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Arcane Season 1 Episode 4 Recap – Happy Progress Day!
BY Harris
Published 2 years ago
Progress
Years after discovering Hextech, Jayce and Heimerdinger prepare for Progress Day. The council has entrusted Jayce to give the Progress Day speech, something Heimerdinger used to do each year. The professor finds Jayce deserving of this honor, as his Hextech gates have helped connect the people of Piltover to other nations. Heimerdinger suggests they reveal a new invention to the crowd, as it would be the best opportunity to do so.
Transportation has evolved in Piltover. Jayce’s gates have enabled airships to move across great distances, speeding up trade.
The people gather and enjoy the festivities for Progress Day. Jayce Talis is now hailed as the Man of Progress, while Caitlyn works as an enforcer. Caitlyn has a strained relationship with her mother, who thinks her profession does not fit her high station.
Jinxed
In one of the airships, Silco’s henchmen are smuggling barrels of Shimmer. A group known as the Firelights attacks them — masked individuals, who use hoverboards to move around. They subdue the workers and check the smuggled shipment. Below deck, two Firelights are caught in a trap. Powder, now a teenager, ambushes them with her weird metal gadgets. The Firelights try to set the barrels of Shimmer on fire. Powder tries to stop them, but she is distracted by a girl who reminds her of Vi.
Painful memories flood her mind. She shoots her, but the Shimmer catches fire. The Firelight leader tries to fight Powder, but she unleashes her Gatling gun at him in a blind rampage.
The Price
Back in their lab, Viktor and Jayce are deciding on the future of their tech. They show Heimerdinger their new invention — a Hextech gemstone more stable than the previous ones; it is a product suitable for regular people. With it, people can power portable devices.
Jayce demonstrates such using two handheld gadgets used by miners and artificers. Heimerdinger is proud of their presentation, but the professor thinks their invention still needs a decade of work. As they are, these tools can be dangerous in the wrong hands. He tells them to keep working on it.
The enforcers are sent to the burned airship. Caitlyn sneaks in to collect evidence. She searches for clues on what happened and finds one of Silco’s men in a cabin. Caitlyn gets caught by Sheriff Marcus, who stops her from interfering with the investigation. She is given the night shift at the fair as punishment.
Back in Zaun, things have also progressed. The streets are noisier and brighter. What used to be Vander’s bar is now a busy nightclub. Sevika, Silco’s Lieutenant, complains to his boss about Jinx’s instability. Silco blames her as it was her job to keep their operations smooth.
Jinx was listening from the ceiling all along. When Sevika leaves, Silco tells Jinx what happened. She admits to Silco she was distracted by a girl with pink hair. Jinx now sees Silco as a father figure, and she openly admits her mistakes to him. She promises it won’t happen again, as he gives Silco a shot of the Shimmer.
Silco advises Jinx to take some time off and focus on her gadgetry. She reluctantly obeys.
Man of Progress
Back in Piltover, Medarda meets with Jayce. He asks her for advice on how to deal with Heimerdinger. She tells him the world is ready for Hextech, and the professor’s ideas are outdated. She encourages him to carry on. Piltover needs someone like him to lead them to the future.
Back in her place, Jinx talks to herself. Her mind is littered with voices and images of Mylo and the others. Her past experiences have taken a considerable toll on her mind. She convinces herself she isn’t weak. Sooner or later, they will see her.
Jayce presents his speech to the crowd. Viktor stays backstage, pressured by the crowd. Jayce stands tall, befitting Piltover’s Man of Progress. The crowd applauds him, seeing the council on the front rows.
Outside, Caitlyn is on patrol duty.
Jayce opens by saying he didn’t expect to be the one talking to them that night. He talks about his humble origins and his rise to success. He points to the Hexgate ports and how it has led to Piltover’s progress — the crowd stands with applause. But they’re not done yet. Viktor prepares the curtains for their grand reveal. Jayce hesitates and diverts the crowd, saying it isn’t ready yet. But he gives them the promise they will keep pressing forward, for they are the City of Progress, and the future is bright. Outside, fireworks explode with cheers from the crowd. Medadra walks out. Viktor is clearly unsatisfied by Jayce’s call.
The enforcers gossip outside: Jayce’s speech was underwhelming. They laugh at Caitlyn’s refined manner when suddenly she sees a fire in the distance.
Attack at the Square
One of the huge tents is burning. A child’s voice calls from inside, asking for help. Caitlyn picks up an extinguisher while the other enforcers follow the sound. What they find instead are Jinx’s traps affixed with speakers and dynamite. Outside, Caitlyn sees Jinx’s symbol. She calls for everyone to get out, but it is too late. The bomb detonates, Caitlyn gets thrown by the blast. She spots Jinx in the distance before passing out.
That morning Jayce finds his laboratory ransacked and vandalized. The gemstones are gone, and the thief left them an airship doll with Happy Progress Day. The Sheriff reports no one in the Undercity has come out yet. Heimerdinger is troubled.
The council discusses their dealings with the Undercity. They worry the gemstones can cause massive destruction to the topside. They had to address it immediately. Jayce owns up to his fault and suggests halting all Hextech operations until the situation is resolved, including the Hexgates. The council disagrees, as people would lose their income.
Radical Solutions
Medarda suggests a different approach. Perhaps a radical solution is needed. She suggests Jayce have a seat at the council, as he is the only one to guard the Hexgates and its tech. After some deliberation, they come to a vote.
Back in her workshop, Jinx is at work celebrating her new haul. Silco comes down to scold her for the damage she’s done and the murdered enforcers. Instead, she shows him the gemstones. Silco is left speechless while Jinx starts her own fireworks display.
Jayce visits Caitlyn back in her room, where she is busy investigating yesterday’s events. She posits the one who attacked the square and the airship was the same person. Jayce asks her how she could prove her theories to the council. Caitlyn asks him why he cares about council matters.
Jayce reveals his newly elected seat. He offers Cait a desk job under her wing. She declines, saying she already has a job. Jayce tells her she had been removed from the enforcers by her parents’ request. She throws Jayce out of her room in anger.
Caitlyn’s investigation leads her to Stillwater Hold, where she finds Vi in her cell.
Our Thoughts
It’s great to see our main characters grow and develop so much over the years, for better or worse. The visuals also improved to coincide with Piltover and Zaun’s progress. We’re still in the fourth episode, but it honestly feels like we’ve already had seasons’ worth of television with how things progressed — showing how the writing team had their script in order. I rate this episode a 4/5.
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