I think Mel is a character that really works best on several re-watches and closely watching her because much of her conflict and arc is playing out subtly, a flicker of an expression, parsing out what she's SAYING and DOING etc. She doesn't get the big loud brash moments that almost every other character on the show gets. Even her most outwardly expressive act (destroying her nostalgic painting of Noxus) happens offscreen - and while we don't see her actually do it, we understand the potency of the act -- well at least we should if we've been paying attention, and drawing the links with her. I don't read Mel as someone who's perfectly happy playing the political games in Piltover -- she understands them, she has to because that's how she raised herself up after being banished -- but she doesn't necessarily enjoy them, see: episode 4 when she raises her glass to Amara at the fundraiser and then turns around and rolls her eyes with a heavy sigh. She stays apart from the rest of the party and isn't happy socializing with them. The only person she sees worth her time is Jayce, not because he brings her any wealth (she already has that and is the richest person in Piltover) or even significant political capital (she already has that, *she's* the one who gets him onto the council) but because of values Jayce himself possesses or something about him specifically. It's obvious to the viewer in that scene that she's attracted to him if it wasn't already obvious from episode 3 because if we saw any other character staring wistfully at someone's face on a blimp the way she was doing, there wouldn't be any confusion about what that's conveying. We see this affirmed in their conversation on Jayce's balcony in episode 5 (before the sextech). She admires Jayce's sincerity and his passion for giving back to the people, and we know this because she mentions that Medardas don't ever do that -- they're a family committed to violent conquest in the name of the Noxian empire. She doesn't want to embody that legacy, and we learn a little bit of that in episode 6 when she says she "fell short of Medarda standards". But we don't truly understand it until episode 8 when we see her flashback, and understand exactly why Mel despises everything Noxus stands for and why she was banished. Ultimately, Mel is a character wrestling against legacy, family expectations, the burden of proving family wrong in stepping out on her own but also yearning and still loving them despite the fact that they cast you out, and ultimately choosing to forge your own path. Not everyone will relate to her but at her core she's a masterfully-written character that gets zero credit in this fandom because many people simply place her in the shallowest interpretations possible even while they do plenty of work to understand the subtle layers and nuances for other characters. I'm sorry to say that this video partially falls into that trap imo so I'll respectfully disagree with most of it.
This is just WOW! Thank you so much for this in-depth synopsis of who Mel is. It helps me look at her from a different perspective. This is so well done that I'm going to have to pin this so that others can see your thoughts! Truly glad you shared your opinion! =) I'm going, to be honest, I don't know Mel as well as you do. The reason Mel is such a difficult character to grasp is that most people (including myself) look at her from a moral perspective. We see how she toys with the council and it morally doesn't sit well with us. When researching for this video, I fixated on this side of Mel. The way she uses politics to show off to her mother. After reading your comment it seems, that's not Mel's true character. This is a "mask" she puts on to distance herself from others. She's a very private person, who will not open up to just anyone. I will agree with you that Mel is a masterfully crafted character, that doesn't get enough credit. However, what if that was the writer's intention. This is just a hunch...What if they wanted to show that even the most well-put-together characters can secrets struggle as well. Out of all the characters' designs, Mel is the most polished. She doesn't have an external flaw like the others. This may turn viewers off from her because she's "too perfect" in some way. Also, other characters are screaming for the viewer's attention. When Mel has the chance to she is silent. Mel is a character that doesn't want to burden anyone with her problems, so she sits in mental agony without anyone noticing...unless you're watching her carefully. Honest this video was a shot in the dark...haha! I respect your facts. I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to correct me constructively. It is people like you that help me see this show in a brand new light!
