@@Trigger__Happyit’s likely the gold accents on her back are actually a magic shield. I forgot exactly why but I think there’s a defense item in league that looks similar
Here's another heartbreaking little detail; she designed the rocket launcher to be a shark because Silco loved the fish and the water creatures that lived in the river. It's left eye is scratched out and scuffed just like Silco's
What I took away from that scene with viktor disarming the jinx bomb is I think he briefly considered just letting it go off. If he just let it explode then he and jayce, the only ones who really KNOW hextech, would be gone and so would the possibility of it being used to make weapons. But he decided to disarm it and put his faith in Jayce making the right decision. I think that adds even more weight to his "there is ALWAYS a choice" line after he does so.
I also really like the little butterfly bombs. You see them in episode 4 being shown off at the progress day thing. Then after Jinx attacks it and nabs the jewel you see the mechanical butterflies on her workbench, some being taken apart. It never draws too much attention to them but if you pay attention you can see how she ended up making them.
The way I saw it, it relates to the discussion they were having about using Hextech for weaponry. Viktor was directly rebutting Jayce attempting to say that they were against a wall and had no choice. And it's at this moment the bomb arms, and the audience is thinking the only choice is to leave the room or throwing it out a window, but Viktor calmly decides to disarm it instead. Then as if to reinforce this idea, he says, "There is *always* a choice."
In the beginning of the series, Silco condemns Vander for prioritizing his own family, his adoptive daughters, over the nation of Zaun. Poetically, he makes that exact same choice by the end of the series. This show is STRONG on parallels
Jinx's VA said in an interview that this was her first voice role. And she's not even American. You can imagine how happy I was to learn she got a role in the new Fallout series.
Jinx wasn't *blaming* Vi, she was thanking her. We're *expecting* Jinx to blame her, and I think that programmed many of us on first watch to think she was - but: "You never left. I always heard you. Shadows in the streets, prickles on the back of my neck. Your voice. Pushing me. Picking me up when all the colors were black. You're the reason I'm still alive." Perhaps the difference in our minds between Powder and Jinx is "innocent child" vs "emotionally damaged killer" - but I don't think that's how she sees it herself: Powder was weak and afraid, Jinx is strong and confident. *Both* have mental problems that she'd rather not have.
You might be right. The underside was always shown as violent even when Vander was around. We see the pretty graphic fight between Vi, the boys and the boys that wanted to steal from them. At that point Powder runs from the fight, because as she says she is not a fighter. Jinx is a fighting machine, whom does not run from fights or violence. She evolved with the under city, which turned more violent in the absent of Vander and Vi. Vi does not know this new under city, she act like it is the same it has always been, while everyone else knows it and they have changed. I think Jinx fully know whom she is, which is why she is so keen on testing Vi, because she still long for her sisters love. I think the "testing of love" is something a lot of people got stuck on, while watching the first time. Which might made some blind to the fact that, as you say, Jinx does not blame Vi for not being there.
@@Summer_and_Rain I kind of agree - except I don't think Powder/Jinx does/did have a strong sense of self. Without someone else to validate her, she's lost. Although I think that she may have fundamentally changed when she killed Silco - instead of breaking down - she accepted it as reality. Mere words, or the chance of being abandoned had her in completely delusional states previously. Some people think that the end of ep9 shows her breaking with her sister - I'm not so sure. She has shown little hesitation to kill people she doesn't want around any more - but doesn't kill Vi or Caitlyn. I think her parting words "Here's to the new us." indicate that things are different, not destroyed. Giving us hope is how they will beat us down in season 2. 😉
This seems like a running theme of the show. Jinx, like the rest of the Undercity, bending her trauma into a crude tool for survival. But then ultimately, losing the larger goal (redemption, peace, family) because that crude tool just damages anything you work on, and will shatter under pressure.
It hadn't occured to me before this, but Vi driving Jinx, getting her back on her feet, when all the colors were black... Strong parallel to what Vander did for Vi in the fight with Savika. "She still needs you, they all do."
something many people miss sevika improved her arm, not just the blade but the shimmer injection sysytem she saw the tank on the shoulder was a weakness so now she has the cartridges in the arm, safer if smaller capacity shows that everyone is a thinking, living, breathing person
Sevika's inventor skills are seriously underrated. If the chemtech fighters had Sevika's heat upgrade on their swords then Vi and Jayce would have both been killed
@@teacupkoala175I always assumed it was viktor/jinx/singed who built her arm. Either one of them or a combo of all 3. Silco would never let such a valuable follower go to waste, and it would explain her devotion to him a bit more
@@Roach_Dogg_JR except we see her tinkering with her own arm when Finn approaches her, showing she is at least capable of maintaining it herself, and is clearly comfortable doing so
@@XxlumiNosityxX Yeaaa those are exactly the songs I listen to from the series, Dynasties and Dystopia too. Somehow even though I added those to my playlist when they came out with the series I can still listen to em without being tired of them
What Could Have Been is truly the perfect song for the final scene. It perfectly laments the loss of a better future in such a beautifully haunting way. It comes together so well with every other aspect of this show. The music climaxed simultaneously with the animation and story. Really sticks with me as one of the best season finales of all time.
Commenting on a thing in episode 7 : you gotta realise Jinx is wildly violent with Silco, who never was with her, ever. The worse he does to her is grab a pen from her hand after she potentially ruined his plans. He BELIEVES it when he makes that pleading speech to her. He truly thinks they're family and it's just two of them... because it's an unhealthy as codependent relationship x'D He had nobody after Vander, betrayed as all hell, married to his fucked up cause. Then he latches on to Jinx the same way she does on to him. Look at his desk. It's covered in gifts for him, all covered in colourful doodles. She drew his face on the helix of her lair, called him dad there. They're fucked but they're in it together in a weird way. From the way Marcus and others speak about Jinx, she's been a "problem" forever and Silco just covers for her and refuses to hear anything. They're both very broken, and sadly in different ways. Silco, when he was beaten by Vander and nearly killed, was at his weakest, hence his 'letting a weak man die' speech. But this doesn't translate to Powder, who, when she killed her family, was the (unwitting) aggressor, not the victim, and also, she was AT HER STRONGEST. Her weapons she was praised for and encouraged to make finally worked. And then... tadah. Orphaned. So Silco's poor attempts at therapy aren't a good fix, because their issues may be similar, but the way they got there are radically opposite. Also, if you go back to episode 1 on the bridge, there are already "jinx effects" appearing, hinting that Powder already had mental issues. It's a terrible story of cycles of abuse that trickle down the generations, all under the boot of Piltover.
I absolutely abhor when people praise Silco for being a "Dad" and for "loving" Jinx. He was incredibly toxic, and it ruined them both. Powder might have had a chance with proper care and therapy but he did nothing to help her mentality. It's a very tragic story between them, and in the end they were too broken to be redeemed.
@@TheDragonsRosehow Silco could help Powder if he himself needed therapy? Also, I just love how people call him toxic, and at the same time think that Vi was a better alternative. Are we talking about Vi who ignored all of Powders mental problems, who started all her codependency issues, who literally forced her to jump off the roof once, and was the very reason Jinx became Jinx? Nah, I don't think that she's a better option than Silco.
BTW at the part where Victor started running with the boats in the background, its a reference to how when he was a kid he couldn't run fast enough to catch a paper boat, they show how now he could run faster than actual boats Also when the creator asked to describe season 2 in 1 word, he said "war". Cast members and other people who so far worked on the season have spoken and to summarize what they said, season 2 will be incredible and sad and hella traumatic
Not only that, it was him not being able to keep up with (we can assume) his own boat. He's now outrunning _other people's _ boats, better boats. Side note: you could interpret his boat as his own creations and ambitions getting away from him. Dreaming too big, can't catch his own goals. Or, you could say instead, he'll make something that will get away from him, something he can't control and make him fall (the hex core). The symbolism like this is all over the place in this show.
14:30 this is one of my favorite scenes of the whole show. I didn't really understand it during my first watch, but from rewatching many times and hearing other people's thoughts I think I get it now. Ekko and Powder used to play a game together as kids. She had a paint ball gun and would try to shoot the paper on his chest, and he had that club and would try to hit her on the head (hence, the "helmet.") We already know Powder was an incredible shot, so she always won. Ekko in his time with the firelights has seen what Jinx is capable of and we know from his conversations with Vi that at least consciously, he considers Powder to be dead and Jinx a completely different person. Jinx is unpredictable and would probably beat him in a fight. By reminding her of the game they used to play as kids (with the clock) he brings her into a head space where he can predict her moves - she shoots exactly like she did as a kid, as Powder. He is able to beat her and avoid her shots. But by bringing her back to Powder, he also can't beat her anymore, because he realizes that at this point, Powder is not completely gone, and while he could kill Jinx, he can't kill Powder. It's so hauntingly sad and beautiful. I think that Powder really was aware in that moment and that she didn't want to fight her childhood friend anymore. She wanted to die and end it there on the bridge, with Ekko.
Thank you for having such a good understanding of this scene, it's such a favorite moment of mine. Everyone I've seen gets so caught up on the idea of it being a nod to his ultimate in game. I wish they showed more of their friendship in the show, and not just the music video.
@@Kasia120612 It is a nod to the Z-drive, there is a reason the entire sequence is sets of 5 seconds. The idea behind the Z-drive is Ekko can beat anyone by learning and adapting over multiple tries. In this fight, he doesn't need the experience, he already has it. It can be both.
Medarda's past scene is interesting because the proposal she makes for taking care of the prisoner is the fate she is given by her mother when she fails the test.
To answer your question about what Jinx has-- while not technically confirmed by writers the running theory is that intense childhood trauma resulted in the development of a personality disorder (most likely BPD, we can already see some symptoms in the first 3 eps), PTSD, and her dealing with bouts of psychosis. It's a common misconception that only people diagnosed with schizophrenia can experience hallucinations/delusions, psychosis can occur for a number of reasons! But I would likely say in her case that it does appear to be a classic case of schizophrenia, not just because of the hallucinations/delusions but also because of her disorganized thoughts and speech. She is an absolutely fascinating character, and imo is one of the best depictions of what psychosis can look like!
True. I don't have schizophrenia, but I experience visual hallucination when it is dark and I am too stressed. Our body and mind does interesting things if we don't have the tool to deal with situations and feelings healthily.
I personally head canon that Jinx has a predisposition for developing a mental illness and that the trauma of killing her family, and "being abandoned" exacerbated her illness over time. I like this because it creates a tragic underline that Jinx was ultimately inevitable.
@@Dragonblade722 That and also the living conditions of the undercity. I think a lot of people underestimate the influence of that, but living very poor in an area with a lot of violence and crime in general and the police violence of the enforcers had to have shaped her significantly too. Add to that the pressure to be capable and useful in some way and being constantly invalidated both verbally by Milo and practically by failing over and over again because she is a CHILD and she shouldn't have these pressures in the first place and you already have a mentally messed up person even before all of the trauma. Jinx was shaped by everything that happened to her, but I also like the idea that the specific way her mental illness manifests has to do with a predisposition. With or without though she definitely wouldn't have turned out fine with all the madness she went through
I agree! I grew up with a BPD parent who starting having episodes of psychosis when I was a teen. No hallucinations but her thought process and speech would be similar especially during arguments
The worst part is that if Caitlyn and Vi didn't go to the council, Jayce would never know about tha name Jiinx. He could have asked for his "second in command" (Sevika) or finder of Shimmer (Signed) or any of the chem barons, but he requested Jinx because Vi told him about this "inventor who could create weapons for Silco". Unfortunaly everybody had their part in this whole mess only doing things that they though would be the best
Oh my goooood I never even thought of that, that's so........ oofff. The impact of our choices man. Indeed, at the end of the day all we do is try our best right
People often blame Jynx for the end, like "it was going to be resolved". Well, it was not, Silco said so, "he would never have given her to them", peace was not possible from the start
that and the fact that she killed Silco ("we can't make a deal with the snake and cuts its head off"). After Jinx killed Silco there was no going back to that deal anyway. The rocket was just the nail on the proverbial coffin.
This show is a masterpiece. But my favorite thing is that peace was never an option. Silco was never going to follow through with handing over Jinx. And at the same time - the council's actions (very much including Jayce) are too little, too late. Everything that happens this season is a result of their politics and their greed. When you break it down, Jinx, to a big extent, is who she is because of Piltover just as much as she is because of Silco and Vi.
I love one particular thing about Arcane and that is the way all battle scenes follow an unusual pattern: normally in action shows like this, you'd expect battles to be made as cool as possible and that's that. But in Arcane, battles are always cool, set to energetic music, just hype you up and get you excited, and then IMMEDIATELY confront you with the horrific consequences of violence. Pretty much every scene of violence is almost immediately followed by making a POINT of why violence ultimately serves no one. The first skirmish between Vi and the other kids in the alley, it's a dirty fight, teeth and blood are flying and it's fun, and then you see everything slow down and the camera focuses on Powder, looking absolutely terrified. Because violence is scary! The big fight in the warehouse is epic, and Powder's bomb working gets her so excited - and us as well! We're rooting for her, it's awesome! And then you see everything go horribly wrong, Vander sacrificing himself, Milo and Clagger getting brutally killed, it's a tragedy. The battle between Echo and Jinx is one of the hypest scenes I have ever seen and then it is IMMEDIATELY juxtaposed with the tragedy of this being two childhood friends trying to murder each other - and THEY realize it to. Jace and Vi taking out the Shimmer factory is also extremely hype, and then ends with a child being brutally killed and Jace realizing what a fucked up thing this actually is. Like Mel said 'You don't know war, I do' and now Jace does to and it's horrifying. For all the hyping action and violence, I believe Arcane is actually fundamentally trying to show that nothing good ever comes from violence, only more pain and more tragedy. Silko says int he first act that there is a base violence necessary for change, but the show puts on display repeatedly that even with his plan, with his measure of violence, nothing changes. Because when change is JUST ABOUT TO HAPPEN, the violence that caused Jinx to become who she is prevents that change, like a butterfly effect of the pain he and his scheming has directly caused her in her past finally coming around to preventing the very peace between Piltover and the Undercity that he believed that violence was ultimately for. It's poetic. It's such a good show. Can't wait for season 2 to absolutely destroy me.
