‘Arcane’ Season 2 Episode 9 Review

Episode nine brings ‘Arcane’ to a fitting end with a spectacular, action-packed finale that delivers on all fronts.

Two seasons, eighteen episodes, and ‘Arcane’ has reached its end. It all comes down to this, a massive final battle between Ambessa Medarda’s powerful army, and the force of enforcers and volunteers trying to hold off the attack long enough for Jayce to destroy the Hex gates and stop them.

What this season has really done the work on is the Arcane itself. What was a largely mysterious and unknown power has been expanded on greatly, particularly through the character of Viktor, who has absorbed its power, and now wants to complete the “evolution” of everyone else into a more advanced form of life.

The climactic battle is as amazing as you’d imagine. The visuals are brilliant, as always, but it’s not just that. Without something more powerful driving the action, it’s all just nice looking fireworks. Here, there’s real emotion behind every clash, real characters that you care about with well-defined personalities and arcs that you’re invested in. Real tension because you never know who will survive, and the pitting of family and former friends against each other. Jayce vs Viktor, Mel vs Ambessa, Vi and Jinx vs Vander.

At times, I’ve had my concerns over this season, where it hasn’t quite measured up to the first. Partly I think that’s because there are already expectations to be met. The first season wowed me because I had no idea what I was in for, whereas with this one, there’s a standard to live up to. The first two episodes took a while to get off the ground, and it has certainly suffered from having to fit so much into just nine episodes, though in some ways that’s also a testament to just how much has been accomplished in such a short run.

These last four episodes have really delivered, though, with a final arc that redeemed all its faults. It still has the ability to throw out unseen twists, but which, when you look back, are so perfectly set up in every way, with character development that touches on perfection.

I’m sure this show will go on to be regarded as a standout piece of animation and, hopefully, of storytelling in general. And while this might be the end for ‘Arcane’, there are more League of Legends shows in the works, which gives hope that we might see some of these characters again.

So, yes, this is a fitting end to an incredible season of an incredible show. The death of Jinx so late in the show was tragic and emotional, showing how powerful and even ruthless this series can be. It’s devastating, it’s epic, it’s beautiful. It’s ‘Arcane’!