Arcane: A Tale of Two Fathers

[@bertimusprime7900]

I think that Silco found powder to be like him, abandoned and betrayed. When he speaks to her, he often says we instead you or I. That identification with her goes the other way, where he puts his goals onto her, because she is like him, and therefore should have the same goals. Ultimately, I don't think it's his love that's flawed, but it's his morality and worldview that shapes that real love into how he expresses it. When he tells her she's perfect, he isn't being selfish, he is being honest. He is not doing what is best for her, but he's doing the best he knows how. Everything he does, including how he treats her, is in line with his view of the world. That view starts to break down when he gets the offer from Jayce. It's only then that he realizes what Vander went through at the end of their rebellion. After that, with the time he has left, he does his best to support, in the way he knows how, the only person he may have cared for more than himself and his goals. He never realized it because it had not been tested. At some point, I started rambling. I love this show, and Silco is my favorite character. Silco is a bad person, and a bad father, but his love was real.

[@clydesdale1775]

Hit the nail on the head. Silco is one of my favorite villians of all time, because I absolutely do not feel sorry for him, but I FEEL him.

[@C-Farsene_5]

This, I've been thinking something similar regarding this, I knew that Silco truly cared for Power/Jinx but at the same time I knew what he was doing for her was wrong but at the same time right.

[@SKJustDuckie]

I went from hating Silko to being fascinated by him when he was having Jinx give him his eye medication. Allowing someone that unhinged to stick a needle in your eye shows amazing trust even if his live hadn’t yet fully developed. I’m not excusing his behavior, but I think his love was deeper than he realized before the bridge.

[@GabeSweetMan]

Silko might be one of the best written antagonists/villains since Zuko from ATLA. Just a raw, flawed human who went down the wrong path but still has love and compassion in their heart even if they themselves don't realize it. Unfortunately, Silco and Jinx had no Uncle Iroh in their lives to put them on the right path.

[@ericjohnson6120]

She's the person he trusts the most. Plus, she creates explosives and would have very, very steady hands as a consequence.

[@def3ndr887]

@@GabeSweetManhow can you be “put on the right path” when the standard of living is horrible and every person you trusted betrays you, what he’s done was wrong but it’s understandable and perhaps justified on what he did.

[@Eilonwy95]

It’s amazing how foundational parental love is to all of us. It truly shapes you. Fathers are so so important to their children.

[@ShadowDuskSky]

I’d like to add that Ambessa and Mel are another example of parental love that twisted both parent and child’s life

[@Angrenost02]

Silco's last words to Jinx aren't "Be free and live a happy life", but "Don't cry. You're perfect". He litterally uses his last words to lock her into the image he has of her.

[@Eilonwy95]

Oh this is an excellent point.

[@sobiedv]

Daaang

[@DLxxx]

Precisely.

[@BassBumbass]

You had put into words exactly what was bothering me about that moment.

[@ingenjannik]

Blatantly incorrect. Rather, he accepts her wholeheartedly, regardless of the name. This is contrasted with the baptism scene where he claims "Jinx is perfect". In the end, he acknowledges her as perfect in her entirety, regardless of what she is called or what she does. In his last moments he demonstrates his unconditional love.

[@NormieNerddom]

Arcane is one of the greatest things I've seen in the last decade. The writing just gets better and better the more you look into it.

[@Alpha1918]

it's a miracle it escaped the clutches of wokeism

[@christiandauz3742]

Or Conservative snowflakism

[@Alpha1918]

@@christiandauz3742 well that doesn't really exist in media, so not much of a miracle

[@NormieNerddom]

​@@christiandauz3742 Aw you thought you did something there.

[@SamGlaze]

@@Alpha1918almost everything about Arcane could be painted as “woke” by a critic

[@arenkai]

Silco is the perfect example of how love isn't necessarily a positive thing. He loved Powder, but enabled mental health issues instead of fixing them. Because Vander is the one who tries to fix. Silco is the one who tries to destroy.

[@Eilonwy95]

Kind of depends on one’s definition of love. To actually love is to will the true good of another. I wouldn’t count Silco as truly loving power since he did enable her issues instead of helping her fix them. He does care for her, but it is not in a selfless way and is not purely for her own sake.

