The Psychology of Arcane: Silco & Jinx (Master Manipulation?)- Therapist Reacts!

🔥 HOLIDAY SALE! CuriosityStream & Nebula for less than $12 a YEAR! www.curiositystream.com/georg...
👀 Watch my first Jinx video: • The Fear of Abandonmen...
Was Silco's relationship to Jinx merely a manipulation tactic or did Silco really have a true connection with her? Psychotherapist Georgia Dow gives us here insight!
#ARCANE #LeagueOfLegends #JINX #SILCO
🔔 SUBSCRIBE kzbin.info?su...
💜 SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL / georgiadow
🚨 DISCLAIMER: This video series is provided for informational purposes only and should not substitute for a personal consultation with a professional.
🐦 Contact Georgia on Twitter: / georgia_dow
📺 Need more help? Georgia co-hosts a self-help video series: www.anxiety-videos.com
🌎 Visit Georgia's website: www.westmounttherapy.com
🎙 Check out Georgia's @Apple Talk podcast with @Rene Ritchie :
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast...
RSS: rss.art19.com/apple-talk
KZbin: / @appletalkshow
NEBULA subscribers get a bonus topic each week:
Audio: watchnebula.com/apple-talk-po...
Video: watchnebula.com/apple-talk
🙏 Thanks for watching, see you next video!

[@GeorgiaDow]

🔥 HOLIDAY SALE! CuriosityStream & Nebula for less than $12 a YEAR! ! www.curiositystream.com/georgiadow 👀 Watch my first Jinx video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJ3PnpmImNSfZsU

[@rummwhiskeyy1870]

Do you think Vander was a good father???

[@blacBroly2]

That was a beautiful breakdown. Amazing job. Please breakdown the rest of Jinx from act 2 and 3

[@Strewgle]

Thank you for covering more of Arcane!

[@rummwhiskeyy1870]

While watching arcane for the first time,I liked the fact how complex Silco was though he was the bad guy of the series. It made me appreciate the effort the team of people working on arcane. But after watching your breakdown, I appreciate their efforts even more This really shows how complex the human pschye is. Sometimes beautiful and sometimes so frightening

[@redsabre69]

On the water scene where he helps Powder become reborn as Jinx you could even say it was a coming of age ceremony. Him saying you need to let Powder die it was akin to like saying "You need to grow up, and become an adult, Powder is that child aspect of yourself whom you need to leave behind."

[@clury9477]

Silco really reminds me of that quote: a hero would sacrifice you for the world, but a villain would sacrifice the world for you.

[@animequeen8707]

Omg yes I was literally thinking to myself at the beginning how villains make the best family 90% of the time because they will do anything for you

[@mikaela4887]

I remembered when my ex said these words

[@m.filmtrip]

A hero sacrifices him or herself for the world. A villain sacrifices the world for him/herself.

[@axelburgos8776]

@@m.filmtrip your not wrong in some cases but a good villain is not so one dimensional

[@natiart]

He would never give Jinx back

[@pixie7042]

Silco’s irony is that he died the same way Vander was killed by him. By being a father, putting his children first. Fatherhood was what killed him and in his last moments, he truly understood his brother.

[@pixie7042]

I’ll defend Silco until the end, I know he’s a villain and he’s done wrong, but he wasn’t a bad or malicious father. He loved Jinx and anyone who says otherwise hasn’t seen the show. Maybe he was manipulative sometimes, he has done wrong, but he defiantly wasn’t cold or didn’t care.

[@diomyiasis4164]

@@pixie7042 he wasn't a malicious father but he was definitely a bad one. He did what he thought was good for her and right, but his morals aren't exactly the best...

[@bellal320]

@@diomyiasis4164 yea:( But lets not forget that he has trauma/issues and doesn't know better. He only knows his way... which is actually really sad if you think about it.

[@LovelyHick]

@@bellal320 With all the child labour in the drug factory and the talk of a nation of zaun he does kind of come out as the Peacekeeper guy in suicide squad, like "i will do annything for peace, i dont care how many people i have to kill to achieve it" xD

[@sammyreacts2309]

Obsession and love are not the same thing. He's Vander's twisted foil.

[@zkitt7811]

I would love a season two where silco became one of the voices in jinxs head, but instead of tormenting and guilting her, he would guide and reassure her whenever she needs it

[@GeorgiaDow]

yes I hope we see that

[@Lauren007E]

If we don't I'll be devastated! I want him to be the voice of her manic tear it all down mentality! It would fit with how he always spoke about being willing to give up everything and about letting them all burn...

[@christophercordero9352]

Fishbones

[@kezia-lemonthorne2507]

That's actually a great idea.

[@kinda_cold_in_the_closet]

I really want to see that

[@M.Walaa93]

I just love how Silco's final thoughts were not of how his daughter killed him but of how her killing him would have made her feel. He puts his last breath, his last ounce of strength into making sure that she is okay with what she has done, that she's okay with killing him, he tells her not to cry, that she is perfect while making sure that she knows that he wouldn't have betrayed her cause he needs her to know that his love for her was genuine. In spite of her literally snuffing out his own life, his mind's last thought was only her emotional well-being.

[@GeorgiaDow]

so poignant

[@lynnxxgray7484]

Exactly! This is what I thought but I couldn’t put it into words, but you said it spot on! It’s truly such an emotional thing.

[@M.Walaa93]

@@lynnxxgray7484 this entire show and this scene in particular moved me deeply and I am rarely affected by any form of media, to me this speaks to the brilliance of arcane.

[@lynnxxgray7484]

@@M.Walaa93 definitely agree!

[@princecorvid6275]

Its incredible that despite how villainous and devious their work is they have such an authentic and affectionate relationship that a number of "good guys" don't have, its really beautiful

[@Willhascookies]

I remember someone said: "Her last act as Powder was killing Silco, and her first, true act as Jinx was avenging him."

[@Syndra_maximoff1]

🤯

[@debypitou5467]

Spoilers

[@buildawall5803]

@@debypitou5467 I love spoiled milk it's called cheese

[@todoroki3781]

pow pow

[@askaliu2943]

that is so true and deep....

[@nilskiemle9556]

The way silco mocked vander for being soft and weak because of his children and ended up becoming like vander because of jinx... Fatherly love really softens anyone

[@GeorgiaDow]

Great assessment wish I had said it =)

[@kaedesghost3123]

In the way I saw it like he was taking care of powder for vander, after that scene where vander chose not to attack him but hug him before dying.

[@mr.q337]

Silco had nothing to lose before he has Jinx

[@jonbaxter2254]

"Is there anything more undoing as a daughter?"

[@maxmustermann1533]

It softens the people but it also makes them stronger. A father/ mother can do inhuman things for his children

[@rottenappple3716]

It’s remarkable how Silco has so many traits of a good father, and yet he’s so deeply damaged that he ends up harming his surrogate daughter in an attempt to help her.

[@dragoonMSfan]

Is a good trait to tell your damaged daughter to forget the family She killed just Because he doesn’t want to help her cope with that, if yes then He’s a good father

[@LangkeeLongkee]

@@dragoonMSfan the reach

[@rylace]

@@dragoonMSfan Wow it's almost like they said that his damage causes him to hurt her despite his good traits, they didn't say Silco was all good. Learn to read.

[@rottenappple3716]

@@dragoonMSfan exactly! He’s broken, he’s corrupt and no matter how good his intentions are they’re clouded by his broken perspective on the world which leads to Silco hurting jinx.

[@LangkeeLongkee]

@IconicVan did you.... Did you watch the video? She literally explains them.

[@isaacpianos5208]

I also like how Singed indirectly asked Silco how much Jinx mattered to him and put him down during the surgery, because he knew Silco would definitely interfere

[@GeorgiaDow]

yes = )

[@karljohan2300]

its also a bit funny he sedates the father but operates on jinx without it

[@isaacpianos5208]

@@karljohan2300 he definitely wanted to hear some screams

[@Jkuchenbrod]

"Don't cry. You are perfect" - gets me every damn time

[@omgmelos-ch8ph]

Same tho😭

[@SethHMG]

same

[@lunaeinhorn]

I teared up ;-;

[@Tzimisce3]

Same, that was the only moment in the series that almost made me cry, sad and beautiful at the same time.

[@Jkuchenbrod]

@@Tzimisce3 that was my third or fourth time I cried while watching it. Silko might be the father she wanted, but not the one she needed ... The saddest tragedy

[@pjnerida3221]

If this show made this therapist cry, I 100% TRUST HER

[@KALIMAindia]

So true, what a great KZbinr :D

[@cwcpants140]

If this show didnt make someone cry at least once, their empathy circuits are broken. Im pretty sure this is a show you cannot watch without crying at least once somewhere.

[@aidanmattys7488]

@@cwcpants140 whoops

[@jasminemitsubachi525]

@@cwcpants140 Bruh somehow my trans friend was confused in how I've been almost crying over it every time I hear the songs, sussy baka

[@jdragodon7113]

@@cwcpants140 I didn't cry but I empathized. Lol.

[@kankerjunk7774]

The fact that the therapist is almost crying for almost the whole video says a lot about how powerfull these characters are

[@GeorgiaDow]

they are so powerful

[@alexrehak5564]

Silco is hands down probably the best character of the first season. You almost can not hate him, though he is a cruel and reckless person in pursuit of something greater than oneself.

[@DenDenSushi]

@@alexrehak5564 that's the point! Yes, he is tough, but I don't feel he is genuinely evil like some other ones

[@chillax319]

@@alexrehak5564 True and my first impression of him was "well a stereotypical villain, down to the glowy eye!". Oh how wrong I was :D

[@Aaron-kp6kp]

@@GeorgiaDowit also shows that you are very empathetic 💗💕

[@georgemitchel23]

Can't believe a villain was a better father than my dad... Arcane was just a masterpiece of writing and animation.

[@bitchplease5724]

Literally we barely even talk

[@g.c.9297]

Mood

[@noobycreeperbruh4940]

same here man, and funnily enough this show was the thing that got me to realize that the one deep connection I had with my dad was torn to shreds as a child... he was the one I trusted the most, clinged to the most, and yet he betrayed my trust so many times and it just reminded me of how the trust of Jinx and Silco had been betrayed several times over.

[@Imprettyghoul]

Same 😂

[@weronikatworkowska700]

he's toxic, manipulative, exploiting. He made Jinx and killed powder

[@Seshora]

When Silco is sitting at Vander’s statue and he says ‘ah it all makes sense now brother’ I think he finally understands why Vander’s priorities changed. The importance of The Nation of Zaun paled in comparison to protecting his children, and I don’t think Silco ever understood that until he was faced with the choice of his dream or keeping Jinx safe

[@GeorgiaDow]

Yes I believe so also

[@runtergerutscht4401]

Silco really went full circle over these 9 episodes, he went from killing the old leader because he couldn't bring himself to the needed ruthlessness because of his daughters to failing as the new leader because he can't bring himself to be that ruthless toward his daughter. And also the fact that he got himself the chief of police as a contact, just like Vander

[@veryanonymous3630]

I love that scene by the statue because I think in a way he's arguing with his former self. The old Silco is screaming at him, asking what the hell is he doing, abandoning the cause for anyone but he knows he couldn't give up Jinx for anything.

