Jasmine Liang
Arts & Entertainment Editor
This article contains spoilers for “Arcane” season two.
On Nov. 9, 16, and 23, respectively, Netflix released each act of the second season (S2) of “Arcane.” The first season (S1) brought home four Emmys, nine Annie Awards, and other accolades to game powerhouse Riot Games and French animation studio Fortiche. The world and characters of “Arcane” originate from the extensive lore of League of Legends (LoL), through which “Arcane” is only a small glimpse.
In the midst of overwhelmingly mediocre game adaptations, “Arcane” not only exceeds expectations, they shatter them entirely, appealing to not only LoL players but unfamiliar audiences. When S1 came to a close, viewers eagerly anticipated the second and final season for three years. But if S1 had reached such perfection, where could it go from there?
I am one of many ardent fans who long awaited S2. I have and would recommend “Arcane” to everyone for its imaginative worldbuilding, complex characters, and award-winning animation that reigns unrivaled. It is with all my love for “Arcane” that I critique it with the honesty it deserves — and that means admitting S2 didn’t meet the standards S1 established.
Act I: 7/10
Act I begins with the protagonists handling the aftermath of Jinx’s (Ella Purnell) attack on Piltover’s council. Jayce desperately uses the Hexcore to revive Viktor, who is rebirthed into an entirely new character. Gone is the idealistic and charming scientist, reduced to a vessel for the arcane, a mysterious magic force related to Hextech that’s somehow never definitively explained (despite being the show’s namesake). Viktor’s transformation might have been more satisfying had we seen him descend into the illusion of utopia, but by episode two, he already assumes the “machine herald” role.
Meanwhile, Ambessa vies for power in a turbulent Piltover. Caitlyn mourns her mother in a beautiful, hand-drawn charcoal scene, and strife festers between her and Vi, although it’s resolved rather quickly (just like their unmentioned parting from last season). The pair forsake their principles and rise in Piltover ranks — Vi as an Enforcer even though they killed her parents, and Caitlyn as commander, puppeted by Ambessa. Yet as suddenly as they step into these unexpected roles, they relinquish them without reflective scenes to soothe the whiplash.
Zaun grapples with the power vacuum left in Silco’s wake in another rapid-fire music video. Sevika tries to reinstate alliances between Zaun’s leaders, but ends up unsuccessful and partners instead with Jinx, Piltover’s most wanted.
Too many side characters are introduced in this act — Loris, Maddie, and a fish-man Enforcer, to name a few. Unlike the mastery of S1, where every character enriched the world, lived within a network of characters, and had personality, S2’s side characters disappoint on all fronts. They are props to be killed for shallow stakes or twists, but it’s hard to believe their deaths have meaning when they are forgotten as easily as they arrive.
Most of these issues could have been resolved with better pacing. I was, at first, impressed by the bold decision to start S2 off quick and strong with action-packed sequences that substituted softer moments of introspection. I soon realized that it wasn’t an introductory choice but a pervasive problem. The heroes shift dramatically and without proportionate emotional weight: Viktor abandons Jayce to become a god-like being, Vi becomes an Enforcer and gasses her own home, Caitlyn serves as ruthless commander, etc.
Act II: 9.5/10
S2’s saving grace is Act II. Vi and Jinx reconcile under the pressure of saving their adopted father, Vander, in a climactic emotional release that fulfills years of built-up familial tensions — for a brief but shining moment, they are a family once again. This time, however, they’re joined by Isha, a young girl who helps heal the traumas of Jinx’s past and opens her eyes to a better future.
Isha’s character represents both Jinx’s younger self (Powder) and the cycles of hate that Piltover and Zaun perpetuate. We see in her glimpses of Jinx’s violence and distress, showing that Jinx isn’t a one-off terrorist but a direct consequence of Piltover’s persecution.
In another corner of Zaun, Viktor creates a commune full of arcane-touched people that he can control. Ambessa joins forces with Singed, and together they seek Viktor’s powers. These two disjointed plotlines overwrite the nuanced conflict between Piltover and Zaun, which lies unresolved.
Act III: 5/10
Act III begins with a heart-wrenching episode exploring an alternate universe where Ekko and Heimerdinger have been stranded. Ekko finds a way home with Powder’s help, whom he’s dating in this timeline (canonizing the fan-favorite ship). The opening episode serves as “what could have been”: Vander and Silco alive and reconciled, Zaun in a state of mild independence, Powder never devolving into Jinx — and Ekko at the forefront of it all. Here “Arcane” reminds us of its brilliant character dynamics; Ekko deepens his understanding of Powder, Heimerdinger, Vander, Silco, and others through extended interactions with them.
The rest of the season doesn’t receive the same care. We’re rushed through time skips, war, Piltover’s political landscape, Isha’s death and Jinx’s subsequent decline, and Warwick turning into a weapon wielded by Ambessa and Viktor. The culminating conflict of the show left its leads, Vi and Jinx, to fade in the background, irrelevant except as soldiers.
Similarly, everything between the two halves of the city becomes inconsequential. Piltover blames Zaun for its every misfortune, Zaun reveres Jinx as a symbol of resistance, Ekko’s tree is threatened by the arcane, and yet none of these events lead to major developments for the regions or relate to each other. Instead, Zaunites fight alongside Piltover just to be slaughtered, Ekko’s sanctuary is underutilized (and Ekko himself, who had few on-screen interactions with anyone in his original dimension), and Zaun receives a seat at Piltover’s council without proper exposition.
Interestingly, it seems LoL’s influence on “Arcane” weakened the show. There were many unnecessary references to other champions, such as Mel’s arc with the Black Rose or the mention of Janna, that set up future projects and distracted from the current one. The writers were also limited by the pre-destination LoL champions set for the characters of “Arcane,” such as Viktor (although they did make some changes in-game to accommodate their new vision), just as their fixed story conclusion might have restricted the course of the narrative.
One consistent aspect of “Arcane” is its animation quality. Fortiche rendered a visual masterpiece that didn’t shy away from playing with different styles, such as the beloved four-frames-per-second dance scene between Ekko and Powder. Their effort alone makes “Arcane” a worthwhile watch. Every scene is filled with details that fans can dissect for hours, including the opening sequence that changes every episode.
Overall, I rate “Arcane” S2 7/10.
It needed more time than a final nine-episode season would allow. Ironically, “Arcane” had been budgeted for a five-season arc, but the writers didn’t want to overextend the story — a decision I originally agreed with — and they were interested in exploring other LoL regions. I would have gladly waited a lifetime for “Arcane” to be thoroughly finished.
I can only hope now that Riot Games learns the right lessons from “Arcane” and that their future shows will be better for it.