Welcome to That Good, a series where I tackle things that the general public have deemed good and hash out my thoughts about it. We're going to cover classics of the modern and antique variety; I'm talking Terminator 2 to Persona 5. Now, you might be thinking, "What's the point of this? What if you just agree with the critical consensus, you pop culture junkie?" Don't worry, I've also considered this, and the conclusion I've come to is that just because everyone agrees something is good now doesn't mean it'll be that way forever. Everything has its haters, its shooters, and its stans. Its seems that everything these days is a "forgotten classic" or going through a "critical reappraisal," so why not have a little fun with me, yeah?
As of now, we are less than a week away from the release of the second season of the only reason I'd ever pay for Netflix, Arcane. Based on the wildly popular MOBA game League of Legends (of which I have not played a single second), Arcane has a fandom all on its own. I'm among those viewers who came to Arcane not even knowing that it was based on anything, thinking that it was an original story. For all I know, it might as well be. I know League has its own lore, but it wouldn't surprise me if Arcane was filling in gaps.
Hailing from 2009, I've always seen League as kind of the granddaddy of the type of character-action multiplayer game that flooded the 2010's and remains haunting the 2020's. League has more in common with Smite that it does Overwatch (I assume), but I can't help but think of them as cousins at least. Aesthetically, it has the World of Warcraft style late-2000's fantasy vibe that I've never cared for. As a rule, I've never much cared for the type of fantasy world that just kinda has everything it it. Magic, tech, goblins, ninjas—just pick a lane (pun intended.)
What I noticed rewatching Arcane season 1 again was that no matter how stylish this show gets, and by God does it get stylish, it can't shake its beginnings. I got more of that hipster steampunk vibe off Piltover and Zaun more than anything. (You can thank Vi's striped paperboy pants for that.) From an outsider POV, all of League's champions look like characters from entirely different games. Arcane avoids this by just honing in on Piltover so it can present a united aesthetic language for itself. I'm not breaking new ground by saying Arcane's animation is simply insane. The way the characters emote and behave so realistically is genuinely uncanny at times. I catch myself marveling at the small details, like Caitlyn caressing the wound on Vi's face, Sevika's leg trembling after her fight at The Last Drop, or the discolored burns on Jinx's skin. It doesn't drown you in "realism;" it selects the details that are important, the one you expect to be there, and reassures you that this world operates exactly as you'd think it would
Okay, let's get music out of the way. Generally, I dig it. I was never distracted by the real-world songs in this show because this universe is technologically advanced enough to have jukeboxes, and presumably, Garageband. Literally putting Imagine Dragons in the show was a little indulgent, but I'll let it slide just this once. I can't really comment on the OST since I don't think its very noteworthy. The pop songs kind of steal the show since they're featured in many of the show's key moments.
Onto the voice cast, there isn't a single performance in this show I could remotely consider bad. Bit parts and side characters are packing the same heat as main cast members here, and that's the same for the writing. Characters like Marcus (Remy Hii) and Sevika (Amirah Vann) aren't major, but they put in enough appearances with solid voice work that you come to really appreciate them. Hailey Steinfeld as Vi is obviously amazing. She's even able to sell that awful "Cupcake" line multiple times without it being (too) cringe. Rewatching, I had a greater appreciation for Jayce's voice actor, Kevin Alejandro, since I felt that he really captures the full range of Jayce's complex emotions. Doubt, hope, idealism, and anger are found in equal measure in Jayce, and Alejandro sells every scene. Harry Lloyd as Viktor is another highlight, not just because of his stimulating accent, but how you can here his voice reflect his physical and moral decay. The scene where he pours Sky's ashes into the river absolutely killed me.
Silco might be one of the best characters in animation history. Everything about the guy, from his look to his voice, just oozes a villainy so complete that its almost frustrating how well its executed. That could sum up the entire show, if I'm honest. In terms of voice performance, Jason Spisak gives Silco a nasally voice to fit his wirey frame. Hot one moment and sub-zero the next, he's an intoxicating scene-stealer. And you can't discuss Silco with Jinx. Despite being turned off by HotTopic advertisement characters like her, I found myself really enjoying Ella Purnell's performance and ended up wanting more of her. I found that she was most engaging in her final scene where she was more lucid and intentional. She spends most of the season doing the same bit: short bursts of crazed intrusive thoughts typically aimed at figments of her imagination. When she gets to do more than that, Purnell brings a legitimate scare factor to Jinx's mania.
Finally, I get to talk about the writing.
