Having checked in with both Piltover and Zaun, Arcane Season 2 Episode 3, “Finally Got the Name Right,” delves into the core conflicts, both external and internal. Caitlyn’s (Katie Leung) trauma begins to manifest in troubling ways. Meanwhile, a new player enters the scene, one with unknown allegiances but highly sinister motives.
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For context, the episode opens on a bit of a rewind with Caitlyn sitting down at the Kiramman archive device, hearing her mother, Cassandra (Abigail Marlowe), in her head juxtaposed with her proposed plan to take a strike team into Zaun. Her mother’s records detail the ventilation system she commissioned for Zaun to vent the toxic fumes from the Piltover factories in the Fissures.
Arcane, “Finally Got the Name Right”
Using the plans for the ventilation system, Caitlyn’s strike team infiltrates Zaun and floods areas with The Grey in an attempt to flush out Jinx (Ella Purnell). Their incursion causes panic, and the aggressive, motion-comic style montage illustrates how they are welcomed to the Undercity.
The strike team enters a cavernous space with a propeller hanging in the center of the floor. Heenot (Mick Wingert) is bound upside-down to a blade. All the Enforcers except Caitlyn rush forward to help him. As they step onto the center of the floor, small mutilated doll effigies of each of them fall from the ceiling, hanging on ropes.
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After untying Heenot, they listen to him explain that Jinx is planning something in the pipeworks, something that involves rerouting the vents. Caitlyn orders Heenot cuffed and tells the team to check their weapons and prepare to engage the enemy. Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) asks if she can speak with Caitlyn for a minute first.
Black Rose
On her battleship, Ambessa (Ellen Thomas) reluctantly hosts Amara (Salli Saffioti) after the merchant guild member petitioned an unheard-of three times for an audience. Amara explains she’s there to settle a debt. As she speaks, a hissing echo is heard under her voice. Suddenly, Ambessa and her guard are both magically restrained by black and red limbs.
Amara stands and walks towards Ambessa, the echo under her voice more pronounced as she gestures with her hand, revealing a black rose emerging from her palm. Ambessa reminds her that they’ve already taken her son’s life. Amara grabs her by the hair and tells her they know what she’s come to Piltover for and won’t allow it.
Ambessa’s demeanor changes at that statement. She informs Amara that she’s confirmed what Ambessa had only suspected. The guard stands up, activating his HexTech staff to free himself from the restraints. This distracts Amara. Ambessa elbows her, slamming her up against a bulkhead and driving a blade into her torso.
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Ambessa orders her guard to triple the security as there will be blowback from Amara’s death. She tells him they need to get control soon. He responds that Salo (Josh Keaton) isn’t ready and suggests they reach out to Mel (Toks Olagundoye). Ambessa rejects that plan, saying Mel is safer as their enemy.
Promises Made
In the pipeworks, Vi recommends they send the others home. Caitlyn states that she must capture Jinx this time. She questions whether Vi is ready to do what it takes. Vi asserts that her sister, Powder, is gone. Only Jinx exists. And it has to end.
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Vi pleads with Caitlyn not to change the way everyone else in her life has changed. Caitlyn steps in close, cupping her face, and promises. They kiss. Vi drops her gauntlets, and they kiss again, more passionately.
Big Ears
Salo lies in a pleasure house, having Shimmer painted onto the tattoos on his legs. His attendant, a Vastayan bunny girl named Lest (Eve Lindley), hears footsteps approaching and quickly hides her supplies. Ambessa walks in, startling Salo. She orders the bunny girl out.
Ambessa scolds Salo for wasting his time and dulling his wits. He whines that Caitlyn’s exploits are all anyone wants to hear about. “It’s the name,” he complains, “It bewitches people.” He begins to compare it to Mel’s use of Ambessa’s family name, but Ambessa seizes him by the neck as a warning.
Ambessa tells him it’s time, directing him to rally all the families with influence in Piltover. He’s eager to get started. Before leaving, Ambessa tells him there’s an issue with Amara.