As horrible as a father Silco was, he was a 'good' one for Jinx in terms of who would accept her the way she was and encourage her to create new gadgets, like she figured out that gemstone real quick and then the shark weapon at the end she made that, she's so smart and clearly on level with Victor and Jace! Most of the opinions about Jinx were bad ones from those around Silco yet he always either brushed away their comments or defended her actions even if he knew they were bad ones and caused problems. He genuinely loved Jinx like a daughter and one of my favorite details is a few of his items on his desk have her scribbles on them, it's so cute because that's such a parent thing to keep their kid's little crafts. And before anyone says I'm defending him, I'm not, he was an awful person and yes while he loved Jinx to the best of his abilities, he definitely shouldn't have been taking care of a mentally ill child let alone any child for that matter! However, I do not expect a man like Silco to raise a child and that child to turn out 'normal' especially when she was already having mental health issues before Silco even came into the picture. In the very opening of the series on that bridge, Powder, who was like 5 and had seen so much death, already had those scratchy imageries over the enforcers' faces. Tbh I believe Powder had little to no chance of not becoming some version of Jinx at some point in her life unless she got professional help which was definitely not available in the Undercity.
Totally agree with everything. Silco is my favorite character in the show, not because he is a good person or father or anything like that, but he is a character so complex that made me feel sympathetic. His relation of codependency with Jinx is so complex that is difficult to say that he didn't tried his best of being a good father to Jinx, he loved her so much, he tried everything but he is broken too, he wasn't able because he needed help too. I cried so much when he died... Can't wait for season 2!
Very few people noticed this. Every time Jinx thought about her childhood friends, she snapped. And when in the final scene, Vai asks Jinx to remember them by listing them by name, Silko shouts at her to shut up and then grabs the gun. Because he knows how it ends and how it affects Jinx.
@@klaussmitt9623 YEAH! Normally people don’t notice that, but he knows how those names trigger Jinx and wanted Vi to stop. Vi didn’t know because for her, those names bring comfort and she didn’t listen to Silco because she thought that he was going against her help. I understand both sides. Maybe is because of triggering Jinx that she says that Vi changed too, because old Vi would always understand things for Powder, but for Jinx she couldn’t see things for her perspective. Just a theory though. Can’t wait for season 2!!!
Here's the best way to sum up this show: It's a series of people with conflicting opinions that say and do the wrong things at the wrong places and at the wrong time and everyone loses as a result. The last song "What Could Have Been" is that statement in a nutshell. I keep waiting for the next season to cure me of my post-Arcane depression when I know it's only gonna make me need therapy even more 😭
I wouldnt say its "wrong place wrong time", more like "shit happens". Everything happened for a reason, its not like Vi can just choose to get over her denial sooner to accept Jinx. What you said is like "youre depressed? stop being sad" which removed so much emotional stakes of the characters. As much as a good life they wouldve had if some conflict couldve resolved, thats just how life work, shit happens, and we gotta deal with it
@@MefoWho I think it's more that the characters clash in the worst way possible. "Wrong place wrong time" isn't the only source of conflict, but it is part of it and it definitely accelerates the conflict. And I don't think that removes the emotional stakes, it makes the whole thing more tragic than just "shit happens", at least in my opinion. There are so many moments where things could have been different if characters had made different decisions, but things went in a way so that the worst outcomes happened
Riot with League of Legends leans heavily on the "gray and grey morality" trope. There are ~160 champions in the game, and only 2 or 3 could actually be considered "truly evil". Even the Void, a faction hellbent on erasing all of reality, is legit ultimately only entities distraught by reality's penetrating their nothingness and are only seeking quiet.
Just to be clear, Jinx wasn't pretending to kill Echo, the point of that scene is that he always thought she became someone else but she didn't, she's still there but different, he thought he was fighting just a monster, but his friend was still there, he saw the Powder part on her, and so did we, since it was the first time since the first three eps that we saw her grey eyes, in the place of her blue eyes we see during her Jinx era. Jinx was truly sad they have got to that point, once she has a moment of clarity, she was trying to kill both of them for what they became and what the world has done to them, she wasn't just trying to kill him in cold blood or being as crazy as not caring if she dies to take him down, it was more than that. Truly an amazing scene.
I think there's also the point that she holds back in the final moment. In the first playthrough of the scene, she shoots four times. The fourth shot lands. In the second go-round, she shoots three times and lines up the fourth shot, but doesn't shoot. Is that because Ekko is faster, or because she has conscience?
@@wildbow605 that's bc he's faster, he played her into doing the same they did as kids intentionally bc now he's able to beat that, he outsmarted her, this was confirmed.
People underestimate the amount of trauma Jinx has. The loss of her parents, clinging onto her older sister, being constantly belittled by her friend, trying to show how capable she is only to mess up time after time, then loss of her friends, her sister leaving her (she think Vi left, but we know it isn’t true). THEN she suffers from PTSD combined with her severe case of BPD, which causes her to have enormous attachment issues. Tbf the only person who cares for her at this time is a man who is responsible for the death of her second father figure. But she doesn’t resent him, he loves her just how she is. And then she kills him. By doing so she jinxes again. That’s why she chooses the Jinx’s seat.
she’s my favorite character ever. yea ofc her ptsd is way more dramatic as she’s a fictional character but we both share ptsd + bpd and i relate to her so much. so grateful for the representation that she has given the bpd community truly ♡
[41:35] Except Jinx wasn't BLAMING Vi for making Jinx, she was CREDITING her for it. That's something that most people seem to read wrong when first watching it.
Yep, Jinx thanks Vi for making her. Thats why the song is “I am the monster you created.” Silco tried to kill Vi to save Jinx. Powder defended Vi and killed Silco. Then Jinx avenged Silco and “killed” Powder.
Mel is such an underrated character in this season. She had a full arc that was as subtle as she is, as opposed to the other obvious arcs in our faces.
@21:43 “What happened to her?” Being born into this conflict is what happened. If you rewatch the opening scene of episode 1, you will notice the scratch marks illustrating the fractured, broken perspective of tiny (4-5yo?) Powder. This child’s core memories are that of gruesome massacres, terrifying enforcers and slaughtered parents. It’s the very first pov we are shown. So far as this girl is concerned blowing people up is what life IS about. It’s all she’s known. I enjoyed your reactions. Lucky you only have to wait until this November for season 2! #masterpiece
What I love most about the show is the fact that there are no good or evil characters. No one does good or bad decisions. Everything is just choice, perspective and unexpectancy from every single character. Vander - good person, but scared to go to war, think again, he tried to kill his best friend. Jinx - tries to save everyone and think that she is helping, while actually it ends horribly. Silco - bad guy of the story, but is he? He loves Jinx like daughter so of course he is doing things that father would do seeing their child suffering. And so on, and on, and on.. There are no heroes in this story, and there are no villains. And I think that is why I felt in love with this show. It is just a such a good representation for life itself. No one is entirely good and no one is entirely evil. It is just people, and their stories and choices, and perspective from which you look into that. I love how deep it is.
I definitely think it isn’t as simple as no good or evil. What makes Silco interesting is that he wants good but does evil things to get there making him the “bad guy” while Vander used to be like that (attempted murder of his best friend) but changed out of love for his adopted daughters he became a “good guy”. I understand what you’re saying like everyone is so complex with their own good intentions but it isn’t what you believe but what you do that makes you who you are. Vander IS the good guy; but he’s flawed. Silco IS the bad guy, but he has good intentions. Just because someone’s decision is justified, doesn’t make it neutral (neither good or evil).
@@thecocoacouch Silco is the type of guy who thinks might makes right and the ends justify the means, at least until he's forced to give up Jinx. Then he has to reconcile what Vander once said and he realizes that the ends justify the means doesn't work if it means losing the ones you love. You could write a book on the moral codes the characters followed which changed their perspectives and decisions throughout the show. It's easy to label Silco as the bad guy, but he's never doing something without a greater good in his mind. The only place where you see thin-mustached villains doing bad deeds without motivation are in badly written shows, and you can tell how well written this show is based on how much you care for the characters and understanding why they do the things that they do.
@@thecocoacouch You have it entirely spot-on. Silco IS evil, but his biggest goal of all is one that many people agree with and have wanted, even Vander. The thing that makes Silco an antagonist and true villain are the methods he employs - drugs, intimidation, violence... these are the methods of a tyrant controlling a populace. In the end, Jace even makes their case for them... Piltover has failed the undercity and while they think of the undercity as theirs, those in the undercity feel separate from Piltover and that is why the desire to independence makes sense. Vander had a good heart - he saw the ravages of war and opted to broker a peaceful coexistence so that lives would be saved, he was the opposite of Silco's willingness to achieve victory at (nearly) any cost.
@@Dreznin Silco isn't the villain. Piltover is. Mel is an intensely evil dragon who hoards her literal mountain of wealth while hiding behind nicety politics so she can pretend to be a good person. Heimerdinger has had two hundred years to help the undercity but instead he only ever visits when he thinks he can poach new talent like Viktor, making Heimerdinger at least grossly negligent if not inhumanely callous. Silco might be the antagonist of Vi's personal story but he's far from the true evil.
@@sabrina0013 I understand what you're saying and I AGREE, but my point is that by definition he is the villain (someone who hurts others/does wrong to get what they desire). We can talk about the nuances of the city and Silco all we want but at the end of the day he IS the villain regardless of what environment/corrupt system does to him. That's all I'm saying, it's semantics.
As for what Jinx has, I feel like she's got a pretty realistic (albeit with some creative liberties) portrayal of a Psychosis. Especially with how traumatic of an event she went through it would make sense she'd be left with a form of PTSD, which explains why so many things can trigger her, or why she hallucinates stuff. As someone who's dealt with a bunch of mental health stuff, Jinx has been one of the best written characters that struggles with her mental health I've ever seen.
Strongly agree!! I also think she is a fantastic depiction of how someone with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and extensive trauma might act if they don't have any access to a stable/positive support system and treatment. They feed into each other and those plus bouts of psychosis make it so hard for her to believe that Vi is actually back for good and wants to help her :,(
Fun fact and amazing small detail: in the actual League of Legends main lore, Ekko is able to manipulate time and go back exactly 6 seconds into the past. In the fight he had with Jinx in the bridge, in the song animation, you can see that little Ekko got shot before he threw his clock, a rewind effect played, and the show proceeded to show the actual fight, which lasted exactly 6 seconds up to the point Ekko got shot! It might just be a fun easter egg or reference for League fans, but with that it mind, it's way more emotional to think that Jinx actually managed to shot him the first time, he rewinded time, and was able to avoid the bullet the second time.
Sounds really cool but I don't think Ekko can reverse time yet, the flashback to them as children is more so just showing that they've been there before as children in the form of a shooting game, and that Ekko would have lost in the past but with experience was able to adapt and learn to beat Jinx now.
@@GwenisImmune You're right, exactly why I said while it might just intended to be a fun easter egg or a reference to his main universe power, it's still an awesome detail to have.
I think he might get that power in the future. The bridge scene was just alluding to it and now he is with Heimerdinger, so it could be possible, Heimerdinger is a great scientist and Ekko is an inventor and tinkerer himself. Or maybe it was just a one off easter egg. We will see, I'm definitely excited
Jinx only says she's sorry twice in the entire series. Both times to Silco. Ep. 4 in his office. And ep 9 . She also pulls The trigger on the shark rocket launcher with her thumb, not her index finger. The nail on her thumb is painted pink like Vis hair. The one on her finger is blue like hers. So many details in this show.
I always hate it when people say that all the show's problems would've been solved if Vi just accepted Jinx as who she is now. It's like they don't wanna look at it from her perspective. She lost her home, family, spent god knows how long in jail, getting beat up and thinking she let her baby sister die. Then she finds out that not only is her sister alive but that she also became a mentally unstable serial killer. Their other interaction in the bridge (where it looks like Jinx was trying to kill them both) doesn't help either. You can't just realistically expect someone with her backstory to just accept that in such a short amount of time. Let's be clear, I love Jinx, but maybe we should look at both sides here. My heart just breaks for both of them. They could've had better lives, but fate said otherwise. God, I actually hate how good this show is lol
Well yeah that’s what makes the conflict so good is that Vi loves her sister and would do anything for her but Jinx needed something that Vi couldn’t give her yet. Like I said, I wish they could have both just been seperate from any external influences and just spent time together sorting it out 😭
The only thing that Vi accepting Jinx would have had any possibility of changing would have been the attack at the end, but we were shown for six episodes that it was never going to happen. Jinx truly wants Vi's love an acceptance, that's why she lashes out as soon as she finds out Vi is actually alive and why she has such resentment and jealousy towards Caitlin. On the other hand, Vi desperately wants to find and reunite with Powder, but instead finds Jinx and spends the entire story believing that the sweet and innocent Powder is still there. From the moment they are face-to-face in Episode 6, Vi never once calls Jinx by the name she has adopted, even after Jinx tells her that she goes by Jinx now and that "Powder" is gone. Even though they have aged and changed, Vi refuses to see Jinx as anything but the child she once was, while Jinx wants nothing more than to be loved and accepted for who she is. It's the central conflict between these two characters - not Silko, not the gemstone, not Caitlin... but the acceptance of their new reality.
The irony is that Silco was right. Vi would have realized her sister needed real help, that just getting away from the city wouldn’t be enough. But the attempt to do so would be seen as a betrayal. They’d have ended up on opposite sides anyway, and almost certainly on the timetable he predicted, which would have been echoing in Jinx’s head on loop.
i also think there's more to it then Vi just accepting her. The difference at the end between Powder and Jinx is what Silco said to her. Powder killed her family and can't forgive herself for it. Vi keeps telling her it'll be okay, but she also never forgives her for it. Vi keeps telling her they can just go back to the way things were, which is not what she actually wants. Powder will forever be stuck with the guilt of what she did. Vi may love her, but that's not really enough. Silco forgives Jinx. Jinx doesn't have to carry the burden forever, Jinx can move on. Jinx can be free of what's been haunting her all these years. That's why, in the end, Jinx wins out.
there actually are psychologist-youtubers that analyze powder/jinx in depth, in case you are interested in the specific disorders she piled up :) great reaction
Nice catch! I also love the fact that Vi is mesmerized for 2 seconds and then regains focus and uses the fact that Sevika is floating to land the final blow
There's a detail I haven't seen anyone mention in the scene where Ekko is showing Vi the mural of the people they've lost, the painted girl in the far right, the one that's being painted by someone, is the pink-haired girl that was just killed by Jinx, that's why it's one of the latest additions to the mural. And man.... I'm nothing but a Jinx stan but, that is dark and the fact that Ekko doesn't even tell Vi... keeping her hopes up. So messed up, but great detail.
