Reading Your Unpopular Opinions | ARCANE EDITION (PT. 1)

[@Hohum37]

Why Jinx says "The boy saviour." I'd always thought of it as "I didn't want to be saved, idiot!" - but "You saved other people, but not me." is so much more heartbreaking.

[@ImAmirus]

she blows people up. Saving is the opposite

[@Tekkerue]

The creators said in an interview that they had cut a scene where Ekko tried to save Powder from Silco because the episode ran too long. They didn't elaborate on exactly what happened, all they said was that something dramatic happened between them. I have a feeling this is what that line was referencing.

[@artxroyalty]

@@Tekkerue a part of me is hoping we see that scene or they reference it in s2, especially with talks of them possibly reconciling

[@Tekkerue]

@@artxroyalty I agree! I hope they show the scene in s2.

[@MrRenix1990]

“My values are different from your values” - Rengoku (Demon Slayer)

[@murattunali9391]

Amanda Overton said that "Our Love" is very important for Vander and we'll find out why in season 2...I'm really excited about that...

[@artxroyalty]

@@murattunali9391 WAIT WHAT!?

[@mr.raccoon1999]

@@murattunali9391 👀👀 music plot!?? With an iconic outro backing track!?? The release day CANNOT move any faster!!

[@murattunali9391]

@@artxroyalty They really don't make it easy to wait another 30 days 😭

[@onestepatatime7412]

With regards to (adult) Jinx, I tend to think about the phrase "not your fault, but still your problem"… She can't help what happened to her as a child, how that shaped her and it's very understandable that she struggles to deal with her trauma in a constructive manner. But she should still be held accountable for her actions, at least to a certain degree. The same goes for all the other characters.

[@ImAmirus]

Vander, Silco and Jinx represent the 3 responses to oppression. Vander is docile, Silco is plotting and Jinx is rebellion. Dont tell me Luke Skywalker is a terrorist and should be held accountable.

[@Hohum37]

@@ImAmirus Ekko's response appears to be community. There are other responses to oppression too - organisation, unionisation, peaceful protest - even pressing your oppressor's better nature - which would likely work on Mel, Shoola, Jayce, Cassandra and Heimerdinger.

[@laiag4854]

I'm gonna leave here a hot take: Nobody gives Jinx her part of responsibility. There's a huge debate over who made Jinx, even in the show, and she herself says that Vi made Jinx. Although it is true that Jinx's hurt is character defining in a way, its been 5-7 years. She MUST have encountered Ekko at some point and have an interaction we didn't see, but from what we know Jinx chose to stay with Silco. I doubt Ekko wouldn't try to "save" her, which would relate to episode 8. She chose to kill 6 enforcers to impress Silco, and she does not seem to care about it, she's proud of it. We also see Vi actually worried because she almost seems to enjoy hurting people in episode 6, right before the firelights take her. I think baybing Jinx like literally everyone in the show does not only take away a part of her character (what if Jinx really is just... A bit of a psychopath sometimes? To what extent does she have to take responsibility for her own actions? How did Ekko try to save her? Did he try? What's up with that?) but would probably not help her in any way if we were there. We're missing out, basically.

[@robertgreen6858]

Unpopular opinion, Sevica is the most loyal person in the show, she is just loyal to the revolution instead of individual people.

[@Hohum37]

I mostly agree with that. I don't agree with people saying Sevika didn't betray anyone. She betrayed Vander on a personal level because she was more loyal to "the cause". I also take issue that she's ok with plans to kill Vander and his children, and wonder how that helps the cause - killing his children just seems like spite from Silco. She also seems ok with flooding the lanes with shimmer, so her cause doesn't seem to mind that either. While she is loyal to it, her cause seems... pointlessly brutal. I'd suggest Caitlyn stays true to her beliefs - she's naïve, certainly, but she's willing to open her eyes. Ekko - doesn't appear to swerve from his beliefs at all, and is loyal to his own cause, AND it's people. Ambessa - seems very dedicated to her own cause too...

[@kelravas]

​@Hohum37 Silco needed to kill the children so that people would believe vander had run away. Silco knew no one would believe vandar would have just left without the kids. Hence why he set them a trap. He wanted a smooth transition of power without vandar loyalists causing issues. Leaving powder alive and raising her as his own was the first time he put her above his own plans for zaun.

[@Hohum37]

@@kelravas That's certainly possible, although I expect anyone that knew Vander likely doubted it, and Ekko was still around to say otherwise - although that's the lone voice of a child - it's backed up by the corpses of Benzo and some enforcers though. It's not entirely clear when the Vander statue was erected - if it was afterwards - then it probably shows Silco wasn't believed. He had the "money and the muscle" though.

[@elodie4629]

⁠@@Hohum37but how did she betray vander if she was only loyal to the cause? she followed and supported him because at that time, vander was the face of the revolution. when she realised he no longer wanted to fight, she left and she told him straight away too. that’s why she had no problem joining silco, he wanted to free zaun as much as she does. the means by which that happens don’t seem to matter to her, as long as that get her and zaun closer to freedom. (now flooding the streets with drugs to get more people on silco’s side or killing vander and his children aren’t great decisions lol, i agree.) edit: i’d recommend watching a video analysis of sevika recently made by shape by stories. the video does a great job at analysing sevika’s character and her motivations.

[@artxroyalty]

@@Hohum37I agree for the most part, but I always saw it more as Vander betrayed Sevika first

[@ChubbyChoncc]

About Caitlyn's plot armour, I think the commentor is spotted on. She survived like, what, 3 explosions near her already 😂 First was in ep.2, Jayce took a hit and still alive so understandable. Next was in ep.4 which you were discussed, also understandable. But the explosion in ep.7 was... Uhm... Yeah, just straight up plot armour. I swear to god if Caitlyn replace her mom at the Council that day she wouldn't be dead even if she took the rocket face-on because reasons lol.

[@artxroyalty]

@@ChubbyChoncc ooooh the explosion in episode 7 I hadn’t even considered! You’re completely right! That blast was enough to blow Marcus’ arm off but all Caitlyn got was a cut in her leg 😂 VERY good point

[@aranthur]

I thought the implication was that the explosions of the mechanical firelights were actually each very small but they were designed very specifically to land on the Enforcers and their weapons? Not wearing a uniform or carrying guns is what kept Cait and Ekko alive

[@ChubbyChoncc]

@@aranthur I do know the reasons but Marcus's gun is literally pointed at Caitlyn's face so it's still weird how she just got a scratch in the leg.

[@aranthur]

@ChubbyChoncc And Ekko survives the grenade with only an injury to the leg. In both cases, the camera cut away and the two of them got further from the bomb than we last saw them before it exploded. Why is it more acceptable for one than the other?

[@ChubbyChoncc]

@@aranthur Oooh I forgot about that. Yup that's another plot armour for sure.

[@Hypura]

Marcus was well written and his story is tragic. He was designed for the audience to hate him, and I get that, but my potentially unpopular opinion is that he is as much a victim as he was an instigator. He made (poor) choices, regret them, tried to fill the shoes of his mentor, tried so hard to redeem himself but failed spectacularly. I can’t help but feel pity for him despite how unlikeable he is. Was his fate deserved? It’s hard to say.

[@AndyBestHP]

I agree, his story feels like part of a kind of second layer around the core that adds nuance and detail to how the people in the story are a product of the overall environment, and that when we (IRL also) see that and decide to break the mould, we are suddenly confronted with a litany of challenges and complications.

[@artxroyalty]

@@Hypura my main issue with Marcus lies more within the first act. His constant need to escalate things and his condescending nature was nearly insufferable. I understand the bind he got himself into in the acts that followed, but I always had a hard time with liking him as a character.

[@Morbacounet]

As a league player, seeing Vi pick up her gauntlets was something. It's like adding the final piece in the puzzle. I fucking love her fights on the bridge and against Sevika but she had to have those massive things on her fists at some point. It's part of her character.

[@onestepatatime7412]

Jayce not recognising the dangers of Hextech even after they made the gauntlet and laser-thingy and Heimerdinger specifically pointed out that these tools could be abused is truly wild and indefensible to me. Granted, he's always been a bit reckless, but at that point he wasn't just being naive anymore but willfully ignorant and irresponsible. I wouldn't describe myself as a Jayce-hater, but I do think he is one of the most frustrating characters to watch because his arguably worst trait - being too easily influenced by others and letting them push him into things he doesn't actually agree with to the point where he kind of loses himself - is very relatable to me. So I guess I'd say that he pushes my buttons in a way that other characters who are much worse people don't, simply because his behavior reminds me of my own weaknesses. Plus this trait of his is not explained by some deep-seated trauma or anything - it's just kind of an annoying aspect of his personality that you have to deal with as a watcher without really understanding where it comes from.

