Notice!
This page is about Heavy is the Crown, one of the episodes in Arcane: League of Legends Season II. For the song of the same name, please see Heavy is the Crown (song).
"Heavy Is The Crown" is the first episode of the second season of Arcane, and the 10th overall.
Synopsis[]
Vi and Caitlyn wrestle with how to best respond in the wake of a terrible tragedy that claims lives - and escalates tensions between the cities.
Plot[]
Jinx's surprise attack devastates the Council Meeting Room. Jayce and Mel survive and witness the immediate aftermath. Ambessa Medarda helps direct efforts of scouring for survivors. Council members Shoola and Salo are found alive, but the latter has been severely injured. In contrast Hoskel, Bolbok, and Caitlyn's mother, Cassandra, are found dead. Jayce spots Viktor, who is mortally wounded, and hastily carries him to the Academy. In a desperate attempt to save his life, Jayce reneges on his promise to destroy the Hexcore by using it for Viktor's recovery.
Piltover is left in a state of mourning after the blast. Caitlyn tries to keep her composure as the funeral for her mother comes to an end, and her casket is taken for burial. With Jayce absent, Caitlyn joins the remaining Council Members in the still-ruined meeting room. Ambessa assists a crippled Salo as the talk of granting Zaun's sovereignty crumbles and demands that Piltover's forces retaliate, armed with Hextech weaponry. But Mel and Caitlyn object as it would risk reckless escalation. Mel proposes instead to pin it on capturing Jinx and, with Silco gone, exploit the power vacuum by placing a large bounty on her that compromises her safety in Zaun. But Shoola and Ambessa side with Salo's plans for war but, convinced by Mel, that Hextech weaponry be their last resort.
Caitlyn and her father, Tobias, are still left mournful about Cassandra's passing. Caitlyn blames herself when she had the chance to take out Jinx. Tobias decides to pass down the Kiramman key, which Caitlyn thinks she's unworthy of, but Tobias reminds her the family name must now carry on with her. Vi distantly observes, of which Tobias angrily questions her presence. Caitlyn calms her father and approaches Vi, where she finally breaks down in tears. Vi tries to make it right by asking to deal with Jinx alone, but Caitlyn denies any more rouge missions as she reveals that she plans to join the Enforcers for an invasion. She hands Vi a badge, asking her to join as an Enforcer. But Vi is disgusted by this as it would betray her parents' memory when they got killed by Enforcers. She rejects the badge and leaves a dismayed Caitlyn. An embittered Vi spends the night loitering in the soaked streets of Piltover, where she is joined by a drunk Enforcer, Loris, who passes her a drink.
At the Academy, Mel checks in on Jayce as the Hexcore has now protectively wrapped itself to almost all of Viktor's unconscious body. Jayce can't figure out the Hexcore's intentions except that it wants to keep Viktor alive. Jayce learns from Mel that Ambessa is exploiting Salo's desire for retribution by pushing for the development of Hextech weaponry. He refuses to be involved as it would break another promise to Viktor. Mel assures him that she'll prevent that from happening. Jayce later pays a visit to Caitlyn as she still grapples with how the attack affected her. The two ponder the morality of using Hextech weapons.
Vi continues to drunkenly wallow in the streets of Piltover as she debates Caitlyn's offer, while Loris barely pays attention. Two Enforcers approach her, Junior Officer Maddie Nolen and her partner Steb. Vi initially assumes they're here to antagonize her. Still, Maddie admires Vi after Caitlyn retells Vi's bravery in taking down Silco to justify Vi's enlistment to the Enforcers. Vi is touched by how strongly Caitlyn vouched for her and doesn't refute Maddie's belief that Vi accepted to join. Maddie and Steb resume their duty as a memorial for the late Councilors are about to take place. Vi and Loris decide to attend as well. As crowds gather, Mel walks up on stage and gives her speech inaugurating a monument that honors the fallen Councilors.
