I'm happy to learn that apparently, I was misinformed, people are enjoying this relationship, and the arguments against it were a vocal minority. Side note You can argue Vi opens up to Jinx when she sees her, or to Ekko when reunited. But neither of those are on the same level as sharing your guilt and shame with someone as she did with Caitlyn
Most of the criticism falls under two types. First are just right wing trolls; gays = SJW. Often gay relationships are shallow put there for the gay bucks and to clap themselves on the back about how good their farts smell and more importantly how bad everyone else's smell. This isn't the case here because the relationship is organic to the characters, it isn't something there to check a diversity box. That particular diversity is there simply because that diversity exists in real life and is honest to the characters. If you don't like Vi and Cait being gay as written it tells me you aren't against ham fisted SJW politicization of entertainment, you are just a homophobe. The second are left wing nuts who want more and anything less is a chance for them flex their virtue signaling muscles. This isn't some lame Disney subtextual 'gay', nothing is just hinted at. Right there in the script full of show don't tell story telling. It was not forced, it wasn't put there for political considerations, it did not happen too fast, nor did it happen too slow. Not only for the reasons you mentioned but in real life when we're smitten it doesn't take us weeks or months to lean in if we see the other person leaning in. Yes there are couples that end up together after years of friendship but those don't tend to be passionate people. And say what you will about them Vi and Cait are passionate people. For most people the chemical reaction is as swift as our culturalized animal nature allows. As with pretty much everything involving snowflakes on either side of the political spectrum neither are right and while obnoxiously loud neither are close to a majority opinion.
if you are put into a situation where you do not have other choice but to trust someone, you would be falling in love with them instantly. especially with vi who has been in prison for a long time and caitlyn who's probably never loved before because of the strictness of her parents. it is fast and easy to fall in love with someone when it's your first. bonus points that they make each other feel safe.
Vi is open to Jinx because she is literally her sister, to whom she felt protective before, during and at least a good part after prison. While she likely has used prison time to blame herself how she last interacted with her sister. Ekko is the last surviving member of her friend group. I do see those relationships different as Vi's relationship with Caitlyn. Next to the very obvious physical and romantic attraction, there is the aspect that's the only relationship of those three, where Vi isn'tjust being requested to do a thing (unconditional, solitary love in Jinx case, rolling along with Ekko), but actively offered support.
@@colpul2103 The people who claim that it isn't to direct and fast enough confuse me. Vi and Cait have like maybe one and a half scenes (prison and the meal scenes) where they aren't like hitting it off like very directly. The next scenes go to "you'r hot", "but your sweet like a cupcake", "face touching the slums" to "rolling in bed with soft touches" in a rather fast progression ^^; Though I personally thought about both of them them as dating when Caitlyn asked "What about us?". They she got like Caits Moms approval before asking Vi about their relationship status.
Here's a neat detail: The gun Caitlyn gives up wasn't just her only form of protection, it was her gun that she's had since she was a kid. It's present in the first large painting we see of her and her family. It's a pretty important personal item.
Wow I didn’t even realize that. That’s makes it so much more meaningful that she’s willing to give up not only her only form of protection but also something that represents all the work it’s taken to become an the excellent shoot she is.
@@almuzzzika grayson said that she is shooting for sake of piltover people and when she ask caitlyn about that caitlyn had no answer, yet she became the warden even before she met vi, it means that she was inspired by the idea of helping people so like grayson she is shooting for sake of people, even when savika was threatening vi, she shoots savika every single time in her metal arm to not harm her, thats why i think she value her gun as long as she can help people with it.
I have never been so comfortable with a dude talking about lesbian relationship... Cause they always make it creepy by fetishising them. But i love the way you talked about them .... Like just two people who works really well with each other romantically.
Honestly? That was my biggest concern making a video on these two. Didn't want it to come across that way so I'm glad it didn't. Thanks for the comment.
@@rashimalviya8263 I know nothing about homosexuality in RL, but that movie really did a good job in making the relationship feel natural. I was watching it and feeling the tension, no matter sex and gender and all that stuff. Even allowing for the material being conductive to it the RUclipsr did a great job even from the point of view of a 'normal' (😀😀😀) fella like me...
@@AFlyingWalrus i am a lesbian and it also made me so happy! the way you genuinely love their relationship makes me feel normal and have hope in humanity-
"When you are sheltered growing up and you meet somebody that opens up the world to you and expands your narrow vision to what life could be and what life could offer, that in a way gives you freedom to explore your own identity. You begin to asociate those positive experiences with that person" Dude I think you just made me realize why I am so in love with a certain somebody in real life lol
That was me in my first relationship, so I'm speaking first hand on that one. Granted it can also blind you to things, but we don't need to get into that
I'm not in a romantic relationship with anyone, but I know this to be true. I was extremely sheltered and eventually might've lost myself because of it. There are so many people I've "abandoned" because they didn't really care, but there was always this one annoying little pest that wouldn't let me leave and honestly-- made me better. I was able to see *beyond* myself and my expectations, and that's why I love this explanation so much. (As well as Vi and Caitlyn, who make me extremely happy to see)
ALL OF THIS!!!! This is exactly how I looked at the developing relationship between Vi and Caitlyn. This wasn't a romance. It was the spark of a romance. The prelude. At no time did I find myself thinking, "Huh?" These two went through hell together. Along the way they came to trust each other and to realize that the other felt the same way (Caitlyn looked genuinely surprised when Ekko said, "Vi says I can trust you.").
That's my thought, I was actually surprised they let it flow so naturally, but then Riot/Netflix have found the one thing so many shows lack lately, telling, without telling, they aren't beating the viewer over the head constantly (the feels thou, yeah, they're pummeling those pretty hard), so it shouldn't be a surprise they didn't do the whole these characters biggest trait is they're attracted to each other and have few other traits that help define them, bit. Now The long wait for Series 2 FML
I LOVE THIS!! And the 11:55 "SO you're saying theres a chance?!" is SPOT on lmaoooo, the animators nailed the expressions SO WELL, one could actually hear it through Vi's expression.
I honestly can't believe how someone could think this was forced. Cait and Vi literally have everything that is important in a relationship and sure, they didn't have much time but it's there, and we can see that. PS. That part about melting under someone's touch? I felt that.
@@craigtucker6001 Not to forget that the same kinds of people who complain about Cait and Vi being forced are those who are all about how creators should listen to the fans. Like, Cait and Vi were always a popular ship in the fanbase, I think I've never seen them shipped with anyone else, outside of maybe Vi with Jinx before it was confirmed that both of them are siblings, which before had been more of a fan speculation, but even that had been a less popular ship compared to those two.
@@craigtucker6001More like the “forced representation” crowd. The crowd that balks at any sort of portrayal of non-heterosexuality, whether good or bad.
I mean, personally it didn't feel forced at all, it just personally felt like the very classy enemies to lovers story. It is nicely done, I like it fine. As a hetero, I guess I wasn't all over it, but it still was nice to watch. I guess I see how a lot of shows and movies suddenly feature a gay couple somewhere, and that is going to put this show into a timeframe where people sre more critical with it, but like...just look at Vi, the moment I saw her make moves towards Cait, I thought that it makes sense. I haven't read from anyone that this relationship was forces, bur I also don't hang with the crown that likely would say that.
OMG PRICKLY ALPACA!!! I FOUND YOU - ALSO YES I ABSOLUTELY AGREE hdhdhsjajs👏👏✨ (LOVE your art btw!! I’ve been binging ur videos for the past two weeks ahah)
From what i've seen, this is the mildest take of them all lol. Like 90% of the people I've seen love Violyn, the Arcane Subreddit is crazy over it, not a lot of complaints at all.
@@AFlyingWalrus "Guess I've seen the wrong parts of the internet." Yeah, it seems so. Was surprise you thought this was a controversial take. Welcome to a new bubble.
@@AFlyingWalrus Yep... when you started off saying "this is going to be a controversial opinion.." I was SURE you were going to say you DIDN'T like Vi and Cate. I was super confused when you said you did.
if anything was forced, it was jayce and mel. like don't get me wrong, they have cute chemistry and good moments after, but there was absolutely no buildup whatsoever, I was as blindsided as jayce was. most people dont really seem to care or remember that ship. which is hilarious since they banged and everything, meanwhile caitvi just had.... really emotionally loaded gazes and a super tight hug, and yet there are TONS of videos on them. haha
@@badbunnyky I do think that was kinda the point. Mel got close to Jayce on purpose, because she believed that he would lift her up in the world. She forced herself into his life.
A thing I really liked in the French dubbed version was that at first, Vi and Caitlyn talk to each other using the "you" translation of "vous", which when used to adress one person is very formal, if not cold it at least establish distance. At first Vi sees Caitlyn as a mean to an end to find Powder. And Caitlyn obviously realizes that Vi has informations about or at least can lead her to the source of the Undercity's crime organization. It is a simple yet clever way to reinforce that their relationship is indeed very formal and not at all requested/sought out. It also highlights that Vi isn't in her element : she is on Caitlyn's territory so to speak, while she remains in Stillwater/Piltover. Vi's first uses the "tu" translation of "you" during the "You're hot Cupcake" line ("T'es sexy Cupcake") with an abbreviated forme [ T'] which indicates even less distance, it's a very familiar way to speak, kind of like a "ya" I guess in English. Caitlyn's also uses the "tu" when she speaks again to Vi when she asks her if she ever says thank you. At that point, it indicates that both women have at least broken the ice between themselves. Vi because she has admitted that she find Caitlyn's attractive, Caitlyn because she probably realize Vi left her at the brothel so she'd be safe while she pursued her vengeance. It was really a great surprise when I listened to it in French recently, and I wonder if other languages have that kind of things :) !
omg I love finding out about how the grammar in translations show certain relationships or feelings. Language is cool! It's so cool to hear about, although sadly I'm only fluent in English so it's not something I can find out on my own lol
i love seeing how tv shows handle this in general. it’s quite interesting that the translators have to figure out when it’s time to switch to the informal “you” since it’s not a concern in the original english shows. as a german, french and russian speaker, i’ll have to look up if all these languages switch to the informal form at the same time, though i think german might have used the informal one from the beginning, which it tends to do in a lot of shows, as opposed to russian, for instance where people tend to stick to the formal version much longer
I think every language has that except English 😕 In German, you use the third person plural to address someone formally, and of course the second person singular to talk to somebody informally. In English, even the plural and singular form of the second person sound the same.
The thing I was most worried about with Vi/Cait was that it could have been another Catradora. A truly fantastic build-up with amazing characterisation and honest story-telling over the course of the show only to come to fruition in the last episode so we don't actually get to see how their relationship evolves past that. I think one issue might be the fact that we weren't told there'd be a Season 2 until after Act 3 aired, so a lot of people saw Vi and Caitlyn's slow burn and assumed it would come to fruition in Episode 9, which obviously may not have worked considering how carefully written their relationship was up until that point. The fact that Caitlyn and Vi didn't actually get together in Season 1 has me really hopeful that they're actually taking their time and are prepared to not pull any punches when writing their relationship like how so many other shows often do.
I mean if you play the game you know stuff about their future selves, it's just that no one knew how much the show would fast forward within 9 episodes
@@Sergioshi_ Eh. Entire characters change all the time, hell, they're literally changing hextech crystal lore as we speak, so the game isn't exactly a reliable source imo.
