Not Like THIS?!? | Arcane Ep 2x3 Reaction & Review | League Of Legends on Netflix

[@troikas3353]

Absolutely everything you need to know about Arcane is explained in Arcane. You do not need to know anything about the game whatsoever. There is no needed supplementary material, there is no homework. It's an extremely dense show and it requires you to keep up with it and think about it but its all there. There's very little you could want to know that isn't answered by the show in some way so far. This was true in S1 and its even more true now as they've made Arcane the core of the entire fictions canon. The Grey is just the factory smog from Zaun's own factories that gets trapped under ground, they stated that flat out in episode 2. And Jinx in this episode states that entire story about the miners trapped underground to show that it was just hallucinations caused by being asphyxiated. Mel's survival was itself the foreshadowing of whats to come with her. They explained flatout in season one, during Jayce's trial, that magic is something only people born with the ability can use. The entire point of Jayce inventing HexTech is that it allows, for the first time, people who are not born as mages able to use magic to use it. He's made machines that allow average ordinary people to use magic, like how the HexGates allow everyone to use magical teleportation the same way that the mage who saved him and his mother from the mountaintop did. But this means that the sheer number of people using magic every day has exponentially increased as everyone can now use it. And if there is either a sentience to the Arcane, or if the Arcane has some kind of push and pull to the way it works then the vast increase in volume of demand put upon it could be having negative repercussions.

[@chrishouseinc]

If I had a nickel for every time a character played by Ella Purnell loses a finger and then gets a prosthetic one, I'd have 2 nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that happened twice.

[@NerdyNightly]

Twice in one year!

[@chrishouseinc]

@@NerdyNightly Both video game related!

[@Eduardo54cenationx2]

First, it was the index finger now the middle finger. Let's hope it's the ring finger next so no one can take her because she's mine 😡

[@KylaTalks]

Don't forget that she froze to death and was eaten by her friends recently, as well! Not losing a finger, but she did have her fingers eaten! Haha. @nerdynightly

[@marcusrouls7472]

LMAO! I didn't even think of that. 😂

[@Heavensrun]

The Hextech thing isn't as complicated as you're making it. Magic is a natural force, with its own will and intent. Jayce and Victor invented hextech, which is technology that harnesses that magic, and the whole point of it is that it's predictable and controllable in a way the arcane typically *isn't*, but the wild runes are the reveal that hextech isn't as controlled as they thought it was. All they were doing this whole time was building up tension by trying to force the system to behave. Unexpected consequence of trying to control the uncontrollable.

[@TheBrandonMinich]

This was perfectly explained and helped me understand it a bit better and I was ok not understanding it anyway

[@illustrated__man]

I saw a comment somewhere a few days ago that episode 2.5 would have just been Ambessa racing around every tailor in Piltover trying to get her hands on the most Balenciaga looking cape possible.

[@brilobox2]

Please, Ballsenciaga got nothing on that cape.

[@mbpoblet]

To be fair, the characters in the show don't seem to understand how magic works either. Some of them understand how to use _parts_ of it, though they're clearly not aware of the consequences (Heimerdinger seems to be aware of some of those consequences, having witnessed them long ago, but he doesn't know what specifically causes them, other than the fact that magic tends to lead to trouble). Both them and us are discovering the extend to which they fucked up when they developed hextech together, which is part of the "fun" of the show.

[@athas65]

Regarding the magic runes thing, im pretty sure that it does happen outside of Piltover - it is the exact reason why Piltover outlawed magic. What they discovered now is that hextech isn’t immune to it either (which was basically Himmerdinger's claim in the first season)

[@brilobox2]

Yeah a few other places also outlaw it completely, I think Demacia is basically all magic nullifying stone and they execute all mages, but everywhere else magic is very common.

[@pabloc8808]

One great detail about Vi vs Jinx is that if you watch closely, you can see they had clear kill shots at each other in numerous occasions but hesitated/held back. Jinx could've shot Vi from behind when she was on top of the pillar instead of waiting for Vi to spot her. Vi catches Jinx when she's falling instead of taking the opportunity to throw a punch. Jinx aims her pistol at Vi's face for a full second but doesn't pull the trigger. The same goes for when Vi's gauntlets glitch out, we know how easily Jinx can wield that rocket launcher but she takes her sweet time to take aim. Vi tackles Jinx and could've easily crushed her (it's literally what the gauntlets were made for) but doesn't.

[@Milhomens23]

I believe that, in this universe, magic exists/happens naturally and some people/creatures access it as part of their nature. Wild runes do happen naturally, that was Heimer's fear from what he saw in the mage wars centuries before. So I understand it as the AMOUNT of demands. So under the Hexgate been used 24/7 to teleport products around or in a battlefield with hundreds of mages casting spells etc etc, is where runes get so wild that really REALLY bad things happen.

[@xxklesx1]

In Lore, Pilltover and Zhaun were towns founded by people who fled from the rune (magic) wars. Thats the reason magic is forbidden there.

[@scriptos9698]

One other possibility is having such a large concentration of magic continually working in a single area, although then the question is why it hasn’t shown up in the other Hexgate Mesh on the surface

[@ourabouras]

The pollution analogy feels rather apt, if you dump a bit of pollution into a lake, for instance, it probably won’t have much effect, but if multiple people/factors are dumping a constant stream of pollution into one lake the degradation of the environment leads to a higher risk of mutations. Pilotover pretended like there wouldn’t be a cost for using hex tech when nothing in this world is free.

