I *CAN'T* believe this happened 😢 Therapist reacts to S1E8 of Arcane: League of Legends
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- Опубликовано: 14 июл 2024
- In this episode of Arcane: League of Legends - Oil and Water Dr. Courtney Tracy watches as we find out Mel's backstory; Caitlyn and Vi forge an unlikely alliance; Jinx undergoes a startling change.
#LeagueofLegends #therapistreacts #arcane
00:00 - 00:15 - Intro
00:15 - 01:30 - Mel's backstory of family expectations
01:30 - 03:01 - Why Vi didn't go after Jinx
03:01 - 03:34 - The wolf and the fox
03:34 - 04:13 - Caitlyn's speech to her parent
04:13 - 04:47 - Cailtyn's mom's pause and reflection
04:47 - 05:14 - That's just a theory...a THERAPY theory
05:14 - 06:21 - Mel and her mother's complex relationship
06:21 - 07:01 - Vi's guilt for leaving Jinx
07:01 - 07:50 - The theme of vulnerability as weakness in Arcane
07:50 - 08:15 - More alike than different
08:15 - 09:37 - Pushing our perspectives as fact
09:37 - 10:16 - The council decides
10:16 - 11:38 - Oil and Water
11:38 - 12:08 - Viktors experiment
12:08 - 13:02 - Jayce and Vi team up
13:02 - 13:31 - The consequences of battle
13:31 - 13:51 - SURPRISE
13:51 - 15:01 - The innocent lives taken during war
15:01 - 16:03 - Outro
ABOUT THE HOST
Dr. Courtney Tracy, known as The Truth Doctor, discusses the world through a mental health lens using pop culture and the media as her medium.
The goal of this show is to provide psychological perspectives on topics, themes, characters, and, at times, real people as they are presented in mass media. The outcomes we hope for are increased understanding and compassion for the human condition and increased awareness of how the mind and body work.
Dr. Courtney is a licensed clinical social worker and a doctor of clinical psychology. She holds a LCSW license in the state of California and has specialized in substance use and co-occurring disorders throughout her career.
PLEASE NOTE: This show is not therapy, clinical advice, or medical advice. This show is intended to deliver psychoeducation and share personal experiences.
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THAT ENDING! I can't wait for the finale wow!! Does anyone know if there will be a season 2 for Arcane? Let me know in the comments. ❤
Season 2 has been announced as soon as the finale aired. The script's finished and they've aready started recording the voicelines, but we'll not get it very soon. People estimate late 2023 at the earliest. There will be a "Making of" series airing in August, so it's possible we find out more then.
Yes! Season 2 was confirmed, but they said it will be released in 2023 only. There is a small teaser. ruclips.net/video/Nu9HTOIUxLk/видео.html
@@ninjatoriumnova2483 So exciting!! Thank you so much for letting me know. 😍
Yeah I'm looking forward to see you react to the last episode. This series is so amazing 🙂
Hi Dr! I'm loving your arcane series. If i may suggest another animated show that also deals with great themes regarding mental health, like the impact of war on children, broken families, dysfunctional parent-child relations, grief, and many other relevant themes: "Avatar: The last Airbender".
It's more light hearted than arcane but amazing nonetheless. It's also longer, though episodes are just 20 minutes long, so it amounts to more or less ~20 episodes of a regular show.
Many consider it the greatest animated show of all time, and i don't know anyone who watched it and didn't fall in love with it. It's a work of art like no other. And usually RUclips channels who do avatar reactions get a huge surge in views because it has such a huge and dedicated fan base *wink wink*
Hugs from Brazil! Can't wait for the finale 😍
I love that silco ran his ass to singed while carrying jinx despite having 2 big thugs he could have had carry her.
The fight scene in the factory was so well done. As fans, we're vibing to the music, loving the action, cheering as our protagonists kick ass...and then a child is caught in the crossfire. The music abruptly stops, the action stops, and we're brutally reminded of the very real cost of war.
Regarding Marcus... it's a sad truth that sometimes people don't get a redemption story. Marcus spent most of his time wallowing in self-disappointment and regret. If someone wants redemption then they need to be doing something to earn redemption, otherwise before you know it... it's too late.
Yeah, like honestly, how many of us here has fucked up their lives because of some stupid shit we did when we were younger? Not everyone gets a happy redemption arc, some are ruined by that mistake and never get a chance to fix it.
Ironically, he was trying to redeem himself, and because he learned the wrong lesson, he compounded his mistake.
I think he was working with Silco because he was trying to be like his Greyson, to atone for causing her death with his rashness, inability to see nuance and determination to 'get results'.
Silco's not Vander though.
History repeats itself, and Jayce's rashness, inability to see nuance and determination to get results got Marcus killed.
I love this show a lot and as someone living with a walking disability, the scene of Viktor finally being able to run and him screaming in triumph was really powerful. I am surprised that you had not a single word to say about that, e.g. how it might change your personality when you overcome a lifelong problem (like an addiction or a long-time injury that healed or the loss of a family member?). Also, remember Viktor as a kid could not outrun the toy boat he constructed, but adult Viktor outran a tanker ship, as a visual and symbolic metaphor. This show is absolute genius, the finale will blow you away!
Victor running is my favorite scene in the show,I’m a sucker for characters overcoming their struggles,also the voice actor did an amazing job,such emotion in that scream.
This is such an excellent point! Thank you for pointing it out. When I’m watching sometimes I get so in the “fan mode” I miss a great topic to analyze. 😅 These are the types of deep dive subjects I’d like to do more on shorts so I can focus on one moment and it’s impact on the character after I’ve already watched it as a fan. I’m SO EXCITED for the finale! 🙌
@@the.truth.doctor Sounds great, I'm down to watch after you finished the season finale! Waiting for season 2 is almost painful, but not really 🙂 have a great day + weekend!
