Warning: This review contains spoilers for Act 3 of Arcane’s Season 2 (Episodes 7-9).

A sacrifice.

A pleading cry.

The bond of sisters, no matter how far apart they always seem.

Since I started watching “Arcane” in 2021, it has always seemed like a terrifying journey at sea where the ship continues to rise and fall. Hope is short lived and easily crushed; the perfect happiness gets ruined in seconds.

But if I’ve learned anything, it’s that imperfection is what makes us who we are.

Act three of “Arcane’s” season two was released on Nov. 23, containing the final three episodes of the animated series. I was so excited to watch the finale and discover how everything would close in such a story with so many impactful characters.

Starting off act three strong, we finally saw what exactly happened to Ekko, Jayce and Heimerdinger after they were sucked into the hexgate’s anomaly back in act one. Ekko and Heimerdinger landed in an alternate universe where the underground city and Piltover somehow lived in harmony; it seemed like a dream compared to their normal reality. Meanwhile Jayce was thrown into a dead version of the cities, a true nightmare.

At first I was worried about “Arcane” having an episode set in an alternate universe because it usually overcomplicates things, but I was pleasantly surprised. The multiverse has been spreading to almost every franchise, and most of the time it ruins what I like the most in each. In episode seven however, I believed they handled the topic very carefully, and it actually elevated the story. Instead of being used as just another plot device, it showed all three characters what could have been. I really liked how they did the storytelling by showing what they went through after act two. Although this makes them appear in less episodes, it allows viewers to take in their experiences easier as it’s separated from what’s happening with everyone else.

After act two was released, there was a constant debate over whether Jayce was in the right or wrong for what he did. I always thought there was a reason for his actions, and I was right. Not only did he traverse a graveyard version of his home, he suffered intense physical and mental trauma in his solitude. He was then entrusted with a mission by a sorcerer to make sure his reality didn’t end up like the one he was thrown into, which is a pretty big task if you ask me.

But as interesting as his section was, I have to say my attention was mainly focused on where Ekko and Heimerdinger landed. Mainly him and Powder. In that reality, Vi died and her little sister never became Jinx. In that reality, Powder and Ekko were together. Although Ekko was hesitant to accept this kind of world, I think it was very important for him to realize that the Powder he knew and loved was still a part of Jinx.

And even despite seeing everything, I loved how loyal Ekko was to his world and the people that needed him. He never stopped trying to find a way back, so much so that he created a full blown hextech device. One that not only created an anomaly for him to return home, but allowed him to turn back time a couple of seconds.

Continuing on characters we haven’t heard of in a while, Mel’s final reveal as a sorceress shocked me. Although I was suspicious of how she easily survived Jinx’s attack at the end of season one, this was something I never really expected. I was really glad after she got her powers that she didn’t stop using her head. It’s always a bore when they give smart characters more physical strength then have them act completely out of character once they have it. For Mel it really just added to her already existing strategist abilities, and I really love that for her.

This excitement was unfortunately short lived, as moment’s later Isha’s death was confirmed. Despite being such a new character to the franchise, she has made a big impact in Jinx’s story and I really wish we could have gotten to see more of her. While I usually like showing rather than telling, I was hoping for Jinx and Vi to talk more about Isha. It’s obvious her death affected Jinx greatly, as she surrendered and got arrested by Caitlyn with no resistance, so I feel like Isha should have been brought up in conversation at least once.

Jinx quickly manages to escape imprisonment due to Vi trying to break her out, but the usual spunky attitude she had is now gone. The scene that follows is… definitely something. Normally, I like getting a little surprised from now and again, but this really made my jaw drop.

Caitlyn finds Vi in the cell, alone, and they then proceed to have an intimate scene. While I really have no problems with these kinds of scenes usually, I feel like it really came out of nowhere. I would have preferred them to actually talk about what happened between them and reconcile, maybe then a more mature evolution of their relationship would have made sense.

It especially doesn’t help once we see where Jinx is after leaving her cell, more importantly what she was going to do. The pain of losing people over and over again, the curse of being a “Jinx,” became too much for her. I was bawling my eyes out, not really believing what was about to happen. Ekko appeared at just the right time. It took multiple tries from him to get Jinx to listen and stop, but once he did I can only imagine all the things they talked about.

