#paranalysis

[fulcrums501st]

if we define “good dad” by genuinely wanting what’s best for your kid, loving and caring for them unconditionally, being patient with them, making them feel valued, giving them the space to express themselves, encouraging their talents, and genuinely trying your best and doing what you think is best for them, then Silco was a good dad.

But if we define “good dad” by actually being able to properly parent and discipline your child, ensuring they aren’t a danger to themselves and others, teaching them healthy life lessons so that they can grow, not projecting your own unresolved trauma onto your child in a codependent way, and being a good role model, then Silco was NOT a good dad.

[fulcrums501st]

also the questions regarding the danger of hex tech were much more grounded in the conflict. like how can we ensure science is still a force for good that isn’t corrupted by human greed and war? About ensuring that war doesn’t corrupt your dream? The arcane in s1 is a potential danger cuz of a very human conflict, but can still be a force for good if humans use it well. The arcane also doesn’t do as much good as it could have because of human ambition and blindspots in the pursuit of great we failed to do good and whatnot.

The arcane is a simple threat in s2 cuz it made Viktor ultron and just strips him of empathy, making the arcane itself the bad guy. Thus, taking the autonomy away from the human’s decisions, actions, etc cuz it seems to either mind control Viktor or just take away his humanity. All the debates about using hetexh for weapons to use in war are gone after s2 act 1. The major threat isn’t the worse parts of humanity that will be our undoing, it’s a robot apocalypse.

Arcane s1 says that man corrupts technology while s2 says that technology corrupts man to a wacky wild weirdly vague and unexplained way so goo goo ga ga random science/magic BS GOOO so big fight scene can happen.

"But the name of the show is Arcane of course it was gonna be focused on magic" is so reductive. Many shows/movies have titles that are misleading or don't actually describe the core story. You know, like Arcane Season 1 lmao. The Arcane does play a major role in Season 1 (the Hexgem is literally the McGuffin of the entire first season), but its main theme was always the class conflict, and by extension the sisters' conflict. The Arcane played a supporting role to those two conflicts, not the other way around. Season 1 was about the threat of the Arcane falling into the hands of a Zaunite vengeful against Piltover (Jinx shooting the rocket), the Arcane being used recklessly by Piltovian oppressors against Zaun (Jayce accidentally killing the kid), the Arcane widening the wealth gap between Zaun and Piltover (the Hexgates), the threat of desperate impoverished Zaunite kids using the Arcane without understanding its power (Powder and the monkey bomb), and a desperate Zaunite suffering from diseases caused by Piltover using the Arcane to heal himself (Viktor and the Hexcore). See how the first season managed to incorporate the Arcane to support and strengthen the Piltover vs Zaun story, instead of overshadowing it?

[cleopatraphouse]

The most disappointing element in Ward for me was the way Valkyrie’s shades were handled.

When Valkyrie’s shades were first brought back, they’re incomplete, they’re the shards’ understanding of the original people. They’re reduced down to what they used their power for. It’s a reconstruction, not a reanimation. And when I first read Ward I thought that was a really potent metaphor for death; how we can remember our loved ones and imagine how they’d react, but the real person is gone, we’ve only got our mental simulations and whatever they left behind.

(Also now that I think about it, it also works as a metaphor for how parahumans are capes first and people second, how their cape identity is separate from their civilian identity, etc.)

But then it’s revealed that shades can recover their lost memories, so suddenly death is much less of a consequence for capes. (And Tristan can come back too? Can any cape be brought back?) That’s so boring and unearned, anti-thematic even.

[fulcrums501st]

I NEED people to understand that Silco was not gaining power for the sake of gaining power but so that once an opportunity arose to negotiate for Zaun’s independence he had leverage against the council because he had become what the council feared: a zaunite with enough power to be a threat to theirs.

(and who has an active vendetta against Piltover. and who was willing to do anything to achieve his goals. and who made the undercity such a nuisance that the council just didn’t want to deal with anymore so they’re willing to let it go)

[fulcrums501st]

Is there anything so undoing (of principles) as a daughter?

In s1ep3 the only thing that convinces Vander to compromise on his peacekeeping non-violent ideology, to fight for a cause, is to protect his kid. Letting the hound of the underground back out, proving Silco’s ideology correct. I knew you still had it in you.

In s1ep9 the only thing that convinces Silco to compromise on his whatever-it-takes ideology is to protect his kid. Proving that there are some lines we can’t cross, that we can’t do anything to achieve our goals, that there are some things we can’t sacrifice for the cause, that sometimes the base violence necessary for change comes with a price we are unable to pay, proving Silco’s ideology incorrect. Oh it all makes sense now, brother.

