The INSANE Non-Verbal Storytelling of JINX vs EKKO

#arcane #leagueoflegends

Loved this scene so much, crazy how much they accomplished story-wise in 2min

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[michaelsykes]

That grenade at the end was 100% a suicide attempt. Not "Jinx wins". She lost. And she realized that. She realized things have gone too far and it's time to put an end to it. If she just wanted to take down Ekko at all cost, she could have stuck the nade onto his body, we know those grenades stick. Her expression shows no hostility towards Ekko, no anger, no resistance. Just regret and resignation. You can see in the last second that she simply looks away and pulls the pin.

[Kyoril]

It is worth mentioning to point out that Powder's friendship with "little Man" Ekko, and hanging out at Benzo's shop is likely where Powder learned to differentiate between what's junk and what's valuable. As we see in Episode 1 when Mylo is haphazardly tossing junk into the sack while Powder is more studiously looking at everything and picking out the items with the most value.

[Nata-chbk]

The smile of Jinx at the end of the scene can be interpreted in different ways.

For me, it was actually a smile of sympathy towards Ekko. But she still realises that things have gone too far, and the grenade is her giving up and actually being fine with dying here together with her childhood friend Ekko. As far as she knew, she wasn't supposed to survive that grenade.

[AnyHeroBlake]

This is why "show, don't tell" is so incredibly important
This scene also really drives home how Ekko and Jinx are polar opposites due to the events they lived through. Ekko could have gone down the same path as Jinx. He was alone after everyone tried to save Vander.

[HNblaz]

What people don't know if they don't play League too, is that Ekko had a crush on Powder, and seeing Jinx tore his heart apart.
When Ekko meets an enemy Jinx, he would say : "I had a crush until you started talking to the guns." and "Guns. Original."
So Ekko doesn't only see Powder, he's also reminded how much he cared and loved her.

[iXSIKOBOIXi]

Something people need to really really pay attention to in not just this scene but in the entire show is Powder's eyes. She starts off with dull eyes, brown or grey looking eyes. These are just her normal eyes as Powder. When she uses the Hextech Crystals to kill everyone her eyes stay blue. This is still powder but she's different. She's scarred by the event. It never leaves her minds eye. That explosion is constantly there. When she is Jinx, truly Jinx, her eyes are Purple. Powder is dead and Jinx has taken her place.

In this fight scene, at the very end when Ekko is looking down on Powder, yes Powder, her eyes are the dull dark brownish colour that they were back then. So this action isn't Jinx trying to kill Ekko, this is Powder trying to stop it all right there. It's more of the Non-Verbal storytelling and it's absolutely a masterful detail.

[nicklikethesoup]

Another element missed is that up until this point, Ekko denies Powder’s existence. But then, he sees Powder and that causes his hesitation because Vi kept insisting Powder was there to save and this moment of hesitation is him realizing Vi is correct. But it also gives us our first glimpse of Jinx using Powder as a mask at times as she takes more and more control.

[davids]

Very well done! One thing I'll add is I have heard the theory that at the end when Jinx is lying there she's basically at rock bottom with everyone abandoning her or betraying her then her recognizing that the old friend whom she was trying to kill now showed mercy to her.

So at that moment she might have set the bomb off more to end it all and kill herself more than to kill Ekko.

[tinyblueflame]

The scene has just one dialogue and even that is perfect. She could have said anything after "Look who it is"; she could have said "Ekko" or "Littleman". Both would have gotten the point across that she know who he is. But instead, she said "the boy saviour" dripping with sarcasm. In this one phrase, she summarizes her whole view on Ekko and all his efforts with the fire lights. Arcane is just a master class in super efficient story telling

[neohleza]

and the fact that this scene is also a foreshadowing of Ekko's time travelling abilities makes this fight a whole lot more meta..

[SpiraSpiraSpira]

Right before the grenade explodes you hear a "DING" sound, it is the same sound that was played before when Ekko hit Jinx's gun with his bat-thing so I think that Ekko at the last second knocked away the grenade right before / as it exploded to save Jinx, or at least to attempt to save her instead of just leaping away. This would also provide an explanation other than "plot armor" as to why both parties survived such an explosion that otherwise would have been undoubtedly fatal to both of them..