[@Morbacounet]

Jayce is a people pleaser but he's also completely lost. He starts the week with no real stress in his life. His biggest problem is the content of a speech. At the end of the week, he's at the head of a city on the brink of civil war and he's desperately trying to find a solution. He's a newbie with no experience, it's completely normal for him to seek advice and being influenced by other with more experience. I completely agree with you about his carelessness with Hextech.

[@Hohum37]

@@Morbacounet Yet his decision to negotiate with Silco wasn't prompted by anyone suggesting it.

[@Morbacounet]

@@Hohum37 the whole council wanted to negotiate with Silco.

[@Hohum37]

@@Morbacounet The whole council who were outraged, shouted, and threw things when he said that's what he'd done?

[@Morbacounet]

@Hohum37 In episode 8, the only one pushing for war is Jayce. Mel tells him there must be a diplomatic solution and the rest of the council acquiesces. In episode 9, Jayce tells Mel she was right. The council is stunned when they learn he made a deal with Silco BEHIND THEIR BACKS and angry when they learned he offered the Undercity's independence WITHOUT THEIR CONSENT. That's why they are angry : how he did it and the result.

[@iapetes1]

I remember thinking silco was 1 dimensional for the first few episodes, and look how that turned out Not too worried about ambessa

[@artxroyalty]

@@iapetes1 you get it

[@nanu4937]

You mentioned Mel's gold lighting up just before Jinx's rocket hit the council building. I agree that narratively it makes sense for Mel to be dead, but there is a possibility she survives. There's an item in League of Legends called Zhonya's Hourglass that makes a character invulnerable for a few seconds by turning them into an immobile gold statue. If the writers go that route, and its a big if, it would still make narrative sense to get her out of the first part of Arcane Season 2 by having her stuck in stasis from the hourglass or grievously injured. On that note I do think Viktor is grievously injured by the rocket and this causes Jayce to use the hexcore in a desperate attempt to save his friend after watching everyone else on the council (most likely Mel included) die. Also Caitlyn and Heimerdinger are missing. Viktor is all he has left, and we've seen how Jayce's brain turns off when he's desperate. If you don't know the lore about Viktor and Jayce I won't spoil it but having Jayce use the hexcore on Viktor makes it extra juicy.

[@nanu4937]

Bonus point for the hourglass possibility: Mel is the only council member, the only person in Piltover besides Viktor, who isn't averse to magic and perhaps sees the potential in hextech because she too knows firsthand what it's capable of.

[@mr.raccoon1999]

UNLEASHED THE OPINIONS!!! Wow this was too hot to hold back

[@HeathenGrip]

Claiming the fights are poorly choreographed is genuine insanity. A discussion on power level I completely understand but you can't convince me the choreography was poorly executed... because I have eyes

[@artxroyalty]

To be fair, they did say they wouldn’t claim the fight scenes were poorly executed 😅 but if we’re talking about power level, I don’t see it right now, but I guess I just need to see examples

[@HeathenGrip]

@@artxroyalty Oh see I am just an idiot and misheard what that poster wrote. I thought they said the choreography was poor when in fact they had said the opposite. that's my bad.

[@artxroyalty]

@@HeathenGrip haha no it’s all good!!

[@babette5918]

Thing about Mylo is that he ISN"T getting his point across. Powder DOES just get a pass, but Mylo doesn't. Kids don't understand that the world isn't fair. One of my biggest problems with my parents growing up was when i perceived things to be unfair... and it was often!

[@darkwillow1451]

Mylo is the definition of the guy whom knows best and nobody listens to him. "Who saw that commin"? He did.. he always did :))) If this was live action, Mylo would be played by Steve Buscemi

[@raverdeath100]

i'm not overly concerned with the songs of Arcane but i wll state that imo the *score* of Arcane is phenomenal. you can trace the transition from Powder to Jinx just by the motifs that play during Act1 - from "The Bridge" to "I can help them" and "The Explosion" and then back to the Bridge motif with "You're stronger than you think". Act 2 and Act 3 continue with Jinx' Bridge and Help motifs but combine them with Silco's (A Story of Opposites and One Final Proposal) culminating with Jinx's and Silco's motifs dancing together in The Baptism. it all culminates in the tea party where a much darker Jinx motif plays and then is joined by Silco's at his shooting. all those who think that Jinx's final whisper in her head is Silco are probably right. that's when both their motifs merge. sorry for the length but Arcane's score is just... brilliant.

[@artxroyalty]

@@raverdeath100 “Showdown”, “She’s Back”, and “You’re A Jinx” are my favorite scores from the show. I love how in “You’re A Jinx” you can hear the moment of realization for Powder. Haunting, tragic, and yet so beautiful.

[@peaceandloveusa6656]

And some more Jinx-y takes (Part 2 of 2). . 'Jinx saw suicide as a way out': Yeah, that was pretty clearly spelled out for the audience. I am not sure who thought the bomb was intended for Ekko, or her emotions were a facade to get Ekko to let his guard down, but *that* would be an unpopular opinion for sure. . 'Powder died on the bridge': Yooo! Aisha spitting fire with this take. I have been saying for ages that Jinx didn't "choose" Jinx at the tea party. The whole theatre of the scene was Jinx trying to see if Vi could really love who she is now. The chair question had a wrong answer, and Vi failed spectacularly. Powder dying on the bridge makes perfect sense. I just had a crazy thought, too. What if Powder set the bomb to the side not just to kill herself, but also to see if Ekko still loved her enough to save her life? She knew he could get away, that much was obvious, so would he knock the bomb away from her, or just save himself? Seeing as she took the brunt of the blast, he clearly saved himself over trying to save them both. This means the moment of seeing Powder was a fluke, not how he really sees her, at least in her eyes. Thus, Ekko let her die, and Vi chose to save an enforcer over her. This would further re-enforce the Powder dying on the bridge theory. The only person who chose to save her was Silco, and he already accepted her for her.

[@artxroyalty]

@@peaceandloveusa6656 YES YOU GET IT! Haha I’m soooo glad we saw the same thing especially concerning the tea party! Also, that bit about her letting the bomb roll to kind of see if Ekko would attempt to save her, interesting take because I hadn’t seen it that way. Really makes the scene all the more depressing

[@peaceandloveusa6656]

@@artxroyalty I can't say I ever considered the "maybe she also wanted to see if he would save her" angle until you mentioned Powder dying on the bridge. I see Powder and Jinx as the same person, so I hadn't really considered, "when did Powder die, exactly?" But, if they are/were two different people, I think I could see Powder, who tied her self worth to other people's opinion of her, letting Ekko be the one to decide if she was worth saving. In that case, the tears could be her believing Ekko would let her die. That said, it is far more likely she just wanted to kill herself and never considered Ekko might actually try and save her. But I had to throw the random thought out there anyway encase someone needed to hear it. :)

[@woodburn9539]

Re: Music - Can confirm, Our Love is a certified bop and is criminally underrated in this fandom, also while I can agree that "Where everything went wrong" as it is on the single is good/okay, the edit they use in the episode between Vi and Sevika slaps

[@artxroyalty]

Heavy emphasis on “criminally” underrated. Such a warm and heartfelt song

[@noahtangui1190]

The level im addicted to this show is crazy I feel like I need a group therapy like the AA but for Arcane at this point. We would just sit all day talking about the show lmao

[@noahtangui1190]

Guys im onto something hmu with discord invites I do actually wanna do that

[@artxroyalty]

@@noahtangui1190 it’s funny you say that because I’m actually in the process of making a discord server EXACTLY for this

[@noahtangui1190]

@@artxroyalty count me in !

[@blackshard641]

@@noahtangui1190 AAA

[@DezeraeJordan]

Yoooo 👀 imma need to peep that link 😂

[@Morbacounet]

Regarding Fynn and Sky being one dimensional : trying to explore every aspect of every character would make Arcane so bloated. There would be additional characters to fill the gaps and give more insight. And those characters would also need to be explained.

[@joshmartin156]

Jayce is just a scientist that happens to be a himbo can’t hate too much on that.

[@babette5918]

I don't feel like Mels arc is complete. Even though we don't see her in the trailer, I think she is still alive. If feel like the completion of her arc is to become "both the fox and the wolf" like her mother told her. Mel has only been the fox this whole time. I think that she is going to "outfox" her mother and then reveal that she is also the wolf in a twist ending in order to defeat Ambessa.

[@Hohum37]

It's "an arc" - but I think she has more of a role to play too. Seeing her in the trailer would have been a spoiler imo, and they do tend to avoid those.