At this point, we need the studio to pay for group therapy for all of us after this show. And then season 2 was reported to be so emotional, even the voice actress of Jinx said she cried….I’m gonna need to be checked into a psych faculty
Funfact, because you seem to love the nickname "cupcake" so much: In League of Legends, Caitlyn has one ability where she lays out a little trap on the floor and ppl can get stunned by them. Players called them cupcakes for a looooooong time as a joke. Love that little detail (as so many others)
So close to peace and yet so far! Of course Silvo wouldnt have given them Jinx anyway so the planned deal wouldn't have worked, but if everything else hadn't gone wrong I think they had good odds of negotiating something else. Silco has such a fascinating story arc, as his ruthless determination to free his city costs him so much, only to lose out on the one time when that ruthlessness could have won him everything because he has now developed a personal connection that he isn't willing to give up
To this day I can't get over how good Arcane is, this is a videogame adaptation, in an era where video adaptations range from ok to downright terrible. And then Arcane comes out swinging with some of the best writing and acting of any piece of media in a good long while, not just animation, its one of only a few shows I'd legit call a master piece. The script, stories, and characters are so tightly written and everything has a purpose, and you actually enjoy it MORE by breaking it down and digging deeper, whereas other shows might start to reveal some cracks in their writing. And the animation and art, holy hell, everything is so artistic, beautifully rendered, animated, and shot. You can just tell the team had an insanely clear vision while making it. I also have to say I'm super impressed by your analysis and how well you catch and appreciate little details even on your first watch. It makes your videos super fun to watch and listen to, to hear someone else break down and really appreciate the thing they are watching. Dunno what you have planned next since season 2 is a ways off and you do a mix of movies and shows. But if you're perhaps looking for a recommendation two I think you'd enjoy 2 shows that I don't think get the attention they deserve. Those being Kipo and the age of Wonderbeasts, and the Dragon Prince (in that order imo). They are both on Netflix right next to arcane and both are much more colorful and fun, but also have some really great writing and stories with plenty for you to dissect. Either way looking forward to whatever you check out next
If you are interested in how this show was made, the 4 part behind the scenes 'Bridging the Rift' is surprisingly interesting. It dives into getting such a risky investment off the floor, animation, storyboarding, casting and music. Really a nice watch (even though I'm not usually a fan of that kind of thing).
The characterization in this show is just SO GOOD. There are no stereotypical good guys and bad guys, there is no black and white, there is moral ambiguity in every character. Jayce wants a better world but likes being in a state of power to make that happen. Silco wants freedom and independence for the undercity while doing whatever it takes to achieve it. Victor wants to invent solutions to push society into a brighter future, even at the expense of dabbling in the darker sides of magic to prolong his life. Powder is a damaged girl who only ever wanted to be strong enough to stand beside everyone in her family before accidentally destroying it and, from her view, being thrown away by her sister.
The council wouldn't have given them peace anyway, they're supporting Jayce's deal for their independence but that deal was to get Jinx, and Silco would have never given her to them, so it's not like Jinx just fucked up the deal right there, it's more like she fucked up future hopes for other deals that maybe wouold have came later on, if they asked for something else or someone else would have given Jinx.
In ep8 both Viktor and Jayce "innocently" kill someone with Hextech. Before, they talk about wanting to protect Hextech from getting into the wrong hands. But this makes you consider - what are the wrong hands?
14:35 Did you know, that look Ekko had there, wasn't just because he saw his childhood friend, but also because he remembered he use to have feelings for her when they were younger? In the game, when Ekko sees Jinx, he says "Yea I had a crush, until she started talking with her guns" Another interesting detail, is that we had no idea who Powder was, the league community only knew about Jinx, and that she was nuts, but no one knew why or what happened to her. We knew she had a sister she didn't get along with, but had no idea it was Vi, we knew because we she would sometimes say "You think I am crazy? Wait till you meet my sister" So we had no idea about how she became Jinx or if she use to have another name, the funny part about that is, when the community meet Powder, we were surprised how normal she was, and when the non-players meet jinx, you guys were surprised how crazy she was, meanwhile we were just like "Yeap.. That's Jinx" Another thing is that, she calls her gun "Pow pow" but we use to think it just because that's the sound it makes when she fires it, so she named it that. But with the show we found out "Pow Pow" was short for "Powder" like Vi use to call her.
It's strange to me to see this being said, as someone who clocked from the very get-go that Jinx and Vi were sisters. Honestly, I thought the hints were so clear that the playerbase as a whole had agreed they were siblings, so when people were surprised once the Arcane trailer dropped, it confused me so much. Am I really so alone in picking up on it in the game?
@@OrganicOrc No, the community knew, but it wasn't official, I was just talking about things that were official. I heard a rumor that a rioter accidently referred to Vi as Jinx's sister in an interview, and that's how the community found out.
I actually ship Ekko and Powder because of this. Not Ekko and Jinx in this version (I don't think Powder and Jinx are really different people, it's just easier to say), but in an alternate version where Powder either doesn't become Jinx or she slowly gets better and eventually recovers
@@alexelion7084 Well there is no recovering, at least that we know of, but riot should make more alternative-universe-skins Like the new one that came out for ez, I know he has a tone of skin, but there is a lore based "Definitely-not" skin for Ezreal in legends of runnaterra, called Light feather I think, with a cape and a mask, infiltrates damacia with that name, that's when he met Lux, and that's why lux has no idea who the real Ezreal is, because she only met him when he was dressed up with the cape and mask as "Light Feather". Or as you said, maybe a skin for Jinx where she grows up as Powder.
It should be noted that the proposal for peace DID NOT, AND WOULD NOT have gone through with Silco dead and Jinx on the loose. What Jinx did is essentially a pre-emptive strike for a war she KNEW was coming - and somewhat wants. She despises Piltover.
A thought I had after your last video that I didn't want to share until this was completed: Throughout these nine episodes, we were shown three fathers and the choices they made for their respective daughters that showcased what kind of men they truly were. Vander spent his episodes as a lynchpin to the peace of the undercity, yet he was willing to sacrifice himself and what he had built to save Vi. Silco's only focus was driving the undercity to a level that equaled the topside - whether through empowering his people or by weakening his enemies - and yet he was willing to give up the dream he had slain his brother for in order to preserve Jinx. Both men paid for their daughter's lives and identities with their lives. And Marcus - Marcus was a slimeball that cut corners because he thought he knew best and was tired of losing arguments that he wasn't smart enough to realize he was completely wrong in. And as a result, he got caught in Silco's web. While he had noble "intentions", the only sacrifices he made for his daughter was of his already compromised morality - so in the end, his loss of life gave his daughter nothing.
Alright, buckle up, long comment incoming. Episode7: The animation for the cold open and the Ekko vs Jinx fight… it’s so good. This show always finds new ways to amaze. So, there’s a moment where Jinx fired on them and if you slow it down you can see Cait goes to protect Vi while Vi pushes both of them out of the way. Again, I can’t with these two. Marcus is an interesting case for me. Like, I’m not sad he’s dead, but I do feel bad for his kid. And I thought the writing for him was actually really good. Young and stupid, made a horrible mistake, but while trying to keep the peace the way Grayson did he just continued to make things worse because of who he partnered with. Deal with the devil that left him burned no matter what he did. Episode 8: Amanda Overton (works on scripts for Arcane) got asked if Cassandra (Cait’s mom) had caught Cait sneaking girls into her room before since her reaction was so mild. Amanda replied that there was “definitely something familiar about that scene.” And the fandom ran with that. Caitlyn the Lady Killer. I mean, the way she was flirting with that woman at the brothel, can we really be surprised. The Breakup Scene is so good for a number of reasons. Mostly I love the idea of distance that’s been played with in their relationship. Their partnership starts with Cait taking a step over a line to reach out to Vi, and since then there’s been so much closeness and touching between them. But here, in the rain scene, Vi is purposefully keeping distance with Cait even as she tries to reach out again, refusing to look at her as she calls them oil and water and says that Cait should forget her. But there’s also this second bit. Vi’s about to do something dangerous and reckless. And she’s doing what she did all those years ago with Powder. Walking away to protect her. With Powder it was protecting her from herself until she managed to cool down. Now, with Cait, it’s protecting her from being dragged any further into her drama. Keeping her safe. Unfortunately, she doesn’t count on Jinx showing up at Cait’s home but… I love the visual of Viktor finally being able to outrun the boat. “Of everyone, you’re the one [Cait] trusted to do something.” Vi really holds Cait’s opinion in high regard now, huh. Lot of trust. The second time we’ve seen Cait’s Detective Mind at work and it’s just her replaying the Break Up scene over and over while in the shower. Like girl… The fact that it’s Skye that dies this episode is interesting because we don’t know her that well. All we know is that she has a bit of a crush on Viktor and works with him. But that’s the point. Viktor didn’t know her well either. It’s the idea that you get so absorbed and obsessed that you don’t see the consequences it has for those around you, even just innocent bystanders. The idea that of you didn’t know this person and now you never will. Something I want to add about Cait’s mom. I like that they don’t make Cassandra just straight up awful. Like yeah, she worries about image and all that but she still got her daughter a meeting with the council and gave her approval to go after Vi after the meeting. Even her turning on Jayce in Act 1 can be seen as once she found out that he had dangerous explosives in his possession and they were forbidden magic orbs she decided that she didn’t want her daughter around him. She’s not perfect by any means but she’s not awful either. Episode 9: I could literally write pages on that dinner scene. It’s such a master class of everything coming together. The story, the music, the tension, the animation. Everything about that scene just adds that extra layer and it’s astounding. Any scene that makes me think even for a split second, even with meta knowledge on my side, that Cait’s head was on the platter deserves an award in all honesty. There was a cupcake, however… that’s some dark humor there, Jinx. The way this show plays with Powder vs Jinx is so good (even if people take it far too literally sometimes). Jinx presents the option of Powder and Jinx to Vi. Says that she’ll be Powder again, if Vi can kill Cait. But it’s a false choice, and I think even Vi knows it. Powder’s chair is pushed into the table, surrounded by clutter. Jinx’s chair is pulled out and ready to be sat in at any time. It’s inevitable how it’s all going to end, that Jinx is going to sit in that chair no matter what at the end of all this. And it’s heartbreaking because we know Jinx is a victim. She’s been through so much, but she’s not the only victim in this scene. Vi loves her sister so much, still thinks there’s maybe some sort of hope. But no matter how much she loves her sister, she can’t enable her homicidal tendencies. She can’t defend her actions anymore. Silco has become Jinx’s enabler. When they were kids, Vi would’ve let Powder get away with murder. But she can’t anymore. There’s also just the idea of how their past loved ones affect them in the present. For better or worse, Vi uses the people she loved as a means of pushing herself forward. It’s what kept her sane in Stillwater, it’s what pushed her beyond her limits in the fight between her and Sevika. It’s why she can’t see that it’s not the same for Jinx. Jinx sees them all as demons, monsters that torment her. And it’s this disconnect that is ultimately their undoing. Also very apt that Jinx put Cait in her Enforcer’s uniform. A way of saying, “hey, remember, we hate these guys?” And that also contributed to her line of “you changed too.” Yikes. Can’t wait for season 2 in November.
Vander's "That's my girl" breaks me every time. Also something I only consciously picked up on during this rewatch/reacting. Silco has been trying to get Jinx to let go/kill Powder since he adopted her. Throughout the story there had always been an element of Powder still living inside Jinx, even after the "drowning/baptism" scene. But the moment she rises her head after mourning Silco; you can see Powder finally, truly die.
One thing, among the many, that I love about this show is how thoughtful the dialogue is. There's rarely any fat & almost everything said has a purpose--whether that's immediately illuminated or set up for later, anticipating how viewers would react. When you mentioned the "convenience" of the shield that protected Vi during the bar fight scene, it's actually the payoff from an otherwise throwaway line earlier in Episode 4 when Jayce/Viktor were presenting the refined hextech gem to Heimerdinger. The Atlas Gauntlets that Vi were made to help the miners down in the fissures, to which holding your hands in a protective pattern over your face creates a barrier to protect them from cave-ins! It's a very neat little tie-in and shows you how much forethought they had when crafting the entire season. Most wouldn't go back and take the time to work in small continuity details like that.
The shot on Caitlyn when Jinx looks at her and Vi is just awesome, the evil smile and horns that Jinx sees that isn't really there, we all live in our own subjective reality I really love how they depicted Powder losing herself into Jinx, she is so lost in trauma and can't see anything clearly anymore, it is so sad, kids born in war and misery can get lost when losing those who they loved and depended most on
There are sooo many tiny details to geek over but to give a few (Without spoiling any future content) -On the bridge when jinx shoot towards Vi and Caitlyn, if you look frame by frame you can see Caitlyn moving in front of Vi to protect her (sacrificing herself) but Vi saves both by pushing them apart instead of sticking together (which isn't the first time, erm... Powder episode 3...) -All the characters got weapons that fit their personality a example of this is Vi and Jace. Vi fights first and asks questions later which makes her fists fitting due to the fact that's the first weapon anyone have available. Jace have a hammer which is a very straight forward weapon because he looks for the simplest solution which unfortunately often have collateral damage, yes you hit the nail but you also damaged the wood. -To build on the previous point and as you mentioned, this makes Jace and Vi a dangerous combination because they act first and deal with consequences later. This is exactly why the assault was so "successful" they gave Silco no warning, they strike immediately even in the episode the assault was the very next scene after planning. This also meant that it was ill planned and got consequences. -In Vi vs Sevika fight, that "convenient" feature has been foreshadowed the entire show, they are just very subtle about it. Jace mention that the gloves are made for "mining the fissures" so protecting the workers from a cave-in seems like a logical feature and protecting your face is a very natural reaction to something coming falling on you (good design Jace/Victor). It has also been mentioned in multiple episodes that Vi "blocks with her face" and "your guard still needs work", Vi never discovered that feature because she doesn't block. - 41:25 that "Valdani" is something Powder steals while in Jaces apartment in episode 1.
i'm by no means an expert, but i always thought that powder/jinx was born with some kind of schizoaffective disorder that got progressively worse due to immeasurable amounts of trauma she had to live through: losing her parents, losing her new adoptive father and friends, losing her sister, losing her adoptive father AGAIN it just kinda makes sense to me, her erratic behavior, mood swings and hallucinations strike me as something that would fit the "diagnosis" edit: the hammer you see Jayce using here is actually his in-game weapon. as for how many things it can do - it can switch between close combat and range attacks, just like in this scene. and yes, game Vi is using those gloves and game Viktor is using that precise laser cutter he and Jayce showed to Heimerdinger a few episodes ago :D
There are some medical studies saying that some people are born with more possibilities to develop mental illness but you need other factors to awake it (drugs, trauma, stress etc) I think that’s what happened to Powder. Her huge imagination and the violence around her and the guilt to have cause the death of her friends made her lose herself
Peace was never an option. Silco was never going to give up Jinx. And then Silco ended up dead. In the end, Piltover finally tried to create peace, but only after it was too late.