Arcane's genre (according to Brandon Sanderson) is Grimdark. Even when characters do the 'right thing', like opening up to others or showing compassion and vulnerability, they rarely, if ever, get rewarded for it like you'd expect them to in other fiction. They're still expected to do the right thing, of course, regardless of reward. Character growth comes from pushing on despite being repeatedly knocked down. That's one of the things that makes the show so compelling, and makes those smaller moments of happiness all more worthwhile.
The fact they linger on the kid falling makes it so much gut wrenching when he hits the ground like this show is so fast pace so any time they slow something down it makes it so much impactful
The psychological complexity that the Arcane writers gave these characters is really unprecedented for what's essentially a YA fantasy show.
Amanda Overton (works on scripts for Arcane) got asked if Cassandra (Cait’s mom) had caught Cait sneaking girls into her room before since her reaction was so mild. Amanda replied that there was “definitely something familiar about that scene.” And the fandom ran with that. Caitlyn the Lady Killer. I mean, the way she was flirting with that woman at the brothel, can we really be surprised.
The Breakup Scene is so good for a number of reasons. Mostly I love the idea of distance that’s been played with in their relationship. Their partnership starts with Cait taking a step over a line to reach out to Vi, and since then there’s been so much closeness and touching between them. But here, in the rain scene, Vi is purposefully keeping distance with Cait even as she tries to reach out again, refusing to look at her as she calls them oil and water and says that Cait should forget her.
But there’s also this second bit. Vi’s about to do something dangerous and reckless. And she’s doing what she did all those years ago with Powder. Walking away to protect her. With Powder it was protecting her from herself until she managed to cool down. Now, with Cait, it’s protecting her from being dragged any further into her drama. Keeping her safe. Unfortunately, she doesn’t count on Jinx showing up at Cait’s home but…
I love the visual of Viktor finally being able to outrun the boat.
“Of everyone, you’re the one [Cait] trusted to do something.” Vi really holds Cait’s opinion in high regard now, huh. Lot of trust.
The second time we’ve seen Cait’s Detective Mind at work and it’s just her replaying the Break Up scene over and over while in the shower. Like girl.
Another thing on Vi and Cait, Vi keeps saying they're oil and water (don't mix) but in the shower it very deliberately shows the blood from Cait's wound being cleaned out and mixing with the water. BLOOD and water, not oil and water. Blood and water are different, and symbolize/provide different things, but they DO mix AND blood is mostly made of water. They're not polar opposites, they just have different parts in them; they still work together. And, like Vi and Cait, Zaun and Piltover are also more like blood and water. They came from the same people, and we've seen multiple Zaun-Piltover teams throughout the show that proves they're not so different as to be completely incompatible.
@@melsy94 YES!! Thank you for mentioning this! I was ready to post a similar comment but came across your post!
You can really tell how Vi is a blunt instrument with just how badly she botched her audience with the council. She's like the anti-Jayce when it comes to charisma; I doubt she could even convince someone dying of thirst to take a drink of fresh water.
Something that Arcane does spectacularly is that through the pacing, music, and the animation itself, it drives the viewer to *want* conflict... And then it punishes us with the reality of how violence effects those involved.
From the fight with the kids in the first episode, to the scene with Vi and Jace in the Shimmer lab, to the very end, it promises some catharsis, some gratification... But what we get is the ugly nature of the cycles of violence and trauma that only spiral outward into more violence and trauma.
Also, keep in mind that line Vi says to Caitlyn about chasing her monsters away for Powder. It's good for an extra kick to the proverbial gut later on.
Oh Jesus, I didn't even think about the monsters line in the context of the finale. That hurts even more now.
Oh I like you. Nobody else seems to care that Marcus died. Most reactors seem to just go "Haha he sucks, I'm glad he's dead." without any care for the fact that Ren (his daughter) is now an orphan.
people hold a grudge from what happened in the first act ig, also they really didn’t give the daughter much screentime lol
@@beyondviolet People are selective in their grudge holding. The "good" guys of the show do shitty stuff in act one, but it's written off by the same fans who decry Marcus for trying to make the best of a shitty situation.
@@Jtownschannel mostly because Marcus has a bad attitude and made a decision that was clearly stupid to the viewers. Obviously he was doing what he thought was best, but attitude can really make people dislike a character even if you think that’s unfair 🤷♀️
Marcus was a victim of circumstances he helped to initiate as a young, brash enforcer driven by ambition and making stupid decisions.
He also grew up in an environment where disdain for the people of the undercity is common and has soaked up those prejudices. He's an asshole, but it wasn't his fault he turned out that way.
It was great to see a character struggle and fail to make the right decisions right up to the end because of the cards available to them. It happens to people in real life and this was a great example of it.
I was sorry for his daughter, but he got what was already coming for him and it's his own mistake, he could have avoided that by simply stop taking Silcos blood money. If he was actually good he could have stayed in piltover where he would be untouchable by Silco and he could have told the council everything, even if he would end up in jail at least he'd be Alive and eventually come out
It's a well written death and an end to a painfully realistic character making stupid decisions one after the other. I don't feel bad for him I can just understand him
2:03 I am very confident in saying: Silco and Vi didn't have eye contact. Because there is a shot that shows Silco from behind and there is nothing but the lamps there, and based of the length it took the new enforcers to get to the bridge I think it is very unlikely.
The shot with Vi's face being half behind bars and half free has a different meaning and could be interpreted, but only the writes know truly they they did that
I agree
Oh wow if that half behind bars metaphor was intentional, that is really powerful - even as an accident that’s cool. 😍 Arcane is so incredible.