[@Milhomens23]

@@scriptos9698 i think i know why, is bc it started there in the botton! In season one, there is a ep where Viktor's nose bleeds why they are inspecting the Hexgate. I think a drop of his blood fell down there. It was the smear Heimer saw on ep 3 and it was what linked Viktor to it. Is just after the nosebleed and the hospital that Viktor goes full on the hexcore study, maybe it was already messing up with him at that point.

[@Hohum37]

As someone who knows nothing about league, I don't keep second guessing whether I need to know it to understand Arcane. I trust the writers, like I did in season 1. We don't need to understand everything immediately.

[@Wrzlprnft]

As far as i know League of Legends and the genre it is, the game doesn't actually feature much lore in it's gameplay. It's more of a strategy game void of a main narrative, and the lore is mainly banter between the characters. Outside of the actual rounds you play, there is most likely a lot of "flavour text" and other narrative descriptions around, as well as a bunch of short stories and stuff outside of the game, but similar to Dota 2 and Smite and the likes, actually playing the game doesn't give you that much worldbuilding. If you want to, you can probably read up on the characters and locations on the Internet or view the cinematics/trailers made for the game without ever touching it. Though that might spoil some things for Arcane (like V joining up with the Enforcers at some point) or might be outdated, as some of the worldbuilding/characterization seems to be changed for/with/due to Arcane.

[@darkguardian50]

@@Wrzlprnft both right and wrong. Its not a strategy game in any sense of the word. Its a MOBA (Muitlplayer Online Battle Arena), based around the concept of DOTA which is what started the whole genre back when it was a Starcraft mod. Most of leagues lore though is as you say, not in the game but rather on the website. Its in champion descriptions, cinematics and music videos. In game you learn precious little about the champions. And the writers have shown that they are not afraid to completely rewrite the lore from said website. Which is honestly the way to do it.

[@lonely_viking6219]

You don't

[@Heavensrun]

The gold shimmer *is* the foreshadowing. They haven't revealed Mel's abilities yet, (if she has any,) people are speculating that that's what protected her at the end of last season because her survival seemed so unlikely. At this point the show is just treating her survival as miraculous.

[@wild_lee_coyote]

The thing about Caitlyn strike team (Maddie, Loris, Steb), they all stepped up and fought at the memorial. They did have do some training while Jayce build them Hextech weapons, then probably some more before going down into Zaun. The thing is while they were searching for Jinx, they didn’t actually fight her. Jinx is the boogeyman and VI knows they would be a liability Jinx can exploit. Especially when they are walking into Jinx’s turf. She was saving them.

[@ourabouras]

If you go back and listen to what Councilman Salo said during the meeting in S2Ep1 the attack on the memorial happened the same day Caitlyn introduced her Shock Unit, which means Vi met and got drunk with Vander 2.0, they woke up and met Maddie and Abe Sapien 2.0 the next morning, then they went to the memorial service and got attacked, they decided to form up as the Shock Unit, and had Jayce create bespoke hex tech all within 24 hours. This is a failing on the showrunners side for trying to cram in all of this story within two short seasons when they really needed three. I mean by the end of S2 Act 2 Loris and Steb are still nothing more than trumped up NPCs, I care so little about them, but if you compare them to a character like Huck by Act 2 of S1 we knew something about his personality and motivations, he was this fleshed out character that you both pitied and despised.

[@deanfebruary929]

19:50 I think you need to seriously watch the episode again man. The Professor clearly says that whenever mages to mage shit, calamities and horrors always happen and he thought it was due to the mages themselves but it seems like it’s the Arcane rebound or whatever.

[@pabloc8808]

Heimerdinger literally says it in S01E02, the exact words he uses are the title of the episode ("Some Mysteries Are Better Left Unsolved), and it's his entire tug-of-war with Jayce in season 1. Jayce gets him kicked out of the Council for trying to outlaw Hextech, which Heimer did because he saw with his own eyes the destruction mages can unleash.

[@turinnturambar]

The thing about magic is the characters in the show also don't know much more than audience about the magic. Magic is also a new thing in Piltower, so they also continue to discover with us. They already mentioned there are magic users around the world but hextech(arcane) is magic stones that works with runes. Hextech doesn't make you magician, anyone with knowlodge of it can use them (like Jayce and Victor). Black Rose looks like magicians/wizards. And shimar is not magic, it is a chemical. And the reason they brought these 3 random polices because of their resistance against undercity attack at the memorial. Caitlin used "Grey" to just catch Jinx, she didn't kill them. They're alive just having hard time to breathe (in long terms it's deadly) but it's deadlier for the topsiders because the undnercity was more used to that air. That was explained in the first season by Sİlco when talking to other chemical barons.

[@stacysmom9926]

Piltover is above ground so the grey can go away much easier, Zaun is underground hence the need for a ventilation system. And the way it’s being used by Caitlyn, I highly doubt that much smoke+chemicals at once wouldn’t kill you pretty quickly

[@turinnturambar]

@@stacysmom9926 It can go away easier but it effects them more the moment they breathe it. That's why enforcers use masks when going to undercity. At first season Silco literally mentioned how the air was way more toxic before in the undercity and now it's clearer, thanks to him. He didn't even needed the mask while breathing it as he was used to it more than others.

