Oh god.... Psychologist Reacts to Arcane Episode 1

[@TexasSnyper]

I'm 19 mins in and he's still in the intro. YET he instantly understands and reads everything perfectly. WTF

[@Hydro_homie]

By now I’d normally be annoyed but I’m so intrigued lol it’s wild

[@DesmondWainaina-fm6kj]

its almost like a superpower

[@VAL420]

"I hope Powder doesn't blow up." 💀

[@DXDragon38]

Oh, Ed is in for a ride with this one

[@eternal7912]

When your not even five minutes into the first episode and you're already crying, you know your in for a painful but beautiful ride. God, that opening was brilliant.

[@net-42]

I have watched this series like 5 times and 5+ more times as reactions. And I'm TOTALLY down for the 4-hour videos that will inevitably be coming for this series! Buckle up Ed, this will be a ride!

[@kijani6882]

Same here. His videos just popped up in my recommendations and I am so ready!

[@aeriste]

The glitch thing becomes very important, both as altered memories and a vehicle for one's mental state. Your assessment of why it's happening is spot on and it will be revisited in later episodes. She was about 5-8 in the opening. She's about 12ish after the first timeskip. Vi is about 16. And yes, 'generational trauma' was one of the themes of this show and informs characters who are initially-coded as 'good' or 'evil'. Also consider how messed up it is that Powder's toys, which she names, are bombs. That's how normalised violence is to her. Also there's a lot of symbolism regarding the rat becoming powerful enough to take on the cat.

[@aspieanarchist5439]

As Ekko would say "Welcome to Zaun!"

[@hawke5311]

You are the only reactor who I have seen that ascribed any meaning to Powder's name... Interesting.

[@pokelolmc6826]

I always thought that "powder" had to do with her penchant for inventing explosives. She also kind of spent act one as the "powder keg" waiting to explode on her family and the status quo in act one-her finding the hex crystals first, her psychological issues, making the monkey bomb to prove herself...

[@visitinghours420]

I never noticed this but it's quite obvious if you think about it, but the cat and the rat. Cats eat rats, they are above. Piltover is above the undercity and have power over them. That substance made the rat more powerful than the cat, making them above. The idea then is that they are going to use this substance to make the undercity more powerful than Piltover. Never caught that until now.

[@colt1903]

"They wouldn't kill any of these kids" Somehow, the opening moments make me doubt that. That said to me "No one is safe", and I believe it.

[@calvinjohnson6242]

Imagine him reacting to the first couple seconds and immediately grasping half the themes of the entire show. Edit: Oh my god, he predicts almost every major story detail before it happens.

[@spoodermanxxmlgxx]

Holy shit this show is absolutely spectacular for an Ed analysis! Can’t wait to see the reaction to the later episodes.

[@Yutani_Crayven]

At first glance I thought, neat, finally a video that is not completely ruined by weird editing. On second glance I thought, this is way too long. And upon actually watching it I have to say, well done, mate. This is high quality commentary and it doesn't feel like it's dragging on at all, because all of it is relevant. Very well done. Thank you.

[@arthesian]

I am so down for this ride. Glad to join you on this show. Buckle up buttercup, we are in for one hell of a ride!

[@tumbling6940]

I'm 30 minutes in and this is officially the best therapy session I've ever had. Like, DUDE.

[@psyculturists]

Thank you glad you like it ❤️✨

[@sparvierosart]

So happy that you’ve started reacting/analysing Arcane. You’re in for a ride.

[@colt1903]

I forgot how good Milo's lines are. Every single time he speaks, it's something clip worthy.

[@RiriRuruu]

Woah! And here I was thinking how it would be awesome for you to react to Arcane... I am so SO excited for this, Ed!

[@psyculturists]

Just Wait Episode 3 is something special. 😭😭❤️

[@RiriRuruu]

@@psyculturists So you've already experienced the pain huh... I won't be able to wait and might just watch both the vods and the yt upload when it comes out😂

[@psyculturists]

@@RiriRuruu episode 2 will be up tomorrow and Episode 3 will be up the day after ❤️👌 We're doing Arcane on Friday's starting with Episode 4 this week if you want to join ❤️

[@j.f.fisher5318]

​@@psyculturistsI'd highly recommend tacking on the Enemy music video onto either the end of E4 if it's not to late or the beginning of E5. Or a separate reaction between episodes. I wish they'd included the footage in the show because it gives a huge amount of insight into their daily lives in just a few minutes and I'm sure the community would appreciate your take.