I love how vi solves her problems cos it's just VIOLENCE. And cait its much more diplomatic and solves things in a more smart way. They complement each another. Riot it's making this relationship more deep and meaningful, not like, they're gay love them. Every thing in this series is deep, meaningful and always has a twist that makes you jump out of your chair. I feel really identified with cait because I'm also a misfit in a way or another. I grew up in a Catholic school but I never believed in those God things, plus I'm bi so I got bullied a lot because of that. Also my fathers expext me to be a lawyer or a doctor just like them and well because art will not bring bread to your home. And with Vi. I feel her. Cos I'm very impulsive and agresive. I'm much of a punch and then ask the questions. Plus I use a rifle xd and I do boxing. In just a comment it's really difficult to explain the stuff that this series made me feel and understand about myself. I would love to make a video or something to explain the grateness of this series but I'm to shy xd. Hope u get me and thanks for reading this long comment. :)
Thank you so much for the thoughtful comment. I won't get into details, but I definitely pulled from personal experience to talk about this video. Arcane has ment so many different things and connects with a massive amount of people tactfully. I'm glad that this show has ment this much to you, and by extension videos of people talking about the show can keep the love for it going. Take care
In my opinion, people who say that their romance is rushed and unrealistic have never had a romance like this in their life. Periodt. Me and my significant other went through something similar in the beginning of our relationship, and we were fucking screaming watching Vi and Caitlyn interact on screen, just because it resonates with us in a very personal way. Also because it's gay, yes.
There's so much more than just the moments shared that make Vi and Cait work. Arcane shows you Cait finds bonding with the feminine easier but that she's not a materialistic girl herself. Vi's psychologically already imprinted with an emotional bond to Powder who exhibits very similar characteristic qualities to Cait. Jinx is almost a broken version of Cait. They're both highly intelligent and deductive, find strength in their obsessive determination to succeed, have blue hair and are both great shots. Vi exhibits strong masculine energy tempered with some femininity, Cait is the Yang to Vi's Yin, Cait being mostly feminine tempered with certain masculine qualities that Vi respects and aggressively adopts herself. To me Vi and Cait's relationship isn't even vaguely gratuitous. It's one of the most natural and understandable attractions I've seen on a screen and develops at a good pace. They're attracted but too distant in their starting points to actually have started anything and that's great.
I know it probably wasn’t intentional but I’ve seen the “my favorite pairing is one that is feminine in a masculine way while the other is masculine in a feminine way” meme a lot lately, and while I also sorta vibed with it and thought it funny, I couldn’t really wrap my head around what that looks like. But your description of Cait and Vi actually helped loads so thanks
OOOHH THIS IS AMAZING!! I absolutely agree and I just love how you explained that, the characters do just have such a natural gravitation toward each other - it works so perfectly and feels so natural 🤌✨
8:05 The soft caress, is something I only would do to someone I loved and was trying to comfort. Literally can hear the butterflies in both Vi's and Caitlin's stomachs. That soft look Cait gives Vi. The hug on the bridge with both really leaning in to snuggle and teary eyed 😢🥺 and the way Vi catches Caits hand after she caresses her face and gives a lil hint of a smile. Not to mention that when someone hugs you that close with their eyes closed it's because they mean so much more than a friend to you. Yup... These two at the very least have a crush on eachother. In my opinion the only reason anyone would open up about themselves to anyone in that vulnerable manner especially if they are suppose to be enemies is because they have strong feelings for eachother and a longing to be touched or held by that person. Their chemistry jumps right at you through the screen. Down to the way Cait gets nervous when Vi is too close to her face. You can fight me on this but I know I am right because I work in the behavioral health field and know certain behavioral traits that stand out when two people (or animated characters) have strong feelings towards eachother.
Vi and Caitlyn being a couple isn't really forced to me. If you've played League for a while or have been somewhat in the League Community. VixCaitlyn was one of the popular fan couples. It was teased in Caitlyn's rework in LoL when she gets killed in the game ("Tell Vi I... I...") or kills Jinx in the game ("Piltover is safer now. But Vi..."), and in Legends of Runeterra, Vi mentions Caitlyn when interacting with the other cards either referring to her as "Cupcake" or "Cait".
"Sheriff cupcake can't be mad at me" "Ooh, look at me, I'm on the case" "try cupcakes"(when a character says she should've brought her flowers) "what can I say, Cait's still got a taste for bad cops"
So I remember being on a Contiki tour with people for about 2 weeks and saw people who had no affiliation with each other start friendships and the typical relationships. That's in two weeks. What I believe a lot of viewers do underestimate is how down to earth and somewhat realistic the story of Arcane really is considering Vi and Caitlyn's relationship reached a point of relationship, but not yet lovers given their situations. They never did anything to really cement that lover title, but there was surely enough to be tastefully romantic. As for Mel and Jayce... Oh yeah. That's totally a Contiki Greek isles hookup.
To build on your comment I hope and believe that they will continue to build on what they've started in S2. Which just from the short teaser I'm guessing we will be spending a lot of time with Vi/Cait/Jinx and even Warwick
The intimate scene with Jayce and Mel wasn’t meant to be romantic, but rather showing the audience how the path that Jayce and Victor started on act 1 has drifted into separate ones. That’s why it also shows Victor with the hexcore. It sucks that not many ppl don’t see it that way. Like, when I first saw that scene, I was completely caught off guard and I was like “dammit, Arcane! Nows not the time for this shit!” But I finally understand the mean message(s) behind it and it completely makes sense, for me personally anyway.
Cait is one of the most well-written takes in recent memory on what taking that courageous, first step forwards to uncover the truth and peeling back one's own ignorance is like. She's subtle but very nuanced and I love it. I'm an only child myself and as a first-gen immigrant whose parents have worked very hard to give me a good life and to protect me, Caitlyn's desire to see the "real world" and her want to find justice and do good is highly admirable and understandable. She really shows how someone if they are determined and possess a good heart will be able to grow an understanding of the real world + the things they haven't understood in the past.
Great analysis, I love the slow burn with these two and I feel many ppl that think they should have had a scene like Mel and Jayce fail to understand how it would go against their established personalities and feel incredibly unnatural. Also to go on the point of Mel you talk about, it is shown that Mel does have genuine feelings for Jayce and isn't a femme fatale (which would have been a horrible trope to use especially since Mel is black coded and that would have fallen into the tragic Jezebel trope black women are sometimes placed in media depictions) immediately when she wakes up she is shown to be upset and sad that he left, which is reinforced in the next episode, how the sincerity is vocalised to us the audience is when she opens up about being an exile (information that isn't known as Jayce is shocked by it) revealing this info shows she likes him to the point where she reveals a hidden aspect of herself
I'm so glad that they wrote so many twists and turns with Mel. And the scene where she takes off her family heirloom and supports Jayce in a vote for peace is so powerful
I think she definitely started off with more selfish motives, but she came to care for him more as she got to know him better. Of course there are no static characters in this show.
I do think it all started as a way to manipulate Jayce, as it was shown over and over again throughout the show, but at the same time, I don't think her intentions were ever harmful, just self-serving, and I also believe that she really did develop true feelings for him. Her "change of heart" also felt natural and well developed, especially after she meets with her mother and realizes she doesn't want what she is offering, she doesn't want to be like her.
Thank you so much. People have been going with Mel is bad in some reactions in those first few episodes and some don’t seem to let that go till episode 9 on the last few minutes. Mel reactions are odd and I feel myself a bit protective of her because seeing it from her pov seems very rare and far to often less then positive in all episodes of the show.
Vi and Caitlyn are the most realistic, natural, non-forced, well-written homosexual couple I've ever seen in media. I love their dynamic and I'm looking forward to how the writers develop their relationship more. Great video!
There is literally only *one* thing I'll take exception to in your video: the timeframe. You said this was over "maybe a week". This was, at most, 48 hours. The time between Cait freeing Vi from Stillwater to the time they reentered Piltover during the Ekko/Jinx fight was not even a full day. Their "break" moment in the rain took place the same night. The following day was the raid on Silco's Shimmer factory, and Jayce met with Silco that evening. Jinx's "dinner party" would have been that night. Now, some people would use this timeframe to claim the relationship was rushed. To that, I will offer that I met a woman at a camping event on June 17, 1992. On the evening of the 18th, we spent the evening under the stars, by the bonfires, talking non-stop until the morning on the 19th. I could not breathe without her. We were married 6 months later, had our daughter 8 months after that. We will celebrate our 30th anniversary this year. So, no -- Vi and Caitlyn aren't rushed at all.
If you don't mind, I wish just pick up a (quite insignificant) detail. May be that's me who misunderstood (I don't have a good english level) what you wrote, but It seems to me than their break don't took place the same night than the Ekko/Jinx fight on the bridge (They reach Caitlyn's home a morning, they got the audience at the council the evening. I assume they're mainly resting during the daytime, they deserve it after theirs "adventures" like said Cupcake's daddy. I'm quite assuming three days go by between Cait's recovery and the Final. That' all ! Otherwise, I support all what you said (and congratulations for your 30th :))
@@T3MrLan i agree, i also think it was about three days. and thats three days of nonstop very close interaction with almost no sleep. which is crazy for vi, who has been pretty much alone every single day for the past decade.
A friend of mine who is a psychologist once told me that the dynamics of a relationship actually change more for the person doing someone a favour than the other way around. Somehow our brain seems to work like this: "Oh... I saved their life... apparently I seem to like them." Our affection towards somebody strengthens with every nice deed we do for them. If the other party doesn't act in a similarly nice fashion this often leads to a "Look at all the stuff I've done for them and how ingratious they are."- scenario. (Compare: The whole nice-guys don't get the girl- concept).
The moment when Vi opens her eyes to look at Caitlyn after she's gingerly stroked her cheek...just takes my breath away. There's a poignant glint of vulnerability and a bit of disbelief in how tender Caitlyn's actions are, when they lie on her bed together. It's a beautiful moment, and every time I look at it, I just can't help but look at it and shriek because I'M F*CKING GAYYYYYYYYY THANK YOU AND GOODNIGHT!
I love how succinct you are in your presentation of this, and I agree wholeheartedly that this relationship was solid and was well written. No stereotypes, no humming and hawing over it, and no 'but can't cuz girl's. Just two people, falling in love and exploring their relationship. However I about lost it with your whole "leh-dallah-beans!!" 🤣 Leh-dallah-beens!?!
I do love the relationship between Vi and Caitlyn. Honestly, anyone with Hailee Steinfeld's voice saying, "You're hot cupcake" would melt and seduce anyone! But seriously, I do love the cupcake nickname, "You're so sweet, like a cupcake." It also took me a while to realize why Jinx's choice for a cupcake was a snack for her, but after a while it hit me like lightning!
I love how the relationship between Vi and Caitlyn is developing. I completely see it and it does feel natural. In comparison the relationship between Korra and Asami, in The Legend of Korra, felt more forced. Granted it is more of a children's show and their are small clues to pick up on, but still felt more forced than this one. I have to agree, RIOT deserves a lot of credit of how they are handling this story.
To be fair, the writers of the show have gone on record saying that Korra and Asami was supposed to be much more developed but Nickelodeon wouldn't let them show anything too direct. They were bascially limited to body language and implications (aka Korra only writing to Asami for 3 years and not Mako or Bolin). Not to mention that acceptance of gay relationships was in a much different spot at the time, Korra's final episode aired before gay marriage was legal in the US.
