Arcane: League of Legends: Season 2, Act 2 REVIEW

[@novagolt8806]

other series are trying to fill their show with obvious filler - arcane just shows you a 20 second summary of what could have happened in an entire season...

[@RogersBase]

Literally LOLOLOL

[@FabianFrankel]

Should have happened in an entire season**

[@daimendvisser2662]

The problem is League lore is very big, just in Piltover and Zaun alone there is other 10 champions that have not been shown in the show even tho they fit the timeline

[@lolnoob5015]

@@daimendvisser2662issue is budget

[@marodonthemorone]

You are literally one piece fan

[@claudetourreau1326]

The greatest weakness of this season, is that there’s too much content for just 9 episodes 😭

[@DJWARREADY]

Amen to this

[@TheCac]

exactly, so much sick stuff and so many sick character changes and everything is so cool. I wish we just got to see more than like 10 minutes of each thing

[@hassassinator8858]

That's how you know it's incredible-people just want more of it!

[@nonyourbusiness165]

10 or 11 episodes would be perfect

[@pirolovini]

Next season will probably change name because "Arcane" is just 1 type of power in Runeterra. Going to Noxus the series will probably change name.

[@HotshotMC]

you're not supposed to understand all the elements of hextech, you discover it along with the characters. So when Viktor dies and everyone goes limp we all discover that along with the characters. The exception right now is Jayce who clearly has seen some shit and is on a mission. The next episode will likely be dedicated to a flashback with Jayce, Ekko, and Heimerdinger and will likely end with heimer and Ekko somehow coming back into the fold of the story.

[@nicespy9790]

I’m thinking that Ekko might be involved in the last scene with Isha, after the explosion, it looks a lot like Ekko’s reverse time bubble thing, and they hint at Ekko’s time reversal ability in the opening song. It’s major cope hoping Isha lives, but the possibility for her to live is there if Ekko is involved in that moment.

[@skellyp7804]

I expect the black rose story line will not be wrapped up this season. It will probably be a big plot point in the next series.

[@GrayWolf1997]

Bro is this season the last season or we getting another season?

[@mrbushido56]

​@@GrayWolf1997it's the last but maybe a spin off

[@GrayWolf1997]

@mrbushido56 oh ok

[@Алексей545-т6б]

@@GrayWolf1997 He mean new story about different regions of Runetrra (story of Piltover and Zaun come to the end. Story about Noxus is just get started threw Ambessa plotline)

[@7-RAVEN-7]

​@@GrayWolf1997 Last season of. Zaun and piltover's story but i'm pretty much sure after that huge success they will do other regions too So i think the next series will be about noxus and ionia war and noxus= black rose's shit 😄

[@MemaJuuzou]

man act 2 was PEAK. theres so much going on i cant talk about it all, its just so GOOD

[@deadpoolchinese6570]

trust me with knowledge of the lore, the hextech stuff is still a mystery 😂

[@RogersBase]

Good to know LOL

[@fromia1]

​@@RogersBase It is still very cryptic even to League fans

[@grapehool]

​@@RogersBase That's mainly because the little we knew is retconned by arcane lmaoo

[@Jaemy_art]

They harvest the unrefined gems on shurima

[@deadfalcongaming7707]

Retconned ​@@Jaemy_art

[@Neoxon619]

I think it was mentioned that they would still do other shows, just not specifically Arcane. So we could just as easily see something like an Ekko-focused series that follows up on some of the plot threads of Arcane.

[@RogersBase]

I REALLY hope they do not save the Ekko stuff for a different show. Save Noxian stuff or Bilgewater stuff for a different show but Ekko is a huge part of this one so I'd love some answers here!

[@Neoxon619]

@@RogersBase I do think they’ll resolve what was set up for Ekko in this series, I’m just bringing up the possibility of him getting his own show for the aftermath that could also touch on some plot threads that may have gotten underserved here.

[@adrianomel]

I honestly dont think that they can fully explain the whole black rose ordeal and Noxus.. there is so much lore there I hope their next story jumps to this area of the world

[@nightlyhood797]

I think it will probably be a different setting and characters in runeterra.

[@djbreakfastca]

@@RogersBase Ekko will be back first episode of act 3, mark my words.

[@mjeid4835]

I think the black rose will come in to play in a different series. Once arcane is done. I think it might wrap a little bit, but for the most part, I think it might be what leads into the next series.