[TaldrenDR]

I disagree with your assessment at the end. Looking at the expressions of Jinx at the end, It went from fear, to sadness of the situation, to the small smile in recognition that Ekko still believed she was redeemable, and finally to the looking away as she gave up on herself and tried to kill herself with the grenade.
Attempted suicide has been a theme in this show as this was the 3rd in the series. First was Jayce, then Victor, and now Jinx.

[loneoakgrls]

I definitely see Jinx setting off the grenade as a suicide attempt, as most other people here have stated. It's the only time in this season we see her facial expressions turn back into Powder. Even when she reunited with Vi for the first time and they hugged, it didn't seem as 100% genuine as it did with Ekko. With Ekko she accepted defeat and was okay with it, she realized what she had become. Ekko was her age when they were younger and the only one who didn't make her feel left behind or left out.

When he took out his pocketwatch to initiate their fight, it was more of a playful battle like when they were kids. She accepted his challenge. She could have ripped him to shreds in an instant but she chose to dual him fairly, so she then accepted her defeat. He bested her and she was okay with it, because he never left her behind when they were kids. So much was told in this scene without even saying anything, as you discussed, and it was phenomenal. I'm so looking forward to seeing them interact in Season 2 and see if Ekko still has the same affect on her.

[v.s]

Great analysis. Couple things to point out though, in those last seconds where Ekko hesitates Jinx really was Powder, I'd go as far to say she mas remniscing too. The shows loves to use the eyes to demonstrate that, Powder and Vi'´s eyes are grey when they're children, showing them as incomplete, Jinx eyes then turn blue when she's with Silco and later on Purple when she's fully complete, same with Vi, grey eyes, they turn blue when she picks up the gauntlets. And in those last moments JInx eyes go back to grey, this is super important because it is the last moment she is ever Powder. The bridge is what the river was to Silco, the batism didn't work because that is Silco's river, not Jinx's. I've even seen some people say that the granade wasn't even intented for Ekko.

Also one more thing, the reference to Ekko's Z-drive, it's a nice forshodowing and I for real though he'd rewinded time for a second there, which could still be true, like in the enemy music video when VI and Powder are pillow fighting till Vi pushes her too hard and then it cuts to the present where she'd doing the same thing.

[ssjrit]

This scene is the pinnacle of “show, don’t tell”

[verified_tinker]

A detail I'd like to add: Jinx and Ekko's interactions form a three-beat. The first time they fight, Jinx wins. The second ends in a draw. Ekko wins the last. In a way, this relates to the theme of change you talked about.

I also agree with David's comment that this was Powder trying to kill herself more than Ekko. And she succeeded. I think Powder died on the bridge where everything began, and with the Shimmer-infused, purple eyes, Jinx was reborn in her place. Episode 9 may be her coming to terms with that.

[thatratinahatt]

I imagine Jinx’s smile being like she didn’t want to be Jinx anymore, she wanted to go back to playing with her childhood friend and staying with Vi. Then it goes to her giving up ie her looking away and pulling the pin. I wish there’d be more scenes like this or with Ekko, but with how Jinx is in the games, it’ll never come to be.

[Spidd]

Something else I started noticing after it was pointed out to me was their eye colours change and signifies major moments for the characters. Before Powder blows up hex monkey her eyes are grey, in that moment they turn blue and stay blue until she gets shimmered where they remain pink/purply (and glowy occasionally). But here when Ekko has her pinned down they are grey again.

Same story with Jayce's eyes, they are a dull yellow mostly grey before his trial and only become as golden after he proves hextec to Heimerdinger, But note that Vi's eyes are still grey even at the end.

[masterkutai]

The fact that people can choose a scene and talk details about it shows how great and layered the writing/direction is. And there is a lot of scenes to choose.

This shows exemplifies the passion that goes into the series, along with the ungodly amount of money. Good thing Riot’s printing money.

[sumansaha]

Oh she wore that pan for head protection! damn that's a layer of irony that completely went over my head. Now she doesn't have one it truly is life or death for both of them.