[@Alpha1918]

I interpreted it as Silco tolerated her mental problems. They appeared to frustrate him somewhat, but he looked past them to see the true Jinx.

[@ArcaneMelodies82]

Silco really hit home, because his growth almost mirrors my father. He was Single minded, Was so certain in how he perceived was right, then, he began to change. Still do not know when that exact moment happened, always wanted to ask. Silco was Single minded in his vision to attain a Free Zaun. Freedom at Any Cost. Regardless the price. At the Bridge,Jayvce and Vander's statue he knew. He failed. He was wrong,he failed his daughter,he can't lose his daughter., and it was the love for a daughter that undid his main priorities. Silco even did what Vander did with Grayson, but Jayce did not take the offer. "They weren't her crimes,she was working for me" Jayce "believe me,if I had it my way it would be you rotting in StillWater,but you can't make a deal with a snake then cut off it's head" "Get me Jinx and I'l give you your Nation of Zaun". I knew instantly, well there goes that dream. Silco had everything on a silver platter and if he still had that "Freedom at any cost, and only saw Jinx as a tool, he would have ended hundreds of Zaunites suffering.under Piltover's boot. How much is one life worth?. Especially when it is your daughter. The Trolly problem, on one track your daughter the other Hundreds of Zaunites, what is the right choice to pull the track switch?. Sacrifice your daughter to save hundreds?. Love, truly did change Silco. He finally understood Vander at the statue. Silco's last words to Jinx I really felt meant more than any other time he said Jinx is perfect. Silco did not say Jinx is perfect. Silco said "Your perfect". I really do think when he said that it had more meaning, and honesty to himself on how he truly sees her. Not as Jinx,but as his daughter kzbin.info/www/bejne/sIjKlqyKq5uNsLMsi=MzyGMGtVKSg4iHYI

[@def3ndr887]

Do with the information as you will but it’s also mentioned by the va that Silco sees Jinx as Zaun, if he puts Jinx in chains it would mean putting a chain around Zaun

[@adrienconverset6571]

And then, season two shat on everything.

[@I_can_speak]

Oh well. Close enough. 😬

[@ArasRud]

I disagree actually. Both Vander and Silco failed big time, both as leaders and Parents but in different ways. Parents should prepare their children for the type of environment they are at. And they could never be "good" parents according to our standards because they are simply in a really bad environment and no simple solution to their problems is there, if they focus on one side, they have to sacrifice other aspects. Both did the best they could though. Altough Silco understood their world much better and had more realistic plans for it, thats why he was more successful in his leadership and almost got his goal where Vander was never even close to that. One example of their failure as parents is that Vander put all the pressure of co-parenting onto Vi and basically left other kids to her, eventhough she was not ready for it and she led others into disaster, and Silco in order to make Jinx comfortable, failed to put boundries in behavior for her

[@zmsays]

Ooh I loved this series and I'm glad it's getting a turn under Samwise's attention!

[@alabanghills]

‘The queen if his chessboard’ brillaint w so many reflected implications

[@Alpha1918]

I don't see it as Silco manipulating her. I think he truly believes what he says to her, as he saw Powder to be like him. As a result, he implicitly projected his mindset on to her, assuming they shared the same goals. This is why he uses "we" and "us" so much.

[@I.Simmonds]

I would say this Jinx isn't responsible for Vander's death the responsibility likes with the Piltover council, Silco and Vander himself. "No one win in war, Vi." is an odd deceleration to take at face value when that sentiment is not shared by Piltover. If one follows the scenes with Grayson, The Council, Jayce. The Enforcer and presumably through them the Council knows the explosion was caused by a botched burglary and volatile materials gathered By Jayce Talis. When the Council unleashed the enforcers on the Undercity, they know they are after children. They are unwilling to continue having Jayce tell them what the volatiles were, what they looked liked, or if they are a continued danger, the council wants an example to be made, out of children. Piltover clearly does not believe now one wins in war, as they are willing to ratchet up pressure, and commit casual violence on the people of the under city simply because they believe the can. I would say Vander's pacifism is more a result of a trauma response over his failed uprising, over some well thought out reflection.