[@pocketiland3214]

I don't believe that Warwick is dead only because he should have a super regenerative body. I believe that the way arcane is going to end for the characters is how they are suppose to look and line up with the league of legends counterpart. Only because Warwick still don't got a full on wolf face/ snout, but maybe since his face got blow off his regen will make him more wolf like, just like the game. idk

[@babc6394]

They just going to make an Arcane skin for warwick. And the lava warwick is already a skin for that

[@glonik10]

Good chance hes going to get pumped with more chemicals and its going to make him even more wolf like. As far as Viktor this is probably where signed turns him into a robot. Makes the most sense with both of these characters

[@ItzKerbecs]

Honestly it feels like they just have infinite amounts of information that they would love to show us yet they have to fit all that into a runtime of 9 episodes but honestly even then they somehow managed to be able to tell the stories in such a way it doesn't feel out of place in anyway! Arcane truly is one of the most unique storywriting pieces out there i cannot wait to see what ACT 3 will cook

[@kikewp1]

Thank God, I always can count on you Roger. I totally agree with you and I'm very scary about how is going to end, because of the bad experinces of other Tv Shows rushing at the end. For me, I would be very satisfied if Arcane only focus the conflict between Piltover and Zaun, plus Jinx, Vi and Cait resolution, letting opened the door of Noxus for another Tv Show, but will see if there is another and how good it would be.

[@FrizFroz]

I thought these 3 episodes were fantastic and better than the last, but like you said, as a non-LoL playe, I felt the pacing was too rushed. Caitlyn in particular felt all over the place. In episode 3 all signs pointed toward her ruling with an iron fist, and in episode 4 we saw signs of that from the opening montage, but then we don’t see her much at all until episode 6, where she is suddenly willing to team up with Vi to help Vander (and by extension Jinx, who she was ready to take out a kid and her friend/lover to kill in E3). What caused her heel face turn? Being disenchanted with Ambessa for siding with Singed? I felt a few more scenes would better contextualize their motivations.

[@dilaisy_loone2846]

If we don’t know it’s because the show didn’t want you to know

[@specail1]

I saw hints of Caitlyn’s intelligence the entire season. Her detective work also with figuring out who singe is and what Warwick was after. We see ambessa’s respect for her, possibly as a surrogate daughter, something she may wish she shared with Mel. These things at least to me show her as extremely competent. I completely buy that she quickly found out that ambessa was trying to use her and decided to use her in return. She would know ambessa just wanted to use piltover and her for her own ends. She was already growing tired of the violence at the start and after the conversion they had with singe court infer there would be no stopping ambessa. It’s true we need more about how she’s feels about jinx know. And by extension vi. But she’s had, I think a year ish has passed for this time skip, to heal or grow. The would have her lost mother has healed in some fashion. I think these characters are so deep. They feel so much like real people. Things do need to shown more but I think it all makes sense and will be expounded on the next 3 episodes.

[@caiocarvalho8844]

Caitlying is leading and allowing he enforcers in Zaun. They are arresting people, beating people and committing all sorts of violence. She allows this but clearly she’s not comfortable with the situation. With time passing, her grief is giving place to her reasoning and she clearly is starting to seeing what Ambessa’s true intentions are

[@ExcelJustExcel]

Most likely, it will be something like: "Characters of Arcane will return on 'Something Noxus Something: A League of Legends Story'."

[@mrbushido56]

Arcane, kicking fans while they are down. Fans " please stop it hurts" Arcane, kicks you again. " huff huff okay thats enough.....same time next week" Fans cough up blood " cough, yes please, cough,"

[@RogersBase]

Thanks for the super chat!

[@L33ch97]

God I hope they stick the landing. Although I understood most of what was going on, it was rushed. I know there was a time jump but I don’t think it was very long. There are questions: How did singed and Jayce know where the commune was? Is Caitlyn just alright with Jinx now? Again, the story still works technically, and it’s still great but maybe there’s a few too many plot lines. I’m excited and I hope they can tie it all together in the end. Edit: just remembered Singed was tracking the beast for Ambessa and Cait. My other questions still stand.

[@daimendvisser2662]

I think Black Rose is meant to tie the story of Arcane to a next story in Noxus, maybe thats why they are teasing it

[@dyto2287]

They should be able to wrap up all character stories in next Act. They planned this series to have two seasons from the start when writing script for first season. Also, since they have still very much time they have more than enough time - almost 3 hours for whole Act. If you re-watch this series there isn't a thing placed or told for no reason.

[@ryanread8617]

I don't know much of League of Legends, but I love love Arcane! Everything seems to be a parallel, like the cog/coin Viktor drops, one side corrupted the other side clean at the end. It's a tragedy story with constant hope.. It hard to watch sometimes. That's why I loved it, I also feel like it going really fast, the story could be twice as long and still be amazing.

[@koraydrmokokootru3789]

To sum it up Mel survived the attack(also Jayce) cause of her “Solari” armor which indicates her mother is ambessa and his father is a “Solari” warrior from Targon (god mountain) region.

[@simonzhang3D]

She forgot he bought Locket of Iron Solari XD

[@deliii395]

They didn't say this is the end of Arcane. They said this is the end of THIS story - the story of Vi & Jinx. League of legends has multiple stories. And I suspect they're setting a lot of it here like the Arcane magic itself and Noxus, Black rose so we'll focus on them in another story.

[@RogersBase]

Gimme a Bilgewater show with Miss Fortune!

[@astrea4020]

I mean presumably the next shows will be named other things than Arcane. So I’d say it is the end of Arcane.