[@runtergerutscht4401]

@@veryanonymous3630 he's facing the reality that he became exactly what he used to hate. A man too weak to do what needed to be done.

[@mychaeljones7526]

@@GeorgiaDow 69 likes

[@arandomweeb1890]

Two of the most traumatized and messed up characters, yet one of the most beautiful relationships ever

[@triad6425]

And it's not toxic. He simply loves jinx almost unconditionally.

[@VanxHelsing03]

@@triad6425 it was Jinx who is toxic hahahaha

[@thanhnguyensolo]

@@triad6425 Yeah, pushing a traumatized girl into a polluted river to be reborn as a psychopath and trying to kill her sister is not toxic at all. We should give him a father of the year award for not letting his “daughter” to heal

[@sqxbarto9229]

@@triad6425 He just forgot to mention that killing is bad and some other minor moral lessons.

[@anitaremenarova6662]

@@triad6425 For the most part. He is deathly scared of losing her.

[@hebbycakes]

It doesn't even only feel like he doesn't want to lose her, I think he also genuinely knows how much Jinx is haunted by the family she accidentally killed, so when Vi is telling her to remember Mylo, Claggor and Vander, it's triggering Jinx severely and Silco KNOWS this because she's told him about it. This isn't just possessiveness, but that parental need to protect his child.

[@carriethatgirl8679]

I think that Silco really understands Jinx in a way that Vi never did, even as Powder. When Vi was trying to convince Jinx to go with her at the ends she said something like "snap out of it" (Can't remember the exact line right now), implying that Jinx has been brainwashed. But we've never seen Jinx really be manipulated into what she is. Even as a kid she had signs of psychosis that Vi didn't see/notice. Vi thinks she knows her sister, but I don't think she ever really did.

[@hebbycakes]

@@carriethatgirl8679 I don't think she hasn't been manipulated at all, we do know that Silco convinced Jinx that Vander was not a good person and that Vi never cared about her. He took advantage of that traumatic situation, but he also ended up caring about her genuinely, too. Silco is a deeply flawed person, and his manipulation of Jinx came from his projection. I think we're often used to manipulative characters in media insulting their victims or actually not caring about them, like Gothel in Tangled. She manipulated Rapunzel and kept her in a tower and didn't actually care about her at all. But Silco's words and actions have always been together--he gave her freedom to do what she wants, with reminders that her past will hurt her, because his past hurt him. Love it! And then when he finds out Vi isn't dead he's enraged because he's been telling Jinx that she is and that she doesn't care about her, and that will undermine her trust in him.

[@carriethatgirl8679]

@@hebbycakes You're right and I could have worded it better. Silco did manipulate Jinx, whether intentionally or because of his own trauma, he did. However, I don't think that his manipulations changed Jinx at her core. Vi seems to think that Jinx is a completely different person to the Powder she used to know, but I don't think that's the case. I could very easily see Jinx still being similar to how she turned out if Vander, Milo, and Claggor hadn't died. She was a deeply traumatized little girl and she was growing up in a rough world, no matter who raised her. I don't think Vi wanted to see that though.

[@hebbycakes]

@@carriethatgirl8679 There's also the pain of not being accepted even as a changed person. I think for a lot of us who are changed by trauma, we still want to be seen as whole people and be loved regardless. Getting basically told "no you're not this person you say you are, you're this person from before the trauma" feels so painful because you've changed so much since then and it feels unobtainable. In that moment I think Vi is also projecting onto Jinx; she needs Jinx to still be Powder because then she didn't fail to protect her and can still fix what she caused. If Jinx is Powder, then the dynamics go back to how they were, but JINX is grown now and this is who she is. Vi being unable to love her as Jinx is so deeply painful for her. Powder was helpless and always failing, Jinx is strong and embracing chaos and mistakes, in her mind, she'd never want to go back to being Powder. But yeah I think we're in agreement he definitely.

[@socriabbas454]

He even screamed "Don't listen to her!" Silco tries to calm Jinx but Vi is making it worse by making her remember her previous family that she indirectly killed. Fueling Jinx's unstable emotion and mentality. He can see it's getting worst for Jinx and when his words would come to her, he tried to stop Vi from talking.

[@asmitadhungana3790]

The reason that Jinx was so badly torn apart was because she was loved by two entirely opposite sides in the same intensity. Neither could give her up nor let her go. Jinx must be the most deeply loved character in this show and yet, the most unfortunate one!

[@GeorgiaDow]

She is

[@caomunistadoggo4129]

I must only disagree with one thing: Vi didn't love Jinx, she loved Powder, she couldn't love and deal with her sister's new self, and didn't even realized that this unconditional love was EVERYTHING that Jinx needed. Silco was the only one able to do it, and we see it, while Vi was trying at all cost to bring Powder back, but Jinx can't be Powder anymore, the damage had already been done. Jinx knows it, and realizes Vi's limitation (Vi is frozen in time, unfortunately), and then says "to the new us".

[@michaelsinger4638]

Jinx and Silco’s relationship is wonderfully complex. I don’t thing he’s really a “good” father. But he absolutely is a loving one.

[@RagingGoblin47]

for sure he is not a good father

[@stranger9212]

Sociopath does not love the way you would think, it is completely instrumental- to gain power, control, things to go a certain way etc. (which Silco is)- overall he is just a cold manipulative liar. (which always gets me- that there are so many people who like to romanticize abusive relationships or people (in this case Silco), instead of accepting the reality of who this person really is.

[@stranger9212]

But I get it that people feel this way, because it is shown like he really loves Jinx sometimes (in the show). But in reality somone like Silco (possibly sociopath-apd) would not show real affection, only manipulation. Thats why this is only a show and not reality. Which is sad bcs this confuses people, that manipulative, controlling and cold people can love and be soft, they cannot.

[@bigby5845]

@@stranger9212 At first i thought the same, but then i wondered. Silco isn't really using her because she's unstable, he can't count on her and yet still does, because he believes in her and knows her need to be part of something. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but he's still a mafia mob so how can you blame him for taking what she brings back. She plays her role as a pawn, but the point is that she is much much much more than that to him. That's all they have both ever known. So outside of the fantasy set up, i think he is a really caring father, yes. Some thing he does to her because he thinks it was good for him even when it wasn't, and thinks it will be good for her, but don't we all do that ? He is cold and manipulative with everyone else yes, but never with her. You can see the moments when he is about to be, and yet still stops himself before fuckin it up. And a sociopath doesn't care, at all. He does. This is not romanticizing, this is an in depth wonderfully written bad guy character who had all the dimensions needed to make him seem human, and it worked.

[@BlindMaphisto]

@@stranger9212 This theory is disproven by the fact he obviously wouldn't give her up even though it would have gotten him everything he's ever wanted.

[@jemcarstairstoe]

he's dying and THE ONLY THING ON THIS MAN'S MIND ON HIS LAST DRAWING BREATH is to make sure his daughter doesn't blame herself for it. literally dying and the MOST IMPORTANT thing to silco is to know that when he goes, jinx will remember she was loved. must be nice to have a father. Edit: you guys can stop replying to this with “HES EVIL!! TOXIC! BAD MAN!!!!!” idc. we all know he wasn’t a good man but he fucking did his best for jinx and if you don’t believe that, you didn’t pay attention

[@Om-qj9ie]

i feel you man, i hope you've a good life

[@razarine]

NO IT HURT SO MUCH I CANT DKHSLAJS

[@demonicafk-u8682]

Well, this is fictional. And dramatic. A lot of romanticism. In reality a lot of people are fathers and mothers just because sex gone "wrong" and that's where they start and finish being parents, so.. Sometimes it is nice, sometimes is not.

[@KjoshWaddellBananasAreGood]

What about what he did before that though? he forced her to either kill him or let Vi die. that is way to fucked up. he was toxic. he had his positive moments but he also forced her in to terrible decisions and didn't do anything to help her become a better person.

[@lolicongang.4974]

@s He got mad when she kills or no reason. Well when he thought it was no reason. If he was a real bad guy, well he would get mad when she kills whenever. But he doesn't care most the time as she has a common goal. Her targets were the firelights and most are dead. Half a dozen enforcers dead! Enforcers dead! And it's most likely jinx wanting to be in the group and help out. Which he allowed. Why wouldn't he.

[@TheRockhound119]

During the dinner scene, Silco also realized that Vi was hurting Jinx, while Vi did not.

[@arwen9304]

The fact that a so-called "Villian" had more love for a daughter that didn't even share his blood than most of our biological parents to us, it kind of hurts

[@declaringpond2276]

Maybe this is projection, but I feel like the reason a lot of people view silco as "evil" or the "villain" is because they grew up sheltered and loved. Whereas other people like us, never received this amount of parental love and admiration. So we view him as a fatherly figure, he may speak in harsh tones, have a job which is morally wrong, but he loves us. This clashes alot with the world view of sheltered and loved people. Their parents never raised their voices, their parents were a blue color worker who had a clean record. They can never accept a father like silco.

[@theultimate6542]

@@declaringpond2276this isn’t necessarily true. I grew up with two loving parents but I still see Silco as a father figure. I think the people you are referring to are people who aren’t ok with his morals. Does he do bad things? Yes. Is it for the right intentions, of course. But people see him as a villain because of his willingness to do whatever it takes to succeed.

[@KrasMazovHatesYourGuts]

Silco is, quite literally, a man who stared too long into the abyss...and as Nietzche himself said: 'The abyss stares back'. Sadly, history is littered with men and women who were idealistic, well-meaning and fighting for great causes who saw too much of the ugliness of humanity, and their hearts grew dark because of it.

[@GeorgiaDow]

beautifully said thanks for being part of my community

[@diliosspartanetz7588]

well said

[@askaliu2943]

that is why Viktor said to Jayce "We lost ourselves. Lost our dream. In the pursuit of great, we failed to do good", one of the most epic quote. and he is right, in a way every single character with in Arcane are chasing their own version of "great", what ever that is, some people have lost their ways (Silco, Vi ect), some people was lucky enough to snap out of it (Jayce for example), and maybe that is what defines "good and bad"...

[@rexmastersins9349]

I always compare Silco to Robespierre from the French Revolution. A man who was able to do the "base violence necessary for change" but was also so formed by it, that he became a threat afterwards.

[@r3gret2079]

Holy crap this is an amazing comment!

[@papermachevolcano1480]

Jinx is a child. Vander and Silco represents the different forms of parenting and the environment in which a child can grow. Silco finally realizes his ambitions are destructive when his daughter turned out to be the ultimate product of his actions. He understood why Vander became ‘soft’.