While I do agree I do wish to note that Korra did the best it could with network restrictions. Which why I think many still look back fondly on Korrasmi while acknowledging that it has been done better since because it very much they walked so others could run thing
My only big disagreement with this video is the idea that it's controversial to say the relationship works. That is nothing but stone-cold, true take. 🍷🗿
Isn't these two's relationship a pretty popular one? Like most people I've seen seem to love them and I can't say I've seen much if any backlash to them. There's certainly are the few weird takes about it being rushed, which honestly being labeled either "rushed" or "shoved down our throat" is basically the fate of nearly every on screen LGBT relationship from certain people, but anecdotally I havent really seen anyone say they straight up hate it. I feel like most of the legitimate (that is, not bad-faith) complaints about it being "rushed" just come from people that simply don't notice all the affection and flirting because gay relationships are so rarely presented people just gloss over those things when its not a man and woman on screen. Cait and Vi is the story of the sheltered uptown rich girl meeting the gruff street tough with a heart of gold from the wrong side of the tracks. It's about as classic a Hollywood pairing as you can get, there's even a Billy Joel song about it, and I suspect if Vi had been male there'd be very few people calling it rushed since them hooking up would just be so expected to happen. My only concern with them is that the writers won't be allowed to actually develop them overtly in S2 and we'll be stuck with just more of these subtle, brief and underplayed moments. I love those moments don't get me wrong but I also want it to actually go somewhere.
It was fine up until the end of episode 7 when Vi seemingly forgot Ekko existed, then in episode 8 and beyond it felt like the writers were running out of screentime and just skipped past a bunch of much needed development until the "breakup" in the rain, which seemed to come out of nowhere. Just didn't feel fully earned to me. They've only touched on Vi's past with enforcers (murdered parents, thrown in prison for 5-7 years where she apparently received regular beatings, etc.). And Cait was weirdly understanding that Vi's sister just tried to gun her down for no real reason. Vi just warmed up too fast and Cait is almost saintlike in her tolerance for the utter insanity Vi unleashed into her life, even if it was unintentional. The third act in general just felt rushed though, not just the Cait-Vi dynamic. They stuck the landing but wobbled a bit right beforehand. I'd only call it bad writing if Cait just disregards what Jinx (in all likelihood) did to her mother when season 2 rolls around. That would be ridiculous.
On the bridge when Jinx is shooting at them, Caitlyn shoves herself in front of Vi to protect her and Vi shoves her away not willing to risk her life. Just a small detail you missed
Are people really taking an issue with them? I seriously can't understand why. Like, I didn't exactly love their relationship, because for me it actually gets overshadowed by the rest of the show (which is a good thing), but I can see the potential for it to become an amazing romance side-plot. Guess some people don't have better stuff to do than hate on ships for the sake of it :/
I'm glad to see that it was a vocal minority that was dissenting about their relationship. I saw people saying it in comments on prior videos and reviews so I thought I'd make a video on it. Because why not?
I like how they made Caitlyn's colors darker blue and Vi's bright pink, it reminds me of the oil and water phrase. Someone I saw on Twitter pointed out how Jinx's colors are powder blue as opposed to Vi's pink, showing how different they are, and I feel like there's something similar going on between Cait and Vi.
At this point ive seen so many videos of why caitvi work since i agreed ever since i saw them at the ending of ep 4 that i forget that some people don't really agree, and for all i can say about it is that there are at least two different cases: the ones with close mindedness, and the ones who think their relationship goes way to fast. And see i'm a queer woman who is by now very well educated on caitvi, so let me tell you that those people have no idea what they're talking about. Caitlyn and Vi's relationship goes way deeper than most people think, experiencing traumatic moments together, among other things, creates a special bond way faster. Caitvi is a beautiful representation for people like me and i am very thankful to see that many others agree with me. This was just me letting out my frustation, if you read this here have a cookie: 🍪
Seeing Vi and Cait be shipped for so many years made me hyped to see their relationship in Arcane(how/if there would be any). And god damn i was blown away by how well it was done.
Vi and Caitlyn's relationship is something that I absolutely love. The two characters are so beautifully fleshed out, and it's not necessarily focusing on the fact that it's a wlw relationship, but just that the relationship is so deep and tender. I tend to associate the finale song (What Could Have Been - Sting) with them for some reason. I just think it fits the ending of the show and everyone else's view of their relationship so well. Seriously great video. Loved the explanation and analysis, and love that someone else looks as much into detail as I do haha Also, I was drinking hot cocoa when 10:20 happened and I nearly spewed it everywhere, I'm dead
I completely agree with the assessment that the actual character development and relationship building depicted here is sorely missing in gay couples in today's media. Like oh there's the token gay couple... glad they're here but contribute nothing to the story besides a check box for gay representation.... then there's vi and catilyn, a masterclass in making a relationship work in a narrative and make sense, its one of the best examples of a growing relationship on screen. Not just gay couples, but couples in general.
I know I’m not the first to say this, but I wanted to mention how happy I was about the way you talked about these two. As a lesbian, I was really worried that it would be fetishized but it wasn’t at all and you mentioned a lot of the things that I loved about them too.
Jayce and Mel knew each other for 3 years before their sex scene so I really didn't have an issue with it. Also I never felt like Vi and Cait was forced.
I didn’t really care much for Caitlyn the first few episodes, whereas I absolutely loved Vi. I knew a lot of people shipped them going into the show, and I was preparing myself for a bland romance. I was very surprised to find how quickly Caitlyn grew on me. I found I was very wrong in thinking she was some bland rich girl, and she and Vi had so much chemistry and great scenes. It was a wonderful and pleasant surprise.
7 months later because I came into this exactly like you. "I might as well, some gay representation is better than none..." and just fell in love. Jayce and Caitlyn's scenes made me cringe badly, but then the FULLY-FLEDGED CAITLYN taking on the world with VI got me so stirred up
@@hdbordercollie Jayce/Cait was never really a thing, though. He was clearly a "big bro" the whole time. Not sure why people assumed he was trying/wanted to be Cait's love interest at any point.
Great video, 100% agree 🥰 Love how you analyzed their characters, their scenes and why they work, I don’t think this was rushed at all, but well, when it comes down to “not conventional relationships” a lot of people will try to use every possible argument to say why their relationship doesn’t work 🙄 Luckily, I think there are more people who love their relationship than haters 😍
Considering some people jump into a relationship with someone they met yesterday in a bar. A week worth of FULLTIME highly emotional "quality" time which you would need to spend at least 7 dates or more on is totally believable as a foundation for their relationship. Anyway great essay(?) hope to see more really digging your arcane content.
Eh, Mel's and Jayce's relationship had 5-10 years to develop off-screen. So, it's jarring in the sense that not much of that development was explicitly shown to us, but it's also not entirely unbelievable.
what i think a lot of people forget is that if the writers wanted us to know something, we'd know it. and obviously there's gonna be a lot happening in the time jump but i dont think we see Mel and Jayces relationship much more developed after the timeskip than before. at most i think fact is that Mel started out trying to pull Jayce in one direction or the other, and later on realized she might have feelings for him. the line she says right before kissing jayce is really weird, something like "us medardas only ever take from the world, we're never in a position to give back." almost like she's giving a reason for the kiss, like it's an exchange of some sort. also the way that scene is shot is very predatory when mel is leaning in. some might see it as what jayce is seeing but i thought it was very invading.
i loved the way you explained this!! it was the right amount of analysis, right amount of hopeless romanticism imo which is exactly what i wanna see more- people stating facts and details but also sharing their feelings and brainrot, without sexualizing them or being weird about it
Well I'm not a professional or have any qualifications. But I can say that section was pulled from personal experience. Sadly it also had a dark side of attributing the positive experience to a unhealthy relationship as well. But that's a tangent for another time and place. Positive and negatives to everything and all that Glad you enjoyed my professional chaos
Despite almost universal praise for the show, I am almost annoyed that it doesn't get more recognition. This to me, is on par with the best stuff from the likes of Game of Thrones and other great shows. Like, how the hell did they manage to introduce a fully fleshed yet still mysterious world, with political conflicts, magic and science systems, with time jumps, and with amazing characters that in some cases have so little screen time it is a true miracle they all feel like real characters. ALL in nine episodes. And fair to say that main cast all get fully developed (or at least to the point that they were meant to be developed) character arcs, and different fan groups that are in love with them. Absolutely insane. And on top of that, there is sooooo much told with non verbal language thanks to superb animation, the attitude and the actions and non-actions of characters really show who they are, instead of getting a tiresome narration of events on what Piltover/Zaun is, together with the different plots. If I had a hat, I would take it off and never put it back on. Also Vi and Cait are exaggeratedly cute, sexy and natural as a couple
i agree with all of this, very well said. i guess arcane is somewhat of a hidden diamond since people tend to automatically dismiss animation. their loss. if a wider audience finds it, great, well deserved, but in a way i like that the fanbase stays in a circle that truly appreciates the show and doesn’t just cater to *everyone* like marvel movies do, for instance.
oh my god . Thank you for this video. Exactly everything i had in my head you put here AND MORE. finally anyone who understand their relationship and got they are perfcet and they are not main point of this sotry.....You did so good job. ( I hope we can see them in season 2 more )
The moment I saw their first interaction I was like, be still my gay heart. I love these two together so much. And the fact that one is a close quarters fighter while the other is long distance screams teamwork to me. They are perfect for each other.
there connection together in the show is just amazing. I like the idea how they did not trust each other at first but working together really build up something for them. Im excited for season 2 to see what will happen to them hope maybe we see more clips of them next season. I love them so much
Oh no, I actually really enjoyed the build up to this relationship. People can say rushed but it honestly did feel pretty natural to me at least. They are honestly an adorable and complimentary pairing even if they are not seeing each other yet. I agree with all the points you made; it's really one of the best lesbian almost couple I've seen recently, it just feels natural. I think that one tense scene in the final episode where Vi thought the literal cupcake was going to be Caitlyn, the whole bond between Vi and Caitlyn along side that split frame of her looking at Vi lovingly just made it all the more of a twisting moment that wouldnt have worked as well if the relationship was not done correctly between the two. I really just love them both and can't wait to see more of them
I quite literally have nothing to contribute to the conversation because everyone has stated those points already. But I will say I just found this video purely by the algorithm (and plethora of Arcane videos I've watched in the past couple months) and I will say FINALLY A VIDEO COMMENT SECTION WHERE LONG COMMENTS ARE ACCEPTABLE AND EVERYONE READS THEM. My dude if this is the community you're cultivating COUNT ME IN I'M STAYING.
Who knew when you pour your heart into videos about discussions, people would discuss in the comments? In all seriousness, I'm just as surprised as you are, and so happy many people are having thought-provoking discourse in the comments on these videos. Hope you do stay, and if you are curious the past 4 Arcane videos on the channel also have some wonderful comments. Even if there are some on the Viktor video that break your heart reading them. Welcome to the Huddle friend
WELCOME TO THE VI X CAIT SHIP! Mine was formed from playing League of Legends LONG before Arcane was even announced. Their interactions in game and rumored relationship was enough for me to ship them. Plus, FUCK they are cute together and damnit CUPCAKE! Arcane just fleshed it out in a wonderful way and I'm expecting that S2 will have MUCH more emphasis on this, especially with the audio trailer putting them at odds over Jinx. Thank you for your in depth and thoughtful videos!
the way you said sorry after ranting on abt their relationship 😢 don't feel bad and don't apologize. All true Arcane fans go through the exact same thing❤
I support this relationship between Caitlyn and Vi 1000%. And I am LOVING how respectful he is when explaining why they'd be a good couple. I was fanboying right along with him with the fluff scenes between Cait and Vi. XD
Dude i love your humor (6:33 cracked me up xD) Jokes aside, your explanations of how OPPOSITE they are and how their past views about each other completely fade away throughout the season, really opened a new perspective for me about their relationship. Also that oil to water and blood to water metaphor BLEW my mind, GREAT video dude!!! :D
I don't understand why anyone would disagree (unless it's a homophobic person, obviously), this relationship is well-written. They have enough similarities and enough differences to go well together. At their core, they both have a good heart and similar goals but they take different roads because they were raised different. Also, Vi flirting with her is a godsend.
