Yep Ekko (now that I know who is under the mask) is deffo my favorite character barring Mel thus far 👀

as a gay girl i'm constantly looking at Caitlyn respectfully

Ekko: - Suddenly shows up after the timeskip - Casually becomes the best character in 1 episode - Refuses to elaborate further Absolute legend

Still absolutely love the theory about how Jinx going for the kamikaze with her eyes turning grey was her having a moment of sad clarity and wanting to die as Powder while a childhood friend still recognized her as Powder. Also just love what this show does to de-romanticize jinx’s psychological/mental issues

What Ekko was silently saying to Jinx, when he started swinging the watch: "Let's play our old game...one last time." I really like that they show Jinx literally struggling with her madness. She doesn't jump straight to the worst conclusions about Vi and Caitlyn. She tells herself, "It's just a good-bye hug" and "She wouldn't do that; not again." It's one of the more tragic aspects of this show, which is saying something: Jinx doesn't *WANT* to be insane. She actively fights against it, only to fail and succumb to it, time and time again.

I'm sure you're almost done with the series by now so I'm just gonna say that you're 100% spot on about Ekko being the only one helping people. Characters in Arcane are either too focused on the future to help people in the present, or too focused on the past to help people in the present. Ekko is the only character, thematically, that actually helps people in the here-and-now. And that's done intentionally. Ekko and the Firelights are what Silco and Jayce failed to be.

Imo, Ekko vs. Jinx is the epitome of paralleled yet diverging paths displayed and encapsulated within a foreshadowing flashback.

Aege: "Can I get an Arcane Prequel?" Me: "This... this IS the Prequel! The Prequel to League of Legends."

Viktor's life IS the grenade; a ticking time bomb, and if he were to choose to do nothing about it he would die.

Dude, I don't think you're reading too deep into it at all! I am absolutely convinced that Viktor considered letting that bomb go off. He doesn't have much to lose, and he could eliminate the only two people in the world who actually understand Hextech. He and Jayce dead means no weapons and no weapons means no dead undercity dwellers.

Sevika always gets a bad rap cause she betrayed Vander, but it's nice to see someone else who likes her. She feels like the expectations of Zaun personified.

"I hate that this show is so good" LOL such a good way to describe it!

I love how he was so focused on Marcus' arm being gone that he seemed to miss he straight up died lol

"Am I just reaching?" Nah I thought that line was interesting too. He could have let the grenade kill him but chose to disable it and live and then in the next scene he chooses to use the shimmer to extend his life instead of letting himself just die. "There is always a choice." Indeed, Viktor, indeed.

Ekko vs Jinx scene is one of my favorites... Glad this show keeps you on your toes

You're not wrong when you said Powow was still there. She knows Ekko sees her as she was in that moment and Jinx wants to die in a singular moment where MO and her madness are gone. It's an act of suicide out of exhausted desperation. Jinx is the most tragic character I think I've ever seen.

That wasn't Jinx trying to kill Ekko. That was Powder trying to kill Jinx because Ekko reminded her of what she lost.

This is even better with the league voice line “I used to have a crush on you, until you started talking to the gun”

32:22 'powwow still in there- (jinx pulls out bomb) alright forget whatever i just said'

Just to add to Ekko, but in some League of Legends, he’s voiced by Dante Basco (Rufio, Zuko) so the lost boys references with Ekko are great too

It's remarkable how whatever Sevika and Silco said to Jinx about Vi ended up being true exactly as they said it would, even though Vi isn't doing it on purpose.

Your analysis is on point. No one understands how HARD Ekko goes in the time he gets. #1 character for sure. That scene on the bridge is sadder if you watch the Enemies music video. Powder and Ekko were “close”, one of the producers called him “Powder’s little hero”. As for the grenade look what those tiny ones did to armored men, the fact Jinx isn’t paste means SOMEhow that grenade got moved in the brief time it wasn’t active. Boy Savior isn’t just a title ;)

"Dynasties and Dystopia" is absolutely sick. That song, alone, makes this one of the best action moments. When you factor in the story and the emotional weight, it almost makes you wonder wtf other show-writers are doing with their material.

One of the interpretations I've seen about the ending of this episode (and one I personally agree with) is that it wasn't Jinx pulling a fast one on Ekko. During that fight, they both reverted back to their child selves as they imitated a game they used to play. By bringing that side of themselves forward, they each saw each other as the kids they used to know. Ekko finally saw that Powder is still in there. She is still that same person, just grown up and different, like himself. On the other side, Jinx just watched her sister abandon her yet again, and the only other person from her childhood is here fighting her. She already lost her parents, she lost Vander, lost Mylo and Claggor. Things have been tense with Silco, and here Vi is "proving him right" by abandoning Powder/Jinx in favor of Caitlyn. Ekko was the last person from her past that could have reached her, but here he is ready to kill her instead. She was just done. Done with everything. Notice how she didn't throw the grenade, or try to attach it to Ekko and escape. That grenade wasn't for Ekko. It was for her.

When Mel is on screen... RESPECTFULLY. I love you...

