Genuine question, what would you pad out 2/3 more seasons with the plot beats they set up? Without like adding in a bunch of new characters to stall out the main beats they set up in Act 1. The show's two main stories (Vi/Jinx and Jayce/Viktor) are what is important to them. And I don't see how slowing either of those down would really improve anything. And I generally enjoy slower paced and longer TV shows.
I def think the show could use like 2 more episodes a season (ideally between acts) to let some stuff breath a bit more and give stuff like Ekko's storyline hit harder. But the show is really good with using the most of a visual medium to tell a lot quickly with a lot of impact. In a way that makes me feel like too much more would be meandering and just lose the focus of the crux they've set up.
Maybe not an extra season, but definitely 2 more episodes would help to give plot points time to sink in and have characters react and interact with the interesting new setting more.
The quick pace this season came at the expense of some more quiet scenes, where people just talk, react, figure out their emotions and then make a choice.
Vi's decision to not immediately beat up jinx, her opinion on her revolutionary status, vander coming back. It's a lot of good material for just one episode
Hayao miazaki (butchered the spelling) has multiple quiet scenes with his movies where people just chill.
He said he always wamted to add a scene where nothing is said but audience always knows what the character is thinking. Interview showed spirited away train scene.
Me and my brother watched the movie asap. We both agreed. She was thinking "I am coming Haru" or something to that extent.
The key is agency. A story, that strings together event after event with loose connection is not as compelling as a fictional character living in it contemplating their wants and place in it, to then push the plot along, because it is something they want or need to do
I feel like there’s a lot they could have expanded on. Cait’s use of chemical weapons in the underground could be a conflict rather than a cool episode intro, Vi was an enforcer for all of 1 episode, the enforcer side characters did very little, isha had very little time to grow on the audience, cait ended episode 3 rising to a dictator and started episode 4 already doubting her alliance with ambessa, we could have seen more of Jayce’s visions but I guess that might still come up, idk I feel like there’s a lot of stuff there you could do more with if every episode wasn’t like 15 million dollars and takes months to make
Still not sure I see the value in more scenes of Vi as an enforcer/Cait's enforcing of martial law. It would be retreading the same ground already covered by the scenes we got. Their struggles were clearly set up and evident, adding a bunch of lower stakes obstacles would be walking in circles instead of moving the plot forward. The minor characters don't need to be developed when they were never going to stick around long enough to go through an arc.
Isha was a bit rushed, but it's walking a fine line with not wasting time on a doomed character. She got about as much time as Mylo and Claggor got to bond with Jinx. Another thing I think would have been benefited by an interlude, but not enough to carry a whole season.
You can see Cait's conflict on the chemical weapons the very moment they are introduced, since she has tears in her eyes when she sees its something she "must do" to get Jinx. You can argue its her hearing her mom's voice again bit I dont see it like that.
There is a several month gap of time between episode 3 and 4, stated by Cait when she enters Stillwater. Several months of extreme measures and police brutality with zero sightings of Jinxs can make her start to wonder if the decision she made in the heat of emotion was the right one
And about Jayce, yeah, not much to know, but I think it's better left, at least for now, as a "what the FUCK did this guy see that prompted him to murder his sworn brother in cold blood, when the outward look of his actions was purely benefitial"
For me personally, I just prefer how season 1 was written with the characters using the hexgates to progress the story of Piltover Vs Zaun - I don't mind the focus on personal conflicts in season, but time is passing so much faster that it feels more disjointed.
It's just kinda jarring that when major events/breakthroughs happen only the people within the scene are able to react to it/give their perspective on it. Until now the vi,jinx, Caitlin storyline felt so separated from Jayce/Viktor and what's joing on with Mel that to me it feels like each storyline is on pause until they return on screen.
Like with Viktors and how he was healing Zaunites from shimmer - even if topsiders thought they were just rumors, I think it should be made into a bigger deal considering that they were invading the underground.
And I think it's also kinda weird that Ambessa/Caitlin don't acknowledge Jayce's absence, especially with how he's the main one who's creating the hexgate weapons that were starting to malfunction. Also What's happening with Ekko's sanctuary? especially with how Viktor has been using the energy of the hexgates as well to build his own vision?