[@cupsy1567]

Lovely review, I think everything you said is completely fair to say. That being said, I'd like you to know, and I'm sure your chat may have already said this to you but I think it's one of the most important things to know about the structure of Arcane. They were offered multiple seasons very early into production of season 1, they specifically chose to only take 2 from again, nearly the beginning. With that in mind, (and granted maybe an abundance of misplaced trust) I'm very strongly of the opinion you will get a lot of your questions answered, namely about Viktor and Jayce in Act 3. Again, Act 3 is not out yet so I'm not certain, but I'd like to believe the steps have been laid before us to walk down and, even if a bit convoluted on first watch, it will unravel quite nicely when it's all said and done. In any case, I'm glad your liking Arcane S2 as I am. Cheers to Act 3.

[@Elidec]

Viktor isn't omniscient when it comes to the Information regarding hextech/arcane as seen when he saw the anomaly/wild rune that jayce came out of, he only now saw it he didnt know it existed. Viktor knows alot because of the hexcore and his hivemind like cult but not everything is revealed to him. its the parallel with Jayce, Jayce knows something about the curse of using arcane that Viktor doesn't and Viktor knows how to use it to heal and help people that Jayce doesn't know.

[@chrissolace]

Personally, I don’t think removing the Black Rose scenes would’ve made it better. While it took more time, it was like Singed in Act 1-mainly foreshadowing for the next act. I think this season needed a whole other season to flesh out the time between Act 1 and Act 2-to show the conflict between Piltover and Zaun, Vi in the dumps, and Jinx with Isha. I understood they removed it to keep pacing and wanted to keep it to less seasons, but that really could’ve been its entire whole season with this Act 2 resolution between the sisters being a “season 3” (though of course I still love the series and understand why they removed it).

[@Raykushi]

As someone who knows a lot about the lore of league, I was also pretty confused by a lot of stuff, but that definitely seems intentional. I trust we'll get insight into Jayce's perspective for instance in the last act.

[@WolfZBB]

Honestly, I think the pacing is something that could’ve gone any direction and I think it would have worked as well as any other. 1) I don’t think you need a long while with a character or setting to care a shit load. Literally, Vi and Jinx’s mom and that mine. 2) As a viewer, I loved the pacing. It gave me just enough time to register what I was feeling, then made me feel even more. Each. And. Every. Time. 3) I don’t think a story needs to explain absolutely everything, but I do think that since there are so many heavy, heavy strings, they will all be answered. Of the many things Arcane has done great is combining elements of the plot to kill multiple birds with one stone. 4) Even after getting over the initial devastation and returning to a state of partial lucidity, there is not a single moment in Act 2 I can imagine could be done in any way different that I love even more, and there is nothing I want to know or feel that this show hasn’t given me. Yes, we’re in the dark. But, unlike how it tends to be in shows, I have no desire to be out of the dark. I love the feeling of “what the fuck” Arcane gives me.

[@cupsy1567]

Also just wanted to clarify so you're not disappointed: The last episode is said to be "The longest episode of Arcane thus far" but certainly won't be an hour and 30. It's actually quoted that when it first came back from Fortiche is was "over an hour long" and they had to cut back from there. I could see it being 50+ minutes personally.

[@mistyh92]

You streamed at the perfect time! I’ve had a crazy weekend so far, and I just happened to have a break when you started. Thank you!

[@mihail5927]

Where can i watch his stream? Is it on twitch?

[@mistyh92]

@@mihail5927 It’s on KZbin and Twitch, but it’s only for members at the NAKAMA tear and higher on YT and tear 2 subs on Twitch.

[@Allswellkid]

Honestly didn’t need more build up for Warwick because we know Vander and we had time with him over the course of season 1. This is the same person to me, but fighting for his mental stability which they showed just enough of. Warwick is Vander but in the end, Vander finally became Warwick.

[@deandredukes95]

These 3 episodes can be summed up by one word: PAIN 😢

[@koyamanger2537]

Act 1, is hype, Act 2 is tugging the feelings, Act 3, IM EXCITED

[@TaxtroGrave]

I agree pretty on point with you here Roger. Still loving the show but as much as love Mel and what they're setting up with her, I think that should have been saved for something in a future show. I had the same minor complaints about Jayce (Until we see what happened to him in the last 3 episodes) and having a mini time skip between episodes 3 and 4. Still enjoying it though, really wanna see more Ekko!!

[@spicymeister]

i was also confused because it seems like Jayce forgot that Viktor never really wanted this in the first place. Jayce literally forced him to become this against his will when he shoved the hexcore into his chest, and now he's mad Viktor is trying to do good with it? he didnt even TRY explaining to Viktor that the nature of the Arcane might be more sinister than he realizes - something i honestly think Viktor would understand, or at least try to. he's a scientist, after all, and he probably still trusts Jayce to an extent. even without that, all it would take would be for him to touch Jayce and learn of what he experienced while in the Arcane to convey the thought properly. i guess the only explanation would have to be that Jayce truly believes Viktor is a lost cause, and that being this connected to the Arcane requires immediate annihilation? even still, i wish that sentiment was conveyed a little better if thats what they were going for.