[@varusdelluz2029]

False. Silco is 100% fine with how Jinx turned out. In fact, he encouraged this change because it was the change she needed to go about to finally separate herself from Vi, the person who hurt her, and “powder” the person she was. From the very beginning he knew what he was getting into, and if he didn’t, he learned quickly. Jinx was emotionally unstable well before he got his hands on her. But even then, not once did he admonish negatively unless she did something truly destructive to the cause. She would kill his workers and instead of berating her for it he calmly explains to her why she has to be more attentive. He would take the time to help her understand and cope with things instead of expecting her to get it right immediately. He guided her not ordered her. Everything he did for jinx was to help her develop into her own person, regardless of the trauma, regardless of the emotional damage because at the end of the day it’s those experiences that make us who we are and drive us to accomplish our goals. Silco experienced heartbreak from the people he trusted most and it made him strong. Now he’s trying to impart that knowledge onto someone he’s come to love, his child. So she can stand on her own against the pain indifference that the world can throw at her. Respect that.

[@varusdelluz2029]

Though I do agree. Silco did become soft because he found something worth protecting. Does not change the fact that the man still went after his dream. He was not going to give up. Vander gave up.

[@Rare987]

@@varusdelluz2029 I feel like you are miss reading how he was fine with how she turned out/encouraged because I disagree. Everything he did to mentor her was how he himself got out of what she was currently feeling. The trauma he had was moved past when he accepted himself as a new person instead of the old. She said she was told the stories about his past many times and how he moved past it (meaning this isn't the only time he's tried mentoring her even outside of making mistakes). I think his parenting was trying to teach her what he learnt in his life which is to bury your old self and old trauma and become a new person. He became soft for her and tried to help her the best he could (Doesn't mean it was the right way to do it. It was the only way he knew how) Sry if my English is bad

[@BankruptGreek]

@@varusdelluz2029 because Silco only cares for jinx unlike Vander who cares about all of the underground, Vander had to quit.

[@chelronin7843]

@@varusdelluz2029 he was willing to give it up tho, “there’s nothing as undoing as a daughter”. Means hes willing to give up anything for his daughter, including his dream. Or he was at least considering it. When he was talking to Jayce, he already admitted to giving up shimmer production

[@gnostia1302]

The way he tells her that he would have never given her up and that she's perfect when he's dying is sooo beautiful and shows how much he needs her to know that he loves her !

[@GeorgiaDow]

it was so touching

[@vinzdorier]

There's a stronger interpretation to why Silco took the gun at the end : not because of the fear to loose Jinx, but as a reaction to Vi hurting her with her words. He takes the gun to protect Jinx from Vi, not to protect his own feelings.

[@Yen-jw1ls]

could be both. we can be quite complicated sometime.

[@faithjolley6034]

@@Yen-jw1ls It's definitely both, but we should see it as both. Silco picks up the gun because he sees Vi as a threat. She's a threat to Jinx's happiness right now and in the future, and she's a threat to his happiness. Vi is hurting Jinx by refusing to see her for who she is right now, but she's also completely destabilizing her and taking away her sense of normal. Silco sees that Vi doesn't understand what's happened to Jinx and knows that if Vi keeps talking, she could either piss Jinx off enough that Jinx hurts herself or her sister, which would be very bad for Jinx and her already declining mental health, Vi eventually hurts Jinx in the future, or they get along and Jinx eventually leaves him, and in this high stress, face-paced moment, of course he picks up the gun. He doesn't see a positive ending to this, I don't think he sees a future where Jinx has a happy ending with Vi, given how Vi is treating her. He selfishly wants her to stay, but that's partially because he believes he's better family to her than Vi. He knows that if he shoots Vi, the worst thing that could happen is that he has to comfort Jinx. His first instincts as a father are to protect his child first and himself second and to ask questions later.

[@sanshakuvakei2109]

That hits really close to home

[@-Zikade-]

I think it's both. With the water ritual scene it's established he's aware how Powder (specifically the memories associated to her) is hurting his daughter. He tried to help her to let go of Powder... but it's being undone by Vi who makes those harmful memories resurface. The harm is on full display here, all caused by Vi. Before this moment Silco has also expressed his full devotion to Jinx. He does not want to let her go, can't handle the thought of losing her. No wonder he flips out and tries to shoot Vi since he's at the situation in which his daughter is not only hurting but he could also lose her.

[@Aimdoo]

That's what I love about art...everyone has different interpretation, it's very fun and interesting reading them. Anyways, my take on him picking up the gun is because he doesn't wanna lose Jinx. He was afraid Vi might be able to change her into Powder, but he wasn't rlly too opposed to the idea hence why I thought he was a bit slow on picking the gun up...maybe bc of hesitation. Or maybe he realized killing Vi is one the worst thing he could do. After all, he went bat sh*t(ish) when he found out Vi was alive, he was def scared of losing her...is what I think. Edit: Nvm, I just watched the video and Georgia said the same thing

[@CyberWarezz05]

I had friends that genuinely wanted Silco and Jinx to be a couple, and when I said"Why?They are father and daughter", they said"He is not a real dad, plus look at the way they interact.That is so sexual".I was taken aback by this and that made me realize something:there are a lot of people out there that lack this affection between them and their parents, that every gesture makes them flinch and think"that is so sexual!".

[@ijuka]

That's what I was thinking also. They get pretty close but they don't do anything sexual. I mean I always would get really close with my mom too, I guess they would think when we hug it's sexual as well. Jinx and Silco didn't even do a single proper hug(well Jinx did but Silco didn't really respond). But I guess some people just received no love from their parents.

[@blueflare3848]

The classic "any type of affection is romantic affection". People need to realize that platonic relationships exist too. I personally love the found family trope, and I wish we saw it more. I'll never understand people like your friends.

[@shitakemewmew]

Drop that frieeennd..?? Or not, idkk

[@visicircle]

Some families just aren't very touchy feely (mine included). So seeing a different parent style from an intimate perspective might be jarring for some.

[@Thefashiongoddessnyc]

Sou think it’s ok to straddle ur father? That’s what jinx does while shooting him up with drugs in his eye..while wearing a top that shows her bare breasts..and the water scene wear he gets so close to kiss her? Also whe he dies she’s between his legs carressing his chest..so yeah it looks very inappropriate and I’m very touchy feely with my family..Silco was an abusive gaslighter who wanted a protoge…

[@user-io5qz7lj4q]

I love how they made a bad, horrible person and villain, but also made him a loving, understanding father.

[@kevinbosco5876]

All bad father usually a godamn good parents just like escobar

[@keepingupwithDXNGAV]

The reason why some of us love toxicity

[@Good_Hot_Chocolate]

@@kevinbosco5876 You said a contradiction. A father is a parent. So a bad father couldn't be a good parent as well. Also, using "all" harbors more risk than it's worth, since any instance otherwise defeats the whole claim. Better off using a qualifier like "many".

[@kevinbosco5876]

@@Good_Hot_Chocolate good parents rated how the children act in future even the father was bad person he still make the children behave as should be i still call good parenting i know that because my father was one living examples that almost like escobar

[@Good_Hot_Chocolate]

@@kevinbosco5876 I'm still confused by your wording. Good parents rate how their children act? What did you mean by that?

[@jacobwiren8142]

The eyeball injection is literally an allegory for cupid's arrow. The ancient Greeks described love as a wound that poisons you with happiness. When Silco injects himself, it's never a big deal. When Jinx injects Silco, it's an intimate moment of trust. Every time she does it for him, he loves her (like a daughter) a little bit more.

[@dragoonMSfan]

Reaching…

[@lizzywithall5619]

@@dragoonMSfan not really? did you actually watch the video and what she said about this moment

[@WOranos]

I don't think she was injecting him with anything. I'm pretty sure that the procedure was simply to relieve the swelling that builds up over time, caused by a permanent infection. I'll watch these scenes more closely the next time I go through the series.

[@jacobwiren8142]

@@WOranos The official explanation on the wiki is that Silco has a mutation in his eye, similar to cancer, and has to continuously inject medicine into the affected area to slow the spread.

[@thesmilinggun-knight9646]

Has anyone noticed silco’s mutated eye doesn’t have an eyelid how does it still moisturised?

[@erroneousfax9351]

The most interesting part of Silco's character and his relationship with Jinx, to me at least, is that I'm pretty sure Silco believes everything he's said to Jinx. Him saying that Vi and Caitlyn are after the crystal and not Jinx, and him saying that everyone betrays them, he believes that that's true. He legitimately thinks that the world is against them and everything he's doing is to protect both of them.

[@darkacadpresenceinblood]

right, at first when i heard those parts i thought it was just silco being manipulative and isolating jinx from everyone else so he can control her... but then i came to the same conclusion, i really think he meant those things genuinely

[@marcdavies7046]

Consider the metaphor: when Silco first meets Powder, he's holding a knife behind his back, asking her where her sister is; using her as a means to an end, perhaps, before he dispatches her. She then leaps into his arms to hug him and _literally_ disarms him, knocking the knife out of his hand. By the end of the scene, he's hugging her, and telling her, "It's okay. We'll show them. We will show them all." This was not only (in my opinion) sincere; it was a prophecy.

[@termindterguta3514]

that scene was becuz both of them losed someone that day. Obviously silko didn't cared so much for powder at that moment, he needed to that hug too. He understood: 1. the sensation to be betrayed by someone 2. the sensation to leave that someone behind. that day, silko finally left wander behind, he killed his "brother", he was sad at that moment. I will not go and glorify the relationship between silko and jinx. he cares, a lot about her, but he is a twisted father, a terrible one.

[@AnikaJarlsdottr]

@@termindterguta3514 sometimes, the prospect of a shitty parent is better for the mind than no parent at all.

[@karlwilker579]

Fuuucckkkk this show is too good.

[@yamatanoorochi3149]

So their first contact foreshadows their last exchange, this is too much

[@cecequeens4044]

1000th like

[@AesirUnlimited]

My friend pointed out the mug and ashtray on Silco’s desk when we watched the show. She said “aw look, he keeps the gifts that Poweder made for him.” Which I think is another thing that shows how much he loves Jinx. He’s a tough syndicate boss, but still keeps the painted gifts that Jinx gave him on his desk where his subordinate can see. It would really only make him look weak in the eyes of his criminal lacky’s. But he still displays her gifts anyways because he loves her.

[@talynhastime9343]

It is something straight out of a fanfiction or a gag comic strip but in the best of ways.

[@J.S.Arthur]

23:21 I believe there is also another motive behind this. Silco see, that Vi is hurting Jinx by forcing her to remember. Jinx even say "stop". That triggered him to act.

[@GeorgiaDow]

i think you are right

[@GoonHandz]

(spoilers) i love your take on silco’s final scene. i would add that it seems to me that when silco struggles, that he’s the only one that understands how the ghosts of her past haunt jinx. vi believes that invoking vander, milo and claggor will “snap her out of it” and bring powder back. she fails to realize that the memories of those people are nothing but pain for jinx. silco saw his daughter in distress and reacted.

[@GeorgiaDow]

i agree I think I missed that in the original video

[@somethingsfishy8477]

Yeah but Powder running away from the truth isn't healthy at all. Vi's act is better in my opinion.

