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Arcane 2x09 Reaction

the final one. and while this was not the conclusion we were hoping for we’re gonna miss these characters terribly

Arcane 2x09 Reaction

Comments

The only thing that bothers me about Arcane is that season two didn’t have at least one more act, and, of course, why not one more season?! :) The story and characters have so much potential, I think we all would have loved to see more about them with a slower pace to explore more the story and what these characters go through at different stages. Overall, this show is an amazing piece of art that completely won me, I'll always miss Arcane 🥲

JF Monfort

At least Jinx was a heroine by saving her sister and being with her Dad in the end.

Ken Drummer

I know I'm a bit late, but if You want to know why 'Ma Meilleure Ennemie' makes You sad, please find the translation of the lyrics. Just make sure You're ready.

JagdWehrwolf

As much as I love Jinx for me it was really Viktor and Jayce who were the focus and that was done perfectly. My boy Ekko saved the fucking planet and all he has to show for it is a broken heart and that's okay because that's life but damn. Good shit all round.

Karabo

I love that it was Caitlyn and Mel vs Ambessa. Her two daughters took her down. It was like her idea of family came crashing down and her blood and surrogate daughter teamed up to take her down.

Karabo

The creators HAD to come out and explicitely say that she's alive because it was not 100% infered in the show. Yes, now that they've said that, some scenes would make sense. But why do it that way though? They show is finished, there's nothing comming after it.

Xavii MAncero MosquerA

Well, I agree but there's no point in watching it. I mean, what happened in it that was RELEVANT in Arcane besides some Mel scenes wandering here and there (and some LeBlanc, but she wasn't a real character in S2)? Nothing haha, no Piltover/Zaun, No Jinx/Vi or even Ekko. So, there's nothing to look forward to in that cinematic.

Xavii MAncero MosquerA

Jinx isn't dead though. It's 100% confirmed.

Globalist

Yes you are. The story is over.

Ivan Tzarovich

I think she will come back, and this is because if I remember correctly, in one of the places they will explore in the future shows, someone befriends Jinx (I played LoL before so I vaguely remember some lore).

kuzma kuzma

Saying it's rushed is absolutely allowed because it is rushed. Isha's death I still don't understand, the sex scene occuring where it did when it did is baffling to me, the scene with black rose which really pissed me off because everything about it was just so unexplained, (actually everything about black rose is unexplained and thrown in so randomly) Mel wanting to murder her mother and then does a complete 180 when her mother dies, she falls on her knees and mourns her in the middle of everything that is happening, Jinx's "death" being left to interpretation??? (also her "death" was just so stupid I can't shake that feeling), Ekko's character being put aside, actually, the whole of Zaun, Heimerdeinger, Sevika and etc. being put aside for the sake of this "magical" rushed war that concluded in HALF AN HOUR, where did Jayce and Viktor go?, the dude that befriended Vi when they were drunk just simply dies in a second, no thought given to him, the revelation that Maddie was working with Ambessa while literally no one cares, Maddie is a great example of how to introduce and work on a character the completely wrong way when I didn't give a single fuck about her "massive" betrayal, like ok, boohoo, a character that had 5 minutes of screentime (because there was no time in the season to PROPERLY work on a side character, hence the argument RUSHED) in an entire season betrays us, great, can we move on now. Also one more thing that bothered me throughout the show (which connects to the disappearing of Jayce and Viktor) is the little to no knowledge we get of the Arcane (NAME OF THE SHOW), everything about it is vague, which in turn makes everything about it seem idiotic to me because I don't understand what is going on. Pretty much everything in the latter half of this season feels unexplained and rushed (spoiler alert: because it is). It has its moments but this ending was just unsatisfactory, not on the level of Game of Thrones (because that just assassinated an entire 8 season show), but it was still done poorly. Should've been 3 seasons. Season 1 on its own had a better ending than the 2 seasons combined...

kuzma kuzma

Totally agree with remember me. The water color art of vander and the whole family is just amazing stuff. It breaks me everytime I hear that song. And totally agree about that vander moment near the end putting them to bed. This show knows how to tell a story and that was an amazing scene to give us at the end. One more time of seeing cancer with his kids. Tears are rolling.

alex otis

I've gone through all the stages of grief now after this show and I think it's pretty clear that Jinx is alive. There's too much evidence for it, from the shimmer line before the explosion to the S1 callback and the "jinxy" tag at the end etc. I think what upsets me the most is that they made it so ambiguous to the first watch. It would have been totally fine for them to show Jinx (even if she was miniature!) on the blimp/ship

Leo Carbajal

Ooh yeah I absolutely love the introduction of Jinx and isha with sucker, and agree with all these choices. It’s so hard to pick, I love all the music moments but ‘the line’ is probably my favourite song, followed by ‘remember me’ over Vander’s memories (I cry every time). Underrated moment but when Vander appeared in this episode as wasteland was playing, tucking the girls in bed and blowing out the candle, I lost it. As though by putting them to sleep, and blowing out the candle, he was putting an end to him and their past and all the pain associated with those memories. And of course the song with ekko and powder, I know that ruined us all.

Harfie

Yeah, another season would have helped. But it just felt to me like the writers could not decide what to do with the characters. In the end, they chose the most lazy option of "redemption through sacrifice". The oldest trick in the book since Darth Vader, but in Star Wars it actually made sense.

Vitor

👏👏👏 beautifully said.

alex otis

Also wanted to see what people’s favorite song or music video moment from this season or even the show as a whole was. This seasons music video stuff was just so cool to me I don’t know if others agree. I don’t think I have just one but I’ll say my top three would start with heimerdinger singing his song during episode 7. I just absolutely love that scene despite seeing a dead Vi and the horrific world Jayce is seeing, but that song is just great and fits so perfectly for me. The way that scene is edited has just seared it into my mind forever. Second would be sucker from episode 2 and they and are reintroducing jinx and bringing iisha into her life. That song is just great, sort of corny but fits Jinx so perfectly and the visuals are just incredible. And three would have to be the line by twenty one pilots. That scene of viktor changing and going full on delusional villain and truly losing what little bit of vander was left was just amazing artwork and heartbreaking and all the things. Honorable mention would be the French song when Powder and ekko dance. That’s the one things that really makes me sad for some reason though. That song is just beautiful and sang so I wish we could just have a sitcom of that crew being inventors. Anywho. Sorry for the rant. The music was just so prominent in this second season so I wanted to share.

alex otis

The biggest mystery of why Lola's friend rated season 1 9/10 is still not solved though

terrier

At least we’ll always have season one. Head canon is a wonderful thing.