One think some people seem to miss is that, vi was never going to be able to “have powder back”. Even though Vi might love her, she really doesn’t understand powder/jinx. She tries to use Milo as an example of something good from their childhood, even though to jinx Milo is literally a demon haunting her, he’s the source of most of her insecurity. Vi really never had any idea the feelings powder was dealing with, because she doesn’t know how it feels to be so helpless and weak.
I guess I just never understood “never understanding them” as a valid reason for a relationship not working. I think I even mentioned that what they need is to spend a tonne of time just being together talking without this huge war going on as well as some therapy for Jinx. But obviously in that world; that’s too much to ask 😆
@@thecocoacouch You’re right, they probably could’ve ended up coming back together if Silco somehow left the picture, but I doubt Jinx would ever be able to go back to “powder.” She’s murdered plenty of people. The innocent girl is gone even before Silco dies.
This is a contender for the best season on television ive ever watched. Its a masterpiece on every level and honestly if it didnt get a S2, Id still treasure it.
Ekko and Jinx felt the same about Vi coming back with a cop after having disappeared for years. It's just that Ekko is not crazy and had a real chance to talk with Vi, when Jinx is unstable and in the opportunity they could've had, crazy things happened.
Every character in this show is a 100% true representation of themselves. They all act true to their motivations and goals. The problem at the core of this tragedy is that each person's truth conflicts with another's. Even when it looks like somehow the right decision is made, it is made too little, too late. It is a beautifully written and illustrated Shakespearean Tragedy, rolling inevitably on towards its terrible conclusion. And that's why, despite the frustration of everything going wrong, this show's fans love the ending of season 1. Everything clicks.
I really respect how much of a grip you have on the story, it's a pretty complex world and plot and sometimes hard to follow but it's nice to see someone understand it so well on the first watch
I'm so excited for the future of this show. As a HUGE fan of the source material, game and all of it's lore, these characters stories are FAR from complete. Most excited for Viktor and Jayce to complete their stories. Viktor has so much more development to go through before he's reached where he is in the game.
I really enjoyed your commentary on characters having to choose between the cause and their relationships. I find it tragically fascinating that Cate was willing to hide Jinx from the council for Vi's sake, but Vi gave the council Jinx' name for the cause. If not for that, Joyce wouldn't have been able to demand Jinx by name. Silco wouldn't have had to make such a direct choice. Vi outing Jinx echoes Vi abandoning Powder in the heat of the moment, but immediately regretting it. It also echoes Jayce outing himself as trying to create magic when his pride and competence were being challenged. This whole show is nothing bit character driven chain reactions and I love it for that. Thanks so much for reacting to this heartwrenching masterpiece!!
Arcane is such a powerful example of a Tragedy, in a modern context. Brilliant. Gonna shout out the making-of TH-cam series, again! It adds so much to the show itself, seeing the depth of the artistry that went into it.
silco after the bridge scene makes it abundently clear he DOES love jinx, but he himself is too fucked up and damaged to do it normally or properly i find it insane how some people can still say that he is just using jinx and doesnt give a damn about her
The villains were written so well, as I genuinely found myself cheering a few times for Sevika and Silco. There were a few times when Silco did things I was like: “Damn. This is the best villain I’ve ever seen.” I cried at his death lol. I was rooting for his fall, but still. There were the occasional times when I wanted him to succeed in whatever he was doing (at that moment), even if it wasn’t in the long run. I really, really like the villains like him too, so it made it better. I was yelling for Sevika during the scene where she had the option to kill Silco. It was fantastic. Gold-jaw dude never stood a chance. I’m going to love seeing more of her in Season 2. I also found it so interesting that she pushed Silco out of the way in episode 3. She really is loyal. Even if people keep saying she betrayed Vander. Which she didn’t, since she had never been on his side to begin with.
So many payoffs in this show! I’ll mention some of my favourites. One is at 40:14. Ekko taunted Vi before that she “blocks with her face”, and Vander tells her that her guards needs work. Lo and behold she finally blocks, and wins off of it! Her shield is also a move in the game, which is another payoff. 40:53 is another great bit of visual storytelling. Jayce offered up his seat to Viktor so he could sit down, which shows he values their friendship more then his position. Jayce also chooses to stand instead of grabbing Heimerdinger’s old seat. Even though Hermierdinger is gone, Jayce respects him and recognizes that he can’t replace him. 41:44 Jink is shrouded in darkness and we see one glowing eye, which is exactly how we’re introduced to Silco, showing how she’s truly become his daughter. 42:26 we get out first hint how much stronger Jinx has become. She’s wearing Vi’s gauntlets, even thought the right hand is still broken. We saw before that Vi couldn’t lift the gauntlet because it was too heavy, but Jinx is able to like it’s nothing. And we know she didn’t fix them because Jinx shakes her hand when she drops them, showing it was uncomfortable to wear. 45:42 this is another move from the game. Jinx’s ultimate ability is a massive rocket that can hit from across the map, and they managed to turn it into the most epic and heartbreaking rocket in history lol. 46:10 you mentioned this one: the council votes to give Zaun independence only for Jinx to, for the umteenth time, jinx it.
Wonderful reactions. Was a joy to see you go through this. You're one of the few reactors that I feel really picks up on a lot of nuances and meanings that go over people's heads their first time watching. And I've seen a ton of reactions of Arcane! You're also the only one I remember to call Jinx Powder til the end, which is endearing and I think it shows a similar level of care and empathy you have for Jinx that Vi did, like you really took Vi's perspective to heart and saw everything through her eyes. I can't wait to see you react to season 2 after I watch it myself twenty times like I have with season 1!
This show never fails to hit me in the feels even after like 10+ rewatches and countless youtuber reactions. I'm so hyped to need therapy after season 2!
This is what appeals to me about a world like Arcane: In stories I find it's easy to be good if the world rewards goodness with everything going right! It feels good for a moment but it also kind of lacks substance. In a world like Arcane though, that almost punishes goodness, still being good MEANS something here. It tells us something about the characters. And the choice between personal loyalties and the 'greater good' is much more interesting when there is real tradeoffs opposed to many stores where personal loyalties and the greater good are the same thing. I love Arcane 💕
There are so many other regions they can explore too. Noxus, Demacia, the Freljord, The Shadow Isles, Bilgewater. Even when they finish the jinx/vi/cait/etc story… they can jump to another region and run another whole storyline. Or slowly incorporate them… I’m so excited for the way these animations take the world and flesh it out.
I LOVE VIKTOR'S RUNNING SCENE!! when he was a kid, he was slower than a toy boat, as we could watch a few episodes ago... on episode 8 he is running faster than a real one
i actually think the last scene is not a dinner but a tea party. wich, now that i think about it, might be a metaphor for the boston tea party. an event that ultimately will trigger a war for independence between piltover and zhaun just like it did with america and britain. i really enjoyed the reaction. you paid very close attention to detail and understood connections and foreshadowing very early. i like it if reaction are not just "ooooh that was cool" and "wow amazing" but also have an analytic part. this felt high value content and not a cheap and fast click generating video. good job!
I don't know, I don't think episodes 3 and 9 are the same. To me, episode 3 powder was left behind because of V's reasons. (Valid reasons, yes.) but powder was left behind in may ways. But in episode 9, Silco was not leaving her behind. He was not going to take the deal. He was trying to find a way out to take it without giving up jinx. (That would have backfired.) And that's the difference. He did not get up set with what she did, he was fighting for her. Even when she walkup to that point to fire the gun, we heard him talk to her and she was not scared, upset, or distressed. The way she always is when she hears her past family. Jinx did not make a mistake this time. She was Jinx, and her dad ( Silco) loved for it....
I really enjoyed your reactions to this, cuz you truly understand what you're watching. Some people have hard times with some themes, scenes and meanings, but you got it all right 100% of the time. I went into this show completely blind, didn't even see any trailers or knew much about the League. It was the best show I've ever seen. Arcane excells in characters that feel like real people and every choice they make makes complete sense. I recommend watching Bridging the Rift, the oficial documentary series about Arcane on youtube, it shows everything about how Arcane came to life, the animation, story, characters, music, everything
9:49 You're one of the only people I've seen comment on this scene. It's one of my favorites in the whole show. Viktor could've let the bomb go off, but he chose to defuse it. There is always a choice.
i now rewatched the series with you and i must say, this is the best reaction channel i've ever experienced. i hope you will go far with your channel ✌
Thank you so much for reacting to this series! I love that you tried to see everyone's side and how they were all trying to do the right thing. It's a norm already, but I just wanted to say that I don't usually watch entire reactions, like, I just check scenes that I like, but I always make sure to watch 100% of yours! Thank you for making such great reactions that are so fun to watch!
27:30 Atlas Gauntlets were heavy without a gemstone powering it, but then with the gemstone inside powering the gauntlet, picking up and crushing a rock was effortless. I guess the hammer works like that too. You can wield it easily with a hextech power source.
Ekko vs. Jinx is one of the best animated fight sequences I’ve ever seen The innocence of their childhood paintball fight compared to their brutal, real fight as young adults is just insane. I’ll never get sick of watching that scene
That shield of vi's is not only convenient. Anyone whos played as vi in game was waiting for it to finally happen. This is her actual main passive ability. But they used it as a narrative tool about her growth regarding her tendency to guard with her face. Her showing progress thanks to these last experiences, gave her one of her defining gameplay features
I see lots of amazing comments about great moments in this show, but none about one of MY favorite moments of brilliant storytelling: the scene at 9:27. It’s such a telling glimpse into Victor’s heart and mind. In that one little moment, we see that he hesitates to stop the bomb from going off. He _thinks_ about… letting it. And Jayce sees that. Victor’s so desperate, so recklessly desperate at this point, that it’s slowly slipping into su!c!dality. He doesn’t care that he’s not being careful with this ticking bomb. And for a moment, we see that he’s wondering whether he would even care if it did go off. There’s conversation happening in the scene, but it’s secondary - almost unimportant - compared to what’s happening in his hands. His hesitation. Every single moment of this show is just such brilliant storytelling.
i saw something on tiktok pointing out viktor passing the boat when he was running, which is something he couldn't do in his backstory as a kid and I think that's pretty cool
When you are asking "what does Jinx have," like, what is wrong with her, I believe it is trauma-induced psychosis. I think this show does an incredible job of visualizing the experience of psychosis. Truly a masterpiece show on every level!
“A child that is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth” - African proverb
I think this fully describes Jynx.
ekko in act 1: “he paid in gold and didn’t even haggle!”
silco in act 3: “the boy didn’t even haggle…”
oh how i love consistent character writing
It might even be more literal than that. If Mel dies, I guess you could say Jayce literally did "pay in gold"
@@Trigger__Happy mel doesn’t die NOT IN MY BOOK
@@Trigger__Happyit’s likely the gold accents on her back are actually a magic shield. I forgot exactly why but I think there’s a defense item in league that looks similar
@@Roach_Dogg_JR It COULD be Zhonya's Hourglass which makes you invulnerable for a brief moment of Time
Here's another heartbreaking little detail; she designed the rocket launcher to be a shark because Silco loved the fish and the water creatures that lived in the river. It's left eye is scratched out and scuffed just like Silco's
What I took away from that scene with viktor disarming the jinx bomb is I think he briefly considered just letting it go off. If he just let it explode then he and jayce, the only ones who really KNOW hextech, would be gone and so would the possibility of it being used to make weapons. But he decided to disarm it and put his faith in Jayce making the right decision. I think that adds even more weight to his "there is ALWAYS a choice" line after he does so.
I also really like the little butterfly bombs. You see them in episode 4 being shown off at the progress day thing. Then after Jinx attacks it and nabs the jewel you see the mechanical butterflies on her workbench, some being taken apart. It never draws too much attention to them but if you pay attention you can see how she ended up making them.
The way I saw it, it relates to the discussion they were having about using Hextech for weaponry. Viktor was directly rebutting Jayce attempting to say that they were against a wall and had no choice. And it's at this moment the bomb arms, and the audience is thinking the only choice is to leave the room or throwing it out a window, but Viktor calmly decides to disarm it instead. Then as if to reinforce this idea, he says, "There is *always* a choice."
It shows their relationship with death. Jinx didn't even flinch using the bomb on Ekko, she's not scared of death. Viktor is
All your guys' analyses are spot on
In the beginning of the series, Silco condemns Vander for prioritizing his own family, his adoptive daughters, over the nation of Zaun. Poetically, he makes that exact same choice by the end of the series. This show is STRONG on parallels
Jinx's VA said in an interview that this was her first voice role. And she's not even American.
You can imagine how happy I was to learn she got a role in the new Fallout series.
Omg I had no idea Elle Purnell was the va for Jinx! But I can so hear it in her “Okey-Dokey”
Honestly Ella is slowly becoming one of my favorite actors because of these two series! She is sooo good at understanding a character and role!