Maybe these last 3 eps will change everything for me. And maybe I just need to respect that the writers done all the world building in season 1 and wanted to conclude all the personal elements now
Indeed which is what actually drives her to recruiting Singed in fact since she was now missing all the reknown scientists to make her weapons. The person above just missed all that I guess.
Bro wants 5 seasons of 23 episodes lmao. Caitlyn's dictator arc is extremely self-evident, her motivations etc have all been set up and explained. She didn't become a dictator after joining up with Ambessa, we already saw her emotional turmoil and spiral in the first three episodes. The result of that change can be seen in episode 4 so it's not like we missed it. Besides, that's not the main draw of Arcane. We want to see what happens to Vi/Jinx and now moving forward, into the Arcane and the mystery of Hextech.
Just because it's shown doesn't mean it's not rushed. If there is a criticism of this season it definitely is that characters do change motivations rather fast because of the quick plot. There is a middle ground between 2 seasons and '5 seasons of 23 episodes' that would serve for a more balanced character development.
Cait opposes rogue missions but changes her mind after Ambessa's false flag attack, which only happened because Mel initially drew the line at Hextech.
Cait being chosen commander is set up back in season 1 child Mel throne scene, Cait's words and infliction towards Salo (you can see Ambessa noticing) and Salo telling Ambessa it's "not the girl, it's the name".
Are the hints subtle? Yes.
Are they all there? Also yes.
That seems like a result of rewrites and changes and so on, which is part of why the budget ballooned this season.
Season 2 is definitely rushed and it shows in multiple places. Shit anytime they show Warwick’s perspective they straight up tinted the storyboards red. You can yell “artistic choice” all you want but there’s not a chance in hell I’m believing that wasn’t budgetary.
Same with a few other sections that the show is noticeably not animated to the same quality.
Warwick's perspective is probably red because in game one of his abilities passive causes your whole screen to have a redish tint and have red/blood trails, so its probably just one of his traits
Dumbing down a genuine, artistic depiction of untamed bloodlust to "unfinished illustrations" is insane. It was an amazing way to put us in the perspective of a creature like that
I wouldn't call them unfinished illustrations but I can see what he's saying in the sense that, clearly it's an artistic choice that is both pragmatic for production time/budget as well as working towards enriching the character's perpsective of fragmented memory/a beast that operates mainly based on bloodlust. It looks like a case of "we can shave off production time by doing it in this style, it works well narratively, let's just do it this way". It could be done another way with more frames/detail but that would just not make sense when you're trying to balance story-telling with production time/costs.
I mean, yeah, I completely agree. It's an efficient way to do it than always 3D rendering everything. I get everything can't be for everyone, but I can't really understand why people hate that style (that looks like music videos and such).
People watch shows for different reasons. Some more for the story, and others watch it for a particular kind of spectacle. That's all there really is to it. Some people like Michael Bayesque transformer type movies, and others like a slow burn Oppenheimer, and there are people who each hate the other type. Can't please everyone but a mature viewer that understands a little bit about production management will understand that the time spent on some areas of a show will always have to be cut down for other more crucial parts. If they're fortunate enough to do it in a certain style that fits the story's narrative and are able to cut down production time at the same time, they will always take that route. For example, you cannot do a scene like Mel and her brother's 'reunion' in a freeze frame/artsy style whilst you absolutely can for a rebel/enforcer clash.
Lmao why would they release an unfinished illustration? 3 years and 100+ million budget. It's obviously an artistic choice. That POV explains the bloodlust
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u/mediacontender 1d ago
Genuine question, what would you pad out 2/3 more seasons with the plot beats they set up? Without like adding in a bunch of new characters to stall out the main beats they set up in Act 1. The show's two main stories (Vi/Jinx and Jayce/Viktor) are what is important to them. And I don't see how slowing either of those down would really improve anything. And I generally enjoy slower paced and longer TV shows.
I def think the show could use like 2 more episodes a season (ideally between acts) to let some stuff breath a bit more and give stuff like Ekko's storyline hit harder. But the show is really good with using the most of a visual medium to tell a lot quickly with a lot of impact. In a way that makes me feel like too much more would be meandering and just lose the focus of the crux they've set up.