REVIEW: ‘Arcane’ Act 3 Completes a Tragedy in Three Parts.

Arcane Act 3 is an action/fantasy series from Netflix that takes place in the world of the popular League of Legends video game from Riot Games. It’s all to a head here. With Vi taken by the Firelights, Jinx is once more adrift. But what will the wildcard in Zaun ultimately decide to do? While on the other side of the river, the Council, now led by Jayce, must decide how to address the rising tensions between them and their sister city. And will Hextech be the answer? And even if it is, what form will that answer take?

Despite the ever-growing scale of Arcane‘s story of class conflict and generational scarring, at the end of the day, the story’s true focus is about people. How we are all colored by our personal experiences, how we perceive the world, and the parts of it we know, and the parts we only believe we know. How misunderstanding and misconceptions can lead to conflicts that no one wants, yet everyone seems to rush headlong into. And at the end of the day, it is the innocent that will always suffer the most when the follies of those in power come crashing down around us.

Arcane Act 3 is filled with so many spoiler moments I honestly can’t think of a single scene I can talk about in any detail that won’t be giving away some critical aspect of the series plot. Suffice it to say, a lot is happening in the final three episodes of this season. While many of the conflicts that have colored this story throughout the previous two acts see more exploration here, one of the best elements of this closing act is how it mixes some of the characters up, showing them interacting with members of the cast they’ve never been seen with before.

But, despite how the pieces move on the board, at the end of the day, the stars of Arcane Act 3 are still Jinx and Vi. The actions taken by the show’s leading sisters are the most striking, impactful, and ultimately painful. Every theme that the show highlights and calls into question flow between these two estranged siblings in one way or another. The issues of class struggle, the scares left on the young by their forebearers, and how much our trauma can manipulate not only how we see the wider world, but how we view ourselves play out with the show’s leading pair.

The only place where I feel Arcane Act 3‘s plot may disappoint some is how it ends. While I refuse to give any spoilers, I will only say that the final moments of the show’s story may not be what many were hoping for. For me, it is a solid ending. Not the best I’ve seen, but not a bad one either.

The animation and artistic style of Arcane Act 3 continues to deliver the fantastic visuals that viewers have been wowed by since the first trailers dropped. Jinx’s tenuous hold on reality continues to be one of the series strongest aspects to explore visually. The only spot that didn’t quite land for me is when what should’ve been a particularly emotional moment gets undercut by some visual experimentation. While the overall look is eye-catching in this moment, it ultimately distracts from the impact of the story.

When all is said and done, Arcane Act 3 delivers lots of emotional storytelling as the various struggles of the residents of Piltover and Zaun boil over. It is, overall, an excellently executed story that brings more of what fans of the previous acts have loved.

Arcane Act 3 is streaming now on Netflix.