[@adrianomel]

Didnt Viktor say it is not really Jayce.. or something to that effect, I don't think Jayce would kill Viktor, his life partner just like that.. there is more going on.

[@SSW777]

Watch those episodes again, it doesn't seem like Jayce is being himself. Even Viktor mentioned that it's not Jayce

[@tpalabra6568]

You are missing one factor, which is what the hell did Jayce actually see while being gone. Im pretty sure he was either transported into the other dimension that is trying to break into ours and saw the horrors that exist there, or comes from a future where a full rapture happens and is caused by Viktor. Its only predictions of course, but this man is in SHAMBLES and has full on PTSD, like he for sure saw something disturbing enough to completely nullify his relationship with Viktor in favor of stopping it.

[@lepredator1789]

Jayce saw the "healed" people differently, almost alien/demon like Characters like Salo for example were completely different to what they were before, sure he'd be greatful to be healed, but being viktors henchman getting stuff and not living in luxury anymore? doesnt seem like the person they presented till this point this and the fact that viktor could talk and see through all of them, all of them painfully dying when viktor wasnt there anymore - its pretty obvious something wasnt right, they were all like puppets for a hivemind also jayce's ingame title is "defender of tomorrow", pretty sure he saw something we as viewers didnt see yet

[@spicymeister]

​@@lepredator1789 I see what you mean. Viktor mentioned that there was another will at work within Jayce, something only he would be able to see. it certainly seems to be clouding Jayce's ability to reason, as even at his most deranged it just doesn't seem like he should ever have the capacity to kill his best friend without a second thought. I saw an interesting theory posit that what he experienced was a timeline in which Viktor chose to be empowered by the Apex Shimmer, and that his killing of Viktor in this timeline will paradoxically create the very issue he's trying to avoid. idk how likely it is, given Viktor's tone at the end of ep 6 is certainly more apathetic than resentful, but its something cool to consider.

[@douglas260395]

As former league player and lol lore fan and Zelda fan I can’t believe you’re reacting to this, it’s awesome 👏

[@SirWhig-esq.]

Glorious Evolution ❤ Fortiche did an amazing job 🔥 [I’m Imagining O.P done in this style]

[@dimitrisgial7804]

After seeing the backtstory of Vander, Silco and the mother of Vi and Powder, It immediately reminded me of the backstory of Kuma. Vander (and Silco) cared deeply about the mother of the kids he ended up caring for like a father after the mother died... Even though they were not his biological daughters. The same way Kuma took care of Bonney after Ginny died. And then there is also the fact that Vander became a weaponized monster, with barely any hints of humanity left in him that were brought back to the surface after he encountered Powder and Vi. Pretty much what happened in Egghead with Kuma. (Not to mention that both Ginny and the mother of Powder and Vi, have pink hair 😅)

[@edgybravo4287]

I get your point about the pacing I agree for the most part. It does seem rushed even in the first act it was like this if you remember they just do slide show music videos to explain multiple plot points in every episode. I never got that feeling that the pacing was off during the first season basically everything and every scene felt like it was the way they intended it to be. I don't agree however with the Isha/Jinx plot line being overdone. I actually felt like it needed a whole episode more to flesh out their bond we only really get what a 5-minute sequence of them being close friends/sisterly. Some things that bothered me about this season so far is the Silco being so close with Vi and Jinx's mother. Idk I never once got the feeling from watching season 1 that he was close friends with their parents. It almost felt like it was thrown in as a plot point as an afterthought for season 2 but not something that was a natural plot from their original scripts. Also, Cait's character development was super forced and did not feel natural it was mad inconsistent and happened way to fast. I guess we don't know the exact timeline between episodes 1-4 of s2 maybe that would help explain some things but still felt weird and unnecessary imo. I completely agree about the Viktor and Jayce stuff same with the Ekko Hiemer too like how they are going to finish those stories. One explanation I think could be a possibility for the Black Rose being introduced this early and feeling out of place or maybe it cannot be resolved is because it may be a plot that leads into the next series they are going to do. I don't think Mel's story and the Black Rose ends in Arcane just a theory though. That being said though act 2 was Absolute Cinema I don't believe Isha will be killed off either but maybe I'm coping.

[@XiaoJinx-G6]

Episode 4 ending: SITTING THERE IN SHOCKED Episode 5 ending: TRY NOT TO CRY Episode 6 ending: CRY A LOT

[@StefanDawg]

Appreciate you putting out so much good content! Arcane has been cooking!

[@Fizzy01010]

As a long time viewer and long time League player it’s so fun just hearing you talk about these characters Also as a long time League player and lore fan, don’t worry nobody knows what’s happening with the hexcore lol this is all semi-retcon they could take it anywhere

[@tevindaniels3742]

“He’s your father too” hug scene 😢

[@ryanread8617]

With Vander, was it Singed who injected him with his serum, or when Viktor fell which made him go into a lava form? I was confused if it was Singed or Victor which made Vander go into a hot mess of a monster.

