Arcane Season 2 Finale Review: Never the End

The Season 2 finale to Netflix’s Arcane resonates and enchants while continuing the story of its best characters while leaving the door open for more from this world.

As with the first season, the plots hinge around four lead characters. Vi (Hailee Steinfeld, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) is still working to capture her estranged sister Jinx (Ella Purnell, Fallout) who is working on one final coup to overthrow Piltover. Vi’s relationship with Caitlyn (Katie Leung) continues to develop, with both of them needing to find themselves before defending Piltover from the threat of Ambessa (Ellen Thomas). Meanwhile, Jayce (Kevin Alejandro) is released from his stay in limbo to help Caitlyn and company, helping him atone for the creation of Hextech and his indirect role in starting this war. 

The Arcane finale does what the show does best in weaving several distinct plots together into a cohesive whole. In fact, these stories are easier to follow than Season One as the action is more self-contained and the characters are put as the focus over the storylines, giving us time to care about them and see what happens at the end. 

The one who seems to get the most development in these three episodes is Ekko (Reed Shannon). His universe-crossing ordeal brings out an emotional resonance with him, and explores a better version of himself and of Jinx. The episode “Pretend Like It’s the First Time” is where we get a glimpse of Ekko as a person as he examines a universe without Hextech. It is poignant, romantic, and a compelling character study all at the same time. This episode is also a great setup for the finale because of the creation of a time travel device. Time travel, often used as a cop out in these kinds of stories, serves here as a secret weapon and conflict resolution. Ekko’s creation of the device means the symbolic fulfillment of his character arc in putting the needs of others first. 

The last episode, “The Dirt Under Your Nails,” is everything we hoped it would be. The characters all convene in Piltover for one last battle. The result is an explosive, emotional finale which combines all of the plots and emphasizes the series themes of magic versus technology. The animation in general depicting the magical elements alongside the futuristic ones makes it a visual feast, but the focus is kept squarely on sisters Jinx and Vi, with their last scene bringing the conflict full circle. Those last scenes and their conversations through this episode will be discussed and analyzed for years to come.  

The Arcane Season 2 finale may have now come and gone, but some hints at the end suggest our adventures in Runeterra may not be over. Some characters are still at large, Vi and Caitlyn have a long way to go still, and if the Season One finale proved anything, there will be some stragglers in the fray.

The Season 2 Finale of Arcane – Act III (ep. 7-9) – was released globally on Netflix on November 23, 2024.