@@the.truth.doctor One thing I've learned about Riot after reading their lore for years now is that a lot of the imagery has other/hidden meanings. Such as the raven for Jinx which is a nod to a demon of secrets in the game. There are like 30 or so hints at other parts of the world in the Arcane show. The songs that they use for other league videos. not just the show, go along with what is happening on screen. I think if not all the songs, then most of the songs in the show were created specifically for those scenes. So you can learn a lot about what characters are thinking/feeling or get a better understanding of a scene by listening to the lyrics of the song that is playing during those scenes. A few in previous episodes if you want to check out is the "Playground", "Goodbye" and "Enemy" songs in the first, third, and fourth episodes.
Mel is a little different character when you rewatch the series after having seen this episode. It's easy to hate a schemer, a manipulator, or a femme fatale, but here we see that she knows the world is full of wolves, who will use violence to take what they want, and she's been trying to figure out how to avoid that. Through the whole series she's been trying to set up soft power (like making Piltover a global trade hub) to keep things from devolving to violence.
...
The bit where Cait's mother pauses before making a decision at the end of the debate with Cait is something that the daughter does too. Throughout the series, whenever someone engages Cait with negative emotions, or she puts her foot in her mouth and says something accidentally obnoxious, Cait pauses and then takes the discussion to a more factual, logical level. I think it's interesting that both mother and daughter argue in the same way, and both try to reach actual consensus through argument. Remember we were introduced to the Kirammans while they were arguing about whether or not to support Jayce.
We don't see a lot of Cait's dad, but when Caitlyn was tending to Vi's wounds she used his body language a lot. He's also the hugger in the family.
Parents are important to many of the characters in Arcane, and it's kinda weird that despite her struggles with her parents, Caitlyn definitely loves and respects them, and learned a lot from them. Cait learned to argue from her mother, and it's actually one of her best skills, because she uses it to find consensus (even if that means letting the other person change her mind).
Mel is such a cool character, her choices in the story makes you think she is gonna be 2 dimensional but she's easily my favourite over the entire series.
Parents and daughters are the main theme of the story and its so hard to talk about that in a single sitting. Sevika talking about her old man to Silco about jinx, Silco and jinx, Vander and vi, Marcus and his daughter, Milf and Mel, even singed was motivated by his daughter.
I love the acknowledgement of Caitlyn's mom's reaction and decision in this episode. One of the things I really appreciate about this show is how it made even tertiary characters like Cait's Mom, Mel's Mom, Marcus, etc. feel like three dimensional characters, when a lot of shows would have skated by making them completely flat and one-note.
Cait's Mom could have been a straightforward haughty aristocrat, functioning purely an obstacle to the protagonists. Mel's Mom could have been a mustache-twirling villain bringing warmongering from Noxus. Marcus could have been a stereotypical corrupt cop.
Instead, when we're first introduced to Cait's Mom in episode 2, she is introduced saying that she will stick up for Jayce as his patron, not writing him off as an embarrassment from the start, but only after he gets himself expelled; she's the one kicking down the door with gun drawn in this episode; she agrees to give them the audience they want; and she signals that Cait should go after Vi when Cait seems unsure. Marcus gets the whole subplot with his daughter and his regrets / feeling trapped where he's obviously the sympathetic character in multiple interactions. (Won't say more about Mel's Mom, because spoilers, obviously.)
I love how Cait's parents have swapped their traditional roles.
Cait's mother is the one kicking down doors with a gun to confront intruders to the home, and running the city as a Councillor.
Her father is presumably a doctor, the healer, the peacemaker and the quiet, proud parent.
Love how you talked about the reasons these children were working in the factory. A lot of people seem to put the blame on Silco saying he's using child labor.
But Silco is all about a future of a better Zaun. Everything he's doing is as he says, "for the sons and daughters of Zaun". It would be hypocritical of him to say that and then abuse the very children he's trying to help.
Silco probably let the children work in the factories because there are no good stable jobs outside, and this way they don't have to hustle and can provide for their families and contribute to the economy of Zaun. While the adults are the ones doing the peddling and/or trading.
The children on the other hand see this as a better source of income for them compared to what else is available down in Zaun. These kids are just working for their survival and Silco is giving them that while working towards his goals for Zaun.
Agreed. We have already seen Ekko work at Benzo´s shop when he was a child and Vi mentioned that they had done other jobs before they broke into Jayce´s apartment. So children working in the undercity has probably been a thing for a long time already. A reference I often heard is England during the industrial revolution where children also worked in the mines and such.
Minor spoiler for the beginning of the next episode so skip me if you haven't seen it yet!
One thing that also speaks for child labour probably being very commonplace in Zaun and also not discriminatory is that the kid who died was the son of one of the chem barons. If we relate this to Piltover, I find it hard to imagine the son of a council member having to work.
@@MattettaM only non life threatening desk work or something like that^^ Cassandra clearly was not happy with her daughter working a dangerous job as an enforcer.
@@sunflowerice add to that the fact that the undercity is really dangerous, even for those who know how to navigate it, and it does not seem to have schools that can occupy children all day. so getting a kid a job not only seems to be the way they can learn trades and such, but also to make sure they keep out of trouble.
all in all i don't see a reason why that would not be practice in some way
After last rebellion Zaun is missing a whole generation and is left with hundreds of orphans who has to find means to live. Only from our main cast in Zaun we see no biological parents, but Vander who adopted four orphans and Benzo who adopted one another.
For a little more context on Mel and her mother:
They are from Noxus, it's one of the biggest countries. Very militaristic, with the greatest army in numbers on the continent. Noxus is constantly trying to expand by pure force and war. So in Noxus power of a house means military force under them. The scene in the beginning was probably in a concert land that there house took. If her mom wasn't very Machiavelli like, there hole house wouldnt exist anymore.
I'm pretty sure Vi couldn't actually see Silco and Jinx on the bridge, it was just made to look that way since her view was blocked of by the inforcers and smoke
it's so interesting seeing Vi's reaction to the council looking for peace. Ekko thought the same thing, but he was willing to trust Caitlyn and if he had made it to Piltover, i think he would have been open the peace or at least help from the council. it shows how it's like she is stuck in the past.
