This Show Is A Work Of Art Even If The Ending Is Disappointing | My Thoughts On Arcane Season Two
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In November 2021, everyone was talking about the show Arcane, and as someone who was only exposed to the franchise through the virtual girl group KDA, I was pretty fascinated by what this show was about. After watching Season 1, Episode 3, also known as the most traumatic episode of television ever, I was hooked on the show.
I loved the characters and the plots about classism, mental illness, grief, and trauma. Once I finished the season, I could not wait for the next one, even if that meant waiting years for it.
Now, in 2025, I have finally watched the second and final season of Arcane. As fantastic as it was, I was disappointed by its ending and questioned some of the choices made throughout the season.
About Arcane
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Summary from IMDB: The delicate balance between the rich city of Piltover and the seedy underbelly of Zaun. Tensions between these city-states boil over with the creation of "hextech", a way for any person to control magical energy in Piltover, and in Zaun, a new drug called "shimmer" transforms humans into monsters. The rivalry between the cities splits families and friends as Arcane brings life to the relationships that shape some of League of Legends' famous champions including Vi, Jinx, Caitlyn, Jayce, Viktor, and Ekko.
The First Two Acts Were Great
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Watching Caitlyn slowly lose her strong, professional, yet empathic demeanor was captivating. I recently lost a family member who was near and dear to my heart, and watching the funeral in the opening of the second season just hit so much harder than it would have if I had watched these episodes when they were released back in November 2024. The emotions and lack thereof from her at times while grieving her mother were so well executed that it made me sob hard, but seeing how it wrecked her father was what hurt me the most. I can resonate with watching someone lose their spouse; it is honestly one of the worst feelings ever.
Caitlyn deals with her grief by seeking revenge and justice for her mother and the other council members killed in the attack by hunting down Jinx by any means necessary, and she wants to make sure she has the kill shot. But she forgets that the person she is hunting down is the sister of the woman she has feelings for.
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I also loved how much of Ambessa we got in this season. If you follow me on Tumblr (if you don’t I am warning you now I am an absolute unhinged mess on there) I proudly healthily proclaim my love for Ambessa Medarda and I also talk professionally about how much I love her as a character and appreciated how much of a role she played in this season
this isn’t normal behavior wtf
Her death was understandable, and yes, I was bummed, but it makes me even more intrigued by her character. No matter how much she and Mel butted heads, she still loved her daughter until the very end. I need this woman to read Ambessa’s book.
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Sevika and Jinx’s relationship was fascinating, but I wish we had seen more of it. They hated one another in season one, but grew closer in season two, and I would have loved to see more of their sibling-like banter.
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Jinx and Isha’s relationship was so pure. Jinx wrote herself off from the world and labeled herself a terrible person for all the bad things she had done in her life. Death always seems to follow her, and it’s always her who is taking the lives of innocent people, but Isha didn’t care. She saw someone cool, intelligent, and brave, and Isha made Jinx a better person. It was the healthiest relationship Jinx has ever had, and that’s why she never recovered from Isha’s death. It made Jinx feel like life was meaningless again, and she didn’t mind ending it all or letting Topside put her out of her misery.
The Last 3 Episodes Felt Rushed
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One gripe I had with the season was that Zaun was so willing to help topside. There was no buildup to this partnership. We just found out that Ambessa double-crossed everyone and was coming for Piltover. Then, Topside told the Zaunites that they needed them, but it made no sense that Zaun didn’t push back even more than they did. They literally refused and walked, then came back and helped save the day, but the lack of explanation about it was just odd to me.
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I wish Maddie’s betrayal had hit harder than it did, to be honest. Maddie’s betrayal had me shook, but I wish we saw more of her and Ambessa working together. Did she find out that Cait and Vi slept together, and that’s what made her join forces with Ambessa? Or was she working with her all along?
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What the hell were they doing with my girl Mel?
I have no words to describe what Mel went through this season, and I couldn’t explain to you what happened.
Overall, Arcane remains one of the best shows I have ever seen, and I put it up there with Wandavision and Madoka Magica. Regardless of how disappointed I was with some of the creative decisions and the ending, it doesn't change the fact that this show had a profound impact on my life.
Gimme a spin-off with Sevika and Grayson’s origin stories, pls.
Hi! I’m Andrea, the creator of Cinematic Excursions.
I am a video editor, photographer, travel and events vlogger, and blogger who likes to write movie analyses and yap about fandom. I also have a useless film degree.
I have been creating videos since 2018. In 2023, I started Cinematic Excursions to share my unfiltered experiences traveling, cruising, going on excursions, and using city cards that are supposed to save money.
I also use my platform to document my experience attending events like New York Comic-Con, MCM Comic-Con London, and the Food Network New York City Wine and Food Festival, advising others and covering news from these events.