@@weldernick3750 I find it funny that both series are videogame adaptations
@@batmanvsjoker7725 yeah and I remember the day of video game adaptations where unwatchable!
She's also amazing in yellowjackets
Jinx wasn't *blaming* Vi, she was thanking her. We're *expecting* Jinx to blame her, and I think that programmed many of us on first watch to think she was - but:
"You never left. I always heard you. Shadows in the streets, prickles on the back of my neck. Your voice. Pushing me. Picking me up when all the colors were black. You're the reason I'm still alive."
Perhaps the difference in our minds between Powder and Jinx is "innocent child" vs "emotionally damaged killer" - but I don't think that's how she sees it herself: Powder was weak and afraid, Jinx is strong and confident. *Both* have mental problems that she'd rather not have.
You might be right.
The underside was always shown as violent even when Vander was around. We see the pretty graphic fight between Vi, the boys and the boys that wanted to steal from them. At that point Powder runs from the fight, because as she says she is not a fighter. Jinx is a fighting machine, whom does not run from fights or violence. She evolved with the under city, which turned more violent in the absent of Vander and Vi. Vi does not know this new under city, she act like it is the same it has always been, while everyone else knows it and they have changed. I think Jinx fully know whom she is, which is why she is so keen on testing Vi, because she still long for her sisters love. I think the "testing of love" is something a lot of people got stuck on, while watching the first time. Which might made some blind to the fact that, as you say, Jinx does not blame Vi for not being there.
@@Summer_and_Rain I kind of agree - except I don't think Powder/Jinx does/did have a strong sense of self. Without someone else to validate her, she's lost. Although I think that she may have fundamentally changed when she killed Silco - instead of breaking down - she accepted it as reality. Mere words, or the chance of being abandoned had her in completely delusional states previously.
Some people think that the end of ep9 shows her breaking with her sister - I'm not so sure. She has shown little hesitation to kill people she doesn't want around any more - but doesn't kill Vi or Caitlyn. I think her parting words "Here's to the new us." indicate that things are different, not destroyed.
Giving us hope is how they will beat us down in season 2. 😉
@@Hohum37 I am going to wait for the whole season to come out, before I do that heart break marathon XD
This seems like a running theme of the show. Jinx, like the rest of the Undercity, bending her trauma into a crude tool for survival. But then ultimately, losing the larger goal (redemption, peace, family) because that crude tool just damages anything you work on, and will shatter under pressure.
It hadn't occured to me before this, but Vi driving Jinx, getting her back on her feet, when all the colors were black... Strong parallel to what Vander did for Vi in the fight with Savika. "She still needs you, they all do."
*_"I never would have given you to them. Not for anything. Don't cry, you're perfect."_*
Even after two years, I still cry watching this scene 😢
Me too. This scene always destroys me 😭
Holy shit has it been two years?!
It hurts my heart.
bro , i cry almost on every scene
I’ll never recover
something many people miss
sevika improved her arm, not just the blade but the shimmer injection sysytem
she saw the tank on the shoulder was a weakness
so now she has the cartridges in the arm, safer if smaller capacity
shows that everyone is a thinking, living, breathing person
Sevika's inventor skills are seriously underrated. If the chemtech fighters had Sevika's heat upgrade on their swords then Vi and Jayce would have both been killed
@@teacupkoala175I always assumed it was viktor/jinx/singed who built her arm. Either one of them or a combo of all 3. Silco would never let such a valuable follower go to waste, and it would explain her devotion to him a bit more
@@Roach_Dogg_JR except we see her tinkering with her own arm when Finn approaches her, showing she is at least capable of maintaining it herself, and is clearly comfortable doing so
“What could’ve been” is probably my favorite song from this show. It’s quite underrated. Though I am a Sting fan and enjoy somber violin 😂
Also "Guns for hire" a really good song that came from episode 6, really recommend giving it a listen if you havent already
Gun for hire, What could’ve been, Playground, and goodbye are my favs! Defo check those out!
@@XxlumiNosityxX Yeaaa those are exactly the songs I listen to from the series, Dynasties and Dystopia too. Somehow even though I added those to my playlist when they came out with the series I can still listen to em without being tired of them
What Could Have Been is truly the perfect song for the final scene. It perfectly laments the loss of a better future in such a beautifully haunting way. It comes together so well with every other aspect of this show. The music climaxed simultaneously with the animation and story. Really sticks with me as one of the best season finales of all time.
Our love is my favorite
Commenting on a thing in episode 7 : you gotta realise Jinx is wildly violent with Silco, who never was with her, ever. The worse he does to her is grab a pen from her hand after she potentially ruined his plans. He BELIEVES it when he makes that pleading speech to her. He truly thinks they're family and it's just two of them... because it's an unhealthy as codependent relationship x'D
He had nobody after Vander, betrayed as all hell, married to his fucked up cause. Then he latches on to Jinx the same way she does on to him. Look at his desk. It's covered in gifts for him, all covered in colourful doodles. She drew his face on the helix of her lair, called him dad there. They're fucked but they're in it together in a weird way. From the way Marcus and others speak about Jinx, she's been a "problem" forever and Silco just covers for her and refuses to hear anything. They're both very broken, and sadly in different ways.
Silco, when he was beaten by Vander and nearly killed, was at his weakest, hence his 'letting a weak man die' speech. But this doesn't translate to Powder, who, when she killed her family, was the (unwitting) aggressor, not the victim, and also, she was AT HER STRONGEST. Her weapons she was praised for and encouraged to make finally worked. And then... tadah. Orphaned.
So Silco's poor attempts at therapy aren't a good fix, because their issues may be similar, but the way they got there are radically opposite.
Also, if you go back to episode 1 on the bridge, there are already "jinx effects" appearing, hinting that Powder already had mental issues.
It's a terrible story of cycles of abuse that trickle down the generations, all under the boot of Piltover.
perfectly said!
perfectly said!
I absolutely abhor when people praise Silco for being a "Dad" and for "loving" Jinx. He was incredibly toxic, and it ruined them both. Powder might have had a chance with proper care and therapy but he did nothing to help her mentality. It's a very tragic story between them, and in the end they were too broken to be redeemed.
@@TheDragonsRosehow Silco could help Powder if he himself needed therapy? Also, I just love how people call him toxic, and at the same time think that Vi was a better alternative. Are we talking about Vi who ignored all of Powders mental problems, who started all her codependency issues, who literally forced her to jump off the roof once, and was the very reason Jinx became Jinx? Nah, I don't think that she's a better option than Silco.
@@margarethood Never said Vi was a better alternative. Silco couldn't help Powder, that's the point of what I said......... Next.
BTW at the part where Victor started running with the boats in the background, its a reference to how when he was a kid he couldn't run fast enough to catch a paper boat, they show how now he could run faster than actual boats
Also when the creator asked to describe season 2 in 1 word, he said "war". Cast members and other people who so far worked on the season have spoken and to summarize what they said, season 2 will be incredible and sad and hella traumatic
that boat symbolism is fucking crazy yo
Not only that, it was him not being able to keep up with (we can assume) his own boat. He's now outrunning _other people's _ boats, better boats.
Side note: you could interpret his boat as his own creations and ambitions getting away from him. Dreaming too big, can't catch his own goals. Or, you could say instead, he'll make something that will get away from him, something he can't control and make him fall (the hex core). The symbolism like this is all over the place in this show.
I didn’t catch the boat symbolism, but as for the next season being traumatic. I am so ready for it!
"war" is also a clever reference to a character we will see again.
@@ravenwaves6785 is it perhaps Mr. Wick you are refering to?
14:30 this is one of my favorite scenes of the whole show. I didn't really understand it during my first watch, but from rewatching many times and hearing other people's thoughts I think I get it now. Ekko and Powder used to play a game together as kids. She had a paint ball gun and would try to shoot the paper on his chest, and he had that club and would try to hit her on the head (hence, the "helmet.") We already know Powder was an incredible shot, so she always won. Ekko in his time with the firelights has seen what Jinx is capable of and we know from his conversations with Vi that at least consciously, he considers Powder to be dead and Jinx a completely different person. Jinx is unpredictable and would probably beat him in a fight. By reminding her of the game they used to play as kids (with the clock) he brings her into a head space where he can predict her moves - she shoots exactly like she did as a kid, as Powder. He is able to beat her and avoid her shots. But by bringing her back to Powder, he also can't beat her anymore, because he realizes that at this point, Powder is not completely gone, and while he could kill Jinx, he can't kill Powder. It's so hauntingly sad and beautiful.
I think that Powder really was aware in that moment and that she didn't want to fight her childhood friend anymore. She wanted to die and end it there on the bridge, with Ekko.
Thank you for having such a good understanding of this scene, it's such a favorite moment of mine. Everyone I've seen gets so caught up on the idea of it being a nod to his ultimate in game. I wish they showed more of their friendship in the show, and not just the music video.
@@Kasia120612 It is a nod to the Z-drive, there is a reason the entire sequence is sets of 5 seconds. The idea behind the Z-drive is Ekko can beat anyone by learning and adapting over multiple tries. In this fight, he doesn't need the experience, he already has it. It can be both.
@Sorfallo oh I know it is a reference! I just meant I feel like people over-focus on it "just" being a reference
Medarda's past scene is interesting because the proposal she makes for taking care of the prisoner is the fate she is given by her mother when she fails the test.
To answer your question about what Jinx has-- while not technically confirmed by writers the running theory is that intense childhood trauma resulted in the development of a personality disorder (most likely BPD, we can already see some symptoms in the first 3 eps), PTSD, and her dealing with bouts of psychosis. It's a common misconception that only people diagnosed with schizophrenia can experience hallucinations/delusions, psychosis can occur for a number of reasons! But I would likely say in her case that it does appear to be a classic case of schizophrenia, not just because of the hallucinations/delusions but also because of her disorganized thoughts and speech. She is an absolutely fascinating character, and imo is one of the best depictions of what psychosis can look like!
True. I don't have schizophrenia, but I experience visual hallucination when it is dark and I am too stressed. Our body and mind does interesting things if we don't have the tool to deal with situations and feelings healthily.
I personally head canon that Jinx has a predisposition for developing a mental illness and that the trauma of killing her family, and "being abandoned" exacerbated her illness over time. I like this because it creates a tragic underline that Jinx was ultimately inevitable.
He saw this before recording, he probably knows that.
@@Dragonblade722 That and also the living conditions of the undercity. I think a lot of people underestimate the influence of that, but living very poor in an area with a lot of violence and crime in general and the police violence of the enforcers had to have shaped her significantly too. Add to that the pressure to be capable and useful in some way and being constantly invalidated both verbally by Milo and practically by failing over and over again because she is a CHILD and she shouldn't have these pressures in the first place and you already have a mentally messed up person even before all of the trauma. Jinx was shaped by everything that happened to her, but I also like the idea that the specific way her mental illness manifests has to do with a predisposition. With or without though she definitely wouldn't have turned out fine with all the madness she went through
I agree! I grew up with a BPD parent who starting having episodes of psychosis when I was a teen. No hallucinations but her thought process and speech would be similar especially during arguments
The worst part is that if Caitlyn and Vi didn't go to the council, Jayce would never know about tha name Jiinx. He could have asked for his "second in command" (Sevika) or finder of Shimmer (Signed) or any of the chem barons, but he requested Jinx because Vi told him about this "inventor who could create weapons for Silco". Unfortunaly everybody had their part in this whole mess only doing things that they though would be the best
Oh my goooood I never even thought of that, that's so........ oofff. The impact of our choices man. Indeed, at the end of the day all we do is try our best right
No good deed goes unpunished.
Vi is a 🐀 confirmed
People often blame Jynx for the end, like "it was going to be resolved". Well, it was not, Silco said so, "he would never have given her to them", peace was not possible from the start
that and the fact that she killed Silco ("we can't make a deal with the snake and cuts its head off"). After Jinx killed Silco there was no going back to that deal anyway. The rocket was just the nail on the proverbial coffin.
yeah it was already too late by then
This show is a masterpiece. But my favorite thing is that peace was never an option. Silco was never going to follow through with handing over Jinx. And at the same time - the council's actions (very much including Jayce) are too little, too late. Everything that happens this season is a result of their politics and their greed. When you break it down, Jinx, to a big extent, is who she is because of Piltover just as much as she is because of Silco and Vi.
I love one particular thing about Arcane and that is the way all battle scenes follow an unusual pattern: normally in action shows like this, you'd expect battles to be made as cool as possible and that's that. But in Arcane, battles are always cool, set to energetic music, just hype you up and get you excited, and then IMMEDIATELY confront you with the horrific consequences of violence. Pretty much every scene of violence is almost immediately followed by making a POINT of why violence ultimately serves no one. The first skirmish between Vi and the other kids in the alley, it's a dirty fight, teeth and blood are flying and it's fun, and then you see everything slow down and the camera focuses on Powder, looking absolutely terrified. Because violence is scary! The big fight in the warehouse is epic, and Powder's bomb working gets her so excited - and us as well! We're rooting for her, it's awesome! And then you see everything go horribly wrong, Vander sacrificing himself, Milo and Clagger getting brutally killed, it's a tragedy. The battle between Echo and Jinx is one of the hypest scenes I have ever seen and then it is IMMEDIATELY juxtaposed with the tragedy of this being two childhood friends trying to murder each other - and THEY realize it to. Jace and Vi taking out the Shimmer factory is also extremely hype, and then ends with a child being brutally killed and Jace realizing what a fucked up thing this actually is. Like Mel said 'You don't know war, I do' and now Jace does to and it's horrifying. For all the hyping action and violence, I believe Arcane is actually fundamentally trying to show that nothing good ever comes from violence, only more pain and more tragedy. Silko says int he first act that there is a base violence necessary for change, but the show puts on display repeatedly that even with his plan, with his measure of violence, nothing changes. Because when change is JUST ABOUT TO HAPPEN, the violence that caused Jinx to become who she is prevents that change, like a butterfly effect of the pain he and his scheming has directly caused her in her past finally coming around to preventing the very peace between Piltover and the Undercity that he believed that violence was ultimately for. It's poetic. It's such a good show. Can't wait for season 2 to absolutely destroy me.
