Arcane: Bridging the Rift
It’s been almost a year since Arcane ended and it still pisses me off. So much was wrong with S2. Not only did they completely ignore the Zaun and Piltover issue, they also ruined Vi’s character and whatever was going on with CaitVi.
Now, was it really because it ended so quick, or was the ending always supposed to be this ass (specifically Zaun and Piltover)? See it this way: all the things Israel does to Palestine, and then when Israel is in some sort of trouble, they ask Palestinians for help — and they do?? I’m sorry, wtf. Jayce throws in some cliché line and suddenly Zaun is helping Piltover? Okay, even if we see it as an issue for both of them, what did Zaun actually get out of it? One seat at the council. How many of those privileged assholes will actually agree with whatever Savika has to say? Let’s be real, they never really cared, so why now? The way those other councillors looked at Savika says a lot.
If we talk about Vi — whenever before S2 anyone mentioned the MC of Arcane, I’d think Vi and Jinx. Valid, since the show starts off with them on the bridge and whatever happens to them, plus all the sister conflict. We see Vi as bold, brave, strong, her own person, her own personality. Yes, she spent her life in jail, but she wasn’t some dumb Cait sidekick. Her personality and existence in S2 was completely butchered. She was just existing because of Jinx and Cait in the plot. She wasn’t needed. In S1, she was written well, but in S2? Everything we said about them writing good characters ended the moment we saw S2 Vi. She was so far off from what an MC should be.
Finally, because I could go on for days pointing out all the things wrong with S2 — CaitVi. Yes, Cait was a privileged bitch (I said it). Piltover spent their whole lives killing people in Zaun. Take that video Cait watched for example: “People of the Undercity deserve to breathe.” Huh? And Cait said “sike” and released the gas just to find one person that killed her mom. What I’m trying to say is — if she can torture and kill people because of an attack (which I’m not defending), then the Undercity should burn the topsiders alive. Cait was even ready to shoot at Isha, even Vi.
Here comes my issue with CaitVi: they got together, hurray. But did Cait ever apologise to Vi? No, she didn’t. And that cell scene — I was so happy we got canon lesbians in a popular show, even ignoring the enforcer/oppressed trope, lmao. But they made it worse. Not to mention how police brutality was left unpunished. None of Cait’s acts had consequences. She didn’t pay for it, and she didn’t apologise either. Their reunion was badly portrayed. It wasn’t just angst — it was problematic.
Most of S2 was.