Things To Remember Before Watching Arcane Season 2

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re recapping “Arcane: League of Legends” season 1, Acts I, II and III, in preparation for the show’s anticipated second and final season. 

A Tale of Two Sisters

At the heart of “Arcane” is the story of sisters Violet and Powder, orphaned during a failed undercity uprising. Realizing the cost of violence, revolt leader Vander[a] takes them in. Vi is protective of her little sister, who’s clumsy and impulsive, and wants a better life for her than the dingy and dangerous undercity provides. So she leads Vander’s band of adoptees in robbing the penthouse of inventor Jayce Talis. And this is when it all starts to go wrong. Swiping magical crystals, Powder causes an explosion, ‘jinxing’ the heist. As events spiral out of control, Powder’s disastrous attempt to help leads to the deaths of fellow adoptees Mylo and Claggor … and Vander. The tragedy tears the sisters apart, setting them down very different paths …

Factions

“Arcane” is also a tale of two cities - the glistening, Art Deco utopia Piltover[b], and the polluted undercity Zaun, sprawling beneath Piltover and across the river. Known as the City of Progress, Piltover is ruled by a Council and policed by Enforcers, who also patrol Zaun. With Vander out of the way, crime lord Silco reigns over the undercity using the drug Shimmer - which the now teenaged Powder, aka Jinx, helps him smuggle out. Silco also has corrupt Piltover Sheriff Marcus on his payroll. There is hope in Zaun however, in the form of rebel street gang the Firelights, led by Ekko, who resist Silco and his criminal empire.

Rival Tech

The cities are driven by very different technologies. From purple flowers in Zaun’s caves, the scientist Singed creates Shimmer, an addictive drug with potent properties. In small doses, it can heal; in larger quantities, it grants superhuman speed and strength, and can even trigger dramatic physical transformations. Shimmer also powers ‘chemtech’ devices - from bombs to prosthetic limbs. In contrast, Piltover relies heavily on Hextech, which pioneering scientists Jayce and Viktor[c] invent during the course of the series. Hextech harnesses magic from ‘hex crystals’ to power mechanical artifacts, including Hexgates that enable rapid transport throughout Runeterra. Its most advanced form is the ‘Hexcore’, an intelligent rune matrix that can alter organic life. 

Alliances & Betrayals

All this friction is fertile ground for political machinations … and a few ‘ships! After Jinx steals Jayce’s new hextech gemstone, politically savvy Councilor Mel Medarda[d] maneuvers Jayce onto the Council to safeguard the Hexgates. Mel becomes Jayce’s mentor and lover, but more than a few fans found themselves shipping Jayce and Viktor—at least until Jayce’s neglect and careless words sparked the Jayce Hate! Viktor is dying, and his only hope for a cure is the Hexcore, so when Council member Heimerdinger objects to its use, Jayce has his former Professor ousted. Now de-facto head of the Council, Jayce institutes a blockade between Piltover and Zaun. Meanwhile, idealistic Enforcer Caitlyn has secured Vi’s release from prison to track down Jinx … and sparks fly! In the undercity, the estranged sisters unite, and they all live happily ever after! … OK yeah we were lying. But they were so close!

Burning Bridges

Fittingly, the conflict comes to a head on the bridge that connects Zaun and Piltover. In a bid to restore peace between the cities, Ekko, Caitlyn and Vi decide to return the stolen hextech gemstone to Zaun. Corrupt Sheriff Marcus intervenes, but so does Jinx, jealous and suspicious of Vi’s relationship with Caitlyn, and struggling with PTSD and feelings of abandonment. She faces off against Ekko in one of the most awesome animated fights we’ve ever seen. Jinx recovers the gemstone, and heals from the fight with a hit of Shimmer - which, yeah, iiisn't great for her fractured mental health. Ekko survives too, and who should stumble upon him but the disaffected Heimerdinger.

Giving Peace a Chance … Almost

In a moment of sanity, Jayce and Vi team up against the real enemy - Silco. Well, maybe the real enemy is class warfare. And an exploitative economic system that oppresses the poor? But, we’re getting sidetracked. After Jayce accidentally kills a kid, he offers Silco a deal: Zaun’s independence in exchange for Jinx. So Jinx does the only logical thing: kidnaps Caitlyn, Vi, and her surrogate father, and brings them to a tea party. All Vi has to do is murder Caitlyn to prove that she’s still on her little sister’s side... Betrayed too many times, Jinx kills Silco, and embraces her new chaotic self. And, tragically true to her name, right as the Council is about to vote for peace, she hoists up her Hextech gemstone-powered rocket Fishbones, and, well … she does this …

Unanswered Questions

Season one left us hanging over the edge of a cliff with our nails scrabbling in the dirt begging to know what would happen next. Here are just some of the questions we have: 

Who on the Council survived Jinx’s attack? How will our key characters react? What role will Mel’s mother Ambessa[e] play, as she encourages war to get her hands on hextech weapons for Noxus? Who was the mysterious mage who saved Jayce and his mother as a child? Are we sure that everyone who died in season one is really dead? OK we can answer that one. No, no we are not. Will Viktor cure himself, and will the cure be worse than the disease? What will our favorite sisters’ final fates be? Will there ever be peace between Piltover and Zaun? Lastly, with season two set to be the final chapter in “Arcane”, how will it set up future stories in Runeterra?

Is “Arcane” the best show on TV? This writer thinks so! Tell us what you think in the comments! 

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[b]https://www.yarn.co/yarn-clip/2fbf9471-5805-4a2a-a273-d82136ea245f
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[c]https://www.yarn.co/yarn-clip/9f5febf2-1976-4dae-b105-96eeb3e9bbf5
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[e]https://www.yarn.co/yarn-clip/9eccddc6-f4f7-4415-8f06-b9535f82c97d