SwampFox95

I don't think this is meant to be some cheap fake death ending, but more symbolically the end of this part of Jinx's life. But that is just my interpretation. I don't think it is meant to be a surprise if Jinx shows up again in another show because they put some, in my opinion, blatant hints that she is alive and the creators will not confirm she is dead.

James Long

lol to reading all the comments. This season was a solid 9.0/10. And I will take that over most of the crap people watch these days. Like season two of squid game . 🤮

MJ Eid

Oh interesting, nope I hadn’t seen the comments to be fair.. Not sure how I feel about that then. It often makes shows feel very “hollywood” if they include a scene where a main character is assumed to die, only to say “na, we were just kidding”.. It cheapens the storytelling and makes you less invested in high-stakes scenarios because you just assume they can undo their decision later on… Interesting nonetheless

windyMelon

jinx is alive, the ducts, caits smile, the flash of pink shooting away from the explosion, the airship, I AM NOT COPING! XD

Joshua Miller

Idk if you read other people's comments, but there are plenty of evidences and clues from the show itself, lyrics, writers/actors interview that suggest Jinx is alive. I just don't think 98% comments on here are on copium blindly believing Jinx being alive. It's a bittersweet and optimistic ending imo. Yes, Vi didn't get a proper closure with Jinx and it mirrors in real life we don't usually get a chance to fully repair relationship with the loved ones. However, it's not a pure tragedy because Jinx is alive and she wants to grow/build something new.

Raphael

The zeppelin scene at the end should tell you enough about jinx' fate. On another note, Riot released yesterday a 5 minutes trailer for season 1 2025 of LoL game. Events that take place there seem to be right after where season 2 of Arcane ended. Same animation studio that did Arcane has done this trailer. If interested it's called "Welcome to Noxus - Bite Marks (ft. TEYA) | 2025 Season 1 Cinematic".

Pronto (SK)

I love when a show doesn’t have a nice pretty ending with a bow on top. Shows that end with something realistic, dirty, and leave you with a sour taste in your mouth can often be the most entertaining. Jinx dying at the end is definitely not a pretty ending. It’s tragic that they never got to repair their relationship fully and experience a life with each other, but I think that’s important, and the show will probably stick with me a lot longer because of it That said, I completely agree with you that the scene itself felt very shoehorned in. After all the fighting and hullabaloo was over, the writers kind of just invented an unnecessary scene to kill her off. If it was handled differently, I think it could have been a great ending, but you’re right, it just felt like they were going through their checklist at the end and went “oh fuck, we forgot to kill Jinx, let’s figure out a way to do that”

windyMelon

the game doesn't really have anything to do with the show. It's a game where each player chooses a character and then they bash their heads in a 5 vs 5, the show simply took some of those characters and their lore and expanded on it. Nothing from the show or it's ending is in the game except for some very basic lore elements (a lot of which they changed for the show anyway), just FYI if you're interested

Max Mustermann

The next a few months we are getting new seasons of Severance, Invincible, Andor, the Last of Us and probably the Bear.

Raphael

She is indeed alive. Devs didnt want to answer anything because they dont wanna say no or yes. But yeah, at the end of the show Cait looks at the air ducst of the hexgate while holding Jinx's monkey bomb and she smiles. Also, the show ends with the same Zeppelin that, at the start of the first season, Powder says she will be driving one in the future. To me it's clear they intentionally left it vague but still left these pieces which, if you connect, clearly hint at Jinx being alive

Angel Urmente

Ooooh that's a discussion to be had my friend. The difference in season 2 versus season 1 was actually less writers in the writing room and I believe it showed. In fact the writer of my favorite episode of the first season, episode 3, wasn't involved at all. More ideas and challenges when writing a coherent story I believe is quite necessary, especially for one with such a varied cast and motivations as this. Season 2 versus season 1 had characters saying and doing things not quite fitting in with previous motivations, and watching some interviews with the writers they clarified certain things about what the characters thought at the time but that I felt didn't come across in the writing itself. Twice they mentioned Vi had an inner conflict about something but I never got that expression from the scene itself and obviously without other writers input, the end quality suffered. Also I could tell when a certain writer was responsible for dialogue because it was so blunt at times. Also what really annoyed me once I started noticing it was a lot of characters repeating back words said from another character. Happened once or twice in the first season, the one that comes to mind between Viktor and Jayce "Am I interrupting?" line. To great effect. In the second season we had that a loooot, it just felt lazy at times. But that's just a pet peeve of mine in the re-using of lines. It's not about big swings, it's just about quality. If you accept that I'll give the writing for the first season a 10/10 you gotta be able to see why some people rate it 7/10 (as I do) this season. Blindly believing that writers can do no wrong is not good for the creative process and I believe Christian spoke of something to the effect of taking criticism with him to the next project. As any good writer should, input is never bad, even if it just reinforces your own idea that the input was wrong.

Teddy S

Watching this episode, I'm starting to see how we ended up with such a rushed pace this season. This finale must have cost as much as the rest of the season combined! It's an absolutely insane feat of animation and creative direction. I can't wait for my Arcane artbook to arrive. On the conclusion itself, I've been much more positive on this season than LM but I still felt like the finale missed a bit at the end for me. I didn't like how ambiguous Jinx's fate was, and how coy the show was trying to be. I feel like I would have accepted Jinx's fate either way because I love her so much, but the show not committing to either at the end felt...cheap? One of the main points of the show seemed to be 'who gets a shot at forgiveness? who deserves a second chance?' and in the end the show kind of... shrugged? And said 'you pick'. It's very possible I'm being unfair and that the whole point of the ambiguity is that the question can't have a firm answer. I feel like I'll be grappling with that one for a bit.

Berezant

About Vi being calm, that scene must have been some time after since their small nicks and cuts had already healed and scarred at that point, so at least a week or two. Cait asking Vi if she was still in this fight I believe was a way to gauge if she needed to reveal she thought Jinx was alive and had left as a way of getting Vi motivated or if bringing it up would just inflict more pain. Vi responding earnestly that she was going to be okay probably leaves Caitlyn not bringing it up. At least that's my take on it.