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While the choir rehearses, Mel meets Lest backstage. Lest tells her she wants out. Ambessa scares her. Mel tries to convince her to stay embedded with Salo to learn Ambessa’s plan. Lest tells her there’s a big announcement coming. The plan is to make Salo the city’s authority while Ambessa pulls his strings. She tells Mel they talked about Amara, and then she gives her a bottle containing a Shimmer-based cocktail to use on Salo. Before they part ways, Lest informs Mel that Ambessa smelled of fear when she came to see Slo.
Vi and Caitlyn come across a damaged pipe, leaking The Grey down into a ventilation system.
Turned to Horrors
In the laboratory, Jayce (Kevin Alejandro) tells Ekko (Reed Shannon) and Heimerdinger (Mick Wingert) about Viktor’s (Harry Lloyd) theory about wild runes, patterns that would occur naturally where the border between their world and the Arcane is thin. Jayce tries to demonstrate the difference between HexTech runes and wild runes. Wherever the Arcane is more naturally active, it leaves wild runes behind like fingerprints.
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Ekko draws the conclusion that the Firelight tree is blighted because the Arcane has been overtaxed by the HexTech demands on it. Heimerdinger concurs that it’s a possibility. The overuse of HexTech is causing the Arcane to leak into the world. Jayce considers the implications of the contamination appearing on a tree deep underground and realizes something.
Masked and armed, Caitlyn and Vi venture through a fog of The Grey in the pipeworks.
Unraveling Secrets
Elora (Erica Lindbeck) reports to Mel as she considers a way to waylay her mother’s plans. The report confirms that Salo met with the heads of several influential Piltover houses. Mel asks what else she’s learned. In looking into Mel’s brother’s death, Elora found no trace of the culprits and a lot of misinformation. She also learned that Ambessa’s been stripped of most of her holdings.
Mel sends Elora to get an apothecary to look at the Shimmer cocktail Lest gave her. She also directs Elora to check in on Amara. Elora leaves Mel to her plans.
Down, Down, Down
Jayce takes Ekko and Heimerdinger to the bottommost levels of the Hexgates, hundreds of feet below the surface. He explains the entire structure is a channel designed to focus the HexTech energy into a tight beam.
Vi and Caitlyn discover a ruined shrine. Vi realizes Jinx has painted murals of her as Powder with young Vi and Vander. She tells Caitlyn that if she gets a shot, she must take it.
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Jayce uses his hammer to open the portal to the failsafe for the HexGates. It was built at the bottom in case it exploded. Ekko is irked that they built it so it would destroy Zaun instead of damaging Piltover. Heimerdinger notes the signs of Arcane contamination on the floor of the chamber. As he reaches toward it, it becomes activated, and the three people are suddenly enclosed in a white dome.
Sisters
Vi enters the center of the shrine and calls for Jinx. Jinx responds, “Finally got the name right.” She is irate that Vi has joined the Enforcers.
Isha perches high in the rafters with a spyglass, watching Vi. Vi tells Jinx that she’s done with Jinx destroying her memories of Powder. At that, Jinx emerges from the fog, challenging Vi to stop her as she cannot seem to die. Caitlyn gets Jinx in her sight and takes the shot. Her HexTech projectile flies through the air behind Vi and hits a metal plate reflecting Jinx’s image.
As Caitlyn scurries to a new position, someone stands up next to Isha and makes her way down to ground level. Jinx appears on top of a toppled pillar, taunting Vi with her feelings for Caitlyn. Vi prepares to fight her.
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In the failsafe chamber, Jayce, Ekko, and Heimerdinger are trapped with an enormous ball of Arcane energy. Ekko asks if it’s a wild rune. Jayce doesn’t know.
Arcane Goes Wild
Caitlyn gets another sight lined up on Jinx, but Sevika kicks her weapon away, preventing her from interfering with the fight. Jinx leaps to the ground, and the battle begins. Vi’s able to use the gauntlets to pull apart Jinx’s weapon, but simultaneously, in the failsafe chamber, Jayce reaches for the Arcane ball, and his hammer goes berserk.