@@CinemaOverAnalyzed Thanks for engaging with me, and thank you for putting your thoughts out there. The joy of the show is we're all coming at it from different angles and it shows what a rich text we have to analyse and explore. I think the morality thing is so tricky because so many characters on this show inhabit very slippery morality. I don't think I can identify a single character besides potentially Ekko whose morality can be pointed to as undeniable "right". Even Caitlyn, for all her good heart, has Piltovan blind spots to begin with and her naivete is kind of frustrating at points. It's interesting you point out about her design. I honestly hadn't really thought about her perfection being something of a hindrance. I think with Mel, it's also really important to understand her as a really fascinating and unexpected representation of a ~Black~ woman character in an animated story. In general, getting a powerful, overtly and unabashedly *feminine* AND beautiful (as in it's generally agreed she's the most 'beautiful' person in the story so far lol) Black woman who is allowed to be so in these kinds of media is really quite radical. Obviously, our real world politics have no bearing in the actual world of Arcane because the show is so good at writing good characters first but whether folks acknowledge it or not, things like unambiguous Blackness do impact how characters are received and viewed by the audience. In my experience in the fandom, it's played into why she's just perceived as an irredeemable Jezebel archetype when the show actually does a fair amount to deconstruct her to something far more complex than that.
What I respect most about this show, is it's inclusive without being "too flashy." Characters can be who they are without being tide-down by one characteristic. Whether that be gender, race, or sexual orientation. Each character is complex and these characteristics don't define who they are. They more closely resemble real humans. Their not "cartoony" at all. I never thought about the cultural impact of Mel's character. Maybe this comes from a degree of ignorance on my part because I never really saw her as just a black woman. Honestly, I was really excited to meet her because I love her voice actress in Carmen Sandiego and the Ducktales reboot...haha! It is amazing that one show not only can break the stereotypical black woman mold but have a character that black women can look up to as well. It's unfortunate to hear that some people don't choose to acknowledge her story due to these facts. I never would have categorized her as an "irredeemable Jezebel." Upon first viewing her arc I thought she was more of a Cersei Lannister because she was cunning and ambitious. Which are not at all bad traits. I never really thought that she was irredeemable in a way. Each character is so morally indecisive that I never would have written her off for those reasons. It's a shame because she is fascinating.
I see Mel a bit different than you. I think an important line for her was when Vi and Cait were talking to the council and Jayce was getting gung ho to go after Silco. Mels says "Jayce, you don't know war - I do". It isn't that Mel doesn't want to act, she wants to find a way that doesn't involve violence. Mel's arc to me is her inner conflict playing in her head between her mother and her brother. She desperately wants to prove her mother wrong and to validate what she feels is right. For her mother war is a necessary evil, for Mel it is an absolute last resort. Mel's growth as a character is signified by her removing her ring and the swath of gold paint across the painting of her home, symbolically reflecting what she wanted to do in her flashback that her mother scolded her for. As for who lives: Jayce and Viktor are safe, they're champions in the game. So far I can't find anything in Arcane that isn't there for a purpose. When the council votes the windows seal off, that is clearly shown the first time the council voted about what to do with Jayce in the first act. That will at least take most the brunt I think. Mel could be an unwhitting mage, the armor she never removes could be magic (perhaps fastened to her by her mom to protect her) but I think it likely she survives. I think Mel's relationship with her mother will play a bigger role and Jayce will need someone to play off as things take a darker turn with Viktor, provided they have the Glorious Evolution from League Lore. Aside from the minor characters on the council Cait's mom might die setting up conflict between Cait and Vi.
That's why I like this character so much! I love how no one sees Mel in the same light. I can see your point about her inner conflict. Very well said! As for who lives, I agree Jayce and Viktor are 100% safe. Or at the Jayce will make it out safe and Viktor will turn into some sort of cyborg. I totally forget about the windows sealing shut...Well spotted! I still feel like Mel's going to die...I don't know. I just don't see where her character would go in season 2. If you have any thoughts let me know!
I definitely think she stopped using Jayce for her own agenda in the end. I’m glad she made a choice to give up on Noxus and move forward with Jayce and Piltover. I do hope she survives because she does have potential for another arc in S2, now that Piltover will likely go to war. We can see how she faces being thrust into a war unprepared with her mother looming around.
I agree that Mel does love Jayce in the end, but I'm not sure at what point she stopped using him...If that makes sense? Maybe after Mel's mother tried talking to him? I'm really not sure. I will admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of Mel when I first watched. I thought that she had something evil up her sleeve. After researching more about her for this video, I have a new appreciation for her character. I hope I'm wrong, I would love to see Mel back in season 2!