[@chilled8219]

​@@GeorgiaDow schnee did a great video talking more about this scene. Like how Silco was always able to remove his arms from the rope tied around him, but only did once he saw Jinx in pain and he couldn't deescalate the situation. As this is how he normally interacts with her, (e.g. the earlier eye injector scenes). Whether he consciously knew if he could free his arms of the the rope is up to interpretation, but after Vi brings back her ghosts, in his mind it leaves him with one option to help Jinx. Also in ep 8 when Singed asks "Are you prepared to lose her?" it has a double meaning of asking whether he will be okay with the different person she becomes after being injected with tonnes of shimmer, on top of the chance of dying. At least that's what I gather from the mediums in the show.

[@look4thestarss]

@@somethingsfishy8477 but she’s traumatized. She can’t really do anything abt it. She can’t just snap out of it but I don’t blame Vi either she doesn’t know what going on in jinx’s head plus she has her own fair share of trauma but she is so adapting and tough that people don’t really see it all that much I feel empathy for the 2 of them they both have their own problems to deal with

[@somethingsfishy8477]

@@look4thestarss the more you run from your trouble, the more it'll be harder for you to face it

[@mosey_around2231]

I was thinking about that "you're perfect" scene and comparing to how earlier in the series, Silco says "Jinx is perfect", because that's who she is at the moment. But later in the series when she is choosing between being Powder and Jinx, but then accidentally kills Silco before she can choose. Silco says with his last breath "you're perfect". Meaning that no matter what she chose, Jinx or Powder, she will always be perfect to him. Compared to Vi, who really can't accept who she is now, who Jinx is; only Powder. And Jinx is afraid that Vi, can't guarantee her love for her sister, were she to choose Jinx. But Silco, with his last breath, had affirmed his love for both. And I think that's why she ultimately chose to be Jinx. Because Vi, never affirmed her love for Jinx, or at least never got the chance to. And Jinx can't go through the same betrayal, going in knowing love isn't affirmed. "I thought you could love me the way you did before".

[@GeorgiaDow]

I agree you are perfect was more meaningful

[@christophevezina3524]

Nobody could explained it better! 🙌

[@jullylyv]

Pain

[@Byakuyalovelornsoul]

@@GeorgiaDow If Silco loved her unconditionally, why did he want her to get rid of Powder through the baptism? Do you think it was also because deep down inside he feared losing her? Do you feel their relationship is romanticized at times by fans? Not trying to be combative, just want more of your thoughts as a therapist. I felt his love for her was twisted and not healthy for her, but I also can empathize with him. I think he identified with her trauma.

[@SoulDevoured]

What I don't like about the "Vi can't accept Jinx" thing is she wasn't really given a chance to. They had two scenes together and one under threat of a gun. An unhinged person and someone she cares about. What was there to accept in that moment? "Oh yes powder I'm fine with the fact that you clearly are irrational and need serious mental help. Of course I will murder my gf for you."

[@maryelitherrera5993]

I totally understand the tears. Even tough we know Silco is not a good person, we are capable of seeing why he turned out like that and in top of that, we witnessed his love for Jinx, the girl he raised and the one who he would have given his dream up for. He loved her and truly wanted her to feel safe, to feel fine with herself. At the end of the day, we can't completely hate him, he did the best he could with the tools he had.

[@GeorgiaDow]

eloquently said thank you

[@maryelitherrera5993]

@@GeorgiaDow THANK YOU for making this video, it makes so much easier to understand their relationship and the reason why Silco got to see Jinx as his daughter. Your videos are awesome and I can't wait for the next one!!

[@mangomanu2807]

i myself dont agree with him being the bad guy. surely you could think of him being a villain...but i think piltover is actually the villain, the whole senat. A failed heroe, that came back to his former self in the very end.

[@GabrielLima-gh2we]

Silco is not a good person? ok but who is up to judge?

[@elaw7109]

I... respectfully disagree with not being able to completely hate the child murderer. He - got Powder's parents killed - Killed her adopted dad - ordered her sister and friends killed - ordered her sister killed again - gaslit Powder into thinking Vi had abandoned her, after he ordered Marcus to kill her, a child, again - continues to show all the signs of emotional abuse - would rather die than let Powder heal. - is literally the in-canon justification for "Jinx is forever broken and can never be redeemed" I believe he loved jinx. Like my parents loved me while gaslighting me and manipulating me. He loves this version he created. He loves the monster he made out of her because she's useful and because even the worst abuser is capable of loving their victim. For many, that's the reason why they turn to abuse in the first place. But just because silco was a complex character and great villain doesn't mean he wasn't irredeemable scum. Anybody who has ever had to overcome emotional abuse can take one look at this and see the cleverly hidden monster he is. It is so close to real life, it gives me chills.

[@borkingborker5567]

Silco was the most gentle, loving, understanding father figure to Jinx. He is truly the perfect villain, a villain that doesn't see himself as a villain but instead a freedom fighter that is a product of his own environment and willing to sacrifice anything for his goals until he discovers the warmth that comes from being loved, wanted, and needed.

[@GeorgiaDow]

so complex

[@sorayaya3080]

You know the series is great when a therapist can react to the characters and talk about them as if they really were real people

[@freshrimp9013]

And cried when discussing the death of the main antagonist due to how understandable he is as a character>

[@isabellaadb]

I feel like Silco’s actual mistake on raising Jinx was that he completely projected himself onto her. He saw Vander on Vi and decided FOR jinx that they should be apart and that her sister wanted to abandon her just like Vander did to him. I agree with all you said, he definitely loved her and cared deeply but maybe because he wanted her to be as strong as him, he didn’t really help her heal from the traumas of her past, so we ended up with an empowered but very unstable jinx. He himself didn’t heal properly from his trauma, so the cycle just kinda repeated

[@lolicongang.4974]

Its cause jinx can't let go. Lol if she listened to him after all those years, she could let go of powder. Seems it took his death and knowing he never would betray her to make her bury powder let's hope.

[@Christina-ju1xz]

One issue there fam, he thought Vi was dead. He didn't keep them apart until he figured out she was alive, and he found out she was alive AFTER Jinx had had a full on mental breakdown after seeing a girl with pink hair. He didn't know Vi's intentions. He didn't know what Marcus did. All he knew was that Jinx would very likely lose any shred of sanity upon seeing her as she had with the firelight girl.

[@slothhq1929]

he dealt with all of his past truama by gaining power, so he thought all he needed to do was empower her. he gave her everything HE wouldve ever wanted. love and power. but he ignored her past and tryed to keep her away from it, rather then letting her deal with it, because he feared losing her.

[@lolicongang.4974]

@@slothhq1929 Um sorry most people don't deal with truama by sitting and just remembering lol. And on her level I don't think that's healthy at all... When Vi was yelling her to remember I don't think you were helping. So silco saying let powder die so your fears won't hold her for ever or something actually is good. She needs to let go of her past. Or don't but level it. Like normally she can talk to milo and them fine. Doesn't seem it's a big problem only until she gets worked up. So in short no, i don't think Vi knows how to disarm her sister or anything or notice when her sister is in mental torment. Silco handled it much better had a much deeper love for trying to make Jinx stronger and less likely to break. *Sip Tea* If Jinx was with vi. She probably be treated like a baby.

[@hereiampercylover]

@@lolicongang.4974 I kinda agree. Cuz it seems vi didn't really take the time to *teach* Powder how to do anything. And she let her friend, Mylo, walk all over and talk shit about her baby sister. The fact that she didn't put a stop to that shit probably made things worse. That's probably why Mylo is the main vision that Jinx sees ans talks to. Because he talked the most shit about her. I know Vi was also young, but she and Vander could have done better to help Powder.

[@maximegagnier8448]

Rewatching some of the scenes and just looking at Silco's human eye, rather than his prosthetic eye, helps me a lot in identifying his intention and emotions. Goes to show how much we rely on facial expressions and small details to identify those things.

[@GeorgiaDow]

yes well pointed out

[@LGuiilhermee]

YES!! I noticed that as well. I don't remember where i read this article but it said that 80% of our communication is non-verbal. Its amazing when you think about it

[@askaliu2943]

also shows how bloody detailed Arcane is in terms character emotion display

[@danielleonard6352]

@@askaliu2943 His eye was tainted by the toxins and pollution in the river as he struggled during Vander trying to drown him. The needle releases the pressure in his eye. What amazes me is you can see that his Skin below the eye has either healed our had a skin graft applied because in some scenes you can still see the shimmer of black skin in-between.

[@askaliu2943]

@@danielleonard6352 arh I see! Thanks!

[@TheFrugalVideoGamer]

Another video, titled "How Arcane wins you over in 6.12 seconds" points out the single greatest strength of Arcane as a series - the microexpressions. Most animation smooths things out to make it easier to animate and drive down costs, while Arcane has characters furrow their brow, shift their gaze (e.g. Vi when saying "Mylo was right!" to Powder), and other subtle touches that even physical actors might find challenging to do consistently, take after take. And because of that, you get across a *wealth* of information in just the smallest of looks and shifts of expression that would otherwise take minutes to expound upon and drag things down. And with the final scene, it could *also* be that Silco saw how distressed Jinx was getting as Vi was (accidentally) hammering on her emotional triggers, and wanted to end that distress.

[@lucyandecember2843]

o.o

[@MegaChickenfish]

I think the best way I've heard it put is that Silco is a *supportive* father figure, but that doesn't entirely make him a *good* one. You need more than blanket support. Vander is more aloof as far as emotional support, but does a better job on being firm, but fair regarding self-improvement after mistakes. You could summarize it like: Vander: I'm going to teach these kids what they need to survive. Silco: I'm going to unconditionally support and protect Jinx because I know what she's been through.

[@faithjolley6034]

This kinda makes me question what people are defining as a 'good' parent. Like genuinely, I want to watch a video essay of a person saying "this is what I think the definition of a good parent is and this is why Silco is/isn't one" just because that good is so vague and broad that I think that's not many changes I would make to Silco to make him a "good" parent.

[@faith8953]

honestly! the fact that people are calling silco a good father is highly concerning

[@sagethyme837]

@@faith8953 came to the comments hoping to find people saying this! I love Silco as a character but he’s faaaaaar from a perfect parent.

[@Casper8855]

@@faith8953 True.

[@Casper8855]

Correction on the Silco quote: Because of what I've put her through (direct and indirect).

[@madlade98]

Silco is arguably the most complex character on film this year. He’s amazing as a villian, but not only that, he’s also the protagonist. People are broken and imperfect, that’s why when a perfect hero walks on screen, they show how imperfect the villian is. That’s why it tugs our heartstrings and hurts knowing the villian isn’t gonna win. We relate, not to the aweful acts, but the hurt behind it. Even though the hero’s themselves are also imperfect, we are drawn to the villain just as much if not more.

