issues with the writing, it seems to be a choice on her part. Many of her viewers have pointed out the poor writing for years, yet she continues to reiterate the same talking points about toxic culture and anti-female bullies online. The reality is that she genuinely enjoys these shows but is frustrated that the broader audience doesn't share her perspective.

[@mrwerewolfvampire]

Watching your video for the first time because this showed up on my feed! 👍

[@omniviewer2115]

Sometimes the author does make it clear what he wants you to think...but that doesn't mean you have to agree with him.

[@sincerelynotme3522]

I personally dont care for Arcane or jnew the bew season was out but the difference between them is that one is good and the other wants to think it's good and has to keep justifying why it is instead of letting the work speak for itself.

[@timomahony1727]

It's really refreshing to watch someone disagree with someone online without getting petty. I like that you praised Grace at the start and don't judge her for having her opinion, you just explained what your beliefs are. Great job

[@ProxyDoug]

What really puts Arcane above the others is something that modern media lacks a lot and Silco even spells it out in season 1, respect. It respects it's characters like humans, and doesn't makes them into punching bags just because they are bad people or makes them act like fools so the plot moves in a specific direction. Also, ultimately, Arcane is a show about the new generation taking control and realizing the weight their predecessors carried (a theme that One Piece also worked with to a minor extent). You have that with Vi and Vander, Jinx and Silco, Jayce and Heimmerdinger, Caitlyn with Grayson, her mom and even Marcus. You can't do that type of story without respecting those characters, and yet, Disney had this mission not only with Star Wars but also Marvel, and they spit on (almost) every single one of the heroes that built the empire they are now plundering. Spoilers for S2: There's a scene where Sevika and Jynx are talking about how even though Silco is dead, they still have to deal with his mess. It's a scene about them trying to come out above Silco, but still feeling his loss and not knowing how to unite to Zaun like he was capable of doing. It's reverence (because it's what the characters feel) coated in disdain (because it's the only way they'll allow themselves to express said reverence) and it's not something most writers today are capable of delivering, because they don't see characters as people that think things other than the ones they are saying in that exact moment, and villains as anything other than objects of disdain.

[@kayteaandbiscuits]

I’m a grace fan and i was put off by her comment comparing arcane to shows like she-hulk and acolyte. It’s apples & oranges. Great content vs shit content. Really appreciate you talking through the differences and nuances, and now to scroll through all your content as a new subscriber! ❤

[@dzibanart8521]

High, long time League of Legends player here, To me, Grace Randolph wasn't comparing the quality of the ahows or stories but the idea that they are female centirc stories. And she is totally right in that.

[@dominicrobles8995]

Good shit, keep going.. she will say what will get views and clicks/likes.

[@McCloud52]

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! EXACTLY AS YOU SAID IT. I don't care that it's female centric, the writing matters and makes the whole difference. I'm fully immersed.

[@h-ash_tagblast8318]

I love that people mention the other as "2 shows" and not "3 shows". You did good Agatha you deserve the praise.

[@drewmalekith4614]

Agreed, also recommend watching Schnee’s video “how arcane writes women” which covers this topic in great depth and with examples. Really it boils down to other shows write a trope of women that are shallow and focused on their identity politics, whereas arcane focused on just writing a good female character where them being a strong more masculine type is just an aspect of the personality instead of the entire identity

[@bonnieamof7033]

My fav characters in arcane are Viktor and jace. Both are also well written and deep characters with understable motivations and the story doesn't put them down. In the bugging of season 2 we see jace trying to reassure and comfort Mel after things and he still works hard to make the weapons after the attack anyway to defend his city, and he does without even telling Mel to, he has agency of his own but also relies on her at times too when he needs it. My most anticipated story in the show is actually viktors storyline. And my 3 fav (after ekko and He's plot) is actually Mel and her mother's plotline so from my perspective this show is very well rounded that's why I liked it.

[@Nyingmaba]

I also enjoy watching Grace for the showbiz analysis side of things, but she is so unnuanced in understanding why so many people dislike those shows. To her, it's just blatant misogyny. She cannot conceive of the root problem being anything deeper.

[@M-Pawz]

I haven't seen much of Arcane so I can't comment much, but what I have seen in terms of the character Jinx is how she compares to say the ''get jinxed'' music video from 11 years ago. I advise you folks to check it out.

[@banthatracks_gaffisticks]

I definitely don't want to see myself. If that's the case I will go and touch grass.

[@johnypanta6208]

In Arcane, Vi has a lot of characteristics that we usually see in male protagonists, but she is written as a woman with those characteristics. Vi is defined by the emotional bonds she has with other people in her life. He biggest strength is not her punches, is her heart, as it has been pointed out again and again. Vi loves and connect with people as a woman, not as a man. Characters in ARCANE like Caitlyn, Jinx, Mel, and Ambessa feel like people. They interact with the world around them without trying to push an agenda. Their role in the story does not feel a blank spot for other characters to shine. They have agency. They are not tokens.