Teddy S

On a happier note, Severance season 2 is almost upon us and it’s been getting unanimous praise!

jweher

Like i said, i know what they were going for. This isn’t the first story that has gone for the “disabled character realizes they/people don’t need to be fixed” plot. I still dislike it for my own reasons and there’s been a lot of discussion surrounding this particular point, it’s not just me letting anything cloud my judgment, i just have a different perspective on it than you. Edit: To be clear, i have no issue with viktor’s ultimate ending. Him and Jayce dying together is beautiful and fitting. But there’s been issues present throughout his s2 storyline that soured it for me + Jayce’s speech should’ve been tweaked. I just didn’t like everything he said.

jweher

I think Jayce saying that is valid considering Viktor wants to make people midless robots, imperfections here is way more than the physical ones. Its being human wich means being flawed. Also beauty in imperfections is also him still seeing viktor in the godlike being that viktor had become. There is so much more meaning than disease. I still think this season is flawed but try to not let that cloud your judgment of the good parts

BigJo H

Needed time to cook this season, and they just let it simmer for a few minutes before serving sadly. Either way, I thought Jayce's speech was quite nice and fitting. Plenty of people with chronic pain or diseases around, I got my own complications although not nearly as severe. I've seen people saying he was wrong to say to accept these things, but it's not about the problem or the pain itself, I felt the point was that despite all these things Viktor was a caring and great man. Maybe became so much better because of them, an intricate part of him right? Or maybe he would have been so without all his problems. Either way, to see someone like Viktor fight so much through life and still be a good, kind and compassionate man *is* inspiring. Jayce was never downplaying his struggles, just simply telling his viewpoint from the outside. If he could wish it all away or cure Viktor he certainly would, as he almost doomed the world trying to bring Viktor back. But that was Viktor's body he was talking about, not his mind which I believe is what he was talking about when he said Viktor was never broken. My own issues at its worst made me into an not so pleasant person to be around. Always easily annoyed and moody at times. Makes Viktor even more of an inspiration in how he navigated the world, his mind never changing in his interaction with the world despite his body definitely changing for the worse. Now I haven't read your comments where you have fought people before on the subject but here's my take at least, Viktor never was broken, despite all his problems. I do see that it can be seen as quite an insensitive thing to say but as for Viktor's mind, I felt it to be true.

Teddy S

I think my biggest gripe with S2 is that Vi was given so little development, although I'm not even exactly sure where that development would go. I just feel like she was sidelined by everything happening. Apart from that, all my issues with S2 just go back to a lack of time for everything, which honestly I can understand with them wanting to move forward with other stories. The production takes a long time, and this world has a lot that they might want to cover. Anyway, it's not too bad, and we'll see Jinx again. Recommend watching on your own time the new 2025 Season 1 League of Legends cinematic, "Welcome to Noxus." Animated by Fortiche and it's like a brief look into what the continuation of this story will be.

Cornberry

The only problem being the time they had to tell everything. Sure we can call it lazy, but everything that happened could have happened over the course of two seasons instead of just this one and it would have felt much less messy and more organic. It should have had another season, but I get that they wanted to move on to other parts of the world and tell as much as they could quickly. A few years to develop a season is a long time, and with the amount of stories they have to cover, I understand wanting to move forward. I hope they can tell a tighter story next run, but I don't know. It's hard to imagine being able to tell a smaller-scale, character driven story like Arcane S1 when there are so many aspects of the lore they want to shine a light on.

Cornberry

you said "riot didn't want to keep putting so much money", but you have no source anyone at riot said that, just secondary sources of some journalists giving out their opinions

Mathias Lorétan

I didn’t like the finale regardless of whether or not Jinx is alive because i was pretty disappointed with the season’s direction overall but i’m gonna be having fun going through all these comments. I have thoughts on Jayce’s speech about accepting the beauty in your “imperfections” (diseases borne from toxins and gasses you’ve been forced to co-exist with) but i don’t want to start a fight in my replies AGAIN. I’ll just settle for saying i hated the season thematically most of all. I saw what they were going for but felt it was messy.

jweher

I felt like the purpose of Isha was to help Jinx see herself the way the undercity sees her. What I love about Arcane is the fact that on lesser shows sometimes characters will just magically experience growth through dialogue. Someone says something to them or gives them a motivational speech, and all of a sudden years of trauma are healed. In Arcane characters have to walk a mile in each other's shoes, in order to experience any kind of character development. Caitlyn had to become Jinx to an extent in season 2, so she could understand her. Jinx had to become Vi, and have a little sister of her own to understand that Vi needed to "fill her own cup," which is why she left on the airship at the end. Sevika had to lose Silco, and lose her arm, so she could come to rely on Jinx, in order to appreciate what she brought to the table, and why Silco kept her around despite her craziness. Silco had to adopt Powder and learn to love Jinx in order to understand why Vander made a deal with the Enforcers. He had to experience for himself that there was nothing as undoing as a daughter. Viktor had to achieve his perfect world in another reality, in order to see how pointless it all was. And, unfortunately, Jinx had to lose Isha in order to finally see that if someone was willing to die for her because they believed in her/loved her that much, then maybe there was (or could be) a good version of her, after all.

Anakin Moonwalker

Show plays out more like a movie than a typical show, with very fast paced, explosive developments in the story rather than a slow progression of fleshed out arcs It's perhaps a difference of taste but for me I'd much rather have this kind of pacing than the "enjoying every little detours" episodes that are often just fillers with no plot and minimal characterisation

Mathias Lorétan

Well, I wrote so much last episode (Mostly about Mel, Isha and Piltover vs Zaun conflict) so I'll just comment on Jinx surviving and leaving Piltover in this one, hopefully to start a somewhat healing journey. Which is what saved the finale for me, even though Viktor's and Jayce's end was beautiful. (Edit: I have since writing this seen endless comments about the same clues but I'm leaving it as is anyway since it has a few of my own thoughts sprinkled throughout.) First clue, her leaving a shimmer streak away from the explosion. Didn't catch this one at first. Second, Caitlyn looking through the hexgates ventilation canals while playing with the exploded monkey bomb, same place where Jinx fell and where her shimmer streak headed towards. And third, the only one I did catch, the airship leaving Piltover in very similar shot to the first episode, when Powder said: "One day I'm going to ride in one of those things." And I did feel better having those words echo in my head. Granted I assumed maybe I was wrong, hopeful copium, until I learned the other clues. Thinking back they seeded it with Silco's speech as well about walking away, us presuming death, but after the end it's to be taken quite literally. Now I'm just a little dissatisfied with other things but certain they wanted their cake of killing Jinx while eating their cake in leaving her alive for future shows. She's not one of the most popular LoL characters for nothing. Honestly saved the season for me, even though there's a conversation to be had about leaving it quite so ambiguous. Like you, I'm going to miss these characters so much too. Goes to show how much they can make you care with good writing (mostly first season), amazing setting and excellent visuals. Stumbled the landing and some storytelling beats but that does not take away much from what great moments I had, and as a critical negative person at times, that is probably the highest praise I can give. Oh and give us a shout out if you think Jinx is alive or not, weirdly enough I feel devastated to think people think she died. Maybe because I know how I felt when I thought the same thing.