Meanwhile, Vi takes notice of a suspicious Enforcer making his way to the stage. Cloaked figures also spread among the crowd, and one stood behind Jayce. Vi pushes herself closer upfront, but Enforcers block her from going further. The suspicious Enforcer disrupts the ceremony as she strikes Mel and fires a flare gun, signaling the start of the attack. The person behind Jayce is revealed to be Chem-Baroness Renni, who narrowly mauls Jayce with a chainsaw weapon. Panic erupts, and Vi, Caitlyn, and the Enforcers scramble to protect the Councilors from Chem-tanks. Renni plans to fight Jayce alone in revenge for killing her son. He manages to slip away briefly, but Renni is bent on finding him. Maddie and Steb evacuate the Councilors, but a Chem-tank violently halts their convoy. Vi asks Caitlyn to focus on rescuing the Councilors as she sprints for the Academy. Maddie gets carried away by a Chem-tank, but Steb frees her. The Chem-tank chases Steb, who is about to be crushed when he is saved, thanks to Loris's brute strength using a shield and Caitlyn's quick rifle shots.
Renni bloodily slashes Jayce's back and is left to a crawl. Renni closes in to deliver the final blow but gets blasted by Vi, wielding Jayce's Mercury Hammer after retrieving it from his lab. Vi and Jayce witness Caitlyn, Maddie, Steb, and Loris surrounded by Chemtanks in a last stand. Vi sees them outmatched and hurriedly prepares the hammer for another blast but struggles to reactivate it. Jayce uses his remaining strength to assist Vi in charging the weapon. Just as a Chem-tank prepares to slice, the hammer fires but is overtaken by a spear that suddenly pierces the Chem-tank. Ambessa and her elite Noxian guards finish off the remaining Chem-tanks. Ambessa executes Renni, ending the attack.
In the aftermath, Ambessa and her soldiers lead and secure efforts of recovery operations. Vi walks in on Caitlyn's tent to check on her. Caitlyn is enraged at Zaun attacking them in a time of grief. Vi pleads with Caitlyn to convince the Council to reconsider their invasion, as it would lead to terrible losses. But Caitlyn struggles to approach the situation as she doubts being capable of fulfilling her mother's role. Vi reassures her that she can't be what her mother was, but can take on her role and be beside her. Reinvigorated, Caitlyn uses the Kiramman key to unlock her family's vast knowledge and study it to formulate a plan. After another traumatic event, Jayce breaks his promise by crafting Hextech weapons, convinced that their use is now needed to win.
Shaken by the latest attack, the Councilors are forced to meet underneath their government building. Shoola is puzzled about how their enemies breached deep into Piltover undetected; Mel suspects that unknown informants in Piltover assisted in the attack. Salo pushes for invasion plans and the mass production of Hextech weapons. The meeting is suddenly interrupted by Caitlyn, now promoted as a commander, telling them that Piltover isn't ready to invade. Using her Kiramman title, Caitlyn halts all other talks by proposing to lead a strike team of her choosing at Zaun. To convince them, Caitlyn's team emerges armed with the customized Hextech weapons Jayce forged, shocking the Councilors. Maddie, Steb, Loris, and now dressed as an Enforcer, Vi, make up Caitlyn's task force with objectives to capture Jinx, dismantle Shimmer, and neutralize the remaining Silco loyalists.
At an unknown wintered forest, Singed approaches a dark cave. Inside, the two heads of a Murk Wolf growl at his presence. Undaunted, Singed breaks open a canister that begins emitting toxic fumes and prepares to use it against the wolf.
Cast[]
- Kevin Alejandro as Jayce Talis
- Earl Baylon as Loris
- Remy Hii as Tobias Kiramman
- Mara Junot as Shoola
- Josh Keaton as Salo
- Katie Leung as Caitlyn Kiramman
- Harry Lloyd as Viktor
- Abigail Marlowe as Cassandra Kiramman
- Ella Purnell as Jinx
- Toks Olagundoye as Mel Medarda
- Stewart Scudamore as Rictus
- Hailee Steinfeld as Vi
- Ellen Thomas as Ambessa Medarda
- Katy Townsend as Maddie Nolen
- Brett Tucker as Singed
Appearances[]
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Trivia[]
The episode's title most likely references the Linkin Park song by the same name.