It's Great, But is it better? | Arcane Season Two

[@hunacean]

Shows up. Literally ruins everything. Gets all his wishes. Refuses to elaborate. Leaves. Common Singed W.

[@BoyDugo02]

Ah yes Classic Merphy either misnaming or switching character names. Never change Merphy, never change.

[@AscendantStoic]

Lols, yeah ... I was so confused multiple times during video 😅

[@tomoflathead]

Didn't know em anyways because they were so forgettable lol. I enjoyed it 😂

[@FullMetalB]

It gives that "I've only read these names and not heard them out loud" vibe you get from discussing books, so I love it, haha.

[@KarlKristofferJohnsson]

Specifically Viktor and Vander seemed to fall victim to this a lot, being called by each other's names.

[@TheMattyNation]

Love you Murphy but I had to turn it off when I started hearing mistakes like this.

[@DreadFool]

Why Ekko goes back to his original timeline; Powder said it beautifully, "I've never seen you give up on anything, Ekko."

[@rodvincetolosa9386]

THAT'S WHY HE'S THE GOAAAAAAASAT

[@DreadFool]

@@rodvincetolosa9386 he's my main. T-T I can die happy now.

[@StarzyGaming-fg3rk]

​​@@DreadFool Lmao. On an unrelated note. How do you feel about his hair change? I personally don't like it.

[@DreadFool]

@@StarzyGaming-fg3rk I don't really mind it. The punk hair looks cool, but it's not realistic for the show, you know? But from every cinematic we can see ekko is such a headstrong character, and now we know the motivation behind it. it's great.

[@phuckilljoy7191]

@@StarzyGaming-fg3rk wtf it's look good but may your taste diffrent here

[@jfree672]

ok merphy at this point you are trolling us with the names lmaaaooo. VECTOR????

[@borjankosarac3645]

She gets it right later on, too…!

[@doronrosstuvia3489]

At least vector is an actual word lol. Could easily be a nickname lol.

[@MrBahki]

Haven’t watched the video yet, was that in reference to Viktor or Vander? lol

[@vingvingduy1779]

@@MrBahkishe used it for warwick in between xD

[@oscarsantos4813]

Singed: I'm gonna do what's called a Pro Gamer Move

[@TheEvgenyuk]

Ambessa spent the entire second season searching for the perfect weapon. It was hexteg in act 1. It was Vendor in act 2. It was victor's power in act 3. And in the end she found the perfect weapon against the black rose in her daughter, the wolf. I think this is great arc of Ambessa

[@alastorcorvus]

Ambessa was a great antagonist, reminded me of Tywin Lannister

[@mrvidaurri2889]

She was terrified for her family and that is why she was making such violent decisions to get something to fight off the black rose, she dies seeing that Mel is strong enough

[@jasonhastings5607]

I think overall Season 2 would have benefited from having several extra episodes just to give breathing room as well as flesh out some of the changes in relations between characters. There were definitely aspects of the season that felt rushed simply because there was a lot going on. Overall it was still great, but the pacing definitely suffered. Also, Ekko is the GOAT!

[@nazimbelaidi6486]

We live in a world where we need stories to stay 10+ years. I would take the writing being a little bit weaker instead of much weaker production. Especially when the animation is literally the best ever.

[@FullMetalB]

@@jasonhastings5607 I'm here for the Ekko love!

[@LightningRaven42]

I loved this season. I do agree that the pacing suffered a little bit, but I honestly consider it pretty minor compared the grand scheme of things. This season was amazing and I feel like it's going to be even better on a rewatch. I think the timeskips are what is giving us more impressions of things being rushed. They were just focusing the story on the major turning points and long passage of time required to depict such a story. As for character motivations, I didn't feel lost. Viktor's initial commune was pretty cool and it felt like a good thing, but once it's revealed he intended to turn everyone into puppet-like people, you get to see how his perspective of erasing "imperfection" was something he himself viewed was wrong.

[@FullMetalB]

It is one of those times where, while less than perfect is not bad by any means, it can feel bad when expecting perfection. I do still have issues with the two montages of vi being an enforcer on the strike team going after the chem barons and the montage of Cait really hammering down on the undercity and them pushing back or "rioting". Those feel like huge points in the story, and felt like consequences of actions they spent actual time really building up just to show a music video to show the result of it.

[@phuckilljoy7191]

@@FullMetalB i think may because the money issue here make them have to decide what to put and cut may make it lacking here, every minute of this show could cost a lot here, so they rush and may feel not clear for so many thing in one sence, so im understand them and for the first time making film they may lack experience in balance everything too(money optimise, advertisment, ..) since they are a game company. But for a game company, it worth a rise for them too! have to wait their next spinoff series

[@haesome8613]

I wouldn't say "rushed" the pacing was good, its was just really fast

[@zingy1914]

felt like season 2 and 3 got smushed together

[@borjankosarac3645]

One specific aspect I’m noticing, is the side characters and how they’re not as defined as the first season. I mean, compare the depth that Milo and Claggor (and Grayson, and even arguably Benzo) got in one Act, to both Loris (the alcoholic Enforcer who befriended Vi) and Maddie who had a whole season to just… be basically archetypes filling the cast. Compare Marcus to Rictus, and while they both have prominence the former had a lot of depth as much as we loved to hate him; the latter only felt like an extension of Ambessa really. I also feel like there’s so much happening and as a result, compared to its predecessor we don’t get as much time to stop and breathe; many things do, sure, but when they do it comes at sacrifices to others. I was very bummed at how the time skip was used to not let us sit with Caitlyn’s dictator arc, or having Jayce/Heimerdinger/Ekko being absent for multiple episodes… It all felt disjointed, and like they didn’t have a role for them in the plot until they were needed. Frankly, while I sympathise with the difficulties of pacing a series on the whole, I feel like this season could’ve been two whole seasons instead; it would maybe not be as brisk, but would have let us marinade in things a bit longer… Or at least, giving us a third season that was more sn extension of this or something. Like six episodes…? I dunno; I wasn’t there in the writing room, I can’t fully judge. But I wish we’d not dashed to the finish line on the whole, even if I agree with where everybody ends up and the actual conclusion itself.

[@FullMetalB]

I feel like I want to believe they are lying about choosing to end the show in season 2 rather than believe they wanted to end the show this quickly. Yes, don't drag it out. But I think it's pretty clear that 3 seasons would have given them the chance to flesh out the character and story arcs and give it the same depth and complexity that season 1 had.

