00:00Let's go over it again."
00:02Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're recapping Arcane League of Legends Season 1, Acts 1, 2, and 3 in preparation for the show's
00:09anticipated second and final season.
00:11"-So what are you planning?
00:20Watch it all burn."
00:25A Tale of Two Sisters
00:30"-We'll cross the river, and find..."
00:42At the heart of Arcane is the story of sisters Violet and Powder, orphaned during a failed Undercity uprising.
00:49Realizing the cost of violence, revolt leader Vander takes them in. Vi is protective of her little sister,
00:54who's clumsy and impulsive, and wants a better life for her than the dingy and dangerous Undercity provides.
01:00"-Hey Powder!
01:02Come take a look.
01:08It's nice getting above it all, huh?"
01:10So, she leads Vander's band of adoptees in robbing the penthouse of inventor Jace Talus.
01:15And this is when it all starts to go wrong. Swiping magical crystals, Powder causes an explosion,
01:21jinxing the heist.
01:25As events spiral out of control, Powder's disastrous attempt to help leads to the deaths of fellow adoptees Milo and Clagger, and Vander.
01:32"-Why did you do this?
01:34I didn't. I was saving you.
01:36I only wanted to help.
01:38I only wanted to help.
01:40I only wanted to help.
01:42I only wanted to help.
01:44I only wanted to help.
01:46I only wanted to help.
01:48I only wanted to help.
01:50I only wanted to help.
01:52I only wanted to help.
01:54I only wanted to help."
01:56The tragedy tears the sisters apart, setting them down very different paths.
01:58Factions.
02:00Arcane is also a tale of two cities.
02:02The glistening Art Deco Utopia Piltover, and the polluted Undercity Zaun, sprawling beneath Piltover and across the river.
02:10Known as the City of Progress, Piltover is ruled by a council and policed by enforcers, who also patrol Zaun.
02:16Crime Lord Silco reigns over the Undercity using the drug Shimmer, which the now-teenaged powder, a.k.a. Jinx, helps him smuggle out.
02:24"-Hi."
02:34Silco also has corrupt Piltover Sheriff Marcus on his payroll.
02:38There is hope in Zaun, however, in the form of rebel street gang the Firelights, led by Echo, who resist Silco and his criminal empire.
02:46"-Is that a real tree?"
02:48"-Pretty cool, huh? When I first saw it, I knew this was the place.
02:52If a single seed can make it down here, so could we."
02:56Rival tech.
02:58The cities are driven by very different technologies.
03:00From purple flowers in Zaun's caves, the scientist Singed creates Shimmer, an addictive drug with potent properties.
03:06"-Shimmer, we have the power. We can finally realize our dream."
03:14In small doses, it can heal.
03:16In larger quantities, it grants superhuman speed and strength, and can even trigger dramatic physical transformations.
03:22Shimmer also powers chemtech devices, from bombs to prosthetic limbs.
03:28Piltover relies heavily on Hextech, which trailblazing scientists Jace and Victor invent during the course of the series.
03:34"-It's time to crank it.
03:38"-Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
03:40Hextech harnesses magic from hex crystals to power mechanical artifacts, including hex gates that enable rapid transport throughout Runeterra.
03:48Its most advanced form is the Hex Core, an intelligent rune matrix that can alter organic life.
03:54"-It responds to organic matter."
04:04"-Incredible."
04:06Alliances and betrayals.
04:08"-How did it come to this?"
04:10All this friction is fertile ground for political machinations, and a few ships.
04:16After Jinx steals Jace's new Hextech gemstone, politically savvy counselor Mel Medarda maneuvers Jace onto the council to safeguard the hex gates.
04:24Mel becomes Jace's mentor and lover.
04:26"-I propose that a new chair be brought forth, and that House Talos be elevated to this august body."
04:34"-What?"
04:36"-As a counselor, he will have the resources necessary to protect all our investments."