[@j.f.fisher5318]

The glitches are meant to be happening in real-time. :( 3 minutes in and you've unpacked most of the core plot from the psychological implications of the opening. Outstanding work. Oh, and you caught on about the name Powder. :D "Where does it end... does it end" Sweats profusy "Accidentally grab a neutron bomb" I feel like bits of the Goiania orphan source incident might have inspired the heist. "Is Powder going to go through something similar?" darn it making me tear up here...

[@nemilyk]

Damn man, you nailed so much of this. Bravo. That's a like, sub, and bell-click from me. Almost unconnected but watching your breakdown here actually helped me start thinking about character psychology in my own story in ways I hadn't considered and finally get a theme going that actually fits, which has been driving me insane for a year. Cheers to you!

[@LusterCandy18]

As someone who has driven himself literally insane before I gotta say this series has a few moments that hit to close to home.

[@gastonpaterno127]

Fking hell dude, I'm 20 minutes in and already crying for this poor guy who is so invested in the characters in just one scene... can't wait to reach episode 3 and have my heart broken for the 50th time

[@Miki_Naz]

I've been shilling this show ever since i started being active in this community. I'm unimaginably happy to see you reacting to it!

[@merodeadorNocturno]

Your words are ominous predictions. Great reaction!!! I loved all of it. You are amazing.

[@sullen1]

Ohhhh I've been wanting to watch you react to Arcane!!!

[@psyculturists]

The first 3 episodes have blown me away ❤️❤️

[@kijani6882]

Aww, late to the party but very much enjoying this! I've watched Arcane countless times by now (by myself and reactions on KZbin) but haven't seen anyone react in so much detail about the psychological side of thing. I appreciate this a lot. As for the lore you mentioned early on in the video, the average League of Legends player probably had a rough idea where these characters are from in the world of Runeterra (the world League is based in), that Vi and Powder are sisters and that there is a connection to Caitlyn. But that's about it, Id' say. There may be a few Lore nerds that know a bit more but I really think it doesn't matter if you know the lore or not before watching this. If you want to learn more about the world the series originates from, I would recommend watching/reacting to videos made by "Necrit". He is the League of Legends lore master and has a ton of content about the lore. As for the game itself, it's nothing like Arcane, just so you know. It's a MOBA and based on 5v5 Online battles and doesn't really deliver much lore. That's what we have Cinematics and Legends of Runeterra for (Strategy Card Game). Looking forward to watching the rest of your reaction videos to Arcane! 🙂

[@Romaviza]

Yes, the more hours of Arcane we have, the FREAKING BETTER!

[@Shiraori999]

League is nothing like the depth of the show. I recommend watching Necrit's videos to learn the lore. Reacting works too.

[@benhill70]

No, don't watch any lore. It will spoil things.

[@Blackheart.735]

Came here after watching the vod for episode 3. Fun episode 😂

[@CertainlyCynical]

Wait… he’s already seen ep3????

[@beyondviolet]

@@CertainlyCynical yes he’s seen the entire 1st act, and he really has been enjoying it

[@chocolucelight]

Please keep going, you're so on point, about so many things, i've never watch such a reaction before, also avoid league lore before arcane, it's more of an adaption based ot it that canon League just so you know. i'm so excited for the few couple episodes comingif you dicaded that! (Greetings from euproe,sorry for bad grammar)

[@ashleypanzica2696]

I usually don't like watching 2 hour long videos on episodes that are 40 minutes long, but man am I glad that I watched this! I love how you dissect every little scene. ❤

[@anderzdraconian1276]

around 53:00 ish Powder's answer to the "where do you feel safe" question would absolutely be "Next to Vi". And you can see in the brawl that happens right after you pose the question, Everything instantly goes to slo-mo the instant VI get's hit. Mylo gets tackled to the ground and punched repeatedly? Cut to Powder backing away from the violence and looking away. Like she doesn't want to see it, but she's particularly worried about the overall situation. Claggor gets hit from behind and starts throwing people like ragdolls? Cut to Powder starting to get a little panicky and tense. Then Vi get's hit. The instant Vi is hurt, the world slows down, Powder looks around at everyone again and the violence and brutality is displayed much more prominently than before, as powder slowly sinks to the ground in fear. Until there is an immediate threat to her life which then restarts her mind and fight or flight kicks in making her run away because she knows her safe place (beside vi) is no longer safe at the moment.

[@anderzdraconian1276]

Another little thing I noticed, which is probably just me way overthinking things but at 1:31:00 ish the little rooftop chat: Claggor - Got his foot stuck. Claggor made a mistake and it caused him to have a bad day Mylo - Tripped on his paint bucket. Mylo made a mistake and it caused him to have a bad day Vi - Someone threw her toy. An outside force she had no control over interfered in Vi's life and caused her to have a bad day In my mind it subtly reinforces that from Powders perspective, Vi does everything right. Even on her bad days, Vi doesn't make mistakes. Again, probably just me reading too much into it and finding things that aren't really there, but knowing how in-depth the writers went for EVERYTHING in Arcane, it wouldn't surprise me if it was intentional.