[@moldybread3081]

I’ve been seeing around a lot that Jinx is HEAVILY BPD-coded, and as someone with BPD (and sister issues XD) I think it certainly helps explain A LOT of her behaviors. I connect with Jinx HEAVILY as a character, and I saw so much of myself as a kid in Powder it’s not even funny. I would definitely recommend watching The Truth Doctor Show’s video called “Does Jinx have Borderline Personality Disorder?”, it’s a very good watch and explains things more thoroughly.

[@mr.raccoon1999]

I once saw an angry commenter being very adiment that Vi and Caitlyn are just friends and doesnt understand the craze about them. Satire or genuine, that was just a funny perspective to see lol

[@artxroyalty]

@@mr.raccoon1999 omg was it that annoying lady that also called Mel a witch?

[@blackshard641]

They're clearly roommates.

[@artxroyalty]

@@blackshard641 no they’re obviously good friends

[@mr.raccoon1999]

@@artxroyalty would not be surprised 😂😂

[@gustavgustav2670]

It's being called a woke show after the new teaser, as it has Vi being all gay angst. It's like, did you watch the first season?

[@blackmanwithcomputer]

With Jayce's discrimination on the bridge, that seemed more like an outburst of frustration due to all the stresses put on him. He even immediately apologized to Viktor. This is the same guy who went down to do business with the Undercity to get stuff he couldn't get through the university. Also, while a lot of Viktor fans hold that against him, I think it's ironic that no one ever holds Viktor accountable for never being concerned about Jayce's mental state as he got flooded with more and more responsibilities. If he was concerned that Jayce was getting lost in the forest, he literally let him deal with all the politics of Hextech on his own. Meanwhile, Jayce viewed him like a brother and consistently showed concern about him, despite also having to care about this massive city.

[@aranthur]

My most generous read on Heimerdinger is that he is very aware that his way of thinking is different from that of humans and that he is 100% a scientist and not a politician, so even though he is TECHNICALLY the head of the council, that is really in name only and only because he is a city founder. At some point he concluded that experienced human politicians would understand the needs of the people better than him and be better at solving them, and he deliberately left the running of the city to them, only stepping in to offer advice or cast a deciding vote when necessary And though he is clearly aware of the corrupting nature of magical power, it never occured to him that political power could also corrupt, so until the incident with the hexcore he hadn't noticed yet how the council has fallen to greed and pride and all that fun stuff. After all, for him he only gave them this job 5 minutes ago, why would he need to check in on them and their actions already?? In the same way he is shocked by how much Ekko accomplished "in his brief lifespan," he must have thought the rumors of how bad the undercity had gotten were exaggerated because it would be IMPOSSIBLE for anyone to make the situation that much worse in such a short span of time, right?

[@babette5918]

Nah, Violin rolls off the tongue better. Plus recognizable doesn't play into it... if you're into the show then you know what both permutations mean, if you aren't into the show then you don't know either ship name.

[@babette5918]

C-4 is pretty stable, that's why they use it. A better analogy for the raw hex crystals would be nitroglycerin... since we're being hyper-specific in this video.

[@artxroyalty]

@@babette5918 yeahhh unfortunately I don’t know that much about explosives 😂 good point!

[@babette5918]

@@artxroyalty On youtube we can educate and learn at the same time!

[@artxroyalty]

@@babette5918 well as the saying goes, you learn something new everyday 😂

[@xeroreverse7712]

Jayce wasn't completely wrong. The people from the undercity are dangerous and have a reputation for being criminals and scoundrels. And that was before drugs were flooded into it by Silco. It's what he grew up hearing, and it was reinforced again and again throughout his life because of the actions of undercity dwellers and the general public opinion. The few exceptions to the rule he's learned are Victor and Sky. Every other experience has been negative. Some of which were experienced personally. The whole being robbed and blown up because he shopped in the undercity, almost losing everything he worked for because of it. Then, there was the issue of the recent terrorist. It's understandable why he reacted like that. He definitely let the fear drive his decisions there, but I completely understand why it might.

[@etheralghost]

Unrelated to the rest, OUR LOVE WAS MY FAVORITE ONE FROM ARCANES MUSIC !! It was so beautiful n the lyrics are so lovely I'm glad someone else especially a creator loves it too

[@artxroyalty]

@@etheralghost YESSS I FOUND ANOTHER LOVER OF OUR LOVE, I won 😭

[@Hohum37]

Powder wasn't corrected when she did things wrong? Ignoring blowing up her siblings and father - what did she do wrong? Ran from a fight with the bag Vi gave her when one of the thugs approached her? Threw the bag in the water in order to escape someone twice her size who could have beaten the snot out of her and then taken it anyway? I'm confused about what correction she required - unless we're making up head canon or I've missed something.

[@joshmartin156]

Jinx has an unhealthy fear of death. The council archives are so depressing especially the vi and jinx one.

[@artxroyalty]

Omg I actually got around to reading them…😢

[@Hohum37]

lack of fear?

[@jeffkoenig7402]

Woot, my Heimer hot take made the video. Thanks Aisha And I agree, S1 ends with Heimer becoming more aware of the true extent of his blind spot, and set up what I expect to be a redemption arc.

[@kapiminger5352]

The thing about the fight scenes is how they represent the characters too. Vi is impulsive and her always rushing into fights fits her personality. Same thing about her actually trying to solve problems with violence (which gets adressed by Vander) and also serves as a reminder Vi has *seen* violence towards the undercity citizens. That yes, Piltover solves their problems with the undercity with violence. Additionally, the boxing is also extremely realistic and mirrors actual boxing. Which is insane because they didn't even motion capture.

[@artxroyalty]

@@kapiminger5352 yes! That fight between Sevika and Vi in ep 5 was insane. Nowhere near the “fantastical/powered” fights we saw throughout the rest of the series but it really stood out bc it felt like a legit boxing match, not just powered punches you’d see Goku or Superman deliver. Something about that realism just took it to another level for me.

[@kapiminger5352]

@@artxroyalty Great that you mention Goku actually because man if we want to talk about useless fights then dare I say, that's most fights in every battle shonen anime? What Arcane did was place fights where they made sense and they were also short, so you don't get annoyed by a fight scene getting dragged for the sake of looking cool.

[@artxroyalty]

@@kapiminger5352 yes! As much as I loved Naruto growing up (and the Chunin Exams arc being a prime example) it shouldn’t take 2+ episodes for an action sequence

[@peaceandloveusa6656]

Covering most character takes. 'Heimerdinger is the only real villain of season 1': It seems every council member but Jayce was either ignorant or indifferent to the suffering in the undercity, but Heimerdinger's motives were always pure: Create a place to escape the cruelty of mages. That said, he is definitely the main antagonist of season 1. . 'Jayce did nothing wrong in season 1': Jayce was doing unauthorized research in an apartment full of contraband, made shady deals with council members, and is a tad classist, so I would say he did plenty wrong. I would say he is of the 'neutral good' alignment, though. Also, I don't like his character because he is the golden boy archetype, and they bore me, but I like what they did with the trope by making him low-key classist and a terrible decision maker. Gives a little spice to the dull as dish washer archetype. . 'Mylo does not deserve the hate he gets': Are people really out here legitimately hating Mylo? That is wild to me. He was a punk kid with a chip on his shoulder, not a bad person worthy of hate. . 'It actually made me mad Powder did not stay in her room': I really don't remember my initial feelings on her leaving the room besides, "Yep, there it is." I didn't see a world where she *wouldn't* try and save her family. Also, I would have to fault Vi and her brothers for going if I were to fault her for it, and I feel everyone has the right to try and save their loved ones. . 'How should Vi have handled the end of episode 3/How would you have handled it?': If I was Vi, I feel I would have threw up, cried, then hugged Powder in silence. Not sure where I would have eventually landed on her moving forward, but in the moment I don't see me turning hostile towards her, even verbally. I would have been in too much emotional pain to have an outward reaction, but Vi channels her emotions into anger so it made sense how she handled it, for better or worse. Unfortunately, I have been in a loosely similar situation, where someone I loved made a decision that costed me everyone I loved. I comforted them and swallowed all other emotions, so I think it is fair to say I would react similarly in a similar circumstance.

[@thomasbobo9967]

Thank you for the continuing Arcane content!

[@artxroyalty]

@@thomasbobo9967 a big thanks to y’all for listening to my rants 😂

[@justafossil]

Look up pics of Miyavi and you'll see why Finn looked so cool that it feels like the design was "wasted" on a side character. That character was basically a cameo for him.