04:40But more than a few fans found themselves shipping Jace and Victor.
04:44At least until Jace's neglect and careless words sparked the Jace hate.
04:48Victor is dying, and his only hope for a cure is the Hex Core.
04:52So when council member Heimerdinger objects to its use, Jace has his former professor ousted.
04:58Now de facto head of the council, Jace institutes a blockade between Piltover and Zaun.
05:02Meanwhile, idealistic enforcer Caitlyn has secured Vi's release from prison to track down Jinx and sparks fly.
05:08"-You expect everyone to give you what you want. If you really want people to talk to you, you have to let them think you have what they want."
05:16"-And what do I have?"
05:18"-You're hot, cupcake."
05:22In the Undercity, the estranged sisters reunite, and they all live happily ever after.
05:28"-Oh, Powder."
05:40"-I'm so sorry, Powder."
05:42Okay, yeah, we were lying, but they were so close.
05:46Burning Bridges.
05:48"-Look who it is. The boy savior."
05:50Fittingly, the conflict comes to a head on the bridge that connects Zaun and Piltover.
05:56In a bid to restore peace between the cities, Echo, Caitlyn, and Vi decide to return the stolen Hextech gemstone to Zaun.
06:02"-Sir, I have proof. Silco's behind everything."
06:06Corrupt Sheriff Marcus intervenes, but so does Jinx, jealous and suspicious of Vi's relationship with Caitlyn
06:12and struggling with PTSD and feelings of abandonment.
06:15She faces off against Echo in one of the most awesome animated fights we've ever seen.
06:19Jinx recovers the gemstone and heals from the fight with a hit of shimmer,
06:23which, yeah, isn't great for her fractured mental health.
06:27"-You know, Powder, you're stronger than you think."
06:31"-Why? I'm so sorry, Powder."
06:35Echo survives too, and who should stumble upon him but the disaffected Heimerdinger?
06:39Giving peace a chance. Almost.
06:42In a moment of sanity, Jace and Vi team up against the real enemy, Silco.
06:59Well, maybe the real enemy is class warfare,
07:02and an exploitative economic system that oppresses the poor, but we're getting sidetracked.
07:06After Jace accidentally kills a kid, he offers Silco a deal.
07:09Zahn's independence in exchange for Jinx.
07:12"-Today I got a glimpse of what war between us might look like.
07:15Your people wouldn't stand a chance."
07:18So, Jinx does the only logical thing, kidnaps Caitlyn Vi and her surrogate father
07:23and brings them to a tea party.
07:25All Vi has to do is murder Caitlyn to prove that she's still on her little sister's side.
07:30Betrayed too many times, Jinx kills Silco and embraces her new chaotic self,
07:35and, tragically true to her name, right as the council is about to vote for peace,
07:40she hoists up her Hextech gemstone-powered rocket fishbones and, well, she does this.
07:54Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel
07:57and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
08:00You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
08:04If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
08:10Unanswered Questions
08:12Season 1 left us hanging over the edge of a cliff with our nails scrabbling in the dirt
08:16begging to know what would happen next.
08:18Here are just some of the questions we have.
08:21Who on the council survived Jinx's attack?
08:23How will our key characters react?
08:25What role will Mel's mother Ambessa play,
08:27as she encourages War to get her hands on Hextech weapons for Noxus?
08:31Who was the mysterious mage who saved a young Jace and his mother?
08:34Are we sure that everyone who died in Season 1 is really dead?
08:37Okay, we can answer that one. No. No, we are not.
08:40Will Victor cure himself, and will the cure be worse than the disease?
08:44What will our favorite sister's final fates be?
08:51Will there ever be peace between Piltover and Zaun?
08:53Lastly, with Season 2 set to be the final chapter in Arcane,
08:56how will it set up future stories in Runeterra?
09:02Is Arcane the best show on TV?
09:04Tell us what you think in the comments.
Comments