When I watched this for the first time, I caught it during its initial late 2021 release. By then, I was a senior in high school and had practically decided on writing as a career. A lot's changed between now and then, so I was afraid some of Arcane's magic had worn off. Watching "Act I," I came away with the feeling that the show wasn't as good as I remembered. Back in 2021, I was absolutely blown away by it. The pace, the action, and storytelling efficiency; I felt like I was becoming a better writer by sheer exposure. Now, I can admit that Act I is definitely the weakest of the three parts. Obviously, its set up. Unavoidably, its set up. It doesn't hold back the entire show, only this Act, but even then, I feel that the show giving three episodes to what many would give only one, was a good thing. We're able to settle into the world of Piltover and Zaun long enough to meaningfully understand all that we need to before the timejump. Shoutout to Yuri Lowenthal as Mylo and Roger Craig Smith as Clagger, whose performances do a great job of endearing these short-lived characters to the audience.
Vander is also just delightful. JB Blanc's warm and aged performance tells you everything you need to know about him. His relationship to Silco being in-scene is something that's sorely missed in the later parts, but getting to explore the consequences of their rivalry after a declarative victory by Silco is fascinating. Their legacy extending to Jayce and Viktor is also just heart-breaking. Act I sets the standard for plotlines interestingly intersecting and even provoking one another. The inciting incident of the entire story is Vi's robbery of Jayce's apartment setting the Hextech revolution in motion. It efficiently establishes the important plotlines that will go on to radically change in Act II. Overall, Act I is slightly hampered by having an obvious function but makes up for it with the novelty having characters like Vander that don't survive until the later parts.
Act II is where things kick into high gear. All the neat little wrinkles from Act I get paid off, like Marcus putting Vi in prison to obscure her from Silco, Jinx lighting up the flare that Vi gave her before Operation Rescue Vander, and the return of Ekko. What I appreciated on a rewatch was how Clagger and Mylo haunt nearly every scene Jinx is in. Their deaths are given consequence up until the very last scene of the season. Act II also features the true introduction of Caitlyn, a character I'm not the most smitten with. She's alright. She's helped by the fact that she gets to consistently star along side Vi, the show's best character, as well as bounce off of Ekko and Jayce on occasion. On her own, she's probably the least interesting main cast member, but thankfully, Vi does most of the heavy lifting for their shared plot and their budding romance is engaging.
While Vi and Caitlyn steal Act II, I have to talk about my boys. Jayce and Viktor's relationship is one of the most interesting in the show, and I'm glad its given the time it deserves. Viktor's terminal prognosis comes out of nowhere, but its such a good motivator for Viktor and Jayce as characters that I can forgive a hasty introduction. Mel Medarda (Toks Olagundoye) is another star of Act II and III, acting as the Littlefinger to Jayce's Ned Stark in the early days. Romance intertwining with politiking is straight out of the George R.R. Martin playbook and used well here. Mel was a consistently engaging screen presence because she always had an angle, but was morally responsible enough to want to root for. Her relationship was with Jayce is also nice, since it could have easily been a political ploy, but its more than that. I love the moment where she's painting and clearly annoyed that Jayce left after their night together, but when Jayce tells her about Viktor dying, it totally reorients her. Its shows that she's not just a cold political operator, but a person good person who cares about others.
In Act II, the difference betwen Piltover and Zaun is stark. Seeing how the Undercity changed from Act I to II communicates Silco's villainy visually. Before, there was a tight-knit community of known individuals, now, they've been replaced with cruel and tyrannical crime lords. One underrated player in this show is Marcus, the corrupt enforcer who's shaking his head at the bribes so you know he disagrees. His inner conflict is believable, and while he's far from a role model, I really felt for him as he tried to protect his daughter from Silco. When Silco hands him the Jinx grenade and we see him pull it, taking them both out, just to snap back to reality—I was floored. Animating an intrusive thought is a great way to get inside a character's head. He's also instrumental in the show's crime related drama, appearing in plots below and above.
Act III is all gas, no brakes. Beginning with episode 7, "The Boy Savior," which contains what might be the show's best fight, the tone adequately matches the stakes. Ekko vs Jinx is bittersweet. Two friends are reunited after years apart, but on opposing sides of a conflict neither can give up. The sequence on the bridge isn't just a great action set piece, but a massive plot beat not just for the characters present, but for every character in the show. Its this sequence that drives Jayce and Vi to war, pushes Silco not to accept Jayce's peace offer, leads Jinx kidnap Caitlyn, and puts Ekko on a course to meet Heimerdinger.