My theory is that she will live somehow but most of the counsel won’t. They can progress her story by placing her solely in a leadership position over Piltover for a temporary length of time. They can explore how she will deal with the situation with Zaun. Maybe since her mother will still be there with her, we can see more of the conflict in their relationship about how they handle leadership (they can explore the whole wolf and fox thing further). I guess that would be more of way to place Mel in the Arcane story and dive deeper into who Mel is as a character. I hope they find a way somehow to completely explore her character more because they were far too subtle with her characterization. So subtle that we find these shallow interpretations of her from the fandom and the somewhat refusal to see her as more than just a manipulative person who gave Viktor weird looks and came off untrustworthy only within the first like 4 episodes.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts! That's an interesting take on it! I always thought Jayce would be the primary leader, but I'm still not sure how he's going to get out of this situation alive. It would be fun to see her take action against Zaun, or even get out of politics altogether. Maybe due to Jayce being gravely injured Mel will have to step away from the council, to go on an adventure of self-discovery. I don't know...haha! Will her to wait to see! I would love to see her branch out and interact with other characters, like Vi or Viktor. The show never explained why Viktor and Mel don't get along. They just always look like they're about to beat each other up any time they're on screen together.
The idea of having anti-Noxus noxians, sparking the seeds of Swain's eventual downfall, is one of my personal favorites. I imagine Mel, Riven and Alistar would make a dream team.
Mel is one of my favorite characters from Arcane and I noticed these things you mentioned. I like such characters who manipulates others to reach their goals, but Mel is interesting cause she hasn't such stereotyped and "deep" aims like she predicted something or everyone is like an opened book for her so she knows everything. Her purposes are simple like the world's peace and etc.I think she wants to be braver (I mean to be brave enough to be the real leader and tell what she wants to tell and make the great decisions she used to run from), but she can't, maybe she's scared and she has to act by using others to achieve what she wants, it's really effective and it's a habit for her now, she can't change it, she's not strong and confident enough to do that. And this makes a conflict inside of her, so she has to think and consider, that's why she doesn't act. She's such kind of people who first thinks 1000 times and after it does something. She's very careful. I hope she stayed alive and we'll see her to be a strong Council's member who will support our protagonists and the image of herself as powerful and cool woman which she created will become real. Without violence, of course)
I agree with you, she is a well-written character. In the beginning, she seems like she's going to be a "bad" person. After we see her flashback scene she just wants peace. You bring up a good point about bravery. Whether it's from external means, like mother, or lack of confidence. It's up to interpretation. If she manages to get out alive (which seems very likely, due to what others have told me) it would be nice to see her take a brave step forward and take action for what she believes in. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts!
@@CinemaOverAnalyzed I've never thought she's gonna be a "bad" person, I don't know why. Maybe because in the scene when someone greeted(?) her at the banquet or party, I don't remember this moment very good, she greeted this reach person too and when she turned away she quickly made such face like "oh my gosh, i hate them all but i must smile them every fucking day".
I use Premiere Pro to edit the footage, and I animate the character using After Effects. You probably could use Powerpoint Presentation to do the same type of animation. I've never tried it myself, but it seems possible!
9:00 There is literally no time in which the scene you're describing could possibly take place. The Super Mega Death Rocket is already breaking the glass when Mell notices it.
First of all, that is a GREAT description of the rocket...Well done...haha! You are probably correct, I just wanted to think of a solution other than magical armor to protect her.