Brilliant video. And thanks for quenching my thirst for high-quality Arcane content. ;) I really liked both of them together and, as a hopeless romantic myself, I hope they will find their way to one another in season 2. Even though Arcane has shown that it's more interested in tragedy. 🙈
OMG to rewatch this two after two years T.T ... I'm sooooo into them omg ... Lol my lovelanguage is also touch and omg i wish somebody would do all of this to me >.
Nice video! I did't expect that I would like to see these two characters and their relationship again and again. I'm usually not interested in same-sex relationships. But here everything is so delicate and beautiful. Thay really touch my heart. Thank you!
I'm honestly was shocked when I found out most people were angry/didn't agree or understand Vi's actions in the end of episode 3. For me, when I first watched it and showed it to people, all our reactions were the same. I was just angry at Powder at that scene. I was pissed at her for being so rash and irresponsible and I feel so bad for Vi in that scene. I'm shocked that most people don't agree with Vi. I get why they'd be upset at her hitting Powder, but other than that I don't get it...
Something I have learnt recently is that my love language is very physical. I am just happy receiving and giving hugs, and if someone just cuddles with me it makes so happy that I start moving my feet with joy. Seeing physical love expressed more with gentle actions than with words was delightful in this series. I hope they keep it up. Also true, if someone touches me (with consent, ofc) that gentle I will just melt and fall head over heels for them.
Just Yes to all of this! They had such a natural chemistry, but also came from different lifestyles and environments. It was only natural that there was conflict at the end and it wouldn't have made sense if they had even kissed near the end of the series. The scene of them in the rain they are both in conflict on their approach, but they are not necessarily in conflict with each other, you can tell they both care deeply about each other and hope that neither of them get caught up in the potential war to come. I honestly can't wait for Season 2 as they have so many different character arcs going on simultaneously, it's honestly a work of art!
Your video is incredible :) I agree that Vi and Caitlyn's relationship is more natural than any gay couple I've seen in most shows , and I've seen many of them. I am glad that they did not kiss in this season and that it is through gentle touches and hugs that we can definitely tell they have feelings for each other. Another thing that I found interesting is the parallel between Vi / Caitlyn and Vander / Grayson, not that the two last had any relationship at all. What I mean is that we see that at the beginning on the first three episodes there is an understanding between the Undercity with Vander and Piltover with Grayson. Both worked together in the shadows to keep th peace, and as I have watched your video on Vander we knew it would not last. Then we see the understanding between Vi and Caitlyn, and despite their differences and social background they come together and might symbolically represent what Piltover and Zaun could be. I don't know if you think the same , but I see Caitlyn and Vi as the hope that one day Piltover and Zaun might become one city once and for all
Thank u,I really loved ur video...the explaination was just overwhelming and sumed up their relationship pretty well...can't believe anyone would say they were forced😐they had better chemistry and development than most straight couples...fight me if u want but I won't back down their relationship totally completely 100% works
Gay or straight it matters not, This is a relationship between two very human characters from different sides of the track. And through shared hardship and a common goal a bond was formed naturally. Arcane destroys any modern narrative that the majority of people are biased/discriminatory towards an individual's sexual preference. The reason we all roll our eyes at modern entertainment with a focus on gender, sexuality and diversity is because we know the characters will be nothing more than a gender, race or sexuality. They are never human.
I am COMPLETLEY with you! 100% nothing was rushed nothing was pushed over. These two just have amazing chemistry, they also seem to have the same (or at least similar) morals (which is essential in any kind of relationship) and, like you said, they went through some very traumatic experiences together... these two are just perfect! I could watch their scenes over and over again (I actually am)
When you talk about the thing about being sheltered and associating being opened up to the world with the person that did it you said you didn't know if that was a thing. Let me tell you right now that it is. I was fairly sheltered when I was a kid. I grew up in a small suburban community for the majority of my life and so I really didn't have a lot of experience with the rest of the world. But when I went to college my world got opened wide thanks to my roommate. He helped me broaden my horizons and create new experiences. For that I love him. He is like the brother I never got to have. Just wanted to give some insight in regards to what you said because that is what I thought about Caitlyn and Vi as well. Love your video, man!
Based that line of my personal life. I was...involved, with someone that opened my perspective on the world and who I am as a person. I can look back with genuine greatfulness to them for that. Granted that also made me ignore red flags and end up a surviver of abuse, but hey. You live and you grow. Thank you for sharing your story
i don't know if it's because i have all my social media catered to such a degree that i don't see things that don't interest me, but everything i've seen about caitvi is excitement about their potential relationship. nonetheless this was an amazing video essay. never thought about how they provide to the other what they need and want, glorious.
I think everyone complaining about their relationship is just some anti-sjw who is in it for the homophobia, considering that besides their brilliant depiction in the series, Vi and Cait already had been a pretty popular ship for years in the LoL community, so actually pairing them off with anyone else would have been the move totally ignoring what the actual fans want.
ynes their relationshipmoved very fast but they went trough together soo much with soo little time if this happens trhen you attach yourself tio that erson with whom you experienced the world...I still wouldnt leave my sister to that person tho...yeah my life has been literally saved as well and I was together with athat person but I still put my two sisters before him( I am older sister to two yonger ones and very protective of them) I think that Vi did such a bad job with Jinx when it comes to words...because like you said she has been used to punching her way out of everything ibut if it comes to her relationshop with her sister...her sister is mentally ill girl whos illness has been untreated.....Vi just doesnt know how to act with her or what to do....she does all the worng decisions and you understand why...I actually understand almost everybody in the show
❤ I'd melt too. I just want to be hugged by both of them at the same time. Bet it would feel so warm and healing, and genuine 😭! .....yes im lacking in deep geniune hugs right now.
Fantastic video- I like how you delved into the specifics of Vi and Caitlyn's relationship as well as emphasizing it's newness and how that plays into their dynamic. HOWEVER! I couldn't help but see that Mel and Jayce's relationship had to catch a stray (as it often does)... I have a rebuttal Mainly, I REALLY don't like the framing of Mel "forcing herself" on Jayce- that isn't what happened and is frankly dishonest. She made a move, and it was reciprocated- especially the moment that leads to the kiss is one of vulnerability between them. People are going to have their opinions, but I think folks are harder on Mel and Jayce's relationship than they should be- especially seeing how it accomplishes and different narrative purpose.
I agree. Physical touch is my love language too and maaaannnn, I totally relate to what you said for those like 10 seconds. And about the hopeless romantic thing haha
I have thoroughly enjoyed this great analysis video of Vi and Caitlyn's relationship. Thank you so much @Flying Walrus! And i truly agree with alllll your points in this video, the ship has truly sailed for these two and i wont accept otherwise! I do want to see more of them tho but fingers crossed S2 is a-coming, and i can't wait for your future analysis! This is my Vi-Caitlyn fav vid! p.s. my heart melted too when i saw these two's interactions for the first time. I literally squealed haha! and seriously, Vi and Caitlyn are such a breath of fresh air, it's really like seeing two people slowly but surely falling in love with one another :,,D it's so heartwarminggg~ they deserve to be celebrated like this, ignore the boos! Great work!
I gotta be honest. I didn't even like this show until these two characters met; I understood how well done it was, I just wasn't enjoying it. I kept watching because I kept being told how good it is and that it keeps getting better. It wasn't until these two got on the screen that it all really clicked for me. They're the best thing in the entire show and anyone hating on the relationship is just wrong.
I've watched so many video essays on this relationship and yours is by far the best. Most people say a lot of things and use nice words and go on and on picking at every detail; and they focus on these things so much that they fail at the basics, which is: to show how naturally this grows. You're the it one who made it, so thanks, I was looking forward to hearing someone contextualizing each of them in a humane way, telling how they must have felt, what must have gone through their minds. It feels organic and plausible. Thanks for that.
Loved the video. Agree with you. I really like this relationship. One of my favorite cartoon romances in a while and it's nice to see it become so popular.
![[DRAGON BALL LEGENDS REVEALS ＆ STUFF] LEGENDS FESTIVAL 2024 Special Edition Part 1](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/mV5bGIswTtQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I'm happy to learn that apparently, I was misinformed, people are enjoying this relationship, and the arguments against it were a vocal minority.
Side note
You can argue Vi opens up to Jinx when she sees her, or to Ekko when reunited. But neither of those are on the same level as sharing your guilt and shame with someone as she did with Caitlyn
Most of the criticism falls under two types. First are just right wing trolls; gays = SJW. Often gay relationships are shallow put there for the gay bucks and to clap themselves on the back about how good their farts smell and more importantly how bad everyone else's smell. This isn't the case here because the relationship is organic to the characters, it isn't something there to check a diversity box. That particular diversity is there simply because that diversity exists in real life and is honest to the characters. If you don't like Vi and Cait being gay as written it tells me you aren't against ham fisted SJW politicization of entertainment, you are just a homophobe.
The second are left wing nuts who want more and anything less is a chance for them flex their virtue signaling muscles. This isn't some lame Disney subtextual 'gay', nothing is just hinted at. Right there in the script full of show don't tell story telling.
It was not forced, it wasn't put there for political considerations, it did not happen too fast, nor did it happen too slow. Not only for the reasons you mentioned but in real life when we're smitten it doesn't take us weeks or months to lean in if we see the other person leaning in. Yes there are couples that end up together after years of friendship but those don't tend to be passionate people. And say what you will about them Vi and Cait are passionate people. For most people the chemical reaction is as swift as our culturalized animal nature allows.
As with pretty much everything involving snowflakes on either side of the political spectrum neither are right and while obnoxiously loud neither are close to a majority opinion.
if you are put into a situation where you do not have other choice but to trust someone, you would be falling in love with them instantly. especially with vi who has been in prison for a long time and caitlyn who's probably never loved before because of the strictness of her parents. it is fast and easy to fall in love with someone when it's your first. bonus points that they make each other feel safe.
Vi is open to Jinx because she is literally her sister, to whom she felt protective before, during and at least a good part after prison. While she likely has used prison time to blame herself how she last interacted with her sister.
Ekko is the last surviving member of her friend group.
I do see those relationships different as Vi's relationship with Caitlyn. Next to the very obvious physical and romantic attraction, there is the aspect that's the only relationship of those three, where Vi isn'tjust being requested to do a thing (unconditional, solitary love in Jinx case, rolling along with Ekko), but actively offered support.
@@colpul2103 The people who claim that it isn't to direct and fast enough confuse me.
Vi and Cait have like maybe one and a half scenes (prison and the meal scenes) where they aren't like hitting it off like very directly. The next scenes go to "you'r hot", "but your sweet like a cupcake", "face touching the slums" to "rolling in bed with soft touches" in a rather fast progression ^^;
Though I personally thought about both of them them as dating when Caitlyn asked "What about us?".
They she got like Caits Moms approval before asking Vi about their relationship status.