[@kevingabriel8642]

I love your videos, man. I truly do.

[@claytonrios1]

Vander is the mentor that turned Vi into the fighter and protector that she is now whereas Silco is the revolutionary who turned Powder into Jinx but he also genuinely loved her and he was willing to do anything to help his people get out of their poverty and to achieve independence from those in topside. You can like one over the other but both men are products of their environments and they influence our heroines the way great parental figures in fiction should.

[@haydenlux5027]

I think his take is very wrong, Silco does not take in Jinx out of a selfish desire to use her. He does so because he sees himself in her having been betrayed just as he was. "We will show them all" is not him saying he will use her as a tool but him expressing to her that despite how Vander/Vi and Piltover rejected them they will overcome and obtain the respect and recognition they deserve. Him initially going to kill her shows he does not consider her to have some inherent value and his comment to Vi supports this as he thought Vi was the only one of the four with any real talent but after taking her in out of empathy and coming to love her he has seen Jinx's talent. This is even further supported by Sevika's view that Jinx is more trouble than she is worth in terms of their cause, and thus Silco only really keeps her around because he loves her which the final arc showcases to be true. As for shaping or manuipulating her to be useful instead of out of love, I do not think that is the case. While he does not do a great job helper her deal with her mental health issues and does try to manipulate her regarding Vi that does not mean he does not love her. Vi and Vander also did not really know how to help powder with her mental health issues either, and this was before she killed 3 members of her family and got betrayed by her sister. So while Silco does not do a good job, no one here is really equiped to help Jinx deal with the trama and he tries to help her by suggesting she follow what he did, which in his mind made him a stronger and better man and allowed him to overcome his near death experience. As for lying about Vi that is in fact because he loves her and he and Vi are in conflict. He wants to keep Jinx and not lose her to Vi, so while toxic/manipulative it is done out of his love not selfishness. As for calling her a "prize" that is him reading too much into the exact word he used. That line reads more to me as the "pride/talent" of the next generation. He thought Vi was the best/most talented in her faimly but now sees Jinx as superior and has pride in her. None of which means he does not care for her or does not see her as human. Arguably she is the only person he truly loves and wants to protect as he would sacrafice anyone else in pursuit of his goal and she is the only one he wants to protect and will not give up to achieve it. Just like Vi he wants to give Jinx a better life (his we will show them all) and has her invovled in his activities to teach her, just as Vi brought her along on the heist. Niether would ever choose to sacracfice her but they both acknowledge that they can't shield her from the world forever and need to do what they can to protect her while allowing her to experience the world and grow to be independent.

[@ArasRud]

Yeah, the take was so off and biased and not based on the actual show.

[@Starcraftgamer97]

Arcane is one of those shows I didn't know if I would like and was hesitant about (primarily because of my growing disdain for Riot Games). I love the way some of the scenes mesh with the music (Echo vs. Jinx is probably one of my favorite fights personally because of the music and direction. I do worry for the announced 2nd season and wonder if it run into the same situation many good starting shows have: an outstanding first season and floundering follow-ups.

[@christiandauz3742]

First 3 episodes prove S2 is great alone

[@noracharef6901]

Silco’s story is fascinating because it mirrors Powder’s in many ways. Both were deeply hurt by the actions of someone they considered family. Silco never understood why Vander turned his back on him-not just on their shared fight for Zaun’s independence, but also on their relationship. Vander’s betrayal wasn’t just ideological; it was personal. Silco’s resentment toward Vander is palpable, yet above it all, he was still seeking validation. His determination to free Zaun wasn’t just about the Zaunites-it was also about proving to Vander that he could succeed where Vander chose not to. When Silco tells Powder, “We will show them,” I think he’s being completely sincere. In that moment, he connects with her pain because it echoes his own experience of betrayal and rejection. His reaction to Powder hugging him shows this; he’s surprised but doesn’t push her away. In fact, he reciprocates the gesture. Silco’s relationship with Jinx is complicated and layered. He tried to do for Jinx what Vander couldn’t-or wouldn’t-do for him: accept her as she was. While his methods were undeniably toxic, there’s evidence that he cared about her. For instance, he gave her space to work on her weapons, even when her early attempts failed, and he continued to trust her with missions despite her mistakes. I also love how she decorated his office, the space where he needs to project power and intimidation. Silco is physically unthreatening, so he built his power through cruelty and cold calculation. Yet with Jinx, he didn’t try to hide his soft spot. At first, I think he tried to mold her into someone useful to him. But by the end, when he had achieved everything he wanted, he realized how much Jinx truly meant to him. His choice not to betray her, even for the sake of his dream, shows that he valued her above all else. In his final moments, he mirrors what he wished Vander had done for him-he not only chooses her but also validates her completely. His last words, “You’re perfect,” are not tied to her identity as Jinx. He doesn’t try to define her; instead, he affirms her worth, no matter who she chooses to be. If anything she shapes him to be a better person, he really tried to do what's best in the end. He is still the villain of the series and deserves hell for all the wrongs he has done but I do think his love for his daughter was genuine from the start.