[@chrishaven1489]

@@FullMetalB I feel like they wanted to rush this season so that they could move on to the next batch of stories and characters in another part of the world, and as a result this season suffered for it. The spin-off-itis

[@chrishaven1489]

@@borjankosarac3645 As someone who's familiar with the lore and its characters, the creators had plenty of source material to pad out an additional season. The fact that they didn't, hurts my feelings immensely

[@lynnmarga4497]

​@@borjankosarac3645Imagine the end of act 2 as a season finale and the whole third act as a second season

[@NonAnonD]

It’s great but it’s not better. Season 1 benefited more from the writers getting to cook longer. This one had all the right ingredients but I think it didn’t get to simmer quite as long.

[@crackbane1330]

Disagree completely with you , the writers wrote the dialogue, they chose to use the words they did , trash season 2

[@KongFuzii]

​@@crackbane1330when someone only talk in extremes. Their opinion will rightfully be often dismissed.

[@NonAnonD]

@@crackbane1330The writing doesn’t get anywhere near trash to me, but it did feel a bit sloppy and loose

[@KaiNirssa]

@@crackbane1330 Trash opinion

[@Beats0007]

@@crackbane1330 crawl back into ur hole, ty

[@AznE1337]

Remember, for Vi, the time from getting released from jail in Season 1 Act 2 to the end of Season 1 is like, maybe a week at most. The end of Season 2 Act 1, is probably a month at best since her release from jail. I’m not too surprised that her motivations seemed like they swung about wildly, cuz frankly she’s been experiencing non-stop emotional whiplash.

[@windriver2363]

I loved that Mel's magic powers were such a foil to her mother's Ambessa character. Ambessa is all about attacking, aggression, and strength, where Mel's powers are primarily used for defense, to protect the people she loves.

[@jordangreen7567]

I felt that Ambessa had lost too much by the end and as much as she says, she isn’t driven by revenge (in a scene where she literally wraps the magical stones that belong to her right hand man around her arm) she is actually desperate for power and revenge. One of the lines that stood out to me was when she told Caitlyn that “desperation was the doorway to oblivion.” I found this ironic because Ambessa was very desperate, and her desperation led to her oblivion.

[@NhojLhiac27]

Season 2 elevated on the animation and score department but it definitely needed another 3-episode Act IV to further flesh out the "rushed" subplots, mainly Viktor being one with the Hex Core and Mel and Ambessa's connection with the Black Rose. An Ambessa-focused episode would've been good as well since her character is so intriguing and the Ekko-Jayce-Heimerdinger timeline jump was so so great it really needed another episode.

[@phuckilljoy7191]

i think may because the money issue here make them have to decide what to put and cut may make it lacking here, every minute of this show could cost a lot here, so they rush and may feel not clear for so many thing in one sence, so im understand them and for the first time making film they may lack experience in balance everything too(money optimise, advertisment, ..) since they are a game company. But for a game company, it worth a rise for them too! have to wait their next spinoff series

[@phuckilljoy7191]

i agree with you but their budget may cant handle all of that so it may hard choice for them to keep it 2ss though they want it like 3ss. and riot already have a big game so they can risk when ss1 very success but it has it limit that they have to care more about their game too, so the budget may divine even it big. i understand for two side advertise game and making film too

[@alastorcorvus]

Agreed, it was a great season but it should've been at least 10 episodes, specially since it was supposed to be final one.

[@PablitaOrtega77]

i loved Arcane but i believed thet went to far with the cosmic story line of victor, it overshadowed everything in the end in my opinion. i loved how every conflict was grounded and relatable before that

[@helenejakobsen2040]

As someone who has played league for many years and know the Victor-Jayce lore, for some reason the cosmic event didn't feel as jarring or strange, especially since we knew something like it was going to happen in lore, even during the first season (Not specifically the cosmic disaster, but Victor's "darker" turn and new purpose/goal). Sometimes I wonder if I would have had a more critical view on how all that was handled, if I didn't already expect it to go that way. To me it seemed inevitable and not at all jarring from season 1. Knowing that we would only get 2 seasons, I am just glad they actually touched on that plotpoint instead of abandoning it. But maybe I am biased idk.

[@firstlegend5105]

I don't know how you think Arcane was grounded in the first place, it's literally mentioned in Season 1 all about Hexcore and it opens up the arcane

[@chiefpurrfect8389]

@@helenejakobsen2040 As someone who was already familiar with the lore, I still think it overshadowed the more grounded character/political elements. "Piltover/Zaun get even more bad blood between them until they come together one time in the face of a literal world-ending threat and once that's gone the system is reinstated as it was except now there's a Zaunite representative in the council" was a terrible way to resolve the Piltover/Zaun conflict imo. I would have preferred them to dial back the multiverse/time travel plots in favor of a more grounded resolution to the political/interpersonal issues.

[@helenejakobsen2040]

@@chiefpurrfect8389 I do understand that, and it is fair to personally prefer a more zoomed in story, so to speak. I just never expected them to do that in the first place with the way they set up the hexcore being this possible chaotic threat, even in the first season. Resolving the conflict in a more grounded way would possibly sacrifice a lot of hexcore setup from the first season, rendering a lot of that stuff less important or even redconned, compared to what we thought. Like the reveal of who saved jayce when he was a kid. I agree insofar as it being nice to have more development of the two-city conflict and generally just more episodes or even a whole additional season. But since we knew we would only get two seasons, I think they really did what they could, at least without sacrificing any plotpoints. Yes, the pacing and focus suffers a bit, but I don't think it is that detrimental overall nor unexpected.

[@adoniscreed4031]

Yep. You are 1000% right. If they were gonna go that way with Victor they should have tied up all of the character storylines better this season and maybe ended in with a "Victor must fall" movie or something to close things off... this grand finale really left everything else undercooked.

[@Locke.sin.141]

Season 2 definitely felt rushed especially the last two episodes of Act 3. So many things were happening, characters were making strange choices without any explanation and I'm not sure some of those choices will make sense even with an explanation. Vi really fell off for me this season. Ekko, on the other hand, became my favorite character - the boy savior, the man, the myth, the legend. The MVP. Assuming Jinx isn’t dead and the theory is correct, I would really love for them to end up together. I don’t normally ship characters in fiction, but man, I can’t help it , not after watching episode 7, and what a ride episode 7 was. I’ll say it’s the best episode in Arcane, both seasons combined. Maybe it's recency bias, but I don’t care. It’s just so good. The scene where Powder and Ekko are dancing and my first and favorite French song playing in the background, still lives free in my head and it’s been two days.

[@TheFlyingBookworm]

I think Vi and Jinx both felt off. End of S1 had Jinx committing a terrorist crime and experiencing severe psychosis. Then S2 comes and she's sad but also acts more normal than she ever had.