"A vocal minority" as most internet outrages are. Just how the internet works unfortunately.
Here's a neat detail: The gun Caitlyn gives up wasn't just her only form of protection, it was her gun that she's had since she was a kid. It's present in the first large painting we see of her and her family. It's a pretty important personal item.
Wow I didn’t even realize that. That’s makes it so much more meaningful that she’s willing to give up not only her only form of protection but also something that represents all the work it’s taken to become an the excellent shoot she is.
Also when she was asked “who are you shooting for?” She gave up the gun FOR Vi. And when she literally shot Sevika for Vi, saving her.
@@almuzzzika grayson said that she is shooting for sake of piltover people and when she ask caitlyn about that caitlyn had no answer, yet she became the warden even before she met vi, it means that she was inspired by the idea of helping people so like grayson she is shooting for sake of people, even when savika was threatening vi, she shoots savika every single time in her metal arm to not harm her, thats why i think she value her gun as long as she can help people with it.
@@TaiFu2323 oh yeah actually that’s more logical. That’s why I love this show there are so many ways how to interpret it
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Ive never seen a dude talking about a lesbian relationship feel so natural
I have never been so comfortable with a dude talking about lesbian relationship... Cause they always make it creepy by fetishising them.
But i love the way you talked about them .... Like just two people who works really well with each other romantically.
Honestly? That was my biggest concern making a video on these two. Didn't want it to come across that way so I'm glad it didn't. Thanks for the comment.
@@AFlyingWalrus now you got a lesbian's confirmation lol. Love your Arcane content...will be waiting for another arcane video.
@@rashimalviya8263 I know nothing about homosexuality in RL, but that movie really did a good job in making the relationship feel natural. I was watching it and feeling the tension, no matter sex and gender and all that stuff. Even allowing for the material being conductive to it the RUclipsr did a great job even from the point of view of a 'normal' (😀😀😀) fella like me...
@@AFlyingWalrus and a pansexual one to :)
@@AFlyingWalrus i am a lesbian and it also made me so happy! the way you genuinely love their relationship makes me feel normal and have hope in humanity-
"When you are sheltered growing up and you meet somebody that opens up the world to you and expands your narrow vision to what life could be and what life could offer, that in a way gives you freedom to explore your own identity. You begin to asociate those positive experiences with that person"
Dude I think you just made me realize why I am so in love with a certain somebody in real life lol
That was me in my first relationship, so I'm speaking first hand on that one. Granted it can also blind you to things, but we don't need to get into that
I'm not in a romantic relationship with anyone, but I know this to be true. I was extremely sheltered and eventually might've lost myself because of it. There are so many people I've "abandoned" because they didn't really care, but there was always this one annoying little pest that wouldn't let me leave and honestly-- made me better.
I was able to see *beyond* myself and my expectations, and that's why I love this explanation so much. (As well as Vi and Caitlyn, who make me extremely happy to see)
This is SO true. Speaking from more than one experience myself (I was VERY sheltered)
FOR REAL I WAS SO SHOOK- explains the attachment very well now and even the blinding too
Same
ALL OF THIS!!!! This is exactly how I looked at the developing relationship between Vi and Caitlyn. This wasn't a romance. It was the spark of a romance. The prelude. At no time did I find myself thinking, "Huh?" These two went through hell together. Along the way they came to trust each other and to realize that the other felt the same way (Caitlyn looked genuinely surprised when Ekko said, "Vi says I can trust you.").
That's a great catch. And I'm glad to see other people of the same opinion as me. Was a litte worried as to how this video would be received lol
That's my thought, I was actually surprised they let it flow so naturally, but then Riot/Netflix have found the one thing so many shows lack lately, telling, without telling, they aren't beating the viewer over the head constantly (the feels thou, yeah, they're pummeling those pretty hard), so it shouldn't be a surprise they didn't do the whole these characters biggest trait is they're attracted to each other and have few other traits that help define them, bit.
Now The long wait for Series 2 FML
also its always been a inside joke that cait and vi were a thing long before Arcane even came out
I LOVE THIS!!
And the 11:55 "SO you're saying theres a chance?!" is SPOT on lmaoooo, the animators nailed the expressions SO WELL, one could actually hear it through Vi's expression.
I was so sure that for the first few times I saw that scene, Vi said "good to know"
Oh I heard it loud and clear.
Yeah, the facial animations in Arcane are insanely good. They manage to convey so many emotions with even the subtlest expressions.
I honestly can't believe how someone could think this was forced.
Cait and Vi literally have everything that is important in a relationship and sure, they didn't have much time but it's there, and we can see that.
PS. That part about melting under someone's touch? I felt that.
Honestly, people who think Cait+Vi are forced have never played League
They’ve always been a thing lol
@@craigtucker6001 Not to forget that the same kinds of people who complain about Cait and Vi being forced are those who are all about how creators should listen to the fans. Like, Cait and Vi were always a popular ship in the fanbase, I think I've never seen them shipped with anyone else, outside of maybe Vi with Jinx before it was confirmed that both of them are siblings, which before had been more of a fan speculation, but even that had been a less popular ship compared to those two.
@@craigtucker6001More like the “forced representation” crowd. The crowd that balks at any sort of portrayal of non-heterosexuality, whether good or bad.
I mean, personally it didn't feel forced at all, it just personally felt like the very classy enemies to lovers story.
It is nicely done, I like it fine. As a hetero, I guess I wasn't all over it, but it still was nice to watch.
I guess I see how a lot of shows and movies suddenly feature a gay couple somewhere, and that is going to put this show into a timeframe where people sre more critical with it, but like...just look at Vi, the moment I saw her make moves towards Cait, I thought that it makes sense. I haven't read from anyone that this relationship was forces, bur I also don't hang with the crown that likely would say that.
Yeah, it does seem to me like they have a relatively healthy and beautiful relationship
We're all incredibly weak for this pair and you did a great job at explaining why ✨
OMG PRICKLY ALPACA!!! I FOUND YOU - ALSO YES I ABSOLUTELY AGREE hdhdhsjajs👏👏✨
(LOVE your art btw!! I’ve been binging ur videos for the past two weeks ahah)
Get you someone who looks at you the way Vi looks at Cait when Cait is showing empathy.
From what i've seen, this is the mildest take of them all lol. Like 90% of the people I've seen love Violyn, the Arcane Subreddit is crazy over it, not a lot of complaints at all.
Guess I've seen the wrong parts of the internet. But I'm glad that I am wrong about the distatse
@@AFlyingWalrus "Guess I've seen the wrong parts of the internet." Yeah, it seems so. Was surprise you thought this was a controversial take. Welcome to a new bubble.
@@AFlyingWalrus Yep... when you started off saying "this is going to be a controversial opinion.." I was SURE you were going to say you DIDN'T like Vi and Cate. I was super confused when you said you did.
@@WarpedLord True
yup, i was super surprised to hear that there are people who don't absolutely love this pairing and the way it was developed in the show
People say this was FORCED? WHAT? nothing feels more right than Vi and Caitlyn
On some corners of the internet? Yes
@@AFlyingWalrus Those corners rarely go outside let's be honest
FACTSSSSSS
if anything was forced, it was jayce and mel. like don't get me wrong, they have cute chemistry and good moments after, but there was absolutely no buildup whatsoever, I was as blindsided as jayce was. most people dont really seem to care or remember that ship. which is hilarious since they banged and everything, meanwhile caitvi just had.... really emotionally loaded gazes and a super tight hug, and yet there are TONS of videos on them. haha
@@badbunnyky I do think that was kinda the point. Mel got close to Jayce on purpose, because she believed that he would lift her up in the world. She forced herself into his life.
A thing I really liked in the French dubbed version was that at first, Vi and Caitlyn talk to each other using the "you" translation of "vous", which when used to adress one person is very formal, if not cold it at least establish distance. At first Vi sees Caitlyn as a mean to an end to find Powder. And Caitlyn obviously realizes that Vi has informations about or at least can lead her to the source of the Undercity's crime organization. It is a simple yet clever way to reinforce that their relationship is indeed very formal and not at all requested/sought out. It also highlights that Vi isn't in her element : she is on Caitlyn's territory so to speak, while she remains in Stillwater/Piltover.
Vi's first uses the "tu" translation of "you" during the "You're hot Cupcake" line ("T'es sexy Cupcake") with an abbreviated forme [ T'] which indicates even less distance, it's a very familiar way to speak, kind of like a "ya" I guess in English. Caitlyn's also uses the "tu" when she speaks again to Vi when she asks her if she ever says thank you. At that point, it indicates that both women have at least broken the ice between themselves. Vi because she has admitted that she find Caitlyn's attractive, Caitlyn because she probably realize Vi left her at the brothel so she'd be safe while she pursued her vengeance.
It was really a great surprise when I listened to it in French recently, and I wonder if other languages have that kind of things :) !
omg I love finding out about how the grammar in translations show certain relationships or feelings. Language is cool!
It's so cool to hear about, although sadly I'm only fluent in English so it's not something I can find out on my own lol
i love seeing how tv shows handle this in general. it’s quite interesting that the translators have to figure out when it’s time to switch to the informal “you” since it’s not a concern in the original english shows.
as a german, french and russian speaker, i’ll have to look up if all these languages switch to the informal form at the same time, though i think german might have used the informal one from the beginning, which it tends to do in a lot of shows, as opposed to russian, for instance where people tend to stick to the formal version much longer
WOW!! This is amazing, I absolutely LOVE this detail and it speaks so much to the depth of the show and characters ✨✨
Holy cow, that's an amazing new detail I'll now take note of ✨
thank you!
I think every language has that except English 😕 In German, you use the third person plural to address someone formally, and of course the second person singular to talk to somebody informally. In English, even the plural and singular form of the second person sound the same.
The thing I was most worried about with Vi/Cait was that it could have been another Catradora. A truly fantastic build-up with amazing characterisation and honest story-telling over the course of the show only to come to fruition in the last episode so we don't actually get to see how their relationship evolves past that.
I think one issue might be the fact that we weren't told there'd be a Season 2 until after Act 3 aired, so a lot of people saw Vi and Caitlyn's slow burn and assumed it would come to fruition in Episode 9, which obviously may not have worked considering how carefully written their relationship was up until that point.
The fact that Caitlyn and Vi didn't actually get together in Season 1 has me really hopeful that they're actually taking their time and are prepared to not pull any punches when writing their relationship like how so many other shows often do.
I don't see them pulling any punches, and I hope they don't. Even if my Rollercoaster emotional state can barely handle it
I mean if you play the game you know stuff about their future selves, it's just that no one knew how much the show would fast forward within 9 episodes
@@Sergioshi_ Eh.
Entire characters change all the time, hell, they're literally changing hextech crystal lore as we speak, so the game isn't exactly a reliable source imo.
Catradora sprinted so then Vi/Cait could win the Gaylimpics
If jinx is successful in her attack and kill Caithlin 's mother i do not think they will form any kind of relationship .
I love how vi solves her problems cos it's just VIOLENCE. And cait its much more diplomatic and solves things in a more smart way. They complement each another. Riot it's making this relationship more deep and meaningful, not like, they're gay love them. Every thing in this series is deep, meaningful and always has a twist that makes you jump out of your chair. I feel really identified with cait because I'm also a misfit in a way or another. I grew up in a Catholic school but I never believed in those God things, plus I'm bi so I got bullied a lot because of that. Also my fathers expext me to be a lawyer or a doctor just like them and well because art will not bring bread to your home. And with Vi. I feel her. Cos I'm very impulsive and agresive. I'm much of a punch and then ask the questions. Plus I use a rifle xd and I do boxing. In just a comment it's really difficult to explain the stuff that this series made me feel and understand about myself. I would love to make a video or something to explain the grateness of this series but I'm to shy xd.