Medardas are conquerors is what she meant by "take from the world". They are ruthless (way of the wolf). She aspires to statecraft. The Medardas also use statecraft as a means to conquer (the way of the fox). This is the mode Mel is in when we meet her and her revelation is that statecraft can be used for altruistic means by a Medarda. She starts to see herself in a different way through Jayce's view of her as inspiring him. Despite her banishment, she still saw herself as a Medarda and was simply building and extending her base of power and conquering Piltover. But she comes to want to first protect Piltover (still thinking as Medarda by seeing it in that context and thus pushing for weapons). But she finally sheds her identity as a Medarda (by taking off the family ring), and embraces Jayce's push for peace. This is also shown by her painting over of the Noxus ships with broad strokes of gold (another reactor called this out). The armor is definitely magical and definitely highlighted to us by the Arcane animators, and the same reactor, he's steeped in Arcane lore apparently, put forth a theory on the armor being protective and related to her father. Here's that video: ruclips.net/video/9dw5FOlNBgQ/видео.html Jayce also developed hextech shield technology so I figure between her armor and hextech, we'll see at least the LoL champions Jayce & Viktor also survive.
Very interesting! That would explain the way she so desperately wanted to have the weapon in episode 7 after she got a letter from her mother. I think someone else commented and told me that her armor is an item in League of Legends, so it will protect her in some way. I forget about Jayce's Hextech shied. Thanks for reminding me! I'll take a look at this video. Thanks! In my opinion, It would be interesting to see Mel step away from politics to find more information about her father or go to mourn the loss of her brother in season 2. Thanks so much for sharing =)
@@CinemaOverAnalyzed true, maybe in season 2, all out war will happened beause of what jinx has done to the council, especially if Jayce will be griveously injured
While she was influential she wasn't the leader heimendinger was. All of your critiques of leadership fall on the actual leader. She had more influence on peaceful votes but all of them were blind to the under city as u can see by Cait and heimendinger visiting for the first time. I also hard counter your Jayce and Mel argument. While I think they could have shown more development Mel and Jayce also spent that time skip together as business partners. I understand there was craftiness and manipulation on mels part but she could have saw him as an investment and kindred spirit. And they were hinting at they relationship ever since Jayce was the one who offered they rule together or since her assistant gave a knowing glance when they left together at the party. Her goal was to prove herself to her mother but he help her realign with her idealistic merciful self that was thought to be a weakness. As for the quote I don't think she's referring to power position just the war mongering and likely plundering
First of I would like to say that I really like your Stitch profile picture! In my opinion, Heimendinger was a better leader because he knows how to take a step back and look at the big picture. Well said, you made me see their relationship in a different light. I'll think about your points the next time I watch Arcane again. Thanks for your insight!
@@CinemaOverAnalyzed sorry for such the long read but thanks for responding I just adore the craftiness of the writing that even your typical femme fatale has undertones. Plus in all honesty she's my favorite character and i share a lot of her sentiment
No problem! I always love chatting with others about this show! Thank you for sharing your thoughts. They truly helped me see Mel in a different light! =)
@@CinemaOverAnalyzed she's definitely a fox with her mothers wolfish tendencies but as "fox and the hound" thought us not all foxes are bad and are very very cute
@@CinemaOverAnalyzed They are people who live and work with ekko and are trying to stop slico's shimmer and his operation. In a way they are freedom fighters. Episode 7 almost explains them.
Thank you for the information! To really answer this question to the best of my ability, I'm going to really have to research a lot deeper. Understand their lifestyle, their motivation, and most importantly when Powder/Jinx join them. The events greatly vary depending on when she gets recruited.
@@CinemaOverAnalyzed Well you can change it by ekko finding her before silco after the explosion. He said that he wished he was there, so it could be like if he was there and he managed to get her away before silco came out. She could still think her sister abandoned her.
I think Mel is a character that really works best on several re-watches and closely watching her because much of her conflict and arc is playing out subtly, a flicker of an expression, parsing out what she's SAYING and DOING etc. She doesn't get the big loud brash moments that almost every other character on the show gets. Even her most outwardly expressive act (destroying her nostalgic painting of Noxus) happens offscreen - and while we don't see her actually do it, we understand the potency of the act -- well at least we should if we've been paying attention, and drawing the links with her.
