EVERYTHING GOES WRONG | Arcane Fiancé Reaction | Ep 3 "The Base Violence Necessary for Change”

[@LettsReact]

This episode was INCREDIBLY WILD! Episodes 3, 4, & 5 are posted to Patreon now in their extended, uncut forms! HTTPS://Patreon.com/lettsreact

[@HaydrogenBomb]

How you holding up after watching it? Pretty sure everyone who's seen it needed to take a minute after.

[@zagnose]

A minute? Give me 3 months.

[@broadwaybroad]

@@zagnose I watched this last year. 3 months is cute.

[@hopepaul4078]

Can you react to cardcaptor sakura please

[@Dannydarko27]

The blame game doesn't work to well in this show because this ep is a result of everyones actions. From the heads of Piltover who profit off the undergrounds labor, to the child who gave a tip to a group of children about stealing some rich guys stuff. This series is great out showing nothing is black and white

[@PirateQueen1720]

It is so tragic that Vi is clearly (from our POV) just taking an "I need some space for a minute to process my emotions, because I MUST NOT treat Powder like this" break, while Powder is panicking thinking she's really leaving...and then Vi, through no fault of her own, can't come back to correct that impression.

[@patzy0299]

And also the very last thing Vi did was hit Powder and call her a jinx which is just as tragic knowing that her actions will forever haunt her the older Vi gets.

[@4Tom4lepus4]

Yeah but that was not the time nor a place to take a "I need some space" break. She DID leave her in an extremely dangerous and volatile situation and that is a choice that SHE made. So I would not say "through no fault of her own" - which is what makes this show so good. Because even our heroes make bad choices like this.

[@MonkeeKnucklez2]

This episode is just so, so good.

[@dantedevante3598]

@@4Tom4lepus4Time or place? Powder essentially killed their only family and both Vi and powder are children. After a traumatic event, “time and place” for reason and good headspace is pretty impossible.

[@emmagildemontes9530]

I always thought Vi seeing the broken monkey bomb after the explosion was less ‘powder was the one who did this’ and more ‘oh no, powder was here too’. I always thought her anguished look was because she thought powder had died too 🤷🏽‍♀️

[@aidanscholl4647]

I never thought of it that way, that makes way more sense

[@evanwebb6374]

Same, and I feel like this is probably more accurate considering when they do meet up again Vi looks and sounds genuinely confused when she says "you did this?", if she had thought powder caused the explosion she wouldn't have sounded as confused.

[@Arkayjiya]

That's definitely the case because she is surprised later on when Powder says she did it. Vi thought the bad guys caused the explosion (because she didn't really see that they were caught up in it too, and the noises stopped for a few seconds before the bomb since Deckard stopped hitting the door while looking at the bomb) and that Powder had followed them against her orders and got caught in it. Even knowing that this is a powder bomb, she could never imagine Powder having so much firepower and causing the huge explosion, after all they didn't realise the crystals caused the explosion at the lab, only Powder figured that out when she threw the bag.

[@NativeNewMexican]

@@ArkayjiyaIt's one of the minor flaws of the show to include it IMO, I got it and a lot of ot people would, but it's misinterpreted by almost every reactor I've watched (basically all of them). I like that the writers don't assume the viewers are idiots, but to expect them to know "Vi doesn't know about Powder's capabilities, so that monkey head was 'she's dead too' " was apparently too much to ask.

[@Arkayjiya]

@@NativeNewMexican Reactors (and other people me included) misinterpret a huge amount of things in Arcane. That's the price you pay when you have environmental storytelling that doesn't hold your hand, when you go full on "show don't tell". I don't think it's a flaw. I didn't understand everything on my first watch and it didn't prevent me from appreciating the show or the show from getting its points across. And when I realised things on rewatch it was great!

[@-Aquablue-]

I have a friend who just started arcane. She told me "I love it but it's so sad". She was on episode 1 Honey you ain't seen nothing yet.

[@kubaduce]

"you got a big storm comin"

[@-Aquablue-]

@@kubaduce "That's rough buddy"

[@neogetright7542]

"Honey, you got a big storm comin' "

[@daceshiet]

I might be that friend

[@grapehool]

@@daceshiet oh.

[@Marta-uv4id]

I think anyone blaming solely Vi or Powder for what happened this episode missed the point of the episode. Both Powder and Vi made huge mistakes that haunt them for the rest of the show, went through massive amounts of trauma and ended the episode in a horrible place, while just being kids. They had to face choices that a lot of fully grown adults would have an incredibly hard time making and putting the blame for this *entire* situation on either of them is not what this episode is trying to make people feel.

[@bakthihapuarachchi3447]

What did Vi do wrong?

[@Marta-uv4id]

@@bakthihapuarachchi3447 I think Vi had every right to be upset at Powder for disobeying her and, even though it was an accident, killing three of their family members, but I believe, and so does Vi, that hitting her and calling her a Jinx was a mistake. I think if it weren't for Silco and Marcus showing up Vi and Powder could have fixed the situation after Vi cooled off, but they did unfortunately show up and the sisters didn't manage to fix anything.

[@morganegerme684]

@@bakthihapuarachchi3447 Bringing her sister to the heist, encouraging her to play with bombs, hiding the hexgems, disobeying Vander and not staying put (if you think about it, Powder just followed Vi's example). Vi was just a kid with anger issues and way too much responsability :/

[@chavang3699]

@@bakthihapuarachchi3447 Vander- “When people look up to you, you don’t get to be selfish. You say run, they run. You say swim, they dive. You say start a fire, they show up with oil. But whatever happens, it’s on you.”