Since Slinky grew up more in the city of Zaun for longer, he has built an immunity to it. The council on the other hand is not immune because with fresher air, they didn't have to build that immunity. Love that scene because it shows how different Finn and Slinky's ideas are. Finn only cares for money while Slinky cares for the Nation of Zaun. Also, I love the interpretation of the "There's always a choice" that Viktor was very much thinking of suicide in that moment. He is a dying man and Mel just told him to weaponize a long path of good he's made.

why DOES Ekko have so much drip bro man's simply the coolest He's so sure powder is dead and jinx is all that's left; I'm convinced he had already tried talking to her sometime during the time skip which is heartbreaking to me. Powder and Ekko were very close, yeah, so this is all so T_T also that resignation in powow's face right before she pulled that pin, knowing full well she would be hit too T_T

29:12 yep she's humming the same tune too

The mini-rant right before the episode ended 😂😂

Did you say "PREQUEL"? Jokes aside, watch the "Enemy - Imagine Dragons" music video. Not a prequel but it's 100% composed of Arcane scenes from before Episode 1 (scenes that never actually appear in Arcane, so no spoilers, don't worry).

Oh yes, the "There is always a choice" scene was definitely intentional. This show isn't exactly big on subtlety (and I don't say that as a bad thing, I genuinely love how ham they go with lines like that and visual metaphors).

Did you happen to notice in the chem Barron scene: all of the plants were dead by the last shot as Silco walks away. Again. Best tv show I might have ever scene. ATLA is sadly, but appropriately a very strong #2

Silko is always in the undercity where the air is hard to breathe, that's why he doesn't get affected by it. Amazing scene, indeed.

The song playing when Ekko tells Vi and Cait to go on the bridge is his theme song in the game btw, they play it very lightly

1. man aege simping off the charts this ep. can't blame him tho 2. the MUSIC this ep my GOD. and the way it's paired w stylistic animation choices gets me everytime

I know Ekko was pivotal to everything kicking off, and he appears in every episode (except maybe 5), but it feels like he comes out of nowhere this episode and is instantly loved by literally everyone.

I never get tired of people immediately doing stank face when they first get to this intro lol.

Ekko had a crush on powder back in the day. There is a quote from him saying he had a crush on her until she started talking to her guns. Check out the enemy video for some scenes with little man and pow wow growing up.

Idk if you have watched it but the music video for imagine dragons "enemy" shows a lot more of jinx/ekko's relationship. Childhood crush for ekko; gives a lot of context to this moment.

"Is this Denzel Curry?" Ya lol

Arcane is really good with it's Parallels. Sevika could be seen as what Vi would be like if she worked for Silco instead of Vander. Ekko is what Powder could have been like if she was raised by Vander instead of Silco.

If u like the Ekko and Jinx dynamic you should watch the music video for "Enemy"

This one episode made me like ekko so much that he literally leap-frogged every other character and almost became my most favorite one. It's hard to beat someone like Vi, she got too much focus in the show. But he's legit my 2nd fav and basically had no screentime. The amount of work these creators can do with 1 episode is just insane.

This is the most bingable show I have ever watched. Even on rewatches.

The opening known as “Misfit Toys” is still one of my favorite songs

I just wanna say your rant at the end of the episode had me laughing to tears but for real I felt the same way dude. Like why the fk this show gotta be that fking real and that fking good? Love these, can't wait to see how you react to the ending.

Viktor always knew what to do with the grenade, he just contemplated not disabling it. On another note, Jayce said the grenade almost killed him while Viktor called the design “crude”, shows the difference in ingenuity

"Alright forget what the fuk I said." I loled

he is so beyond sincere talking to jinx. silco sees himself in her, he has from the moment she attached herself to him and renounced vi has her sister. their relationship and the parallels between them are so good

BTW, I know you recognized Denzel Curry in the second song, but the cold open one was a Pusha T Verse. You’ll hear this a lot, but Riot Games is a record label disguised as a video game company

This is my number one episode of the series. It is the episode that cemented Ekko as my #1 character. I love how he's a good option that doesn't have the baggage of politics from either Piltover or Zaun, just the fight to survive and thrive.

You are genuinely hilarious and love your reactions. Keep up the great content!

"Maybe she could... Change back to Pow-Wow, bro." Prophetic words, Aege... Powder gets one last, split-second moment, and it is so very, VERY important. Lots of people never quite catch it, let's see how you do when it arrives.

I think Slinky and Jinx are way more by any means necessary than the firelights are. Ekko is fighting, sure, but not killing when he doesnt need to

Ekko is the only unflawed good guy in the show so far, BUT... if Little Man didn't follow Jayce home and target him for burglary against Vander's rules none of this happens.

14:24 Viktor: "Whaddya mean 'you people'?"

32:24 had me losing my shit

Lmao u said "theyre not seeing eye to eye" next scene instantly silco

The way i see it is that powder is still there, and when ekko saw that, powder decided she was ready to die

AEGE AND ARCANE LETS GOOO

Check out League of Legends Enemy, it shows Powder and Ekko play fighting when they were small. Not exactly canon, but the vibe is there.

aege how could u forget beloved cop guy marquísse

23:03 HexTEC-9

You’re right though. Ekko and Jinx are simultaneously the same, and polar opposites.