Both the dads compromise on their principles for their kids. All that they have preached is undone when their daughters are threatened. And in the end, when their respective ideologies are pushed to the same breaking point, they understand each other a bit better.

Is there anything so undoing as a daughter?

[fulcrums501st]

exactlyyyy! All the advice he gives her is rooted in his own trauma and specifically the messed of ideology he learned from his drowning experience. Because his ideology makes him so messed up and tunnel visioned he is incapable of being a good parent to Jinx, and incapable of bringing actual prosperity to Zaun.

I think he sees his advice about “letting your past self die” as the best advice for Jinx to move on from her past and guilt cuz it’s what worked for him. But like it didn’t even work for him lol. Bro thinks he successfully “moved on” by basing his entire ideology around one event, which determines every action he takes for the rest of his life. And he’s like “omg I am the best person to guide this little girl through the same trauma as me”. It was the blind leading the blind. That’s what makes their dynamic so hear and interesting and messy.

One thing that I think is missing from a lot of the discussion about Jinx and Silco is how much he identifies with her.

In their first scene together, when he asks where her sister is and Powder tackles him, she says, "she left me," and Silco looks at Vander's body. "She's not my sister anymore."

That's Silco thinking, "oh, she's like me."

He hugs her, and says "It's okay. We'll show them. We'll show them all."

He's identifying with her. I think to him, he's not just talking to Powder, he's talking to a younger version of himself. He's giving her the comfort that he wishes he could have had.

The way that Silco identifies himself with Jinx is what their whole dynamic is based on. The lack of boundaries, the you-and-me-against-the-world stuff. All his lectures about killing one's old self and becoming what others fear. His hatred of Vi. Silco's projecting his experience onto Jinx.

I don't want to say that he doesn't see Jinx as her own person, because he does. But I do think the line is blurry for him. Like, I think to Silco, Jinx is a version of himself, who can be stronger and better than him, because she has him to help her realize her potential. Something that Silco himself never had.

I also think he sees her a bit abstractly, as the embodiment of a concept. "Jinx is perfect".

What this all means is that Silco genuinely loves and cares for Jinx, but because he himself is so fucked up, and he relates to her in such a fucked up way, that makes their relationship what it is.

Like, he sees this traumatized child, and is like, "I can fix her". And proceeds to give her new problems.

[fulcrums501st]

Jinx’s death does not break the cycle of violence, and it does not help Vi

The way the show implies that Jinx’s existence is the only thing in the way of VI’s happiness and peace between Piltover/Zaun is ludicrous, incorrect, and utterly problematic. It also literally contradicts the show’s own messaging.

Jinx is just as much a victim of the cycle of violence as she is a perpetrator, just like every character. The true “jinx” isn’t Jinx or hextech it’s Piltover’s systemic oppression of Zaun that perpetuates the cycle of violence. They literally have Silco say that “killing is a cycle” that started LONG BEFORE him and Jinx and Vi. So Jinx’s death isn’t even a solution based on the speech they had an episode before cuz Jinx isn’t the root cause, only an inevitable result of the cycle of violence! But then Jinx takes fakeSilco’s advice to “break the cycle” and “walk away” by dying, when Jinx was NEVER the root cause of the cycle she is supposed to be “breaking” with her death. Everyone would need to mutually “walk away” and change their ways for that to work. their ending implies that Jinx being gone is partly what will lead toward Piltover/Zaun reconciliation after YEARS of systemic oppression lmao.

Additionally, the implication that Jinx faking her death is the ONLY way for vi to move on is crazy. Cuz if they had actually tried to develop Vi and let her learn to move on and unburden herself from her own guilt, then this whole ending falls apart and obviously reveals itself for the disgusting message that it is. It is not Jinx’s responsibility to unburden Vi from her own guilt. Also, ain’t not way they said this was gonna be a “Vi focused season” where we unpack her trauma only for their final thesis on Vi to be she is incapable of moving on and she is stuck, after they purposely didn’t explore of develop her. Laughably awful character and thematic work. Why not actually let Vi be a character and develop instead of implying that Jinx is the root of all of VI’s issues and the root of all of Piltover/Zaun’s conflict.