Teddy S

why it was amazing.. what was wrong with it? :D

Norbert Ramirez

Mel's black rose storyline was so detached from the main conflict in this show. They could just develop her magic power in the first few episodes of the upcoming show, but Riot probably doesn't wanna wait. They essentially gave her power in this season so she could be useful in the final battle against her mom, and introduce her as a new champion in 2025 (which they basically just did in the Noxus "teaser")

Raphael

also, she did what delusion silco said, she walked away, and was on that ship at the end. remember, she said "one day, im gonna ride in one of those"

Skellyp

Jinx got the same ending as Filip from the Expanse which is prob the best ending she could get.

Frank P

I respect your opinion but let’s be real, what show would add in all these details just for jinx not to be alive? It’s so clear Jinx is alive, but they showed it in a more nuanced approach as they always do... This is truly not cope imo. That was the point of Cait looking at the vent system, the air balloon(jinx said she would ride one of those in the first episode), the jinx themed closing, VI’s calm demeanor in the end, and Jinx’s line “death is not mercy”. Regardless great reaction as always, thank you guys.

17 38

Pls explain how it’s ruined. Give some examples, saying «it’s rushed» is not allowed. Something you can point to and how you would have changed it. The only thing that doesn’t feel 100% right to me is the sex scene in the prison. You could say that Vi has completely given up on Jinx at that point and is somehow very horny, but I don’t buy it. There, and example of how I would change something. Now you try

Benjamin Lien

Season 2 had the same writers as Season 1. You're not going to find better writers than them for this. Even if you disagree with any big swings they may have taken this season, the show doesn't exist without them. If you haven't watched the "Bridging the Rift" docuseries on Youtube about the making of Season 1, I recommend you do so.

James Long

The ending of this show just makes me so irrationally angry lol. I liked the parts with Jayce and Victor, despite it being kinda messy. But the rest of it was just such lazy writing that i get genuinely frustated (and that is very rare for me).

Vitor

When Ambessa is training with Caitlyn, and is lecturing Caitlyn, she’s telling her of the three pillars of noxus. Vision, might, and guile. Guile being trickery, jinx is guile. Might, is vi. Vision is Vander. And ambessa says she discovered another one, sacrifice. Isha, the child, is sacrifice, and completes the family. Isha, was important, because jinx is alive. That’s the only way it makes sense, and there are enough clues.

Skellyp

I hope we get new writers for the next show.

Nazım Metin

Jinx dying (or at least vi thinking she has died), is a great ending for her. Not everything has to be fair….

Benjamin Lien

@Xavii The ending of season 1 is a tragic triumph for Jinx, and so is season two. I could be entirely off base, but I don't think they had a bias for Eren nearly as much as they do for Jinx. Eren *had* to and wanted to be stopped, Jinx was on her redemption arc which made things seem possibly hopeful, which makes the outcome much more emotionally intolerable in the latter case if taken at face value. I think the endings of AoT and Arcane S02 are remarkably similar, but Arcane just isn't as explicit about it. That ending being (bad dynamic circumstance causes tragedy -> circumstance must be changed -> circumstance is changed by the end at a cost to our characters who endured the effort of making the change). This is why i'm fairly confused about their reaction.

Harris

I don't understand the notion that Isha's introduction and resolution wasn't either necessary, on theme, or useful. Firstly, the show loves parallels. Vander->Silco, Vi->Jinx, Jinx->Isha. I'm sure everyone knows that, but just want to be thorough. It served multiple purposes. It: -Humanized Jinx to Vi, making it impossible for Vi to hold a grudge. This might seem trivial, but family members fall out all the time, it's not terribly easy to reconcile a conflict as extreme as Vi and Jinx's. This point helps extend the bridge from Vi -> Jinx. -It gave Jinx a chance to develop herself significantly more. I won't list every way, but Jinx in season 01E4-02E2 and season 02E3 onwards are entirely different characters. Powder let Jinx die, she was joking around playing bug battles, not hallucinating(generally), she wasn't living for Silco or Zaun, just herself and Isha until she was thrust back into things. Isha was a character which Jinx was allowed to be vulnerable with for the first time in her life post S01E3. It can't be stressed enough how important that dynamic is for Powder's development. No other character could have served this purpose for Jinx as well as Isha was able to. A younger sibling/carer dynamic is one where Jinx can be vulnerable in a way which is virtually emotionally risk free in a way she couldn't otherwise, even with Vi. -Gave Jinx perspective on how Powder's reckless, poorly calculated but altruistic plan, affected Vi. As Isha behaved identically to how powder did. Saw loved ones in danger, didn't calculate outcome due to overwhelming duty to help, caused their loved ones grief. I understand the notion that maybe Jinx didn't need more trauma as she obviously has mountains of it already, but, she survived that trauma and is a wholer person for it. This sort of archetype of Powder and Isha also perfectly displays the tragic mindsets these wars and conflicts put into the minds of people willing to do anything they can to ensure their loved ones aren't lost. This helped extend the bridge from Jinx -> Vi. Which is why after it is the first time Jinx has ever commented on something related to what Vi might be going through(when she was walking away from the prison cell). All of the signs were there constantly that Isha was as reckless and impulsive as Powder/Jinx. She jumped off of the building at the rally and attacked a 10 foot tall armored Noxian. She was being carried away from a ravenous wolf beast which just killed dozens and was kicking and screaming for Sevika to let her go so she could try to help Jinx. When Jinx and Vi were fighting in S02E5 Isha starts bashing Vi in the back of the head and biting her. In episode 3 Isha actually pulled the trigger on the gun pointing at Vi which obviously would have killed Vi. All of the signs were there that Isha would be willing to do something as impulsive as what she did. I truly think Isha serves as a great character for showing the mindset this environment can force a child to adopt, and we've seen it countless times. I don't think this should be thought of as "let's introduce something to Jinx and then take it away to make her suffer" but rather "Everything good will turn bad in this environment/dynamic, so it must change". That is why it's so tragic, and that tragedy supports the main theme of the show. The show isn't tragedy for the sake of tragedy, it's tragedy shown as a necessary conclusion to a societal dynamic, and this necessary conclusion begs for specific change if you want these conclusions to stop occurring. Then showing these changes brought to fruition by characters with tremendous and unwavering resolve in the face of that great tragedy.