[@-ACE.]

I don't blame either of them they can't see the future, but lets face it: Vander did tell Vi episode 1, whatever happens is on her. She took them to that building episode 1 where Powder found these gems. Whatever happened after that with these gems is somewhat on Vi. Still I don't blame either of them because no one can see the future.

[@Arkayjiya]

Silco was 100% gonna kill Powder after getting info on Vi. He had no intention to recruit her, after all why would he bother to manipulate a seemingly useless child? But as you noticed, the parallels he saw between her and Vi and himself and Vander won him out. Also you have some very interesting thoughts at the end!

[@Hohum37]

Agreed. He has no compunction killing children - that was his initial plan. Then Vi showed some promise that maybe he thought he could exploit (or she turned out to be a bigger threat than he thought and/or a loose end to be cleared up). Powder both literally, and figuratively disarms Silco. When she dives on him, you can see the knife go skittering away. Silco is also emotionally disarmed by her sudden vulnerable need - and then he looks up at Vander's body, remembers, and understands. It strikes a chord in him.

[@kamakazines4901]

Agreed, once he'd used her as leverage or bait to get to Vi, but I do think he had initially staged this showdown to use the kids as leverage to recruit Vander, and immediately sees the potential in recruiting Vi. Powder's bomb kinda ruins his peaceful options, but I think his initial threats are posturing, backed with a willingness to follow through on them, if absolutely necessary. Even at the end, if he had managed to coerse Vi into joining him in exchange for Powder's safety, he would have kept her around and tested her potential usefulness beyond that of a hostage.

[@saiyasha848]

Important sidenote; The device deosn't actually _keep_ exploding, they are just showing the explosion from differnt perspectives. It is a bit confusingly shot, I admit

[@HaydrogenBomb]

Not really, most people understood, and it's kinda frustrating that some haven't. I know, with the edits, these two realized that wasn't the case.

[@neogetright7542]

Not really. If it you think about it. The toy would be shattered after the explosion of that magnitude. So there is no way for that toy to clap and keep producing explosion.

[@Paehrin]

@@SubzeroBlack68 More than that, they show, for each shot, exactly the same begining : the monkey claps, the ball explodes, the camera pans out to Deckard being thrown away by the blast. How would Deckard be standing the next second in the same position ?

[@HOVNA]

What actually people miss is that those ARE different explosions. Every cut is following one of the three of the balls inside the monkey! I realised that after a lot of rewatches.

[@saiyasha848]

@@HaydrogenBomb I think what is confusing is the Cuts to powder. It makes it look like she is continuosly falling, while the explosions go on, thus making it seem like time is passing instead of returning to the same moment over and over.

[@Marta-uv4id]

I think a brilliant way this episode divides Piltover and the Undercity even further in our minds is by having the storylines be so starkly different. Sure, Jayce and Viktor could have been discovered and banished from Piltover, but their storyline always had this sense of hopefulness to it and it ends on a happy note by having the two of them make a huge scientific breakthrough. The storyline in the Undercity has absolutely no hopefulness, only dread, shock and heartbreak. While the characters from Piltover were celebrating, the characters from the Undercity were living through the biggest tragedy of their lives.

[@SwordTune]

The Undercity is ultimately grim-dark.

[@rjai5003]

Adding to that, when Jayce and Viktor first successfully used the hextech crystal, in was a magical moment that solved their problems, but when Powder first successfully used it, it just caused destruction and made things worse

[@daceshiet]

@@rjai5003 omg the contrast tho

[@LittleMan27]

Jayce & Viktor showed how the Arcane can be used for good vs Powder/Jinx showed how the Arcane can be used for bad.

[@Hohum37]

@@SwordTune To me, grimdark is a vacuous, violence centered, nihilistic neologism. I think the story of Vi and Powder in Arcane is a tragedy, while others are on hero's journeys.

[@SwordTune]

Watching arcane is basically: "Wait, it's all pain?" "Always has been."

[@mx9226]

Pain. Pure unadulterated pain awaits you two. I hope they don’t blame Vi for leaving Powder because she never meant to. Yes, she did walk away from her and refused to go back when she was crying her name, but she only was a short distance away. She needed to cool off, and she understood that. Her emotions were so high that she struck her sister, something she’d normally never do. If she had stayed with Powder at that moment, she could’ve lashed out again.

[@Marta-uv4id]

I find it deeply upseting that a lot of people (which I've noticed while watching reaction videos and reading comments) blame either Powder or Vi for this situation and not Silco, who is literally the person whose goal was to kill their entire family.

[@tvnerd2007]

Same, hope they don’t blame Powder either. (I don’t think they will tho)

[@tvnerd2007]

@@Marta-uv4id I know right

[@TheLangenator]

It was more of a "I am so angry right now that if I don't put some distance between me and Powder, I might kill her"

[@BadMadChicken]

I mean… obviously Silko was going to make sure everyone was dead. She left powder and then regretted it.

[@TonyB369]

I like the detail that silco taking in powder isn’t just manipulative. He also genuinely relates because he felt abandoned by Vander just like powder was “abandoned” by Vi

[@patrikneperfekta7575]

yeah, if he didn't relate to her, he would use her to find her sister and if she wouldn't be able to help him, he would kill her. I mean, he would kill her even if she was able to help him.