In the bigger picture, the war that has been looming over season two since the start was finally starting. Only instead of it being Piltover versus Zaun, it was Piltover and Zaun against Ambessa and Victor. I personally liked this change, even though it was a little quick for people from the underground and Piltover to start “liking each other.”

It does make sense though, as bigger problems arise they realize their petty fights between the two cities are kind of stupid, and that they should be caring about the lives of innocents in the long run.

I thought it was interesting how small scenes included side characters joining the war. It was a great choice as when some of them died later on, despite their minimal screen time, we still feel for the characters. It shows the ruthless blood shed that comes from war, and how no matter how much you don’t want people to go, death is uncontrollable.

I always took Victor to be a pacifist, so the Victor and Ambessa team-up was a pretty big surprise considering she’s a literal warlord. I suppose it adds to show his corruption and change, sacrificing his past ideals for the perfect “glorious evolution.” Together, the two storm Piltover with Ambessa’s army of Noxian soldiers.

Ambessa has always been one of my favorite characters in “Arcane.” I love her personality, her ideals and her story. I found them all so unique and creative. Watching her mow through soldiers with ease and eventually face her daughter and ex-pupil was thrilling. She’s such a cold and calculated character, and this is especially true when it’s revealed Maddie was working for her. I thought from the start the pairing of Maddie with Caitlyn was suspicious, and it looks like my thoughts were correct. Luckily enough, Mel took care of Maddie before anything really bad happened, and together with Caitlyn, they defeated Ambessa. As ruthless as her mother was, I feel for Mel’s sadness in having to fight and beat her.

It almost seems like fighting parental figures is a trend, as when Jinx showed back up to join the war effort along with most of Zaun, she and Vi had to face their adopted father Vander. Or, what was left of him that is. As sad as it was for them to have to fight him, I was really happy to see the two sisters finally team up this season. Their long, strained journey of a relationship has had its ups and downs, the majority being downs, but to see them genuinely care for each other and finally be on the same side, really brought me joy.

At the same exact moment, Jayce and Victor were also battling it out. “Arcane” has always had some of the best-choreographed fights, and these final three might be my favorite from the whole season. Victor in his final form was almost ethereal, in a really creepy kind of way. The fight against him and Jayce didn’t go on for long, and I actually like it more because of that. The rest of their character arcs took place in the realm Victor has been in most of the season, which I adored as it brought their story full circle. For the first time in the season, they had their first real talk. But it got cut short, as Victor completed the ultimate evolution for everyone.

That’s what I would say if it wasn’t for “the boy savior” Ekko.

With his rewind tech, he was able to turn time back enough to stop Victor. I really liked how his sequences were done when he kept going back in time. Sometimes characters with these kinds of powers can feel a little too repetitive but Ekko’s way never gets boring to watch. Even if he can turn back time, you still feel the stakes, his injuries don’t get healed and he has to maintain focus despite getting launched back a couple seconds.

Thanks to him, the resolution between Victor and Jayce got extended and fully changed the outcome of the war. The part where Jayce continued talking and said how Victor’s disability never made him broken, that there was beauty in imperfections, it was deeply touching. And just like the scene where they founded the workings of Hextech, the two partners were working together again to end the nightmare they created.

Other than the fact that the majority of this act, if not all of season 2, felt a little rushed, my biggest complaint was the lack of Sevika. She was one of the most important characters from season one, being Silco’s right-hand woman (literally and figuratively) and seems to still hold an important role as the first councilor from Zaun. She didn’t even speak a single line in this act, and should have held a more important role in aligning Zaun with Piltover.

While I did enjoy watching everything season two provided, I feel if the episodes were allowed more time we would have gotten more fleshed-out characters and scenes.

On that note, I’m very happy to hear that Riot Games will continue working with Fortiche on more series like “Arcane.” The art style, world-building and characters are always so pulling, I’m sure no matter where the next story is set it will be a fantastic experience.

While I’m sad to see it come to a close, “Arcane” is a series I will always keep close to my heart. After all, taking a leap forward means leaving a few things behind.