[@CzarsSalad]

Season 1 was worse imo. They tried to make it a Shakespearean tragedy with all those unnecessary subplots but all along the structure was a Greek tragedy with only 1 character reaching catharsis (Jinx). The subplots they introduced in season 1 are so larger than life that 9 episodes in season 2 seem not enough. They should've stayed with the Greek style tragedy in Season 1 if they only intended to have one character reach full potential

[@chrishaven1489]

I personally loved Vi, but I do think it's obvious that her character arc was missing a few beats. And I'd say the same for Caitlyn. I loved that they made up in the end, but it's missing a middle part where there should've been more friction between the two. And I think a lot of that friction was sped through Caitlyn's dictator arc. I also think Vi turned against her sister a little too quickly. There's a character beat missing there. I think I would've loved to see Vi bond with the other enforcers on the strike team, and I would've loved to see Jinx actually harm/kill one of them before Vi decides that Jinx needed to be taken out.

[@TheFlyingBookworm]

@@CzarsSalad I loved that season one felt like a Shakespearean tragedy. Jinx launching a missile after the council gave Zaun its independence was my favorite part 😅

[@za-ir5ni]

Heimerdinger especially got shafted

[@vincesergi7339]

I felt like Victor's motivation for suddenly turning into a robot and enslaving humanity came out of no where. Like his goals were never clear in the first place, left ambiguous on purpose and then the writers at the very end were like, "Oh crap, he needs to be the bad guy at the end, quick make him enslave humanity."

[@chromoglv7103]

I think that Arcane somehow managed to balance the world building aspect, the lore aspect and the story aspect pretty well. I don't see any other show doing it this well, and I guess I can excuse a few motivations and stuff being a bit forced. I really like this season and the finale was really perfect. I like that they end it more on an emotional high rather than fumbling in the lore aspect of the show.

[@zalamazu]

While I still liked this season, I'm so disappointed they cut screentime from Ekko again. I wanted to see his plotline with the tree more and how he can build his community but it never happened. I liked the direction of Viktor's character but idk about the whole "I'm disabled and now I'm a villain because of that" trope :( At least it was a little more nuanced than other stories, and at least Jayce ended it with him I guess. So yeah. Worst problems is that many parts were rushed in unfocused. My personal favorite part was pretty much every scene with Jayce, but I guess the pit scene specifically. He went from being one of my least favorite characters to my most favorite. I think he is one of the most, if not the most determined and consistent character in the show. His willpower was amazing, seeing him fix his leg and rock climb and everything. God I love him now

[@rltofuiii]

Viktor didn't become a villian because he is a cripple, he was consumed by new found powers. He just started justifying and motivated himself forward with his original goals. At least to me.

[@zalamazu]

@rltofuiii Actually after thinking it over for a bit, I think after Viktor was shot by Jayce, he became more of the hextech itself, which why Jayce is able to break off his mask in the end. So the whole "villain is a villain because of disability" thing is not too bad here. Also I think your use of cr****e here could be worded differently, it comes off weird.

[@ronb2008]

You're spot on with the pacing issues; that was my biggest issue as well. There was absolutely enough material to do another season, and personally I think every act could've been its own season. There were just so many interesting plot points glossed over through (beautiful) montages. And as a result the character motivations and emotions weren't there. You see, but you don't feel. Overall I liked the season, didn't love it, and found it ultimately unsatisfying. They tried to do too much in too little time.

[@gman7497]

Another season would be another 3 years minimum, more stress on Fortiche to keep going on this same project that they have been for the past 9 years. Plus the creators as a whole want to move on to other stories and other regions of Runeterra. I think they just made the calculus of 'end it now and risk people getting annoyed a bit with the pace or push it and ruin their relationship with a VERY important animation studio, burn out their writers, staff etc.' I also would have liked more but this level of quality is insanely hard to maintain and they have to look at the bigger picure with their roadmap of future projects, studio relationships, budgets and such.

[@ronb2008]

@@gman7497 All valid points. That's where the writing staff really needs to take a look in the mirror and realize they just can't tell the story they want to in a single season, and need to keep the story smaller. Not going to write a book in the comments but if they kept it to a power struggle with Piltover and Zaun and eliminated the black rose, wild rune, and much of the Noxus storylines, we would've had a much better season. And if they get a green light for more or they decide to continue with this part of the world, then they can go ahead with those other plot points in the future.

[@gman7497]

@ronb2008 at the end of the day, we aren't making the decisions, season 2 however has been a smashing success overall, despite a few flaws. If we kept the story smaller it's hard to say that would have been better, you're judging based on the stuff the S1 set up but who's to say that we would have gotten the same emotional highs if they kept on that track in season 2? Arcane was always a fantasy show and it was always gonna connect to the larger world of Runeterra. It would have been great to have an extra season to delve into the conflict of P&Z in full but there just wasn't enough time. 2 seasons is what they had to work with and they had alot to pay off and set up for future shows, which was their intent from the beginning.

[@ronb2008]

@@gman7497 You're right we aren't making decisions, but as viewers we should be able to point out flaws as we see them. It's part of what makes storytelling better. And I disagree that we don't know if the story would have been better if it were smaller. I think it absolutely would have, and my argument is episode 7. I think most would agree that it's the best of the season, myself included. And yet there's not a single large scale action scene (from what I remember). It was a small, character driven episode all about what could have been. It proves that the writing team can absolutely tell a story that's both small and impactful, and we don't need large scale 'save the world' type plotlines as a climax.

[@thewhatness]

This is where I'm at with it. Especially with regards to the finale. Character after character, my reaction to each conclusion was "oh, okay then," which is simply unusual for a show that has primed me to feel every decision with maximum resonance.

[@julio1148]

I have my frustrations with this season that I could nitpick or rant about all day, but on the other hand it made feel such strong emotions too. I am planning to binge the whole thing again top to bottom. As conflicted as I feel about it, I am confident that it is already a timeless piece that will be talked about for years to come just like the Avatar franchise and some of the most popular Anime out there.

[@Zolototo]

I wish arcane was allowed 3 seasons so the compressed pacing of the story could allow more characters time to breathe. Thoughout the entirety of the second season I could feel them speedrunning so many moments and character archs. I liked the show overall but it is a shame the studio was not given the budget or time complete the Arcane storyline in a less rushed fashion.

[@jmjackson2041]

They've pulled a Legend of Korra. Season 2 of Arcane has the best and worst episodes out of the whole show and is suffering because while extremely good it's being compared to perfection and millions of peoples headcannon. Arcane season 2 act 3 has the other exact same issue Korra did as well - the dead hand of the corporate overlord wanting to shift product/cut budget/advertise the game really starts getting in the way of the art.