[@tiringsarcasm]

@@patrikneperfekta7575 The moment Vi was confirmed to be in prison, Silco would have killed Powder if he didn’t relate to her so much.

[@patrikneperfekta7575]

@@tiringsarcasm There was never a time where Silco had it confirmed that Vi is in prison. When she was there, he didn't know she's alive and he learned she's alive only after she wasn't in prison anymore.

[@tiringsarcasm]

@@patrikneperfekta7575 I had assumed that he knew Marcus put Vi in there but I guess not.

[@patrikneperfekta7575]

@@tiringsarcasm No, Marcus lied to Silco to protect Vi. Silco would probably have her killed in prison.

[@The_Other_Dan]

Heimerdinger's name comes from a portmanteau of two very notable scientists, Robert Oppenheimer and Erwin Schrodinger

[@gman7497]

They could have changed it but I'm glad they didn't.. its authentic to the lore and also its cool that despite the name he's a very respected authority figure.

[@journey9411]

The first scene of this episode always gives me the chills. It's such an interesting monologue. Love me a philosophical villain.

[@maxmustsleep]

100%! I think it's super interesting that this used to be the intro to the show instead of the bridge scene. I guess that might be why it's so vast and powerful, so well crafted. But i'm glad they switched it because the show is much more about the sisters and the conflict between the two sides

[@HaydrogenBomb]

​@@maxmustsleep Agreed. That first scene is literally perfect.

[@Dannydarko27]

Montana wondering how the groups going to work without Vi 👀 Powder disarming Silco physically and emotionally with just a hug is hauntingly beautiful

[@Marta-uv4id]

This entire episode has massive consequences that are felt throughout the rest of the show, but Vi's actions and how Powder (and the audience) interpret and misinterpret them are probably the biggest. Vi just witnessed the death of three of her family members and found out her sister was the cause of it after Vi told her to stay home, even though she genuinely just wanted to help. Vi blows up, confirms her sister's worst fears of being a Jinx and hits her, but then she sees that she used the same fist that she used to punch people to punch her own sister, and realizes that she needs to get away from Powder to cool down and not hurt her anymore. She gets away, but then sees Silco close to Powder and without even a second of thought rushes to help her, but then gets kidnapped by Marcus and is unable to do so. If Marcus hadn't shown up Vi would have helped her sister right away, but the problem is, Powder doesn't know that. She thinks Vi abandoned her and she doesn't know Vi went away so she wouldn't hurt her anymore, so she latches onto the closest person at the moment, which is Silco. This is a very complicated situation for everyone involved and a lot of people refuse to see Vi's perspective on the situation which is hurting their experinece of the show because you're meant to try to understand the situation from the perspective of every character and not just blindly point to someone and declare guilt.

[@JuanSolo9]

I don't see how Vi could've helped Powder once Silco showed up. He and what remained of his people would've killed her (and probably Powder too). As terrible as it is to say, Marcus taking Vi away was probably the best thing that could've happened to either of them.

[@Marta-uv4id]

@@JuanSolo9 I totally agree, and I think that's the biggest tragedy here. Powder believed Vi abandoned her when Vi would have died for her right then and there if it meant she could even *try* to save her sister.

[@gerardlacroix6015]

Yeah, like Juan Solo said, it adds another layer of complexity on top of the already complicated situation. As much as an asshole Marcus is, it's almost certain he saved - not without interests - Vi's life. She would have died for sure if she came back. It adds a bit of nuance to Marcus.

[@maxmustsleep]

100% agree

[@gman7497]

@@JuanSolo9 she didn't have the gauntlets anymore and her arm was injured, she wouldn't have had a chance.. so yeah as sad as the situation was, it was one of the better outcomes.

[@thomasjohansen8152]

Silco needs "respect=fear" in order to let Piltover give independence to the undercity, hence "the base violence necessary for change". Shimmer represents some kind of weapon that can cause such fear and pressure towards the council in Piltover. Show is genious. Alot of political theory in such short and subtle dialogue.

[@kamakazines4901]

I really love the double-entendre of that line, too. 'Base violence' could mean 'savage, uncivilized violence' or it could mean 'minimum effective violence'. Silco is both willing to do anything to achieve his goals, and to do the bare minimum required to allow people's fear to do his work for him. It makes him such an interesting, unpredictable, and intimidating antagonist. He will break people or negotiate with them, depending on how he reads the situation. Such good writing!!

[@WorldWeave]

Just clarifying some slight confusion about the monkey bomb…there was only one initial explosion from the monkey itself…it doesn’t keep clapping after the first explosion…after the first explosion the other three crystals INSIDE the monkey went flying and caused three secondary explosions, making the situation worse…a character in a later episode says that dwelling on the past and “what if’s” is a good way to drive yourself crazy…but I genuinely think, if she hadn’t “loaded” the monkey…it could have worked

[@abadyr_]

The first time I saw it, I thought there was several explosions. But in fact I'd say there is only one and we see it thought different angles, to get all its consequences. It's a bit confusing on first viewing, but the monkey and all the crystals would have been obliterated in one explosion, it doesn't make sense for them to be delayed.