2:10 Vi was most likely thinking that the situation was a repeat of when they were younge, and she was dragged off by Marcus. In both situations, she looked on at her sister from afar while Silco was the one to address Jinx. He walked away with Jinx for a second time, and Vi was forced to stay back for a second time. This time, I bet she truly did feel as though she abandoned her.
The doctor that Silko took Jinx to, to save her life, is the same doctor that mentored Victor when he was young.
Something that a lot of people missed around your video of the 1:30 mark... that necklace in the blood after the beheading transitions into the present time as a painting on the wall at Mel's house in Piltover (so you realize she was remembering that interaction while she looked at the painting)... It gives more meaning to what she chooses to paint and why she damages the painting at the end...
I tend to take Vi's "Oil and Water - It wasn't meant to be." as her pushing Caitlyn away before she does something rash (teaming up with Jayce). She did the same thing with Powder in episode 3 before leaving to rescue Vander. Pushing people she cares about away from danger does fit rather well with Vi's character.
(Of course, both times, it backfires - Powder comes anyway, and Caitlyn, alone, is confronted with Jinx. Seems like a lession Vi hasn't learned yet.)
On the shorts would be cool to have "deep dives" on each character! In this reactions sometimes is hard to get their journey through the story!
The people of Zaun and Piltover may be similar in the sense that they're human, but their circumstances are not, and that's one of the core aspects of the show. You're right, the people of Piltover aren't that different, which is to say they're not any better, which makes it all the more messed up that they put themselves above the people in Zaun.
One side gets fresh air, wealth and prosperity. The other side gets poisoned air, poverty, and stagnation. Finding a common ground isn't really going to cut it, especially when one side is directly responsible for the hardships of the other.
Oh yes completely agree!
You have strange definition of "direct responsible". The only Piltover's fault is neglect, and it is the definition of indirect resposnsibility. Piltover is not causing Zauns hardships, they are merely not doing enough to lift them.
@@avatardm
Piltover was originally built and continues to run on gasses and rare metals mined from the fissures under it. They forced the miners to work there, even after realizing how dangerous it was, because it was hugely profitable. That exploitation continues to the present setting of the show, and the power dynamic is kept wildly off balance by topside using police to keep the undercity in line. They're not called "enforcers" for nothing.
To make matters worse, if someone from the undercity manages to prove themselves a genius academically and get into topside's scientific community, they will only ever be an assistant, as we see demonstrated by Viktor and Sky. In fact, Viktor had to literally risk everything in order to produce a technology advanced enough that Piltover couldn't ignore it, and arguably only because Jayce was his partner and wouldn't have accepted anything more than dual credit. (Though to be sure, you never see Viktor's face on a blimp, and the counsel never even thinks about giving Viktor a seat, only Jayce.)
So yes, I stand by my statement that Piltover is responsible for the hardships of the undercity. Even inaction would be, in and of itself, an action. But neglect is far from their only crime.
@@ShockArcl1te Zaun was earlier, was rich country that got too greedy and in ecological catastrophy destroyed their city state and fell to ruin. Piltover was at first only a district in ruins of Zaun, but because of it's people's ingenuity, and economic boom caused by funding of Academy by Heimerdinger, it dominated lanes that will form Underground later. Piltover didn't force miners to shafts, it was simply one of very few profitable even though dangerous jobs around. Social divides rised afterwards, when people close to Academy revived trade that was abandoned since fall of Zaun, and got rich. Actually Zaun was dependent on Piltovers imports and source of jobs it was. Yes, Piltover had resources and possibilities to aid Zaun more. But Zuan was in fault of their own undoing, not Piltover, which in fact improved Zauns situation, to worsen it.
@@avatardm Source for that? If that's the lore then it must be fairly new.
One more thing to the scene in the beginning. Vi not only sees Silco tanking Jinx away from her. One more thing she sees in this moment for the first time: Silco caring for Jinx. In this scene she sees how he is there for her where she couldn't and probably how he really was there all the time. In the scene we see that we dont really see the crystal after it's shown that it's there, instead it's about Jinx and silco is carrying her.
Vi has to witness for the first time that Silco succeeds and succeeded where she always fails: bering there for her and see her.
Also if it would have been the case that their eyes had meet in that scene it would make that even stronger cause Silco would prioritize Jinx over his personal goal (killing Vi) and just walk away.
Vi on the other hand had just took multiple decisions against Powder and for he self that lead to her laying there dying:
1. Prioritizing Caits savety over Powder when she carries her away instead of going to Jinx and side with her
2. Not interfering instead fleeing when ekko attacks powder. Knowing that she could possibly die.
3. In the Top/ Bottom conflict siding with top instead of bottom, of wich Jinx is in the frontline in wich Jinx is very invested.
Basically she prioritizes her personal needs (love/Lust/friendship with Cait, hate towards Silco) over the wellbeing of Powder.
I don’t think Vi can see Silco. In a wider shot, the bridge is covered in fog/smoke and they are quite a ways apart from each other. Also, since there are enforcers between them that presumably haven’t seen Silco yet. I think Vi is just looking back, because the gemstone is back there (and she is probably worried about Jinx also). That’s just my two cents🤷♂️
The Medarda family is from Noxus. Noxus is a nation of war where might makes right. Mel's mother considers things like compassion a sign of weakness. Which is why she states her son's(mel's brother) death as a matter of fact rather than emotional.
Vi actually didn't watch Silco carry Jinx away, she was way too far away to see (she was in the city watching guards run past and realizing she would be caught if she went back, while Silco was still on the bridge). It was a metaphorical stare down, though, because even though they didn't see each other they understood.
