Everybody Wants To Be My Enemy
Arcane Season 1 Episode 5 begins with Grayson and Caitlyn out training. It’s a brief segment, one that eventually sees Grayson questioning just what drives this young recruit. ..
This provides a perfect opportunity for us to jump back in time and explore what happened before Grayson’s death. Marcus has the opportunity to clear his name and save the day.
Vi is reluctant to help Caitlyn because she doesn’t know what she can do to help.
Vi is excited to see Caitlyn’s photos from the lab. She knows her sister is responsible but remains tight-lipped. “The under City is going to eat you alive,” she sneers when Caitlyn suggests heading down there to investigate.
Caitlyn, ever the compassionate soul and realizing she needs Vi, decides to let the woman go to help track down Silco in Zaun. Caitlyn sets out to find Silco in Zaun, and after some searching finds him. Caitlyn helps Silco escape from Zaun, and they return home safe.
In Piltover, an interesting power dynamic is at play. Viktor wants to press on with advancing the city and bringing the gemstones into the public eye. For Jayce, his loyalty to the city sees him torn between impressing the council, doing right by the city, and continuing his research.
That leads him to ask Marcus to look into the corruption that is rampant in the city, evidenced by a number of unauthorized transactions in the logs. Of all people, he asks Marcus to take action and tighten up security. ..
Medarda is aware of the corruption and calls out Jayce for his actions later that evening. Despite doing what he believes is right, the corruption with trade links back to the councilors. Jayce’s decision to increase security measures has basically painted a target on his back.
Jayce brings in Councilor Talis and encourages Jayce to reinstate trade. Using the Gemstones as leverage, deals are made as Jayce starts to understand more of the corruption plaguing this world, becoming another cog in this dirty machine.
Jayce and Medarda make love later that evening, just as Viktor appears to unlock the Hex potential. Unfortunately, he also succumbs to the illness plaguing him, collapsing typified by a drop of his own blood mixing with the magic. ..
Vi and Caitlyn head down to the Undercity, following leads to track down Silco. A lot of time has passed here though and the place is more volatile and more chaotic than ever before.
Marcus’ loyalty is wavering, in part due to the bombing and Caitlyn’s tenacity. Silco realizes this and turns to Jinx, giving her the massive task of weaponizing the hextech. However, Jinx is faltering. She’s seeing visions from that nightmarish day and isn’t thinking straight. ..
Silco brings Jinx out into the same pool he was betrayed by Vander and encourages her to embrace Jinx and let this betrayal (that being Vi and the gang called her a jinx no less) go. He’s determined to help reforge her into something bigger and better. After saying these words, Silco essentially baptizes Jinx, dropping her in the water to wash away her sins.
Vi follows her intel and finds Sevika, the traitor working with Silco. The pair duke it out, with Vi gaining the upper-hand and demanding to know where Powder is. When Vi finds out that her sister is working for Silco, under the alias of Jinx, her grip falters… and Sevika stabs her in the gut.
Vi’s attacker taunts, “She’s like his daughter.” Caitlyn, who had been observing the altercation from a distance, steps in to save Vi’s life with a well-placed shot. ..
As the episode ends, Jinx manages to uncover the power of Hextech, just as Sevika returns to Silco and tells him Vi is still alive.
The Episode Review
This rivalry between Vi and Jinx is about to heat up very quickly. Silco, the puppet-master in the middle of this, is going to be a major factor in this conflict.
As the siblings fight for control of their lives, they also find themselves struggling against a common enemy: Silco. With his dark secrets and twisted desires, Silco is a force to be reckoned with, and he’s not afraid to use his power to take what he wants.
Jayce finds himself in a conflict of his own, one much more closely aligned to corruption. With the knowledge of the councilors all being dirty, Jayce learns that ultimately in order to get ahead – especially this far up the political ladder – he needs to join them. ..
The Hex magic is set to cause a massive fight between Piltover and Zaun. It’s clear that this is something that the two cities are fighting for control over.