As horrible as a father Silco was, he was a 'good' one for Jinx in terms of who would accept her the way she was and encourage her to create new gadgets, like she figured out that gemstone real quick and then the shark weapon at the end she made that, she's so smart and clearly on level with Victor and Jace! Most of the opinions about Jinx were bad ones from those around Silco yet he always either brushed away their comments or defended her actions even if he knew they were bad ones and caused problems. He genuinely loved Jinx like a daughter and one of my favorite details is a few of his items on his desk have her scribbles on them, it's so cute because that's such a parent thing to keep their kid's little crafts.
And before anyone says I'm defending him, I'm not, he was an awful person and yes while he loved Jinx to the best of his abilities, he definitely shouldn't have been taking care of a mentally ill child let alone any child for that matter! However, I do not expect a man like Silco to raise a child and that child to turn out 'normal' especially when she was already having mental health issues before Silco even came into the picture. In the very opening of the series on that bridge, Powder, who was like 5 and had seen so much death, already had those scratchy imageries over the enforcers' faces. Tbh I believe Powder had little to no chance of not becoming some version of Jinx at some point in her life unless she got professional help which was definitely not available in the Undercity.
Totally agree with everything. Silco is my favorite character in the show, not because he is a good person or father or anything like that, but he is a character so complex that made me feel sympathetic. His relation of codependency with Jinx is so complex that is difficult to say that he didn't tried his best of being a good father to Jinx, he loved her so much, he tried everything but he is broken too, he wasn't able because he needed help too. I cried so much when he died... Can't wait for season 2!
Very few people noticed this. Every time Jinx thought about her childhood friends, she snapped. And when in the final scene, Vai asks Jinx to remember them by listing them by name, Silko shouts at her to shut up and then grabs the gun. Because he knows how it ends and how it affects Jinx.
@@klaussmitt9623 YEAH! Normally people don’t notice that, but he knows how those names trigger Jinx and wanted Vi to stop. Vi didn’t know because for her, those names bring comfort and she didn’t listen to Silco because she thought that he was going against her help. I understand both sides. Maybe is because of triggering Jinx that she says that Vi changed too, because old Vi would always understand things for Powder, but for Jinx she couldn’t see things for her perspective. Just a theory though. Can’t wait for season 2!!!
Here's the best way to sum up this show:
It's a series of people with conflicting opinions that say and do the wrong things at the wrong places and at the wrong time and everyone loses as a result.
The last song "What Could Have Been" is that statement in a nutshell.
I keep waiting for the next season to cure me of my post-Arcane depression when I know it's only gonna make me need therapy even more 😭
I wouldnt say its "wrong place wrong time", more like "shit happens". Everything happened for a reason, its not like Vi can just choose to get over her denial sooner to accept Jinx. What you said is like "youre depressed? stop being sad" which removed so much emotional stakes of the characters. As much as a good life they wouldve had if some conflict couldve resolved, thats just how life work, shit happens, and we gotta deal with it
@@MefoWho I think it's more that the characters clash in the worst way possible. "Wrong place wrong time" isn't the only source of conflict, but it is part of it and it definitely accelerates the conflict. And I don't think that removes the emotional stakes, it makes the whole thing more tragic than just "shit happens", at least in my opinion. There are so many moments where things could have been different if characters had made different decisions, but things went in a way so that the worst outcomes happened
Riot with League of Legends leans heavily on the "gray and grey morality" trope. There are ~160 champions in the game, and only 2 or 3 could actually be considered "truly evil". Even the Void, a faction hellbent on erasing all of reality, is legit ultimately only entities distraught by reality's penetrating their nothingness and are only seeking quiet.
Just to be clear, Jinx wasn't pretending to kill Echo, the point of that scene is that he always thought she became someone else but she didn't, she's still there but different, he thought he was fighting just a monster, but his friend was still there, he saw the Powder part on her, and so did we, since it was the first time since the first three eps that we saw her grey eyes, in the place of her blue eyes we see during her Jinx era.
Jinx was truly sad they have got to that point, once she has a moment of clarity, she was trying to kill both of them for what they became and what the world has done to them, she wasn't just trying to kill him in cold blood or being as crazy as not caring if she dies to take him down, it was more than that. Truly an amazing scene.
I think there's also the point that she holds back in the final moment. In the first playthrough of the scene, she shoots four times. The fourth shot lands. In the second go-round, she shoots three times and lines up the fourth shot, but doesn't shoot. Is that because Ekko is faster, or because she has conscience?
@@wildbow605 that's bc he's faster, he played her into doing the same they did as kids intentionally bc now he's able to beat that, he outsmarted her, this was confirmed.
People underestimate the amount of trauma Jinx has. The loss of her parents, clinging onto her older sister, being constantly belittled by her friend, trying to show how capable she is only to mess up time after time, then loss of her friends, her sister leaving her (she think Vi left, but we know it isn’t true). THEN she suffers from PTSD combined with her severe case of BPD, which causes her to have enormous attachment issues. Tbf the only person who cares for her at this time is a man who is responsible for the death of her second father figure. But she doesn’t resent him, he loves her just how she is. And then she kills him. By doing so she jinxes again. That’s why she chooses the Jinx’s seat.
she’s my favorite character ever. yea ofc her ptsd is way more dramatic as she’s a fictional character but we both share ptsd + bpd and i relate to her so much. so grateful for the representation that she has given the bpd community truly ♡
[41:35] Except Jinx wasn't BLAMING Vi for making Jinx, she was CREDITING her for it. That's something that most people seem to read wrong when first watching it.
To be fair, Vi herself makes that very mistake.
Yep, Jinx thanks Vi for making her. Thats why the song is “I am the monster you created.” Silco tried to kill Vi to save Jinx. Powder defended Vi and killed Silco. Then Jinx avenged Silco and “killed” Powder.
Mel is such an underrated character in this season. She had a full arc that was as subtle as she is, as opposed to the other obvious arcs in our faces.
@21:43 “What happened to her?” Being born into this conflict is what happened. If you rewatch the opening scene of episode 1, you will notice the scratch marks illustrating the fractured, broken perspective of tiny (4-5yo?) Powder. This child’s core memories are that of gruesome massacres, terrifying enforcers and slaughtered parents. It’s the very first pov we are shown. So far as this girl is concerned blowing people up is what life IS about. It’s all she’s known. I enjoyed your reactions. Lucky you only have to wait until this November for season 2! #masterpiece
"In the pursuit of great we failed to do good" man what a line. One of the best lines I've ever seen in any piece of media
What I love most about the show is the fact that there are no good or evil characters. No one does good or bad decisions. Everything is just choice, perspective and unexpectancy from every single character. Vander - good person, but scared to go to war, think again, he tried to kill his best friend. Jinx - tries to save everyone and think that she is helping, while actually it ends horribly. Silco - bad guy of the story, but is he? He loves Jinx like daughter so of course he is doing things that father would do seeing their child suffering. And so on, and on, and on.. There are no heroes in this story, and there are no villains. And I think that is why I felt in love with this show. It is just a such a good representation for life itself. No one is entirely good and no one is entirely evil. It is just people, and their stories and choices, and perspective from which you look into that. I love how deep it is.
I definitely think it isn’t as simple as no good or evil. What makes Silco interesting is that he wants good but does evil things to get there making him the “bad guy” while Vander used to be like that (attempted murder of his best friend) but changed out of love for his adopted daughters he became a “good guy”. I understand what you’re saying like everyone is so complex with their own good intentions but it isn’t what you believe but what you do that makes you who you are. Vander IS the good guy; but he’s flawed. Silco IS the bad guy, but he has good intentions. Just because someone’s decision is justified, doesn’t make it neutral (neither good or evil).
@@thecocoacouch Silco is the type of guy who thinks might makes right and the ends justify the means, at least until he's forced to give up Jinx. Then he has to reconcile what Vander once said and he realizes that the ends justify the means doesn't work if it means losing the ones you love.
You could write a book on the moral codes the characters followed which changed their perspectives and decisions throughout the show. It's easy to label Silco as the bad guy, but he's never doing something without a greater good in his mind. The only place where you see thin-mustached villains doing bad deeds without motivation are in badly written shows, and you can tell how well written this show is based on how much you care for the characters and understanding why they do the things that they do.
@@thecocoacouch You have it entirely spot-on. Silco IS evil, but his biggest goal of all is one that many people agree with and have wanted, even Vander. The thing that makes Silco an antagonist and true villain are the methods he employs - drugs, intimidation, violence... these are the methods of a tyrant controlling a populace. In the end, Jace even makes their case for them... Piltover has failed the undercity and while they think of the undercity as theirs, those in the undercity feel separate from Piltover and that is why the desire to independence makes sense. Vander had a good heart - he saw the ravages of war and opted to broker a peaceful coexistence so that lives would be saved, he was the opposite of Silco's willingness to achieve victory at (nearly) any cost.
@@Dreznin Silco isn't the villain. Piltover is. Mel is an intensely evil dragon who hoards her literal mountain of wealth while hiding behind nicety politics so she can pretend to be a good person. Heimerdinger has had two hundred years to help the undercity but instead he only ever visits when he thinks he can poach new talent like Viktor, making Heimerdinger at least grossly negligent if not inhumanely callous. Silco might be the antagonist of Vi's personal story but he's far from the true evil.
@@sabrina0013 I understand what you're saying and I AGREE, but my point is that by definition he is the villain (someone who hurts others/does wrong to get what they desire). We can talk about the nuances of the city and Silco all we want but at the end of the day he IS the villain regardless of what environment/corrupt system does to him. That's all I'm saying, it's semantics.
As for what Jinx has, I feel like she's got a pretty realistic (albeit with some creative liberties) portrayal of a Psychosis. Especially with how traumatic of an event she went through it would make sense she'd be left with a form of PTSD, which explains why so many things can trigger her, or why she hallucinates stuff.
As someone who's dealt with a bunch of mental health stuff, Jinx has been one of the best written characters that struggles with her mental health I've ever seen.
Strongly agree!! I also think she is a fantastic depiction of how someone with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and extensive trauma might act if they don't have any access to a stable/positive support system and treatment. They feed into each other and those plus bouts of psychosis make it so hard for her to believe that Vi is actually back for good and wants to help her :,(
😭 ARCANE!!!!!!! 😭
After nearly 50 years of watching animated shows- this is one of the BEST EVER MADE.
Let’s Go Season Two
Fun fact and amazing small detail: in the actual League of Legends main lore, Ekko is able to manipulate time and go back exactly 6 seconds into the past. In the fight he had with Jinx in the bridge, in the song animation, you can see that little Ekko got shot before he threw his clock, a rewind effect played, and the show proceeded to show the actual fight, which lasted exactly 6 seconds up to the point Ekko got shot! It might just be a fun easter egg or reference for League fans, but with that it mind, it's way more emotional to think that Jinx actually managed to shot him the first time, he rewinded time, and was able to avoid the bullet the second time.
Sounds really cool but I don't think Ekko can reverse time yet, the flashback to them as children is more so just showing that they've been there before as children in the form of a shooting game, and that Ekko would have lost in the past but with experience was able to adapt and learn to beat Jinx now.
@@GwenisImmune You're right, exactly why I said while it might just intended to be a fun easter egg or a reference to his main universe power, it's still an awesome detail to have.
I think he might get that power in the future. The bridge scene was just alluding to it and now he is with Heimerdinger, so it could be possible, Heimerdinger is a great scientist and Ekko is an inventor and tinkerer himself. Or maybe it was just a one off easter egg. We will see, I'm definitely excited
I love how the show managed to make us feel sad when Silco died, I mean his death makes me cry. It's such a well-crafted show.
Jinx only says she's sorry twice in the entire series. Both times to Silco. Ep. 4 in his office. And ep 9 .
She also pulls The trigger on the shark rocket launcher with her thumb, not her index finger. The nail on her thumb is painted pink like Vis hair. The one on her finger is blue like hers.
So many details in this show.
I always hate it when people say that all the show's problems would've been solved if Vi just accepted Jinx as who she is now. It's like they don't wanna look at it from her perspective. She lost her home, family, spent god knows how long in jail, getting beat up and thinking she let her baby sister die. Then she finds out that not only is her sister alive but that she also became a mentally unstable serial killer. Their other interaction in the bridge (where it looks like Jinx was trying to kill them both) doesn't help either. You can't just realistically expect someone with her backstory to just accept that in such a short amount of time. Let's be clear, I love Jinx, but maybe we should look at both sides here.
My heart just breaks for both of them. They could've had better lives, but fate said otherwise. God, I actually hate how good this show is lol
Well yeah that’s what makes the conflict so good is that Vi loves her sister and would do anything for her but Jinx needed something that Vi couldn’t give her yet. Like I said, I wish they could have both just been seperate from any external influences and just spent time together sorting it out 😭
The only thing that Vi accepting Jinx would have had any possibility of changing would have been the attack at the end, but we were shown for six episodes that it was never going to happen.
Jinx truly wants Vi's love an acceptance, that's why she lashes out as soon as she finds out Vi is actually alive and why she has such resentment and jealousy towards Caitlin. On the other hand, Vi desperately wants to find and reunite with Powder, but instead finds Jinx and spends the entire story believing that the sweet and innocent Powder is still there. From the moment they are face-to-face in Episode 6, Vi never once calls Jinx by the name she has adopted, even after Jinx tells her that she goes by Jinx now and that "Powder" is gone. Even though they have aged and changed, Vi refuses to see Jinx as anything but the child she once was, while Jinx wants nothing more than to be loved and accepted for who she is. It's the central conflict between these two characters - not Silko, not the gemstone, not Caitlin... but the acceptance of their new reality.
The irony is that Silco was right. Vi would have realized her sister needed real help, that just getting away from the city wouldn’t be enough. But the attempt to do so would be seen as a betrayal. They’d have ended up on opposite sides anyway, and almost certainly on the timetable he predicted, which would have been echoing in Jinx’s head on loop.
i also think there's more to it then Vi just accepting her. The difference at the end between Powder and Jinx is what Silco said to her.
Powder killed her family and can't forgive herself for it. Vi keeps telling her it'll be okay, but she also never forgives her for it. Vi keeps telling her they can just go back to the way things were, which is not what she actually wants. Powder will forever be stuck with the guilt of what she did. Vi may love her, but that's not really enough.