[@ReignierAvon]

You get it, and it makes me so happy that you do. I think Silco is probably my all-time favorite character from any piece of fiction at this point. He's so complex, and while I can't deny that he has antagonistic qualities, he's absolutely someone you can say possesses qualities of a protagonist. To me, that makes him more human than most characters in fiction, as he just feels so Human. We're all capable of good acts, while also living a life in which we've done some bad acts too. Silco embodies that duality perfectly.

[@VonGrav]

I would say he is the best "villain" of the decade. Its something about a truly "badguy" that you can feel so much for.

[@SixxPleb]

The villain did win this time. He got the nation of Zaun independence.

[@ritsukaaoyagi8239]

@@SixxPleb Did he though? Jinx blasted the council. A decision with no witness might as well not be one

[@lolicongang.4974]

@@ReignierAvon He is most definitely the protagonist to zuan until Vi snitched on jinx and ruined the deal with jayce and silco. If vi didn't mention jinx name jayce wouldn't have asked for jinx and silco would have accepted and helped his people. Yet no one seems to see this little detail. All because vi wanted to fight.

[@hunterlurvey698]

"I would never give you up to them..." Even in his final moments, he loved her. Throughout the entire series you're never ENTIRELY sure what his motives are with jinx, whether its love or personal gain, it never seems go make itself perfectly clear until this exact moment. A true declaration of love. And the cruel irony, silco ended up exactly like Vander. These two people wanted zuan, but instead chose to give it all up for their families.

[@GeorgiaDow]

Yes poignant and bitter sweet but they both found something greater.

[@xNINJ4xSTE4LTHx]

My favorite little details that encompasses their relationship is the music scene 5:35 . When Silco cuts off the song, he stops it right before the line 'Right now I'm feeling ignored." Silco never ignored jinx. He was there for her, and even when he was angry, he never invalidated her or what she did. Its such a small almost unnoticeable detail that just says a lot to me.

[@Destroyanor]

I loved that Silco in his final moments even after getting shot by Jinx he didn’t feel betrayed or hatred for her at all. But instead he says” Don’t cry, your perfect” that just made me start tearing up.

[@HoneyballLP]

Best example, that deep love is for everyone. Damaged souls, lonely souls, the "goods" and the "bads".

[@unraval5307]

sprichst mir aus der seele.

[@DzinkyDzink]

Hence why the true God is all-forgiving.

[@dariocastelao861]

Loved this comment. Thank you

[@HK-gm8pe]

ofcourse it is, I always hated when they made villains look like gliche "psychopaths" who never have feelings, it just doesnt work like that in real world either

[@neltins5308]

Unpopular opinion probably: Silco was actually the justified person in the whole story

[@Beeimus]

I want you to talk about Viktor. His mentality is so strong, yet so flawed and broken. I love his character arc,

[@VerenaIrene1]

yes, that would be so interesting!

[@dingleberry4234]

Why is it flawed and broken? Just wondering what’s your take on it

[@nicocoldstein6422]

PLEASEEEE YES

[@saranagel3473]

Yes I was thinking the same thing!

[@kagato23]

@@dingleberry4234 he might be referring to the game, (which so far is taking place entirely after events of arcane) so saying more goes into spoiler territory. I will say he hasn’t gotten a nice cottage with Jayce, and is still alive and kicking.

[@paris4114]

The moment when I realized that he truly cared for her was the bridge scene and when he woke up from being drugged that his first instinct was to move to the place Jinx was at even though he didn't fully have his conscious at the time.

[@michaelreindel6975]

Huh. I had an entirely different take on one scene: During the climax of the “tea party”… when Vi is shouting out all the names? I don’t think Vi was pulling Jinx back, there. Quite the opposite, in fact. I got the impression that Vi didn’t realize how badly she was actively traumatizing Jinx with all those memories… so my take was that, in the moment, Silco was almost instinctually reacting to protect Jinx *from* Vi… …and I also thought Vi unknowingly drove Jinx away by, effectively, “deadnaming” her… …but I could be totally wrong. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@GeorgiaDow]

i think you are right

[@lolz5504]

a!

[@adamjanos2]

This actually gets foreshadowed earlier: in the bed scene Vi tells Caitlin about their “monster game” of inventing progressively bigger and scarier monsters, but Vi could get carried away and end up scaring Powder. This then gets repeated, only literally as we see the names Vi shouts are conjuring Jinx’s mental apparitions, bigger and bigger and bigger.

[@InfernusdomniAZ]

I think what alot of people ignore about Jinx is that she was kinda messed up from the get go. The beginning of episode one is portrayed from Powders view and the psychotic scribbles are there even then. Not to a great degree but they are there. Powder/Jinx requires the kind of upbringing that basically no one in Zaun could provide for her to be "normal"

[@slicedfruitgirl]

Agree, even as Powder she had massive abandonment issues and trauma (understandably so). When Vi tells her to stay behind, Powder has a full on breakdown.

[@od3910]

I really think she's schizophrenic. Kind of off because in real life people with schizophrenia are actually less violent than the general population. But it's also not so much of a mental illness and more of a neurological disorder that can be inhereted. So the fact that she sees the scribbles that early (doesn't usually happen that early but can with trauma) tells me that she suffers from a neurological problem

[@EditedbyMJPrime]

@@od3910 or even multiple disorders. There’s the Schizophrenia, which like you said. But I also thinks she suffers from split personality disorder and Bipolar (might be really wrong about that one) but it’s like Jinx and Powder are two different people in her and it seems to always be tearing her apart so much that when those two personalities clash, someone tends to get hurt or kidnapped (yes, Vi, I’m looking at you 😂) and the bipolar, I think she’s more always in the manic state. She’s a very hyper and impulsive character, she just does stuff and doesn’t think about the consequences, most of the time she’s on the highest high and then when she’s low, she’s very low, which you can see from the get go when Vi tells her she can’t go with them. When she’s low, she goes mental breakdown low… that’s just what I think tho, I might be wrong

[@rhythmspinner]

@@od3910 Anyone when raised in as violent conditions/with as much trauma as she was could easily develop into a very dangerous person. Paranoid Schizophrenic individuals are known to lash out during paranoid episodes especially if they feel unsafe. However, CPTSD/PTSD, BPD and anxiety disorders can combine to do some things that look very much like Schizophrenia on a surface level. So until the creators straight up state what their intentions were with her diagnosis, we probably can’t ever be completely sure.

[@SeraphSeph]

@@EditedbyMJPrime I think jinx has ptsd and schizophrenia. She doesn't seem bipolar, her emotional state isn't that bad off if you take into account what happened to her.

[@etoile-diabolique]

When silco says "is there anything as undoing as a daughter" highlights a truth about the whole show too. Daughters and their parental relatiships have such a huge importance in arcane. From Vi and Vander, to silco and jinx, Mel and her mother who exiled her, Caitlyn and her mom's grip on her life... All those daughter-parent relationships shape the story in such a complex and interesting way too I don't have much more to say about this, it's just a neat thing I noticed

[@kenmakozume6148]

Also, the sheriff who interacted with hgih-rank criminals and put himself and the city in danger to keep his daughter from getting hurt, but ends up dying on the bridge :(

[@thetypicallifeofcousins2703]

Even Singed had a daughter

[@bluuj5355]

@@thetypicallifeofcousins2703 I thought it was a son? But either way this show does have a lot of parent-child relationships, I mean you see it in every episode even with some not being related to the main characters.

[@EthalaRide]

To me, The eye syring represents Silco's ability to 'do ANYTHING to achieve' power. he is so fueled by his blinding revenge and ambition for Zaun that he is willing to stab himself in the eye every day with Shimmer; the toxic drug he perfected that is empowering yet devistating to the system, like Betrayal. His ability to literally fuel his betrayal and keep his _eye on the prize._ In Act 2 It shifts when he allows Jinx to help him. He is trusting her with his dream of Zaun and his fuel of revengeby literally letting her give him the shots. *We later see him struggle to do it himself* when Jinx isn't around, and when she's upset about Vi coming back, her loyalty, just like her aim, is irradic, and when Silco gets her back on track to contiue making the weapon, She is able to give him the injection in his corrupted eye. He alone can nolonger do ANYTHING to achieve power, because he can't betray Jinx. He can't do this without her. Also the eye injector is literally Fishbone, the shark rocket launcher that fires hextech right into the eye of Piltover.

[@denisel1553]

WHOA. Love your deep take on this!!

[@reedsylvier5250]

Also when Vi was talking her back to Powder, all he could see was that she was hurting her, Jinx was in mental turmoil about it and he could see her pain, he wanted her to stop what he saw as hurting her

[@lunaheavens0820]

"She won't die, doctor. She can't." really got to me. I watched the scene when it came out, and I didn't think much of it. But, watching it now, it brings back the memories of my little brother in the hospital bed, where he later died, and also my cat. I relate to Silco in a way, I've felt that pain of losing someone, and wanting to lash out "Why couldn't they have done better? Why couldn't *I* have done better?" It hurts. And for Singed to be the one to have worked on Jinx was the worst one to do it, but Silco trusted Singed so much to let him work on saving Jinx.

[@noobhubttv8271]

But I mean no one else could would have saved her in that area singed is like a private clinic for the rich

[@lunaheavens0820]

@@noobhubttv8271 I mean,.. True

[@zephloe]

@@noobhubttv8271 too bad singed also always goes too far lol

[@JM-ug1lx]

I thought that was singed!

[@kaylagonzales1605]

I Lost my dog and it feels like I just one’t to lash out and kill my self but at the same time I just want to do the right thing it’s difficult to loose some one or something

[@GoodWoIf]

This show is a Shakespearean tragedy. Not even an exaggeration. Vi and Silco both love Jinx and want the best for her but Vi doesn't really know her anymore and her actions could be disastrous and the terrified Silco is pushed to take the nuclear option. It causes Jinx to shoot him and in doing so killing her second adopted father. Everyone has an agenda that stems from a motive that is completely understandable, rational, even noble, but they're each incompatible and it draws everyone into direct conflict.

[@morganmiller41]

That's what I love about the show. Everything happens in a chain reaction. You'll notice when trying to pay the blame game it never ends. They couldn't escape fate. For example, Silco would have killed everyone if Powder didn't come but what is tragic is she killed then. If Vi ran back to save Powder they would of both died.

[@Pexoverso]

Just like real life

[@FFXfever]

I was thinking the same thing. It's the truest Greek tragedy we had in a while, everything are results of ego, yet no one are ever truly despicable, and everyone is to blame.

[@raulsaavedra709]

That is a great summary of what makes Arcane Season 1 such a great story. Complex conflicts between several characters presented clearly, powerfullly, even masterfully

[@niffleraku]

in summary the zaun characters need a shit ton of therapy

[@nami6211]

Silco might have made the wrong choices, but he surely loves Jinx. It wasn't all about making her a weapon; he saw himself in her. I respect the dude, a loving father for sure.

[@-Zikade-]

“What happened? I’m asking *you*.” I love how you brought attention to this little interaction. How Silco is actually showing some great parenting here. The scene just spoke to me because I’m still a bit salty over some stuff that happened when I was a kid. One time I accidentally broke my sister’s plate when we were playing (old tableware given to us). She started crying and I got spanked because apparently I did it on purpose. I did NOT. Wish my parents would have given me a chance to explain instead of immediately jumping into conclusions.