[@RogersBase]

As I understood it, Singed turned him into the monster, Victor tried healing him and when Victor died, it created the instability we saw at Warwick's end.

[@diegoroca5478]

@@RogersBase I think it was the serum Singed had that turned him like that. He said earlier in the episode that he could develop something that coud upset Viktor's intentions.

[@ryanread8617]

@@RogersBase Since he was about to inject him with the serum, then Caitlyn stopped him. Though they left him there in the tent with Vander, so that's why I'm unsure if it was Singed getting his chance to inject him or Viktor getting shot which caused it.

[@itsyaboy9829]

It is probably Singed's Serum since we see him standing next to the tent when everyone was outside.

[@letsgetfluffy3138]

I think it's just his human part dying, and the beast taking over completely

[@layniebear1237]

theres a lot of great stuff, some amazing character teases and just adore the series. im excited what they are going to make next... my favorite character is Rengar, and id love to see him and Khaz'ix (his nemesis) in the next show!~

[@fredi9204]

It helps enjoy Arcane when you stop trying to understand everything and let the story unfold as it is. There is too much pre-existing lore to realistically familiarize yourself with. Assume the events that you see are part of a larger story and world. The Black Rose is part of the big picture, and if it wasn't important _they would have cut it out_. Let's see the Act 3 before jumping to conclusions

[@1Drewid1]

To explain more with the victor death and hextexh briefly. I think the hextech and the hexcore has evolved to become the void which is something that u watched on your old videos. It’s a parasite that eats evolves and adapts, it’s interconnected to one another. You can think of it similar to the upside down on stranger things where when one thing hurts it all hurts. I think victor was trying to do good but was clouded and tricked by the hexcore that took the form of sky

[@ammod4827]

I feel like this might be the weakest act of the 5 current acts, still a 9.5/10, but still the weakest act. Primarily due to Caitlin's arch, she needed more time in the oven to make her betrayal more believable. I feel like act 5 could use a fourth episode.

[@RogersBase]

Totally agree that more time needed to be spent on Caitlyn!

[@Sntra101]

Bro the betrayal wasn’t rly betrayal lol were u paying attention . 1) she never trusted ambessa 2) the orange hair girl kept her level headed 3) she showed anger and annoyance at ambessa schemes maybe times 4) she clearly knows ambessa is just using her but she is also using ambessa for her standing to lead 5) she didn’t agree with her tactics to capture vis dad??? How was that not built up

[@hentacletentai2160]

It was originally supposed to be 4 seasons but they had to compact it all into 2 for a reason i forgot. They did a pretty good job at that imo.

[@pieceofshmitt]

Glorious Evolution was such a "HE SAID THE THING!" moment (fyi is one of his voice lines)

[@pralenkaman8105]

this is the end of piltover and zaun's story, the arcane producers already said that they want to explore other parts of the world of league, runeterra and with everything that has been showed so far this season the next 2 seasons might be in noxus and ionia, which means the black rose stuff is very much setup for the future

[@Sinvare]

A way to look at the Blackrose story is that it is fascinating especially since it is drip fed. Attempting to not spoil by being somewhat vague and just presenting what was shown and not saying answers. We know Ambessa is powerful but scared of the Black Rose. It is secretive. It has mages? wants mages? what are mages? what is the arcane? By not being explained it becomes secretive. So it is very powerful, but Ambessa and Rictus had ways to fight it (and by assumption other Noxians do as well). It has reach into Piltover, but not in the overt force used by Ambessa, or diplomacy of Mel. It acknowledges Ambessa's intelligence. The lack of knowledge makes it secretive. We are left with a great mystery to explore in a future series or story. For Arcane's story, it is another power and threat. It is the catalyst that threatens Ambessa to rush and take risks. We know the world has incredible powers from Hemierdinger's flashback that showed a single person destroying a city. So rushing the Blackrose story, adds secrecy to a power that is not overtly Diplomatic or Military force but still a threat to them. The overall rushing can be fun since we miss so much at first and have to de-pack it. But it is fun to think about overtime or during re-watches. It sure did feel way too short, and fans should RIOT at RIOT for more! TL/DR The Blackrose is just a motivation for Ambessa'a actions and not important by itself. A fun and potential spin-off for mysteries and other stories to explore. And Arcane was always sold as a story of Jinx and Vi. Everyone else is fleshed out to help tell Jinx and Vi's story.

[@jynxx_b]

My favourite part of this whole show has been following jayce. I was on the edge of my seat with what’s going on with him in act 2

[@tpalabra6568]

About the void thing, all you need to know is that its another dimension that is sentient and was woken up by the conception of our reality, which they are trying to actively destroy so they can sleep in peace again. I feel like they are keeping what it is under wraps for now so that theres a lot of suspense built up behind what the hell Jayce actually saw. My prediction is that we'll be understanding way more about the void once Jayce has a chance to speak.