[@spadoodle_bop]

I LOVE Sevika, I truly love sleeping on characters and having them show me up in the most meaningful ways. It makes stories so much better, excellent writing on her progression. As a note on her arm that another channel pointed out (I forgot which one), Jynx also knew her well, this wasn’t just a Jynx-esque arm, this was 100% a Sevika-esque arm. Almost every scene where Sevika is introduced before she fights she is gambling! She also spams the gambling slot during her first fight with the arm, she didn’t have too 😂

[@Keepingthemadnessatbay]

I will always and forever be more in favour of those that aim for the stars with little hope of success, than I’d be for the ones who stay within their means and play safe. And so of course, I loved everything about this show. Everything.

[@RandomNumber6598]

Animation and show was incredible. Episodes 2-7 were amazing. The end needed more face time with Jinx/Vi/Cait, the strongest part of the show until episode 8. Vi becomes so unnecessary by the end which is unfortunate for what was the best character

[@priest.reviews]

I really, really liked the second season. It wasn't as good, straight and direct as the first one, it has it's own flaws, it's rushed, but overall - it's a masterpiece. Visually stunning, perfect voice casting, good music and a great conclusion to everyone's arc. I was really expecting most of these scenarios from season one and I received what I wanted. First season - 10/10 Second season - 9/10 Almost perfection.

[@colibri224]

Call it deny but I refuse to believe Heimeindinger is dead. He’s in another dimension living his best life.

[@julio1148]

Yordles are immortal

[@ronb2008]

13:32 Hard disagree on Heimerdinger trying to be 'stealthy' while going back into his lab with Echo. They were in an air duct and he's rolling around like it's mission impossible with Echo walking normally behind him. He was always a goofy character but during that scene they turned him into a damn joke. A punchline. It was comedic relief for the sake of comedic relief.

[@LAnite430]

Giving Singed a happy ending was crazy work 😭 Bro started Runeterra’s WW1 💀

[@LeonardoGPN]

Heimerdinger is a yordle, he can't die. In the music video Ambessa went to war pregnan and lost Kino, the black rose probably helped her get Kino back in exchange for the daughter to come (in some ritual they probably tried before but the mothers didn't survived. So yeah, Mel is what she stole from the Black Rose.

[@superbit415]

Caitlyn knows what Singed did.

[@Cringer77]

I do agree that there is a problem with pacing in season 2 that did not exist in season 1. But I feel that emotional highs were so high for me personally that I was able to overlook it. Maybe unpopular opinion, but I liked season 2 even more than the first one. Just what a beautiful show

[@adamchastan2703]

Episode seven was a highlight for me, not only was it a fun story but there was so much that was excellent on a technical level that I just found myself smiling.

[@entropyfun]

Season 2 felt like a roller-coaster ride, but one that I don't regret. The pace was insane, the amount of artwork, art styles and ideas crammed into 9 episodes completely insane, but it did have the same effect on me as season one - it made me fall in love with the characters again.

[@notKazt]

I thought the pacing of season 2 was perfect. Except for the last 2 episodes, it feels it had A LOT to cover and a lot of little details you really had to pay close attention to in order to follow what was happening and some stuff got lost for me; I can't really put my finger on it but this is just something I felt while watching the last 2 episodes; but that's just one thing, at the end I was really satisfied with all the resolutions each major character got; Sevika finally transitioning from a follower to powerful people like Silco and then Jynx to being a leader and representative for her people. Ekko learning to forgive and finally really becoming "the boy savior". Heimerdinger becoming more than just an inventor and head of Piltover to actually seeing the struggles and helping the people who needed it, going as far as to leave his fear of magic to use his brilliant mind to help Ekko with it (Heimerdinger's resolution became one of my favorites the more I thought about it). And same with everyone else, I thought the ending was a little rushed but all their arcs were completed to very satisfying endings for me; and season 2 had some of my favorite moments in the whole series, the entirety of act 2 and episode 1 of act 3 are among my favorites of the whole series. So I would say season 2 more than stick the landing, I think it did a very good job in continuing and closing the story and whatever small gripe I have with it really pales in comparison to all the stuff I loved. Love hearing other opinions about it!

[@IbbyMelbourne]

The pacing was worse, but man... the music, the emotions, the freaking animation! I had to keep pinching myself, I couldn't believe I was really watching something this beautiful

[@AZM777]

The soundtrack this season!!!! One improvement I didn't see coming.

[@deliii395]

Act 3 should've been more Jinx & Vi focussed. While I liked the ekko & Jinx stuff, the romance felt out of nowhere and how ekko was able to convince Jinx should've taken longer. And Jayce & Victor magic stuff was never the most emotional & substantive part of the story, it's good but all that time should've been used to focus on Jinx & Vi's endings and Piltover/Zaun politics. I feel unsatisfied with the final act even though everyone got a pretty satisfactory conclusion.

[@Enjoysaeli]

Being a longtime fan of the wider League universe, I love seeing the subversions of the characters we've known for so long be explored in different ways. But I will say when Viktor was talking about The Glorious Evolution, I was excited, since that's just his voiceline when you pick Viktor in the game. All the little Easter eggs and teases of other characters, and seeing the locations slated to be visited next in the future shows has me thinking about what the plots could be.

[@zephshoir]

It was great but it was definitely a downgrade. Having a "bigger scope" compared to S1 more personal struggles and politics definitely hurted the show and would have simply needed more time to build up and pace better.

[@ratedr7845]

to me, the scope isn't the problem, it's getting there, this season was too rushed

[@NO-ux2xf]

I enjoyed this season but I agree with some things you said. I felt this season was a little bit rushed. I would have liked to see the clashing between the undersite and Piltover and have it more focused in this season. So you could feel the brewing and how the tension where building between them. and then more the battle conclusion in a season 3. It was just so much happening and as you said there was no breathing room between everything so it was hard at times to know how much time has passed, or if time had passed. You also don't always feel that you understand how they got here and what changed between characters. Mostly because it is just such a fast paced story. Still loved it through. Loved the soundtrack. One of the things I missed the most was that after episode 6 there was noo mentioned of Isha and her passing. The only thing was Vi's flashback when she was coming back to contiousness. Also the part that we introduce new characters and we don't really get the same background dive on them as it was in season 1. Leronco (or something similar) The enforcher Vi gets close to. We don't know anything about him or his motivations to do what he did. Same with that amfibian guy that was Maddies partner. I don't think we even got his name. I would have liked to get to know them a little bit more and what made them have this honor as we have seen many enforser not having. Even Maddie we don't know much of her personality. So even if it was an incredible season and I feel fairly satisfied. (Cried like almost every episode) it also feels a little saddening that maybe with just a few more episodes we could have made it fantastic instead of great. But they have made something incredible that will be hard for other animation studios to ever compete with. They manage to capture you and make these relatable characters and a realistic plotline with such few episodes that they really deserve all the praise as they can get. :)

[@Lexyvil]

I absolutely loved it. My only issue is the lack of a longer wrap up for the characters that stayed alive until the end. For example, I was hoping for a scene where Mel was grieving Jayce and a Sevika looking out for Zaun. But yeah, in the end, Season 1 was more character driven, whereas Season 2 was more plot driven.

