| This page is a Stub |
|---|
This article is a stub. You can help Arcane Wiki by expanding it. |
"Blisters and Bedrock" is the fifth episode of the second season of Arcane, and the 14th overall.
Synopsis[]
Vi awakens to surprising news. An unsettling reunion isn't what it seems. Caitlyn uncovers the origins of Shimmer.
Plot[]
Following her abandonment by Caitlyn, Vi becomes heavily involved in an underground fighting ring as a coping mechanism and spends her spare time either drinking with Loris or alone in a grimy Zaun apartment. Her drinking gradually gets excessive, to the point that Loris has to help her to her apartment on one occasion; seeing a Piltover banner during this causes Vi to start having hallucinations of Caitlyn, ultimately causing her to attack a leery dance club patron she initially mistook for the other woman. She and Loris argue and go their separate ways soon after this, further contributing to her negative mental state; she continues to get drunk alone, and her fighting abilities falter to the point she ends up getting repeatedly battered by her opponents in the fighting ring.
One evening, Vi wakes up to find Jinx in her apartment. Enraged, she grabs her estranged sister by the neck and pins her against the wall. Jinx tries to speak, but Vi coldly states that she does not want to hear another word from the other woman. Struggling to breathe, Jinx claims that Vander is alive, but Vi dismisses her words as a lie and tightens her hold to the point Jinx starts to choke. After a couple of seconds, though, Vi notices Jinx shedding tears and lets her go; Jinx collapses to her knees and takes a moment to get her breath back before claiming Vander needs their help.
Within Stillwater Hold, Caitlyn, Ambessa, and the Enforcers inspect the carnage left behind by Warwick. Taking an elevator to the cell block where Singed, Isha, and the other protestors from Sevika's rally had been detained, Caitlyn observes the damage done, before spotting the trail of blood drops Singed had left to lead Warwick to the prison; following it leads her to his cell, still locked and occupied by the doctor.
Following her discovery, Caitlyn and Ambessa question Singed, as Caitlyn coldly states she had hoped to see an end to the monstrosities of Zaun after her and Ambessa's months-long campaign and occupation. She accuses Singed of deliberately summoning Warwick to the prison; Singed does not reply, prompting Ambessa to claim that only guilty men respond to accusations silently. In response, Singed claims that no one in power is innocent. Angered by his words, Caitlyn tells him of deep prison cells devoid of light, fresh air, and other basic human needs; she has forbidden their use until now, but she threatens to make an exception for Singed if he refuses to cooperate.
As Caitlyn delivers her threat, Ambessa picks up a compact that plays a musical lullaby when opened from among the doctor's possessions; after listening to it for a couple of seconds, she closes it and tells Singed to tell them how to track Warwick. Singed replies that his age has given him an abundance of patience; recognizing the refusal and seething with rage, Caitlyn warns the doctor that he is on his last chance and asks about his plan and how Jinx was involved. Singed remains unfazed by her threats, however, and a furious Caitlyn whispers that he will rot in prison before departing with Ambessa.
Elsewhere, Mel awakens within a large underground pit and panics as she recalls how the Black Rose kidnapped her and murdered Elora. After her panic subsides, she hears a man call out to her from elsewhere within the pit, with the man indicating himself to be a prisoner like her. Mel asks who he is, but the man claims to be unsure, remarking that their captors have a way of distorting their captives' minds. Mel then recalls Elora's murder, to which the man comments on how the "stewards of the old world" are always keen to provide glimpses of their might. He suggests the pit is an Oculorum, a supposed prison for false prophets built by ancient beings, though he adds that he considers them just fancy pits that "peacock princes" used to imprison each other. Recognizing the phrase "peacock princes", Mel tells the man to step into the light provided by the sky above; the man does so, and Mel recognizes him as her supposedly dead brother Kino. The man, in turn, recognizes Mel as his sister, and the two embrace.
In Zaun, Jinx and Isha lead Vi to an abandoned mine that Jinx claims to have followed Vander to before losing him. Along the way, Vi spots a mural depicting Jinx as a hero of Zaun in Vander's stead; she turns to Jinx, who merely nods at her to keep following. Entering the mine - populated with bioluminescent mushrooms that briefly brighten when loud noises are made nearby, lighting the trio's route - Vi questions why Vander would come to such a place. Still, Jinx has no answer, and Vi begins to dismiss her story about Vander as no more than one of her delusions. In response, Jinx assures Isha that Vi used to be "cooler" before she (Jinx) "kicked her butt", which Vi cites as proof of Jinx being delusional.
Goaded by her former sister's comment, Jinx states that she wishes seeing Vi working with the Enforcers - the same organization that killed their birth parents - was a delusion, to which Vi expresses gratitude that their parents never had to see the "psycho" Jinx became. Jinx retorts by asking which of the two siblings that description applies to, pointing out that she rescued Zaun's people from Stillwater while Vi was in her downward spiral before threatening to beat Vi again unless she keeps moving. Vi claims that Jinx would not last a second without her various gadgets, but Jinx points out Vi's own reliance on her Hextech Gauntlets, while also mocking her for not building them herself. Dropping the gauntlets, Vi claims she could beat Jinx without them, only to be interrupted when Jinx rushes forward and slaps her. Vi is left stunned, and Jinx soon declares herself to have lasted one second.
