Get ready for the return of "Arcane" with our essential recap! We're diving into the complex world of Piltover and Zaun, revisiting the tragic tale of Vi and Jinx, and exploring the political intrigue that shaped season one. From Hextech to Shimmer, we've got all the key points you need to remember!
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00:00Let's go over it again."
00:02Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're recapping Arcane League of Legends Season 1, Acts 1, 2, and 3 in preparation for the show's
00:09anticipated second and final season.
00:11"-So what are you planning?
00:20Watch it all burn."
00:25A Tale of Two Sisters
00:30"-We'll cross the river, and find..."
00:42At the heart of Arcane is the story of sisters Violet and Powder, orphaned during a failed Undercity uprising.
00:49Realizing the cost of violence, revolt leader Vander takes them in. Vi is protective of her little sister,
00:54who's clumsy and impulsive, and wants a better life for her than the dingy and dangerous Undercity provides.
01:00"-Hey Powder!
01:02Come take a look.
01:08It's nice getting above it all, huh?"
01:10So, she leads Vander's band of adoptees in robbing the penthouse of inventor Jace Talus.
01:15And this is when it all starts to go wrong. Swiping magical crystals, Powder causes an explosion,
01:21jinxing the heist.
01:25As events spiral out of control, Powder's disastrous attempt to help leads to the deaths of fellow adoptees Milo and Clagger, and Vander.
01:32"-Why did you do this?
01:34I didn't. I was saving you.
01:36I only wanted to help.
01:38I only wanted to help.
01:40I only wanted to help.
01:42I only wanted to help.
01:44I only wanted to help.
01:46I only wanted to help.
01:48I only wanted to help.
01:50I only wanted to help.
01:52I only wanted to help.
01:54I only wanted to help."
01:56The tragedy tears the sisters apart, setting them down very different paths.
01:58Factions.
02:00Arcane is also a tale of two cities.
02:02The glistening Art Deco Utopia Piltover, and the polluted Undercity Zaun, sprawling beneath Piltover and across the river.
02:10Known as the City of Progress, Piltover is ruled by a council and policed by enforcers, who also patrol Zaun.
02:16Crime Lord Silco reigns over the Undercity using the drug Shimmer, which the now-teenaged powder, a.k.a. Jinx, helps him smuggle out.
02:24"-Hi."
02:34Silco also has corrupt Piltover Sheriff Marcus on his payroll.
02:38There is hope in Zaun, however, in the form of rebel street gang the Firelights, led by Echo, who resist Silco and his criminal empire.
02:46"-Is that a real tree?"
02:48"-Pretty cool, huh? When I first saw it, I knew this was the place.
02:52If a single seed can make it down here, so could we."
02:56Rival tech.
02:58The cities are driven by very different technologies.
03:00From purple flowers in Zaun's caves, the scientist Singed creates Shimmer, an addictive drug with potent properties.
03:06"-Shimmer, we have the power. We can finally realize our dream."
03:14In small doses, it can heal.
03:16In larger quantities, it grants superhuman speed and strength, and can even trigger dramatic physical transformations.
03:22Shimmer also powers chemtech devices, from bombs to prosthetic limbs.
03:28Piltover relies heavily on Hextech, which trailblazing scientists Jace and Victor invent during the course of the series.
03:34"-It's time to crank it.
03:38"-Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
03:40Hextech harnesses magic from hex crystals to power mechanical artifacts, including hex gates that enable rapid transport throughout Runeterra.
03:48Its most advanced form is the Hex Core, an intelligent rune matrix that can alter organic life.
03:54"-It responds to organic matter."
04:04"-Incredible."
04:06Alliances and betrayals.
04:08"-How did it come to this?"
04:10All this friction is fertile ground for political machinations, and a few ships.
04:16After Jinx steals Jace's new Hextech gemstone, politically savvy counselor Mel Medarda maneuvers Jace onto the council to safeguard the hex gates.
04:24Mel becomes Jace's mentor and lover.