[@EvgeniyYakushev-m2u]

"Caitlin used "Grey" to just catch Jinx, she didn't kill them." It's literally chemical warfare, what the gas can do is shown in the Kirraman short story, with skulls and lungs on pictures giving insight into how the gas affects people. In season one, Jayce says that Viktor is sick because of the gas. The fact that it may not kill you right away (or maybe it will), but it will give you "magical cancer", does not justify Caitlyn's actions at all.

[@turinnturambar]

​@@EvgeniyYakushev-m2u I didn't say it justifies anything, I just said it doesn't kill them right away. Victor breathed that air for a long time, that's why he was effected so much. Like I said air was way more toxic back then. That's why her mother explained as "Undercity deserves to have clear air." The reason Cait is going this far is because of the attack at memorial, which was also for her mother, with "Shimar". Going after Jinx with just standard equpment is suicide, they lost so much in very short time. Like Cait said, everything was falling apart. And this is how they don't allow it, as Vi said. Jugding people's actions just as watchers(third person) is easy but when we found ourself in similar situtations, who knows what would we do..

[@EvgeniyYakushev-m2u]

@@turinnturambar I highlighted the main argument, you said that she didn't kill them. I think they killed a huge number of people along the way, including innocent ones. I don't know why you're explaining to me why this happened.

[@xXTheRedrubyXx]

Jinx did reroute the Grey to piltover big difference is Zaun is mostly underground and the Grey can only stay around while the Grey can still disperse in piltover especially with how little was sent above. Also what was behind the statue was strong winds not more of the Grey.

[@solitaryrecluse7740]

There's a funny thing when it comes to using poisonous gas as a weapon. It's a war crime if used by armies, but perfectly legal if used by a police force. Now that I think about it, maybe it's not so funny 😅

[@DoctorAvenue]

The way I interpreted Jinx saying it wasn't supposed to happen like this is that I think she was genuinely intending to die in that tunnel and take Vi with her.

[@CostanSequeiros]

I agree with this and it's also how I interpret it. Jinx didn't use the Grey on the surface 'cause she doesn't care about anything. As she said in the previous episode "she's going to take care of what's left of her family" (herself and Vi) so I think she prepared everything to make it look like a real threat to make them go all out on her and finally get her to die. That's why there was only paint and why she's telling Isha to get off when she wants to get shot.

[@VinniePaul91]

The point is that you basically understand as much as the characters do about the magic stuff going on.

[@Hohum37]

I'm assuming Piltover police don't get great training, this isn't 20th century SWAT. So knowing they are all fairly poorly trained, who do you want on your five man team? People you just saw being brave in the memorial service attack. Also, Vi has already met them all, and won't want "generic Enforcer bruisers" for obvious reasons.

[@OhmIsFutile]

The reason fake surrenders are warcrimes is because, the moment the information spreads, everyone else who is associated with that party and willing to surrender will then be met with deadly force instead. Also, magpie is not her name. She's Sevika. I have no idea why the writers have seemed to avoid her name so much despite it being mentioned several times in season 1. Also also, I kinda agree that they're starting to pile on several plot threads and the coexisting magic systems are getting to be a bit much. That said, I'm still enjoying the ride and I'm glad you seem to be enjoying it too.

[@brilobox2]

Its all related to the Arcane, just different refined manifestations of it. They are massively overthinking it and hurting themselves in their confusion.

[@brilobox2]

The Arcane is like a river. Magic users have to wade into the river to use it but if they aren’t careful they get swept away. Hextech is like damming the river. You don’t have to wade into dangerous water anymore but the river is actually alive and it really doesn’t want to be contained.

[@Wrzlprnft]

The "threat of violence" for a parking ticket is not that you have to pay for the parking ticket. That's still you complying with the rules, correcting your mistake, and acknowledging that you should have payed for the parking spot. If you don't want to comply with the latter and think parking fees are a bs rule in general, you as a indivudual are going to be met with some sort of violence/violation at some point trying to defy the rule. With a working democracy, you might be able to sway enough people to change the rule, but that's not a interaction with the law/rule, that's an interaction with the ethics of the dominant socioeconomic group.

[@dead_cea9365]

Basically they are misusing magic. A person uses magic and that has a personal cost. In the series it has been used as technology making constant use of it which is reflected in the place

[@adamyoung6797]

League has dozens of types of magic, but they usually fall into a few color coded types. Blue, green, gold, red, etc. they could make an arcane level show a dozen times over. Idk what they’ll do after Piltover

[@darkguardian50]

episode 5 and 6 give us a pretty clear clue

[@adamyoung6797]

@ noxus you think? I wanted miss fortune haha

[@natanaru]

Nerdy is totally right here. Nonphysical violence is a thing. I you break a law, regardless of whether it is financial costs or being locked up IS violence. If someone forcibly takes your money from you, you are actively damaged by it. As a society we choose that only the state is the one who can enact violence in a lawful form. This is a relatively complicated topic however so i understand Claroos's confusion/disagreement with the premise.