[@GeorgiaDow]

yes it is hard not to feel heard by your parental figures.

[@prettyspectrum6371]

" Death is better for him than that feeling of loss from that person that means the world to him" Now I understand why he was so much at peace when dying, because his major fear was losing Jinx. He didn't. She lost him and his last words were to confort her It reminded him of when people say they rather die first than someone else they care for, because the pain would be worst than death itself to them

[@Akiara21]

Death is often easier for those that are leaving this world rather the ones that are staying and having to deal with grief of the loss. Which is why Vi’s situation (lashing out at Powder for killing the family) couldn’t be compared to Silco’s “You’re perfect” speech. And I don’t even understand why people are comparing them when they’re so different. Considering Silco’s past actions (when he shouted at Jinx for the unplanned attack on enforcers, attacked Singed after Jinx’s surgery or kicked to death one of his followers when Vi got away), I really doubt that his reaction would have been any better had he been in Vi’s shoes or had he loved/cared about more than one person and not only Jinx. He has a temper behind his calm facade. And the only reason why Jinx doesn’t usually receive his lash outs is because she matters to him more than the rest of the world that he says could “burn”. He was never placed in a situation where a loved one could be the cause of death of his other loved ones. Mind you that despite that one moment of emotional outburst, Vi never held the deaths of her families against Jinx and Vander (in the childhood). So comparatively, if it had been Vi dying instead of Silco, I think that she wouldn’t have blamed Jinx for her death. Her last words most likely would still be of her love towards Powder.

[@prettyspectrum6371]

@@Akiara21 Vi outburst was on a whole different scenario. It was a small version of hell to her, losing all her family like that everyone would be out of their minds. If it was me I would have screamed since it's my nature but Vi's nature is violence by being raised on the undercity I think what's more important of that scene was Silco's choosen words for Jinx. It was what made the deal for her and maybe helps her inside as his voice is now the one she hears. A voice embraising what she is now when sometimes she may not be able to do it herself Vi's words if she had been the one to be shot could have been different. She would probably be talking to powder. What could further damaged her and make Jinx be in more inner turmoil and even damage her relationship with Silco

[@aanyamallick7747]

@@Akiara21 Well powder isn't powder anymore is she

[@deathking1019]

plus I think after being shot seeing Jinx run over to him apologizing also let him know in his last moments not only was the person he loved was okay but she loved him in Silco’s dying moments he knew someone loved him that was enough

[@Nixahma]

My favorite description of Silco's parenting capabilities is a meme with a GIGANTIC bullet dubbed "the love Silco has for Jinx" put into a very tiny gun in comparison, dubbed "Silco's capability for parenting"

[@EtamirTheDemiDeer]

This is actually perfect

[@guilhembenezech6031]

Honest question: how was he bad parenting her?

[@carriethatgirl8679]

@@guilhembenezech6031 Disclaimer: I love Silco and Jinx and their relationship. That being said, he wasn't a great parent. He pushed his own trauma onto his daughter, reinforcing her unstable mindset ("Everyone betrays us. Everyone.") He didn't set boundaries for her, and while he's very caring and understanding when she messes up, he does nothing to try and correct it for the future. We can assume that was the case through her upbringing so I don't think she really has a good understanding of consequences until it's something very personal for her.

[@Nixahma]

@@carriethatgirl8679 Silco is a very good and loving person to Jinx. He just doesn't have the capabilities to be a father. He's never learnt and it seems fair to assume his own dad was a piece of shit, so it's pretty much guaranteed to be a failed process. He's just teaching Jinx what he believes at this point, because he 100% thinks it will help/save her. I always find it interesting to see people insist Silco is a bad person because he's not a good parent, when he's a bad parent specifically because he's a good person. In this regard, anyways.

[@kiki28girl]

Silco was able to love unconditionally, something that actually not many parents are able to do.

[@crescent_moons]

expanding on 23:33, I also interpreted his rage during this scene being because of the panic and trauma that Vi was causing Jinx to relive. When she says, "picture Milo" (which is just about the most stupid thing I could think of possibly saying to Jinx), Jinx goes through the worst episode of her life reliving that trauma and self-blame, and we can see the image of her curling in on herself as she's breaking mentally. Not only do I think he's afraid of losing Jinx, moreso I think he's furious towards Vi for causing Jinx so much pain and fear in that moment. He has spent so much time and care building Jinx up, at least in the best way HE knows how to with his own pain and experiences, and yet Vi always is bringing out nothing but pain and fear in Jinx the entire second half of Arcane - at least in his eyes. If he had succeeded, it's very possible that Jinx would have killed him in the end anyway, or at least may have walked out of his life forever ; the chance of losing her would be just as great, but he was prioritizing her well being in that moment at least in the only way he could think to do. at least that's how I interpreted it. 😢

[@GeorgiaDow]

you are so right on that

[@pearlpaws913]

I didn't realise silco wasn't angry when jinx shot him. After she pointed it out, I thought it strange. But after thinking on it for a moment, it does make sense. If I accidentally killed my father, I don't think he'd scold me, but my sibling will. So I can see why vi snaps when she finds out jinx is the reason her adoptive father died, but silco isn't mad that she hurt him.

[@finezyjnafantazja2495]

Well, facing death most would rather prefer to be reconciled with their family

[@pearlpaws913]

@@finezyjnafantazja2495 true. U got a point.

[@lukeamparo6586]

I find it interesting that the shots of Silco showing only his natural eye is when he’s vulnerable or hugging Jinx. The only exception is when he was hugging Powder in ep3.

[@Crystalitar]

Well it fits. The first hug is the moment where things change amd need time. I am super excited for s2 as the show is fan of showing flashbacks of personality moments. And man. Do i yearn for Jinx and Silco moments of growing up. Its a huge gap atm

[@waffleboy159]

And it looked confused.

[@reginaldblah1642]

Makes a lot of sense, considering that first hug is Silco trying to manipulate Powder. Give her a hug, gain a soldier.

[@craig5322]

The relationship is so complex. What an amazing piece of writing

[@markarrington7397]

Another parallel scene: 1X2 @ 29:38 Vander takes Violet back to the place that changed his life. The bridge where they first met. This is where he gave up the fight and became a father. Like Silco taking Jinx back to the place where he nearly drowned, but found the strength to forge a new man.This show is full of parallel scenes like this and once you start picking them out you can’t stop... brilliant writing.

[@Lesaloote]

Another great thing I noticed at the tea party scene, when Vi tells Jinx she'll never have to see Silco again he doesn't go "no you won't take her from me" or make this about himself, he defends her identity because Vi kept calling her Powder. This is someone trying to take your loved one away from you forever and what you care about is them addressing them improperly. He is devoted to her.

[@tiaracatra834]

I didn’t even notice that he wasn’t making it about him and I thought he was selfish. Nice detail catching👍🏾👏🏾

[@dragoonMSfan]

Why wouldnt he want for her to self-actualize herself by accepting that She f-up and that She has to be an adult and own up to her mistakes, no matter how hard it gets. I’ll tell you why, Because he couldnt do it so it would brake him if he saw That there is an option to be happy and be forgiven

[@rylace]

@@dragoonMSfan You're in every comment thread just getting the show completely wrong and giving horrible takes lmao. You just don't understand the characters at all.

[@lucyandecember2843]

o.o

[@strawberrycatastrofy257]

Arcane: Vi is the main character!!! also Arcane (but quietly): Silco is the main character.

[@twiphe4375]

Vi? Always thought Jinx, Vi, Jayce, Viktor and Silco would all be the MAIN main characters.

[@MellyKillahkatze]

@@twiphe4375 Everyone is the main character, also heimerdingers poro!

[@lunaeinhorn]

@@MellyKillahkatze NEVER FORGET THE PORO

[@user-qi2ld3rm5l]

i feel like everyone is a main character tbh they evenly give out screentime …wish i could say the same with ekko his story would’ve been so good

[@visicircle]

I love this comment so much

[@SoldierGeneral64]

Totally agree. When he says "Jinx is perfect" he is really saying I love you for who you are regardless of imperfections.

[@TheLz34]

Another small thing they do well is how Silco conducts himself in regards to Jinx's lack of personal space and her anxious, constant motion. You see that a lot with young people who have been through similar experiences as Jinx. They don't differentiate very well between various types of physical contact, they're very touch oriented, clingy, etc and unfortunately that can open them up to situations where they can be taken advantage of, and I think some people who initially were concerned about this relationship being more grooming than parental read into that. But they made sure to animate Silco's responses to be spot on. He tends to remain relatively still while Jinx is engaging with him, not necessarily showing approval when she gets what may be referred to as 'too close', but also not pushing her away, restraining, or struggling with her. He waits until she's calmed down and/or becomes still, and then reciprocates the affection in a more muted, but nonetheless genuine way.

[@broadwayzjm5257]

this is a good analysis!! it did make me uncomfy when she was being too close and for a (brief) moment I thought some weird dynamic might've been going on. But you're right in that he didn't engage back or manipulate her in that way.

[@mehdisilini7296]

Spot on. During the first eye stab scene I was starting to get very mad at the show fearing that they'd ruin the whole show by turning their relationship pedophilic. At the second violent eye stab scene I felt like I got confirmation that they wouldn't do that since Silco was on the complete defensive.

[@exu7325]

I'll be blunt, I think people who reads Silco and Jinx relationship that way have issues. Just like you said, there's nothing in the text that suggest anything like that happening at all.

[@karmadollie8063]

Well stated.

[@Viviolau]

Thanks for the explanation. Ngl, I was uncomfortable with some of the ways jinx was physically engaging with him at first because I was worried it meant she was groomed but the worry eased up as I watched the series and you articulated why it did for me.

[@threesofthree6100]

I actually really applaud the way the show handled the relationship between Silco and Jinx. So often in television when the villain takes in a child, there's this temptation to make the relationship incredibly exploitative and uncomfortable. But I didn't see any of that here. Yes, it wasn't healthy for a child to be involved in his business, but Silco genuinely loved and cared for Jinx as if she were his own daughter even to the detriment of his plans. It was a refreshing change of pace from what I had expected.

[@kennethnorth7018]

Yea, I mean it's clear he didn't get her the therapy she could've really used, and that he wasn't a good moral role model for her, but he truly cared, and adjusted for his ruthless morals, and lack of mental healthcare, he was truly a fantastic parent

[@Grentification]

@Sniper Penguin "I'M CRAZY! Got a doctor's note." Jinx says in game. Maybe she was getting some counseling. But to be honest in a place like that, with all shit going around its probably like in the old times. Deal with it. Everyone's crazy.

[@user-ly4ve4iy5m]

Silco showed his parental love to Jinx to the very end, even though she killed him, his last words to his daughter was "You're perfect," empowering her to be the way she wants to be, whatever it may be.