04:26"-I propose that a new chair be brought forth, and that House Talos be elevated to this august body."
04:34"-What?"
04:36"-As a counselor, he will have the resources necessary to protect all our investments."
04:40But more than a few fans found themselves shipping Jace and Victor.
04:44At least until Jace's neglect and careless words sparked the Jace hate.
04:48Victor is dying, and his only hope for a cure is the Hex Core.
04:52So when council member Heimerdinger objects to its use, Jace has his former professor ousted.
04:58Now de facto head of the council, Jace institutes a blockade between Piltover and Zaun.
05:02Meanwhile, idealistic enforcer Caitlyn has secured Vi's release from prison to track down Jinx and sparks fly.
05:08"-You expect everyone to give you what you want. If you really want people to talk to you, you have to let them think you have what they want."
05:16"-And what do I have?"
05:18"-You're hot, cupcake."
05:22In the Undercity, the estranged sisters reunite, and they all live happily ever after.
05:28"-Oh, Powder."
05:40"-I'm so sorry, Powder."
05:42Okay, yeah, we were lying, but they were so close.
05:46Burning Bridges.
05:48"-Look who it is. The boy savior."
05:50Fittingly, the conflict comes to a head on the bridge that connects Zaun and Piltover.
05:56In a bid to restore peace between the cities, Echo, Caitlyn, and Vi decide to return the stolen Hextech gemstone to Zaun.
06:02"-Sir, I have proof. Silco's behind everything."
06:06Corrupt Sheriff Marcus intervenes, but so does Jinx, jealous and suspicious of Vi's relationship with Caitlyn
06:12and struggling with PTSD and feelings of abandonment.
06:15She faces off against Echo in one of the most awesome animated fights we've ever seen.
06:19Jinx recovers the gemstone and heals from the fight with a hit of shimmer,
06:23which, yeah, isn't great for her fractured mental health.
06:27"-You know, Powder, you're stronger than you think."
06:31"-Why? I'm so sorry, Powder."
06:35Echo survives too, and who should stumble upon him but the disaffected Heimerdinger?
06:39Giving peace a chance. Almost.
06:42In a moment of sanity, Jace and Vi team up against the real enemy, Silco.
06:59Well, maybe the real enemy is class warfare,
07:02and an exploitative economic system that oppresses the poor, but we're getting sidetracked.
07:06After Jace accidentally kills a kid, he offers Silco a deal.
07:09Zahn's independence in exchange for Jinx.
07:12"-Today I got a glimpse of what war between us might look like.
07:15Your people wouldn't stand a chance."
07:18So, Jinx does the only logical thing, kidnaps Caitlyn Vi and her surrogate father
07:23and brings them to a tea party.
07:25All Vi has to do is murder Caitlyn to prove that she's still on her little sister's side.
07:30Betrayed too many times, Jinx kills Silco and embraces her new chaotic self,
07:35and, tragically true to her name, right as the council is about to vote for peace,
07:40she hoists up her Hextech gemstone-powered rocket fishbones and, well, she does this.
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08:10Unanswered Questions
08:12Season 1 left us hanging over the edge of a cliff with our nails scrabbling in the dirt
08:16begging to know what would happen next.
08:18Here are just some of the questions we have.
08:21Who on the council survived Jinx's attack?
08:23How will our key characters react?
08:25What role will Mel's mother Ambessa play,
08:27as she encourages War to get her hands on Hextech weapons for Noxus?
08:31Who was the mysterious mage who saved a young Jace and his mother?
08:34Are we sure that everyone who died in Season 1 is really dead?
08:37Okay, we can answer that one. No. No, we are not.
08:40Will Victor cure himself, and will the cure be worse than the disease?
08:44What will our favorite sister's final fates be?
08:51Will there ever be peace between Piltover and Zaun?
08:53Lastly, with Season 2 set to be the final chapter in Arcane,
08:56how will it set up future stories in Runeterra?
09:02Is Arcane the best show on TV?
09:04Tell us what you think in the comments.