After the spectacular first season of Arcane, Fortiche Studio and Riot Games have prepared yet another amazing season for us. The first act was just released recently, and the next two acts are set to release on November 16th and November 23rd.
Each act will feature 3 episodes. Here are some of the fresh first impressions relating to the first act.
The Piltover Council – Tough Decisions
The first season of Arcane has ended with a major cliffhanger. We were left wondering which members of the council would remain alive after the impact of the missile fired by Jinx in the final scenes. The question gets answered almost immediately, as we get to see that Jayce and Mel are still alive and kicking. Saloha and Salo did not get as fortunate, but they do still survive with damages. However, the introductory scenes also reveal the most unfortunate ones who did not survive the impact such as Hoskel, Bolbok, and most notably Cassandra Kirraman. We also see Viktor being significantly injured, with Jayce trying to save him in the hextech lab. The following grayscale scenes highlight the depth of tragedy with a sorrowful “I can’t Hear it Now” song by Freya Ridings.
Piltover Reaction
The plot starts developing rapidly and the new scenes show us the council discussing a counterattack. By this time, Vi has already made peace with the loss of her sister, who she now views as a mortal adversary. Caitlyn too is devastated, and all she cares about is getting back at Jinx, she tells Vi that it would be the best to join forces with Enforces, however, Vi does not take a great liking to the idea, as these are the people who killed her parents. Anyhow, the next scenes depict Vi meeting a young enforcer, who tells her that she is a legend among the group, this starts shifting Vi’s perception to a new direction.
Zaun Attacks Once More
As Piltover tries to work on coming together at a memorial ceremony for the fallen allies, peace gets broken by another Zaunite invasion. The mother of a boy killed by Jayce alongside a few other infiltrators start unleashing havoc on the scene, making the memorial ceremony a fierce battleground. We see Jayce getting significantly injured by the chainsaw of the Vengeful mother, and Vi and Caitlyn are completely outnumbered by a gang of Chemtank Zaunites. The fight concludes after Vi has thought up of getting Jayce’s hammer to the fight, which enabled them to obliterate the opposition. Despite fending off the attack, the damage sustained was still great. Piltover citizens were left wondering how such a thing could even happen, and what allowed the Zaunites to get so close and so deadly. It has also raised a really reasonable suspicion, is there a spy within the group?
What’s Next?
Caitlyn has shown great character progression, and she has taken more responsibilities within the council. She plans to infiltrate the enemy’s territory alongside a team of strikers, with the goal of disabling shimmer operations, and capturing Jinx. Vi manages to overcome her hatred for Enforcers, and joins the mission. Another key highlight is Jayce who embraces hextech technology, and recognizes its necessity for upcoming battles.
Final Thoughts
The first act of Arcane has satisfied all expectations. The plot remained consistent, and so did the general quality of the show including music, animation, and just about any significant metric. Everything is nicely packaged and brought to our screens for our enjoyment. For now, all we can do is appreciate the show and wait for the new acts that will be releasing pretty soon!