‘There Is So Much More To Explore’ Arcane Writer Admits They Didn’t Explore An Important Concept That Its Spinoffs Might Do So

by

Summary

  • Netflix’s animated show Arcane explored fatherhood more than motherhood.
  • The lack of warm and nurturing mother figures was deliberate to maintain a dark tone.
  • Despite missing out on exploring motherhood, future Arcane spinoffs may delve into this concept.

One hit animated series on Netflix, known as “Arcane“, has been incredibly popular. However, even with all its success, its creator openly acknowledged that there was at least one idea they didn’t delve into within the series itself.

As a die-hard movie buff, I can tell you that “Arcane” is an exceptional animated series, spun off from the popular game “League of Legends.” It premiered on Netflix in November 2021 and quickly garnered critical acclaim, leading to its renewal for a second season. Three years later, Season 2 hit the streaming giant and lived up to the hype of its predecessor. However, despite the clamor for more, the series’ creator and showrunner, Christian Linke, decided to wrap it up after just two seasons, opting not to “push it too far.” Looking back, it seems there might have been a missed chance to let the story unfold a bit longer.

In an interview with Screen Rant, Amanda Overton, writer and co-executive producer of Arcane, acknowledged some aspects of the series that were well-handled, such as delving into the characters’ backstories and portraying Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) and Jinx’s (Ella Purnell) sibling relationship. However, she admitted a conspicuous lack of maternal figures in the show, as both Vi and Jinx are orphans. The character of Cassandra, Caitlyn’s mother, was depicted as politically powerful, protective but stern, and controlling, differing significantly from her portrayal in League of Legends lore where she is warm, loving, and nurturing. Overton admitted that the show didn’t delve deeply into the concept of motherhood, which might be due to the fact that she wasn’t a mother herself while working on Arcane. She explained her thoughts on this matter.

In the process of creating seasons 1 and 2, I hadn’t yet embodied the role of a mother. However, there are numerous aspects of motherhood and the transitions through life stages that remain unexplored and intriguing.

In the series Arcane, while it didn’t delve deeply into motherhood, it did focus on the impact of fathers on their children. For instance, Vander (JB Blanc) was depicted as a loving, charming, and powerful figure who adopted Vi, Jinx, and later Mylo and Claggor following their parents’ deaths in a riot. Similarly, Silco (Jason Spisak) served as another significant father figure for the volatile young Jinx, influencing her to embrace her dark, violent, and chaotic nature. As such, Arcane seems to have presented a more extensive examination of fatherhood compared to motherhood.

In Arcane, mothers often lack a significant presence or are portrayed as cold or distant, which contributes to the show’s dark tone and reflects the children’s struggle for survival amidst trauma and a broken world. The creative team skillfully delves into complex relationships, particularly father figures and mentorship dynamics. However, the absence of nurturing mother figures is a recurring theme, with characters like Vi and Jinx’s mom Felicia (Jeannie Tirado) having limited screen time. This emotional void is deliberately employed to emphasize the children’s self-reliance in a harsh environment.

Looking forward, there are at least three spinoffs in development, offering potential opportunities for the creative team, including Overton, to delve deeper into the impact of maternal figures in their future projects, given Overton’s recent insights.

Arcane streams on Netflix.

Read More

2025-05-27 19:23