Arcane 2x08 Edited & Full

It's getting harder and harder to see who the good guys are and who the bad. And I love it.

The talk between Jinx and Caitlyn is probably the most important scene in this episode. Jinx has given up. Seeing her with her disheveled long hair, picking her thumbnail bloody, hurt in more than one way. 😭💔 Despite all the tragic losses she had to endure, the loss of Isha hit her the most. Mylo, Claggor and Silco were haunting her, she spoke with them. Isha is simply gone and she feels this loss, this huge hole in her heart, like nothing ever before. Caitlyn again owns up to her mistakes (“...OUR crimes!”). She opens up on how tired she is of hating Jinx and hating herself. They seem to finally understand each other to a certain point. Both are too tired to go on like this. It was so important for them to hear the other side. Caitlyn makes herself accountable and Jinx acknowledges the pain and hurt she caused for Caitlyn. They let go of each other...🤔😨🙈 DETAIL: When Jayce shoots at the column, you can see Viktor (who was apparently hiding up there) jump out of the way for a split second. Here it is, Caitlyns big fat “I love you” to Vi! 😍😍💖💖 Again there is so much in this one little sentence “You really think I needed ALL the guards at the hexgates?” Just when Vi thought she fucked up again she found out that Caitlyn was not only NOT mad at her, but even helped her to break Jinx out. It showed her that Cait really did let go of her hate towards Jinx, that she knows Vi good enough to deliberately clear her path, so Vi can get to Jinx and that she trusts Vi to make the decision how to go on from here by herself. Even if it involves the risk of Vi leaving her with Jinx. Before, we've always seen Caitlyn trying to push her in some direction. You can see in Vis eyes that Caitlyns “Sorry to say, you've grown a bit predictable” lets her understand all this immediately. She beams at Caitlyn in a way you only do when someone you love confesses her love to you, too. All their loooong pent-up sexual tension exploded right then and there...💥💖😍 I am a sucker for great love stories and the story of Caitlyn and Violet is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. Given that they have so little time to get to know each other, they have a great chemistry from the get go and captured my heart right away. You can feel they're destined for each other. Despite being in a high paced story, the developement of their arc feels real and organic to me. 💖 I can't blame Sevika and Scar (man-bat guy) for leaving the assembly, despite Jayces flaming speech. Too much harm was done to Zaun by the topside and they don't want to die fighting Piltovers wars. They know nothing about the conflict with Noxus and Viktor, so the can't see that fighting united is the only way to survive for all of them. Jayces words alone don't mean shit to them, he's a topside leader. I'm surprised they even got this little hand full of Zaunites willing to fight, either because they have something to lose (like the father) or because they feel it is the right thing to do, despite their hate of Piltover (like Gert, the Jinxer with the blue hair)... 🤩😢 The only one who could unite all of them would be Jinx, but she is walking away...😨🤔🙈 Now I can't wait to see your reaction to the finale...😊

So Mel was captured and tested if she has any magical powers. Since she has them, it is clear that she was the child the Black Rose was looking for. Everything, including killing poor Elora, was done to stress her – emotional turmoil seems to set her powers free. No surprise, given she's an empath. That explains why she could save herself and Jayce, her emotions were high and she reacted instinctively. And it explained why they used an image of her brother to test her – again max stress level, max emotions, instinctive reaction. The illusion of the beheaded girl was a nice callback to ep. 1x8. Mel gets the same amulet the beheaded girl wore and that Mel painted lying in blood. The picture hangs over her bed in Piltover, you could say her fate was literally dangling over her head the entire time. I know I sound like a broken record, but I. LOVE. THIS. SHOW. 😍💖 Singed saved Viktor with Warwicks shimmer blood. This blood is also the reason why Warwick/Vander isn't dead yet. Now Singed has the mutation he always wanted – apex shimmer blood in an apex hextech body. All Viktor needs now is to restore his power and therefore he needs to get to the anomaly under the Hexgates tower. I got goosebumps when Viktor suddenly spoke – Hollow, metallic, deep, dark. Now he sounds really evil...🤯🙈 Don't forget, since Jacy merged Viktor with the Hexcore, he isn't the Viktor that we knew and loved anymore. He is a completely new multidimensional being. This "glorious evolution" Viktor scared me...🙈 Caitlyns “I KNOW!” was so full of self-hate and bitterness. When she stepped up in the beginning she knew Ambessa would try to manipulate her, not knowing that Ambessa was already manipulating her successfully. But it was her chance to act, to do something instead of only reacting to the things Ambessa and Jinx would do. She walked into this trap with open eyes and still was – overwhelmed by her hate and grief – manipulated by Ambessa. She thought it necessary to get justice for her mother, to get to Jinx. Now that she got the bigger picture and came back to her senses she feels guilty, ashamed, can't forgive herself and can't imagine Vi ever forgiving her for what she did. (“We can't erase our[!] mistakes. None of us[!].”). All this breaks free in this scene...😨 The contrast in Vis and Caitlyns body language is very interesting. Both are agitated, yet Vi is pacing around the room like a tiger in a cage, ready to attack, and Caitlyn stands still. She crossed her arms, a typical defensive/protective gesture to brace herself against Vis accusations. When she finally opens up to Vi about Jinx and her own part in this mess, she lowers her arms and sits down, making herself vulnerable by showing how tired she actually is. That takes immediately the wind out of Vis sails and she starts to listen. The animators researched these little glimpses in human behaviour so good...🤩🤯 Vi says something very important: “Who decides who gets a second chance?” You can see how it stucks with Caitlyn and with a sigh she accepts that Vi is right and she has to go and talk with Jinx. It is the same kind of sigh we can hear from Caitlyn in ep. 1x5, when she realizes she has to break Vi out of prison if she wants to achieve anything in the Undercity. In both cases she doesn't like it, but knows it is necessary. 😊 to be continued...

Juliette, I do hope you appreciated the beauty of this show. I normally do like happier shows too, but sometimes a show stands out because you connect with the characters or the storytelling. Even though it may not have many happy moments, you appreciate the ones you get and value the journey that it takes you on. I still think Arcane is like nothing else I have seen with the visuals, the music, and this world they created. I have truly enjoyed your reactions, so thank you. Looking forward to closing it out next week. But certainly noted on happier shows in the future.