[@zeckco9932]

Found your video on r/Arcane and I think found another channel to follow ❤❤❤ can’t wait for u to watch the entire season and I can’t wait to see u reacting season 2 when it dose come out.

[@psyculturists]

There’s a season 2 when?? Ahhh I’m so excited ❤️

[@zeckco9932]

@@psyculturists it’s not out yet but it’s in the works, hopefully it out by 2025

[@j.f.fisher5318]

​​​@@psyculturistsseson 1 took 6 years but at least a year was admin stuff finding writers and producers, rewriting, and such. They had a solid start on S2 by the time S1 was released. But yeah they took their time and thought out every bit.

[@derekmarshman6154]

Damn. This is AMAZING! I can't wait to watch the rest of your analysis! I have goosebumps!

[@blumae1170]

Ahhh, its here!! Let's go, I love arcane (this inspired me to draw again), happy to see your reaction. I know I'm late, I literally just saw ep 2 uploaded, been pretty busy. Guess I already the 2nd ep to watch after this one.

[@Denis_Who]

Oh my god, I've been waiting for you to react to this masterpiece of show, you will not be disappointed! Saludos de Argentina

[@psyculturists]

Holaaaaa ❤️❤️ I was completely decimated by Episode 3 it’s so amazing I can’t wait for it ❤️

[@Denis_Who]

​@@psyculturistsEpisode 3 hit hard, it made me cry so much

[@charlestonjew7587]

There's so much symbolism and foreshadowing in this show. The crystals are blue and fragmented but also notice there were 6 crystals in the chest. Powder's sister's name is 'Vi'. Vi is also the Roman numeral for the number '6'. At the end of the season, it wasn't Silco that made Jinx. "Vi did".

[@Thomas20831]

Arcane Journey Hype! also there is a behind the scenes documentary called Bridging the Rift .

[@c.b.m.a1671]

Arcane! Amazing and wholesome show!

[@passarovoador6662]

THIS IS GOING TO BE FIRE

[@audreydoyle5268]

Never even realised, it's typical for Arcane to present a pivotal childhood moment for each main character. I never connected the dots that the very first scene was Powder's first memory. Always took it as just the setting up scene, not a flashback. However, it is. I should have picked up on it, because one, Powder's trauma is represented on screen as white scratches, and two, my own first trauma is also the first thing I remember. This war scene explains why she wanted to fight too. Because she remembered.

[@blackshard641]

26:33 Dude's a wizard at picking up subtext. Took me until my third watch before I picked up the double-meaning in the name. Also, your character analysis, especially regarding attachment styles, is SPOT ON. 56:17 "Is this what League is, essentially? A bunch of 13-year-olds fighting one other?" LMAO! You have no idea how right you are. (numerous times) "What is this SHOW!?" Welcome to the playground, man. This is a passion project that took Riot and their animation studio six years to make, distilled from lore that's been developing for more than 15 years. These are easily some of the best written characters I've seen in any show, hands down. Glad to see you recognizing how amazing this is.

[@Cetadrius01]

you poor poor man, you'll be writting a thesis by the end

[@yuriatsugi3696]

Omg i'm so glad i found you! Your analyses and insights are scarely accurate for the future of the show sometimes. And deep diving into this show through you makes every scene that much more impactful. Like i never really taught that deeply into everything powder went through even before episode 3. And you noticed things i never even taught about even throughout my 20 or so rewatches. So seriously man you're awesome. Thank you for doing these reactions(uωu 人)💕💕 you def deserve more subs! Super glad i found this and took my time reacting to the first episode. Can't wait to watch the rest! (Especially episode nine hehe..)

[@LinDeGenette]

Not only is Powder a cute name, but it ties fine with the expression to "take a powder" - an expression I did not know until reading "IT" - which is to evade a situation intentionally, skip or miss out

[@Shiraori999]

"Don't jinx it" (Omandel, 2023)

[@piersyfy4148]

Damn this is awesome, a little over 15 minutes in and you're already starting to predict what's going to happen haha. Love this show, I'm glad you got to watch it

[@Hydro_homie]

18:38 perfectly said

[@megan2661]

Letsss gooooo. Arcane is very character driven, there will never be a shortage of things to talk about. I love your discussion’s about Powder, I think you understand her character perfectly. But don’t forget to look at Vi too! She’s very much a traumatized child as well. From the very beginning, both of our Protagonist break my heart🥹

[@benhill70]

You'll want to pay attention to the difference in the physically and emotional age of the characters.