[@_MicZ_]

Concerning the take on Powder: I've seen a lot of reactions to this show and most of the time the people that say Powder should have "stayed in her room" were at one point hoping she would "save the day". What if her monkey bomb did all the things it did, but the 1 crystal didn't go into the room with Vi, Vander and the boys ? Would you still be upset that she didn't listen ? A lot of people reacting also say: "They would have gotten out !". Sure, that may be true, but only we as viewers know that. Powder didn't know they were trying to get out. Heck, she didn't even know Vander, Mylo and Claggor were in that room. But even if they did manage to escape out of the building, it would be highly unlikely that they would actually escape from Silco and his goons entirely in my opinion ...

[@artxroyalty]

It’s not so much the decision she made and how it played out, it’s more so people telling others that they can’t be mad about it when anger is a very valid reaction. We know her intentions were pure, she’s a kid, she just wanted to help. That doesn’t neglect the fact that the outcome was upsetting. THATS what I wanted to focus on more than her decision to go anyways.

[@_MicZ_]

@@artxroyalty True, being angry about the outcome is valid. The writers made the viewers hope that Powder would finally get it right and it turned out way worse than before, killing some characters they made us care about. That was some good but cruel writing 🙂. My comment was more about how people react after that initial anger about the situation. Shifting "the blame" for everything that happened entirely onto Powder is something I've seen happen and which I have trouble comprehending. Yes, Mylo and Claggor dying was an obvious result of her actions, but I personally never thought Vander's death was directly Powder's fault. After the explosion Vander could have chosen to leave with Vi through the hole in the wall, but instead he chose to fight Silco's goons. Escaping the building might not have been enough to stay alive, but the odds weren't worse than before Powder's monkey bomb. Anyway, enough of my "hot take" on that part 🙂. I do really like how this show makes people have all these different "takes" just by making characters nuanced and by not explaining everything and instead just showing what happens ...

[@artxroyalty]

@@_MicZ_ with that I will agree 100%. The blame game and constant need to pin everything that went wrong on a sole person is very lazy in my opinion. The fact that it’s hard to even consider it’s solely one persons fault alone shows how nuanced the narrative is. Definitely makes for deep and interesting discussions though! 😅

[@AndyBestHP]

Just finished watching in full, great format and video, really using the points to generate some insight and avoiding drama-style responses. I also think online fan discourse in general is so focused on squabbles around lore, canon and what a thing definitively means that people exclude that fiction allows space for the reader/viewer, and that they exclude nuance and the opportunity to take these thoughts out into the world. The first time I watched Arcane I was constantly distracted from the story because of how incredible and awe-inspiring the animation and art was, if I am being honest, but, i still feel like I was able to let my mind run with it. When Jinx let's go of the grenade on the bridge, I also experienced it as her having a moment of clarity and deciding to end it all, but I don't have any impulse to go into reaction comments and 'correct' other people's ideas of the same scene. So, maybe unpopular opinion: we can use critical faculties to appreciate, analyze and understand art, to put it into context, but it doesn't mean letting go of the initial experience, or of interpretation. the impulse to build and gatekeep a 'correct' version seems to be a petty social impulse that gets supercharged on social media.

[@mr.raccoon1999]

Ambesser opinion: Though I don't agree that she is a 1 dimensional character as with any other villain, I can see why they would think that. But from how the writters have twitsed and added aLOT of depth and undestanding to every character and why they do what they do, she wasn't given any time or immediate threat to show what's shes all about, she was mainly there to give Mel's arc that final push to distance herself from her roots and her ever present lear of her mother's influence. BUT thats where I believe the second season will dive more into her character's views, reasons and what it was like for her in a brutal upbringing. She is a product of her past and her strategies of trying to maintain that strong, don't fuck with me facade. But in S1 she is civil speaking with an underline of manipulation tactics (the bathhouse talk scene w/ Jayce), but she does care about ther family, even if its from a very harsh standard. And after what happened to Mel, Ambesser will be reacting to it from her emotions for her child more than anything, her morals will be challenged in S2. At least I hope so. Recap, I see why they think shes a basic 1 dimentional character, early view of how she works with words and her wants. But there is so much more to her than meets the eye and will hopefully see more of her what, why and how in S2.

[@shsnwksybdeb]

30:50 at this point they want the pavement to be layered as well, there's only so much attention you can give to a character, for sky I think her one dimensionality was intentional as in the potential we lost (and victor lost) because of victors obsession of surviving instead of living

[@DezeraeJordan]

CAIT armor examples: bomb by powder in EP1, bomb by jinx as an enforcer, bomb on the bridge by jinx using firelight bugs. I still think Cait as a whole is handled with care and taste! But hmm, they might be right

[@AK-jf1ym]

My take on powder’s actions was that she shouldn’t have tried to save her family after they told her to stay away, but if you pay attention to her personality her dependence on Vi is so obvious. She needs the validation that she can actually do something right, and her mental breakdown after she’s left behind (once in the last drop and once after everybody is killed) is completely understandable. After Vi hits powder she doesn’t even “react” to that- she just asks why she was left behind. Powder was blinded by her dependence and love for Vi and Vi was blinded by the panic of saving Vander.

[@Optimus_lime]

Alr I’ve got a spicy take: I don’t think dynasties and dystopias or the fight scene that came with it was the best in the show. Now this isn’t me saying that it was a bad song or fight, but it’s far from my favourite and I see so many people putting it in their top 3 favourite songs in the show and for me it scrapes 5th place on a good day. I also think the fight sequence was good but I don’t really understand the hype behind it because I think the first vi vs Sevika fight was better and it’s so criminally underrated. So yeah, the song for that scene is probably like a 6/10 for me and the fight is about my 3rd favourite. Please don’t kill me

[@artxroyalty]

@@Optimus_lime haha I won’t kill you…maybe 🔪 jk, I think people resonate more so with the emotional weight as opposed to the spectacle of it all. Then the change in animation is the cherry on the top. But hey, your opinion is still valid!

[@Hohum37]

Saying "They're dangerous." while some of "them" are throwing molotov cocktails near you is hardly a "mask off" moment imo. It's entirely unclear whether he meant "every trencher", the nearby demonstrators, or whoever had been recently murdering enforcers and blowing up buildings. Giving someone a little grace on spur of the moment word choices seems appropriate. I understand why Viktor is annoyed by it though. They both have plenty of things on their mind at this point.

[@louisemonger3793]

I’m genuinely so glad you understand the characters and story your so emotionally intelligent most some just straight up have it in there brains jinx is the villain and we need to stop Her she’s Evil and that’s it

[@ascii_9727]

ok something I REALLY have as a pet personal theory is that in the last tea party scene in which jinx kidnapped everyone and is revealing them one by one to vi she was kinda testing if vi really sees her as that much of a monster as to bring the severed head of someone she showed to be so dear to her. Even if it's a little headcannony for now i'd definitely see it as jinx feeling hurt of how vi actually feared she did something so monstruous. It also really validates what Silco says later: "you'll be with her a day before she realises you aren't that girl anymore"... I won't pretend like that isn't 100% true. I think Silco was not the best parental figure for obvious reasons but one thing that I'd say is that while he was never fond of her powder side you can absolutely tell that in a personal level he embraced and truly loved jinx, with all the good and all the bad that came with it to his last breath.

[@Fionalah]

You have quickly become my favourite Arcane reactor! The call for respect at the start was especially beautiful too. And yay - I made the 'hot take' cut! And you discussed it nicely, thanks for hearing me out! :) It was great to see you on Reddit too!

[@artxroyalty]

@@Fionalah what?? Thank you 🥹 also huge thanks for participating, it was a solid opinion!

[@kalebkaiser7505]

The new t-shirt merch for arcane Season 2 looks 🔥🔥🔥🔥, sadly they were listed on the website early and canceled everyone's orders

[@artxroyalty]

@@kalebkaiser7505 I SAW!! Oh nooo, I wonder if they might’ve accidentally spoiled the character designs then 😅

[@valjamworm3980]

My unpopular opinion is Jayce did more for the Undercity than Silco. He was a politician for 1 week( technically 3/4days) and in that week. He decided that Zuan needs to be liberated. An he technically did liberate them like he got the other counselors to agree before Jinx bomb them.

[@xseedingme]

Whatever that flash was from Mel at the end is gonna save our 'main' characters from the council chamber. I would love to see Mel survive but seeing as she is not a game character, she might be a goner 💔

[@artxroyalty]

That’s what I’m hoping as well, I refuse to believe it was JUST light reflected from the glass. Maybe I’m just being delusional 😅

[@babette5918]

Heimerdinger... First, it is made pretty obvious that he is oblivious of the day to day goings-on of the city. He doesn't even seem to be aware (nor included) in the corruption that is happening all around him at the concert in ep.4. He seems to be mostly in the dark on many matters. When council members meet with Marcus and Grayson to insist that someone needs to be found and blamed for the explosion in Jayce's lab, Heimer isn't there. He just isn't built for day-to-day governing since he is so long lived. It feels like he leaves that sort of thing up to the council and that they don't tell him everything that is going on. His surprise and sadness when he visits the undercity is a clear indication that he wasn't aware of how things were down there.