[@RAllenTucker]

Excellently explained. Thank you.

[@gamerbot47]

Not related to the three being discussed, but just a shoutout. 'Prey' movie had such a good portrayal and plot. I have watched that probably like 5 times now with friends and family.

[@Arcanehype]

Thank you for this video

[@matthewobrien290]

Thank you!❤ So many people find this so hard to understand, especially the "anti-woke" crowd.

[@iocomposer]

Great video. I totally agree with you and I don't understand where GR is coming from way too frequently. Her complete dismissal of The Wild Robot really tanked how I feel about her opinion in general.

[@edwardsummey8843]

Arcane has wonderful writing, and the strength of the women are organic to their characters; also, their strength (and intelligence) does not come at the expense of men or putting men down. They are great in their own right.

[@garver5833]

Arcane isn't part of any culture war. Arcane is what we always ask for, a good story. The other two shows are disney slop that only exists because angry, exploitative crybullies that can't write.

[@jspaingreene6350]

Preach Jester!!! Break it down!

[@hexsystem7891]

yes, it may be female centric, but the problem isn't necessarily being female centric. The other shows have terribly written characters and intercharacter dynamics. Arcane has well written characters regardless of their gender. It's like they wrote the story with good characters first and then entered the genders afterwards. The other shows are written with character gender first and then tried to build a story around it.

[@SaraCollins-vo9vf]

It’s such an insult that this lady compares a masterpiece with garbage 🗑️ ew

[@69quato]

Another very important aspect about Arcane is that they have a wide spectrum of convictions with their main characters you could call political - and none of them get judged or dismissed out of hand , but get developed and are observable in a way that you can see their point of view as at least believable if not valid. Nothing is black and white with Arcane.

[@shimtest]

Grace is like a financial analyst, she can sometimes recognize trends but has NO idea why they are happening

[@gudspellar3605]

You are 100% on point with this. I think the saddest part is that Hollywood is about to finally write female characters better. Not because they finally learned who to write them, but because they will turn to AI... and even it will return characters with more depth than the current corporate writer can muster. The crazy second part to poorly written female characters is that current female actors clamour for flawed interesting characters that are more interesting to portray.

[@gregorygreenwood-nimmo4954]

Arcane is chock full of capable female characters, but I would argue not even one 'girl boss'. They have varying forms and degrees of skill and power, but they are also complex characters with significant, meaningful personal flaws to go with their strengths and that make mistakes that have actual consequences. Even better, the male characters around them are not depicted as weak, foolish, or otherwise pathetic in order to make the female characters seem stronger by comparison, but instead are also complex, three dimensional, fleshed out characters with their own drives, motivations, strength and weaknesses. They too have flaws and sometimes make mistakes which yield substantial consequences. It is all about story telling and interesting characters - in short, about actual entertainment - and not political grandstanding or social justice preaching at the audience. That is the glaringly obvious difference between Arcane and slop like the Acolyte, and it is telling indeed that Grace Randolph is so mired in the Hollywood mindset that she can't see it.

[@kharijordan6426]

When the show is still fun to watch whether you think about it or not is the best thing you could ever ask of a show.

[@jakeazfitness]

Arcane is also animated in a cool and unique style which is great to watch. The other shows especially because they’re live action, the actors’ flaws show a lot more (writing, sets, dialogue, etc)

[@OutOfPocket-h9e]

How can you compare She Hulk to Arcane? What a joke. Even animes, notorious for sexualising women have way better written female characters than the garbage Disney has produced.

[@kennethellingsen5902]

Arcane is a wonderfully written story with great characters and action, She-Hulk and Acolyte was S.H.I.T!

[@peperminth7236]

What Arcane do so well is to not just show male character saying sexist things , Arcane show a world already progressist , womens are in the council , in the police force , Ambessa is some kind of warlord of the greatest warrior nation . Also in this world , look like homosexuality is not a subject ( in the way of it's so casual that it is not worth talking about it ) and it would be weird to talk about trans people or LGBTQ people in a world where their is a rat head linked to mechanical body or some races that are part animal . Insted of showing Infinite number of scene where a female being discriminated for no good reason according to the lore ( Cait is the unique daughter of the wealthiest family of Piltover , Vi is known is all Zaun for being able to beat anyone in a fight and Jinx is a psycho who can shot someone for having red hair and she is the daughter of the mob boss of all Zaun ) . And Arcane do something very important, the female caracter are not shown as " a female character " , theh have issue , history and objectiv that are not all related to the fact that they are women . And on the other side , they didnt entierly denied that they are women , Mel can crush on Jayce , sleep with him , being in a relation with him and not be defined as " Jayce's gf " , Ambessa struggled as a mother with Mel . In a world , writters of Arcane aknowledge that women are people too

[@raggens]

Before I watched this video, I honestly had no clue that Lest was trans when I watched the episode. It’s honestly kinda brilliant how the writers for Arcane made that fact in such a way that it isn’t a character’s defining trait - much like all of the other characters in that show

[@M_K-Bomb]

Second 👍 here as I'm quite happy to see you explain it how shows fail not because of surface-level traits of them being woke, but underlying issues about how they handle it.