[@floatingtigerscarriff6664]

I think we can all agree Ekko is the most interesting character in this season. I always look forward in seeing him on screen and wished that he has more screen time.

[@phisherton]

That Maddie betrayal….. knew Merphy was about it because even I gasped! And then I thought back to every “protect Maddie” post/meme….. damn they got us! And I agree.. episode 7 was my favorite.. some of the best animation and the STORY… my god.. best “what if” episode IMO… ever.

[@CzarsSalad]

The highs of Season 2 outweigh its lows The highs of Season 2 (episodes 4-7) outweigh the highs of Season 1 (Episode 3 4 7 9) The lows of Season 1 maybe better than the lows of Season 2 My judgment: Season 1= Season 2

[@No-Kung-Fu]

copium

[@undefined2105]

Heimerdinger is old man Chopper

[@chrishaven1489]

The show definitely needed another season to tell its story properly

[@KhaiQuang-t1q]

Fun fact about the ending, the 3 eye raven at the end belong to Swain, one of three leader of Noxus, also in the old lore Singed next job is in Noxus.

[@becca_98]

Hey Merphy, I will be tuning in for your talk with Jay and would like to know a little bit more of your taughts on: The time travel plot; Vi, Jinx and Caitlyn character arc (specially the latter because she got a little too Anakin for me in the middle); The whole Victor mess And what do you think of the overal theme about perfection and imperfection If you could tell us a little bit more about these topics, I would really apreciated! Thanks ❤

[@sherab2078]

I overall enjoyed watching Season 2. This was a far better experience than most things (with some notable exceptions) TV and cinema have been offering us throughout the last 10-15 years. Still, there was Season 1 before... And I'm afraid Season 2 wasn't just a minor deterioration. It was massive, especially from episode 4 onward. I know that technically, we had a couple of parallel stories in Season 1 too. And the title is Arcane. But for me, Season 1 was all about Vi and Powder. I especially fell in love with Powder - I mean as a character. And I have a feeling, that Season 2 somewhat butchered this character. I mean, we were left at the end of Season 1 with Jinx triumphing and Powder 'dead'. But I barely saw the consequences of this in Season 2. Again, this complaint goes mainly from episode 4 onward. And yes, I'm aware that what we see is surely Isha's influence. But from a viewer's perspective, this happened as a snap of a finger. We can recall from Season 1 who Jinx is. Yes, she might be somewhat childish at times, but she is also sociopathic, taking joy in killing people and blowing things up. Do you remember her laughter when she was blowing up the tent full of enforces in Season 1, while she was going to steal the hexgem? No one could really feel safe when she was around. Even when she was joking. Like the bartender in the Last Drop (still Season 1). He was obviously scarred and had good reasons. She could snap at any moment. We had that feeling of insecurity almost in every scene with Jinx, including her first reunion with Vi. Of course, there was that internal conflict in there. There was still Powder, that little girl who wanted love and acceptance. But, after all, we deal here with a highly disturbed mind. And I don't have anything against Powder being healed, being brought back into society and reuniting with her sister. That wish accompanied me throughout Season 1. This was a touching, tragic story. Jinx was a villain, but there were reasons for that. And now, in S2E4 we suddenly have an almost normal girl. I expected that the Season 2 story would expand, but I was sure this still would be the story of Vi and Powder. This is of course quite a subjective expectation. But I think that Jinx's transformation should take a whole season, and in reality, it didn't take a single minute of screen time. All of it happened between Act 1 and 2 behind the scenes. For me, Powder being 'healed' should be a culmination moment of the whole show, though I think it still should be a tragic one to be true to the narration established in S1. If you add to this ill-placed humour (in my opinion), like with Jinx's pants, and making her actual hero (mid-season), I simply feel that writers robbed her of her tragic story and seriousness. Jinx/Powder character development is the weakest part of the S2 for me, but there are other inconsequences or simply writing choices I don't really like. In opposition to most, I disliked the E7. I can buy Jayce's part. Ekko's and Powder's trope, less so. Fortunately, it wasn't completely disconnected from the whole story and served its purpose, but still. I felt it like a 'cheap' move, known to me already from many other TV series - that special episode 'What if'. And what's worse, it made me feel as if I were watching some 'high-school 'show for teenagers (like the Twilight, or something), and I wasn't looking at Arcane as such till that point. Why does Savika help and work with Jinx? How could she even show up under Vander's statue - she was the one who helped to kill him, after all. How does she transform from a gangster to a patriot? The 'he was killed, but he escaped' trope with Vander (well, kind of). How did Cateline change her colours in a few seconds in that canyon, after encountering Vi? Those are my main complaints. But there were of course things I did like. Isha is the best of them. I fell in love with her the same way as I did with Powder in Season 1. Please remember, that I compare just to Season 1. As I mentioned at the beginning, I enjoyed the Season 2. But compared to Season 1 it was pathetic to me.

[@herpderp3622]

The writing for S1 was much tighter and had a clear aim, start to finish. Moving S2 from the emotional core (Vi and Jinx) to a world ending type scenario was weird. I would've preferred if this remained a show about Piltover and Zaun and how Zaun gains independence, all juxtaposed through Vi and Jinx's relationship. As it is Zaun at the end gets a single seat on the council, which means they still don't have any real autonomy. And the actual conflict is handwaved away through the use of the aforementioned world ending scenario. If S1 was a 10 in terms of writing, I'd say this one is a 6. The animation is staggering, easily the best in the industry. 11/10.

[@ayceinquisitor190]

Yeah I can't get behind the path of logic that led to Ambessa committing to the finale fight. Jayce didnt explain to Mel what he saw and endured? Mel didnt pass that information to Ambessa when they parlayed? Ambessa didn't question at all what she would get out of destruction of the world or how she would be immune to the repercussions? That line of thinking didnt come up, which is very out of character for them.

[@adoniscreed4031]

Yeah Act 3's world ending scenario was such a let down. Even up till episode 6 I think that everything being portrayed was at an okay scale. But they took it to 100 with the final 2 episodes.

[@danielsierra7929]

I think S2 was not better than S1 but it was perfect, considering they needed to end the series, I mean, this could have ended way too worse.

[@DavidLyles]

Yeah my 2 big gripes were as follows: (1.) Ambessa's end was unsatisfying and her motivations were confused especially with Viktor planning to turn everyone into robots, like she had to know what was occurring, It was bizarre and made no sense. (2.) Vi lets Jinx out of jail. Clearly talking about ending it all. Caitlyn comes in and they just go straight to the nasty for an uncomfortable amount of time and detail. She should be going after her sister but she lets her run away again, thinking she made another mistake. This irked me so badly.