Enraged, Vi grabs and pulls on one of Jinx's braids, to which Jinx responds by tackling her to the ground and initiating a brawl. After Vi manages to reverse their positions, Isha tries to aid Jinx by jumping on top of Vi and biting her arm, causing Vi to elbow her in the face and give her a bloody nose. Both Vi and Jinx are left shocked when they realize Isha has been hurt, with Jinx abandoning the fight to check on her, much to Vi's surprise. After Isha indicates herself to be okay and continues through the mine, Vi asks Jinx why she came to get her, expressing doubt that she and Isha really needed her help. Jinx answers that their previous, separate attempts to help Vander drastically changed their lives, and suggests that the current situation could be a second chance for them. She also reminds Vi that Vander was father to them both; Vi responds by silently following after Isha, with Jinx shrugging and following them.
Within Stillwater, Ambessa visits Singed; the doctor claims to have been expecting her, remarking that those seeking a weapon always have the same look. Ambessa replies that she has never seen a beast like Warwick in all her years of battle, to which Singed remarks that no beast is more savage than man. He asks for Ambessa's terms; the Noxian presents him with the compact and tells him that in exchange for his aid and loyalty, she will provide him with all he needs for his research and treat him as an esteemed advisor. Singed takes the compact, signifying his acceptance of her deal, and Ambessa warns him that he will wish for the cells Caitlyn had threatened him with if he tests her.
Aware that Ambessa seeks to capture Warwick, Singed explains the beast's past as Vander, while within the mine, Warwick detects a bloody handprint left behind by Isha due to Vi and Jinx's fight. Singed adds that he used Vander's corpse as a test subject due to the man's great resilience, making more progress on his research than he could have done with any other specimen. He tried unsuccessfully to restore Vander's mind as part of his research, but it was lost to Warwick's feral instincts and bloodlust; having seen how Warwick reacted to Jinx during the earlier fight at Stillwater, though, he suspects she may be the catalyst needed to restore it. During this conversation, Warwick is shown experiencing more of Vander's memories, including one of Silco toasting him with the words "blisters and bedrock".
Later on, while Singed is carrying out research under Ambessa's supervision, he finds himself confronted by Caitlyn, who has deduced him to be responsible for the creation of Shimmer. She demands to know why he would develop such a thing, to which Singed shows her and Ambessa to a glass coffin containing the lifeless body of his daughter Orianna, explaining that all of his research has been for the purpose of bringing her back to life.
While exploring the mines, Vi, Jinx and Isha come across an abandoned hideout used by Vander and Silco prior to their failed rebellion against Piltover. There, Vi discovers a letter Vander had written to Silco, apologizing for his attempt to kill him and admitting he had been motivated by anger over Felicia's death. Reading the letter, Jinx laments that Silco never found it, imagining that he might have abandoned his attempt to kill Vander if he had. Vi reaches towards Jinx's shoulder as if to comfort her, but fails to go through with it, and the trio leave the hideout.
Shortly after leaving, the trio come across the frenzied Warwick, who charges at them with murderous intent. Ignoring Jinx's urgings for her not to fight, Vi attacks Warwick to protect the other two, beginning a fierce battle with the beast. Eventually, Warwick hits Vi with a powerful backhand; she blocks the worst of the blow, but the impact knocks her back and into a wall, and Warwick turns his attention to Isha. The sight of Jinx causes Vander's personality to emerge briefly, before Vi coughs up blood as a result of getting knocked into the wall, causing Warwick to fall back into his bloodlust and turn towards her. Vi raises her gauntlets to continue the fight, but Jinx insists that Warwick is Vander and pleads for Vi to believe her. Warwick then charges towards Vi, who lowers her hands and calls out Vander's name.
Hearing his former name causes Warwick to recall one of Vander's memories before Vi's birth. In the memory, Vander, Silco, and Felicia - Vi and Jinx's mother - are gathered within the Last Drop, with Felicia revealing that she is pregnant with Vi. She admits she has been struggling to decide on a name for her daughter, and expresses concern about whether she can be a good mother to her within the Undercity. However, she also shows hope for the future, noting how attentive Vander and Silco became after learning of her pregnancy. She asserts that they will figure out how their dream of establishing an independent Zaun for the sake of her and her daughter, even if they have to "carve it out of the bedrock or cover it in blisters."; Vander agrees with the sentiment, questioning what the point of Zaun would be if they could not raise a child there. Silco then leads the other two in a toast to Zaun, using the words "blisters and bedrock", after which Vander admits to Felicia that he has always liked the name "Violet".
In the present day, a terrified Jinx frantically ignites a lighter before she and Isha use it to look around the now dark mine. After several tense seconds, they spot Warwick's silhouette standing hunched over; when they get closer, they discover it to be Vi and Warwick embracing each other, Vander's personality having taken control. Noticing Jinx, Vi invites her to join the embrace, reminding her that Vander is also her father. Crying tears of relief, Jinx runs forward to do so, with Isha doing the same soon after.
Cast[]
- JB Blanc as Vander
- Kevin Alejandro as Jayce Talis
- Toks Olagundoye as Mel Medarda
- Keston John as Kino Medarda
- Mia Sinclair Jenness as Powder
- Lucy Lowe as Isha
- Josh Keaton as Salo
- Katie Leung as Caitlyn Kiramman
- Erica Lindbeck as Elora
- Harry Lloyd as Viktor
- Ella Purnell as Jinx
- Jason Spisak as Silco
- Jeannie Tirado as Felicia
- Brett Tucker as Singed
Appearances[]
| This page is a Stub |
|---|
This article is a stub. You can help Arcane Wiki by expanding it. |
Locations[]
????
Events[]
????
Items[]
????
Vehicles[]
????
Sentient Species[]
????
Creatures[]
????
Organizations[]
????
Mentioned[]
????
Trivia[]
- ????