Silco forgives Jinx. Jinx doesn't have to carry the burden forever, Jinx can move on. Jinx can be free of what's been haunting her all these years.
That's why, in the end, Jinx wins out.
idk i would side with crazy jinx. chaos is more fun in a world of superhumans.
there actually are psychologist-youtubers that analyze powder/jinx in depth, in case you are interested in the specific disorders she piled up :) great reaction
Nice catch!
I also love the fact that Vi is mesmerized for 2 seconds and then regains focus and uses the fact that Sevika is floating to land the final blow
To summerize the entire show:
Emotional Damage !
There's a detail I haven't seen anyone mention in the scene where Ekko is showing Vi the mural of the people they've lost, the painted girl in the far right, the one that's being painted by someone, is the pink-haired girl that was just killed by Jinx, that's why it's one of the latest additions to the mural. And man.... I'm nothing but a Jinx stan but, that is dark and the fact that Ekko doesn't even tell Vi... keeping her hopes up. So messed up, but great detail.
At this point, we need the studio to pay for group therapy for all of us after this show. And then season 2 was reported to be so emotional, even the voice actress of Jinx said she cried….I’m gonna need to be checked into a psych faculty
Funfact, because you seem to love the nickname "cupcake" so much: In League of Legends, Caitlyn has one ability where she lays out a little trap on the floor and ppl can get stunned by them. Players called them cupcakes for a looooooong time as a joke. Love that little detail (as so many others)
Her traps ingame literally have a cupcake in them as bait
They still call them cupcakes, because they're cupcake traps.
Victor only cured his leg in that first time, that's why he's still sick.
So close to peace and yet so far!
Of course Silvo wouldnt have given them Jinx anyway so the planned deal wouldn't have worked, but if everything else hadn't gone wrong I think they had good odds of negotiating something else.
Silco has such a fascinating story arc, as his ruthless determination to free his city costs him so much, only to lose out on the one time when that ruthlessness could have won him everything because he has now developed a personal connection that he isn't willing to give up
To this day I can't get over how good Arcane is, this is a videogame adaptation, in an era where video adaptations range from ok to downright terrible. And then Arcane comes out swinging with some of the best writing and acting of any piece of media in a good long while, not just animation, its one of only a few shows I'd legit call a master piece. The script, stories, and characters are so tightly written and everything has a purpose, and you actually enjoy it MORE by breaking it down and digging deeper, whereas other shows might start to reveal some cracks in their writing. And the animation and art, holy hell, everything is so artistic, beautifully rendered, animated, and shot. You can just tell the team had an insanely clear vision while making it.
I also have to say I'm super impressed by your analysis and how well you catch and appreciate little details even on your first watch. It makes your videos super fun to watch and listen to, to hear someone else break down and really appreciate the thing they are watching. Dunno what you have planned next since season 2 is a ways off and you do a mix of movies and shows. But if you're perhaps looking for a recommendation two I think you'd enjoy 2 shows that I don't think get the attention they deserve. Those being Kipo and the age of Wonderbeasts, and the Dragon Prince (in that order imo). They are both on Netflix right next to arcane and both are much more colorful and fun, but also have some really great writing and stories with plenty for you to dissect. Either way looking forward to whatever you check out next
Yup, we all have needed therapy after we watched it. A year after
If you are interested in how this show was made, the 4 part behind the scenes 'Bridging the Rift' is surprisingly interesting. It dives into getting such a risky investment off the floor, animation, storyboarding, casting and music. Really a nice watch (even though I'm not usually a fan of that kind of thing).
The characterization in this show is just SO GOOD. There are no stereotypical good guys and bad guys, there is no black and white, there is moral ambiguity in every character. Jayce wants a better world but likes being in a state of power to make that happen. Silco wants freedom and independence for the undercity while doing whatever it takes to achieve it. Victor wants to invent solutions to push society into a brighter future, even at the expense of dabbling in the darker sides of magic to prolong his life. Powder is a damaged girl who only ever wanted to be strong enough to stand beside everyone in her family before accidentally destroying it and, from her view, being thrown away by her sister.
The council wouldn't have given them peace anyway, they're supporting Jayce's deal for their independence but that deal was to get Jinx, and Silco would have never given her to them, so it's not like Jinx just fucked up the deal right there, it's more like she fucked up future hopes for other deals that maybe wouold have came later on, if they asked for something else or someone else would have given Jinx.
In ep8 both Viktor and Jayce "innocently" kill someone with Hextech. Before, they talk about wanting to protect Hextech from getting into the wrong hands. But this makes you consider - what are the wrong hands?
14:35 Did you know, that look Ekko had there, wasn't just because he saw his childhood friend, but also because he remembered he use to have feelings for her when they were younger?
In the game, when Ekko sees Jinx, he says "Yea I had a crush, until she started talking with her guns"
Another interesting detail, is that we had no idea who Powder was, the league community only knew about Jinx, and that she was nuts, but no one knew why or what happened to her. We knew she had a sister she didn't get along with, but had no idea it was Vi, we knew because we she would sometimes say "You think I am crazy? Wait till you meet my sister"
So we had no idea about how she became Jinx or if she use to have another name, the funny part about that is, when the community meet Powder, we were surprised how normal she was, and when the non-players meet jinx, you guys were surprised how crazy she was, meanwhile we were just like "Yeap.. That's Jinx"
Another thing is that, she calls her gun "Pow pow" but we use to think it just because that's the sound it makes when she fires it, so she named it that. But with the show we found out "Pow Pow" was short for "Powder" like Vi use to call her.
It's strange to me to see this being said, as someone who clocked from the very get-go that Jinx and Vi were sisters. Honestly, I thought the hints were so clear that the playerbase as a whole had agreed they were siblings, so when people were surprised once the Arcane trailer dropped, it confused me so much. Am I really so alone in picking up on it in the game?
@@OrganicOrc No, the community knew, but it wasn't official, I was just talking about things that were official. I heard a rumor that a rioter accidently referred to Vi as Jinx's sister in an interview, and that's how the community found out.
I actually ship Ekko and Powder because of this. Not Ekko and Jinx in this version (I don't think Powder and Jinx are really different people, it's just easier to say), but in an alternate version where Powder either doesn't become Jinx or she slowly gets better and eventually recovers
@@alexelion7084 Well there is no recovering, at least that we know of, but riot should make more alternative-universe-skins
Like the new one that came out for ez, I know he has a tone of skin, but there is a lore based "Definitely-not" skin for Ezreal in legends of runnaterra, called Light feather I think, with a cape and a mask, infiltrates damacia with that name, that's when he met Lux, and that's why lux has no idea who the real Ezreal is, because she only met him when he was dressed up with the cape and mask as "Light Feather".
Or as you said, maybe a skin for Jinx where she grows up as Powder.
@@jrcervincervin2782 I don't play league myself, but yeah, that could be cool
Fun Fact: Caitlyn VA is Cho Chang from Harry Potter
NO WAYY THATS SO COOL
HELP why is that her name jfc
It should be noted that the proposal for peace DID NOT, AND WOULD NOT have gone through with Silco dead and Jinx on the loose. What Jinx did is essentially a pre-emptive strike for a war she KNEW was coming - and somewhat wants. She despises Piltover.
A thought I had after your last video that I didn't want to share until this was completed:
Throughout these nine episodes, we were shown three fathers and the choices they made for their respective daughters that showcased what kind of men they truly were.
Vander spent his episodes as a lynchpin to the peace of the undercity, yet he was willing to sacrifice himself and what he had built to save Vi. Silco's only focus was driving the undercity to a level that equaled the topside - whether through empowering his people or by weakening his enemies - and yet he was willing to give up the dream he had slain his brother for in order to preserve Jinx. Both men paid for their daughter's lives and identities with their lives.
And Marcus - Marcus was a slimeball that cut corners because he thought he knew best and was tired of losing arguments that he wasn't smart enough to realize he was completely wrong in. And as a result, he got caught in Silco's web. While he had noble "intentions", the only sacrifices he made for his daughter was of his already compromised morality - so in the end, his loss of life gave his daughter nothing.
That is a brilliant observation! Arcane really is a masterpiece
Alright, buckle up, long comment incoming.
Episode7:
The animation for the cold open and the Ekko vs Jinx fight… it’s so good. This show always finds new ways to amaze.
So, there’s a moment where Jinx fired on them and if you slow it down you can see Cait goes to protect Vi while Vi pushes both of them out of the way. Again, I can’t with these two.
Marcus is an interesting case for me. Like, I’m not sad he’s dead, but I do feel bad for his kid. And I thought the writing for him was actually really good. Young and stupid, made a horrible mistake, but while trying to keep the peace the way Grayson did he just continued to make things worse because of who he partnered with. Deal with the devil that left him burned no matter what he did.
Episode 8:
Amanda Overton (works on scripts for Arcane) got asked if Cassandra (Cait’s mom) had caught Cait sneaking girls into her room before since her reaction was so mild. Amanda replied that there was “definitely something familiar about that scene.” And the fandom ran with that. Caitlyn the Lady Killer. I mean, the way she was flirting with that woman at the brothel, can we really be surprised.
The Breakup Scene is so good for a number of reasons. Mostly I love the idea of distance that’s been played with in their relationship. Their partnership starts with Cait taking a step over a line to reach out to Vi, and since then there’s been so much closeness and touching between them. But here, in the rain scene, Vi is purposefully keeping distance with Cait even as she tries to reach out again, refusing to look at her as she calls them oil and water and says that Cait should forget her.
But there’s also this second bit. Vi’s about to do something dangerous and reckless. And she’s doing what she did all those years ago with Powder. Walking away to protect her. With Powder it was protecting her from herself until she managed to cool down. Now, with Cait, it’s protecting her from being dragged any further into her drama. Keeping her safe. Unfortunately, she doesn’t count on Jinx showing up at Cait’s home but…
I love the visual of Viktor finally being able to outrun the boat.
“Of everyone, you’re the one [Cait] trusted to do something.” Vi really holds Cait’s opinion in high regard now, huh. Lot of trust.
The second time we’ve seen Cait’s Detective Mind at work and it’s just her replaying the Break Up scene over and over while in the shower. Like girl…
The fact that it’s Skye that dies this episode is interesting because we don’t know her that well. All we know is that she has a bit of a crush on Viktor and works with him. But that’s the point. Viktor didn’t know her well either. It’s the idea that you get so absorbed and obsessed that you don’t see the consequences it has for those around you, even just innocent bystanders. The idea that of you didn’t know this person and now you never will.
Something I want to add about Cait’s mom. I like that they don’t make Cassandra just straight up awful. Like yeah, she worries about image and all that but she still got her daughter a meeting with the council and gave her approval to go after Vi after the meeting. Even her turning on Jayce in Act 1 can be seen as once she found out that he had dangerous explosives in his possession and they were forbidden magic orbs she decided that she didn’t want her daughter around him. She’s not perfect by any means but she’s not awful either.
Episode 9:
I could literally write pages on that dinner scene.
It’s such a master class of everything coming together. The story, the music, the tension, the animation. Everything about that scene just adds that extra layer and it’s astounding.
Any scene that makes me think even for a split second, even with meta knowledge on my side, that Cait’s head was on the platter deserves an award in all honesty. There was a cupcake, however… that’s some dark humor there, Jinx.
The way this show plays with Powder vs Jinx is so good (even if people take it far too literally sometimes). Jinx presents the option of Powder and Jinx to Vi. Says that she’ll be Powder again, if Vi can kill Cait.
But it’s a false choice, and I think even Vi knows it. Powder’s chair is pushed into the table, surrounded by clutter. Jinx’s chair is pulled out and ready to be sat in at any time. It’s inevitable how it’s all going to end, that Jinx is going to sit in that chair no matter what at the end of all this.
And it’s heartbreaking because we know Jinx is a victim. She’s been through so much, but she’s not the only victim in this scene. Vi loves her sister so much, still thinks there’s maybe some sort of hope. But no matter how much she loves her sister, she can’t enable her homicidal tendencies. She can’t defend her actions anymore. Silco has become Jinx’s enabler.
When they were kids, Vi would’ve let Powder get away with murder. But she can’t anymore.
There’s also just the idea of how their past loved ones affect them in the present. For better or worse, Vi uses the people she loved as a means of pushing herself forward. It’s what kept her sane in Stillwater, it’s what pushed her beyond her limits in the fight between her and Sevika. It’s why she can’t see that it’s not the same for Jinx. Jinx sees them all as demons, monsters that torment her.
And it’s this disconnect that is ultimately their undoing.
Also very apt that Jinx put Cait in her Enforcer’s uniform. A way of saying, “hey, remember, we hate these guys?” And that also contributed to her line of “you changed too.” Yikes.
Can’t wait for season 2 in November.
Oh my..
Another thing i have not seen anyone mention is on episode 7 when jinx is on the bridge almost dead from her grenade, there's "vi" carved on her neck
Vander's "That's my girl" breaks me every time.
Also something I only consciously picked up on during this rewatch/reacting. Silco has been trying to get Jinx to let go/kill Powder since he adopted her. Throughout the story there had always been an element of Powder still living inside Jinx, even after the "drowning/baptism" scene. But the moment she rises her head after mourning Silco; you can see Powder finally, truly die.
One thing, among the many, that I love about this show is how thoughtful the dialogue is. There's rarely any fat & almost everything said has a purpose--whether that's immediately illuminated or set up for later, anticipating how viewers would react. When you mentioned the "convenience" of the shield that protected Vi during the bar fight scene, it's actually the payoff from an otherwise throwaway line earlier in Episode 4 when Jayce/Viktor were presenting the refined hextech gem to Heimerdinger. The Atlas Gauntlets that Vi were made to help the miners down in the fissures, to which holding your hands in a protective pattern over your face creates a barrier to protect them from cave-ins! It's a very neat little tie-in and shows you how much forethought they had when crafting the entire season. Most wouldn't go back and take the time to work in small continuity details like that.
When we first watched the season, my brother (who's an avid League player) told me the game now felt like a ten year advertisement for the show lmfao
This is simply the best animated series ever made, with Avatar coming in a close second. Masterpiece.
"I never would have given you to them, not for anything...
Don't cry, you're perfect..."