This reaction series has been outstanding. I love this show and feel like I've watched every youtube reaction but this one is different. It's fantastic to a deeper insight into the show. To get not just a reaction but a more detailed analysis has really added a new layer to the show for me to enjoy all over again. Thank you for such a fascinating series of videos.
As always, your analysis are very interesting - for example the theme of vulnerability. Thanks for the reaction again!
To answer your last question, I would love to see shorts of something that didn't make it into your videos.
The way I interpreted the beginning scene (where Vi was on one side of the bridge and Silco on the other,) is that Vi couldn't actually see what was going on and couldn't go to her sister because the enforcers were already between them.
While probably not all that great as a format for shorts, I feel like big part of the appeal of your channel is your education and experience and how they grant a perspective on things. What would be amazing is to have a breakdown for characters within series like Arcane, but to do so by comparing them to real world cases or research regarding either mental illness or real world social environments. I see a lot of the American coal industry circa 1950s to 1980s within how Piltover treats Zaun for example and I would love to see a comparison between the psychological / political lives of coal workers historically and those of the people in the undercity.
Little detail: Viktors second transformation attempt didn't work because he had no more shimmer energy, so he'd have died, but then the core took the energy from Skye, his assistant, which was just enough energy to transform his right hand. So his assistant Skye, literaly became his right hand.
this time about the mothers:
The saving grace for Cait´s mum is really that she is mostly reasonable and calm when needed. This consideration of her daughter and willingness to lend her an ear is what makes me forgive her most of the other things.
Ambessa Medarda is someone I have mixed feelings about: on the one hand she is just wow on the other hand she is kind of an a*****
IMO Vi has a complete tunnel vision, the way she talked about Silco at the council, she is only focused on bringing HIM down :/
Ah, about Singed (the doctor), who mentioned his daughter: it´s not the girl Ambessa killed in the flashback, but there is some speculation that another female champion (who is not shown in Arcane) could be his daughter^^
Also important here is the significance of parenting on the formation of personality and values. Cait's mum may have her flaws but she clearly helped shaped Caitlyn's confidence, emotional control, self-awareness, ability to see a bigger picture, and more. While her dad shares traits of compassion and diplomacy. She is very much a product of her upbringing, though she rejects its privilege.
Mel, on the other hand, shares her mother's guile, manipulation, courage, and strategic mind but rejects her ruthlessness. Both the shared qualities and diametrically opposed qualities shaped Mel.
Not to mention Vander and Silco, respectively shaping Vi and Powder/Jinx.
I really enjoy that aspect of the show, especially the subtleties among the Kirammans.
@@AngeloBarovierSD it's worth mentioning that even though Mel rejects her mother's ruthlessness, she shares it to some degree. Let's not forget how she raised Jayce to power, throwing him under the bus of politics to get a useful puppet, how she voted Heimerdinger out and how she pushed for creation of weapons as a means of defence and intimidation.
@@avatardm Perhaps ruthlessness wasn't specific enough [but I had to delete the rest of my comment because I realized it's spoilery].
VI’s tunnel vision is kind of understandable when considering that she has spent most of her time in prison and thinking about where it all went wrong ie Silco
2:30 she was clearly seperated from jinx by the enforcers that were running onto the bridge. She couldn't possibly go back
The endings of each chapter of this series are incredible. They always leave you looking forward to the next one... it's incredibly well done and the character development is unique.
Side question, have you seen Bojack Horseman? I think you might find it interesting because of the subject matter. It's kind of a black tragicomedy.
Is nobody going to talk about the fact that Vi doomed the council by telling them about Jinx?
That was by far the most stupid thing she as done throughout the entire show. Caitlyn was even trying to hold her back because she knew that Jinx has caused so much trouble at this point that Vi was basically putting a giant target on her sisters back by telling the council about her. I'm wondering what the reasoning behind this decision was - was she trying to get the council to take countermeasures against Silco more promptly?
I absolutely love the scene in the council in this episode. One of the things this show does so well is presenting the council as corrupt but not necessarily cruel of evil. Even if they're selfish or incompetent, none of them are "behind" what's happening in Zaun. But even more than that, the show does an amazing job of presenting multiple different sides to the conversation, with multiple different approaches on how to best move forward, and none of them are clearly correct. There's just so much subtly and nuence in this show that it can be kind of staggering.
Just a small observation here - when Silco is threatening Singed with a knife, you can see Singed's eyes darting back and forth between Silco and the knife. Even though he sounds calm when he's talking, his eyes there speak a lot of his character. While Singed doesn't have much respect for the lives of others, his own is very important to him.
I don't want to say too much, as that could potentially spoil season 2 things.
So I have power binged all your episodes after stumbling into your take on Last of Us Ep3 (brilliant by the way). Realizing how dense the storytelling in Arcane can be, I am kind of shocked Victor's run didn't make it into your comments. This was such an emotional series, but the catharsis of that moment and the complexity of what was paid for was just really powerful.
I love the relationships between characters that aren't explicitly stated in the show. The scene where Victor is a boy and the young girls sees him playing, if you have the subtitles on you can see that the girl's name is Sky. It just makes her death that much more heart breaking to see she may have been interested in him since she was a child. There is also a line in the game where Ekko says to Jinx "I had a crush… until you started talking to the gun.” This line makes their fight on the bridge and his moment of hesitation that much sadder.
So excited for the finale!
Singed, the 'I too had a daughter', character is from Zaun. Mel Mederda's mother, Ambessa, is the queen of Noxian, which is very far away. The princess that Ambessa murdered was not related to Singed.
I think you would enjoy watching the anime “Fruits Basket (2019)”. It deals with a lot of emotional and traumatic events that go on with the characters lives and honestly it’s just really wholesome of how one girl helps the entire family.