[@justhanditover]

I love how Silco's office (a Crime Lord's place of power and authority) still has a coffee mug with his daugther's painting on it. Another sign that Silco was not pretending to love Jinx from their very first scene together.

[@GeorgiaDow]

Such a wonderful touch to his desk. He is a crime boss but also has these wonderful trinkets Jinx created as a young one

[@zeromontena956]

Their relationship is grossly beautiful, like its have amount of purest intention to each other in such an unintentionally toxic approach to their own trauma.

[@robinrehlinghaus1944]

Perfectly summarised

[@vee1766]

" unintentionally toxic " ?! He's litteraly grooming her to become the weapon for his stupid revolution and ruins everything good about her.

[@MrRenanHappy]

@@vee1766 he means unintentionally from Silco's twisted mindset. Silco means good to Jinx, but his idea of what is good is skewed.

[@GeorgiaDow]

That is so well stated I wish I had said it myself.

[@CimmerianAssassin]

@@vee1766 I don't consider his revolution dumb. After all, his people were literally suffering at the hands of people that didn't honestly care about them until he made them relevant to the point where he could force the council's hand. Unfortunately for his goals, he had to give up someone he eventually learned to love. They were victims of their own trauma in all of their toxic ways. He had a vision, and eventually was not able to accomplish it due to having actual affection towards someone. And for Jynx, she finally received a purpose in her life and he sympathizes with her, that's why he takes her in in the first place. He gave her purpose and goals and a means to accomplish them because in other ways in a normal society she would have been flawed due to her inability to do things right. We could never know what type of damage she would have had otherwise. There was probably no way of her healing from killing Mylo, Claggor, and Vander without a purpose. And without these turns of events, Vi would have probably looked at her with disdain, but when they are taken from each other forcibly, she realizes that she doesn't want to lose that even though she does due to her own action

[@Hey-Its-Dingo]

A small thing in the struggle between Vi and Silco for Jinx's psyche, is that, from the way I saw it, what actually causes Silco to really start fighting back, is that Jinx whimpers "Stop" as Vi's words trigger the demons in Jinx's head, she keeps getting smaller, and Silco hears her, he sees how much pain she's in, and his desperation also comes from a sense of "How can Vi not see how much pain Jinx is in?" Vi just keeps going as Jinx keeps on shrinking in fear, each word is like a knife to her brain, and Silco believes that Vi is twisting it on purpose to manipulate Jinx so that she will be weak again. Silco wants Jinx to be strong, and every name Vi throws out makes her smaller and weaker, and Silco can't let that stand. He will keep her strong. At any cost. Sorry if that was kinda just a word-soup. lol

[@pauljohnong5924]

Goddamn I didn't notice that... Thank you for mentioning that!

[@eres8581]

Bro me too!!! I didn’t see that.. ahhh ma heart

[@leosmuccrook8261]

I noticed that and it was pretty upset by Vi desperately trying to get powder back but not realize shes hurting her more and more

[@yourfaithlessfriend9399]

OMG!! You're right!! She's getting smaller and afraid. That's a perfect representation of how she felt as Powder. Vi yells at her "think of Mylo, Claggor, Vander, Dad, Mom... me!". Violet doesn't know it, but in Jinx's mind they are monsters that chase and torment her... and if you pause the scene, the biggest monster is purple.

[@atiaalbury8612]

wow i like this comment

[@vikaziza1506]

When Silco holds Jinx's head before she dives in the water, it reminds me how parents hold their baby's head while bathing them.

[@Caliif]

I want to add one thing when Silco and Vi are fighting for Jinx, Silco starts to talk when Jinx says "no" (or "stop" not sure what exactly she says), in Jinx mind her former friends are the monsters haunting her, with Vi mentioning them she summons all the monsters, Silco sees how much this hurts her and tries to stop it, yes he is afraid of losing her but he also doesn't want to see her suffer

[@GeorgiaDow]

Yes I agree and if you see the next video on Vi and Jinx them I do dress it.

[@ximienlundquist8487]

Yup, I think what some people aren’t understanding is, Silco absolutely can be a good dad, but he’s put in a cartoonish position where he’s also a ruthless crime boss and there is seemingly no medication or advanced therapy in that world at his disposal. He clearly loves Jinx and is doing as much as a man in his position can do to help his adopted daughter overcome her traumatic past. Not sure how anyone can watch the entire series and think otherwise.

[@MrRenanHappy]

He acts in a loving way, but his teachings are twisted by his own vision of the world. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

[@ponds7177]

well put. it always baffles me whenever i see people who are so dead-set on convincing others that silco is a terrible father who just wanted to manipulate jinx for his cause, when in fact he did pretty well given the circumstances. that’s not to say he did a bang up job, by the way - but it’d be silly to have such high expectations in the first place (especially since arcane has made it explicitly clear that silco isn’t a good guy). this comment also reminded me of an ep of the og teen titans: there was a moth villain who terrorized others and invoked fear wherever he went, but when it came to his daughter he caved to practically all her demands and let her walk all over him, haha. not too far off from jinx and silco’s dynamic, i’d say. and yeah, i also think that the underground’s chances of having any sort of therapy is pretty slim, LMAO

[@ruicastro1410]

I think Silco BECAME a good dad. In that initial scene when he adopted her he clearly saw potential in her. Like the therapist said, he was manipulative and predatory. Remember, as he said, real power comes to those who would do anything to achieve it. Including adopting your nemesis’ daughter you initially planned to kill. And let’s not forget he is the main element of causality regarding the chain of events that lead to Powder’s trauma.

[@mochiandturtles5642]

@@ruicastro1410 This is what I chose to believe.

[@iluan_]

I think some people don't get that some don't get that we as humans have a contradictory nature, and even criminals can feel love for their family. I know this personally, because one of my grandfathers was a criminal. I don't want to give details, but he did some seriously messed up stuff. And yet, to my mom, to my siblings and to me, he was always absolutely supportive, caring and kind. He never showed us his violence. We humans are contradictory in nature. As Terry Pratchett said, we are the place where the fallen angel meets the raising ape

[@sonicbirdy]

Crazily enough at 18:17 You know what makes this better? When Silco said that those attacks Jinx made against both Piltover and the enforcers were under his command he was lying. Jinx did those of her own free will actively behind Silco’s back. The explosion of a building being a way to show that she’s still useful and the bridge was when she was going rogue. Hell Silco even yelled at her for the first stunt with the building in the same fashion a father would over a child that was caught stealing. Silco is actively lying in order to keep Jinx safe. Willing to get himself arrested for her crimes. That’s the level of devotion this man has to keep his daughter figure from harm.

[@stefanoc5099]

still... when you grow your child as a chaotic criminal that can do what she wants including killing innocent ppl, it is in part your responsability

[@kalel1805]

That's a really good point too. Plus, I love how it really mimics Vi and Vanders situation in the first act. Daughter makes escapade into Piltover to steal, ironically from Jayce, again. Causes a huge scene, and goes into mostly hiding in Zaun. Right down to the father figure reprimanding said daughter figure for that escapade and the problems it's caused, to both father figures willing to eventually take the blame and fall for said incident. The show has a lot of that throughout it, a lot of themes and plots mirroring each other. Fortiche and Riot really took a page from Star Wars book and went plus ultra with it.

[@macxgames]

and what's ironic is that it was Vi who ratted her sister's name out to the council too. Cait was about to say it was Jinx but paused because she was thinking of Vi.

[@baisansebastian3358]

Bridge was Silco s orders. He says as much to the chembarons.

[@erikasl.7050]

@@stefanoc5099 a killer in that world isn't necessarily bad. In Piltover where they have the best life in Runeterra, yeah but Zaun is like garbage of Piltover, there people do anything, kill, steal, abuse, all of that daily. The amount of fcked up people in Zaun is definitely astounding. So to think that a Zaunite man, who witnessed it all and raised his child the way he did is only bad, i think is not very accurate perspective. For Zaun Jinx is fitting, for Piltover or for us, she's not

[@factoryofdivisiveopinions]

These two are my favorite characters in the show. I really hope we get more interactions between them in season two, through flashbacks.

[@Dragoriax3]

I was genuinely astounded by silco as his character developed. I didn't want to like him, but every interaction with him and jinx had me melting and empathizing. I was genuinely upset when he got shot in the end. He is a fictional character designed beautifully.

[@SpiraSpiraSpira]

To Silco Jinx is almost a personification of what he thinks Zaun is - a broken orphan, betrayed by everyone yet still free from all constraint, formidable and a force to be reckoned with. So it isn't surprising his last words to her are "You're perfect" because to him, she was.

[@hian]

I was impressed with how the show didn't fall for the temptation of turning Silco into just another "psychopath". Silco is a hardened man who throws people under the bus for his goals and darker desires, but he is still human - still capable of love and passion, though it's extremely narrow and focused. That's a lot more common really. Most people considered "bad" or "evil" are neither. They're just overly driven towards a narrow goal or are too narrow in what they consider their in-group so that they're willing and able to throw those that don't belong in their picture of the in-group under the bus for the purpose of their own in-group's prosperity. Silco is just another "I'd burn the world for the few in my inner-circle" type of people, and that makes him infinitely more human than had he just been some sort of inscrutable nut-job who takes pleasure in destroying things.

[@GeorgiaDow]

It is a wonderful move from a typical bad guy trope

[@dragoonMSfan]

He’s evil dude Idk why you want to gove him more Credit than he deserves. Just Because he showed affection a couple of times doesn’t mean he isn’t evil. You think hitler didn’t love Eva brown? Still would you say hitler is just a person, just a man…no you wouldnt (atleas i hope). The point is if you have a bucket of blue paint, and you mix a drop of red paint into it, you wouldnt say that the mixed color is red or purple, you would still say blue. That’s how the human language works, so yes you can understand silco where he is coming from but you can’t say he was a good dad, when he objectively wasnt, you can however say he is an awesome and complex villain but ultimately a villain. Not an anti-hero, anti-villain, or a hero…just a villain

[@hian]

@@dragoonMSfan I don't really agree with this at all, and your presumptions about what I would or would not say misses the mark as much as your characterization of what I said does. For one, "Evil" is an asinine and childish term developed by bronze-age people who thought the world was best explained by fairy-tales and magic. There's no such thing as "evil" - Only people, who are victims of the vicissitudes of furtune much like they people they might end up victimizing in turn. Nobody wakes up in the morning and goes "Let's do some evil today", and that would include Hitler, Pol Pot and Stalin as well. Secondly, nowhere did I argue that Silco was a good dad. What I argued is that Silco clearly does care about Jinx. While Silco has a very narrow in-group mentality which is what leads him to commit to anti-social behavior, he is clearly not a psycopath nor incapable of pro-social behavior or emotion. What I was giving praise to here was neither Silco's child-rearing nor his choices as a person - what I was praising was the author's ability to rise beyond the temptation to make him a one-sided character without any redeeming qualities for the sake of serving the clean-cut moral judgements of trite and unsophisticated thinkers who cannot see the world in any other colors than black and white. In this, the show succeeded and did admirably. If this is hard to conceptualize for you, or worse, makes you uncomfortable - I'd suggest considering how most people who end up like Silco or Jinx respectively actually end up that way, and how ill equipped dualistic moralism is to deal with the societies that produce them. Silco isn't a villain. He is an antagonist. Broken and confused to be sure. But, not some sort of monster.