Harris

They actually said that they are aware that people say jinx may be alive thanks to cait's looking at the sewers but they are not convinced. And the show doesn't tell you either bc it was so vague for them to think it's real

Xavii MAncero MosquerA

@Harris well the thing is, an ending isn't good just because it's a happy one. If we take only season 1, Jinx's final moments were tragic, she killed Silco, and was about to do genocide, throwing away their little hope of the nation of zaun. So yeah, It's "tragic", but they loved it because it made a lot of sense with the plot, characters, etc. Not everything has to be frieren-like. Let's take Eren from AoT. That show is freaking tragic, specially for Eren given how much he's suffered. Yet his ending, similar to Jinx's, made LM felt satisfied and happy with how things ended.

Xavii MAncero MosquerA

Well no, they've watched hundreds of shows, in which characters die, a lot. It's how the character is treated. They have nothing wrong with main characters dying or having sad endings. We have (SPOILERS): Eren, Walter White. Or not MC but important characters as well like Sasha. You get the point. Also, they were predicting that she would die going into the season, the disappointment was that it was clearly forced. She had an opportunity to die saving Isha but no, Isha died first. They had already stopped Viktor, but they forced a scene for her to die saving Vi. She suffered a lot, and probably deserved better than this. ALSO It doesn't help that the rest of the show was poorly executed, not only Jinx's fake death.

Xavii MAncero MosquerA

@Isaac I get Vi's arc was about letting Jinx go, but it feels like she didn't actively choose to let Jinx go. I feel like they could expand her overall character arc by actively letting Jinx leave Piltover or two sisters mutually agree to leave each other behind for the time being. Knowing her sister is alive, but chose to trust Jinx's growth and let her go.

Raphael

They could easily have shown us the viewer that shes alive, while everyone in universe believing shes dead tho!!. Thats my biggest problem with the writing choice…because narratively it would make sense why Jinx would walk away with everyone thinking shes dead. We already know she believes Vi would be happier without her which is so tragic because its not true 😭 and it would be a new start for her…like all of that makes sense…so why the ambiguity? 😤

Daniel Molina

I think her implied death is meant to be symbolic of an ending of sorts. To the show and to this portion of her life.

James Long

My comment to calm down was in the hopes you would review the case for Jinx being alive :P. I'm actually shocked that you think it's cope! I'm curious what your thoughts on the ending are, if you do consider her to be alive. Jinx breaking her own cycle by leaving Piltover & Zaun behind(and setting her sister free). I found the evidence for Jinx's survival to be pretty firm, even before the hinting in that direction from Riot staff. I'm interested to see Jinx in a story that has nothing to do with Piltover now. This also goes for Vi. She's been shackled by her childhood decisions her whole life. A lot of potential for new stories now.

Isaac

For me, I enjoyed it because it made me actually think about how things would be in the 3 possible scenarios. How would everyone's lives be if: - Jinx lived explicitly and everyone tried to live normal life - Jinx died explicitly which would make me wonder if it makes sense thematically, if Jinx could be redeemed even with her good deeds, how much of her actions is she really to blame for, etc - Jinx is presumed dead(current scenario) and what a resolution might look like in the future after the cycle is broken, people are given time to heal and develop themselves without the overwhelming stress of the Piltover/Zaun environment and dynamic You could argue that Jinx could have explicitly lived, then had a conversation with Vi about how she needs to get some space, I think that would have been fine if they had the time to portray it all, but, that can get a bit messy as she'd have to do the same with Ekko or go together.

Harris

In-universe, Vi will no longer be searching for Jinx.(neither will Piltover) That's the biggest reason to have it play out this way

Isaac

Riot's 🗣️ suffering from success, write a character so compelling that people will hate your show if they don't get a unambiguously happy ending(which would have been fanciful writing imo), unlucky.

Harris

Wanting a standard hopeful unambiguous ending given all of the themes presented seems strange and impossible without betraying the work they'd done previously. Jinx's signs for being alive aren't really vague. One of the first things she says is that she's going to ride in one of those airships one day. The final shot being a shot of a random airship makes no sense otherwise. There's the shimmer streak before the explosion into the ducts. Caitlyn looking at the air duct schematics with the bomb in her hand and a smirk(one could argue the smirk was from Vi's humming I suppose, could be both). The jinx themed "the end" screen. The main theme about finding a way to walk away to break the cycle. Jinx was going to die to break the cycle, then Ekko gave her a perspective shift, giving her a new way to walk away to break the cycle. RE: episode 8 and wondering if VI knew Powder was trying to die, Vi jokingly says "guess you shouldn't have come back". Not sure if that smooths over the scene in episode 8 at all. How do you envision life being if Jinx/Vi/Cait/Ekko were just living their lives in Piltover after all of the events which happened? It wouldn't work out at all, and it'd be fairy-tale levels of absurd. Everything is still a powder Keg, interpersonally, and politically. Jinx being alive but assumed dead after escaping on the airship gives her a chance to break the reactionary cycle of everything that's been happening. It lets Vi grow as a person and strengthen her relationship with Caitlyn without Vi going through what I imagine would be years of public and/or legal defenses of Jinx for her crimes, or at least it prevents Vi from having to fight that instinct to prioritize Jinx's needs which she always does. That was the whole point of Vi's arc. This also gives everyone a chance to actually grow up and develop themselves without being in such terrible conditions constantly which keeps these cycles revolving. I'd like to think that once some healing happens with all parties, then they can be reintroduced to each other and experience whatever their post-arcane relationships will look like. This is a much more mature resolution than killing jinx, or having her clearly alive and staying in Zaun or Piltover, and the only resolution which could result in everyone finding a way to be happy again in the future in a way which is organic. The amount of trauma this group has had to endure is staggering, but the setup they have in the resolution can mend it. My only wish is that there was some indication that Ekko knew where powder was going, but then again, I'm not sure they need to jump into that relationship right away, but I could see it working if they're away from Piltover/Zaun.