[@carronline1]

dont try to look at who the "good guys" are in this, there are good people on both sides and bad people on both sides, each having their own ideal of good

[@AngeloBarovierSD]

Reminds me of: “Good and bad? Don’t get distracted by that. It will just confuse you. Good men do bad things, like Fred Johnson. And bad men do things believing it’s for the good of all mankind.” - Anderson Dawes

[@candybearxiii]

the sense of time you feel it by action and the edits they show early in each episodes with the songs. From my pov about jinx explosion it's suppose to set off as a celebration that she died hence the colors like fireworks. About magic himerdinger said something about the arcane give u power but with a cost he thought it because of human nature but he hypothesis that its a system built in the arcane itself ( everything have a cost that's why the hexgate which massively built comes with great cost and did all of this) arcane is one kind of magic in this world, there are many celestials with powers and people worship these celestials . I know from a watcher point of view is confusing because they throw all of these kind of things in a short window but there are tons of lore that need seasons to finish. The world is like marvel/DC Just to make sure Arcane season 2 is the final season for ARCANE they will expand with many regions to come with different name hope you enjoy the next 3 ep they are fire

[@merdufer]

Mages intentionally try to control and harness the magic. It's basically a two way conversation between the mage and the arcane through the runes. But when hextech is used, nobody is directing the magic. There is a set of initial instructions from the runes on the hextech, but after that the arcane is in full control. There is no mage with years of disciplined study in charge, just a hextech user flipping the on switch. This wasn't a problem when hextech was in its less powerful form, and the arcane was only whispering to its user. But the hexcore is basically a megaphone for the arcane, and it wants to be heard by the whole world. Wild runes are the sound it makes when no one else is in charge.

[@Listenhome9729]

Definition of Violence: Violence refers to the use of physical force, power, or aggression, intentionally or unintentionally, to cause harm, injury, or damage to individuals, groups, or property. It can take various forms, including physical, psychological, emotional, sexual, or structural harm. Key Aspects of Violence: Physical Violence: Direct harm to the body, such as hitting, kicking, or using weapons. Psychological or Emotional Violence: Causing mental harm through threats, intimidation, or humiliation. Sexual Violence: Acts of sexual nature carried out against someone without their consent. Structural Violence: Systematic oppression or harm caused by social structures, such as poverty or discrimination. Symbolic Violence: Subtle, often culturally normalized forms of harm, like perpetuating stereotypes or exclusion. It can occur in various settings, including domestic, societal, institutional, and global contexts.

[@Eduardo54cenationx2]

There is Shimmer which is a drug. Then there is Hextech which is Magic harvested through Technology And then there is your regular Magic stuff, I call it "Natty Magic"

[@brilobox2]

Shimmer may also be magical, as the flowers its extracted from may have inherent magic. Just not as magical as Hextech. Like a smoldering campfire compared to an industrial incinerator.

[@testdummy7379]

we also dont know what that stuff around mel is either because mel isnt in any lore for league before arcane

[@simmysims2923]

All laws in our society are backed by the threat of force. That's why the cops are called law ENFORCEMENT. Laws that aren't backed by force are generally referred to as "unenforcable", and people basically ignore them. If you break a law that is enforced, you face the prospect of being forcibly detained by law enforcement and either being imprisoned or having your property taken from you (in the form of fines). If there was no threat of force, why would you ever pay a fine?

[@turinnturambar]

Girls Night: Pillow Fight Boys Night: Hangover

[@erinhaury5773]

As far as timing goes, I took it as each MV section was the time jump forward. A few days in Ep 1, a few weeks in Ep 2, another few weeks in Ep 3, etc. One would imagine that the MV of Caitlyn's strike team using the gas to clear out the Lanes took place over several weeks as well. They couldn't have covered that much ground on foot at the pace they were going if they only had a few days. By Ep 4, I imagine several more weeks have gone by, judging by an early scene with Maddie. I think there are some jumps that are smaller, but overall, by the end of Act 2 I believe we've gone a few months since the attack on the Council. ETA: As far as the strike team goes, I think this plays into the time jumps as well as Caitlyn's former position as a beat cop. She likely knew Maddie (redhead w/freckles), Loris (Vander 2.0), and Steb (alien guy who's actually a fish dude) from her previous time on the force. I'd wager that Maddie's comment about "it's good to know there are still some good ones out there" is a reference to the fact that their little group contains some of the few member of the Enforcers who aren't corrupt. It's likely that Cait does trust them a great deal. Maddie in particular will come into play more in Act 2, so I do think there's a plan storywise for why these characters are being introduced now. I honestly find the writing in this show is so tight that nothing is introduced without a payoff, at least so far. Each character serves a particular purpose, whether large or small, as a catalyst for further character development with the mains. This season is particularly snarled up with characters and storylines, so I get that it feels really busy, but I do trust them to pull everything off by the end.

[@boomarcus22]

I know this is old, yes there was a mini time skip during that music video lol Edit: Yea thats how I was thinking about it @25:12 28:10 Agree.

[@sVieira151]

Arcane, in a nutshell: "Well, that was awful..." 😅 Really enjoying this season as well. I'm not a LoL enjoyer either so some of the lore related things sometimes fly over my head but those are fairly minor complaints because the storytelling overall is excellent.

[@Ringoroadagain6]

44:50 "Not the war crime gays" I'm stopping myself from making a real-life reference 👀

[@beethewizard]

The world is called Runeteera as it is a very magical world although magic is outlawed in some regions.