Hope u get me and thanks for reading this long comment. :)
Thank you so much for the thoughtful comment. I won't get into details, but I definitely pulled from personal experience to talk about this video.
Arcane has ment so many different things and connects with a massive amount of people tactfully. I'm glad that this show has ment this much to you, and by extension videos of people talking about the show can keep the love for it going.
Take care
I get you. You are not alone! :)
Magnets
Ya know, I have a friend who is Really similar to you, and I think you'd both get along really well! 😁
You can't spell VIOLENCE without VI
In my opinion, people who say that their romance is rushed and unrealistic have never had a romance like this in their life. Periodt.
Me and my significant other went through something similar in the beginning of our relationship, and we were fucking screaming watching Vi and Caitlyn interact on screen, just because it resonates with us in a very personal way. Also because it's gay, yes.
IKR they need to go outside. People do flirt and love.
There's so much more than just the moments shared that make Vi and Cait work. Arcane shows you Cait finds bonding with the feminine easier but that she's not a materialistic girl herself. Vi's psychologically already imprinted with an emotional bond to Powder who exhibits very similar characteristic qualities to Cait. Jinx is almost a broken version of Cait. They're both highly intelligent and deductive, find strength in their obsessive determination to succeed, have blue hair and are both great shots. Vi exhibits strong masculine energy tempered with some femininity, Cait is the Yang to Vi's Yin, Cait being mostly feminine tempered with certain masculine qualities that Vi respects and aggressively adopts herself.
To me Vi and Cait's relationship isn't even vaguely gratuitous. It's one of the most natural and understandable attractions I've seen on a screen and develops at a good pace. They're attracted but too distant in their starting points to actually have started anything and that's great.
I know it probably wasn’t intentional but I’ve seen the “my favorite pairing is one that is feminine in a masculine way while the other is masculine in a feminine way” meme a lot lately, and while I also sorta vibed with it and thought it funny, I couldn’t really wrap my head around what that looks like. But your description of Cait and Vi actually helped loads so thanks
OOOHH THIS IS AMAZING!! I absolutely agree and I just love how you explained that, the characters do just have such a natural gravitation toward each other - it works so perfectly and feels so natural 🤌✨
You know, you’ve got a point about comparing Caitlyn to Jinx. It added SOOOO much more context to the “And I thought Powder could get obsessed” line.
Caitlyn also looks like Vi's mom, appearantly we tend to be attracted to people who look like our parents
8:05 The soft caress, is something I only would do to someone I loved and was trying to comfort. Literally can hear the butterflies in both Vi's and Caitlin's stomachs. That soft look Cait gives Vi. The hug on the bridge with both really leaning in to snuggle and teary eyed 😢🥺 and the way Vi catches Caits hand after she caresses her face and gives a lil hint of a smile. Not to mention that when someone hugs you that close with their eyes closed it's because they mean so much more than a friend to you. Yup... These two at the very least have a crush on eachother. In my opinion the only reason anyone would open up about themselves to anyone in that vulnerable manner especially if they are suppose to be enemies is because they have strong feelings for eachother and a longing to be touched or held by that person. Their chemistry jumps right at you through the screen. Down to the way Cait gets nervous when Vi is too close to her face. You can fight me on this but I know I am right because I work in the behavioral health field and know certain behavioral traits that stand out when two people (or animated characters) have strong feelings towards eachother.
Vi and Caitlyn being a couple isn't really forced to me. If you've played League for a while or have been somewhat in the League Community. VixCaitlyn was one of the popular fan couples. It was teased in Caitlyn's rework in LoL when she gets killed in the game ("Tell Vi I... I...") or kills Jinx in the game ("Piltover is safer now. But Vi..."), and in Legends of Runeterra, Vi mentions Caitlyn when interacting with the other cards either referring to her as "Cupcake" or "Cait".
as a league player of ten years, can confirm
"Piltover's Finest"
"Sheriff cupcake can't be mad at me" "Ooh, look at me, I'm on the case" "try cupcakes"(when a character says she should've brought her flowers) "what can I say, Cait's still got a taste for bad cops"
So I remember being on a Contiki tour with people for about 2 weeks and saw people who had no affiliation with each other start friendships and the typical relationships. That's in two weeks.
What I believe a lot of viewers do underestimate is how down to earth and somewhat realistic the story of Arcane really is considering Vi and Caitlyn's relationship reached a point of relationship, but not yet lovers given their situations. They never did anything to really cement that lover title, but there was surely enough to be tastefully romantic.
As for Mel and Jayce... Oh yeah. That's totally a Contiki Greek isles hookup.
To build on your comment I hope and believe that they will continue to build on what they've started in S2. Which just from the short teaser I'm guessing we will be spending a lot of time with Vi/Cait/Jinx and even Warwick
The intimate scene with Jayce and Mel wasn’t meant to be romantic, but rather showing the audience how the path that Jayce and Victor started on act 1 has drifted into separate ones. That’s why it also shows Victor with the hexcore. It sucks that not many ppl don’t see it that way.
Like, when I first saw that scene, I was completely caught off guard and I was like “dammit, Arcane! Nows not the time for this shit!” But I finally understand the mean message(s) behind it and it completely makes sense, for me personally anyway.
Cait is one of the most well-written takes in recent memory on what taking that courageous, first step forwards to uncover the truth and peeling back one's own ignorance is like. She's subtle but very nuanced and I love it. I'm an only child myself and as a first-gen immigrant whose parents have worked very hard to give me a good life and to protect me, Caitlyn's desire to see the "real world" and her want to find justice and do good is highly admirable and understandable. She really shows how someone if they are determined and possess a good heart will be able to grow an understanding of the real world + the things they haven't understood in the past.
Great analysis, I love the slow burn with these two and I feel many ppl that think they should have had a scene like Mel and Jayce fail to understand how it would go against their established personalities and feel incredibly unnatural. Also to go on the point of Mel you talk about, it is shown that Mel does have genuine feelings for Jayce and isn't a femme fatale (which would have been a horrible trope to use especially since Mel is black coded and that would have fallen into the tragic Jezebel trope black women are sometimes placed in media depictions) immediately when she wakes up she is shown to be upset and sad that he left, which is reinforced in the next episode, how the sincerity is vocalised to us the audience is when she opens up about being an exile (information that isn't known as Jayce is shocked by it) revealing this info shows she likes him to the point where she reveals a hidden aspect of herself
I'm so glad that they wrote so many twists and turns with Mel. And the scene where she takes off her family heirloom and supports Jayce in a vote for peace is so powerful
I think she definitely started off with more selfish motives, but she came to care for him more as she got to know him better. Of course there are no static characters in this show.
I do think it all started as a way to manipulate Jayce, as it was shown over and over again throughout the show, but at the same time, I don't think her intentions were ever harmful, just self-serving, and I also believe that she really did develop true feelings for him.
Her "change of heart" also felt natural and well developed, especially after she meets with her mother and realizes she doesn't want what she is offering, she doesn't want to be like her.
Thank you so much. People have been going with Mel is bad in some reactions in those first few episodes and some don’t seem to let that go till episode 9 on the last few minutes. Mel reactions are odd and I feel myself a bit protective of her because seeing it from her pov seems very rare and far to often less then positive in all episodes of the show.
Vi and Caitlyn are the most realistic, natural, non-forced, well-written homosexual couple I've ever seen in media. I love their dynamic and I'm looking forward to how the writers develop their relationship more. Great video!
There is literally only *one* thing I'll take exception to in your video: the timeframe. You said this was over "maybe a week". This was, at most, 48 hours. The time between Cait freeing Vi from Stillwater to the time they reentered Piltover during the Ekko/Jinx fight was not even a full day. Their "break" moment in the rain took place the same night. The following day was the raid on Silco's Shimmer factory, and Jayce met with Silco that evening. Jinx's "dinner party" would have been that night.
Now, some people would use this timeframe to claim the relationship was rushed. To that, I will offer that I met a woman at a camping event on June 17, 1992. On the evening of the 18th, we spent the evening under the stars, by the bonfires, talking non-stop until the morning on the 19th. I could not breathe without her. We were married 6 months later, had our daughter 8 months after that. We will celebrate our 30th anniversary this year. So, no -- Vi and Caitlyn aren't rushed at all.
If you don't mind, I wish just pick up a (quite insignificant) detail.
May be that's me who misunderstood (I don't have a good english level) what you wrote, but It seems to me than their break don't took place the same night than the Ekko/Jinx fight on the bridge (They reach Caitlyn's home a morning, they got the audience at the council the evening. I assume they're mainly resting during the daytime, they deserve it after theirs "adventures" like said Cupcake's daddy. I'm quite assuming three days go by between Cait's recovery and the Final.
That' all !
Otherwise, I support all what you said (and congratulations for your 30th :))
@@T3MrLan i agree, i also think it was about three days. and thats three days of nonstop very close interaction with almost no sleep. which is crazy for vi, who has been pretty much alone every single day for the past decade.
beautifula story my man, wish you and your wife all the best from good ol' Germany :)
A friend of mine who is a psychologist once told me that the dynamics of a relationship actually change more for the person doing someone a favour than the other way around. Somehow our brain seems to work like this: "Oh... I saved their life... apparently I seem to like them." Our affection towards somebody strengthens with every nice deed we do for them. If the other party doesn't act in a similarly nice fashion this often leads to a "Look at all the stuff I've done for them and how ingratious they are."- scenario. (Compare: The whole nice-guys don't get the girl- concept).
If they don't get together in season 2 ima explode
The moment when Vi opens her eyes to look at Caitlyn after she's gingerly stroked her cheek...just takes my breath away. There's a poignant glint of vulnerability and a bit of disbelief in how tender Caitlyn's actions are, when they lie on her bed together.
It's a beautiful moment, and every time I look at it, I just can't help but look at it and shriek because I'M F*CKING GAYYYYYYYYY THANK YOU AND GOODNIGHT!
I love how succinct you are in your presentation of this, and I agree wholeheartedly that this relationship was solid and was well written. No stereotypes, no humming and hawing over it, and no 'but can't cuz girl's. Just two people, falling in love and exploring their relationship.
However I about lost it with your whole "leh-dallah-beans!!" 🤣 Leh-dallah-beens!?!
Hahaha hey man. Never underestimate a Le$bean
@@AFlyingWalrus gotta love them lean bean machines
I do love the relationship between Vi and Caitlyn. Honestly, anyone with Hailee Steinfeld's voice saying, "You're hot cupcake" would melt and seduce anyone! But seriously, I do love the cupcake nickname, "You're so sweet, like a cupcake." It also took me a while to realize why Jinx's choice for a cupcake was a snack for her, but after a while it hit me like lightning!
7:04 Take that apology back. Say you're welcome instead
I love how the relationship between Vi and Caitlyn is developing. I completely see it and it does feel natural. In comparison the relationship between Korra and Asami, in The Legend of Korra, felt more forced. Granted it is more of a children's show and their are small clues to pick up on, but still felt more forced than this one. I have to agree, RIOT deserves a lot of credit of how they are handling this story.