[@dearikj90]

@@abadyr_ We do see the two crystals that were inside the monkey get blown away after the initial explosion. At 24:26 one of them flies to the lower level, causing the additional explosion that lights all of the Shimmer on fire and destroys the lab. At 24:40 there is one that gets blown from the initial explosion into the room with Vi and company. It's shown in slow motion as it flies into the room and hits the ceiling, causing another explosion inside the room with them. It's that additional explosion that kills Claggor outright, launches Milo and causes the ceiling it struck to collapse on them. Every time they cut to the monkey clapping it is showing the initial explosion from more than one perspective but the two that were inside did indeed cause more explosions. It was simply too much.

[@masterpees987]

I really thought at first watch it continually clapped. Then I realized the monkey would've shattered on the first explosion.

[@Erika-gn1tv]

"That's terrible!" ...and it's about to get _worse!_

[@immasanmiguel4428]

Vi didn't walk away, she just needed some time to not make things worse. She was absolutly going back for Powder but she did not have the chance to do it cause Marcus took her.

[@hannahbun]

Yeah, she put some distance between them because she just punched her little sister in the face and didn't want to do it again.

[@Paehrin]

But she did walk away. She walked away temporarily, she walked away but not too far, but she did walk away. Powder (a litteral child) needed her, and she walked away. She also was right to do so btw. And Vi shouldn't have to be the adult in that situation (since well... she isn't one). It's just a lose-lose situation. The ideal outcome would be Vi is able to control herself right there and then, reassures Powder, get both of them out of there, then calmy discuss the situation and deal with trauma. But this isn't the way human, and especially kids, reacts. So she did remove herself, which was very mature to do so, but by doing so, she "abandoonned Powder (from Powder point of view), so that's a loss. Having not done that, she probably would've kept beating her sister down, be it physically or verbally... so that's a loss too. There was no way to win in this situation sadly.

[@BGTitanAvatar]

I like that they showed Vi was just taking a moment to grieve and cool off and that she was gonna go back for Powder. Alas, the damage was already done. It’s just so sad for her and Powder man. And got to give it up to Mia Sinclair Jenness. I think she was like 10 when she recorded that breakdown for Powder and it hurts! Well done. So talented. And painful. “Whatever happens, it’s on you.” I’m sure these wonderful words of wisdom from Vander from the first episode will in no way have any negative affects on Vi after this mess. Frick me. Y’all better buckle up because this ride is just starting.

[@Hohum37]

Mia explains how she found the emotions for that scene in episode three of Riot's "making of" youtube video series "Arcane: Bridging the Rift".

[@BGTitanAvatar]

@@Hohum37 Yeah I saw that and it's really sweet.

[@rod4309]

The "this is gunna hurt" counter is outa control!

[@katiekate2999]

I think instead of thinking it was powder, she thought powder had died. As she sounds shocked later when powder comes forward. Vi thought her sister came to the site after she asked her not to and then died

[@n0bleonline222]

That's right, Violet, it's irrelevant that Powder thought she caused such a big explosion. Violet, we have to remember that Powder didn't even see her tools work. Absolutely, Violet thought that Powder had followed the team and died during the explosion.

[@khweled]

Heimerdingers name is a mix of the last names of two real life scientists: Robert Oppenheimer and Erwin Schrodinger. Gives him that authentic scientist feel

[@grapehool]

Heimerdinger is also a irl name tho

[@kamakazines4901]

The creation of the atomic bomb meets the uncertainty of an outcome, until it is observed. Such a chilling combination!

[@keicentury6824]

AUGHH IM SO EXCITED TO SEE THEIR HEARTS AND SOULS SHATTER

[@deranged_dragon9471]

PFFFT, Yeah!

[@zagnose]

That sounds so evil 😂

[@tvnerd2007]

The way you phrased that… I feel exactly the same tho🤣

[@GreySeashell-j3m]

LMAO

[@ALJ9000]

My whole reason for watching reactions to tragic scenes

[@artemisa1523]

People demonized Silco too much, he is a bad guy, a real bad guy, but he is not incapable of feeling compassion for a little girl whose situation resonates with his own past. His eyes softened when he hugged her.

[@jittercritter]

You know how all great shows have those pivotal moments that stick with you forever? Well, Arcane is roughly 80% those moments. This is a show that becomes part of you. Also please pay attention to the musical moments, I get you have to commentate and there’s definitely a lot to say about this show, but this show has some incredible music moments and you really have to listen to them to take it in fully.

[@catika505]

I highly HIGHLY recommend watching the behind the scenes series Riot has put out recently about the making of Arcane. It shows how insane it is that this show was even made. It was on the edge of cancellation a dozen times, and the creator had to fight tooth and nail to get it funded. The animation studio had previously only ever made short music videos, but somehow managed to produce one of the most beautiful pieces of long form animation ever. As a creative person it is insanely inspiring how much grit and passion the people behind the project have.

[@chumanimtwebana6321]

NOTHING could have ever prepared me for what happened in this episode

[@maxmustsleep]

this is one of the shows that's absolutely worth rewatching several times because all these parallels between characters is insane and only becomes clear after you've understood the bigger picture.