[@artboymoy]

Boo! Everyone should love Arcane as much as I do! LOL! I know someone who didn't like it because they saw it as "woke" the second they saw Vi and her haircut. Their loss. Because it's well told and crafted tale and in an amazingly designed and animated universe. Love so many of the characters.

[@babette5918]

"The drinker" didn't find it woke and calling stuff "woke" is his entire grift!

[@joshmartin156]

That’s a stupid reason to not like arcane, whoever uses woke as an argument to not like something is not meant to take seriously.

[@artxroyalty]

@@artboymoy the minute I hear woke my brain shuts off for the rest of the argument

[@artboymoy]

@@artxroyalty Yeah. My eyes roll so far in the back of my head.

[@sabrina0013]

With respect to Mel's survival, I'm not fussed about the logistics of how she survives. Whether it's magic, tech, luck, plot armor, whichever. No, I'm more upset about what it means emotionally and politically if she survives. Mel was THE biggest proponent of hextech. It's thanks to Mel that Jayce and Viktor were able bring it to life and not be indefinitely ostracized for creating such a dangerous technology. So since she's the one that pushed for it the most, she should be the one that bears the brunt of the consequences for its rollout. Make no mistake-- a magically armed rebellion is a direct consequence of both Mel's insistence that magic needed to exist and Mel's constant contribution to the wealth disparity between the haves and have-nots. In light of that, Mel dying to hextech is bringing her character full circle. It's a sort of karmic justice, it's her being hoist by her own petard. She spends over half of her screentime glazing the obviously dangerous technology and ignoring the warnings as long as she's convinced she personally stands to benefit. This isn't about Ambessa's motivations, or the physics of magically-augmented nuclear bombs. This is purely about Mel reaping what she sows.

[@balanced_CUE]

also for Finn i feel like to me is just like Marcus’s daughter (she may have her moment again some how), there is more to the story because just like you said, each character is so layered. So someone or something connected to Finn because everything connects and is parallel.

[@xseedingme]

Aisha, you are SO good at this. I love your reactions but your analysis skills are S tier! Not always right but mostly because the writers of Arcane rarely do tropes. Also, dem dimples! ...dreamy...😍

[@artxroyalty]

@@xseedingme thank you!! I enjoy the discourse and difference in opinions. Thanks for tuning in! 💜

[@joshmartin156]

Our love is so groovy I can’t help but vibe to it. I got no skips in the show 👌.

[@mr.raccoon1999]

@@joshmartin156 same here my guy

[@artxroyalty]

@@joshmartin156 that’s because you have taste!

[@peaceandloveusa6656]

Last, but certainly not least, our girl Jinx (Part 1 of 2) . 'Jinx/Powder is at fault for her own actions': Jinx must be protected at all costs, but not from straight facts like this. She went from one over protective parent to another, and, funnily enough, the audience is just as protective of her. Powder was always Jinx, and she would likely would have been Jinx no matter who told her she was wrong to make nail bombs to use on thugs and police officers as a kid. Our girl is far from innocent. That said, has she really done anything morally wrong? Sure, terrorism is not a good look, but she has only directly attacked enforcers, fire lights, and the council on screen - all of which are hostile factions. Shooting a crow and strapping a toy bomb to a civilian's back after he already told her what she wanted to know are the worst things she has done so far, and I don't think Silco was in a position to teach her why it was wrong. "You can indiscriminately kill enforcers, but do not playfully torment your friends" would be a hard concept to grasp for a child soldier in middle of a revolution. . 'The council got what was coming to them': Straight facts. I was so proud of my Pow-Pow for sticking it to the council. She did what Vander was too weak to do, and Silco was too cautious to do, the very first moment in her life she was in charge of her own destiny. Truly the revolutionary Zaun needed and deserved.

[@Tekkerue]

Violyn ✖ Caitvi ✖ Cuplet ✔ 😅

[@artxroyalty]

@@Tekkerue this feels cursed 😂

[@Tekkerue]

@@artxroyalty Cursed you say?... how about Vicake? 😁

[@addisonjohnson4306]

Going to be so honest, I haven’t even finished the video yet, so maybe this unpopular opinion was already mentioned, but I’m going to be sort of disappointed in the writing if Mel, Viktor AND jayce all make it out alive. As much as I want to see where their arcs go and i want them to survive, it would get rid of a lot of the stakes if all three of the main characters on the council all make it out alive (especially Mel, considering it looked like she took a direct hit). I think at that point it would kind of feel like plot armor, like yeah, the only three characters that survived the massive explosion were the main characters. That feels kind of lazy to me from a writing standpoint. It would make the explosion a lot less impactful because nothing happens to the only characters we actually build a connection with. There’s just a lot less weight there. I also think it would be MORE beneficial plot wise if Mel dies so she can serve as motivation for her mother, but maybe that’s just me.

[@addisonjohnson4306]

okay so turns out it was mentioned, i guess this is my explanation of why yeah, i do think it would be somewhat of a narrative mistake. yes, i do want to see how things will play out, but i think no matter how they justify how they survived i think it would still remove a lot of the stakes

[@balanced_CUE]

@50:30 i agree 99.9% with you about Jinx, she is who she is and nobody knows that more about that then herself… ( 1 Trauma alone with PROPER healing requires about 2 years on healing) 2 years, in Zaun, as a weapon symbol for Silco, with other traumas on top of her other traumas? nah nah. i think she tried many times in my opinion to go on that healing journey yet it ended up with no pun intended be at bad timing. No one should be playing the blame game in this show i think yet more so a perspective switching game/understanding. She is doing the best that she could with what she knows which is being that bad timing, so instead she embraces it and of course no LONGER make her actions become a serious impact to yourself because it will cause more pain/monsters in her head. which i think also gives more control about her accountabilities as well since it (time) is literally never in her favor… yet she knows this. Jinx put them pieces together much fast than most. haha

[@balanced_CUE]

which made me think of the parallel of Ekko & Jinx’s dynamic. the boy that is all about waiting for the perfect timing.

[@einc3437]

also the thing with mel surviving i think i agree with u that her like. "identity crisis" arc has wrapped up, i feel like in season 2, because that first arc has ended ber next arc is gnna center a lot around that gold magic thing and maybe where that came from, etc. and that might be a narrative opening to say... riot exploring noxus next as another show. so yes i dont think its a narrative mistake

[@einc3437]

in my opinion, ultimately heimerdinger as a character IS first and foremost a scientist rather than a cuvil servant/ politician??? if that makes sense. and yeah his relationship with mortality is basically nonexistent on a 1st person pov, so he lacks a lot of that urgency normal humans have bc of our short lives. and combined with that hes so lost in his own world of science n art n whatever i feel like time passes by differently for him thats why he might not have realised hes lost touch with the REAL world around him. thats just what i felt grom watching s1 though, but im glad he met ekko, super excited of their plot in s2

[@emilyleyva180]

I have a unpopular opinion on Marcus I kinda wish he would have had a redemption arc like I think he wasn’t a bad guy as bad people make him to be like yeah he wasn’t the best person but I feel he was so much under pressure by silco and the only reason he was doing all those horizontally things is because he was afraid of losing his daughter

[@aranthur]

I'm not upset about the deaths of most of the councilors, but I feel terrible about the consequences it will lead to and the additional deaths of much more innocent people than them on both sides

[@blackshard641]

Oh, you're diving right in to the hot takes. Let's gooooooo!

[@ursh9210]

For me regarding Jayce, whom I like, but he would say things that echo the opinions I’m most ashamed of, the opinions that I thought about and realised I was so wrong to have. So he kind of reminds me of parts of myself I’m not fond of (the privileged side). The other thing is Jayce is the golden boy he is brilliant at everything so that’s kind of annoying. But he also can be an idiot so that’s relatable 😂

[@SQBfootballer]

Mel is the richest person in Piltover, and the most influential person on the council for the last 10 years. Yet she receives no criticism from viewers for her part in the decay of the undercity. I wonder why? Everyone cheers for the death of the council except for her. She seemed only interested in furthering Piltover's interests and changed only when her mother showed up. Even then, her main concern was impending war, not helping the undercity improve. She, like the rest of the council, was more than happy with the status-quo. Ironically it was Jayce who wanted to change things, then eventually heimerdinger when he gets kicked out. I guess that's my unpopular opinion...