Back in the shrine, Caitlyn’s HexTech rifle backfires, and Vi fails to hit Jinx with the gauntlets because they malfunction as well. Jinx fires a shark-shaped rocket launcher at Vi. Vi frees herself just in time, and the rocket hits the wall, blowing Caitlyn out of Sevika’s grip. Vi takes off running only to discover that Jinx has booby-trapped with shrine with her chompy land mines.
Inside the failsafe chamber, Jayce sees copies of himself ad infinitum reaching for the Arcane. All three become fragmented as the Arcane energy heightens.
Just a Child
The fight in the shrine climaxes with Caitlyn subduing Sevika with an attack of mad ferocity. Isha sees Vi throw Jinx against a wall and leaves her post. Vi and Jinx take the battle to the altar. Caitlyn fires a shot that severs Jinx’s middle finger. Vi gains the advantage and jumps on Jinx. Jinx dares her to finish her. “Go on. I’m ready,” she whispers, “I’m glad it’s you.” Vi hesitates.
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In that single moment, Isha runs up and inserts herself between Jinx and Vi, pointing a weapon in Vi face while she crouches over Jinx. Caitlyn shoots the weapon out of Isha’s hand. Isha only clings tighter to Jinx.
Vi blocks Caitlyn’s next shot, pointing out that Isha’s only a child. Caitlyn is determined and fixated. Vi uses her gauntlet to redirect the rifle.
Endgame
Sevika gets herself up and triggers the endgame over Jinx’s protests. Hidden explosives go off and break the seal over the shrine, releasing a blast of air that knocks everyone back and out of the shrine. The air carries Jinx’s signature powder and races to the surface through the redirected pipeworks.
Up in Piltover, the birds fly away as the earth begins to rumble. All over the city, blasts of air carrying colored powder erupt from vents, damaging buildings and injuring people.
Yet Another Aftermath
In the Undercity, Vi and Caitlyn wake up and discover the tunnels have been caved in. Caitlyn tries to break through. Vi tries to talk her down. Caitlyn accuses her of ruining her shot. Vi reminds her Isha was there and could’ve been hurt if she missed. Caitlyn accuses her of not being different from Jinx because they are of the same blood. Vi asks if that’s so why is Caitlyn the one acting like Jinx? Caitlyn knocks Vi down, takes a long look at her on the ground, and climbs out of the shaft, leaving Vi to cry in pain.
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In Piltover, the city is in shock. Mel and Elora prepare to move forward with their plan. As Mel walks away, Elora begins to gasp, unable to move. Mel turns back, and a drop of bloody red magic lands on the floor at her feet. Looking up, she sees a black rose blooming from the ceiling. It expands thorny appendages to block out the light. Elora turns, another black rose bursting out of her eye socket with more roses sprouting from her skin. She hisses the words, “Black Rose,” as the magic envelopes the room and swallows Mel whole, leaving only the Shimmer cocktail paintbrush bottle on the ground.
Wrath
In the ruined Council Chamber, Salo addresses the gathered guests and introduces Ambessa to share her news. Ambessa tells them she met with Amara about rebuilding the city. She claims two Zaunite assassins attacked them and killed Amara.
Ambessa proposes they declare martial law and put a general in charge until the threat to Piltover is vanquished. She pledges to support such a leader with her detachment of Noxian soldiers. She nominates Caitlyn for the position, to Salo’s shock. Also Caitlyn’s.
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Ambessa begins pounding her chest to a beat. Her soldiers take it up, and it spreads as we see clips revealing Ambessa and her guard set up the massacre at the memorial. Caitlyn steps forward to look out over the city. Ambessa steps up behind her and pledges justice for Cassandra. Caitlyn turns, raises her hand high, and brings it to her heart as a fist.
Arcane Season 2: Stinger Scene 3
A beast snarls in the darkness. An arm with multiple intravenous tubes bulges. Singed’s (Brett Tucker) face moves in and out of focus. Red fluid rushes through large clear tubes to vats. The hand caresses a pocket watch and snaps it shut. Singed sits on a chair below a massive wolf figure suspended from the ceiling.
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