“That’s cute! And *that’s* traumatizing!” This whole show in a nutshell, really
I think because of your profession, you are the only reactor I saw who actually understands the tragedy behind Marcus. We all make mistakes and do shitty things when we're young, he made a deal with the devil because he wanted to have power, in episode 3 he even freaked out when the deal "changed" and now he's in the pocket of the most ruthless and powerful man in the under city. What other choice does he have? And all of this happens after Silco literally threatens his daughter, the light of his life, so I ask again what choice did he have? Anyone and everyone who hates on his character totally missed the point of what his character is supposed to represent in the story. He doesn't want to be a monster, but now he has no choice. Its tragic.
The first reactorr i saw that ACTUALLY liked Marcus character, i liked marcus too ;-; hope his daughter was ok after that.
For the shorts, I think it’s better to have content of what didn’t make it through the final cut.
Can’t wait to see your reaction to last episode, it’s really about to go down
The Medarda family are Noxian.
Its basically a warlord state where the worship nothing but strenght and power.
Anyone who lacks it, or has it but do need use it, are pretty much done for.
There are stories in the lore where Noxian Soldiers kills their own bannermen just for hesitating to kill a defeated enemy.
You keep what you kill.
There is no laws against it so the second you show any weakness, or anything that can even be percieved as weakness, people will come for your head.
A weak target is a free payday.
Showing mercy in Noxus is pretty much signing your own death warrant
I just realized something about that Mel flashback scene. The enemy girl that her mom is telling her they need to kill has dark hair and green eyes, just like Mel. They also seem to be of similar age. If the roles were reversed it could have just as easily been that girl's mother killing Mel to teach her daughter a lesson about not having mercy for the enemy.
Jayce made an understandable, but very poor decision in teaming up with Vi. Until this point, a certain degree of power equilibrium has been in place between Zaun and Piltover - shimmer is produced from resources directly available in Zaun, which Piltover cannot simply take and match production of, as far as we can tell. It's the one equalizing factor that has rendered the status quo relatively peaceful, because neither side HAS to make it a battle which both sides predict they might not gain enough from to make it worthwhile. In attacking the shimmer factory, which overall seems like a reasonably safe place to work for a Zaunite, comparatively, the underpinnings of the power dynamic are disturbed. The Hextech weaponry more than equalizes Jayce, a student of no martial training and skill, NOR EVEN ARMOUR, to a mean-spirited, super-fast and super-strong killer (which frankly is one of the few things in this series I just do not buy - alongside the explosion-obsessed Jinx not having burned her braids off more recently than she must have) and tries to put a dent in the power dynamic. That is a move to which the only remotely reasonable response is "okay I guess it's all-out war right this moment then, lest we be plowed under".
Jayce's fundamental problem is that he doesn't seem to have an actual sense of self, to the point where he just mirrors whatever he was told by the last person with convictions he had a conversation with. Killing a child because of bad trigger discipline is the least of his worries. Also - while the chemtech/shimmer "guards" in the factory LOOK like barely-functioning, slavering drug zombies, THEY fought only the intruders, specifically. None of them are shown to even incidentally hurt any of the Zaunites in the factory.
Ambessa Medarda, Mel's mom, is a wonderful character, I feel. She is harsh, distant, indulgent, manipulative and warlike... and she is also one of the wisest characters present, beating Heimerdinger by just about infinity. Her comments, while no one wants to HEAR them, are insightful, well-put and essentially correct. Her only "failing", if you can call it that, is a lack of compassion - or rather, an informed opinion that compassion is a luxury available to the unassailably strong, or a factor in fair dealing between amicable equals. Where Zaun and Piltover is at NOW, there's little room for compassion. She sees a conflict line between societies that can only be resolved by going through conflict, rather than avoiding it, and I happen to think her analysis of the situation is spot on. The tragedy, of course, is that it was not unavoidable when she said it - but Jayce has now pretty much made it unavoidable, because he listened to the least considered, level-headed person in the twin cities and planned according to her whims.
I disagree with the beating Heimerdinger by infinity bit, but Merdarda is absolutely a wise character. Like a lot of things in Arcane, I think they both have very good points, and also both have points where they're not right.
Thanks for all the insights on Arcane.
Suggestion for another film to watch: "Your Name". It's a quite emotional movie, though I had difficulties figuring out why on a lot of occasions.
Seems to me that VI was reliving last time she lost Jinx. Last time, she tried to go to her, got stopped by Marcus, and wound up in jail. This time she didn't move, but half her face is covered by those bars, signifying the past consequences and binding her from trying to act again
*sees Sky come in* "Oh, that's traumatizing!"
Me: I wish she had time to be traumatized...
Topics that don’t make the cut for the long form videos sounds really interesting as short form ^_^
those shimmer monsters are kids as well, they were experimented on, and end up in those armors... its really twisted
We are so close to the finally and its gonna be an intresting 1 that for sure.
May I suggest "Deadend: Paranormal Park" as something to react to? It brings up a lot things you could talk about for something supposedly for "kids."
There is another, somehow even darker reason for those kids working in that factory. It's connected to the other dark revelation from this episode. It is the reality that has been insinuated from the very first episode when we saw Grayson and Marcus in the undercity wearing gas masks, but not wearing them while they're topside.
The toxic gas permeating the air.
Everyday, breathing it in and causing birth defects like the asian guy's lower jaw or the red haired woman's non-existant nose. What do you imagine that does to people's life expectancy? Factor in the violent crime driven by poverty, eventually adding shimmer in to the equation, and now consider that instead of a hospital to take care of sick people there is just a mysterious individual selling potions a-la-carte. Outside of a few wealthier people in the undercity, you don't see many elderly people like you do topside.
Now, from everything we've seen so far in terms of the Council and topsiders regarding the denizens of the undercity, as well as Vander taking in the girls and Benzo seeming to be Ekko's guardian, i'm going to go out on a limb and guess there isn't a well funded foster care program or orphanages.