[@ZaberFangAT]

I think Marcus really did have some amount of concern for Vi. He for sure wants her for his own plans, but he already expressed at least some discomfort with the way things were headed when Silco killed Grayson. He chloroformed her because that was the only way to remove her quietly without struggle, otherwise they would have heard her. And yes, Vi beat a lot of the chaff, but, like you said, she was bottlenecking them on a bridge, that was before she had a roof fall on her, she doesn't have Vander's cestus anymore, her arm is clearly injured now, and these are the heavy hitters. I think Vi very much would have died had she gone out there, which would have also ruined Silco's chance of taking in Powder (seeing as she would realise she hadn't been abandoned after all), so he would have had to kill her, too.

[@dapeach06]

When you do a proper uppercut, you aren't just using your arm, you are using your whole body, including your legs, so you can put a ton of power into it, and it actually can lift someone off their feet.

[@TheMadirishgunner]

you're the first reactor ive watched that didnt want powder to come help at first, everyone else was like "Yes Powder is gonna come save the day and prove herself"

[@xenonnati]

Powder’s voice actor when she screams vi’s name and the begging.. its so raw, beautiful, painful as all hell, but beautifully delivered..

[@vsGoliath96]

Oh man, I can never get over the scene with Powder screaming after everyone leaves. Like, you can tell in the first couple episodes that she's clingy, but this is our first time seeing that she's genuinely unstable.

[@ab7483]

This might be something I missed but I think most reactors actually miss instead - Powder doesn't know Silco is the bad guy right? They know Vander got knocked out and taken to a warehouse. They say they don't know who did it in the scene where Vi leaves Powder behind before going to the warehouse.

[@Tyrantofthewind]

I mean even if she did it wouldn't really matter. She is left alone with her father figure and friends dead around her, literally anyone showing up she would have latched onto. Besides, Silco has all the power in this situation, if she didn't react as she did she was likely dead.

[@elheber]

I think she knew or figured it out pretty quickly. Silco isn't unknown to the people of the undercity, and especially to Vander's people. Powder could see a lot from the window. Most importantly, it doesn't matter much. Both Silco and Powder are to blame for Vander's death, and both mourn him. She knows Silco's crew is "bad" but she thinks she's bad too. She feels she belongs with them.

[@Dilligff]

I think she does know. You see it in her face before she launches at him. But I think she fully expected him to kill her and was embracing death both metaphorically and physically in that moment. She had lost everyone including the one true anchor in her life which was Vi. It makes it even more tragic considering the anger in her eyes might've been being denied the release from that pain. Also, another common misconception is that Vi knew Powder was responsible upon seeing the monkey head. Vi wasn't aware that the blue crystals were what caused the explosion in Piltover and had never witnessed any of her sisters creations being anything more than cute little glitter bombs. She just believed that they'd somehow gotten hold of her and she'd lost her too. That's why it only clicked when Powder told her what happened.

[@n0bleonline222]

Powder doesn't know anything about Silco. At Silco, he doesn't know anything about Powder. Keep in mind that the characters in the series don't see every single scene like us viewers. This will be true in future episodes, and there will be a few points where most reactors and viewers get the wrong impression of Silco just because they forgot this item. : **"Remember that the characters in the show don't see every single scene like us viewers."** Whatever Powder tells Silco, he will know. Same with Powder in Silco. An important situation in this series is the "point of view" thing about what the characters see and hear.

[@squirrelbuddi]

She didn't know who he was but she saw the bridge they were fighting on before she blew everything up so she would have known he was bad even if she didn't know his name. She also saw him Stab Vander so..

[@BATTIS94]

Gosh, Powder's meltdown always get me. So raw.

[@ch4r_]

and so we get kenny's first reaction! and also him leaving a show before a big plot twist for the 2nd time!

[@HaydrogenBomb]

What was the first time?

[@IsaacAderman]

@@HaydrogenBomb Attack on Titan is what I think they're referring to.

[@Jarecian]

Can we have a round of applause for Powder's Voice Actress, who was 11 years old at the time of recording? That performance during the final confrontation is award-worthy.

[@Dannydarko27]

Not a fan of Marcus, alternative motive or not, but Vi was too emotionally/physically drained to keep fighting at that point. Plus she doesnt have the gauntlets and the enemy was armed. He saved her and Powders life because had Silco killed her in front of Powder, he would've had to quiet Powder too

[@sanctimoniouslocke3941]

Not to mention its literally his job to bring in the person who blew up that building in Piltover.

[@Calder90]

Yeah he's a scumbag and it's an unfortunate thing but he 100% saved both of their lives there.

[@Uzkodas]

I don’t know if it’s me or what but that shot of Powder glaring through Silco’s embrace reminds me of that Fallen Angel painting by Alexandre Cabanel.

[@IsaacAderman]

Arcane really is the perfacet tragedy. Everything goes wrong just as it could have gone right.

[@-ACE.]

One of my favorite episodes of any shows ever. Really has all the elements that makes a great show. Surprise elements, shock, good story, emotional, exciting, fight scenes.

[@ReXtion88]

This episode is one of the all-time great game-changer moments in animated TV history. Absolutely superb basically from the moment it starts to the moment it finishes

[@grecha7656]

I love that the first thought Viktor had upon being caught breaking into a lab with another man is to say "wait this isn't my bedroom". I would say he's queer-coded, but coded implies sub-text, not text.