[@ConradDunkerson]

Lots of great insights. The 'glitchy' bits you noted in the opening scene are because it is a memory flashback of Powder's. Those scratchy drawings are an effort by the artists to visually display Powder's mental trauma... the enforcers taking on an almost demonic aspect in her memory of the event. Powder's name is short for powder-blue, same as her hair color. The explosives connection is likely just coincidental. The flip side of the problem with Powder being pushed into dangers she isn't ready for is her abandonment issues. Vi has been forced into parentification at a young age and has to balance bringing Powder along on dangerous outings vs leaving her alone with her post traumatic stress, self doubts, and fear of losing another family.

[@idixal1836]

Arcane is a fantastic show. It’ll be fun to see your reaction.

[@ninjahaz0180]

I will be back to watch this, cuz i think this will be so interesting

[@bodoroo4155]

Ed, I don’t reccomend playing league, it's very toxic. But I reccomend learning of it's lore and stories. Necrit's Story of League video is a great start.

[@TouchMeDono]

ngl part of the reason why I haven't been catching ed's stream is because I started playing league again 😂

[@PALWolfOS]

I’m sorry for your loss

[@lop90ful1]

YES IM SOO EXCITED FOR THIS ONE

[@cbb276]

"Let’s say one of them starts to live their own life, and the other starts to feel betrayed by that." I can’t lmao 😂 You figured out Jinx before you even got to meet her👏

[@ChubbyChoncc]

I'm new to the channel and I have only 1 question to ask... How tf are you so good at predicting a character's behaviour? 😂

[@sullen1]

Good character writing follows psychological patterns 😉

[@KeitieKalopsia]

“You know what happens to powder, right? I hope she doesn’t blow up.” Oh, she just blows up everything around her. She’ll be fine tho “Yeah, they won’t kill any kids. Netflix wouldn’t do that.” Love the chat comment that says don’t jinx it lmao

[@derekmarshman6154]

Hell yeah!

[@Trods911]

ooo got my self a pepit right here, lets enjoy the ride

[@gaara_of_the_desert1118]

How did you overanalyze every scene but just breeze past Powder making a nail bomb?

[@avatardm]

Yes! Yes! Arcane lets goooo...

[@8D2BFREE]

dude, pointing out all the most important details and asking all the right questions. And 1:21:29 omg i just got Doritos and i don't get it often. soo yes sir!

[@ManuelAngelMartin-om4xy]

Powder blowing up? Come on! dont be such a jinx!

[@nickthompson6390]

It's amusing to me how natural it is for most viewers to root for a 10 year old girl to be successful in making a nail b()mb.

[@xNathyRibeiro]

The way he got all that from some glitches and Powder's name 😭😭

[@F1rstWorldNomaD]

Nah, dude... The air down in the undercity is so poluted that if your not used to it, you will suffocate. They legit need those respirators.

[@buttponcho101]

Let's go, finally :)

[@TheDarkAdventure]

I definitely suggest Zom 100. It's right up your alley. Goofy but really deep.

[@アキコ2003]

I usually dont enjoy watching stream videos because live chat always cringes me out amd sometimes disctracts tye viewer, but you seem like an awesome commentator so ill try

[@SwmtxheejThoj]

Just wait till you find out about Neon Genesis Evangelion.

[@SquirtleSquady]

oh boy here we go

[@SirGre]

Arcane’s greatest sin is making League look good 😆

[@BelowAverageBeing]

Here we go 😊

[@eduardokerber2931]

this will be a ride and a half

[@Tehblood]

yeah no good thing powder didnt shred a boy with a nail bomb.. lool

[@ChampuStrike]

MY BODY IS READYYY

[@carbuneskinny5797]

Oh damn ... oh ... oh !!!

[@justjuniorjaw]

Took you long enough to do Arcane!

[@TexasSnyper]

it's netflix, they wouldn't kill any of these kids.

[@duckphone07]

I know I’m late to the party, but if you’re looking for a chill and patient person to teach you League, I can show you. If you’re interested I can give you my discord info. Great analysis by the way! Looking forward to watching the rest.

[@HikaHima]

The only downside of your reaction is the comments section you're reading while watching. They are giving spoilers and it's distracting. Perhaps that's how it's preferred for that for you - but I can't relate. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt to watch the next video because I loved your commentary (at 50 minutes so far) and try to deal with it. Hopefully they don't destroy the whole show for you or prevent my ability to enjoy your commentary with the distractions. Fingers crossed no more distracting/spoiling comments on the screen in the next video because I would already love to be a fan of your channel.