[@louisemonger3793]

I get why jinx was in the wrong for killing the 6 enforcers but at the same time enforcers killed her parents so i find it hard To Be mad at her 😭

[@jahazielvazquez7264]

Jinx killed me. Seeing how broken she was ugh, it just got to me

[@teddycanal]

Lmaoo Im the one that said “Its all the council’s fault”, ngl I was pretty hot headed :b. I feel like its more just human nature. Great vid btw!!

[@artxroyalty]

Lmaooo you were onto something 😂 thanks for checking it out!

[@blkloislane]

Our Love is my hands down favorite song on the album. Dynasties and Dystopia and Snakes are up there too.

[@artxroyalty]

TASTE ✨

[@OliveTheLion]

Here’s my unpopular opinion, there is no antagonist. Not Silco, not Jinx, not even Ambessa. Yea, they do bad things, but they do good things too, or they have a good intention in their actions. Jinx isn’t well, and she’s being manipulated by the adults in her life. Jinx is still a child, mentally and physically, and they’re very unstable, making them easily manipulatable (intentional or not). Silco does bad things, we can all agree that being a violent drug lord isn’t a great thing, but he’s trying to do the right thing for his people and his daughter. Ambessa had to send Mel away to be a good leader. In Arcane everyone is bad and everyone is good, nobody is perfect and nobody is terrible, and that’s what makes the characters so relatable and so deep.

[@OliveTheLion]

Also, I am in the Jace hate camp. Here’s why, he’s got this innocent goody two shoes feel. He’s like that annoying daddy’s girl on your soccer team, if you accidentally hit him with the ball during practice, his dad would know. But he also doesn’t really have a strong “this is what imma do” he flip flops between wanting different things “I want to improve lives with hextech” but then “I’ve got to crack down on security” etc. he doesn’t pick one thing he wants and stick with it, the pendulum swings too far, too often.

[@cthroatbill5192]

I have been going through an arcane brain rot for about a year now. Still overly obsessed with it.

[@Kci._.101]

I didn't see the unpopular opinion post sooooo I'm gonna be annoying and comment it here instead 😔 my opinion is that some of powders problems ( by problems I mean mental disorders) come from vanders parenting. The way he just pushed all of the responsibility of powder onto Vi was unfair and not good for either of them. Vi didn't know how to take care of a child, let alone a traumatized child. I love Vander and I get that he had a lot on his plate, but only parenting the child who was most like him ( Vi ) was just bad parenting. A lot of the vi hate comes from people looking at her as the parent , which she wasnt supposed to be. I absolutely think that jinx needs and needed to take responsibility, but that couldn't and shouldn't have come from Vi. Vi was taught to be her sister, siblings are taught to be a protector of sorts, they are specifically taught not to be parents of their little sibling.

[@Hohum37]

Powder seems to have serious attachment issues, and likely has fixated on Vi - so Vander might not be *able* to effectively parent her.

[@Kci._.101]

@Hohum37 that's a good point but I still think that laying some ground rules and consequences for her actions would have really helped jinx , and those rules could have been informed by Vi if powder really didn't listen to Vander. Or he could have at least taught Vi how to set consequences and how to know where to properly make powder take responsibility. Also the constant clinging to Vi would have been a clear sign of codependency which should have shown Vander how much more parental attention powder needed.

[@Hohum37]

@@Kci._.101 Apart from Vi also being a child at the time; I think the level of psychological awareness in the setting doesn't really allow for this level of insight, especially in the undercity.

[@Kci._.101]

@Hohum37 yes definitely, in my original comment i didn't mean to say that Vander wasn't also a product of his environment, and that his knowledge wasn't also extremely limited. But I also think that diving powder set rules and punishments would have gone a long way, because when a child doesn't know how to take responsibility it can lead to a lot of problems in their future.

[@SQBfootballer]

Also regarding timebomb, I think an element of why it's controversial may be the same reason miles and Gwen from spider verse are controversial. If you read between the lines...

[@dominikzalesak1526]

kind of agree with cait plot armour . episode 4 everyone died and she the only one survived the jinx bomb. episode 7 with the firelight bombs everyone died on the bridge except ekko and cait. episode 8/9 with cait being kidnapped jinx had many reasons to kill her but she did not die somehow through so many events.

[@True_BornBlue]

Yall we have ONE MONTH LEFT!!!!!! We’re so closeeeeeee

[@oliviapomares]

EYYY TIMEBOMB SHIPPERS UNITE ✊ (yeah not a very popular ship lol) This was honestly a really interesting video, I really appreciate how nuanced you were with your responses. I have so many thoughts, but the one thing I wanted to discuss because it's relevant to a couple of these opinions is side characters. Characters like Finn, Sky, (and I've even heard some people extend this sentiment to Ekko) and also Ambessa, (although I feel like season 2 is gonna push her character importance up a notch, but for now she fits.) -They are all in supporting roles, and I think sometimes people forget that. Even though I agree that just because they're side characters doesn't mean they have to be.. what's a good word? Not entirely fleshed out? uninteresting, (Obviously they should have clear and reasonable motivations, every character should) but it also means that it's not always a bad thing if they (within reason ofc) because they're role is to SUPPORT the main characters, the main narrative, the main themes. They don't always need nuance to do that. So characters like Finn, yes he's not nuanced, but he doesn't need to be. Because that's not his role, his role is to present an obstacle to Silco, and like you said, show the true extent of Seika's loyalty. That doesn't make him poorly written, that just makes him a side character. If he were poorly written, he wouldn't have done his supporting role properly, and just been a waste of screen time. The same applies to Ambessa, expect she gets to be more nuanced because she has a closer connection to one of our main characters (Mel) and that nuance is what helps enrich Mel's character. And I also think that something Arcane does really well, that sometimes people forget. Is that we're also seeing this world through the lens of our main characters, our main characters, don't know everything about everyone, and it's good that there are some side characters that aren't really fleshed out ( Like Sky) and have a pretty simple motivation, because that's the only thing that our main characters are seeing. Just like in real life you're not gonna know everything about a person when you first meet them, or even after knowing them for a bit. This only becomes a problem when then the story wants us to care about a character more than is warranted. and I don't think that's a problem Arcane struggles with. One more little thing that I wanted to say regarding 10:26 is I strongly believe that it isn't necessarily the length of a show or book that matters in telling a good story, it's how you utilize the space. Obviously the length matters, but I don't think it's a deciding factor. I've seen shows that tell a great story with a lot of elements, wrap up with a good ending, in just one season. Like 8-9 episodes. The best example that comes to mind is Watership Down on Netflix (I highly recommend if you haven't watched it and you're ever bored) and Arcane is GOOD with this. So I'm not worried about if they're gonna be able to wrap up everything in 2 seasons.

[@artxroyalty]

@@oliviapomares first of all, WHOOO FELLOW TIMEBOMB SHIPPER 😂✨ second, beautifully said! Especially your take on Finn and supporting characters. Because this show does so well with giving nearly its entire cast nuance, if you throw in a one dimensional character or two it doesn’t do much damage to the narrative. Also loved what you said about it doesn’t matter about the shows length but more so about what you do with that time. Great take as usual!

[@oliviapomares]

@@artxroyalty YEAHHH 😤 ✨ Thank you!! 🙏 I was so sleepy typing that yesterday I was worried my point didn't come across well lol. Looking forward to part 2! :D

[@babette5918]

Jayce is just a bit "wishy-washy". He's unsure of his own convictions. This is understandable since he has been tossed into very important roles (face of progress and then council member) that he wasn't expecting nor prepared for nor even desired.

[@peaceandloveusa6656]

This one gets it's own comment just because I see so many people criticize Finn and the coup plotline. 'Finn was a poorly-written and tropey character in a sub-plot that went no where': Tropey? Yes. Poorly-written? No. A sub-plot that went no where? We will see. Tropes exist for a reason: They work. Most characters in most shows, including Arcane, can be boiled down to a single trope. We only see past it because we get to see their moments of nuance. A faceless enforcer is 100% evil to us only because that is all we see of them, but their lives and beliefs off-screen could be just as deep and nuanced as Marcus or Viktor's. Not every character needs to be shown as more than what the POV characters see them as. It would be nuance for the sake of nuance, aka bad writing. Finn was not poorly written, IMO. He was a compelling, albeit unlikely, usurper to flesh out our POV characters. I loved seeing the snake try and slither between Silco and Sevika. Also, he made good points, and his way of going about the attempted coup was realistic. He went to the second in command and spoke her language. Finn's approach might have worked if this happened in real life, though, again, unlikely. As for if it went anyway, that remains to be seen. We will likely see the chembarons in season 2, especially with Silco out of the way. The Finn arc set them up as a force comparable to Silco in the undercity, which means it was narratively relevant to a future story arc if they go that route. It only went nowhere if season 2 forgets about the chembarons, or their vying for true control of the undercity never comes back up.