[@dragoonMSfan]

@@hian dude you’re arguing about the term “evil” as its not assumed you have the basic knowledge to understand the spectre of people that word enwraps…Idk dude you are trying to analize too specifically forgeting about the big picture. You have a lot of indicators of him being an actual heartless villain..

[@hian]

@@dragoonMSfan Or maybe you're just being overly reductive and have no arguments of your own? There are plenty of indicators that he is not a heartless villain. For one, he is an idealist who seems very much concerned with liberating the undercity from the people up top. Secondly, there are plenty of scenes that show him not only coming to appreciate Vander's view, but also intimate connection to Jinx. If you cannot see that and still feel compelled to reduce into your black and white thinking, I don't know what to tell you except that I feel sorry for the people who wrote this story only for people like you to so fundamentally fail to understand its substance.

[@daxisperry7644]

Can we admire the fantastic 'camera' work when Powder says 'She abandoned me' and Silco's eyes glance up at Vander, like he's immediately remembering that feeling of abandonment.

[@kinda_cold_in_the_closet]

Silco's story is poetic; Betrayed by his sibling, like Jinx, begins to care for the overlooked daughter of Vander, and eventually dies in the same place as Vander at the hands of the person he loved most.

[@override367]

The best part is that Silco's unfailing love for Jinx actually was bad for her, maybe even selfish? His allowance for her escalating destructive behavior contrasts against Vander, who admonished Vi whenever she went off the rails. Silco is the father that Jinx wanted, but Vander was the father that she needed. Silco loves Jinx, unquestionably, but in a selfish manner, he wants her to himself. He's so afraid of losing her that he took her sister from her, and not properly admonishing her overly reckless behavior. Silco has probably never had anyone he loved that didn't stab him in the back, so the last thing he was going to do is lose Jinx

[@SaintMarianne]

Yeah, ultimately Silco’s unconditional love for Jinx makes him an overprotective enabler. Her actions, no matter how horrible or destructive, are forgiven, and he DID use her as a tool of his criminal organisation. He tied her self worth to her ability to commit murder and terrorism. I think he genuinely loved her, and in some ways was a decent father, but he’s also responsible for the monster she became in the end.

[@BornInsane0]

@@SaintMarianne "overprotective enabler" is actually the perfect description of Silco as a dad. Lol.

[@killer660]

completely agree with this, especially the fact that when his 2nd in command tells him that "the sister is back" and he truly thought that she was dead bcuz that's what Markus tells him, that that's when he gets very anxious and worried about losing her.

[@fuckomcducko2844]

absolutely based take bro

[@notarealperson8956]

@@SaintMarianne I think the self worth thing is more on jinx, its just a continuation of her childhood fears of being inadequate. And we see that she enjoys being able to suceed in her rampages, she's overjoyed at what she did when silco comes to berrate her for stealing the hexgem.

[@MrDracolucassos]

The Singed question "are you prepared to lose her" was not about dying, Singed knew that shimmer will change her, that's what's true meaning of this :)

[@zer0clue00]

No, it was in fact about her dying. She didn't change.

[@IiIygarden]

ehh not really.. we've seen how the shimmer works several times, but not once did it change personalities. at most, it only makes someone addicted to it

[@rylace]

@@zer0clue00 It absolutely made her even more unstable. You're just wrong.

[@glowingforthe1654]

@@DarkHarlequin is it just me or like did anyone like find the correlation to singed losing his daughter and then trying to keep rio alive forever?

[@aleeshagilbert1009]

They’re relationship was both horrific, and the greatest thing I’ve literally ever seen. RIP Silco.

[@ChaoticLesbian21]

Its crazy me and my dad's relationship is so similar. We have both been hurt, tramuatised, and emotionally abused, he showed me so much love and empowers me to be myself and to be strong. I'm lucky to have such a wonderful father.

[@imaran1303]

The ulterior motive is that he became dependant on Jinx as well, she is his daughter for all intents and purposes and I think there was this fear that if she saw Vi that she would either leave him or become Powder again, who was in his eyes weak and abused as he was in his own eyes by Vander who tried to kill him. We see that he cares about Jinx, deeply. When he brings her to Singed to save her, to keep her from dying, Singed even asked, the process wasn't safe, if he was prepared to lose her. Silco wasn't even able to answer that and diverts the question with his statement that she wouldn't die, confirming that he wasn't prepared for that. THAT is his deepest fear, to lose Jinx. Which is why he was willing to let go of his dream of a independant Zaun for Jinx.

[@DJ-xx7qi]

Really solidifies the importance of how Silco felt that Powder was Vander's daughter and Jinx was his daughter

[@dorkasaurus.gretch]

People will say he named her Jinx for manipulation. I see it as an act to make her stronger, to own her mistakes and flaws.

[@rustygear447]

@@dorkasaurus.gretch Did he name her Jinx? I thought she come up with it herself.

[@ryxga6392]

@@rustygear447 isn't it because Vi called Powder that after she killed milo and the fat guy with her bomb?

[@coltonwilliams4153]

Which is why Singed decided to put him under. Nothing worse during a risky operation than an irate parent ready to bite your head off.

[@HolybasilYT]

I'm really happy that you didn't even acknowledge the sexual undertones that some people say Jinx and Silco has, because there isn't any. It's a platonic love, not one of attraction and you deconstructed it beautifully. I would like to see you tackle Viktor next.

[@erikasl.7050]

Yo wtf with people making this fcked up bs? This is father and daughter relationship, how degraded some people have to be to see it this way??? What else, Caitlyn's dad & Cait, Vander & Vi? Honestly mentally challenged people and not to mention coming after Silco's voice actor claiming he's into this as well...

[@angelesskies]

@@erikasl.7050 What happened with Silco’s voice actor? anyway I’m glad someone here has some common sense though (most), i’ve come across some really predatory people making their relationship into weird shit.

[@v.s8212]

@@angelesskies Oh yea that was fucked up, basically Silco's VA Jason Spisak has a tendecy to like and rt every Silco fanart that exists on the phase of the planet, so when the freaks checked and saw some fanart of the two being affectionate they took it as a sign in their proship war, so when Jason cleared it up, that everything else but father-daughter is not his cup of tea, they called him up on not clearing up his intentions. It's disgusting.

[@Vizible21]

@@v.s8212 I'm really guilty too. The part where Jinx sit on Silco's lap and they both touch heads it made me uncomfortable as i read it to have sexual undertone. Not when Georgia point out that it's an act of love to mirror Vi and Powder's interaction. It's probably because in today's society we view physical interaction especially when there is a teenager to adult involved as other than sexual. It's a good wake up call tho.

[@erikasl.7050]

@@angelesskies Tofrako guy already explained it well, basically that's what happened. Also Spisak (the voice actor) replied to some people who directly tagged him on twitter asking this bs about his thoughts on Silco and Jinx shipping nonsense. He's a very engaging person, replies, likes and retweets a lot, only natural that he replies to fans but those people have issues and he showed that he's not into that but i think he deleted those replies now. Anyways sucks to see him going through this bs, the guy genuinely loves Silco and Jinx's characters and their father daughter relationship, his engagement with fans being turned against him...

[@raymond9844]

i think silco genuinely did believe that vi would betray jinx again. like not only did he not want to lose her but he also didnt want her to be hurt all over again because he really thought that would happen

[@michaellemmen]

Silco’s eye deflection at 17:56 is such as amazing and important detail. Kudos to the animation team and writing staff. It’s little things like this that really makes shows great and the audience does notice it. Good interpretation as well 👍🏻

[@aileelindsay7291]

Please do an analysis of Vi! I feel like her suffering gets overlooked because of how well she can hold herself together.

[@LinusAkaPano]

Great point!

[@baekseulhyun6762]

Uppp!!

[@MissArtsyHands]

Yesssss!!!!!!!!!! I am kind of blown away by how productive her anger is at coping with the pain…. But definitely can see how it doesn’t sustain her as she begins to grieve her sister throughout the show

[@GerazanConZeta]

No, she is literally the worst character.

[@baekseulhyun6762]

@@GerazanConZeta No, you're just misogynistic and dull lol

[@clawsby6964]

I think it shows so much that instead of blaming her literally in his final moments literally on the brink of death, he affirms her that’s what a father does even in immense pain and close to the end, his only care in the world is making sure his daughter is okay. And his saying “dont cry” is so powerful he doesn't want to see her sad he doesn't want her to be in pain so his final words are telling her she's perfect so she has one last memory of how good she is from her father

[@rocklikeMedusa]

I really love the analysis you make of Jinx’s and Silco’s relationship/personality. I totally agree. I feel that Silco sees Jinx as the girl she has become (in the present), whilst Vi wants her to return to her “Powder” state so that they can take it from there, as if they where never apart to begin with. In my opinion, Jinx was luckier to be brought up by Silco (that gave her confidence to really explore and develop her talents in a safe space) than by Vi, which I believe will never forgive her truly and won’t be able to accept her as she is now.

[@abbie5134]

interestingly, vander treated vi like an adult when she was a child and silco treats jinx like a child when she’s an adult. to me, it seems like vander, through unrealistic expectations, has given vi an unhealthy sense of responsibility and tendency towards self-isolation, while silco, through unintentional enabling, has fueled jinx’s paranoia and inability to examine her actions and guilt constructively. we could blame those behaviors on other things going on in the sisters’ lives, but i think it was intentional on the writers’ parts that they align so well with the two different parenting styles. anyways, very interesting video! i love seeing a more empathetic approach to silco, as i think that he and vander are both meant to be seen as flawed parents who are trying their best to help their daughters grow :)

[@Spiderprinceneo]

Jinx may be grown, but she was his little girl. and he would rather lose it all than have her feel guilty for being herself.

[@Moundshroud.]

How fucked up it is that Silco would be a better father than the one many of us had?

[@rebecazen5563]

...oof.

[@the_sky_is_blue_and_so_am_I]

Aye one of us

[@Moundshroud.]

@@Konoahsenki Better than one who makes you feel worthless and scared all the time.

[@the_sky_is_blue_and_so_am_I]

@@Konoahsenki Silco is non-abusive so I would choose him. lol.

[@salvadortoscano2534]

@@Konoahsenki That is a by-product of the harsh world they live in. Why not take in the entire picture, instead of focusing on the paints??

[@alekbi_le5875]

When silco tried to kill vi i always believed that apart for being afraid of lose jinx he knew that the things vi was saying were painful for jinx to remember and he was well aware of the triggers that jinx has so he tried to shut up vi

[@anamilicat6113]

Before, I thought that Silco only used Jinx and that people shouldn't empathize with him, but luckily there are people like you, now I know that Silco loves Jinx very much and although Silco is not a perfect father, he is far from being a bad father.