"his arm is gone bro!" I don't think he cares lol

Yeah, love that she's humming the opening song

"his arm's gone bro" HE is gone

Bro you had me gut laughing at 1:30am at the end of the episode when Jinx blew her and Ekko up lmao!

33:02 xD

Aege when the firelights were introduced: I hope they play a part and aren't just here to reintroduce us to powder Me, internally: Ooooh boi just you WAIT

“I hate that this show is so good.” “poo-nanee too fire.” hilarious

That feeling when you're watching a video game prequel show, and you ask for a prequel to the prequel.

Yas, this ep couldve had the title "diverging paths" because just so much shit happened

32:35 to 33:05 has to be one of the funniest and also most relatable reactions I've even seen...

"I hate that this show is so good, bro." This should be a pull-quote on the Blu-Ray box.

Aege, my man, you should host radio

Nah dude, Pow-pow WAS still there... she was just suicidal Pow-pow.

I live for these

29:06 yep it's even got the same song that Powder was singing playing in the background

ayo, my fave episode! i see you with the consistency now aege, appreciate it 💕

Oh God, at 11 minutes we see the toy that belonged to Vi and she gave Powder before trying to turn herself in, back in ep. 02. The attention to details... Recently I started to suspect that Sevica is a lot more machiavellian character than we first thought. That bit of advice to Silco... I wonder if she did it to help or to let Jinx's dark thoughts to fester, unattended by Silco. The story would end up different, I think, if they'd talked among themselves before. And Silco made the list of the toughest villains of all time in this episode. Monologuing in a poisonous atmosphere, calmly breathing the air that everyone else is choking on. Caytlyn is an interesting character, in which she was too nice a person, too goody two shoes, for this show. Then we watch her through the entire show, over and over. And we start to see a fascinating arc of a cloistered child becoming a worldly woman, standing for what's right. It's intriguing. The music Jinx is humming is the same Powder sang in ep 01 Recently I said that the VI/ Sevica fight in ep 05 was one of my favorites in all media (the elevator scene in Captain America 2 being the other). I clearly forgot the Echo/ Jinx fight here.

I love watching people when the credits roll. Just wait till the end.

Ekko v Jinx Everyone: Yo! Nes! Sto! Gop!

Knew u gonna love this episode heh ... awesome reaction !! :)

Ekko had a crush on powder back in the day, also, his stopwatch let's him reverse time a few seconds

I just had a thought. I always wondered how Powder knew where to go to intervene in the first place in episode 3. Vi had needed to be shown where they went, and after she took the crew Powder had been busy having a mental breakdown for a while so she couldn't have just followed them them. The only answer I can think of is that she went to Ekko to ask (Vi said Benzo was dead and Little man always knows everything that happens that around their shop). Which makes me wonder... how would things have gone if when Powder, known for being the "weakest / most useless" member of the crew (which wasn't really true, she was just improperly utilized) shows up and is trying to head in, if he went with her. If instead of Powder being on her own when she sends in the monkey bomb, if Ekko had been beside her. Even if his presence and help didn't prevent the deaths, he at least would have been alongside Powder and known her full perspective on what she did and why and might have been able to help her through it and get away before Silco showed up... But who knows. Maybe if he went, he just would have added to the number of people the explosion killed. There's quite a few ways it could have changed things, but whatever the case, it's interesting to think about

Finally this episode) it will be perfect 40 minutes, thanks Aege)

Little Man!!!

Been waiting for this one, my favorite episode of arcane and my favorite character at least lore wise in league of legends

Yo Aege wanna hear something sad? Ekko had a crush on Powder when they were kids, that’s why he hesitated. One of his in-game lines towards her is: “I used to have a crush on you, until you started talking to your gun”

Now you need to watch the official Video for Enemy by Imagine Dragons and JID and see just how good of friends they were as kids, and then your heart will break all over again.

It's interesting, you have Vi and Caitlyn, two people from the opposite side of the spectrum coming together for the common cause, and you have Jinx and Ekko, two people with pretty much the same background, now sworn enemies.

I hope after the show or actually after this episode you watch the Enemy MV to get more on Jinx and Ekko's friendship 😩

Pow pows still.. nevermind. Man couldn't even finish his thought

29:00 This should remind you of the first episode. After all, Jinx is humming the same song she was singing at the very start

So goooooooood

Good work.

They saved the best for last. Love Ekko!

27:15 "FUCK 12" that's fucking right!

No joke Aege, you MUST watch Enemy(Music Video) by Imagine Dragons now. LIke RIGHT NOW. It is all about Powder and Ekko. Make it a Mid-series Reaction. Then watch Ekko vs. Jinx: Dynasties and Dystopia(Music Video). The song is fire. Neither music video has spoilers anymore. You have seen what they could spoil already. Enemy is ALL NEW animations, not seen in the series, it is all back story for Ekko and Jinx. Also, Enemy has a few Verses by JID that you don't hear in the Intro music.