[@maxofmercury]

I'm somewhat convinced that unless events just pick up immediately where we left them, weeks just pass and we only check in on the characters when something important happens. the whole elite strike force thing could have easily been two months... at least

[@hejtamo7923]

piltover is not the only place that bans magic, you dont see that in this series cause its localized on piltover and zaun ( you get a glimpse of noxus with ambessa, noxus didnt ban magic and a lot of shady things happen there, and even one world ending scenario can be caused from there with the use of magic), it is not to say magic is bad per se, it can manifest in many ways, you can think like there are levels to magic, think of hextech for example, hextech is great feat of magic and science which can do great things but is nowhere near in power scope to where it leads to, that big sentient magic sphere or whatever it is.

[@hejtamo7923]

and dont confuse color of the magic with anything, magic just manifest itself trough different mediums, words, movement, artifacts (probably mel surviving situation), rituals, there are different types of magic for sure, and there are different ways to channel some type of magic but it all comes from the same pool. it is established in first episode that magic exist, it is a fundamental law in this universe, and probably needs some kind of sacrifice, we can see that when viktor heals people that it exacts a great toll on him (but he manifests something arguably good), some magic requires sacrifice for example, some require a deal with an eldritch being. you also have to take in to account that piltover knew about magic, they just banned it from using, and that hextech is a new kind of magic that is blended with science (the show shows this really good in my opinion, that this is first time happening in their universe), and we can see all malfunctions and mishaps in real time with them, they are literally creating a new kind of conduit for magic that is science.

[@DeversonBasilio]

Zaum was in this apartheid regime for years. With Vander, there's 'peace' but not change. Enforcers still subdued the people of Zaum, who were treated as second-class citizens of the same city just for leaving for another neighborhood. With Sillco, there's almost independence but he sacrifices the people using drugs for loyalty. Jinx didn't know that it would be independence, she knew about the deal, but with Silco dead she thought it would be impossible,so she acted (in a chaos tantrum) and tried to eliminate the established order. For the first time in years, (since the Vander revolution 1x1), people from Zaum see that they can't take it anymore. (Not the way that I would do it, but she is good at destroying/creating things)

[@RandomSpaceChicken]

We all know that we need to talk to Uncle Roger when talking about emotional damage

[@thehaldirgames1599]

i think mages are rare in this world they exist and people know of them but they arent common

[@ankurpashine27]

i also, havn't played league, but what I understand, or guess, arcane is like an artificial magic created using runes that are maybe like an ancient language to control essence of magic in enviornment which has a natural instinct to it that's going wild, while other things like black rose are innate magic common to particular families which is already natural, so it doesn't go wild like arcane, thus these incidents haven't happened before elsewhere, at least to out knowledge

[@tellyg47]

This is so simple. Hextech is controlled arcane (magic), or harness magic. Black rose has nothing to do with Piltover? Why would they only be one type of magic, that would just be limiting itself? Purple magic? Slimmer isn’t magic it’s a drug from somewhat magical flowers and other ingredients. If you can’t keep up rewatch season 1. Back to Hextech, magic has always been danger which has been said multiple times. The whole point of season 1 was Jayce and Viktor wanting to be able to harness magic safely, and that is Hextech. Viktor wanted to heal himself using Hextech (controlled magic/arcane) but he soons finds out that Hextech isn’t as controlled as he thought (sky’s unfortunate death). Green smoke magic is literally hallucinations from the gas? Which was super duper clear :) and it’s super easy to go back and see it

[@ObliterateDestruction]

Thank you David Harbour and Anya Taylor-Joy! Great reaction!

[@akashsandhu2931]

Funny thing the rune magic is more tactical kinda magic. Like it can be used to illicit certain 'response' from a source of the magic. THE ARCANE however is like its own source thats SO MUCH DANGEROUS. Think of it like praying to a particular god and that gods power level defining what will happen.

[@CruelDwarf]

Using less than lethal chemical agents isn't actually war crime for law enforcement purposes. It is a weird quirk of how convention on chemical weapons works in the regards of warfare. You cannot drop tear gas on enemy combatants IN WAR not because it is so terrible. It is because the opposition could mistake tear gas for a lethal chemical weapon and respond in kind. You can totally gas civilians (non-lethally) with chemical weapons under international law just fine. Because civilians do not have hidden VX stockpiles to retaliate with.

[@JayStorm199]

As someone who knows the lore, i agree, they don't really explain the magic well and some of the worldbuilding like chemtech (chemicals use to power tech like the green liquid and shimmer is this as well) even though it's there.

[@walruss106]

Faking surrender is a war crime because we very much want armies to honor surrender. If someone who surrenders is likely to attack you anyway, we're more likely to do violence to peaceful PoWs. For everything else, I think some of it is actually well-explained and some isn't but it all seems like fair critique to me (except missing The Grey, which they say like 180 times, but we all have those moments sometimes lol). For example, there's like a three-second shot of a Piltover kid whose eyes and mouth were messed up by The Grey being used as a prop to support Ambessa's power grab, and that's the only confirmation we get of the fact that the attack had victims. The show does stuff like that a lot, and fans (including me!) will say "oh well it's there you just weren't watching close enough." But if you make your show but so dense, it's impossible for those details to even register, much less resonate. I think the vagueness is intentional, because as you say it focuses you on the emotional realities of the story instead of the logistical questions. I see it as a strong storytelling choice most of the time. But sometimes it does leave me going "wait but how does any of this work?" Also the people who commented on your confusion in episode one are scoundrels and villains. You aren't supposed to know about the shield yet, it's supposed to stand out as weird, and you're supposed to carry that question forward. They spoiled you on a later plot point.