So Jinx’s “sacrifice” is meaningless because it relies on misunderstanding how to break the cycle of violence and on the fact that Vi is incapable of change or learning and so Jinx has to take it upon herself to “unburden” her. Which is a fucking problematic message to relay in your main protagonist who suffers from severe mental illness. Especially after they went out of their way to “redeem” Jinx this season. Only for them to be like “actually she can’t be saved—by felicia(‘s daughter)” LIKE WHAT WAS THE POINT OF HER “getting better” THEN?!? This whole end sacrifice lies on the fact that Vi gets zero development and that Jinx’s own development doesn’t matter!! what the hell

Them portraying Jinx’s ending as bittersweet but necessary and the “only way for Vi to move on” and not as a tragedy that didn’t need to happen is ridiculous.

Genuinely what the fuck Arcane? How did you miss understand your own themes and messaging so abysmally??

This is the most thematically in-cohesive and tone deaf thing I have even seen

Bonus throwback post:

[fulcrums501st]

Idk why people think Silco raised Jinx to be the “perfect weapon” when yk what a good weapon can do? be controlled, be aim-able. Jinx consistently does reckless shit that messes with Silco’s plans and he does not discipline her. Just tells her to take time off and focus on hobbies. He absolves her of all blame cuz she can do no wrong, Jinx is a clear blindspot cuz all his coworkers point it out to him lmao. and silco is a super calculating and precise dude, so I don’t think Jinx, who recklessly blows things up willy-nilly despite Silco’s orders, is his definition of a “perfect weapon” lmao.

Like yeah he wants Jinx to build a weapon (fishbones) with hextech. But I don’t think Jinx was the weapon. Just someone who in childhood was already good with weapon- buildings skills that he encouraged. Like he values her weapon skills and puts them to use, but Silco never was like she is the weapon, yk? Like he just valued her talents that she already had before he adopted her.

Also if he only saw Jinx as a weapon for his goals, WHY WOULD HE GIVE UP HIS LIFE’s AMBITION TO PROTECT HER?

[fulcrums501st]

So uhh what happened to shimmer in season 2?

Not exploring how shimmer production has affected the undercity in s2 is such a missed opportunity tbh.

Obviously there are addicts, but simply dismantling shimmer and destroying all the factories won’t solve addiction. That’ll cause a mass withdrawal and cause ppl to fight over whatever shimmer is remaining.

While it is messed up that Silco made Zaun so dependent on something so volatile as shimmer, that doesn’t change the fact that many are reliant on it. It has become a crux people need. What about the people who work in the shimmer factories? Do they resent shimmer? Are they grateful that it gives them a job? What are the thoughts of the people who may use shimmer but who haven’t become addicts (like Sevika). It’s something they use normally, but maybe not necessarily cuz they’re addicted. Shimmer is clearly parallels to hextech, it takes the place of the technology that Zaun does not have because of systemic inequality.

Are there normal citizens who use shimmer only for emergencies? Do they keep a stash with them in case they are attacked or mugged in the dangerous underground? Do some people start using shimmer cuz it’s the only thing keeping them alive? Are some just power hungry?

Or what about the addict Caitlyn talks to in s1 who says he “just liked the feeling of being powerful for once”. That would be so cool to explore how oppressed people who live in horrific conditions outside of their control might be more likely to become addicts because it gives them a sense of power they’ve lacked their whole lives cuz of inequality. Silco invents shimmer cuz he sees it and other messed up methods as Zaun’s only way to “rise to the surface”. It’s obviously twisted logic, but s1 goes to show that Silco isn’t entirely wrong, his methods are the closest Piltover has come to making Zaun independent.

“Ready to rise to the surface?”

When Cait starts attacking shimmer factories, Zaunites wouldn’t feel freed, they’d be resentful that Topside is taking away one of their only sources of strength (despite how explorative that source of strength may be). From their perspective, dismantling shimmer could feel like another form of oppression, even tho Caitlyn’s intentions are good. Plus, destroying shimmer factories would no matter what lead to a spurge of panicked addicts and crime bosses trying to get their hands on as much remaining shimmer as possible. Shimmer shortages would create chaos that definitely wouldn’t have helped the undercity.

Yes, shimmer is a messed up drug that does a lot of harm, but there were so many interesting ways to explore how Zaun has become so dependent on it in so many ways. You can’t deny that is has become linked to many activities that people rely on. There’s so much nuance to explore there. But this season like doesn’t mention shimmer until after Caitlyn says she’s gonna “dismantle shimmer” (actually maybe the chembarons mention it in ep 2) and then we don’t even see that happen, it’s in a police brutality montage that also glosses over how police brutality affects normal non-crimeboss citizens of the undercity.