To be fair, the writers of the show have gone on record saying that Korra and Asami was supposed to be much more developed but Nickelodeon wouldn't let them show anything too direct. They were bascially limited to body language and implications (aka Korra only writing to Asami for 3 years and not Mako or Bolin). Not to mention that acceptance of gay relationships was in a much different spot at the time, Korra's final episode aired before gay marriage was legal in the US.
While I do agree I do wish to note that Korra did the best it could with network restrictions. Which why I think many still look back fondly on Korrasmi while acknowledging that it has been done better since because it very much they walked so others could run thing
Historians would say they were..
G o o d F r i e n d s.
Hahaha of all the comments this one got me. Well done
My only big disagreement with this video is the idea that it's controversial to say the relationship works. That is nothing but stone-cold, true take. 🍷🗿
Isn't these two's relationship a pretty popular one? Like most people I've seen seem to love them and I can't say I've seen much if any backlash to them. There's certainly are the few weird takes about it being rushed, which honestly being labeled either "rushed" or "shoved down our throat" is basically the fate of nearly every on screen LGBT relationship from certain people, but anecdotally I havent really seen anyone say they straight up hate it. I feel like most of the legitimate (that is, not bad-faith) complaints about it being "rushed" just come from people that simply don't notice all the affection and flirting because gay relationships are so rarely presented people just gloss over those things when its not a man and woman on screen. Cait and Vi is the story of the sheltered uptown rich girl meeting the gruff street tough with a heart of gold from the wrong side of the tracks. It's about as classic a Hollywood pairing as you can get, there's even a Billy Joel song about it, and I suspect if Vi had been male there'd be very few people calling it rushed since them hooking up would just be so expected to happen.
My only concern with them is that the writers won't be allowed to actually develop them overtly in S2 and we'll be stuck with just more of these subtle, brief and underplayed moments. I love those moments don't get me wrong but I also want it to actually go somewhere.
I hope they continue to allow things to develop naturally. Looking forward to seeing more of them in S2
It was fine up until the end of episode 7 when Vi seemingly forgot Ekko existed, then in episode 8 and beyond it felt like the writers were running out of screentime and just skipped past a bunch of much needed development until the "breakup" in the rain, which seemed to come out of nowhere. Just didn't feel fully earned to me. They've only touched on Vi's past with enforcers (murdered parents, thrown in prison for 5-7 years where she apparently received regular beatings, etc.). And Cait was weirdly understanding that Vi's sister just tried to gun her down for no real reason.
Vi just warmed up too fast and Cait is almost saintlike in her tolerance for the utter insanity Vi unleashed into her life, even if it was unintentional.
The third act in general just felt rushed though, not just the Cait-Vi dynamic. They stuck the landing but wobbled a bit right beforehand. I'd only call it bad writing if Cait just disregards what Jinx (in all likelihood) did to her mother when season 2 rolls around. That would be ridiculous.
Your hopeless romantic heart is screechy and hilarious ahaha loved this vid
OMG 6:45 speaks directly out of my heart!
On the bridge when Jinx is shooting at them, Caitlyn shoves herself in front of Vi to protect her and Vi shoves her away not willing to risk her life.
Just a small detail you missed
6:45 bro Im with you every scene with them being so naturally physical and soft had me dying and on the floor
Are people really taking an issue with them? I seriously can't understand why.
Like, I didn't exactly love their relationship, because for me it actually gets overshadowed by the rest of the show (which is a good thing), but I can see the potential for it to become an amazing romance side-plot.
Guess some people don't have better stuff to do than hate on ships for the sake of it :/
I'm glad to see that it was a vocal minority that was dissenting about their relationship. I saw people saying it in comments on prior videos and reviews so I thought I'd make a video on it. Because why not?
I like how they made Caitlyn's colors darker blue and Vi's bright pink, it reminds me of the oil and water phrase. Someone I saw on Twitter pointed out how Jinx's colors are powder blue as opposed to Vi's pink, showing how different they are, and I feel like there's something similar going on between Cait and Vi.
At this point ive seen so many videos of why caitvi work since i agreed ever since i saw them at the ending of ep 4 that i forget that some people don't really agree, and for all i can say about it is that there are at least two different cases: the ones with close mindedness, and the ones who think their relationship goes way to fast. And see i'm a queer woman who is by now very well educated on caitvi, so let me tell you that those people have no idea what they're talking about. Caitlyn and Vi's relationship goes way deeper than most people think, experiencing traumatic moments together, among other things, creates a special bond way faster. Caitvi is a beautiful representation for people like me and i am very thankful to see that many others agree with me.
This was just me letting out my frustation, if you read this here have a cookie: 🍪
I'll gladly accept the 🍪.
As well as a wonderful comment to read through. Thanks for dropping by and glad you enjoyed the video
Seeing Vi and Cait be shipped for so many years made me hyped to see their relationship in Arcane(how/if there would be any).
And god damn i was blown away by how well it was done.
Vi and Caitlyn's relationship is something that I absolutely love. The two characters are so beautifully fleshed out, and it's not necessarily focusing on the fact that it's a wlw relationship, but just that the relationship is so deep and tender. I tend to associate the finale song (What Could Have Been - Sting) with them for some reason. I just think it fits the ending of the show and everyone else's view of their relationship so well.
Seriously great video. Loved the explanation and analysis, and love that someone else looks as much into detail as I do haha
Also, I was drinking hot cocoa when 10:20 happened and I nearly spewed it everywhere, I'm dead
I completely agree with the assessment that the actual character development and relationship building depicted here is sorely missing in gay couples in today's media. Like oh there's the token gay couple... glad they're here but contribute nothing to the story besides a check box for gay representation.... then there's vi and catilyn, a masterclass in making a relationship work in a narrative and make sense, its one of the best examples of a growing relationship on screen. Not just gay couples, but couples in general.
I know I’m not the first to say this, but I wanted to mention how happy I was about the way you talked about these two. As a lesbian, I was really worried that it would be fetishized but it wasn’t at all and you mentioned a lot of the things that I loved about them too.
Jayce and Mel knew each other for 3 years before their sex scene so I really didn't have an issue with it. Also I never felt like Vi and Cait was forced.
This really opened my eyes to Jayce and Mel
Thank you for staying that they knew each other for 3 years
3 years it was not 7 years ???
If these two are not a couple by season two I will cry
omg you are so right about their common thread being isolation. this was SUCH a good analysis. thank you!
I didn’t really care much for Caitlyn the first few episodes, whereas I absolutely loved Vi. I knew a lot of people shipped them going into the show, and I was preparing myself for a bland romance.
I was very surprised to find how quickly Caitlyn grew on me. I found I was very wrong in thinking she was some bland rich girl, and she and Vi had so much chemistry and great scenes.
It was a wonderful and pleasant surprise.
7 months later because I came into this exactly like you. "I might as well, some gay representation is better than none..." and just fell in love. Jayce and Caitlyn's scenes made me cringe badly, but then the FULLY-FLEDGED CAITLYN taking on the world with VI got me so stirred up
@@hdbordercollie Jayce/Cait was never really a thing, though. He was clearly a "big bro" the whole time. Not sure why people assumed he was trying/wanted to be Cait's love interest at any point.
Great video, 100% agree 🥰 Love how you analyzed their characters, their scenes and why they work, I don’t think this was rushed at all, but well, when it comes down to “not conventional relationships” a lot of people will try to use every possible argument to say why their relationship doesn’t work 🙄 Luckily, I think there are more people who love their relationship than haters 😍
Glad you enjoyed the video
Considering some people jump into a relationship with someone they met yesterday in a bar. A week worth of FULLTIME highly emotional "quality" time which you would need to spend at least 7 dates or more on is totally believable as a foundation for their relationship.
Anyway great essay(?) hope to see more really digging your arcane content.
Eh, Mel's and Jayce's relationship had 5-10 years to develop off-screen. So, it's jarring in the sense that not much of that development was explicitly shown to us, but it's also not entirely unbelievable.
This is actually a good point. It just jarred me because we hadn't seen any onscreen chemistry yet.
what i think a lot of people forget is that if the writers wanted us to know something, we'd know it. and obviously there's gonna be a lot happening in the time jump but i dont think we see Mel and Jayces relationship much more developed after the timeskip than before. at most i think fact is that Mel started out trying to pull Jayce in one direction or the other, and later on realized she might have feelings for him. the line she says right before kissing jayce is really weird, something like "us medardas only ever take from the world, we're never in a position to give back." almost like she's giving a reason for the kiss, like it's an exchange of some sort. also the way that scene is shot is very predatory when mel is leaning in. some might see it as what jayce is seeing but i thought it was very invading.
I'm excited for more of their relationship in season two!
I think it will have many more twists and turns. Especially when it comes to Jinx and now potential Warwick being involved.
Couldn't agree more but I can't picture anyone not loving how genuine and well written that relationship is. Also, loved the video, here's a sub !
i loved the way you explained this!! it was the right amount of analysis, right amount of hopeless romanticism imo which is exactly what i wanna see more- people stating facts and details but also sharing their feelings and brainrot, without sexualizing them or being weird about it
Well I'm not a professional or have any qualifications. But I can say that section was pulled from personal experience. Sadly it also had a dark side of attributing the positive experience to a unhealthy relationship as well. But that's a tangent for another time and place.
Positive and negatives to everything and all that
Glad you enjoyed my professional chaos
00:59 I thought the next one would be “problem with a sister, punch her in the face”🤣
Despite almost universal praise for the show, I am almost annoyed that it doesn't get more recognition. This to me, is on par with the best stuff from the likes of Game of Thrones and other great shows. Like, how the hell did they manage to introduce a fully fleshed yet still mysterious world, with political conflicts, magic and science systems, with time jumps, and with amazing characters that in some cases have so little screen time it is a true miracle they all feel like real characters. ALL in nine episodes. And fair to say that main cast all get fully developed (or at least to the point that they were meant to be developed) character arcs, and different fan groups that are in love with them. Absolutely insane. And on top of that, there is sooooo much told with non verbal language thanks to superb animation, the attitude and the actions and non-actions of characters really show who they are, instead of getting a tiresome narration of events on what Piltover/Zaun is, together with the different plots. If I had a hat, I would take it off and never put it back on.
Also Vi and Cait are exaggeratedly cute, sexy and natural as a couple
i agree with all of this, very well said. i guess arcane is somewhat of a hidden diamond since people tend to automatically dismiss animation. their loss. if a wider audience finds it, great, well deserved, but in a way i like that the fanbase stays in a circle that truly appreciates the show and doesn’t just cater to *everyone* like marvel movies do, for instance.
oh my god . Thank you for this video. Exactly everything i had in my head you put here AND MORE. finally anyone who understand their relationship and got they are perfcet and they are not main point of this sotry.....You did so good job. ( I hope we can see them in season 2 more )
who is watching this in November when Act 1 of season 2 is out and episode 3 is all the hype right now?
The moment I saw their first interaction I was like, be still my gay heart. I love these two together so much. And the fact that one is a close quarters fighter while the other is long distance screams teamwork to me. They are perfect for each other.
there connection together in the show is just amazing. I like the idea how they did not trust each other at first but working together really build up something for them. Im excited for season 2 to see what will happen to them hope maybe we see more clips of them next season. I love them so much
Oh no, I actually really enjoyed the build up to this relationship. People can say rushed but it honestly did feel pretty natural to me at least. They are honestly an adorable and complimentary pairing even if they are not seeing each other yet. I agree with all the points you made; it's really one of the best lesbian almost couple I've seen recently, it just feels natural.
