Arcane Season 2 Act 1 Dialed-Up Action, Emotion & Heartbreak: Review

Posted in: Netflix, Review, TV | Tagged: Arcane, League of Legends

Arcane Season 2 Act 1 Dialed-Up Action, Emotion & Heartbreak: Review

Netflix's Arcane Season 2 Act 1 delivered all of the action, emotion, intensity, and heartache we hoped for and then dialed it up further.

Published Fri, 15 Nov 2024 18:37:07 -0600
by Alejandra Bodden
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Netflix's new season of Arcane premiered on November 9th with Act 1, which included the first three episodes of the season. Needless to say, this season started with a bang. As much as I love binging, there definitely is something special about giving time between episodes. It definitely gives me more time to process and ask more questions, and it just becomes easier to get obsessed… as I currently am, not going to lie. The writing, the animation, the soundtrack: a mix of perfection, if I might say. After so long, my expectations were insanely high, and with just three episodes so far, Arcane delivered way more to blow my mind.

The story starts exactly where things left off: the aftermath of the destruction caused by Jinx. And the montage leading to Kiramman's funeral was stunning. To be honest, there was not a single shot through the three episodes that did not hold up to the standards. This is definitely the most beautiful animation I have seen, but I digress. The writing, dialogue, and pacing of the story were on point. The tension kept rising at a steady pace and so effortlessly. At no point did the story feel rushed or slow within Act 1. This initial part of season two focuses on the aftermath of Jinx's attack on Piltover.

But yes, back to the story. We get to see the destruction caused, and Cassandra Kiramman was one of the casualties among the council. I half expected Caitlyn would be losing herself with despair. However, she keeps it in and manages to get through, and her father gives her the legacy her mother left for Caitlyn: the Kiramman key, which apparently holds more insight into the war between Piltover and Zaun. We also learn how the pollution on Zaun is so bad that Kiramman had vents installed so the Gray (what they call the pollution itself) would be routed to a different space, letting people in the undercity breathe.

What I was definitely not expecting was the change we see in Caitlyn as things get worse. As much as she had promised Vi it would not happen, I can imagine it is not something that can be controlled. I was surprised to see how Caitlyn used this to her advantage, and later on, we see a montage of how Caitlin and her team used the vents to their advantage to get closer and closer to Jinx. On the other hand, it feels like Vi's job so far is about keeping Caitlyn's growing despair and hate under control but massively failing. She even stopped Caitlyn from finally taking the shot after making Caitlyn promise her she would. I feel like Vi's guilt is a constant hindrance in her life, and I wish they let her move on from it at some point. My heart hurts seeing Vi go through so much.

On Jinx's side, the undercity seems to be dealing with the fallout from Silco's passing. Things are going down faster and bloodier than before. Jinx has gotten a new little friend who follows her everywhere. And Silco's right hand is now helping Jinx. Jinx even made a new arm for her, and that was glorious to see in action.

On Mel's end, things just keep getting worse, and her mother seems to be getting more and more brazen. The constant twists and thorns are hard to keep up with, but they are insanely rewarding as the story keeps coming together, and all the pawns move accordingly. It seems that Mel's mother is keeping a secret; however, before Mel can get closer, she seems to be taken away by a black rose power.

I had many questions and theories, but nothing went the way I was expecting so far. On another end, we have Jayce, who, during the attack, tried saving Viktor with the Hexcore. However, the Hexcore became some sort of protective jelly square around Viktor, keeping him alive. He keeps trying to keep up with the Hexcore and its vibrant changes, but it seems to be getting the best of him. I am not going to lie; my favorite part was seeing my two favorite characters together, Jayce and Ekko. Their interaction got Jayce a little closer to a revelation about Hextech and how there seems to be a reaction every time they use it. That scene transition between the Hextech room and the fight against Jinx was truly a masterpiece. I cannot wrap my head around it. Every aspect from the music, the art, the seamless changes between scenes while still keeping the art consistent. Truly chef kiss. Right there with that fight in the first season of Jinx against Ekko. I do not think I could stop talking about it ever.

I cannot sing enough praise for this first Act of Arcane season two. The biggest question I currently have is: what is Viktor? What is going on? Is his use of Hexcore going to affect Ekko's home base even more so? I know he would become one with it, but to no extent did I expect he would become a magic user. I truly cannot wait to see where things are going, as he was also a favorite, so I hope he is still himself at his core. I am very excited to see what transpires in the next acts.

That said, seeing who was behind the memorial attack was not the twist I had in mind. The way the story was told was truly masterful. We saw snippets of what really happened as Medarda, Mel's mom, rallied the troops to have Caitlyn join the council. What was Medarda's real intention behind this? Aah, so many questions and Saturday cannot come soon enough.

Arcane Season 2 Act 1

Review by Alejandra Bodden

9.5/10

Netflix's new season of Arcane premiered on November 9th with Act 1, which included the first three episodes of the season. Needless to say, this season started with a bang. As much as I love binging, there definitely is something special about giving time between episodes. It definitely gives me more time to process and ask more questions, and it just becomes easier to get obsessed... as I currently am, not going to lie. The writing, the animation, the soundtrack: a mix of perfection, if I might say. After so long, my expectations were insanely high, and with just three episodes so far, Arcane delivered way more to blow my mind.

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