[@psyculturists]

Yeah unfortunately with doing it Ina live stream environment you do get people who try to put in spoilers but often time individuals try to stark a conversation on a specific theme presented which is what I appreciate ❤️🙏

[@gojisoar]

Twitch Chat Tries not to Spoil Important Events with Clever and Subtle Jokes Challenge! (IMPOSSIBLE?!? 🤯😱🤡) Now that im done being a hater I just wanna say that. Usually I don't like when people constantly pause with a few exceptions. And you, my friend meet these exceptions because you're so passionate. Not only about psychology but also about what may be going on in the show that I think it's really nice actually.

[@psyculturists]

Yeah twitch chat can be something else entirely. But I have to say even now Arcane is still running in my mind rent free ❤️ I'm excited for S2 coming up soon and also thank you I try to dive deep into the psychology of whats being portrayed

[@joesoq]

ok im gonna cook popcorn

[@logaimathais]

🔥

[@sebastianoltean]

SPOILERS (for Ed only) 18:00 - 18:55 THERE AIN'T NO WAY MANS PREDICTED THE WHOLE SHOW RIGHT HERE! And he says he "doesn't predict stuff". Certified wizard.

[@-.jai.-]

don´t jinx it Ed. you evil genius

[@timmlyy]

We got a chat that hints spoilers, nice lol Either way, I was looking for something lengthy to keep me entertained at work and your reaction/review has been enjoyable so far!

[@absgames9425]

Welcome to Gaza.

[@eduardokerber2931]

It's happening ahhhhhhhhhhh

[@F1rstWorldNomaD]

1:42:00 Yea... Ep1 is literally the least good episode 🤣

[@eldenreaver]

Trauma bonding is when you form an attachment to someone who harms you, like an abusive parent or partner. It's not when you bond with someone over shared trauma. -- You missed an element with the intro statues. The first part of the intro song has them in rigid statue form but when the chorus begins, it's those same character in motion, often with bits of the statue breaking off. The guard begins to fire. The book man runs. The children grow up. -- It's interesting how you spend a lot of time on Powder's psychosocial development but don't bother doing the same with Vi who was there as well. She was in her 6-11 age in the beginning and is 12-18 during the heist. -- "Is this what League is, essentially, a bunch of thirteen year olds fighting one another?" It burns because it's true. -- What does it smell like? The area they are at isn't the lowest by a long shot. Zaun has sewers and canals and while we're used to thinking of poor people as being 'smelly,' they have showers, soap, and shampoo. The primary smell would be the burning of oil/chemtech and the chemical order of the Zaun Grey, which is the haze in the air you'll see. -- Obviously, there's sex work everywhere, but yes, people from Piltover travel to Zaun for recreation and to indulge in behaviors/substances they don't topside. Power's song in the beginning invites them to 'come across the river and see the world below.'

[@psyculturists]

Trauma bonding is where individuals form deep connections with others who have experienced similar or shared traumas. A good article to look into that goes into this is www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3402118/

[@psyculturists]

You did highlight an aspect of insecure attachments that may come from trauma attachments though! Also ooooh I’ll have to look at the intro again 👀❤️ Here’s another article with some more info on it continuumoutpatient.com/blog/trauma-bonding/#:~:text=difficult%20to%20overcome.-,Trauma%20bonding%20is%20a%20phenomenon%20where%20individuals%20form%20deep%20connections,individuals%20and%20their%20mental%20health.

[@killer30556]

LOL. fun game, horrible community.

[@psyculturists]

That bad? 👀

[@killer30556]

@@psyculturists Well in the 5 games I played today and on most days when I play there was almost always someone blaming and shittalking their team. The game is known for its toxicity. Honestly dont know why i dont just mute the chat at the start of every game, saves me an headache. The ping system is good enough for comunication, although even these get misused to harras or annoy.

[@frankb8616]

wow dude .. i get that pausing is your "thing" but GOD damn at least watch the opening scene before you start with some lecture. this show has a magic that works for a reason. The visuals, sound track, direction, etc has to FLOW........ you are ruining your full potential experience. opening scene and final scene cant be paused.. seriously just stop already

[@Slipperyslab]

Just watch the show yourself bruh

[@LeGrosMomoLGM]

Im so so tired of people in tchat saying you shouldnt play league like yeah a part of community is toxic but i mean it's competitive game, they all have toxic side of the community. League lore is awesome, cosplay people are great and most of the players are absolutly normal. Plus saying you shouldn't play league get you away from the ip in general which is a very bad thing because you won't discover gems like Legends of Runeterra their cards game.