Outside of living on the streets, begging or stealing to get by, those kids had nowhere else to go. As horrible as it may seem, Silco it was the only way Silco could afford their care after their government chose to just not think about what would happen to them.
++
"I'm doing this for us Jinx, all of us, the sons and daughters of zaun deserve more than their run-off" 10/10
During the scene when Vi is talking about pretending to be monsters, the real monster she mentions was actually the one who hit Powder and called her a jinx. In that moment, she stopped pretending!
I personally hate shorts because of the form (portrait) but I look forward to the last episode! great breakdown
4:22 Kaitlyn's mother made a more logical decision soley because of the look her husband gave her. It basically said, "show her some compassion. Don't push her away more. Just give her this."
you definitely couldn't put it off and instantly watched and filmed EP.8 .... and i love that you did
Hell yeah!
This show is so awesome, so is your reaction!
Thank you so much! 🫶
Love your perspective so much, and I personally like the idea of shorts being little extras 🧡
Actually, I'm starting to think Rio (the mutation he created) used to be Singed's daughter.
I think the purpose was to show that the two cities were very much the same, but that the cultures were built upon the fiction of the difference
Highly HIGHLY recommend that you react to Attack on Titan. So so SO much of the human heart and mind in conflict on display.
10:54 Well...humans are kind of oil and water, like in a literal sense. Lots of water and lots of oil (cell membranes, hormones, and fats).
I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on Marcus. I like that you actually felt bad about his death; most reactors have just been excited that "annoying Marcus" is finally dead. I think what people fail to think about is that there are so many times when we make the wrong choices in life and often times we don't get an opportunity or are too afraid to make it right. A lot of people think they would be the "good guy" and go against Silco, but I think most people would actually do exactly what Marcus did, especially considering that had Marcus gone against Silco, he would have put his daughter in danger.
god i would love for you to dissect shera and the princesses of power
I can't wait to see your reaction for the finale. I really enjoyed watching this series with your commentary / analysis.
I'd really like to hear more from you about two things. I have my own opinions on them, but since they're controversial I'm curious: 1) the relationship between Jinx and Silco. A bunch of people think it's very squicky and has sexual undertones, but my take is that Jinx is clingy and needy, and Silco really is just a father figure- he doesn't appear to be using her in that way at all. Plus, it was made by French animators, not Americans, and we are more standoffish than a lot of other cultures with physical affection.
2) How in-character it was for Vi to choose getting Cait off the bridge rather than staying to try to stop her sister, when she knew Ekko might try to kill her. Her whole motivation has been to get to Powder, but in that moment, she chooses Caitlyn. I'm inclined to think it makes some sense, because of the high stress of the situation, Ekko's confident command, her avoidant personality, and her obvious immediate attachment to Caitlyn. But a lot of people see it as out of character (even though her walking away was literally how they got separated in the first place).
I really would like to see you watch the emotional mess that is Shera.
BRUH I DIDN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT THE GIRL BEING THAT SCIENTIST'S DAUGHTER!!!!
So, I think something that's missing from your analysis of the Mel Medarda/Mom Medarda interactions is that they are capital-R Royalty in a setting where that still meant something. (IE, Mel appears to be heir to the throne of Noxus, of which Piltover is a distant colonial possession, or at least that's how I'm reading the situation - LoL lore heads can correct me. Edit: I suppose she could just be the heir to a great house or some such, but even so the analysis is basically the same.) Of course Royals are people too, but they live in a very different world than most of us - a world that is full of political considerations and constant danger: the danger of "you might get assassinated tomorrow" or "you might have to fight a war to prevent your entire country from being destroyed." The opening scene is Mom asking Mel what they should do with the captured Princess of a defeated enemy nation. The lesson Mom was trying to impart was that misplaced kindness can potentially cause far more harm than targeted cruelty (ie, kill one vs. kill 1000s when they try to rebel and put the princess back on the throne.) Not sure what you think about that lesson, but this is not the sort of world in which either you or I live in. The conversation about her brother being "gone" is incredibly cold, yes, but the point is now that Mel is the next in line for the throne and therefore has a obligation both to the family AND the nation. A weird contradiction of Royalty is that, yes, you are at least nominally "in charge" but at the same time, your life is not your own.
I have a question for you, Truth Doctor. If someone as unstable a Jinx is subjected to a traumatic procedure where her blood has been replaced with shimmer that, what i can tell here from my non medical degree, a nasty combination of adrenaline, steroids and cocaine. And all of that is now pumping through her blood stream.
How stable do you think she's going to be now?
This episode got me thinking about Vi and how she choses to interact with other people that she allies with and that are not Powder. Before this episode, you only really see her with Caitlyn in this dynamic. She's flirty / fun and you see it finally again with someone else in Jayce how she says " We have a deal, pretty boy?" I think there is something there where she acts this way because of her past trauma as some sort of defensive mechanism, but i do not know how to categorize it. I could be wrong, but we dont see this side of her in the first couple episodes when she was younger and in Vander's care. Maybe slightly when they fight the other kid's of the under city, when she on purpose misinterprets the guy saying he just wants a taste of the treasure and she smashes the bag into his face.
If you see this comment, I know its been a while since you have seen this, but im curious what you think about how Vi does this flirtation towards multiple people, is it a defense to her past trauma or could i be reading into it too much?
I really don't want to go there, since there is not narrative or character gain in it. But, if we imagine this world is real place, you basically had a 15/16 year old female thrown in unisex prison with many, many adults. So, possibility for assault and abuse at the hands of both men and women, is very high during many years she was locked up. Sure, she's physically strong and knows how to fight, but opponents can gang up on you and do stuff.
@MegaMilenche we don't know for sure because we didn't see a day to day routine of how the prison operated so we can only go on what Vi said. Which was that she was alone in her cell the entire time and was beaten countlessly by the guards. Based on what we are told, every prisoner is in solitary confinement. But I will say that is probably an influence on how her first idea to solve a problem is to fight her way through because she always fought back against the guard beating her.