[@beastmonger4821]

Caitlyn's plot armor = during Jinx's tea party in ep. 9 when Jinx is carring tray with hidden cupcake under the lid... scene is builded in the way to convince audience that under the lid is Caitlyn's head... League players of course know isn't possible... tbh. i'm League player and i was literaly afraid that Cait's head will be there... and i consider very uneasy watch that scene for teh first time... just.. feel very disturbing And of course it's CaitVi!!!!... NEVER Violyn... and i'm saying this as a self-proclaimed president of ALL CaitViholics!!!! xD just one interesting detail about Vi and Mel... names of there character are actualy kinda self-explaining references: Vi mean in Latin "violently" (Vi's usual attitude) Mel mean in Latin "honey" (Mel's gold colour)

[@rolfnoduk]

Ambessa feels like Silco did at first

[@artxroyalty]

@@rolfnoduk exactly! Just give it some time, I feel like we’ll definitely be getting a lot more from her in s2

[@peaceandloveusa6656]

Takes regarding creative decisions. 'I wish we got to see chemsuit pilots and other Silco employees as people': Yeah, that would be cool, but who is out here seeing the enforcers as people? For that matter, who is out here seeing the regular Silco employees as less than people? Sounds like some upper crust problems if you ask me. Jokes aside, from a narrative perspective, we don't have a reason to see bob the factory worker as a person. He does not contribute to the story. Arcane is a very tight ship, and a single line of dialogue wasted would, yes, add to the moral discussion surrounding Vi's actions, but also detract from the pace of the story. Besides, we get the moral question answered by the child's death. Vi is indifferent to who her actions harm because she is in it for the greater good. No, wait, that is Silco.. but also Vi. Moral parallel achieved. :) All of that said, I would *love* a spin-off movie that spans the gap between s1e3 and s1e4 for all of the characters, for literally no other reason than to see the day-to-day life of everyone before Caitlyn shook the hornet's nest. . 'It would be a narrative mistake for Mel to survive the blast': I one-hundred percent agree, but I would be happy if they made that mistake. Ambessa and Jayce need the bloodlust motivator Caitlyn clearly has in season 2 for tensions to boil over so quickly. She is also a voice of reason, and we can't have that in an all-out war that needs to begin and end in 9 episodes That said, I love me some Mel, and the team is talented enough to make it work. They are, unfortunately, talented enough to know that would be a missed opportunity, so she is probably DoA. . 'A lot of the music was just okay': Yes and no. No because any time the music drops in the show, I get the emotional response the show runners intended. Yes because I do not go out of my way to find/listen to most of the songs from the show, nor would I buy/listen to the soundtrack. The songs are great for the show, but many do not hold up on their own merit.

[@Shashu_the_little_Voidling]

Timebomb? Is that like Jinx and Ekko? I didn't even know that was a thing.. I really don't keep up with the shipping side of things. My opinion though: They're super cute together as kids, gonna have to see more before I believe they can work out as adults though

[@artxroyalty]

@@Shashu_the_little_Voidling yep, that’s what they’re called so I’ve been told! For me I’m not exactly pushing for romance (especially considering Jinx has killed some firelights or at least the one we saw in ep 4) it’s more so the yearning for them to reconcile in someway.

[@michaelcarlson1208]

2- Action Scenes. With the second point of action, I'm 50/50 about his/her point. I think what they might be referring to is that the Chemtanks are just shown to be so fast moving, take down all these soldiers with ease. And now for some reason, they slow down when facing Jayce and Vi. (I obviously understand you have to suspend some sense of reality, it part of a lot of entertainment.) A good example, I never liked the Daredevil show because it shows this person who is blind taking immense amount of hits and damage that no regular person could take. In the comics Daredevil if I am correct, gains strength and endurance from the chemicals that blind him, but in the show, they never actually reference it. And in Arcane, obviously the point is to show that these Hextech weapons have immense capability to turn the tide of the war against shimmer soldiers, but it doesn't explain how Vi and Jayce who have no superhuman reactions, can keep up with the speed of the chem soldiers. I would say overall, it just requires SOME suspension of reality to not have yourself pulled out of the show, which some people can be. That's not bad, I am not blaming him or her for feeling that way, just everybody has different perspectives, and some might argue you shouldn't have to suspend your sense of reality to enjoy a show. So, everybody views things differently. 4 - Ambesa. Noxus as a nation can be slightly hard to explain. Overall, they are viewed as an evil, expansionist nation that likes war. But internally they just value strength above all else. Ironically and not to retcon the show, they offer any many new nations they conquer a chance to join the nation of Noxus from lowest citizen to highest official. If you can do something and you have the willpower to show your value, you will do well. In short, they are a meritocracy which values individuals' abilities, strength and talents vs wealth, social class or race. One of its highest general Darius started out in the slums of Noxus along with his brother Draven. They both worked their way up the military ranks, obvisouly a lot of other things involved such as some luck, timing, etc. but at its core as society, you can become whatever you want, it's just whether you have the strength to prove it and survive in their society. I was just telling a friend who kind of had the same take, I mentioned they will be flesh out her character in season 2. And I imagine kind of like an end sequence whether through dialogue or just visual storytelling, we as an audience will at least understand she is more complex than simple war-monging. She wants to protect mel, her family, rise in noxus empire, etc. whatever it is, they will flesh out her character so just like Silco, will be a complex character, not just a simple overall bad but complex antagonist. I also personally think Noxus will be the next show they make, it just seems the most natural sense to continue this world, take new viewers as they expand into more complex parts of this overall world. And I also think they used Arcane for a specific reason as the title, Arcane is throughout this whole world and it only gets more complex, Using Piltover, Zaun and the gemstones is just a great introduction as we move further out into other regions/shows. 5 - Cupcake : I would probably say the bridge sequence. Everybody died EXCEPT her, and she is basically just as close to the firelight robots as the rest of the enforcers (I exclude Ekko because he was "down/lying down and unconscious" from being shot by marcus) 6 - chemtanks = very interesting thought. This is where you could argue, wish they made a few more episodes or longer episodes, but they obviously had a specific story to tell and only so much they could tell. But very good thoughts. 7 - Council - Just side note, but you def seem to relate to Zaun more lol, I am not saying it's bad, just your comment made me laugh a little bit. I 100% believe Jayce, Viktor and Mel survive somehow. They have too without any spoilers. These are not spoilers jut thoughts, one, they do show mel glimmer with her gold when she looks behind her. In the game, there's an item called zhonya hourglass that allows the holder to freeze themselves in time for roughly 4-5 seconds and they are immune from all damage. We are hoping, that is what they are teasing They also showed a shadow figure in the trailer for season 2 that looked like Mel. Secondly, I am curious if they will pull any skin lines into this universe. Jayce has an alternate skin in game that is basically him covered in a hextech suit. I am curious if they will show that Jayce and Viktor were able to accomplish more research off screen. And Viktor just have to survive for unspecified and spoiler reasons. 8,9,10 (Heim, Jayce, Jinx) - All I can say is very interesting takes, too much commentary to add but I liked your thoughts. 11 - I don't know if spoiler, but lore related. That is interesting and agreed honestly about the persons take. First will the rocket explode on impact or go into the room? The slight lore related, this might be where they delve deeper into the "Arcane of this world or magic." In Noxus, they a variant of magic called blood magic. Again, there's many variants of magic in this world, but it allows people to come back alive and many other properties. The black shadow possibly might be related to some magic and maybe let someone exist in a different "plane/dimeson" of existences. this also might be Viktor related, this no spoiler, but I am guessing the hexbox (personally, I think it is teasing "the Void" but I won't include any spoilers) somehow might protect Viktor or allow him to heal or evolve from the blast. Again, we will see how season 2 goes and where they take it. 12 - Mylo = good take and added context. 13 - Powder - I would like to add, I have an older sister about 7 years who is about 6-6 and I am 5'6. She beat me up all the time lmao. I can't blame Vi for hitting her sister and she would probably validate Vi hitting powder lmao. I am only laughing because that's what my sister would say and since I got beat up all the time by my older sibling, she also was hella annoyed the second powder said "I can help." she legit said "stay in your room girl"

[@vicentxarq-al957]

After a lifetime appreciating realistic (read tragic) endings and abhorring "Disney endings", I admit that I want to see a final scene in the last episode of Arcane with Ekko and Jinx on a farm, with 6 children, planting corn, with cats , dogs, chickens and some goats. Not happy. A-happy. That is to say: calm down. No wars. 

[@Hohum37]

.. with aunties Vi and Caitlyn visiting on some weekends?