[@Yosch-g2o]

Season 1 was a 10/10 for me. Season 2 felt definitely weaker than the first one mainly because of the pacing. At times the plot was a all over the place and characters interacting with each other felt weird because of how fast things were happening. I feel like act 1 and 2 of this season could've been spread over 9 episodes while the entirety of act 3 could've been the third final season but they really wanted to end the Piltover/Zaun story arc with this one. I also believe that some subplots like Vi's and Caitlyn's love drama and the whole Warwick situation could've been handled better but that's just my personal opinion. Background characters like Loris, Maddie and the fish guy could've been fleshed out more but the sheer amount of content they crammed into this season didn't allow it. Overall I'd give this season a 7.5/10. Still good but not perfect.

[@TheDarkAdventure]

15:37 Apparently Noxus is this giant dictatorship where everyone is a warlord and uses various forms of magic to conquer other countries. They came to Piltover to find technology to fight the other magic factions like the Black Rose faction. She doesn't care if the arcane destroy the city as long as she can use it as a weapon against her other enemies.

[@colibri224]

I think your video title is pretty much the question everyone’s asking.

[@borjankosarac3645]

One specific aspect I’m noticing, is the side characters and how they’re not as defined as the first season. I mean, compare the depth that Milo and Claggor (and Grayson, and even arguably Benzo) got in one Act, to both Loris (the alcoholic Enforcer who befriended Vi) and Maddie who had a whole season to just… be basically archetypes filling the cast. Compare Marcus to Rictus, and while they both have prominence the former had a lot of depth as much as we loved to hate him; the latter only felt like an extension of Ambessa really. I also feel like there’s so much happening and as a result, compared to its predecessor we don’t get as much time to stop and breathe; many things do, sure, but when they do it comes at sacrifices to others. I was very bummed at how the time skip was used to not let us sit with Caitlyn’s dictator arc, or having Jayce/Heimerdinger/Ekko being absent for multiple episodes… It all felt disjointed, and like they didn’t have a role for them in the plot until they were needed. Frankly, while I sympathise with the difficulties of pacing a series on the whole, I feel like this season could’ve been two whole seasons instead; it would maybe not be as brisk, but would have let us marinade in things a bit longer… Or at least, giving us a third season that was more sn extension of this or something. Like six episodes…? I dunno; I wasn’t there in the writing room, I can’t fully judge. But I wish we’d not dashed to the finish line on the whole, even if I agree with where everybody ends up and the actual conclusion itself.

[@PetarBladeStrok]

I don't think Ambessa had an affair with someone from Black Rose. They mention Basilisch as the village where she met her husband, who was a mage. And that's why Black Rose want Mel, because she has mage's blood. To answer your question. Ambessa was moved purely by the revenge at the end, she wanted to get back at Caitlyn no matter what. Also, Viktor is AMAZING. Try to find some explanations that explains his subtleties. What's done with him in S2 through subtext is amazing.

[@beingfilipinoiscool]

you nailed everything I had a problem with S2. also Ekko and Heimer were my heroes of S2.

[@MrReset94]

I agree with everything you said.

[@solstra2]

I liked season 1's structure better. It was packaged neatly and the ending was stellar despite being a giant cliff hanger. Season 2, I enjoyed but it missed several beats I was hoping to see. Warwick was amazing at the reveal but as the story progressed, I felt like Vander/Warwick was being used too much as a plot device instead of a character. I also wanted to see Victor portrayed differently. In what way, I'm not sure, but I just felt like his character arc was lackluster. The ending also wasn't satisfying to me as well due to feeling so rushed. Overall I enjoyed Season 2, but I just feel like it wasn't as perfect as Season 1. But the theme touched on by Jace sorta justified it in a way. “There is no prize to perfection… only an end to pursuit.” - Victor. I'm sort of happy it isn't perfect in an odd way.

[@fenris5932]

It feels like we skipped massive arcs in between scenes in this season. It really feels like there needed an extra season to let everything cook properly. Its like watching a good bedtime story getting read to you at 1.75x speed

[@moonlight2870]

Better? No. Just as good? Hell yeah.

[@za-ir5ni]

Hell no is it just as good lol. Like not particularly close.

[@MateusAntonioBittencourt]

I agree this season felt rushed. They had too much ground to cover and not enough time. Every episode felt like the last episode of an arc on season 1. I understand the reason and still really enjoyed. As for Ambessa, what bothers me is not her motivation. She made a deal with Victor, where she would get him into the hexcore in exchange for an army. She needs the army to fight the Black Rose. What bothers me, is that she didn't need to fight Mel. She already distracted the city enough for Victor to sneak in. That fight regardless of who won or not, was inconsequential. Similar to Vi's and Jinx's fight with Warick. It was 3 separate fights, with only Victor's and Jayce's having any true impact.

[@zacharyrichard8228]

Season 2 got packed full of extra lore and storylines because Riot games had originally intended for it to be separate from the main universe but then changed their mind and decided to make everything they make canon. So they had to do a lot of work to make sure all the characters were set up properly to line up with the in-game lore. Definitely liked the pace and style of season 1 better but I still loved this season and it did so many things perfectly that I still think it maintains its place as my favorite show of all time.

[@floatingtigerscarriff6664]

No one talking about the writers making Maddie "secretly" an enemy spy so we can look past/justifying Caitlyn cheating on her with Vi... Though I must admit I already know they are going to do it since they obviously need to find a way to make Vi and Cait get back together, but my guess was that Maddie was a member of the Black Rose, still I called it tho that she's going to turn out as one of the antagonist.

[@HungryEyes-sl3mu]

For me this should've been a three season series, specifically a middle buffer season. I mean S1 was about a drug lord taking over a city, a corrupt government that exploited and benefited from the subjegation of 1/2 to 3/4s of their population, and two sisters trying to find each other. Whereas S2 was a psycedelic trip that introduced the multiverse, necromancy, matricide, and AI squashing out human existence. It just feels like we really needed a stepping stone season to get from a rather insular micro story to an existential macro story. Like, side note, Maddie wasn't even a proper character she was this chipper noob used to guilt trip Vi and the audience, she then gets placed in the strike squad for...surviving the memorial battle, next we know she and Caitlyn have hooked up despite them never saying a word to each other on screen, and then we end a left field betrayal that had zero foreshadowing. Maddie was whatever the story needed her to be at the moment.

