Arcane Is Almost Perfect, Almost

After 3 years of waiting, the second and final season of Arcane came out, and it’s fantastic. I don’t have any familiarity with the source game, League Of Legends, but it seems like everyone can agree this is one of the best video game adaptations out there. 

When the first season came out, I remember the buzz around it quickly grew, as it was reportedly a good adaptation, and overall just a great show. This was before recent strong adaptations like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, The Last of Us, and Fallout, so it was even more striking to have a well done video game adaptation. 


Video game adaptations have long struggled, with plenty of not so great attempts in the mid 2000s, and none more infamous than the 1993 Super Mario Bros movie. My best guess at why is that video games were less widely understood then, and now they’re simply a part of the broader culture. 


When the first season of Arcane came out, it seemed like a marvel. It had excellent animation with its own distinct style and vibe. It had plenty of world building, bits of lore for fans, but still kept its story grounded in its well rounded and dynamic characters. With the first season being so strong, it felt like season 2 would be a question of “could it finish as strong as it started?”. 

Would it be able to bring the narrative arc of the tragic sisters Vi and Powder to a satisfying conclusion? Would the class divide between the undercity and the upper crust be resolved? What were the fates of Jayce, Mel, and Viktor? There were plenty of interesting things being built up in the first season, and the second season had a difficult task ahead of it. 

For the most part, it’s an excellent ending! I was worried as the scope of the second season seemed to only be getting bigger and bigger, and I was beginning to think it bit off more than it could chew. The ending of the show also feels like a larger set up for TV shows in this universe. That ultimately makes any more ambiguous fates feel less interesting, since I’m sure they’ll be filled in later, but that’s just the media landscape we live in. 


There were some real stand out episodes, plenty of great animation, and compelling character moments throughout the second season. It feels a touch self indulgent at times, feeling like a high budget music video at times, but given how well done it is, I’d say it’s earned a little self-revelry. 

Now, why do I say it’s almost perfect? It’s on the nitpicky side, so I have to dive into spoilers to really address it. As a broader statement, I think that act 3 of season 2 just needed a little more breathing room. I think an extra episode could have really given the show time to examine the fall out of actions taken by characters earlier in the season, address some interesting, but discarded questions, and allow relationships to evolve more naturally. 


By the time the credits rolled on the show, I felt satisfied, having enjoyed the spectacle, and feeling like it ended well, but I was still missing a bit of oomph, some bite to the story that I felt in the first season. It almost felt like a bit of a Marvel ending, and unfortunately, that’s a bit of a disservice to the more interesting things that were happening in Arcane. 


Spoilers Ahead! 


Season 2 ends with a big battle between Viktor, seeking the “Glorious Evolution”, Ambessa, seeking an army beyond death, and the forces of Piltover. I think this was all set up well, Viktor in particular had a pretty interesting arc, continuing his transformation that was being built up in season 1. In particular, the glimpses into the way he sees the world help you understand his departure from humanity. 


Ambessa I find a little less compelling, especially since we seem to be told more about her conflict and past actions with the Black Rose then we actually get to see. This is one of those areas that feels like it’ll probably be remedied with the inevitable Mel/Medarda spin off. Ambessa is fine, and does influence Caitlyn in some interesting ways, and creates a compelling final face off against Caitlyn and Mel, so I can let it slide. 


The “forces of Piltover” is where I think the finale is less strong. It feels like characters come together just a little too easy to face the larger threat. Caitlyn, who had become dictator-like earlier in the season, is just kind of forgiven for her earlier behavior. Other than Vi, no one really comments on her earlier behavior, and it’s more brushed aside so we can get to the big battle. 

The lack of consequences for Caitlyn also leads to the interesting class divide of  Piltover and Zaun being discarded. Eventually, the people of Zaun join the fight with the people of Piltover, even though they don’t really have a reason to do so. Assumedly, it was Jinx, the new symbol of Zaun who convinced them, but we never get to see that. There was never an agreement to better treatment or equal rights, it’s the most glaring plotline that simply seems absent from the finale. 


It’s a shame, because it was a compelling conflict that was really being built up both earlier in the season and in the first season, and it just disappears because it's time to join forces and fight the big bad. I can’t help but feel that Marvel effect comes into play, where the rougher edges of this story, where I think it’s at its most interesting, have to be sanded off for the sake of the plot. 


Nitpicks aside, I think the finale is pretty strong, with Jayce and Viktor in particular having a strong resolution to their relationship. It felt right that these two who had grown apart, were able to remember their love for each other, whether platonic or romantic, it doesn’t really matter, it’s no less impactful either way. 

Vi and Jinx have a decent send off to their tragic relationship, though Jinx’s (not really) ambiguous fate also seems like another casualty of setting up for further stories in this universe. It was nice to see them on the same side this season, and it lets the show explore their complicated relationship. I think it stumbled a little towards its ending, but I was more or less happy with it. 


Honestly, that sums up most of my feelings towards the finale in general. It stumbles in places, skimming over some of the more interesting questions it was raising in favor of getting to the big battle. Characters had to come together somewhat unnaturally, putting aside grievances that should have been raised and addressed. 


If there had been maybe one extra episode, with Caitlyn facing the consequences of her earlier actions, Jinx giving a speech to the people of Zaun, and maybe having just one more conversation with Vi, I think Arcane could have been even better. Some minor additions, and a bit of room to breathe would help the pacing of the third act feel less rushed. 


I don’t want to undersell the show as it is either, the animation, the characters, it’s all so strong, and this show has a more satisfying ending then most stories get. I don’t really believe in perfect media, but Arcane feels so frustratingly close to a masterpiece that it’s hard not to imagine what could have been. Arcane is almost perfect, but that almost really sticks with you, like a pebble in your shoe, rubbing up against you as the credits roll. 

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