[@pieceofshmitt]

The reason why WW had all that lava wasn't down to Viktor's disconnect, it was because Singed injected him with the serum.

[@TheWebberLegacy]

I feel like even as league players, most of our attachment to these characters come from Arcane. Before Arcane, Jinx was a Harley Quinn knock-off who was only hinted at being related to Vi for example. Viktor is so different to his League counterpart that he’s likely getting a champion update soon. Jayce was Tony Stark on a budget

[@IngeniousNinja]

Jinx & Vi are special to a lot of older LoL players because their introduction was the start of League really ramping up and becoming this HUGE thing and all of the multimedia stuff that came after - Vi coming with her own splash screen and her own SONG was insane, then of course Jinx got a whole music video just to herself... A lot of us formed strong attachments to even the less interesting and shallower versions of those characters - I think they're definitely icons of the franchise for good reason. But I do generally agree. Even as a long term Victor main/diehard, Arcane Viktor is EVERYTHING and so much more important to me than League Victor lmao

[@glonik10]

I guarantee you they are going to align much closer to their natural league characters as this show finishes.

[@nicespy9790]

I have a bit of lore knowledge and can summarize the hextech craziness, but it’s all still a big guess. (This is the best I could summarize the relevant info.) To the best of my knowledge, the creatures that Jayce sees when he’s looking at Viktor’s followers are most likely related to “The Watchers”; beings that existed long before the universe came into existence and their only purpose is to destroy any reality that comes into existence. The Watchers created the void, which created the void creatures, which is where the blue gemstones come from. This means all the blue gemstones are basically evil and are formed from void corruption. This means that when Heimerdinger and Jayce were talking about wild runes with Ekko, Heimerdinger said something along the lines of “I thought it was humanity’s lust for power that caused evil mages to exist, but perhaps it’s a trait of the arcane itself”. I hope the show actually brings up the fact that they harvest the gemstones from void creatures. It would connect a lot of the apparent “plot holes” for everyone who watches the show instead of just the mega fans who have to go through hours of random background lore to be able to see the whole picture.

[@SpicyClover]

Jayce entered his Eren Yeager arc.

[@ignacio1887]

This show could of really benefited from being 3 seasons just so many plotlines that we probably wont get resolutions to. Still a masterpiece but yea i wish we could of gotten a bit more build up to alot of important moments.

[@recantedforger5850]

I keep hearing, "it feels rushed" from lots of reactors and I have to disagree. Its just all good. We all want more, more storylines, more information about the world, more character insights and interactions. It's because it's still so amazingly written. Season 1 was tight, no wasted time on the screen, every second had a purpose. Same with season 2, the difference is we had it before and now we're so hungry we're consuming it without hesitation.

[@AmericanIlluminati]

IMO, it seems like they had enough material for a 3rd season, but chose to put the exposition in the form of music videos. Caitlyn's whole dictatorship was displayed via the paint the town blue music video. It would've been nice to actually see that, though.

[@walkerred8220]

It's less about the hextech and more about what the corrupted core could do, and i won't spoil, but most of us speculate it's tied to the Void. If you wanna know more, please go and search it up - no spoilers here

[@1Drewid1]

To then discuss the black rose stuff, it’s set up for the next show to take place in noxus. Mel and maybe ambesaa and the witch will all be it’s own story and plot line going into noxus after the piltover plot line is resolved

[@GarmaDon-gx4tf]

Since the threads are connected, i believe 3 episodes will close the story very nicely i m not worried about that at all However, act 2 have pacing issues for sure

[@ZombieManF]

Honestly I felt that the pacing issues were even the case in Act 1. It's probably my only big complaint with the season so far. Otherwise, I'm loving ALL of this

[@voltaicviceroy]

It's narrative whiplash! I was fanboying when everyone converged on Viktor's Commune, but then Jayce came along fk'ed it all up. I wanted so much more of all the plot threads of Act 2, it was all so good but ended too soon. Act 2 really would have benefitted from an additional Act.

[@martino1571]

Not every question must be answered immiedately. Let's wait for Act III.

[@Wilsongaboi]

I think the black rose is gonna give us a teaser for noxus as singed is also connected to that area in the original lore. It feels like this is going to be an MCU type approach. Where stories interweave into a larger narrative. There is plenty of world ending threats in the world of arcane. Stuff tbat makes warwick look like a angry pup.

[@nanopix5305]

I feel like people dont read between the lines enough and are also trying to get answers that they are not supposed to have yet, let the last 3 episodes drop and we will see if theres really too much happening or if everything ties up nicely. Either way I think theres setup for a different show happening here, most likely about noxus, so we might not get every single answer we want

[@bobthebuilder4741]

Given that it's pretty likely the next series will be based around noxus it's possible we just don't get a conclusion to the Mel stuff. The black rose are a noxus faction so that conflict could be the bridge to the next series. Like the show wraps up everything else and mel crawling out of some hole in noxus is like an after credits scene.