[@Tyrantofthewind]

Most shows would not have the actors/actresses to pull off or the balls to do that emotionally charged scene with Vi and Powder. Silco was absolutely going to kill Powder (after he found out where Vi was) until that moment between them where Powder was looking for anything to latch onto after being "betrayed" and jumped at Silco. The animation and directing of Silco in this scene is amazing. When she jumps at him you can see the seamless transition from shock, to understanding, to empathy, to him being resolute in setting a path for them both. A powerful and yet ironic moment given Silco is the reason they are there at all and Powder is the reason they are in that exact situation.

[@nhickoh]

thb, i kinda feel bad for Montana. Kenny got this awesome brothers story on FMA:B and Montana got this harrowing sisters story on Arcane.

[@azurekite2428]

Man the first 3 episodes are so insane in this show it hits DIFFERENT and the music oh my god especially goodbye at the end of episode 3 the music choice is just ridiculously good!

[@amalaspina]

I've seen this show from start to finish 5 or 6 times and still tear up in those final moments, its so heartbreaking.

[@ivanchow2660]

You guys are one of the rare reactors who didn't really blame too much on Vi when she hit powder and left her at that moment. We as viewer know the intension of Powder and saw the how the whole thing happened. However, people missed the fact that in Vi's perspective, her sister killed 2 of their friends, and their only father, literally the whole family. Imagine when that happened to you, would you tell your sister "it's ok it's alright" ?? NO....... The trauma you experienced was unmeasurable. When Vi was grabbing on Powder's cheek, Vi looked at her own hand, and turned her palm to look at her knuckles.... remember in ep1 when Vander tell her "These will not solve your problems, only cause more of them." Vi finally understand Vander's words, but it was too late. At that moment, with all the anger building up, Vi decided to step away from the situation to cool herself down, which is a good decision in most cases. When you are so mad at something, you could hurt someone you love, so stepping away and give yourself time to breathe is good. However, in this context, leaving her ended up providing an opportunity to Silco taking powder. Everyone was trying to do the right thing, but at the wrong time and situation. Tragic story ......

[@Hohum37]

Great reaction overall. I think you're finding out that Arcane consistently subverts expectations in very clever ways. It uses overused storytelling tropes against us. Things that we've been trained to expect either don't happen, or happen for completely different , but entirely consistent and believable reasons. Comparing Arcane animation to Polar Express, the poster child for "uncanny valley". Facepalm. "An unloved child will burn down it's village to feel warmth". This is perhaps the most accurate, succinct and insightful description of Powder that I have seen.

[@HoskTheCub]

Me: Ooooh new episode. KZbin: Hah, its just a waiting room. Come back tomorrow. Me: I only wanted to watch. I ONLY WANTED TO WATCH. I ONLY WANTED TO WATCH!!!!

[@deranged_dragon9471]

LET ME INNNN

[@vburge04]

@@deranged_dragon9471 me rn😭

[@roombster]

Something that pains me is how many people blame Vi for what happened in this episode. I don't understand how anyone could come to that conclusion considering Vi explicitly warned Powder not to go, and even though I don't fault Powder for going anyways, she still did despite her sisters warnings. Because of that, Mylo, Claggor, and Vander are all dead with Vi nearly losing her life as well. Vi's reaction to Powder being the one who set off the bombs was inevitable. Say what you want about her hitting Powder and calling her a jinx, Vi is still a teenager with too many expectations and responsibility put on her shoulders; Vander having literally lectured her about how her actions directly tie into the actions of others, and that whatever happens to Mylo, Claggor, and Powder because of that responsibility is entirely Vi's fault, which just isn't true AT ALL. She can't control the actions of others; if they decide to follow her into danger, then that is not her fault. Vi didn't ask for help, they went with her KNOWING that it was going to be dangerous. That, on top of her having to watch Vander and her friends die within a matter of seconds because of her own sister, the only real family she has left, while having to shoulder the responsibility of keeping everyone alive under such dire circumstances, would be too much for ANY teenager to handle. Anyone who blames Vi missed the point of this episode, as well as her character arc in general.

[@strawberryfox8819]

Honestly, it's impossible to blame any of the sisters for this tragedy. While Vi was only a teenager with far too many burdens to bear thanks to Vander and his teachings, Powder was only a desperate child with abandonment issues who was left behind while the rest of her family went off to their guaranteed death. Both are only victims of circumstance and it's a gigantic chain reaction where no character is entirely black and white. At best, the seperation between Piltover and the Undercity is to be blamed for even creating the potential for this situation to occur. But I wouldn't say Vi's reaction to finding out it was Powder is justified. It's understandable, but not justified because as said, both are victims of circumstance in this situation.

[@roombster]

@@strawberryfox8819 I agree completely, I was only speaking from Vi's perspective. While Mylo and Claggors deaths were caused by Powder, it definitely wasn't her fault either considering the situation. Neither side of the spectrum could've known what was going to happen because of their actions, I only put emphasis on what Powder did because everyone seems to have this idea that she became Jinx because Vi reacted so harshly. I worded it terribly, and I'm gonna edit that, but I wasn't trying to blame Powder either. And yeah, justified is a pretty strong word to use. I think what I was trying to say was "inevitable," but the word kinda got lost trying to prove a point.

[@sonofjack6286]

22:35 I love this whole scene. Heimerdinger is floored by Jayce and Victor managing to harness magic, and guys are just floating and giggling with joy like they're now ten years younger, can't say I blame them for that.