Harris

Jinx is superhuman at this point with being infused by shimmer.

James Long

Vi constantly got the short end of the stick in every writing decision this season 😭😭 her character is so misunderstood because as Lola so perfectly put it one reaction she always feels like “Jinx’ sister” or “Cait’s girlfriend” which really sucks cuz her story is just as tragic as her sisters but gets like none of the focus 😭 ahhh i love you arcane but you needed to be longer 😂

Daniel Molina

You clearly haven’t seen any of their reactions

My Toasty Toast

That creative decision also kinda undermines Vi's character arc. It's like two birds one stone in a bad way. Some audiences thought Jinx is dead which affect their opinions of her character arc, and Vi didn't get a proper closure with Jinx. They gave us all the indications and evidences that she is alive, except show us she is alive 😮‍💨.

Raphael

I agree that all the clues point to Jinx being alive, but it still doesn't make sense that she survived. There are plenty of sewer ducts and subway tunnels in New York city but that doesn't mean that you can jump off of the top of the Empire State building and survive just because you have the means of escaping through one of them afterwards. She fell for a long time and at some point she had to hit the ground even if she somehow survived the explosion. It strains credulity to assume she survived all of that, and it makes her death scene very confusing because they went all-in on the sad music and flashbacks.

Sense Reference

The only reason I can think of why they did it this way is so that if she does pop up in another show at some point it can be this big SHOCKING moment…..but like its Jinx we all love her we are gonna be excited anyway you dont need a fakeout death to built hype for a return 😭 i really hope you are right though, i wanna see more of her character..that relationship with Lux can be really wholesome and healing for her 🤞🏽

Daniel Molina

Stinks you were disappointed. Personally I was in a great situation where I didn’t even know this show existed till these two mentioned they were excited for a season 2. So I basically binged both seasons in a few days so I could watch them watch it. To me this was amazing tv. I had zero expectations for anything. Which I’m starting to realize is really just the death of enjoyment for a show. It can literally make you not like a show or think less of it because it didn’t do what you expected. 2025 is a year with zero expectations for me. I’m not a tv writer or story teller. So I’m on the journey wherever it goes. I’m scared for season 2 of severance because it’s been just as long for a lot of us and expectations are just the worst. So throwing all that out. And I’m just gonna enjoy the ride. Sorry for my rant. Can’t wait for noxus, that trailer or whatever it was, was very cool looking.

alex otis

I am a strong defender for this season, but this choice is my biggest problem. I can’t see a reason for it besides the writers just saying ha ha fooled you she actually didn’t die, which is a pretty lame reason.

Cole

I think they do intend to use her in the future stories. It's strange though because they already started their version of the "multi-verse". So they don't need a reason to keep Jinx alive unless they really want to continue the story telling in this one universe. I do kind of hope that they follow some of the game cinematics and make Jinx and Lux friends whenever she's introduced. Probably whenever a Noxian conflict starts and Demacia gets involved.

Jason Calloway

That was a cinematic trailer for the next season of the game and not a teaser of a new show. It's confusing because they are using the same art style and some familiar characters from the show in the teaser.

Sense Reference

Life lessons learned from Arcane: Human experimentation and awful war crimes will earn you everything you desire with no consequences 😂😂😂

Daniel Molina

Watching your post discussion really makes me wonder what the creative decision was to leave Jinx’s fate ambiguous….if you can even call it ambiguous with all the heavy handed clues indicating shes alive…like why? 🤔 this is your main character what is the point of leaving her fate up to interpretation lol how does that serve the narrative or enhance our experiences as a viewer in ANY way 💀 that was a really poor choice in my opinion…like you both said it almost ruined the finale for you… i walked away from this episode going “ok at LEAST shes alive and can find happiness somewhere and heal” idk im rambling…i just wish it was very clear and definitive…my girl Powder deserved that after all the shit they put her through 😭

Daniel Molina

Somehow Singed had a happy ending. What a chad. Haha

Jason Calloway

giving a show bad marks because you cant handle a character dying is unfair to writers.

Benjamin Lien

Was Blood Sweat & Tears used in the finale? That track was a banger as well.

Raphael

Guys Riot Games officialy confirmed that jinx is alive

Saiko

I would still called the show a flawed masterpiece.

Raphael

The last act for s2 is definitely rushed

James

Yea at first glance, I also thought she was dead. Then I started rewind a few scenes, and more and more evidences suggested she was definitely alive. I do think knowing she is alive will change some people's perception of the season or at least Jinx's character arc.

Raphael

Ruined the show is a stretch

KIMI

You’re doing yourself a favor never playing that game again anyways

KIMI

No body = no death, the core rule of storytelling 😂 . I'd say that's at least 50/50 for each outcome. It's like when in Shogun Mariko's husband "died" off-screen and then came back a few episodes later, and that's a top tier TV show with elite writing. There was definitely a better way of handling this, especially for a final episode, but for now I think it's safe to assume that those who believe that Jinx is alive have good reasons to do so.

terrier

I’m curious if these comments changed your view on the finale since it seemed your only main problem was jinx dying(which everyone pointed out almost certainly didn’t happen) Maybe these changed that.

Cole

https://genius.com/Arcane-league-of-legends-and-royal-and-the-serpent-wasteland-lyrics Another evidence I wanna add that Jinx is alive at the end was the sound track Wasteland. They specifically didn't play the 2nd half of the Wasteland track because they didn't wanna blatantly tell the audiences that Jinx is alive. "There's a beauty in changes, and I wanna try". Jinx wants to live and grow on her own. Vi could not actively choose to let Vander/Warwick go because of her past trauma and guilt, and Jinx understood her sister's guilt at that moment. think it was a very subtle and beautiful character moment for Jinx and showed how much she loves her sister. I just wish they could expand Vis character arc a bit more by showing two sisters mutually agree to leave each other behind for the time being. Knowing her sister is alive, but Vi chose to trust Jinx's growth and let her go.