[@NightwingTV]

I do have some questions after these 3 episodes, hopefully the last act can answer them.

[@dimoraes0902]

If I need to guess, They have a 3rd season called, Black Rose, or Nature... That will go smoothly to the next natural part of the lore... Or it goes to Noxus and will explore Demacia and Freliord. Or goes to Ionia. Singed is very connected to the Noxus - Ionia war. Besides Led Blanc is connected to everything, so the black rose would have a a big part in this war. I would guess, that seasob 2 of Arcane ends, Changes its name and we have an unofficial season 3 called something else season 1

[@jorjnashnario7116]

It's truly sad that it was not made to have 3 seasons, having a luxury of most animes that have tie-in episodes that makes people connect with characters more, but what i did like about it is they essentially do excellent with what they have though it felt a bit rushed. With the Ekko and Heimerdinger thing, I do believe that the reason they weren't shown yet was because of Jayce, it's gonna make us question what he saw on the wild rune that made hin act the way he is and ties in with what happened to the others. Overall, still an amazing act for me and by far episode 5 is my favorite of the whole season, just that little of what could have been is really something, I could honestly wait another 3 years just to make it more polished and connected

[@opalakv4ob]

The Black Rose is the thread for the next story, which will probably be Noxus vs Ionia. That's why it's there. And Viktor won't die, he'll probably come back in 3 days, lmao. I had this theory that this 'arcane' is mixed in with the Void and I thought it was deceiving Viktor (apparently it isn't) and I'm not sure if that's the case, but I think this is what Jayce saw - but it sure seems like the Void-like quality of this 'arcane' power is more present in Jayce than Viktor now (around his wrist and in his hammer).

[@Phlookem]

It was funny watching your review of Act1 and the music video . they were battling neck and neck each time I checked. But then the review took the lead around 5-8k

[@RogersBase]

LOL I did upload them at almost the exact same time haha

[@Phlookem]

@@RogersBase Yeah I seen that. Normally I would have thought the music video would win but I was shocked.

[@letsdunk5580]

i dont know who told you that the last episode is over 1 hour long, but from what i heard that was the plan (the script) But they werent able to do it and so they cut it down to around a hour. Atleast thats the information i got.

[@clinmaan]

When warwick is going cray cray you also get to see singed standing in the background so he prolly managed to get his serum in in the end. But yes i agree the big flaw this season is rushed pacing cause of trying to reach juicy scenes that are lovely when they come, like i bawl my eyes out but story as a whole is not told/shown as well this time around

[@muttwithabutt]

Even lore geeks are being thrown for a loop about much of the hextech plot lines. Riot announced that Arcane is to be the new official lore, and they are retconning that whole concept as the show is going!

[@sylvainleguillou6208]

Be aware if you know a bit of lol lore you understand the step for futur revelation. But it's nit necessary.

[@truevamp9857]

I’m actually so depressed after ep 6

[@jmlxrni]

the series is not riots only medium of lore, they have comics, music videos, and novels

[@Redacted892]

Icompletely agree that Black Rose thread didnt help in Act 2. I think it was there to serve as an explanation for how Jayce and Mel survived. I think that glow on her back was an okay explanation

[@Joey-tj9fd]

Very rare when the entirety of a show is so rushed but sooooooo good

[@Awesomite001]

You don't have to agree with my opinion, but I personally think the Act 2 and Season 2 is flawless. I just watched all of Act 2 and have to say we're never going to get something this good again. I don't think Arcane was looking to be too explicit in the way it tells its story. And as we go through the journey of the characters from Jinx's Heroics to Victor's Enlightenment, I believe they wanted people to spend more time feeling the way the characters felt and just wonder "Who's right and who's wrong?" I find myself always questioning who the real bad guy is and then it's just that everyone is fighting to protect and love their own. I know there's things I'm still curious about and want to have cleared up, but honestly that's kind of okay. I feel just like I'm actually in the world of Arcane watching it. And my god, the artwork and animation made me pause and just tear up in spectacle.

[@colouyahi6223]

Jayce’s motivation will definitely be explained in act 3

[@Toby.Opolis]

I feel we are supposed to be confused about the Jace stuff. Its seems like a long period of time has passed for him that we arent aware of rn. I imagine this will be explored in the next part. I reckon his actions will make more sense.

[@mango-float]

We're not going to get the black rose plot closed since that is related closely to Noxus itself and it's a pretty long and massive plot which could be 2 seasons on its own lol

[@Ticking-time-bomb]

Personally speaking in this Act each episode on its own was a masterpiece, whereas Act 1 can be considered to be one only as a whole not individually. The reason I believe it was masterpiece is bcz of the story each of the episodes had…Reason why we felt how rushed it was bcz each episode story could stand on their own that we wished it were more flashed out.