I don't read Mel as someone who's perfectly happy playing the political games in Piltover -- she understands them, she has to because that's how she raised herself up after being banished -- but she doesn't necessarily enjoy them, see: episode 4 when she raises her glass to Amara at the fundraiser and then turns around and rolls her eyes with a heavy sigh. She stays apart from the rest of the party and isn't happy socializing with them. The only person she sees worth her time is Jayce, not because he brings her any wealth (she already has that and is the richest person in Piltover) or even significant political capital (she already has that, *she's* the one who gets him onto the council) but because of values Jayce himself possesses or something about him specifically. It's obvious to the viewer in that scene that she's attracted to him if it wasn't already obvious from episode 3 because if we saw any other character staring wistfully at someone's face on a blimp the way she was doing, there wouldn't be any confusion about what that's conveying.
We see this affirmed in their conversation on Jayce's balcony in episode 5 (before the sextech). She admires Jayce's sincerity and his passion for giving back to the people, and we know this because she mentions that Medardas don't ever do that -- they're a family committed to violent conquest in the name of the Noxian empire. She doesn't want to embody that legacy, and we learn a little bit of that in episode 6 when she says she "fell short of Medarda standards". But we don't truly understand it until episode 8 when we see her flashback, and understand exactly why Mel despises everything Noxus stands for and why she was banished.
Ultimately, Mel is a character wrestling against legacy, family expectations, the burden of proving family wrong in stepping out on her own but also yearning and still loving them despite the fact that they cast you out, and ultimately choosing to forge your own path. Not everyone will relate to her but at her core she's a masterfully-written character that gets zero credit in this fandom because many people simply place her in the shallowest interpretations possible even while they do plenty of work to understand the subtle layers and nuances for other characters. I'm sorry to say that this video partially falls into that trap imo so I'll respectfully disagree with most of it.
This is just WOW! Thank you so much for this in-depth synopsis of who Mel is. It helps me look at her from a different perspective. This is so well done that I'm going to have to pin this so that others can see your thoughts! Truly glad you shared your opinion! =)
I'm going, to be honest, I don't know Mel as well as you do. The reason Mel is such a difficult character to grasp is that most people (including myself) look at her from a moral perspective. We see how she toys with the council and it morally doesn't sit well with us. When researching for this video, I fixated on this side of Mel. The way she uses politics to show off to her mother. After reading your comment it seems, that's not Mel's true character. This is a "mask" she puts on to distance herself from others. She's a very private person, who will not open up to just anyone.
I will agree with you that Mel is a masterfully crafted character, that doesn't get enough credit. However, what if that was the writer's intention. This is just a hunch...What if they wanted to show that even the most well-put-together characters can secrets struggle as well. Out of all the characters' designs, Mel is the most polished. She doesn't have an external flaw like the others. This may turn viewers off from her because she's "too perfect" in some way. Also, other characters are screaming for the viewer's attention. When Mel has the chance to she is silent. Mel is a character that doesn't want to burden anyone with her problems, so she sits in mental agony without anyone noticing...unless you're watching her carefully.
Honest this video was a shot in the dark...haha! I respect your facts. I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to correct me constructively. It is people like you that help me see this show in a brand new light!
@@CinemaOverAnalyzed Thanks for engaging with me, and thank you for putting your thoughts out there. The joy of the show is we're all coming at it from different angles and it shows what a rich text we have to analyse and explore. I think the morality thing is so tricky because so many characters on this show inhabit very slippery morality. I don't think I can identify a single character besides potentially Ekko whose morality can be pointed to as undeniable "right". Even Caitlyn, for all her good heart, has Piltovan blind spots to begin with and her naivete is kind of frustrating at points.
It's interesting you point out about her design. I honestly hadn't really thought about her perfection being something of a hindrance. I think with Mel, it's also really important to understand her as a really fascinating and unexpected representation of a ~Black~ woman character in an animated story. In general, getting a powerful, overtly and unabashedly *feminine* AND beautiful (as in it's generally agreed she's the most 'beautiful' person in the story so far lol) Black woman who is allowed to be so in these kinds of media is really quite radical. Obviously, our real world politics have no bearing in the actual world of Arcane because the show is so good at writing good characters first but whether folks acknowledge it or not, things like unambiguous Blackness do impact how characters are received and viewed by the audience. In my experience in the fandom, it's played into why she's just perceived as an irredeemable Jezebel archetype when the show actually does a fair amount to deconstruct her to something far more complex than that.