God, I love when things are also doing other things at the same time.
And that was just one scene from one episode. Largely, Act III is excellent, as it shows how far our characters have come. Seeing Vi stand before Piltover's council isn't something that was possible at the beginning of this story. Watching Viktor's body further change as a result of the Hexcore is another indicator of stakes.
Things heating up in the undercity was something I didn't appreciate on my first viewing. I initially wrote off the whole plot about Silco's underbosses overthrowing him, but this time around, with a further appreciation of Sevika, it clicked for me. It made Zaun feel bigger than just Vi and Jinx's stories.
Despite my glazing, Act III has the most problems for me. Don't worry, they're small. While I like Viktor's plot with the Hexcore, I found Sky's death to be really random. Of course, it makes sense and was set up earlier, but if the scene of Viktor scattering her ashes wasn't so well done, I would have wrote it off as a shock-value death. I think there were better ways of showing Viktor going too far, but that's just me. Additionally, I wanted something more from Jayce and Vi's brief partnership. Something like that, a true clashing a worlds, should have more impact considering their shared connection with Caitlyn. And, if you recall, Vi stealing from him put the entire story in motion. Its not that their scene together are bad, quite the opposite, in fact, its just that their time together comes and goes in way that left me wanting more.
(Also, it was a little out of character for Vi to not care about that kid that Jayce killed, right? Or is she already a cop by this point?)
The rest of Act III I really like. Ambessa throws another wrench into accepted paradigm of Zaun vs Piltover by introducing a foreign threat. Her presence also adds another dimension to Mel not previously seen. Jayce and Viktor going off the moral deep end only to come back together was immensely satisfying as they were juxtaposed with Vi and Jinx being unable to reconcile their differences. I'm sure its not an accident that the scene in which Jinx truly becomes Jinx is when the character finally resonated with me. I loved the turn I felt when she observed that maybe the narrative shouldn't be about Vi forgiving Jinx after what she's done, but Jinx forgiving Vi.
My last real criticism of the show is that I don't think its particularly novel in a political sense. It can be baby's first classism at times. Caitlyn goes through a pretty standard arc that privileged characters do where they take a poverty tour and get a new perspective at the end. Being highborn is definitely part of her character, but I feel like a greater reckoning might be on the way, considering she gets off pretty easy here.
The most interesting political beat is the sovereignty of Zaun. The class struggle in Piltover is about as bad as Midgar's, so I think wholesale autonomy is the way to go. The show eventually gets there, but I think Act I is especially caught up in this "we have to work together" mindset that ultimately doesn't move the needle one bit. Vander and Grayson had a good thing going, but they were ultimately undone by corruption from either side ironically working together. I'm not advocating for a hard binary here, I'm just annoyed that it takes the entire show for someone to say it like it is: Piltover has no right to rule over Zaun. And its Jayce people saying that! (Who basically does Caitlyn's arc faster and better). The politics are more nuanced here than I giving them credit for, but its not Game of Thrones or anything. I just think the show is a little politically confused at times. Violence is fine when you beat on bad guys, but not when its political, I guess. (I do appreciate how Jayce embodies Vander in his negotiation with Silco, further aligning two characters and ideologies.)
Here's some more praise before we wrap things up: pace. If you've read my Spider-Man: One Year Later retrospective, then you know I don't like when something cuts its story into three parts and calls them "Acts." Arcane gets away with it by at least trying to adhere to that model. Acts I and II feel like they fit the traditional structure. Act III is a little too long to be a real Act III, but its increase in stakes makes up for that. Besides a timeskip, the show's events basically taking places over a few days helps keep things moving.
Lastly, I just want to throw out there that Arcane is basically a superhero story. Its a fusion of tropes and aesethics from fantasy and crime that features heightened vigilante-esque characters. Vi is Batman, Jinx is Joker. Jayce is Harvey Dent, I guess. Point is, as an amateur superhero scholar, I found it notable.
Is Arcane That Good. Yes. Of course. Obviously. Its not perfect but its pretty damn close, and that is no small accomplishment. I've kept myself pure for season 2 by avoiding trailers like the plague, so I'm not sure where things are going but I can only hope that nothing bad happens to Viktor and everything bad happens to Heimerdinger. I hate that little asshole. I wanna punt him out of a window. And since I'm a Jinx guy now, I guess I'm obligated to defend her on Twitter when people bring up all those people she 100% murdered. We'll probably be doing this again for season 2 a few years down the line.
Next time on That Good: Persona 5