[@themagetone4184]

I am pretty sure hextech/viktor situation is gonna be explained in the last act. In the end of they day they can't leave us without providing context for what Jayce's motivation was to take such drastic actions. So this particular part is not concerning me.

[@Nyx__]

I think most of our questions will be answered in Act 3. Some things will absolutely be left unresolved, because there's literally no way to wrap everything up in 3 episodes. I'm thinking Mel and Black Rose will be the next big show in Arcane Universe. Riot has said they are planning on making more for Arcane, just not this story. Something that makes me confident that this will be fine is that this whole show was planned from the first episode to the last. They didn't make the first season and then tried to continue that. They did everything at the same time mostly. My main gripe with this Act was pacing. It was way too fast. And it's obvious to me that this show could've been 3 Seasons to lessen the impact of the turbo pacing of Act 2. This Act was amazing and I loved it, but the pacing took a heavy hit to the rating for me so I _only_ gave it an 8.5/10. Where as all other Acts have been a 9.3/10 or higher.

[@ArnobDatta77]

I don't think you need to watch any lore videos. I trust that by the end all the confusion you and others might be having will make sense. I think the production has earned that trust at this point.

[@preslim84]

I agree that this season feels too packed, they should've done one more season to let things breathe a bit more and develop some of the story lines. Like what is the point of setting up the girl enforcer just to have her sleep with cait??? seems pretty pointless and that time could've been used better elsewhere.

[@lloydgabrielllurag903]

I think in the last ep, they will show who saves jayce. The man in the cloak with hextech is Victor all along

[@lloydgabrielllurag903]

called this!!!!!!!!!!!😢

[@bog7547]

I didn’t even think about the Caitlin point and I think I agree, I feel that there’s a build up for her doing something atrocious particularly in the intro. Since that didn’t happen this act I would hope it would in the next to fulfil that build up. One point I disagree with is spending too long with isha and jinx, I think most people expected isha to die. Thats why it’s incredibly important to convince people of their relationship or else the final sacrifice scene would have felt cheap. It honestly surprised me how much they managed to still hit even though I saw the death flag from a mile away too. Anways I hope we’ll get more answers in act 3

[@TheIqbal227]

seriously i would’ve preferred they saved most of the black rose stuff for their next series, instead of shoving half of the set up into a series about smth completely different

[@Joenah5]

I have to agree on the pacing. I think even just one more episode for act 2 would have been all they needed. Some of the timeskips between episodes skirt into the territory of being a crutch to justify telling rather than showing. I'm loving it but I have no idea how they're going to wrap things up in three episodes.

[@Drstrange3000]

I'm assuming the pacing issues are due to the Black Rose/Noxus stuff will be the focus of the series after Arcane. I think this stuff will be explained further. I'm almost sure of it. I don't blame you for being overwhelmed though. I had to watch multiple reaction videos to get somewhat of what is going on. I love this show so much!

[@safeontalk]

Yea its very unfortunate that this is the last season since they are LITERALLY teasing us reasons why it should go at least one more. Like revealing that a fan favorite Orianna is indeed Singed's daughter? "Sorry fans, only 3 episodes left, that will never turn into anything and you'll never see her!". like cmon... :( Also not to be the negative dude, but RIOT just recently laid off their entertainment division of their studio. If there's another actual show its not happening anytime remotely soon. They have been very open that they are not making money off of Arcane with its high budget and it seems they aren't even interested in trying.

[@letsgetfluffy3138]

It's just the last season of Arcane, Jinx and Vi's story mainly

[@lalo77413]

Yep. Love the show, love the overall story, the storytelling, the music, animation, there's no plot line that isn't interesting. The plot lines are so interesting that they can literally make a whole season for every plot. Everything is 10/10. Although the pacing is obviously rushed (looks like a compilation of montages) but enough to understand and not lost if you really paying attention. It's like a 2nd rewatch is a must to ACTUALLY enjoy it. If only they managed to tweak the pacing a lil bit and make it 10 episodes or 1hr per eps, this could be a 15/10 show. But yea I def understand them why they did it that way so they can move onto the next region I guess.

[@josefd1997]

I’m genuinely not sure Warwick or Viktor are dead. Viktor is probably going to go full robot 😂

[@veach737]

Roger, some food for thought too : here's the full translation of the song that's playing in the background as Isha runs at the end of Episode 6. I think it gives so much more meaning...and the fact that Riot titled it Isha's Song... kzbin.info/www/bejne/porTc2uvh8h0gLc

[@RogersBase]

Thanks for this!

[@tomathome77]

I doubt Warwick and Viktor are dead, I think Ekko is going to come into things with his time travel powers and everything will play out differently. Even Isha will end up surviving I reckon, and Warwick will survive but will be lost forever re his mind

[@GussieGusReal]

Okay so we know arcane isn’t done, Vi and Jinx’s story will be over after season 2 but there will be more league stories to tell, my guess is this black rose plot is mainly set up for a noxus show following Mel’s family because I really don’t see how black rose plays a major role in the last act especially of the teaser is anything to go by