Oil and Water
Episode 8 of Arcane begins with Silco arriving before the Enforcers to find Jinx a mess and unconscious on the bridge. Cradling her as his own daughter, he notices something shimmering in her hand. It’s the gemstone. And as Vi and Caitlyn realize this too, they understand with horror that this whole struggle – and Ekko’s presumed death – have been for nothing. Still in the city, Caitlyn and Vi show up at Mrs. Kiramman’s place. She agrees to help them with gaining an audience before the council but warns them this won’t be easy, telling them to prepare accordingly. That preparation comes from Mel facing her mother again, who steps foot in Piltover and gives her daughter a frosty reception. There’s no love lost between them, especially as Mel was abandoned here 10 years prior to fend for herself and rise up the ranks. For Mrs Medarda though, she sees this as a sign to oversee the family’s interest and grow. Tough love at it’s absolute worst. Mel’s mother oversees Noxus and as she talks tactics, she warns that Jayce has started developing Hextech weaponry. With the undercity problems and the border woes, war is coming. She wants to help but Mel shrugs off her suggestions, understanding that she’s going to serve as a puppet for her. Unfortunately Jayce doesn’t have that same foresight. Mrs Medarda turns to Jayce and decides to use him instead, imploring him to embrace war. Her words certainly rattle him. Meanwhile, Silco hurries down to the Undercity and takes Jinx to the doctor. He warns that Jinx could be lost completely if he goes down this path – which Silco agrees to. Only, he lets his guard down and finds himself with a syringe through the neck. He quickly passes out. The unpleasant gassing in the meeting room isn’t the last we’ve seen of Finn’s scheming though. He knows the undercity are in trouble and Silco’s dedication to Jinx could be his undoing. Finn tries to make a play for Sevika, reminding her that there are bigger fish to fry than Silco “You’re not the only one disappointed by his performance,” He says, lighting her cigarette. When Finn leaves the room, the camera pans to Sevika. He appears to have got through to her. But has he really? Meanwhile, Heimerdinger dons a robe and heads down to the recesses of the Undercity, trying to offer them aid. Only, no one wants to know and he winds up seeing firsthand the chaos gripping the streets. It’s a little more orderly above-ground but no less chaotic, as the city teeters on the edge of all-out carnage. Interestingly, he finds Ekko, clutching his leg in the shadows, and the pair get talking. Caitlyn and Vi arrive before the Council and plead their case, pointing out how Silco is the ringleader behind everything that’s happened. They also confirm that he just wants the undercity to be independent. Jayce has had enough and wants to declare war on Zaun. The only alternative here, is to talk to Silco. Vi is disgusted at the idea and with the Council too stubborn to see reason, Vi leaves the council. Caitlyn does her best to convince Vi to stick around but she likens them to oil and water; there will always be a divide and there’s no changing that. While all this is going on, Viktor continues to meddle with the Shimmer. He also uses that alongside the Hextech, and it all comes to a devastating end in his office that night. Sky shows up and tries to help Viktor, grabbing him. Only, the Hex suddenly ripples a brilliant flash of light which completely disintegrates her. Viktor is shocked and looks at her glasses in despair. Interestingly, Vi decides to undermine the council and go a more unconventional method. She approaches Jayce with an idea. With Silco controlling the Undercity and the supplies of Shimmer, she believes they should team up together, working hard and fast to take out the supplies and shut down his operation by force. Unfortunately things take a horrible turn when Jayce strikes a child mid-operation, who falls and bleeds out on the ground. When he realizes the whole operation has been conducted by children, he’s shocked. As the episode closes out, Caitlyn gets out the shower and finds graffiti scrawled up the walls.
The Episode Review
Arcane’s penultimate episode starts to align all the moving parts as the finale looks set to pull the trigger and explode into all-out war. Seeing Ekko alive is a nice touch, as is Heimerdinger walking through the streets of the Undercity and seeing firsthand the devastation and chaos that’s gripped the nation. The Council, unfortunately, stick to their ways and despite Jayce’s radical ideas, aren’t enough to stop what’s coming. The border issue has been an interesting way of showing that some political ideas can have serious consequences, with Jinx the obvious wildcard in all of this. We haven’t seen what she looks like or what’s happened since her surgery so it’ll be interesting to see this, especially as the ending hints that Caitlyn is about to find out first-hand. The montages in this show have been nothing short of spectacular and whether it be the classical music like this episode or the hip-hop infused fight on the bridge last time out, Arcane has been a real aesthetic treat alongside its gripping story. Everything has led up to this final episode though, which promises to explode into all out carnage.