[@superabi5214]

I think everyone is misunderstanding that as Silco… you are owning a drug empire and have a bunch of henchmen in a life of crime, your first thought isn’t that you adopt an orphan child. He was 100% going to kill Powder in that moment. But then when she launched herself towards him…he saw himself, he felt genuine sympathy. And he wanted to help put her in the “right” path by taking her in.

[@scottwallbank4794]

The Heimerdinger name was made to reference the physicists of Schrodinger and Oppenheimer.

[@Depression156]

fun/not-so-fun fact: the goggles you see claggor wearing through out the show and the ones on the floor right there at the end of ep 3, are the same goggles vi wears in league of legends if you look up her splash art

[@paulaalejandra7465]

Vi was so horrified that her emotions caused her to hurt Powder, that she moved away to calm down. Her eyes when she saw the blood from when she hit her KILLED ME

[@sweetiebella2571]

Arcane? More like ar-pain 😭

[@tonbokarasu2973]

Heimerdinger's name comes from to famous real-world scientists - Oppenheimer and Schrodinger.

[@spinningredchair8092]

Its insane how much animation can show emotion in fictional characters. That final look Powder gives is something haunting, especially on the face of a child.

[@ookook1331]

there wasn't muiltiple explosions, it was repeating showing different perspectives.

[@3NTR4PT4]

Some cool bits of lore that don't really matter at the moment but just add some cool backstory: Those blue crystals come from an ancient race known as the Brackern, they are crystalized scorpions that communicate through song. The humans from Piltover murdered all of them to gather the crystals from their bodies during the Brackern's thousand-year sleep and there is only one individual left; his name is Skarner. The sound designers squeezed in little hints of the Brackern's song whenever the organic crystals are on-screen. That's what the ethereal-sounding music is whenever they explode, and when we get close-up shots of them. Skarner is set for a rework in the actual game, updating his design and voice and all that, so maybe we'll see him in a future season. Who knows. Its a clever coding of the "colonizers and natives" subject, though. Skarner might be the most tragic character in all of League lore, as he is on an eternal quest to find his family that is no longer alive, and all he hears is the sounds of the crystals really far away from his desert home

[@squirrelbuddi]

After seraphin I believe they're going to retcon the brakern unfortunately because if they don't then it'll turn her into a sadistic torturer. That was one of the backlashes of her release and they probably won't retcon her story since it's new.

[@3NTR4PT4]

@@squirrelbuddi I really hope not, they rewrote Seraphine because of the backlash and now instead of her knowing of the Brackern its just her hearing a "distant voice" and she doesnt even realize who is speaking to her. But its riot games so who knows

[@chitoge7816]

No one listens to the song at the end. The lyrics to goodbye are absolutely gut wrenching.

[@adamyoung6797]

I wish you’d listened to what Silco and Vander were actually saying. It feels like you’re talking over all the subtext

[@user-jq4rj3hs2f]

Montana: how's the group going to work without Vi? Me smiling to hide the pain: what group?

[@taylorh7993]

i adoooore the stylized look of Arcane! when i first saw it, and even now, it reminds me very much of a Canadian cartoon i liked called Storm Hawks, just far more detailed(plus a way bigger budget i imagine). it's that painted-texture look on top of 3D models. plus they had similar steampunky/magical aesthetics. anyone else remember that show? amazing reaction as always, you both have such great observations and theories

[@sleepyghost4994]

If you look at silco's unscared face, he's filled with sympathy

[@jittercritter]

I LOOOOVE this show’s REFRESHING take on science!! It’s so nice to see scientists that are all “science is to make the world better” and “great science should never put lives at risk” and stuff instead of the typical/typical evil science most stories have. Obviously this story has one of those too, a “science first no matter the cost” kind of guy, but he’s a MINORITY. Most of the scientists in this show are for-the-people scientists and I love that

[@zigzagzoom369]

There sure were a lot of comments going "Oh, so Kenny hasn't seen episode 3 , huh?" 😆

[@raistormrs]

Heimerdinger is a stupid name? not to be taken serious? i would take a name combined of the names of J. Robert "Father of the Atomic Bomb" OppenHEIMER and Erwin SchröDINGER "founder of Quantum Mechanics" very serious... very serious indeed.

[@RunningTogether]

Great reaction as always; I’ve really been looking forward to this one! Can’t wait for the rest of these either; this show is so great! I think all the people responsible for that final scene are the true tearbenders, as I cry every time I watch it. The acting, framing, animation, music, writing… everything is great in this episode and especially that scene. Glad to hear Montana’s analysis of Powder’s mental state and looking forward to more analyses (and not just of Powder) moving forward!

[@ryuhitsuya21]

Them talking about the animation makes me want a spiderverse reaction.

[@johanstenfelt1206]

The End of Act 1 of Season 1, the End of the Prologue. Cue Timeskip.

[@jessb6197]

So excited about next episode! It was really cool to see both of your thoughts and theories now that the first act is finished. After watching the series it's so interesting to see people watch it for the first time because I can see how the first act sets up the rest of the series and according to your reactions and theories, does it very well. You two are also the perfect pair to do if because of how your knowledge of different subjects balances out.

[@CrimsonCharan]

It's time to say goodbye Goodbye, goodbye To the show as you know it. I just hope you are ready.

