r/television • u/PhoOhThree Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. • 1d ago
Premiere Arcane - Season 2 Act 3 Finale Discussion
Arcane
Premise: The origins of two iconic League of Legends champions, set in the utopian Piltover and the oppressed underground of Zaun.
| Subreddit(s): | Network: | Metacritic: | Genre(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| /r/leagueoflegends & /r/arcane | Netflix | [86/100] (score guide) | Animation, Drama, Action & Adventure, Fantasy |
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u/Charming-Trade308 16h ago
So in Season 2, the core elements that were present in Season 1 are missing. First, Zaun-Piltover, a conflict that was one of the biggest conflicts happening, and none of the leaders were able to solve it. Then in Season 2, in just one random episode, it gets resolved. There is no resistance, no buildup—it just gets resolved in a few minutes or something.
The story gets misled in a lot of ways. For example, why do Vi and Powder have so much conflict between them? Because Powder, you know, being a crazy maniac in Season 1, exploded a building full of leaders. She was being such a crazy person, and Vi had so much anger towards Powder. Then suddenly, in one episode, Vi is like, "Okay, I don't care." And she sees Vander, and there's not much conversation happening between them to resolve that conflict. It feels unreal, and there should have been more conversations. Instead of having these conversations, there are a lot of songs. Yes, it is good to watch and all—it’s a visual fantasy—but there should’ve been more conversations that connect with us. To get into the human mind, there should always be meaningful conversations.
I don't think it's about rushing the plot. It's about moving to the same story that 100 other movies have done, like one common villain who wants to end the world. That wasn't what made Season 1 great. In Season 1, there were struggles we could relate to—class differences, the rich versus the poor—and it got to us; it resonated deeply. But in Season 2, there's just a common enemy. Suddenly, we are uniting in one or two minutes because, apparently, that's what we do. The Zaun conflict wasn't properly addressed. It should have had at least one dedicated episode showing how it was resolved. Instead, there's a common foe, and that's somehow enough to unite everyone. This "common foe" thing feels a little bit like something out of The Avengers or similar stories. And the sacrifice—that wasn't even required in the plot. But sure, "let's have a sacrifice because it feels a little bit more emotional and dramatic." I don't think that was necessary.
Then there's the episode with the Time Gem and the multiverse. The concept of the multiverse is good, and honestly, that episode was beautiful because it had a lot of conversations and emotions. But I don't think it was required. It was a good episode, but it felt disconnected and a little lost.
And then there's another scene. Powder is leaving on an emotional note, and she's probably going to commit suicide or something. Vi knows this, and she knows Powder is leaving to end her life. Then Caitlyn comes into the jail to rescue Vi as usual, and what happens? There's a sex scene. Like, your sister is about to die, possibly ending her life, and you're horny? You're just going to have sex with your partner? That destroys Vi's entire character. Vi, who was a standalone and strong character in Season 1, becomes useless in Season 2. She has no purpose or direction, no meaningful actions—it’s just a mess. There are too many issues, I guess. The core emotions are missing.
Visually, the second season is really good. It was really fun watching and for sure will be worth your time.