@@Canadoscope They aren't locked up all day, though. They have showed that they leave cells for meals. And Vi's cell doesn't show space for hygiene and bathing. So, how knows. I need to clarify, I don't want for Vi to have been a victim of SA, but just that it would be likely when you take into account the setting and people who occupy the place. The show itself never shied away from emotional, verbal and physical violence. And they showed us brothels from a distance, so a possibility for SA is there. Not all of those under-city people looked like they understand or need consent.
@MegaMilenche you are right I forgot about the mess hall. But this topic has nothing to do with what I was talking about anyway. Not even a hint of what you are talking about is implied in the show I don't think though. So I don't think it's relevant.
@@Canadoscope "but im curious what you think about how Vi does this flirtation towards multiple people, is it a defense to her past trauma or could i be reading into it too much?"
Hmm, then I apologize for misunderstanding you here. When you combined *flirtation* and *past trauma*, my mind unfortunately went "places". Sorry to disturb you. Thanks for kind feedback.
I've never seen anyone really talk about Vi's speech to the council, and how wrong she actually is.
Silco is willing to talk, is willing to back down. Is willing to give up a lot to achieve his goals.
Ah yes, the episode in which Vi and Cait have a breakup scene without ever having gotten together
Just to thank you. For your kindness and all your advices.
Did you see doc that when singed inject in last scene he inject the need inside in jinx ear... Just split of the second
Not sure if youve seen it yet but i imagine there would be a lot to unpack in RRR
Now that I've watched you go through this series and listened to your take on things, (knew you would have a blast hehe) I really think you would appreciate three anime series.
Erased (pretty short and I would love to see how you would handle this as a professional)
Re:Zero (I haven't finished this myself yet but the first season really made me think)
And finally Ergo Proxy. (English dub is solid here) ....now this one is a slow anime, as you really need time to digest what they are throwing out at you and a higher education really helps I would say. I don't see anyone in my language reacting to this and it boggles my mind. I think even if you end up watching off camera you would find it really interesting and I would love for you to reach out and let me know your thoughts. My friends and I only had the first disk for a long time and we could not stop watching it over and over and having long conversations about what's going on as we discovered something new every single time. Obviously I can't tell you to watch the first, what 5? episodes over and over again but I recommend going through it twice, I think it helps to understand things after the slower mid section of the anime. Anyways lol Cheers! 🥂
I know it's been a while, but!
For Boku dake ga Inai Machi (ERASED). I recommend you read source manga material, in case you only watched the adaptation. There are mild differences done for anime that change certain events and lead to different character interpretations.
P.S. Love Ergo Proxy :D
Suggestion for future reaction: Belle (2021)
It's an anime movie take (sorta/kinda) on 'Beauty and Beast'... only with a VERY different set of situations, and it's amazing.
Seriously amazing, and right up your ally as far as subjects to discuss.
The english dub is excellent, btw, and the mc voice actress is outstanding.
I just discovered this movie myself a few days ago, and I'm obsessed with it.
Give it a try, please.
The jinx flare drama scene was useful with friend dealing with family issue... and having artist block... if it's out there I'll look for it... small effective clips help... she received loads of garbage advice... I shared your clip but always worry about short attention span... so ...okay... doing great 👍 keep up the good work
2:03 Giving up - at least for that moment.
She couldn't do anything in that situation. And a part of her is fine with it.
To give up after so much, fruitless, fighting ... could feel, in part, reliving!
I'm convinced that you could see a bit of these relive in the face of VI
I Would love to see a short and here your reaction to Imagine Dragons “Enemy” music video, it goes deeper into the story and touches on the echo and jinx relationship.
U should play life is strange videogames
I would love to hear your thoughts on the characters
A lot of pain and trauma
The perfect character to do a mental breakdown is Marvel Moon Knight that is of you enjoyed breaking down Marvel's Wandavision both are psychological head games.
Hehehe, prepare yourself for the Next Episode, it will be a ride.
I cannnnnnnooooot wait for the last episode!
Ooh topics that don’t make it to the cut!!
Little humans 💔💔💔
Where's arcane ep 9? It's been almost two weeks when ep 8 reaction came out...
It’s coming out this Thursday! Thank you for your patience. 😊
Yaaaas finale incoming!
This show slap you in the face when the kid get hit and fall then die.. well thats reality of war COLLATERAL DAMAGE
Like Steven he would say I'll send you to jeasus if u don't do episode 9 soon please
Marcus was a corrupt piece of trash. But he was still a human being. I'm glad they got rid of him, but to know his final thoughts were wholesome... I wouldn't say it redeemed him but it humanized the character. A man of a thousand mistakes but still caring about people other than himself.
As for Vi... She's always seen Silko as nothing but trash. She's watching him pick up Pow-pow. Actually showing care. Same way Vander showed them care all those years ago. When you aren't sure how to react, sometimes you don't. Vi needs time to process. (Edit: It's also the same bridge where Vander picked up both of them years ago. The imagery could be triggering old memories.)
Amazing series and great getting all that insight from you.
When it comes to a follow-up series that would be great for you as a therapist to sink you teeth in, I would love to see you react to Jim Carrey´s 'Kidding', it´s a tour de force of humor, depression, grief,... I loved it, but despite Jim it unfortunately never got a huge audience (twenty 30 min episodes)
A series with a much bigger audience would be 'Ted Lasso', while it is very much a feel good show, it is a lot of underlying themes of grief, insecurity, abuse, ... (22 ep à 30 min so far, one more season to come)
Then there is 'The Boys', these guys have so much going on, your episodes might get too long... ;)
Some more that could be interesting: Severance, The Haunting of Hill House, Dopesick, I'm dying up here, Manhunt, Sharp Objects