[@FiDjable]

Over a month without fujimoto is nasty work

[@dokata8397]

I feel like they tried to cram too much into this season and made it too convoluted. The plot of the first season wasn’t simple by any means, but from the start, it was obvious that the story was heading toward a clash with Piltover and some kind of reunion with the sisters. However, in season 2, right up until the last couple of episodes, it wasn’t clear who the real threat was and what the payoff was going to look like. That’s why it was jarring to see them open up new plot lines and introduce time travel and parallel universes without really establishing a clear goal in sight. It went from a gritty story about two sisters living in a city plagued by inequality that happens to be in a fantastical setting to full-on dark season 3 shenanigans

[@CzarsSalad]

They should not have introduced the Medardas in Season 1. People overlooked that. That subplot was an unnecessary waste of potential. That subplot ruined a lot of storytelling opportunities in this season

[@justincain2702]

​​@@CzarsSaladI think Mel is going to be important for future shows so they needed to get her character to a specific point. I agree though that the black rose and noxus invasion took too much time away from vi/jinx and jayce/victor.

[@Dumbagon]

Rare Dark mention 🔥

[@sweetshadow4233]

I've read somewhere that arcane was supposed to be 5 seasons but Netflix cancelled the show due to the cost and the time needed to produce a season so they rushed the ending and mush it together in season 2.

[@TreezWonderland]

Ty for trying to name them correctly ❤

[@CimmerianAssassin]

I think had they just expanded it to 4 acts instead of 3, it would have been a trifling better. Though with the creators already stating that they have stories waiting to develop in different places, i imagine the stories of these characters are not close to done just yet. After all, we never got to see any of them truly die. The closest being warwick, but jinx, jayce, viktor, heimerdinger and what is assumedly Leblanc (the shadowy figure of the black rose), will probably all make their returns in some shape or form.

[@LyonexTV]

This might get lost with the rest of the comments but, I wanted you to know that Riot is making an Ambessa novel. Since you liked the character so much, you might enjoy that and maybe cover it on the book channel

[@arenkai]

Honestly it's the difference between a 10/10 masterpiece and a 9.5/10 near perfect piece of art. Maybe something else will top Arcane some day, but that will be a very VERY hard thing to do. Just the art style puts 99.99% of current releases to shame.

[@No-Kung-Fu]

More like 10/10 vs 7/10.

[@-tom-8720]

10/10 against a 4.5/10 imo. Bad writing throughout the season

[@antonhallergren588]

I say for the time it was allowed to have aka 3 years vs 6 years of s1 and the fact that they only got 9 episodes it is a 10/10. In an ideal world ofc where time and episodes were unlimited it of course would not be a 10/10 as it is right now.

[@No-Kung-Fu]

@@antonhallergren588 So you judge things based on how much time they CHOSE to make it in? if they wanted to they could have had 10 years, they chose to do it in a specific way and time, and you should rate the final result based on all the choices put into it. Imagine rating a pizza based on the fact that the cook chose to make it in 1 minute instead of 10, and then giving it a 9 even though it's actually a 4. That's ridiculous. Nobody cares how much time they chose to allocate to it, only the final result matters.

[@antonhallergren588]

@@No-Kung-Fu you need to be realistic too though. Especially when it comes to working with netflix and with deadlines and so on. Do I wish it was longer or two seasons? Yes. But would there have been another season if they had pushed for that? No netflix would've probably dropped the project. Same as if they had demanded more time to get a few more eps for example. There wasn't really a way to do more than leave some parts to the imagination. It's not like the show wastes any time on anything where for sure such a critiscism would be very valid. Cyberpunk edgerunners had the exact same issues. Is it as perfect as say a long spanning hyper detailed project like legend of the galactic heroes? No. Is it still amazing? Yes. Same case with arcane s2. I want more and it felt fast is very different from you wasted time and had to cut corners. Same as a story that's slow but great vs a story that is just slow and boring.

[@vanteal]

All I know is I can't wait for the new series. I don't think it'll be called "Arcane" because we're done with that story. The new series will take place in Noxus and be centered around Mel and the black rose. Characters I suspect we'll see returning for the new series are Mel = Lead, LaBlanc = Co-antagonist, Swain = Co-antagonist, Mordekaiser = Co-antagonist, Vi, Jinx, cait = Supporting roles, and Teen Powder from the happy Zaun timeline. She has her own blue stones and has all the notes and paperwork. Something bad is going to happen in her happy timeline, and she's going to try and find Ekko from the main universe for help...

[@Shione_Starlight]

Singed really was proxy farming during this whole season and gathered all his research to revive his daughter while his actions were part of all this death and destruction. Lol

[@xeroreverse7712]

It's funny to me that Sevika of all people ended up getting a seat on the council. It's oddly appropriate as well, considering she never wanted power.

[@paperknigth2263]

I'm going to be honest, I don't care at all if is better or not. Is a freaking good continuation to a freaking good season, which overall make it a freaking good show. I don't have the need to put both seasons to compete when I know that I really liked the story as a whole.

[@rosannyalmonte8613]

The last episode was supposed to be way longer but got cut for reasons we don’t know.

[@doronrosstuvia3489]

One of the issues, which goes along with your criticisms on pacing, is that it did seem like the team tried to mash all of these developments together at once to showcase the video game champions in their final forms and it felt muddled because of something the team probably considered outside of the narrative.

[@Montie-Adkins]

I liked Jinx's "terrorism" as essentially like the Joker as she will literally change the colors of the environment to her various colors. This series made me think of an old George Lucas quote: "A special effect is a tool, a means of telling a story. A special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing."

[@nazimbelaidi6486]

Come on. Without a story is just too much. People have swinged way too much. If you don't think the story is at least good, I don't know what to say to you.

[@Montie-Adkins]

@@nazimbelaidi6486 Oh no no, I meant this in a good way. GL did too. This show does have a good story and characters to go along with that amazing animation. I should have elaborated more clearly.

[@nazimbelaidi6486]

@Montie-Adkins ah OK. My bad. I thought you're one of the guys who say the writing this season is trash.

[@ratedr7845]

@@nazimbelaidi6486 you seem like those people that hate when others have a different opinion of you

[@nazimbelaidi6486]

@ratedr7845 what did I say exactly that made you think that. I'm having a discussion. If you think the show is good but have some problems. I will discuss with you. But if you just think it's trash, then I don't hate you, I just won't waste time with you because we're going in two different directions

[@mateustravaglini6103]

I think so dumb divide a 2 season series in wich one is best if its all the same story. Is the same thing as compare a head and a tail and say head is better. They serve different purposes of the same story. Is not like is GOT that has 9 parts and you can compare season 4 with season 5. Just dumb though process to judge like this.

[@adoniscreed4031]

And extra episode per act, a whole 4th act or an entire new season. Whatever is the right choice, this season needed more time to deliver everything. Act 3 really dropped the ball.

[@Siyintax]

Caitlyn knows what singed did in detail he could still be arrested

[@8D2BFREE]

Arcane Definitely deserved 3seasons, like many shows. Its getting tired of Netflix method of saying f.u to the actors to cut all new shows at 2.