[@ImAlpharius]

Season 2 act 2 is so good, the feels

[@SheegogProductions]

Great video as always! "Morally complex", I agree; that's a better way of looking at it.

[@ThreadBareHope1234]

4:00 Damn. Thats so real. That was my momthgiving to be served, or living through me.

[@derekcline950]

One thing on the "before he was ever born" comment... dads dont always feel this way. I felt like I was broken because I didn't love my son in the womb. It took until heard his first cry that I fell in love. And this is actually pretty normal for dads

[@Malorn0]

Obviously, our instincts respond to the verbal cues and what we see in the moment. That is normal, but love is ultimately a choice, not a feeling. Emotions can fade or fail, be diluted or shattered. I feel tremendous affection for my own daughter, but loving has to go past that affection. The affection is there to help us form the love, a crutch for us all. Because who knows, in a dozen years our affection may be challenged, but the love has to be there to steady the course. Modern culture places too focus much on feelings, and thus judges people on those feelings, not realizing that those choices are what really matters.

[@pirolodaniel]

Hell yeah!!! More please. Arcane. More.

[@simpleman3898]

You had to do this series 😂. It has some strong moments

[@ScarletRayne008]

Excellent essay, now gimme one about the dichotomy of Ambessa and motherhood b/c there’s a veritable goldmine in there

[@Christs_Apologet]

Very good video

[@Retax7]

Arcane, or how I call it: How to trick people into watching the animated version of a Bronx tale.

[@AshesandDust323]

"morally grey is a stupid term which I refuse to use." SAY IT LOUDER FOR THOSE IN THE BACK

[@ramondelgado4927]

I which Silco shadow could have played a bigger role on S2 regarding Jinx/Powder , in the same way Vander played

[@lol0ajo]

they are better father than goku and ging

[@ethannorth8914]

I disagree. Silco truly loves and cares for Jinx; however, he doesn’t now how to be a good dad. He thinks that removing things and places from her trauma will heal her i.e get rid of Powder. He also takes from granted what she does for him and at the end he finally realizes he failed her.

[@ivanhunter6492]

SIlko's love is conditional, whereas Vander would have loved his daughter's regardless

[@TheVeldoran]

Jinx ruined his dream and killed him yet he still loved her

[@master_samwise]

I wouldn't say it's conditional, but rather that it comes from an imperfect place. It's far more of a need love than a gift love.

[@sobiedv]

I disagree that it's conditional. In fact, he seems to have a completely permissive parenting style, offering limited boundaries. There is a scene where she is literally stabbing him repeatedly with a needle and he doesnt react or raise a hand to stop her at all, he is completely passive, accepting her, mental illness trauma reactions an all. That being said, he does manipulate her. He can only view life from his perspective, and what "saved" him was letting his past die and becoming a new man, so he encourages her to do the same. It's not healthy, its abusive and isolating, but it doesn't seem to come from a malevolent place. He loves her, but he is still fundamentally flawed and has an absuive, manipulative relationship with her.

[@def3ndr887]

If it’s conditional then why of all the insults and curses he could’ve said when she shot him, give her consultation and using his experience flawed as it is and really all that he knows to not cry and know that he sees her perfect in his eyes.

[@Wully02]

30 Seconds in, I'm betting the quote is by Thomas or a Thomist. (I like Thomas, I should clarify).

[@dredgen0268]

Nah, Silco loved Jinx. He was gonna give it all up for her.