Raphael

it's called having a different opinion nicholas

cosmotron

How? Season one is great, season 2 ruined the show.

Nicholas

tbh these 2 seasons are practically perfect. people say it is rushed, but it is just a show with no filler, and people arent used to that(i think).

Benjamin Lien

I don’t think it’s coping to think Jinx is alive. I’d actually be shocked if she were really dead. From the shimmer light leaving the explosion. Caitlyn looking at the monkey and the schematics. Then the airship at the end which Powder in episode 1 she would fly on one day. I think we will be seeing Jinx again someday but that is probably far away

Ryder McConville

I 100% agree that I would have liked it better if they just ended it after season 1. As a ex league player and lore enjoyer I could easily see how all the pieces come together to the characters I love in the lore and all this season did was butcher some of them and their stories for characters I don't really know imo. Makes me not want to go back to league even more.

Daiga54

99.99% Jinx is alive. There was that final shot with Cait looking at the blueprints of the ducts. And the airship being the last shot mirrors one of the first scenes with Jinx saying she'd ride in one of them one day. Don't know if that provides any respite. Jinx had to be removed from the equation to give closure to Vi and allow her to love Cait without always needing to look over her shoulder. I'm gonna bet that the next show will have a cameo from Jinx at some point to show she's alive and up to some new adventures in another region. As Jayce said, there is beauty in imperfections. This season was definitely not perfect. But it was certainly beautiful. The animation, the music, the character depth. Was a fun journey and I look forward to seeing more from this team and the animation from Fortiche. I can't gush enough about the animation. It's the best animated production ever imo and the art style is phenomenal. Just for that I will always have a special place for Arcane in my heart.

Camzeee

I don't think jinx will be back, but I agree she's alive. They left it ambiguous as a conclusion of her character. Bringing her back will remove this ambiguity and will be jarring for people who believed jinx died.

ODIS

The writers of the show kind of confirmed that Jynx survived in an interview because they were willing to say that Jayce and Viktor were permanently gone but refused to confirm that Jynx died. Personally, I don't like that they would make a character death scene for Jynx, complete with the usual sad music and flashbacks, only to take it back at the last second with a few vague hints with Caitlyn and the shot of the airship that Jynx mentioned at the start of the show. It just makes the whole Jynx death scene feel like cheap emotional manipulation, and also adds more confusion to what was already a rushed and muddled final season. I don't understand how the average viewer is supposed to infer that Jynx is alive from those clues.

Sense Reference

Yeah finishing this season the first time was so frustrating. I got off the couch and ranted at my brother in disbelief for a full 20 mins after episode 9 lol. I rewatched the entire series from the beginning after that, which helped in understanding and accepting the majority of the choices, except the direction of Vi and Jinx’s character. They built something incredible in the first four episodes between Vi and jinx, (and don’t get me started on Caitlyn) that didn’t come to fruition in this season. On the other hand, the rewatch made me appreciate Victor and Jayce’s characters so much more (albeit a lot was missing still that I wish was fleshed out), their story makes sense overall. Besides that, there’s many moments that are visually and emotionally stunning—the vision and artistic work alone are so inspirational.

Harfie

Ella purnell and video game adaptations hit twice in the same year

BigJo H

I hope you can see the cinematic of Welcome to Noxus, after Arcane, since it gives a little teaser of what the new series will be after Arcane, where it will focus on Noxus and the Black Rose. Thanks for the reaction and the truth is that as fans and players of LOL we were all a little unsatisfied with that ending, although it was expected to be that way since the stories of Zaun and Piltover are tragic. I think it gave rise to more chapters in the 2nd or to create a third. I hope you can react to LOL cinematics, which are very entertaining.

young.rosess

lmao it's funny how convinced in the review you are that Jinx is definitely dead, and all the comments agree she's definitely alive haha It's intentionally ambiguous for sure, but I don't think those little hints would be there if there wasn't something behind them.

cosmotron

I'm on the side of the people who still liked the season even with all the problems, a work of art without a doubt... And from what I saw, it's confirmed that Jinx is alive, but I agree that they could have made it more explicit, they were cowards in giving the character a happy ending.

Wallas

Yea it was a really cool action sequence which lasted like 10 seconds. I know other people discussed how rushed the rest of this season were, but imo episode 9 suffered the most from the short runtime for sure. Even if it was just 10-15 min longer, it would help the pacing immensely and create character moments in between all the non stop actions. Vi and Jinx barely had any meaningful interactions with each other before fighting Warwick. Vi's only line of dialogue with Jinx in episode 9 was, "looks like you shouldn't have come back." It's like they sacrificed character moments for big audience reactions. Also, they intentionally didn't wanna show Jinx was alive even though audiences know from all the clues they gave us. They wanna create a "huge" surprise/audiences reaction whenever Jinx shows up in a future project. Same shit they did with Jinx's grand entrance to the battle in the finale. They could give us a bit more interaction between Jinx and Ekko pre-battle and we could understand Jinx's mindsets and what she was fighting for instead of putting those hidden conversations in a mini game. Her motivation to live and fight for Zaun would be such a beautiful parallel with what AU Powder said about Vi's motivation to fight. They didn't need to overhaul the finale, just a few changes to show the character growths of Vi and Jinx would make the finale much more satisfying.

Raphael

EKKO THE MVP

Wallas

https://www.thegamer.com/arcane-riot-games-financial-failure-report-over-budget/

Eren Yeager

Vi and Ekko had one scene with each other and didn't talk a word with each other the whole season. Thats actually insane...

Namikaza

INCORRECT https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-12-23/riot-s-250-million-netflix-show-was-a-tv-hit-financial-miss?embedded-checkout=true

Eren Yeager

Not miles

Jacob Casdorph

She said, worlds apart but yeah

Jacob Casdorph

28:54 omg Milena you tried so hard, i feel so bad((

Vall

Season 2 was such a disappointment. It wasn't awful but it was bad enough to ruin the show for me.

Nicholas

On the flip side, the lack of meaningful character moments between Ekko and Vi, Ekko & Jinx (before they showed up in this battle), and Jinx & Vi are my main problems in the finale. Like the nonstop action sequences are all top notch, but you can't leave out many meaningful character moments to our speculation/ imagination. I know they say 'show, don't tell", but they don't even show us some of these key character moments. This approach of creating "huge" surprise/ audience reactions is really unnecessary if they omit character moments.