What I respect most about this show, is it's inclusive without being "too flashy." Characters can be who they are without being tide-down by one characteristic. Whether that be gender, race, or sexual orientation. Each character is complex and these characteristics don't define who they are. They more closely resemble real humans. Their not "cartoony" at all.
I never thought about the cultural impact of Mel's character. Maybe this comes from a degree of ignorance on my part because I never really saw her as just a black woman. Honestly, I was really excited to meet her because I love her voice actress in Carmen Sandiego and the Ducktales reboot...haha! It is amazing that one show not only can break the stereotypical black woman mold but have a character that black women can look up to as well. It's unfortunate to hear that some people don't choose to acknowledge her story due to these facts. I never would have categorized her as an "irredeemable Jezebel." Upon first viewing her arc I thought she was more of a Cersei Lannister because she was cunning and ambitious. Which are not at all bad traits. I never really thought that she was irredeemable in a way. Each character is so morally indecisive that I never would have written her off for those reasons. It's a shame because she is fascinating.
I see Mel a bit different than you. I think an important line for her was when Vi and Cait were talking to the council and Jayce was getting gung ho to go after Silco. Mels says "Jayce, you don't know war - I do". It isn't that Mel doesn't want to act, she wants to find a way that doesn't involve violence. Mel's arc to me is her inner conflict playing in her head between her mother and her brother. She desperately wants to prove her mother wrong and to validate what she feels is right. For her mother war is a necessary evil, for Mel it is an absolute last resort. Mel's growth as a character is signified by her removing her ring and the swath of gold paint across the painting of her home, symbolically reflecting what she wanted to do in her flashback that her mother scolded her for.
As for who lives: Jayce and Viktor are safe, they're champions in the game. So far I can't find anything in Arcane that isn't there for a purpose. When the council votes the windows seal off, that is clearly shown the first time the council voted about what to do with Jayce in the first act. That will at least take most the brunt I think. Mel could be an unwhitting mage, the armor she never removes could be magic (perhaps fastened to her by her mom to protect her) but I think it likely she survives. I think Mel's relationship with her mother will play a bigger role and Jayce will need someone to play off as things take a darker turn with Viktor, provided they have the Glorious Evolution from League Lore. Aside from the minor characters on the council Cait's mom might die setting up conflict between Cait and Vi.
That's why I like this character so much! I love how no one sees Mel in the same light. I can see your point about her inner conflict. Very well said!
As for who lives, I agree Jayce and Viktor are 100% safe. Or at the Jayce will make it out safe and Viktor will turn into some sort of cyborg. I totally forget about the windows sealing shut...Well spotted! I still feel like Mel's going to die...I don't know. I just don't see where her character would go in season 2. If you have any thoughts let me know!
I definitely think she stopped using Jayce for her own agenda in the end. I’m glad she made a choice to give up on Noxus and move forward with Jayce and Piltover. I do hope she survives because she does have potential for another arc in S2, now that Piltover will likely go to war. We can see how she faces being thrust into a war unprepared with her mother looming around.
I agree that Mel does love Jayce in the end, but I'm not sure at what point she stopped using him...If that makes sense? Maybe after Mel's mother tried talking to him? I'm really not sure. I will admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of Mel when I first watched. I thought that she had something evil up her sleeve. After researching more about her for this video, I have a new appreciation for her character. I hope I'm wrong, I would love to see Mel back in season 2!
@@CinemaOverAnalyzed I love how subtle her arc was as opposed to the loud and in-your-face arcs of the big name characters.
I love how you don't really know what type of person she is until you finally get her flashback story in episode 7.
My theory is that she will live somehow but most of the counsel won’t. They can progress her story by placing her solely in a leadership position over Piltover for a temporary length of time. They can explore how she will deal with the situation with Zaun. Maybe since her mother will still be there with her, we can see more of the conflict in their relationship about how they handle leadership (they can explore the whole wolf and fox thing further). I guess that would be more of way to place Mel in the Arcane story and dive deeper into who Mel is as a character.