[@def3ndr887]

Ironically he’s exactly who Vi once was. He wants to make a better place for her but as Vander said “Who are you willing to lose? Milo…Claggor…Powder?” He only realized it when it was too late.

[@KKMasterPlg]

I really appreciate and can see where your point of view is coming from, but on the other hand I totally disagree on your perspective on Jinx-Silco relationship. I can find as many arguments that it is the one thing Silco is selfless as you you presented to be otherwise.

[@paczkmacik]

What are you holding in your right hand, sir

[@Eilonwy95]

It’s a remote to control his camera zoom

[@roozbehlashgari-ig7yo]

I absolutely disagree in the entire show I never got the feeling that silco has a alterier motiv with jinxe even if he did that alterier motiv would be to free Zaun right? We'll he lit2had the chance to sacrifice jinxe for his goal but he didn't scenes like the doctor and silco conversation when jinxe was passed out on the table showed silco absolutely loves his daughter other wise why would he what her to live by that point we have seen time and time again how careless and unreliable jinxe is for silco's goal so that would be the point to let her die if he didn't loved her unconditionally.

[@notherbert7095]

don't you think Silco also kinda adopted powder to mess with vanders legacy, like that is a knife more fatal to vander than the one he physically used

[@Mr.StevenKerr]

Season 2 is bad. In 3 episodes, we get the same scene between Vi and Caitlyn like 5 times. They are trying to hard with the art style and way they are trying to show off. I'm disappointed

[@konstakivinen4228]

This would be a good title for some gueer show😂

[@andrewsherrillmusic]

I disagree I think sylco loved powder for who she is while vander loves her because of who he thinks she is.

[@Eilonwy95]

Assuming completely unhinged is “who she is.” Instead of encouraging her hysteria, Silco should have sought to help her heal and be actually healthy. We never see much interaction between vander and powder. We don’t really have any evidence to suggest how he thought of her besides generally caring for her

[@ChaunchoCYM]

​@@Eilonwy95Does Sylco ever "encourage" Jinx's hysteria? While misguided in many ways, he very often gives her advice from his personal experiences in an attempt to help her move on from her past and that trauma. One of his last actions at the dinner table scene involves him frantically trying to get Vi to stop triggering Jinx's hysteria.

[@def3ndr887]

⁠​⁠@@Eilonwy95we know enough of what Vander did for her, and that was sheltering her from the harsh realities in the Undercity. Unlike the rest of the gang (Vi, Claggor, and Milo) she didn’t grow up fighting for everything she got. What’s worse is that she was born inherently bad at everything which escalated her desperation to make up for her deficiency. We never see Powder’s interaction with Vander because it was Vi in charge with parenting her telling her she’s ready even though she’s not. Vander is shown managing the whole of the Undercity. Why else would Vi be able to slip past him and pull that heist? I can go on and cover Silco if you like but I’m already writing too much as it is.

[@PainbowSheep]

Calling Silco a father is a bit of a stretch. Using a kid for ur own benefit.

[@PainbowSheep]

I mean, he can still be a father but a bad one I guess. I just don't view a random adult picking up a traumatized child and molding it in his image a father. He is something, but not a father.

[@Eilonwy95]

@@PainbowSheep Agreed, but he is at least a father figure to her. He certainly sees her as his daughter even if he is very flawed in his fatherhood.

[@theorixlux]

I see where you're coming from, but I'd disagree. From the point of view of the child, a father figure would be anyone who takes care (support, discipline, education, etc) of that child, regardless of what the father's reasons are for adopting the child in the first place. The reason I'm using the child's pov instead of a father's pov is because there exists abusive, dead, or MIA fathers. And I don't believe that would add to either our sides of the argument since, by definition, those aren't really fathers.

[@albertanmotorcyclist6419]

Is it really a stretch though? Silco and other characters both refer to Jinx as either being his daughter, or like a daughter. Every interaction between Jinx and Silco is like one between parent and child. He essentially raised her, and cared for her longer than Vi or Vander did

[@Eilonwy95]

@@albertanmotorcyclist6419how long did vander care for the kids?