Alas, if only s2 has been interested in continuing s1 like idk a second season is supposed to.

[fulcrums501st]

this is partly why I rlly don’t think Arcane was ever setting up a “ruthless dictator” arc for Caitlyn. She’s always had heart, and cares about people, even if her methods from the mere fact that she is an enforcer complicates her ability to do good for the under city. Her choice to lead the less destructive task force into Zaun, despite her privilege and anger over her mothers death (which we see is causing her to start to dehumanize zaunites more), is a strong example that she is aware of how her anger and Piltover’s anger is clouding her judgment, and despite her personal grief she attempts to go with a strategy that she believes will be best for Zaun and Piltover while still getting justice. She still values innocent life.

Obviously I wish the role of enforcers and by extend Caitlyn’s role as an enforcer was brought up with direct critique (cuz of the yknow, decades of police brutality) but Cait always tries her best to what she thinks will help in a balanced way.

However, I wanted us to engage with the fact that the system of enforcers is problematic so that we can have good intended characters (like Cait) grapple with that fact, which they didn’t fully do in this season.

But Cait has never been one I could ever see dedicating herself being a martial law “dictator” and it makes sense that she would have second thoughts, I just wish we could have seen some more of the messed up crap she might have done will Ambessa was guiding her, and to more directly see her resisting Ambessa while also growing close to her. All these nuances are sorts abruptly skipped over and looked past, which is why I think many forget that Caitlyn led the task force to avoid an invasion of Zaun (something that is good for the undercity).

Cait saved the undercity from an Invasion

A lot of people are pretending like Cait just decided to make a strike team out of spite. Vi herself said to Cait that she needed to find a way to call of the invasion planned against the undecity.

Cait learns about The Grey and realizes that she can control it and use it to target specifically Jinx, Shimmer (drug empire), and Gang violence (those loyal to silco).

The Grey is harmful yes, but shes being strategic. If she wanted revenge and didn't care about the undercity or Vi she wouldn't have stepped in. The first thing she says even after seeing the aftermath of Jinxs terrorist attack as the counselors discuss an invasion with hextech is "Innocents will be caught in the crossfire."

That was her motivation for creating the strike team. Very admirable if i do say so myself.

[fulcrums501st]

every time someone says that Silco became just as bad and corrupted by power as the council in the end I lose a year on my life

[fulcrums501st]

Honestly I think the main thing I can’t look past in s2 is how it offers super simple solutions to incredibly complex and nuanced questions that s1 set up so intricately.

How can someone like Jinx ever become stable or well adjusted? Oh her hallucinations basically cease cuz she just becomes depressed and then before she can get over that brief period of apathy and go back to her psychotic self, she adopts a kid that basically brings Powder back. So the super crazy Jinx we expected to see after the cliffhanger of s1 never gets the chance to form! Isha serves as a plot device to avoid a complicated answer to Jinx’s mental issues and question of identity.

How can Vi and Jinx ever become sisters again after they’ve changed to much, is it even possible for them to reconcile? OH their dead dad comes back and reminds them of the good old days so we can ignore all the present and much more recent shit that has happened! And we’ll just really reaffirm that Jinx is Vander’s kid and not Silco’s after ep 4! This is the easy way out to the sister conflict, literally just reminding them that “oh yeah! We did used to be sisters!” And then Jinx can just die so we don’t need explore a complicated road to recovery that Jinx would have needed to embark on! Wow. What a cop out.

Will Zaun and Piltover ever be able to escape the cycle of violence that plagues them that is rooted in complex systemic oppression and inequality? Is violence the answers? Or will it only perpetuate more conflict? How can compromise come about with the rising extremism on both sides? How can Zaun and Piltover ever progress while acknowledging the horrors of the past, but still retaining optimism for the future? OH! Let’s actually just not even BOTHER exploring Piltover/Zaun at all!! They’ll team up to fight foreign 3rd enemy (literally foreign cuz Noxus is literally another nation interfering) and an incredibly simple exploration of forgiveness is the answer! Definitely not cliché as crap.