[@gros_lemming8439]

i think the plan was to smoke up piltover with the grey, Jinx added paint along the vents so when the gaz reach its target they'll know its an attack against piltover wither the same weapon their are using against the zaunites. The only thing is, i don't think that jinks has anticipate the fact the grey would vanish in the air without causing any damages to her enemies because the gray was something causing trouble in the underground where it can't dissolve in the air, but in the surface, it only dissolve into the atmosphere. I don't know the League of Legends universe outside of arcane, but i guess mages use different type of magic, eitheir by channeling it through some people gifted to use it naturaly, or using rune to achieve magic even for people that are not gifted. In season on Jace said hextech said he was creating magic through science, he just devlopped a tech that could allow people that are non mage to use magic via some tool; un season 1 Emerdinger also said he saw some magic "seed" in the past, talking about the hexcore, i think he saw non mages using runes to achieve magic and causing damages. In this episode, Emerdinger says that he thought that cataclysm caused by magic was the result of people corrupted by the power of using magic, but seiing the corruption caused by the wildrune, he now theorize that maybe overusing the rune leed to cataclysm because the rune can go wild if overused. Magic will probably more explained in the nex episodes

[@stacysmom9926]

As long as the grey is removed from zaun, she’s achieved her mission. Getting some people from piltover sick is just a side bonus

[@gros_lemming8439]

@stacysmom9926 i am not entirely sure if the plan was to make the piltovers taste their own medecine (a.k.a. attacking them with the grey) or if it was to just let the grey go away from zaun. This gaz comes from pollution in a close space, i bet it's something you can't evacuate indefinitly

[@kerraii2008]

One way to learn, Read every game characters flavor text and their combat skills. Then go watch every video that has been made about the game characters.

[@CostanSequeiros]

I don't think the gold piece is a shield at all. There's been no mention on it, doesn't look like that, etc. I think it's easier to explain that a missile shot from such a distance isn't actually that precise, and it is shown to have landed to a side of the room, a bit, so it probably went a bit over the head of Mel and exploded a bit further away and did a lot of damage to the room and some people, and all that damage eventually crushes people and such more than the explosion itself killing everyone.

[@brilobox2]

Its definitely a magical shield of some kind. You can see a circle around Mel where the blast had no effect. Also Act 2.

[@CostanSequeiros]

The circle is a point, but still not convinced at all. And not getting into act 2 to not spoil for anyone, but I don't think it is a shield having seen act 2.

[@krecikpl5516]

Ok so i will try to clarify a bit, league lore is full of magic, but its not like Harry Potter where magic is made with rules same for every one. Hextech Cristals are just one of many magic objects in runeterra, that piltover learned to use using science. Mel Powers arent explained yet bcs she is going to be next added charakter to league so they wont spoil her abilities

[@Lowlandlord]

To be fair, my understanding of the lore is that alotta this is new. LoL lore is kinda patchwork, over years of building on it with different writers. This is kinda rewriting it to make it more consistent. What I gather is that there is normal magic, and Hextech is just magic with a different brand name for the Piltover customers, and feed Jayce's ego. There is only the one magic, and multiple paths to it, the Hextech path is kinda DIY magic from the POV of a scientist who wants to codify it all, but also doesn't understand the rules. The witches got their own thing, which seems kinda Sith-ish in inspiration. The guy that teleported Jayce off that mountain when he was a kid seems to be more Jedi, and what I know from the lore that mountain is full of kinda Neutral Good-ish monks and priests on a magic mountain with magic crystals. They are a faction in LoR, which I know alittle more about. I would keep in mind that "elite strike force with minimal training" is very much in keeping with modern police forces in the US and Canada, and also military forces going into WW1. Months, or even weeks, of training is a fairly modern concept that we learned after years of trench warfare. Actually, in ancient warfare where they conscripted tens of thousands of soldiers to fight in complex formations, most nations, including Greeks and Romans, likely provided no training on how to do any of that before they were actually marching off to war. All the evidence suggests that even Spartan's vaunted "training" was athletics and aerobics, not fencing or martial art training, or how to march or fight in formation. We take that stuff for granted, also narrow ways in which we use words being different from broader definitions. Not sure I would break it into acts as much as chapters, just because it is looking like it will be eight sets of three, and acts don't tend to go that high I think?

[@mangalores-x_x]

Magpie is called Sevika. Smeesh just used it to belittle her. also police deploys smoke and tear gas all the time. The issue with chemical weapons is their deployment and their targets. They did not used it to poison all of Zaun, they use it to get the tactical advantage being only five people so they do not have to kill people. Tactically this would be done both by police and by soldiers in urban combat. They targeted combatants with it. It is a war crime in conventional combat when indiscriminately targeting population centers or troop concentrations. E.g. white Phosphorus can be constituted a war crime when used against cities, white phosphorus is also used in pretty much all smoke devices the military uses for military purposes, e.g. to obfuscate their own troops Not saying it is a nice thing, just that it is not that clear cut.

