Arcane Season 2 Episodes 7-9 Review: An Awe-Strikingly Amazing Finale

The last batch of episodes of Arcane Season 2 delivered a rollercoaster of emotions that really climaxes in the best way possible. If Season 2 Episodes 1-6 were completely heartbreaking, then these final episodes will absolutely devastate.

Not only does it successfully ramp up the stakes Viktor caused, but it gracefully rounds out everyone’s arcs as well.

The ending of “The Message Hidden Within the Pattern” left a bittersweet aftertaste with Isha’s sacrifice in the end. With that, it’s clear that Arcane needed to calm things down for just a bit.

Fortunately, it’s able to do that in Season 2 Episode 7, “Pretend Like It’s the First Time”. This episode catches up on Ekko and Jayce’s venture into the unknown, which has been their own side quest of sorts.

Here, Ekko and Jayce get thrown into two different timelines, with Ekko surprisingly getting the better one. Albeit, that doesn’t mean that everything for the both of them is fine. In fact, they both struggle with what could have been (yes, that’s a Sting reference) and what can still be.

By experimenting with the past and future, “Pretend Like It’s the First Time” is able to give more insight into these complex personal dynamics. Ekko was hard-wired to be this scoundrel in his time, but here, he begins to shift in thought.

In this world, Powder’s still Powder, but Vi died in the incident from Arcane Season 1 Episode 1. With his alternate self finding love with Powder, amongst other changes, it presents this inner conflict for Ekko to face. Sure, Heimerdinger is there to guide him, but he’s all on his own.

It’s that intricacy of self-realization that helps widen Ekko’s understanding of Jinx. Ekko is still repulsed by everything because of what he personally experienced. This is clear when he sees Silco alive, who really pushed Powder to become Jinx.

Though he remained distant towards Powder in the beginning, realizing the goodness in her was incredibly sweet. Plus, it was incredibly satisfying to get that moment between them in the end.

As for Jayce, his journey was more narrative-focused as all of the pieces fell into place. Essentially, Jayce’s venture into this magic-tainted universe shaped him into the person he was in Season 2 Episode 6. It was self-contained for the most part, but its future implications keep you hooked.

Continuing with Season 2 Episode 8, “Killing Is a Cycle”, it felt like this episode’s story served as Season 2’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi. It does present itself as that penultimate story to the climax, but it has its shining moments. These moments come with Vi, Caitlyn, and Jinx while Jayce and Mel start preparing for war.

The opening sequence with Mel really exemplifies her journey in Arcane. Not only does it hint to that visual tease in “The Monster You Created”, but also shows her potential. Showing that she’s no longer bounded by the lies of her family, both visually and narratively, captures her confidence beautifully.

Meanwhile, Caitlyn is keeping Jinx under watch, even when she surrendered willingly. She’s unable to let go of Jinx murdering her mother, which keeps her relationship with Vi strained. This is further influenced by Maddie’s presence, who suspiciously acts like the third wheel.

However, when Vi has those separate moments with Jinx and Caitlyn, there’s a profoundness that wonderfully captured. Vi truly shows she cares for Jinx now, even if the pacing that growth had was fast. Yet, that turn of forgiveness from Caitlyn later on nails that euphoric feeling of hope.

As for Arcane Season 2 Episode 9, “The Dirt Under Your Nails”, its first half is a pure adrenaline rush. With the war between Piltover and Ambessa’s forces ramping up, you’d expect a lot of bloodshed and deaths, which do happen.

The stakes, at this point, are completely higher, yet it feels like its pulling on those endgame tropes.

Of course, the action is insanely well-shot given all these magical and rustic elements coming together. However, it goes to the extreme when Jinx, Ekko, Sevika, and the Zaun-nites join the fray. It’s all calamitous as ever, but that isn’t the highlight of this episode.

The big highlight of this episode comes between Jayce and Viktor, who’s no longer the “Arcane Jesus” that every fan’s calling him. He’s become more of a singularity without restraint, something that even Ambessa can’t control. Here, it gets very philosophical about free will, power, and the dangers that come with it.

With such a discussion, the dialogue feels somewhat clichéd given the nature of it. However, when things get more hectic as Jayce tries to stop Viktor, that’s when the energy kicks in.

In those final fights between Jayce and Viktor paralleling Jinx and Vi against the corrupted “Vander-wick”, it gets insanely good. Each moment that makes you feels like there’s no hope fully drives your anticipation higher.

Plus, Caitlyn and Mel facing Ambessa, their “adoptive” and real mother respectively, just completes that trifecta beautifully. One character gets a heavily justified sendoff here, but there was an obvious feeling that would happen.

In all of this, however, Ekko is surprisingly the MVP of these final episodes. This could’ve been a given since Season 2 Episode 7 focused on him. However, it came full circle wonderfully (plus, it really plays on Ekko’s in-game alias as the “Boy Who Shattered Time”.)

Yet, the most devastating death (or possibly not?) came with Jinx’s sacrifice, which was a real tearjerker. It also comes full circle when Jinx had that illusion of Silco in “Killing Is a Cycle”, which might’ve inevitably changed her.

While these deaths were so sad to watch, I can say they were ultimately needed in the end. They all played their roles in permeating all these relationships while proudly delivering their own stories.

To finish off this amazing series, Arcane Season 2 Episode 7-9 proudly deliver an impressive finale to a story that’s pushed beyond expectations. While there are some issues, particularly the use of the licensed songs in the midpoint to the pacing of specific arts, it’ll leave you happily pleased.

Overall, Arcane Season 2 will absolutely captivate you in ways that go further from both a visual and narrative standpoint. Hopefully, Riot Games and Fortiche Prod can continue developing sensational stories for years to come!

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All epsiodes of Arcane Season 2 are now streaming on Netflix.

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