The Big Problem Fans Have With Act 3 Of Netflix's Arcane
It is often joked that Riot Games, creator of the immensely popular video game "League of Legends," is actually a music and video production company that just happens to occasionally make video games, and considering the unmitigated success of "Arcane," one might see why. Based on the popular characters from the aforementioned game, "Arcane" expands the history of the undercity Zaun and sprawling technocracy Piltover by showcasing siblings Jinx (Ella Purnell) and Vi (Hailee Steinfeld), and demonstrating their impact on the world as a whole.
Currently resting at a near-untouchable 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, "Arcane" was divided into three acts. The first saw Vi and Jinx as youngsters, the second saw them as adults in wake of an explosive aftermath, while the third saw them finally confront each other after finding themselves in direct opposition. The cast was rounded out by phenomenal voice acting by the likes of Katie Leung as the sharpshooter Caitlyn, Harry Lloyd as the dedicated Vikor, Jason Spisak as the multi-faceted villain Silco, and Kevin Alejandro as the newest Piltover council member Jayce.
The nine-episode arc concluded in epic fashion with Jinx firing a Hextech-imbued explosive at the seat of Piltover's power, but there is one issue fans had with the final section of the first season of "Arcane," and they weren't shy about posting it online.
What issue bothered fans of Arcane's Act 3?
Converging on Reddit to discuss the final episode, Reddit user saborgzabo said, "This last act as a whole feels rushed. It's still technically really good; animation, design and art style, voice acting etc. But a lot of things with the characters and the story get no time to develop at all and a lot of them are just left to the wayside." Others agreed with this sentiment, but some pointed out that Riot is simply setting up future plots for the upcoming new season.
Reddit user Hyoruturu added that the first two acts were much stronger, in their view, as they "simply did a much better job with pacing, and I felt like most of the minor plot lines in episodes 7-8-9 lacked any meaningful closure. It's sort of like they didn't bother to flesh out some characters nearing the end, who were otherwise very interesting." Another user thought the pacing was an issue, with far too many new plots appearing in the final act, but noted that Riot is ultimately a business and that there will simply be more "Arcane."
In that sense, there had to be plots interjected to make room for Season 2. One simply does not create the highest rated video game adaptation of all time and call it quits after one season. Fans are still utterly enthralled with show, so not even slight pacing issues can stop the monster that Riot (and Singed) have created.