REVIEW: ‘Arcane’ Season 2 Act 1 Sets The Stage Right

Arcane Season 2 Act 1 from Riot Games and animation studio Fortiche picks up where last season ended. While Piltover mourns the loss of several of its most prominent personalities, the Chem Barons of Zaun rip the city apart as they rush to fill the vacuum left by the late Silco’s unexpected demise. But even as the political situation threatens to unravel, a strange force exists within the cities. One whose presence will soon be felt, but its impact cannot be predicted.

With three years of hype between the series’ award-winning first season and now, there has been more than enough time for the expectations about what this season will bring to balloon to titanic proportions. Whether or not the creatives behind Arcane could avoid a sophomore slump or not has been paramount on many fans’ minds. After all, you don’t have to stray much to disappoint when the bar is set so high. But, if Arcane Season 2 Act 1 indicates things to come, this season looks as strong as what came before.

Perhaps the best indicator of how thoroughly the creatives have planned out this season is focusing episode one solely on Piltover. With so many characters spread across the two cities, it would’ve been easy to spread the opening moments of the season too thinly. They can take a deep, meaningful look at the cast on that side of the river by focusing on the episode as they do. While this may frustrate some, they can rest assured that everyone gets their moments before Act 1 closes.

While everyone gets their moments, Arcane Season 2 Act 1 belongs to Caitlyn (Katie Leung, Cyberpunk 2077). The loss of her mother in Jinx’s attack leaves the young woman scarred in a deeply felt way. For the first half of the act, Caitlyn drifts between lifelessness and emotional breakdowns. The tragedy of what has happened would be enough to put anyone in this position, but Caitlyn is made to carry even more.

Despite her father being alive, Caitlyn is entrusted with her family’s legacy and authority as one of the great houses of Piltover. This thrusts Caitlyn into an even greater arena. One where she must learn to navigate quickly, even as she continues to pick up the pieces of her life.

It’s unsurprising, given the cause of her mother’s death, that Caitlyn’s feelings towards Zaun have become a bit more complicated than they were for much of season one. However, Arcane Season 2 Act 1 doesn’t see Caitlyn going wholesale revenge mode. Despite her pain, she still provides a voice of moderation when she gets the opportunity to speak in counsel sessions. And, of course, much of her temperance towards Zaun flows from her continued affection for Vi (Hailee Steinfeld, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse). While her feelings towards Jinx (Ella Purnell, Fallout) get darker as the act continues, she never turns her anger on the populace.

One of the many achievements that makes the Arcane series stand out is its attention to detail. While big moments filled with explosions and magical effects catch the eye quickest, the most powerful moments where this attention to detail pays off are with the little interactions. This is seen most clearly through Caitlyn and Vi.

The most striking moment where this truth shines is whenever one of the two comforts the other. An outstretched hand gently cradles a cheek. We see the small change in weight as the face leans into the palm.  The eyes close, allowing the recipient to absorb the warmth and comfort of the other. Through these simple gestures, the sense of connection and support between the two creates such powerful emotions that would hold it up with any live-action scene of similar intent.

The couple’s heartfelt moments are the best here, but they are not the only ones to shine, thanks to Fortiche’s world-class animation. Every character feels so real. Even the chem-tech-enhanced Yordle Gangster feels authentic despite no part of him being based on anything close to reality. Returning along with the amazing character animation are stunning visual designs and eye-catching explosions. The smoke and energy effects use the same animated visual style, making them consistently stand out. While the quality of the animation and the creativity it displays are nothing short of excellent, its execution occasionally comes into question.

There was an amazing sequence in season one when Jinx and Ekko (Reed Shannon) fought. Rather than simply showing their fight, this sequence went more abstract with their confrontation. A chalk-style aesthetic was used, and the moment played out to the best of one of the show’s many noteworthy pieces of music. It was a visually and audibly pleasing moment that bore a ton of weight as the two former friends were set upon each other.

Arcane Season 2 Act 1 strives to recreate this energy several times with varying animation styles and to varying success. In a vacuum, each is gorgeous, and the music they are paired with drives home the sequence. But the frequency with which they are used quickly begins to devalue the moments. Also, due to the excellence of the unfolding plots, there are times when these stylish sequences feel interruptive, getting in the way of the fantastic narrative.

That fantastic narrative is woven from several strands, setting up a strong platform for Act 2 to continue. The show brings a ton of nuance to the core struggle between the two cities, never letting either group devolve into the true villain of the escalating situation. Bad actors on both sides use the mounting tensions to drive the cities into a collision course. This is especially true of Ambassador Ambessa. The ruthless Noxian provides an excellent catalyst for the plot to drive the two cities into a war no one wants. And with her comes more mysterious elements as well.

The mysterious and magical get a boost in presence in Arcane Season 2 Act 1. How the arcane comes to shape characters like Viktor ( Harry Lloyd, Xenoblade Chronicles 3) is as narratively captivating as they are visually stunning. And by the end of the act, we learn that Viktor and Jayce (Kevin Alejandro) may have flown a bit too close to the sun in their pursuit of Hextech, leaving a potential cliffhanger ending that will leave fans even more eager for the next drop.

The final element that brings the series together is the powerful voice work. Every character’s voice is rich with personality. From quiet moments of pain to screams of rage, every utterance of dialogue feels like the actors are giving everything they’ve got.

From beginning to end, Arcane Season 2 Act 1 delivers more of everything fans of the series have been waiting for. Great characters, a powerful narrative, and visuals that delight and enhance the story all come together again. With only the slightest hiccups, this opening act does all it can to reward fans for enduring the long three-year wait between seasons.

Arcane Season 2 Act 1 is streaming now on Netflix.