I think that one tense scene in the final episode where Vi thought the literal cupcake was going to be Caitlyn, the whole bond between Vi and Caitlyn along side that split frame of her looking at Vi lovingly just made it all the more of a twisting moment that wouldnt have worked as well if the relationship was not done correctly between the two. I really just love them both and can't wait to see more of them
I quite literally have nothing to contribute to the conversation because everyone has stated those points already. But I will say I just found this video purely by the algorithm (and plethora of Arcane videos I've watched in the past couple months) and I will say FINALLY A VIDEO COMMENT SECTION WHERE LONG COMMENTS ARE ACCEPTABLE AND EVERYONE READS THEM.
My dude if this is the community you're cultivating COUNT ME IN I'M STAYING.
Who knew when you pour your heart into videos about discussions, people would discuss in the comments?
In all seriousness, I'm just as surprised as you are, and so happy many people are having thought-provoking discourse in the comments on these videos. Hope you do stay, and if you are curious the past 4 Arcane videos on the channel also have some wonderful comments. Even if there are some on the Viktor video that break your heart reading them.
Welcome to the Huddle friend
@@AFlyingWalrus Def excited to see what you work on next!
it would’ve been perfect to at the intro of vi (0:53) “problem with a sister? punch her in the face!”
"You can almost hear the 'So you're saying there's a chance?'" IS EXACTLY how I felt when I watched that scene for the first time. Lolololol
WELCOME TO THE VI X CAIT SHIP! Mine was formed from playing League of Legends LONG before Arcane was even announced. Their interactions in game and rumored relationship was enough for me to ship them. Plus, FUCK they are cute together and damnit CUPCAKE! Arcane just fleshed it out in a wonderful way and I'm expecting that S2 will have MUCH more emphasis on this, especially with the audio trailer putting them at odds over Jinx. Thank you for your in depth and thoughtful videos!
As a league player of now ten years I can relate with you on that
Glad you enjoy my ramblings on the matter
6:33 Lol let it out man let all out I'll be the same way too geez lol
Vi and Cait is one of the best-written beginnings of a romance I've seen in a show for a fucking long-ass time.
the way you said sorry after ranting on abt their relationship 😢 don't feel bad and don't apologize. All true Arcane fans go through the exact same thing❤
I support this relationship between Caitlyn and Vi 1000%. And I am LOVING how respectful he is when explaining why they'd be a good couple. I was fanboying right along with him with the fluff scenes between Cait and Vi. XD
Dude i love your humor (6:33 cracked me up xD)
Jokes aside, your explanations of how OPPOSITE they are and how their past views about each other completely fade away throughout the season, really opened a new perspective for me about their relationship. Also that oil to water and blood to water metaphor BLEW my mind, GREAT video dude!!! :D
All their scenes together just make me smile from ear to ear, can't wait to see how things develop in season 2!
I don't understand why anyone would disagree (unless it's a homophobic person, obviously), this relationship is well-written. They have enough similarities and enough differences to go well together. At their core, they both have a good heart and similar goals but they take different roads because they were raised different. Also, Vi flirting with her is a godsend.
Brilliant video. And thanks for quenching my thirst for high-quality Arcane content. ;) I really liked both of them together and, as a hopeless romantic myself, I hope they will find their way to one another in season 2. Even though Arcane has shown that it's more interested in tragedy. 🙈
We can hope
OMG to rewatch this two after two years T.T ... I'm sooooo into them omg ... Lol my lovelanguage is also touch and omg i wish somebody would do all of this to me >.
Nice video! I did't expect that I would like to see these two characters and their relationship again and again. I'm usually not interested in same-sex relationships. But here everything is so delicate and beautiful. Thay really touch my heart. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed the video
I'm honestly was shocked when I found out most people were angry/didn't agree or understand Vi's actions in the end of episode 3. For me, when I first watched it and showed it to people, all our reactions were the same. I was just angry at Powder at that scene. I was pissed at her for being so rash and irresponsible and I feel so bad for Vi in that scene. I'm shocked that most people don't agree with Vi. I get why they'd be upset at her hitting Powder, but other than that I don't get it...
Something I have learnt recently is that my love language is very physical. I am just happy receiving and giving hugs, and if someone just cuddles with me it makes so happy that I start moving my feet with joy. Seeing physical love expressed more with gentle actions than with words was delightful in this series. I hope they keep it up.
Also true, if someone touches me (with consent, ofc) that gentle I will just melt and fall head over heels for them.
Just Yes to all of this! They had such a natural chemistry, but also came from different lifestyles and environments. It was only natural that there was conflict at the end and it wouldn't have made sense if they had even kissed near the end of the series. The scene of them in the rain they are both in conflict on their approach, but they are not necessarily in conflict with each other, you can tell they both care deeply about each other and hope that neither of them get caught up in the potential war to come. I honestly can't wait for Season 2 as they have so many different character arcs going on simultaneously, it's honestly a work of art!
Your video is incredible :)
I agree that Vi and Caitlyn's relationship is more natural than any gay couple I've seen in most shows , and I've seen many of them. I am glad that they did not kiss in this season and that it is through gentle touches and hugs that we can definitely tell they have feelings for each other.
Another thing that I found interesting is the parallel between Vi / Caitlyn and Vander / Grayson, not that the two last had any relationship at all. What I mean is that we see that at the beginning on the first three episodes there is an understanding between the Undercity with Vander and Piltover with Grayson. Both worked together in the shadows to keep th peace, and as I have watched your video on Vander we knew it would not last. Then we see the understanding between Vi and Caitlyn, and despite their differences and social background they come together and might symbolically represent what Piltover and Zaun could be.
I don't know if you think the same , but I see Caitlyn and Vi as the hope that one day Piltover and Zaun might become one city once and for all
Thank u,I really loved ur video...the explaination was just overwhelming and sumed up their relationship pretty well...can't believe anyone would say they were forced😐they had better chemistry and development than most straight couples...fight me if u want but I won't back down their relationship totally completely 100% works
6:37 I was not expecting that 😭
Gay or straight it matters not, This is a relationship between two very human characters from different sides of the track. And through shared hardship and a common goal a bond was formed naturally. Arcane destroys any modern narrative that the majority of people are biased/discriminatory towards an individual's sexual preference. The reason we all roll our eyes at modern entertainment with a focus on gender, sexuality and diversity is because we know the characters will be nothing more than a gender, race or sexuality. They are never human.
I am COMPLETLEY with you! 100% nothing was rushed nothing was pushed over. These two just have amazing chemistry, they also seem to have the same (or at least similar) morals (which is essential in any kind of relationship) and, like you said, they went through some very traumatic experiences together... these two are just perfect! I could watch their scenes over and over again (I actually am)
This was explained SO well. Thank you for making this.
When you talk about the thing about being sheltered and associating being opened up to the world with the person that did it you said you didn't know if that was a thing. Let me tell you right now that it is. I was fairly sheltered when I was a kid. I grew up in a small suburban community for the majority of my life and so I really didn't have a lot of experience with the rest of the world. But when I went to college my world got opened wide thanks to my roommate. He helped me broaden my horizons and create new experiences. For that I love him. He is like the brother I never got to have. Just wanted to give some insight in regards to what you said because that is what I thought about Caitlyn and Vi as well. Love your video, man!
Based that line of my personal life. I was...involved, with someone that opened my perspective on the world and who I am as a person. I can look back with genuine greatfulness to them for that. Granted that also made me ignore red flags and end up a surviver of abuse, but hey. You live and you grow.
Thank you for sharing your story
@@AFlyingWalrus Of course, any time. Sorry to hear that happened to you. Hope you are doing better now
i don't know if it's because i have all my social media catered to such a degree that i don't see things that don't interest me, but everything i've seen about caitvi is excitement about their potential relationship. nonetheless this was an amazing video essay. never thought about how they provide to the other what they need and want, glorious.
Glad you enjoyed the video and my small insight on the matter
I think everyone complaining about their relationship is just some anti-sjw who is in it for the homophobia, considering that besides their brilliant depiction in the series, Vi and Cait already had been a pretty popular ship for years in the LoL community, so actually pairing them off with anyone else would have been the move totally ignoring what the actual fans want.
ynes their relationshipmoved very fast but they went trough together soo much with soo little time if this happens trhen you attach yourself tio that erson with whom you experienced the world...I still wouldnt leave my sister to that person tho...yeah my life has been literally saved as well and I was together with athat person but I still put my two sisters before him( I am older sister to two yonger ones and very protective of them) I think that Vi did such a bad job with Jinx when it comes to words...because like you said she has been used to punching her way out of everything ibut if it comes to her relationshop with her sister...her sister is mentally ill girl whos illness has been untreated.....Vi just doesnt know how to act with her or what to do....she does all the worng decisions and you understand why...I actually understand almost everybody in the show
7:00 lol i feel that part about melting the moment someone touches you as gently as these two do
❤ I'd melt too. I just want to be hugged by both of them at the same time. Bet it would feel so warm and healing, and genuine 😭!
.....yes im lacking in deep geniune hugs right now.
Fantastic video- I like how you delved into the specifics of Vi and Caitlyn's relationship as well as emphasizing it's newness and how that plays into their dynamic. HOWEVER! I couldn't help but see that Mel and Jayce's relationship had to catch a stray (as it often does)... I have a rebuttal
Mainly, I REALLY don't like the framing of Mel "forcing herself" on Jayce- that isn't what happened and is frankly dishonest. She made a move, and it was reciprocated- especially the moment that leads to the kiss is one of vulnerability between them.
People are going to have their opinions, but I think folks are harder on Mel and Jayce's relationship than they should be- especially seeing how it accomplishes and different narrative purpose.
"I'm gonna say an opinion that may get me alot of hate. This relationship..."
*me hovering over the close window key*
".. works."
Me: OH thank GOD
6:59 this scream sesh here is me on so many levels
I love how your voice lightened up when you started talking about there physical appearance of each other
I agree. Physical touch is my love language too and maaaannnn, I totally relate to what you said for those like 10 seconds. And about the hopeless romantic thing haha
I have thoroughly enjoyed this great analysis video of Vi and Caitlyn's relationship. Thank you so much @Flying Walrus! And i truly agree with alllll your points in this video, the ship has truly sailed for these two and i wont accept otherwise! I do want to see more of them tho but fingers crossed S2 is a-coming, and i can't wait for your future analysis! This is my Vi-Caitlyn fav vid!
p.s.
my heart melted too when i saw these two's interactions for the first time. I literally squealed haha! and seriously, Vi and Caitlyn are such a breath of fresh air, it's really like seeing two people slowly but surely falling in love with one another :,,D it's so heartwarminggg~ they deserve to be celebrated like this, ignore the boos!
Great work!
I gotta be honest. I didn't even like this show until these two characters met; I understood how well done it was, I just wasn't enjoying it. I kept watching because I kept being told how good it is and that it keeps getting better. It wasn't until these two got on the screen that it all really clicked for me. They're the best thing in the entire show and anyone hating on the relationship is just wrong.
I've watched so many video essays on this relationship and yours is by far the best. Most people say a lot of things and use nice words and go on and on picking at every detail; and they focus on these things so much that they fail at the basics, which is: to show how naturally this grows. You're the it one who made it, so thanks, I was looking forward to hearing someone contextualizing each of them in a humane way, telling how they must have felt, what must have gone through their minds. It feels organic and plausible. Thanks for that.
Loved the video. Agree with you. I really like this relationship. One of my favorite cartoon romances in a while and it's nice to see it become so popular.
0:22 Caitlyn's face LOL