[@kockad00dle23]

netflix had absolutely no say in what happened to the show riot had all the money in the world to fund this project it just happened that netflix is where they chose to stream the show from

[@8D2BFREE]

@@kockad00dle23I have no doubt riot could power through a 3rd season if they wanted to. But then why didn't they, its suspicious that they would fall in line with a common Netflix policy.

[@justincain2702]

​@@8D2BFREERiot has a track record of similar practices as Netflix. They like to approve projects then gut them. I heard employees really had to fight to get management to approve Arcane s1.

[@twigz3214]

@@8D2BFREE They likely didn't because they want to tell more champs stories instead of continuing to solely focus on Piltover and Zaun.

[@Harrison20101000]

The direction they took with Vi’s character almost made it seem like they didn’t like her. In season 1 we got equal focus on Vi and Jinx and it paid off for the finale. In season 2 we got the development for Jinx but the most we really got for Vi was a 2-3 min music video at the beginning of episode 5. Vi was one of the 2 main main characters and it felt like she got relegated to a side character almost. It sucks because they had some really good stuff to work with with her. Also, didn’t really like that final battle because nobody there really mattered or did anything significant to stop the battle other than Ekko and Jayce. This season was plot over character which I think was the major issue.

[@codyp9416]

I think the pacing issue could have been alleviated a bit if there weren't roughly a dozen music videos sprinkled throughout. I feel like the hype about the animation on season 1 caused more focus to be put on the animation in season 2. It's great. I love it. But it feels like the storytelling took a hit as a result.

[@ahmed61299]

Can't wait for the next projects

[@NRG-REC]

It's not better than the first but it's still quite good and in a world with endings like game of thrones, that will always be a blessing. Just a slightly longer runtime per episode would've made all the difference in the world. At the end of the day, my goat ekko once again got to shine despite barely having screentime so i can't be too upset.

[@Damian-uv4ls]

I loved it. Better than Season 1? Hard to say. But it did have more to do, as far as wrapping stories up, introducing more characters, and giving each character from Season 1 an Arc too. Could they have spent more time on Victor/Jayce or Ambessa/Mel? Maybe. But I kind of love that they didn't, because it gave us more time to spend with Ekko in his alternate reality episode, and also bought us more time for the Singed/Warwick story and expecially the Jinx/Isha story, since they spent an entire act on that relationship--time well spent imo. They definitely cut some corners, but wherever they omitted stories or trimmed things they added storylines in their place that were superior imo and had more of an emotional payoff. And ultimately that's what this show is; it lives and dies by how much emotion they can pack into each act and Season....and if we're judging by that metric, Season 2 was significantly more emotional than Season 1, which is no small feat.

[@Nasser851000]

It could have been worse but at least no one else died 😅

[@blkhailink5963]

my only big complaint is this show not being conclusive, it feels like a sequel setup...but without the sequel. I was expecting the characters to end the show with either a resolution or with a clear direction which didnt happen for many of them.

[@Jonas-ej7id]

I Binged both seasons within a week. I enjoyed it all the way through. Breathtaking animation/art style, music and character driven storytelling. S1 was engaging all the way through but s2 it did kinda lose me towards the end. Personally didn't find myself caring too much about the 'arcane' itself or the politics. I was interested in the stories of the main characters and s2 did mostly deliver on that for me.

[@danbark3]

love the analysis, my biggest gripe was I wish the sister storyline had a more satisfying conclusion. I didn't like the open-endedness of the ending of her fate. Overall loved it of course though

[@tavtav934]

For me, season 2 was more fun (unexpected duels/teams up and situation) and visually impressive (tone of colours, varying art styles, characters changing their outfits multiple time, etc...) but was indeed weaker than season one overall in term of narrative and pacing. This came especially evident during the 3 last episodes were the plot really wasn't given enough time. For instance, episode 7 was amazing on its own but really took too much time out of the main timeline so close to the ending. One more episode would have helped a lot I think, something like : - episode 7 : don't change. - episode 8 : rallying troups / prep for the battle / characters reaffirm their motivations - episode 9 : focus on the desperation, piltover seems losing - episode 10 : grand finale Warwick shouldn't had comeback as a mindless, unfeeling robot in my opinion (didn't had anything to the character and didn't top the desperation we felt at the end of ep 6). Because of it, I found Jinx/Vi/ww part quite bland during ep 9. Would have prefer they focus on other characters like Sevika for example who kinda disappear after ep 3 and did nothing of consequence after that. Also, Jinx already tried to die in the beginning of the season so her wanting to suicide again (despite the scene with ekko being amazing) feels like her character development was thrown out the window kinda. I would have hoped Isha's death would finally push her to accept Isha/Silco legacy to lead Zaun in the final fight (instead of refusing it once more just like she did after Silco's death). Anyway, it was still an amazing serie overall and it gave me a lot of hope for a future serie in Noxus. Sadly, I doubt it would be made by Fortiche studio again.

[@qzoid3060]

I do prefer act 1. Act 2 stepped it up artistically but I do think it could have done with an extra episode at least. Then it would have been absolutely perfect, though I still think it’s an 8.5/9 out of 10

[@mrgreenguy5193]

This season should have concluded with the ending of episode 5. That would have given them more time to flesh out the underdeveloped plot points

[@peaceandloveusa6656]

Both seasons were peak fiction for me, but I have mixed feelings about how the two seasons compare to each other. Season 1 was objectively better, but season 2 had more of my favorite scenes. Character motivations were all over the place, and there were too many new concepts being introduced only to be ham-fisted together to wrap them up by the end of the season. I understand the Mel-Ambessa-Black Rose stuff was in Arcane to connect the Noxus-based next show to Arcane, but the whole of Arcane would have benefited greatly from not having any of them stealing the limelight from the Piltover-Zaun conflict. They could (and should) have been there doing their things for that reason, but Ambessa should have only been instigating the conflict, not an active part of it, and Mel should have been trying to uncover Ambessa's motivations. That is it. Maybe Ambessa gets killed by the Black Rose in the end, and this prompts Mel to leave for Noxus so she can have her mage arc in the new show. I know it's probably a hot take because who does not love Mel and Ambessa? I know I sure do. I just do not see how the Noxus-Black Rose stuff had any place in the Piltover-Zaun show. Noxus soldiers added nothing to the show that could not have been achieved by Caitlyn's Regime Enforcers and Viktor's final evolution army. Seeing Black Rose magic only took away from the "magic" of HexTech, pun intended. In the end, they both only served as story bloat for an already stuffed season 2.

[@almogdov]

They know not to chase Singed, no wonder he got away.

[@lemuelcubase]

It seemed like all of the build up episodes of a 5 season arc got removed and they just threw the climax at us.