[@darkguardian50]

There's 4 different kinds of "tech" at play here. There's Hex Tech (blue), Chem Tech (which is the shimmer stuff (green/pink/purple), Black Rose (black) and then the Arcane/Wild Rune stuff. Now NONE of that is stuff from inside the game solely. Its all from here inside the story. So no, you don't need to know the lore. There are absolutely easter eggs, but those are other things you won't even notice unless you know to look for them. So much as I hate to say it, it just requires you to pay attention. And yes the story feels like its the anithesis of shows that "start slow". This show feels like it is running at 100 miles and hour all the time and its very easy to miss stuff. Most of the time they do a pretty good job of hiding how quickly things are moving, but its definitely not perfect.

[@BlackShardStudio]

Came for the Arcane, stayed for the philosophical discussion.

[@ericmicke4130]

Ya know I have the same feeling all throughout the show about how much of the world is there and a thing but we don't kind of know much about? But especially after watching episodes 4 through 6 I think so far the show has ultimately come through with justifying and explaining what's happening so I'm hoping that by the end of it all these questions will be answered. But apparently the League of Legends universe is so much larger that yeah we might be seeing or dealing with things that are from elsewhere and part of the world but not necessarily important we know all about for the purposes of the story they're telling. So it's possible we won't fully understand all of these different forms of magic and how they work or what exactly it all is. But so far like I said everything I've been questioning has ultimately been answered so I kind of expect that to keep happening. As much as there's information I want to know, if I don't need to know it for the story we are watching I don't necessarily need the show to stop and go into it.

[@melismati]

Very happy to have honesty.

[@Sharpester]

I think Arcane was supposed to be 5 seasons, but after making the first season they realized that was too much of an undertaking in time and money. But by shorting the series, most likely after the first season was written, they've had to shoehorn the last 4 seasons into one, which is why lots of things get hinted at but never explained to the viewer. More of a "if you know, you know" type" of content.

[@VinniePaul91]

"Jinx is the good guy here." I'm sorry man but if you're talking in terms of good guys and bad guys you're fundamentally misunderstanding the show.

[@jackspratt7264]

Thanks to presentation and Hugo Boss, people thought Nazi's "looked cool" too. But if you do, then the problem isn't with them, it's with you, because they were still monsters. That opening montage employed the same subversive technique of "glamorizing" the action and violence during a reprehensible act. They did same thing during episode 8 when Vi and Jayce went into Renni's shimmer factory and killed her son. It's meant to disarm you. But if you've been actually paying attention to these characters and their motivations for action, even before the "cool montages", you'd probably conclude that most of them are ethically unsound, if not outright bankrupt or fast on their way to doing something that services that.. Every single character in this show is guilty of doing at least one thing that compromised what most people would consider to be sound moral actions. So, if you get sucked into the spectacle at the expense of the message, then that's what it is. Also Jinx did color and redirect the grey back up to Piltover, it's just that the city is out in the open air on the surface, therefore...

[@kyj6283]

I don't think they're trying to make police violence look cool. I think they're just showing what they're doing in the typical well animated way. But I never got a "yo they're so cool what they're doing is so cool, I wanna be a cop" watching arcane lol.

[@BlackShardStudio]

You guys are NOT ready for Act 2.

[@ourabouras]

So according people who play League of Legends while the game does have some lore what Arcane is doing is independent, so everybody is learning about this world at the same time. I still find it odd that Jinx didn’t give topside a taste of their own medicine by continually flooding their streets with the noxious gas. I guess it hints to the fact that Jinx isn’t actually trying to destroy Piltover just make them pay attention, but it still feels like a wasted opportunity. And according to the guys over on Heavy Spoilers the wall with the intaglio that Sevika destroyed depicted a wind goddess and I’m guessing it was used to help build pressure so the Kerriman’s could blow away the toxic fumes from Zaun. If I had to rate the acts Act 1 S1 is the best followed by Act3 S1, Act 2 S2, Act2 S1, and lastly Act 1 S2. Like you’ve mentioned they rushed this opener, truncating the time needed to properly develop the character’s relationships in order to finish the story within two seasons.

[@gork8468]

Every episode so far has started with a music video montage. Time's definitely shown to be passing... how much exactly isn't always clear, but it's been enough to get the point across for me.

[@layniebear1237]

loved the reaction thanks guys, and i understood what you meant nerdy!~

[@adrainlevy9467]

No shade but the criticism and lack of understanding you both have for the show, is simply that yall memory of what goes on in these episodes, are not the best. They explain every single question/critique you guys have (besides Mel) in multiple season 1 episodes and even in this episode yall just watched. It’s unfair to critique the show on something they did indeed explain not only once but many times. As for Mel, they foreshadowed her gold plates multiple times. They kept highlighting it in season 1 but highlighted it even more so in the finale. Also I don’t agree with that critique either because any story that is an adaption has teases like that, that you find more about later on. It’s slowly laying the seeds. I never played league or know anything about it but understand all of this because it is explained through both the visuals and dialogue. I’ve seen some solid critiques for this show but yall critiques had me scratching my head as it seems like yall forgot a lot of what happened in season 1, which is fair as it has been 3 years, but it makes your critiques a bit cringe, which is odd coming from you two from watching your reactions for a while.

[@brilobox2]

They also expand on Mel’s thing significantly in Act 2.