I hope they find a way somehow to completely explore her character more because they were far too subtle with her characterization. So subtle that we find these shallow interpretations of her from the fandom and the somewhat refusal to see her as more than just a manipulative person who gave Viktor weird looks and came off untrustworthy only within the first like 4 episodes.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
That's an interesting take on it! I always thought Jayce would be the primary leader, but I'm still not sure how he's going to get out of this situation alive. It would be fun to see her take action against Zaun, or even get out of politics altogether. Maybe due to Jayce being gravely injured Mel will have to step away from the council, to go on an adventure of self-discovery. I don't know...haha! Will her to wait to see!
I would love to see her branch out and interact with other characters, like Vi or Viktor. The show never explained why Viktor and Mel don't get along. They just always look like they're about to beat each other up any time they're on screen together.
The idea of having anti-Noxus noxians, sparking the seeds of Swain's eventual downfall, is one of my personal favorites.
I imagine Mel, Riven and Alistar would make a dream team.
Mel is one of my favorite characters from Arcane and I noticed these things you mentioned. I like such characters who manipulates others to reach their goals, but Mel is interesting cause she hasn't such stereotyped and "deep" aims like she predicted something or everyone is like an opened book for her so she knows everything. Her purposes are simple like the world's peace and etc.I think she wants to be braver (I mean to be brave enough to be the real leader and tell what she wants to tell and make the great decisions she used to run from), but she can't, maybe she's scared and she has to act by using others to achieve what she wants, it's really effective and it's a habit for her now, she can't change it, she's not strong and confident enough to do that. And this makes a conflict inside of her, so she has to think and consider, that's why she doesn't act. She's such kind of people who first thinks 1000 times and after it does something. She's very careful. I hope she stayed alive and we'll see her to be a strong Council's member who will support our protagonists and the image of herself as powerful and cool woman which she created will become real. Without violence, of course)
I agree with you, she is a well-written character. In the beginning, she seems like she's going to be a "bad" person. After we see her flashback scene she just wants peace. You bring up a good point about bravery. Whether it's from external means, like mother, or lack of confidence. It's up to interpretation. If she manages to get out alive (which seems very likely, due to what others have told me) it would be nice to see her take a brave step forward and take action for what she believes in. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts!
@@CinemaOverAnalyzed I've never thought she's gonna be a "bad" person, I don't know why. Maybe because in the scene when someone greeted(?) her at the banquet or party, I don't remember this moment very good, she greeted this reach person too and when she turned away she quickly made such face like "oh my gosh, i hate them all but i must smile them every fucking day".
Mel has a lot of subtle facial expressions that are really relatable haha!
Thanks so much for watching! Let me know what you think about Mel! Hope you have a lovely day and till next time! =)
What program do you use for your video essays? Your avatar looks like its from the Powerpoint Presentation animation
I use Premiere Pro to edit the footage, and I animate the character using After Effects. You probably could use Powerpoint Presentation to do the same type of animation. I've never tried it myself, but it seems possible!
9:00 There is literally no time in which the scene you're describing could possibly take place. The Super Mega Death Rocket is already breaking the glass when Mell notices it.
First of all, that is a GREAT description of the rocket...Well done...haha! You are probably correct, I just wanted to think of a solution other than magical armor to protect her.
I just found your channel,and tought it is small, your content is really good. New subscriber and I hope You grow a lot!
Thank you for your support! Means a lot! I'm going to work hard to make this the best channel I can! =)
Medardas are conquerors is what she meant by "take from the world". They are ruthless (way of the wolf). She aspires to statecraft. The Medardas also use statecraft as a means to conquer (the way of the fox).
This is the mode Mel is in when we meet her and her revelation is that statecraft can be used for altruistic means by a Medarda. She starts to see herself in a different way through Jayce's view of her as inspiring him. Despite her banishment, she still saw herself as a Medarda and was simply building and extending her base of power and conquering Piltover. But she comes to want to first protect Piltover (still thinking as Medarda by seeing it in that context and thus pushing for weapons). But she finally sheds her identity as a Medarda (by taking off the family ring), and embraces Jayce's push for peace. This is also shown by her painting over of the Noxus ships with broad strokes of gold (another reactor called this out).