[@galaxystudios370]

how the time seemed to fly

[@HaydrogenBomb]

Best sing in the show, imo

[@bakthihapuarachchi3447]

Yep the title pretty much sums it up

[@HaydrogenBomb]

You said it 😔

[@aspieanarchist5439]

"The animation style is unlike anything I`ve seen". That`s `cause it`s Fortiche, a French animation company that combines 3-D character models, 2-D props and matte painting for a style evocative of Renaissance art. (The final frame of Powder becoming Jinx is based on "The Fallen Angel" painting by Alexandre Cabanel depicting Lucifer`s fall from grace.)They first collaborated with Riot Games on the "Get Jinxed" music video.

[@Falconpunch1231]

For an extra tear jerk, it doesn't get picked up by the subtitles but when Vi grabs Powder by the face and powder is crying, she calls Vi "Mom"

[@wtimmins]

oh jesus

[@deathking1019]

Silco is my all time favourite from the show next to Jinx

[@Orengi-kun]

Silco, Viktor and Mel truly steal the show later on.

[@SaidBKD95]

Silco for his character, mel for her beauty, jinx for her design

[@victorsabino5030]

The reaction is emotional and everything, but I can't stop laughing at Kenny's shirt! I NEED THAT 😂

[@saraislfe14]

Oooo cannot wait for this episode and the start of Act 2 next week😝

[@Wuffskers]

A closer comparison than polar express lol would be spiderverse, this is a bit more painterly than comic-y the way spiderverse is but very similar techniques and aesthetics

[@Hohum37]

Some episodes of "Love, death and robots" have similar visual styles too - but nowhere near the level of nuance of body language and facial expression - down to micro expressions - as Arcane has.

[@tmacandcheese1]

"Vi, it worked!" is such a twist of the knife that's already in your gut. And watching people's faces at that line is one of my favorite things about these videos, and Kenny didn't disappoint 🤣

[@jacintacapelety9600]

The reason the animation seems like nothing you've ever seen before is because it is. They made an entirely new animation engine in order to make this show. It's literally a style that hasn't been done before and couldn't have been done before because the way it was made hadn't been created before. Also, I saw a video recently that summed up the core theme of Arcane: unbreakable bonds of love. Pretty much every major character in the show gets hurt by someone they love. And the easy story telling option would have been along the lines of what Kenny suggested in this video: Vi hating Powder for getting their entire family killed, but they never do that. They never take the easy route. The way in which the characters hurt each other can definitely make things complicated, but the love doesn't die, and it makes the pain that much worse for everyone involved. It's an awesome video, but I can't recommend it at least until you finish season 1 since it's got spoilers for the entire season. It arguably has spoilers for the entire show since it talks about the League of Legends lore, which takes place after the show, which definitely spoils how various things inevitably need to end (unless the writers wanna throw us a curveball, go full AU version and give us an ending that doesn't match with the LoL lore, but I seriously doubt that'll happen).

[@rockerctereo2851]

The entire soundtrack is amazing. Emotional roller-coaster musical trip.

[@jaybugo]

13:36 "B" I felt that.

[@aidmitheonly]

I know this isn't related to Arcane (btw, hope you enjoy it. It's really good), but I personally think you should watch The Owl House. I think you'd be interested in it! Just a suggestion! Like if you want to see them watch it! 👇

[@tvnerd2007]

I second this!!

[@Malika-fx6vq]

yass I also want them to watch it

[@chibi_peach]

YOU'RE WISH HAS CAME TRUE

[@spinningredchair8092]

So when VI saw the Monkey head when she was still buried under the rubble, she didn't know powder set off the bomb, she thought Powder was there and probably dead. You can imagine the roller coaster of emotions she went through when Powder appeared. The happiness that she was alive, followed by the instant swelling of rage the boiled over into her hitting Powder. She also didn't leave to spite or punish Powder, she left because she realized she was letting her anger get the better of her, and needed a moment to cool off.

[@KravenZoro]

She really summed up Powders or Jinx’s evolution and future actions perfectly. 41:41

[@nevetstrevel4711]

Such a fantastic, happy go lucky episode! Love the cake at the end!

[@pepsipwns666]

Hahaha related to Montana saying "Why would you do that, did you see how much was left?" ;)

[@Sam-Ra]

Smartest review despite you missing some stuff during the reaction but you just discover it due to the power of watching again during editing I guess.

[@fdyer]

Seeing Vander like that is so sad, yet so cool. League fans all know what happens to Vander, this was like a little taste of what's to come.

[@turnypz4058]

24:12 "Ok, it looks like they're gonna get out! Great!" Famous last words.

[@cariocadenit]

It's always so fun to watch people blind reacting to this episode.

[@alexanderwheeler3943]

as early as the ally fight, this show was really good at setting up tragedy by making everything seem like it could be okay... and then it's not

[@joshgreiner2599]

Fun fact: Heimerdinger's name is a mashup of Oppenheimer and Schrodinger.

[@rebeccarains5830]

I was thinking the same though regarding the explosion was power “drowning” because there’s there’s this character line where Jinks says “PowPow fell down a well” an that compared with the color sceme with the beginning of blue an yellow orange qn vi calling her a Jinxs led to “reaching for silco” was powered moment of “raging” to save herself😢

[@harrythefish4593]

I feel that the writing in this show doesn't get the credit it deserves. Each character's actions make sense from their point of view. No one seems to act in a way contrary to their character or the information that their character knows (vs what the audience knows.)

[@weirdvideos6758]

24:12 “oh it looks like they’re gonna get out great” famous last words