-Silco-
😢💔
The shot on Caitlyn when Jinx looks at her and Vi is just awesome, the evil smile and horns that Jinx sees that isn't really there, we all live in our own subjective reality
I really love how they depicted Powder losing herself into Jinx, she is so lost in trauma and can't see anything clearly anymore, it is so sad, kids born in war and misery can get lost when losing those who they loved and depended most on
There are sooo many tiny details to geek over but to give a few (Without spoiling any future content)
-On the bridge when jinx shoot towards Vi and Caitlyn, if you look frame by frame you can see Caitlyn moving in front of Vi to protect her (sacrificing herself) but Vi saves both by pushing them apart instead of sticking together (which isn't the first time, erm... Powder episode 3...)
-All the characters got weapons that fit their personality a example of this is Vi and Jace. Vi fights first and asks questions later which makes her fists fitting due to the fact that's the first weapon anyone have available. Jace have a hammer which is a very straight forward weapon because he looks for the simplest solution which unfortunately often have collateral damage, yes you hit the nail but you also damaged the wood.
-To build on the previous point and as you mentioned, this makes Jace and Vi a dangerous combination because they act first and deal with consequences later. This is exactly why the assault was so "successful" they gave Silco no warning, they strike immediately even in the episode the assault was the very next scene after planning. This also meant that it was ill planned and got consequences.
-In Vi vs Sevika fight, that "convenient" feature has been foreshadowed the entire show, they are just very subtle about it. Jace mention that the gloves are made for "mining the fissures" so protecting the workers from a cave-in seems like a logical feature and protecting your face is a very natural reaction to something coming falling on you (good design Jace/Victor). It has also been mentioned in multiple episodes that Vi "blocks with her face" and "your guard still needs work", Vi never discovered that feature because she doesn't block.
- 41:25 that "Valdani" is something Powder steals while in Jaces apartment in episode 1.
i'm by no means an expert, but i always thought that powder/jinx was born with some kind of schizoaffective disorder that got progressively worse due to immeasurable amounts of trauma she had to live through: losing her parents, losing her new adoptive father and friends, losing her sister, losing her adoptive father AGAIN
it just kinda makes sense to me, her erratic behavior, mood swings and hallucinations strike me as something that would fit the "diagnosis"
edit: the hammer you see Jayce using here is actually his in-game weapon. as for how many things it can do - it can switch between close combat and range attacks, just like in this scene. and yes, game Vi is using those gloves and game Viktor is using that precise laser cutter he and Jayce showed to Heimerdinger a few episodes ago :D
There are some medical studies saying that some people are born with more possibilities to develop mental illness but you need other factors to awake it (drugs, trauma, stress etc) I think that’s what happened to Powder. Her huge imagination and the violence around her and the guilt to have cause the death of her friends made her lose herself
9:45 your commentary is so good bruh, I’ve watched this show like 3 times and I’ve never thought about it like that
Peace was never an option. Silco was never going to give up Jinx. And then Silco ended up dead.
In the end, Piltover finally tried to create peace, but only after it was too late.
One think some people seem to miss is that, vi was never going to be able to “have powder back”. Even though Vi might love her, she really doesn’t understand powder/jinx. She tries to use Milo as an example of something good from their childhood, even though to jinx Milo is literally a demon haunting her, he’s the source of most of her insecurity. Vi really never had any idea the feelings powder was dealing with, because she doesn’t know how it feels to be so helpless and weak.
I guess I just never understood “never understanding them” as a valid reason for a relationship not working. I think I even mentioned that what they need is to spend a tonne of time just being together talking without this huge war going on as well as some therapy for Jinx. But obviously in that world; that’s too much to ask 😆
@@thecocoacouch You’re right, they probably could’ve ended up coming back together if Silco somehow left the picture, but I doubt Jinx would ever be able to go back to “powder.” She’s murdered plenty of people. The innocent girl is gone even before Silco dies.
This is a contender for the best season on television ive ever watched. Its a masterpiece on every level and honestly if it didnt get a S2, Id still treasure it.
Ekko and Jinx felt the same about Vi coming back with a cop after having disappeared for years. It's just that Ekko is not crazy and had a real chance to talk with Vi, when Jinx is unstable and in the opportunity they could've had, crazy things happened.
Every character in this show is a 100% true representation of themselves. They all act true to their motivations and goals. The problem at the core of this tragedy is that each person's truth conflicts with another's. Even when it looks like somehow the right decision is made, it is made too little, too late.
It is a beautifully written and illustrated Shakespearean Tragedy, rolling inevitably on towards its terrible conclusion.
And that's why, despite the frustration of everything going wrong, this show's fans love the ending of season 1. Everything clicks.
You may be my favorite reactor. You're so genuine and caring! Thank you for such good content
Watched this prob 10 times through reactions now, parts still make me tear up god damn this show is just something incredibly special
I really respect how much of a grip you have on the story, it's a pretty complex world and plot and sometimes hard to follow but it's nice to see someone understand it so well on the first watch
I'm so excited for the future of this show.
As a HUGE fan of the source material, game and all of it's lore, these characters stories are FAR from complete. Most excited for Viktor and Jayce to complete their stories. Viktor has so much more development to go through before he's reached where he is in the game.
I really enjoyed your commentary on characters having to choose between the cause and their relationships.
I find it tragically fascinating that Cate was willing to hide Jinx from the council for Vi's sake, but Vi gave the council Jinx' name for the cause.
If not for that, Joyce wouldn't have been able to demand Jinx by name. Silco wouldn't have had to make such a direct choice.
Vi outing Jinx echoes Vi abandoning Powder in the heat of the moment, but immediately regretting it. It also echoes Jayce outing himself as trying to create magic when his pride and competence were being challenged.
This whole show is nothing bit character driven chain reactions and I love it for that.
Thanks so much for reacting to this heartwrenching masterpiece!!
Arcane is such a powerful example of a Tragedy, in a modern context. Brilliant. Gonna shout out the making-of TH-cam series, again! It adds so much to the show itself, seeing the depth of the artistry that went into it.
This is one of my favorite shows, so happy you reacted to it. You know, having watched you for a while now I think we would make really good friends
silco after the bridge scene makes it abundently clear
he DOES love jinx, but he himself is too fucked up and damaged to do it normally or properly
i find it insane how some people can still say that he is just using jinx and doesnt give a damn about her
The villains were written so well, as I genuinely found myself cheering a few times for Sevika and Silco.
There were a few times when Silco did things I was like: “Damn. This is the best villain I’ve ever seen.” I cried at his death lol. I was rooting for his fall, but still. There were the occasional times when I wanted him to succeed in whatever he was doing (at that moment), even if it wasn’t in the long run. I really, really like the villains like him too, so it made it better.
I was yelling for Sevika during the scene where she had the option to kill Silco. It was fantastic. Gold-jaw dude never stood a chance. I’m going to love seeing more of her in Season 2. I also found it so interesting that she pushed Silco out of the way in episode 3. She really is loyal. Even if people keep saying she betrayed Vander. Which she didn’t, since she had never been on his side to begin with.
So many payoffs in this show! I’ll mention some of my favourites.
One is at 40:14. Ekko taunted Vi before that she “blocks with her face”, and Vander tells her that her guards needs work. Lo and behold she finally blocks, and wins off of it! Her shield is also a move in the game, which is another payoff.
40:53 is another great bit of visual storytelling. Jayce offered up his seat to Viktor so he could sit down, which shows he values their friendship more then his position. Jayce also chooses to stand instead of grabbing Heimerdinger’s old seat. Even though Hermierdinger is gone, Jayce respects him and recognizes that he can’t replace him.
41:44 Jink is shrouded in darkness and we see one glowing eye, which is exactly how we’re introduced to Silco, showing how she’s truly become his daughter.
42:26 we get out first hint how much stronger Jinx has become. She’s wearing Vi’s gauntlets, even thought the right hand is still broken. We saw before that Vi couldn’t lift the gauntlet because it was too heavy, but Jinx is able to like it’s nothing. And we know she didn’t fix them because Jinx shakes her hand when she drops them, showing it was uncomfortable to wear.
45:42 this is another move from the game. Jinx’s ultimate ability is a massive rocket that can hit from across the map, and they managed to turn it into the most epic and heartbreaking rocket in history lol.
46:10 you mentioned this one: the council votes to give Zaun independence only for Jinx to, for the umteenth time, jinx it.
Wonderful reactions. Was a joy to see you go through this. You're one of the few reactors that I feel really picks up on a lot of nuances and meanings that go over people's heads their first time watching. And I've seen a ton of reactions of Arcane! You're also the only one I remember to call Jinx Powder til the end, which is endearing and I think it shows a similar level of care and empathy you have for Jinx that Vi did, like you really took Vi's perspective to heart and saw everything through her eyes. I can't wait to see you react to season 2 after I watch it myself twenty times like I have with season 1!
This show never fails to hit me in the feels even after like 10+ rewatches and countless youtuber reactions. I'm so hyped to need therapy after season 2!
this is probably my 18th rewatch thru another reactor too, LOL!
Arcane is a goat of a show. I love how this can be watched by fan of LoL and folks who don't know what the hell lol is
This is what appeals to me about a world like Arcane:
In stories I find it's easy to be good if the world rewards goodness with everything going right! It feels good for a moment but it also kind of lacks substance. In a world like Arcane though, that almost punishes goodness, still being good MEANS something here. It tells us something about the characters. And the choice between personal loyalties and the 'greater good' is much more interesting when there is real tradeoffs opposed to many stores where personal loyalties and the greater good are the same thing.
I love Arcane 💕
There are so many other regions they can explore too. Noxus, Demacia, the Freljord, The Shadow Isles, Bilgewater. Even when they finish the jinx/vi/cait/etc story… they can jump to another region and run another whole storyline. Or slowly incorporate them… I’m so excited for the way these animations take the world and flesh it out.
"I just have this expectation that my soul is gonna be crushed and be emotionally tossed around."
*Yep.*
I LOVE VIKTOR'S RUNNING SCENE!! when he was a kid, he was slower than a toy boat, as we could watch a few episodes ago... on episode 8 he is running faster than a real one
i actually think the last scene is not a dinner but a tea party. wich, now that i think about it, might be a metaphor for the boston tea party. an event that ultimately will trigger a war for independence between piltover and zhaun just like it did with america and britain.
i really enjoyed the reaction. you paid very close attention to detail and understood connections and foreshadowing very early. i like it if reaction are not just "ooooh that was cool" and "wow amazing" but also have an analytic part. this felt high value content and not a cheap and fast click generating video. good job!
I don't know, I don't think episodes 3 and 9 are the same. To me, episode 3 powder was left behind because of V's reasons. (Valid reasons, yes.) but powder was left behind in may ways. But in episode 9, Silco was not leaving her behind. He was not going to take the deal. He was trying to find a way out to take it without giving up jinx. (That would have backfired.) And that's the difference. He did not get up set with what she did, he was fighting for her. Even when she walkup to that point to fire the gun, we heard him talk to her and she was not scared, upset, or distressed. The way she always is when she hears her past family. Jinx did not make a mistake this time. She was Jinx, and her dad ( Silco) loved for it....
Caitlyn is just so amazing in episode 8. Love her
"hey man. You can probably hear a lot." 😂😂😂
I really liked their father daughter bond.
Im actually sad silco is dying
I really enjoyed your reactions to this, cuz you truly understand what you're watching. Some people have hard times with some themes, scenes and meanings, but you got it all right 100% of the time.
I went into this show completely blind, didn't even see any trailers or knew much about the League. It was the best show I've ever seen. Arcane excells in characters that feel like real people and every choice they make makes complete sense.
I recommend watching Bridging the Rift, the oficial documentary series about Arcane on youtube, it shows everything about how Arcane came to life, the animation, story, characters, music, everything
9:49 You're one of the only people I've seen comment on this scene. It's one of my favorites in the whole show. Viktor could've let the bomb go off, but he chose to defuse it. There is always a choice.
i now rewatched the series with you and i must say, this is the best reaction channel i've ever experienced. i hope you will go far with your channel ✌
“I’m sorry I’ve had a lot on my plate” -Jayce to the man that is literally dying
Thank you so much for reacting to this series! I love that you tried to see everyone's side and how they were all trying to do the right thing. It's a norm already, but I just wanted to say that I don't usually watch entire reactions, like, I just check scenes that I like, but I always make sure to watch 100% of yours! Thank you for making such great reactions that are so fun to watch!
27:30 Atlas Gauntlets were heavy without a gemstone powering it, but then with the gemstone inside powering the gauntlet, picking up and crushing a rock was effortless. I guess the hammer works like that too. You can wield it easily with a hextech power source.
Ekko vs. Jinx is one of the best animated fight sequences I’ve ever seen
The innocence of their childhood paintball fight compared to their brutal, real fight as young adults is just insane. I’ll never get sick of watching that scene
That shield of vi's is not only convenient. Anyone whos played as vi in game was waiting for it to finally happen. This is her actual main passive ability. But they used it as a narrative tool about her growth regarding her tendency to guard with her face. Her showing progress thanks to these last experiences, gave her one of her defining gameplay features
I see lots of amazing comments about great moments in this show, but none about one of MY favorite moments of brilliant storytelling: the scene at 9:27. It’s such a telling glimpse into Victor’s heart and mind. In that one little moment, we see that he hesitates to stop the bomb from going off. He _thinks_ about… letting it. And Jayce sees that. Victor’s so desperate, so recklessly desperate at this point, that it’s slowly slipping into su!c!dality. He doesn’t care that he’s not being careful with this ticking bomb. And for a moment, we see that he’s wondering whether he would even care if it did go off.
There’s conversation happening in the scene, but it’s secondary - almost unimportant - compared to what’s happening in his hands. His hesitation.
Every single moment of this show is just such brilliant storytelling.
i saw something on tiktok pointing out viktor passing the boat when he was running, which is something he couldn't do in his backstory as a kid and I think that's pretty cool
When you are asking "what does Jinx have," like, what is wrong with her, I believe it is trauma-induced psychosis. I think this show does an incredible job of visualizing the experience of psychosis. Truly a masterpiece show on every level!
was waiting for this upload
Same, i was "were arcane" like a toddler checking his page :')
Glad it's there \o/