The armor is definitely magical and definitely highlighted to us by the Arcane animators, and the same reactor, he's steeped in Arcane lore apparently, put forth a theory on the armor being protective and related to her father. Here's that video: ruclips.net/video/9dw5FOlNBgQ/видео.html
Jayce also developed hextech shield technology so I figure between her armor and hextech, we'll see at least the LoL champions Jayce & Viktor also survive.
Very interesting! That would explain the way she so desperately wanted to have the weapon in episode 7 after she got a letter from her mother. I think someone else commented and told me that her armor is an item in League of Legends, so it will protect her in some way. I forget about Jayce's Hextech shied. Thanks for reminding me!
I'll take a look at this video. Thanks!
In my opinion, It would be interesting to see Mel step away from politics to find more information about her father or go to mourn the loss of her brother in season 2.
Thanks so much for sharing =)
posible spoiler
Mel will suvive because the gold she wears to her body is an item in LOL that'll protect her
You're probably right about that! I guess the bigger question should be how does Jayce get out alive?
@@CinemaOverAnalyzed true, maybe in season 2, all out war will happened beause of what jinx has done to the council, especially if Jayce will be griveously injured
Season 2 is going to be so crazy! I'm so excited!
Looking forward to the further
I'm really excited to see what happens next!
@@CinemaOverAnalyzed hope it well be great
While she was influential she wasn't the leader heimendinger was. All of your critiques of leadership fall on the actual leader. She had more influence on peaceful votes but all of them were blind to the under city as u can see by Cait and heimendinger visiting for the first time. I also hard counter your Jayce and Mel argument. While I think they could have shown more development Mel and Jayce also spent that time skip together as business partners. I understand there was craftiness and manipulation on mels part but she could have saw him as an investment and kindred spirit. And they were hinting at they relationship ever since Jayce was the one who offered they rule together or since her assistant gave a knowing glance when they left together at the party. Her goal was to prove herself to her mother but he help her realign with her idealistic merciful self that was thought to be a weakness. As for the quote I don't think she's referring to power position just the war mongering and likely plundering
First of I would like to say that I really like your Stitch profile picture! In my opinion, Heimendinger was a better leader because he knows how to take a step back and look at the big picture. Well said, you made me see their relationship in a different light. I'll think about your points the next time I watch Arcane again. Thanks for your insight!
@@CinemaOverAnalyzed sorry for such the long read but thanks for responding I just adore the craftiness of the writing that even your typical femme fatale has undertones. Plus in all honesty she's my favorite character and i share a lot of her sentiment
@@CinemaOverAnalyzed and thank you he is my spirit animal
No problem! I always love chatting with others about this show! Thank you for sharing your thoughts. They truly helped me see Mel in a different light! =)
@@CinemaOverAnalyzed she's definitely a fox with her mothers wolfish tendencies but as "fox and the hound" thought us not all foxes are bad and are very very cute
If it's OK do you think you can do a video of what if Jinx was a Firelight? I think her and ekko would start a relationship.
That's an interesting idea! I'll have to do some research because I don't know much about the Firelights.
@@CinemaOverAnalyzed They are people who live and work with ekko and are trying to stop slico's shimmer and his operation. In a way they are freedom fighters.
Episode 7 almost explains them.
Thank you for the information! To really answer this question to the best of my ability, I'm going to really have to research a lot deeper. Understand their lifestyle, their motivation, and most importantly when Powder/Jinx join them. The events greatly vary depending on when she gets recruited.
@@CinemaOverAnalyzed Well you can change it by ekko finding her before silco after the explosion. He said that he wished he was there, so it could be like if he was there and he managed to get her away before silco came out. She could still think her sister abandoned her.
@@CinemaOverAnalyzed I think ekko finding Jinx before silco after the explosion might be good.
Muh Darn A
Haha, thank it's a weird word to pronounce.