[@alphshift7857]

completely agree with this, if they 'd just rewatch season 1 and paid a little bit attention to the dialog and what's been laid out there. none of the "the magic isn't making sense" argument would happen, and the biggest proof that they haven't rewatched season 1 is them calling Sevika "Magpie"

[@Mokikimoki]

The criticism about the "magic" system is pretty fair. If you're familiar with the general lore of the universe and the different factions then the things they're showing makes sense and doesn't really come out of nowhere. But for people who just know what the show is presenting there are some things that I think the audience might feel blindsided by. I am sure the show will explain it at some point at least I am sure they'll tackle some aspects of the black rose. When it comes to the overall relationship of the world with magic I think for that people will have to wait until the showrunners will tackle an area outside of piltover & zaun.

[@brilobox2]

You aren’t really meant to understand the magic, especially not at this stage. Most of the practitioners and lifelong scholars barely seem to understand it. Its supposed to be an unknowable and unpredictable force, for the characters and the audience.

[@ranniwolves]

jinx tried to assassinate a group of people who oppressed her and her people for years

[@darkguardian50]

Fun cool fact: The cute bunny gal (according to some people she's actually a snow leopard?) is an original character to the show called Lest according to the subtitles. And from the information I found about Lest, both the character and the actress are trans. So its always nice to see that kinda representation happening.

[@Baileycoltonsummers]

Y'know Caitlynn story arc was Hamlet based right?

[@jimjimcherie]

Can’t wait for you guys to watch the 2nd act sjsjsj Also still waiting for JJK s02

[@jasonmarbach]

Me, eps 1-3: “Maddie is life. She must be protected at all costs.” Me, 5 minutes into ep 4: “Welp. Maddie has to die.” Can’t wait to see y’all react to the next act

[@erinhaury5773]

I am very worried for how they're going to utilize her in Act 3. That Ep 4 setup doesn't bode well, especially with what Ambessa said to Caitlyn.

[@stacysmom9926]

It’s not a good look that she jumped onto Caitlyn the moment she was single, but she *is* being the voice of reason to counteract ambessa, so I don’t think she’s *that* bad? 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@jasonmarbach]

@@stacysmom9926 yeah I’m in no way being really serious, just having fun with my favorite ship. Maddie is best girl. She did nothing wrong at all

[@alphshift7857]

I can't take y'alls analysis and critique seriously (apart from the timeline problems) when you're completely forgetting all the explanations and groundwork season 1 put in. easiest example, if you did you wouldn't call her "Magpie" you would call her her real name

[@tubalord3693]

My dude was sounding like the teacher from starship troopers from a little bit in after discussion 😂 Don’t worry, I’m not calling you a fascist. I just thought it was funny.

[@Hadenjaden100]

You understand as much as the characters understand about the magic they don't know what's happening either that's why they say what is this what the heck is happening. Play come on this what

[@sakshampandey895]

React to jjk suckers.

[@MokiNS1]

All hail Darth Matilda

[@BlackShardStudio]

And her apprentice, Darth Caiter

[@piersyfy4148]

I think a lot of people have some rose-tinted glasses for this show. Arcane is my favorite show of all time, I love it to bits, but season 2 is not as good as season 1 was. It's a lot more flawed and I agree with you guys. It hurts to say it, but it's gotta be very hard to make a masterpiece twice.

[@Blazingstoke]

I love how people have been clamoring for years for _Arcane_ to show Cait and Vi kissing, so the writers gave it to us as an act of pure emotional manipulation on Caitlyn's part, rather than anything genuine. The writers of this show are magnificent bastards, and I salute them.

[@troikas3353]

It wasn't manipulation. Caitlyn's being sincere, she's just blind to the fact she is changing because of her grief.

[@erinhaury5773]

I don't buy that it was any kind of emotional manipulation. Cait really does love Vi, but she's also being torn between justice and vengeance. In that moment, I didn't read it as a ploy, but as a genuine moment of the old Cait poking through the haze of anger and hatred. But when faced with Jinx, she slipped off the edge and entered her dark period, leaving Vi behind the same way Vi left Jinx behind. Maddie, on the other hand...

[@ch33les99]

Nah Cait fucked up at the end there but that was a serious genuine connection for her. Seeing Jinx again just made her see red.

[@Blazingstoke]

Nah, it was manipulation. Vi is worried that Caitlyn is changing, and ask her to promise not to. Cait kisses her, then says, "I won't." Not "I promise", not "I won't change" (though the wording is vague enough for Vi to misconstrue the meaning as that), just "I won't". She's refusing to promise, while seeming to provide the reassurance Vi's so desperate for. Total manipulation.

[@troikas3353]

@@Blazingstoke Nothing about Caits character even in the darker acts shows her thinking or acting that way. Manipulation has never been part of Caits characterization. She's a character defined by earnestness even in her darkest moments.

[@penckok1832]

yall just dont pay attention and yap.

[@tellyg47]

This is so simple. Hextech is controlled arcane (magic), or harness magic. Black rose has nothing to do with Piltover? Why would they only be one type of magic, that would just be limiting itself? Purple magic? Slimmer isn’t magic it’s a drug. If you can’t keep up rewatch season 1. Back to Hextech, magic has always been danger which has been said multiple times. The whole point of season 1 was Jayce and Viktor wanting to be able to harness magic safely, and that is Hextech. Viktor wanted to heal himself using Hextech (controlled magic/arcane) but he soons finds out that Hextech isn’t as controlled as he thought (sky’s unfortunate death). Green smoke magic is literally hallucinations from the gas? Which was super duper clear :) and it’s super easy to go back and see it