[@DuendeTortuga]

She's part of the "oh, the only reason you don't like this content is because it's female lead" group huh, but, yes, Arcane is a very cool series because it has a good story and well written characters, period.That's what we want, great stories with compelling characters.

[@rivarwayne8179]

I just watched episdoe 4-6 of arcane and my god its just so freaking gooood

[@Adahnone1]

Such people are just NPCs, consumers. Their tastes dictated by the abstract authority behind the product. It is like people hate everything obscure or on the contrary everything popular just because it affects their self-perception. They just don't get storytelling. For people who prefer feeling to thoughts, they are ironically unempathetic.

[@DawaraDragon]

To add on to your short Jinx analysis (7:02), *SPOILERS* In Act 1 of season 2 we see how her self loathing has developed even further, to a point where she now doesn’t seem worried about death and seems to want to die. I’m very interested to see how that will develop as she takes on her new role in Act 2 and with Isha by her side.

[@MademoiselleRed1390]

In addition to eveyrthing you said, I would add that people obessed with politics simply don't get that fiction may not have that impact they seek on reality because for many it's just escapism. There's many tiktoks and videos of progressive influencers/reviewers, etc. who respond to people that say "I don't want any politics in my story" and what they get right is that the ARE politics in stories anyway but what they get wrong is that in a good story where the political message isn't so blatantly explicti, making connections to real life is an excercise by the reader that some people just don't have the need to do. And it's this same mentality that a work of fiction just HAS to be read politically that probably leads to some writers being so unsubtle about it. Because they make the politics the end goal of their story rather than just part of the world-building. The reality is that reader response and death of the author exist as concept because no matter what message you're trying to send you cannot control how your audience will experience it. That's why people can enjoy good fiction in spite of their ideology clashing with it, or why some people who claim not to want politics in their fiction enjoy works that are quite political.

[@shark_in_a_chair4238]

kind of funny in arcane i didnt think of all the lgbt and women stuff because i was to busy watching a great show

[@azizkash286]

Arcane should be the gold standard on how to write female characters in any show.

[@keno-o1484]

⚠️TLDR⚠️ Hell, no. You don't compare Arcane to sh*t shows like those. If Arcane was, God forbid, "cut in the same cloth," then Jinx wouldn't have gotten sacked by Ekko or even teamed up with Sevika, nor would we have a complex grey villain like Silco. Arcane never settled for less, be it the story, music, direction, or animation. If they only based their conclusion on Arcane having a lesbian couple, then they're even more wrong. Unlike those shows, Arcane successfully made Vi and Caitlyn's relationship organic by slowly developing it throughout episodes, what with them relying on each other as they face their personal demons. They don't just exude unnecessary, borderline degenerate, sexual tension, like they'd f*ck if the show wasn't made for minors in mind. No, they didn't make it disturbing or weird, but actually decent and even empowering in a way. They don't spoil the story by dropping it out of nowhere too. It was actually the final straw, the culmination of all the situationship those two have been subjected to for the last couple of episodes. The kiss is like that one spoonful of dessert you get after a good meal, instead of outright serving it like a steamy dish that could leave your tongue burning. Yeah, there's politics involved as well that we can all relate and most people would think of as "woke". However, once again, they made it organic instead of forced. In their setting, the problems that both cities are facing do reflect certain issues that one might associate with a real life scenario, but they are grounded on their world and don't reference real life people or organizations in a very obvious manner. If they do, they do it subtly, by means of visual story telling. It makes it feel like you as an audience, is part of it as you try to make heads as to what is going on in the show as the scenes are projected. It doesn't just feed you with words to create an idea by definition, it makes you think and build the idea by interpretation. And they don't just dismiss these issues as plot devices. The conflict between Topside and Undercity is grounded on a central theme. It's like a canvas, and all the characters are on that canvass to complete the picture. It serves purpose. It gave weight to all those struggles and conflict as they actually have value in the context of their setting. All of that said, I love this show, regardless if it's anyone's best or not, and I wouldn't want it to get soiled by getting compared to sh*t shows like them. If they had compared it with ATLA or Edgerunners, I would have agreed as these shows have some similar qualities that have made them one of the GOATs.

[@MagiofAsura]

Thats how you do a trans character. I didnt even know Salo's brusher was trans because the show understands thats not the entirety of the character and didnt seek to make a spectacle out of it. It was simply an aspect of the character. You dont make the point of the character to be a trans character. You make a character who is trans.