Raphael

I don’t think your supposed to feel good about that shot of Ekko sitting alone.

Cole

Yeah, I feel like they pretty much telegraphed that Jinx isn't dead. And the creators will not confirm she is dead. That is another sure sign that she is still alive.

James Long

I'm really in two minds about the finale. On the positive side, I do absolutely love how they handled Viktor & Jayce storyline in the finale by giving them enough screentime, and let the scene actually breathe. Also, I love Jinx's character arc so much. She has been on this self love, self acceptance journey this entire season, she just couldn't see a way out for herself, a future for herself, that's why she's consistently ready to die throughout season 1 and 2. But seeing the monkeys in Ekko's drive, a glimpse of hope or a slight possibility that she's not a Jinx or cursed in another reality under different circumstance, might give her the strength to forgive herself for the pain and trauma that happened to her or caused by her- to build something new in the hope of making things right. Her realization of loving herself and having the will to fight a better future for herself and her family (when she saved Vi from Warwick at the end), completed her character arc in a beautiful way.

Raphael

A cool fact I learned recently is that Ekko's first line in this series was "give me a few seconds". A true MVP

HenryM

Can we just talk about the amazing soundtrack for this season? They did not miss.

ItsKSG

Yeah, Jinx isn't dead. She'll show up in one of their future shows. Caitlyn looking at the Hexgate blueprints with a piece of Jinx's bomb in her hand and the airship flying off at the end. And they didn't show a body. Jinx will be back.

James Long

That is definitely not true. They had 50 minutes extra of this finale that they had planned but couldn’t finish because of the budget.

Cole

I know it's for the game, but they might as well call it a teaser for next show as you said because it's animated by Fortiche and characters reference the event of in Piltover and Zaun.

Raphael

The sacrifice wasn’t. The sacrifice was huge parallels to season 1 powder and enforcing the idea of the cyclical nature of violence. Imo. I meant her character in general. Which her sacrifice was only a part of.

Cole

(about Mel) "If I just saw her presence...I would have to bow down." you two get it

cosmotron

I couldn't agree more, it's one of the most visually beautiful animations I've ever seen, literally every frame a painting

HenryM

I see people argue if it was necessary for a child to sacrifice herself for the sake of Jinx and Vi's relationship which I agree with

mundanelotus

you ain't got no source for that

Mathias Lorétan

A little Teaser for Noxus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I76wvt0aEE4

Robert H.

If isha never happens jinx and Vi would’ve spent this entire season hating each other and seeing each other as enemies. I think her role alone in driving that change is instrumental to this season. Not to mention the parallels of powder and the themes of the tragedy of war.

Cole

It looked shot for shot identical too, the composition of that airship, in the first and last episodes. No way it's accidental.

ODIS

The show could have honestly used a third season to work everything out but Riot didn't want to keep putting so much money towards it (apparently because the show didn't attract as many new players to League as they had hoped) + they want to start working on the spinoffs

Eren Yeager

Also the "always with you sister, even when we're miles apart" really underlines that idea too

cosmotron

Oh yeah Jinx is 100% alive. I'm frustrated they didn't actually show it on scene lol.

Raphael

yeah, I'm confident of that conclusion too. Especially with the way that airship had the typical Jinx graffiti covering the screen when it showed up at the end

cosmotron

i think visually its the most impressive piece of art, the animators clearly cared for the show and characters

LM Reactions

I don’t know if you guys have looked at stuff about the finale, but it’s 99.9% confirmed that jinx didn’t die, and she escaped on the airship. And this makes so much sense for her character and journey. The entire point of her character in S2 is that people can get a second chance. No matter what happened in the past, it is never too late to build something new, as Ekko literally said. Her flying away in the airship is her now off to build that something new for herself, to find out who she really is. I do really wish they didn’t make it ambiguous and made it seem more hopeful than it was portrayed, but with all the almost confirmation type clues that she’s alive, the comments made by the creators, and the themes of forgiveness, of other people and yourself. I believe jinx did this. "Sometimes taking a leap forwards means leaving a few things behind" I think jinx did exactly this. I think the way to ruin her story would have been to have her die, it would’ve taken that chance to change away from her after getting the belief she could. Implying that she can never change and is actually a jinx that needs to die. If you have the impression she dies then this season was pointless for her and her character was ruined, but with everything said and shown I don’t think that’s a possibility. And with everything I can confidently say I think this is how jinx story ended. And that I am super happy about.

Cole

Another cool thing to note is the opening of Arcane, as it references a bunch of classical plays. Jinx waving the flag is Les Miserables, Cait is a reference to Macbeth, Mel and Ambessa is Caesar, and Viktor is Phantom of the Opera, which I thought is pretty dope. Can't take credit for noticing it though :P

ODIS

Jinx is my favorite character….in maybe all of fiction…I will always be grateful af for Arcane for giving her to us but DAMN i really wish we had gotten to see her heal in this finale. After all the shit that poor girl has been through I felt like that was a HUGE missed opportunity 💔 oh well I take comfort in knowing she escaped and is hopefully far away from this place undergoing her Thorfinn arc…thats my head canon 🥲

Daniel Molina

I'm late to Arcane and only started season 1 during the weekend. When I like a show, I can usually watch a few episodes a day. But with Arcane I can only manage one per day because each one is so heartbreaking and tragic that I need time to recover before I start a new one.

Damien Fenton

uuhh, just got myself a plate of grapes and strawberries. unknowingly got a snack for yet another series finale 😊 well, s1 was definitely a better season than s2. this season had many flaws but at the end of the day they wrapped up thing "nicely". surely it's the last time we see many of these characters, but i think we'll see more of some of them, definitely jinx, in other riot shows.

sand_fl

Interested to hear what you think. For my part, while I do think the show could have used more episodes to breathe, the series is still an unbelievably beautiful work of art, and it has so much going for it in terms of creativity and passion.

cosmotron

I haven't watched the reaction yet, but I'm just gonna leave this here in case other people also missed some of these important clues on their first watch like I did :) https://imgur.com/a/wodLWeX Jinx also said that "no matter what happens, I just can't seem to die..." back in episode 2 of this season. I don't think Ekko's words would've been in vain either. I think she took her hallucination Silko's advice, and just walked away.

ODIS

Here we are! I'm excited to listen to your opinions!

Xavii MAncero MosquerA


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