[@steffanhymer1285]

The problem with Our Love is that it has to get ranked against the rest of the Arcane soundtrack. Its not a problem with the song but what its measured against.

[@artxroyalty]

@@steffanhymer1285 see that’s where I disagree. Song wise it measures up against the others. I feel because the song wasn’t part of an “iconic” scene like Guns For Hire, What Could’ve Been, and Goodbye people tend to overlook it.

[@steffanhymer1285]

@@artxroyalty which I think is where the next issue comes in. are you supposed to judge a song on it's merits alone or how it complimented or enhanced a scene? is it unfair to rate a song poorly because the only time you heard it was on a crowded subway when a buddy passed you a single air pod and said, "listen to this" rather than studio headphones in a quiet setting? because while that setting would be unquestionably unfair, we must also recognize the Arcane soundtrack was not released as an album, but as a score to a TV series. and probably cannot be divested from the film it was set to. because saying it's unfair to the songs to weight them based on the impact of the scene it accompanied, it is also unfair to say that the song cannot be measured while taking that scene into account when every single song was written specifically for that scene. the problem with Our Love is that it's scene in particular lacked the Weight of the others, not the Quality. it's a butterfly weight champion. best in the world. but is forced to stand next to heavy weights for comparison when they were separated for a reason. there is no fair fight to be had here.

[@dazza761]

This might be a hot take. But the opinion that you shouldn't feel bad for the bombing of the council was wrong because the bombing was unnecessary violence and would only beget more violence and lead to more people being killed. It's the same reason it's terrible silco died(even without the jinx stuff) because it meant the treaty would be much harder to enter as the undercity no longer had a head/ forward looking leader that would make it proporous when it became it's own country. The revolution still would happen but there's a difference between revolutionary violence and a revolutionary war..and in this case the war wasn't necessary.

[@greywarden5513]

(Aside from Ambessa) Jinx & Ekko are the most dangerous fighters in S1.

[@sabrina0013]

I'm a Jayce hater. For someone who claims to want to help, he has absolutely zero plan. He doesn't know *what* people need and he keeps insisting that they need magic, when we can see that magic only causes more problems. What was going to happen if the miners in the undercity got access to the atlas gauntlets? What was going to happen if he was able to successfully proliferate the stabilized (and weaponizable) hex crystal? Literally nothing good. Jayce doesn't research what people's real problems are. He only uses the pretense of helping people so that he can build a legacy for himself. He's so egotistical that he would rather reset his save file off a balcony than go back to working at his mother's factory.

[@hxneybee-c8s]

I think Jace is very messy when he makes decisions and that a lot of people can change his opinion very easily, which is very frustrating to watch.

[@shsnwksybdeb]

Anyone who thinks those gauntlets are gonna oppress the workers is mentally deficient, as anyone can see they are strong which means the productivity will increase which will mean less overworked workers and less workers in general why need 10 workers when you can have 1 with those gauntlets, plus did everyone forget the shield that vi used in the last episode?? Tell me how that's supposed to oppress

[@Hohum37]

.. you've possibly inadvertently suggested that the gauntlets would cause unemployment, which would be less than ideal for workers too. Same number of workers, less manual work, and a protective shield would all definitely be improvements.

[@vicentxarq-al957]

¡Gracias!

[@artxroyalty]

Thank you!!! 💜

[@hassanmohamed-dx7gh]

part 1!!!!

[@gartibat]

coming out as jayce hater. I don't really hate him as much as I did back in 2021 when I first watched arcane tho, but I still find him annoying. I'll admit I was biased during my first watch bc I knew his league lore and he's just a terrible person there, especially when it comes to the way he treats viktor. But he's very different in arcane and I found him charming at times. My thing is, even tho I don't consider him a bad person (at least not for now, I'm really hoping they don't go with his league lore), he's very privileged and uneducated (ie the scene on the bridge with viktor) and yes, by the end he's kinda changed that but I guess he reminds me of many people rich privileged ppl I've met. He just makes me feel like that one car scene in parasite. Also, I just don't find him that interesting compared to the other characters, his interactions with mel and vik are the only parts of him I fully enjoy. He's definitely grown on me a bit so who knows, maybe s2 will make me like him.

[@joshmartin156]

I’m a big time timebomb shipper too, I think it’s controversial because how toxic it is and think ekko deserves better than jinx. I just find dynamic between them potentially juicy. Friends to enemies than enemies to lovers 💙.

[@maivthao]

I'm not a Jayce hater, but I do find him easy to dislike. A lot of his actions, choices, and consequences show how privileged he is. Not only that but mix in his ignorance to the affects of his choices, makes him less likeable compared to other characters. Like Mel atleast thinks about the consequences to her political choices or that Caitlyn knows she is privileged but wants to overcome that barrier, versus Jayce who is very unaware until the negative affects of his choices hit him directly in the face.

[@ackio5595]

Ambessa is weird to me, you can never really trust the things she says, so we dont know what drives her yet. As for her being the big villain, thats a no from me. She mentions on season 1 that came to Piltover because her son crossed the wrong man, and they would never set that up and not expand on it.

[@ackio5595]

As for her being one dimensional....she was in like 5 scenes. They need to establish her character first before they show her other sides

[@artxroyalty]

@@ackio5595 I’m not quite seeing where her son crossing the wrong man is synonymous with her not being the main antagonist. It’s obvious that she’s pushing the weaponization of Hextech when she’s introduced, and then we get the motive: her son crossing the wrong person. I feel she needs those weapons and now with Jinx’s direct act of war against Piltover it’ll be even easier for Ambessa to double down on encouraging them to produce them. Not to mention it also becomes personal once we consider that Mel was involved (and could possibly be killed). I feel once Piltover realizes that Ambessa has other motives and perhaps might be pushing for expanding Hextech weapons outside of Piltover as well, they might try to nip that in the bud, that’s where they’ll clash with Noxus hence Piltover and Zaun’s reluctant alliance.

[@aranthur]

Thinking about her now might be like thinking about Silco in the first three episodes. We've gotten hints of what's to come, but the true depth of the character is yet to be revealed

[@ackio5595]

​@@artxroyaltyNot necesarily her son crossing the wrong men but the next sentence that she says. Their resources exceed our own, which to me means that she sees hextech as the only way to have a chance at beating whoever this is. Now how this will tie to season two I am not sure. We see new hextech weapons in the trailer used by Cait but not by Ambessa later when she kills those enforcers. If Piltover teams up with Noxus I dont see why she wouldn't have gotten access to them thus giving her an advantage against this third party . On the other side....I dont think season 2 has enough time to introduce a whole new villain so maybe whoever she was beefing with might be a setup for another series to tie it back to Arcane

[@artxroyalty]

@@ackio5595good point! A part of me feel like if she were to use Hextech at some point in s2 they wouldn’t put it in the trailer and show us. I guess it just wouldn’t make sense to me why she would be so adamant about having Hextech weaponized and then not even go on to use it. Idk…but it’s an exciting discussion nevertheless!

[@aranthur]

That take on humanizing the soldiers fighting for Silco might be a reflection of the perspectives we're seeing them through. Jayce sees them as scary monsters, Vi sees them as traitors to the old undercity and Vander, and even Jinx and Silco only see them as disposable tools to reach his goal. That final moment with the boy changes Jayce's perspective, and what do we then immediately see? All the innocent people working in the factory. I think it could be season 2 when our other main characters start to see these people differently/more sympathetically that the audience will also see new sides of them

[@pugisherpug4366]

I kind of agreed with the chemtank situation. Of course we will see, but I get the notion that they aren't humanized. That shot of the innocent people working at the factory was entirely children which is the easiest group to make audiences give sympathy and care for. No focus on the chemtanks accept for a little in episode 9 where we see two and then we get a exterior shot of one on the floor while the fight music plays and lights are flashing inside which is a bit dismissive framing wise.

[@babette5918]

Re: Vi and Powder... Vander had ingrained in Vi that the kids (and everything they did) were HER responsibility. Vi would hold Mylo responsible for his actions but not powder. Powder got a pass. Powder never learned about responsibility because she was never held accountable. Silco also doesn't hold her accountable and gives her a pass immediately after the time skip. The result is that Powder/Jinx doesn't think about consequences in advance. When she finally has to face some consequences then she is totally mentally unprepared for it.

[@_MicZ_]

"Silco also doesn't hold her accountable" ... to a certain degree I agree that Silco is sometimes a bit too lenient, but Silco also scolds her for setting back operations for weeks after she messed up on the airship and gets really angry at her for blowing up those 6 enforcers. Remember that they can only show us so much in a show with 9 episodes and so many characters. I'm pretty sure there must have been many more instances in all those years of Powder/Jinx growing up where Silco had to put his foot down 🙂...