Complex questions, basic, uncomplicated answers. I simply wish the writers had chosen to prioritize themes and exploring interesting nuances more than big plot climatic style battle in the end. I see visions of nuance there, but they fall flat cuz of the fast pacing and what plots the story chose to prioritize, which don’t organically continue the setup from s1

And the season doesn’t do enough to properly explore these answer to justify them answering those questions. They use plot point through plot point to force the characters to where they need them to be without doing anything interesting with them to explore these complex themes from s1. and after speeding through all these arcs and themes they turn around and pretend like they perfectly answered these questions without putting in any of the work to bother exploring them

[fulcrums501st]

I love how s1 writes Silco and Jinx’s relationship so you rlly don’t fully get how much of it is genuinely loving or manipulative until the very end. Cuz I was rlly only convinced of Silco’s genuine care for Jinx and that he wasn’t full on manipulating Jinx with malicious intent until he himself said the words “you’re my daughter, I’ll never forsake you”. Like obviously we see him caring for her before hand with his reaction to her almost dying on the bridge, but for some reason it didn’t fully click until the dinner party scene. I was so skeptical I needed the verbal confirmation of Silco calling her his “daughter” cuz they kept me on edge the whole season.

So like the reveal in the end isn’t “wow he was secretly evil and never cared the whole time” it’s “actually he was better than you thought, and he genuinely did care” and it’s a cool subversion. cuz they do such a good job of keeping you on edge with them cuz it’s so codependent and Silco is projecting in this way that comes off as rlly manipulative in s1. but then with that final moment you look back and are like “omg he cared in his own messed up way”. then right after we get this great clarity and weirdly wholesome and humanizing moments with Silco, he DIES just as you understood him enough to cry for him.

[fulcrums501st]

EXACTLY!! they try to retroactively change what the ACTUAL dispute between the dads was about. They pretend like it was about a petty personal falling out when in reality it was: what is worth independence? it’s their clash of ideology, two opposing ends of a spectrum about how to resist their oppressors and what will be best for their people.

But now s2 makes it seem like it was the equivalent of a misunderstanding and feLicIA and iF siLCo hAD jusT FouND tHe leTteR when that was not even what their issues were. You can argue that nothing they do directly directly contradicts s1 cuz there are loopholes to work around what they imply to make it sorta make sense (lots of other stuff could have happened in the au, Jinx made an inaccurate assessment of the letter’s significance, etc) but the fact that they let these inaccuracies slip and furthermore don’t explore these themes regarding Silco/Vander or Zaun/Piltover etc in s2, points to a larger issue of the season retroactively trying to change the narrative away from politics. Plus the audience shouldn’t be purposely misled to believing these inaccurate depicting of Silco/Vander conflict. It’s cheap, and blatantly leads the audience to misremember s1 and by extent, forget s1’s themes about it systemic oppression. cuz s2 wants to forget that this conflict exists and does everything it can do avoid it.

Cuz fEliCIa and Vander trying to kill Silco is NOT why the events of ep3 occur, it was WAY more than some petty revenge on Vander. It was about ZAUN.

Silco prioritizes independence more than the community and is willing to make sacrifices the “base violence necessary for change” while Vander is not. They both have reasoning that they learned from their experiences. We understand where both of them are coming from and there is no clear “best way” to go about dealing with topside.

Silco literally wanted to recruit Vander in ep3. He says himself he still respected Vander even after he betrayal cuz he understood why he did it so some extent. He loses respect for Vander once he gives up on Zaun, on their shared dream, and starts working with enforcers to keep the bare minimum of peace. THIS is the true betrayal, cuz Silco sees this as Vander betraying all the principles that they stood for, and that is unforgivable. It’s only when Vander refuses to join, a final confirmation that Vander has become weak and lost sight of the cause, that Silco is like “alright you hypocrite, well guess I gotta kill you so I can take over now. you had your chance” etc

Silco and Vander’s whole conflict of revolutionary ideology is honestly the most political part of s1 and then s2 wants to be like “actually, their dispute was never about politics” cuz s2 wants to forget all the political themes they set up in s1

ARCANE: Silco & Vander ↳ “Everything might have been different.”

[fulcrums501st]

so much interesting nuance regarding all out war between the two cities set up in s1 that is then completely not followed through in s2 cuz they just change the plot halfway through to something more confusing and less grounded and less interesting.

And then they try to pretend they had well developed and well explored themes regrading war and class and progress cuz a character who doesn’t do anything for half the season gets a seat on the council when we don’t even see the complex negotiations that would have led to that happening.

[fulcrums501st]

no matter how much I harp on s2 that doesn’t change the fact that every episode had a moment where I was genuinely moved and got worked up. And that is a testament to the masterful music composition, voice acting, and animation. I may not enjoy a lot of the direction the writing took but damn do the people working on the show know how to execute what they were given to the max. And yk what?that means something.