[Note – This was written before the second season of Arcane and thus disregards any of its content or inclusions to the overall canon. Everything contained within this analysis is solely focused on the first season and nothing else.]
Setting the Stage
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKEZPnlfjxU
Prologue
Dear friend across the river…
My hands are cold and bare…
Dear friend across the river…
I’ll take what you can spare…
I ask of you a penny…
My fortune it will be…
I ask you without envy…
We raise no mighty towers…
Our homes are built of stone…
So come across the river…
And find…
Ash and blood. The embers of war. The kindling of hate. The bed of grief. And the coffin of despair.
The sisters make their way through the Bridge of Progress, looking for a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos of war, only to find the cold confirmation of their worst fears; their parents slain in a battle to liberate them. Eyes wide and dead, staring aimlessly forever.
The violet-haired girl breaks down in sobs while the blue-haired one hugs her to comfort both her and herself, as she does not quite grasp the finality of what had just occurred.
The man responsible for the charge looks down at his hands of steel and realizes that not all blood spilled comes from them directly.
He releases them and their burdens with a thud.
And he takes up his new hands, no less burdened, by raising the two sisters, one of grief and rage, and the other of confusion and fear, and takes them away to their new home.
The steel-eyed enforcers watch as they turn away and turn back to their golden towers, as the girl’s rage only hardens, as the cycle of war has not yet ended, but merely reset as the divide between the sisters continues to widen, and the drum of conflict slowly beats, awaiting the chance to spring into life again.
And conflict does not spring alone from sisters, be it of steel or of flesh and blood, but between brothers, who once stood together against the tide of oppression, now fiercely opposed over the will to fight and wage war again, or to find peace, and swallow their pride, no matter how bitter.
That conflict is the core and heart that defines both Silco and Vander, and Arcane itself. A tale of two sisters, and a tale of two brothers whose legacy is shaped and carried by their respective daughters.
Vander chooses to step back from his dream, the cost, and instead uphold an uneasy peace with Piltover for the sake of The Lanes and his children, who are all under his care.
And Silco, his brother in arms, who paid the price for that peace, being nearly killed and losing an eye in the process, and more importantly, a brother in the process.
Silco could be described by many titles: cold, inhumane, cutthroat, merciless, and above all, ruthless; but one could never claim he never cared for what he was fighting for. He could have quit and let himself die when Vander betrayed him, could have turned around just like Vander had, but instead, he doubled down and continued to fight for their dream, for the dream of all The Undercity, The Nation of Zaun. No matter the cost…
Act 1
Silco from Arcane could be described by many titles: cold, inhumane, cutthroat, merciless, and above all, ruthless. He was willing to do whatever it took to achieve power, not for its own sake, but to achieve his ultimate objective and long-awaited dream, of Vander’s dream, and all Zaunites, the Undercity united all as one; The Nation of Zaun.
He showed how far he was willing to go, as in his own words:
"I'd like to let you in on a very important secret I learned when I was about your age, boy. You see, power, real power, doesn't come to those who were born strongest or fastest or smartest. No. It comes to those who will do anything to achieve it."
— Silco to Deckard
And Silco would prove he followed his own mantra by sacrificing Deckard, the very boy he had been speaking to, in the very same moment.
"It's time to let the monster out."
Indeed, as Deckard would serve as the catalyst for both Silco's empire and the story of Arcane as a whole, as he killed Benzo, Grayson, kidnapped Vander, led the kids to him, and most importantly, signed Powder's transformation into Jinx as she inadvertently killed Mylo, Claggor, and seemingly Vander. This led to Vi temporarily abandoning her and leaving her in the hands of his master, Silco.
Act 2
And with the acquisition of Power and the removal of Vander, Silco acquired the keys to the kingdom: The Lanes and Zaun, through his management of the Chembarons and his carefully constructed and maintained image, both public and private, both in Zaun and Piltover. The Chembaron ruling with fear with his enforcers and Shimmer, and the latter as an industrialist, helped by the influence over Piltover’s very own Sheriff in the form of Marcus.
Silco was steadily progressing towards his dream, and nothing could get in his way.
At least that’s what it looked like on the surface.
But below in the depths, cracks were beginning to form, and monsters were emerging.
Jinx.
Jinx, Siclo’s entrusted and most valued enforcer, even more than Sevika, despite her loyalty, even more than Singed, despite his genius, and even more than his Chembarons, despite their wealth and power. Despite Jinx’s flaws and failings, which mostly stem from her instability,
Despite it all, Jinx stood closest by his side as his daughter and of Zaun.
But that love and trust came at a cost.
That was Silco’s dream, everything he had worked so hard for: The Nation of Zaun.
For man can only choose one master to obey, he cannot have his cake and eat it too.
Silco had decided time and time again to protect and back Jinx, against the better judgment of his peers, such as Sevika, Marcus, the Chembarons, and even himself, despite the growing costs and risk to his operation, his men, his allies, himself, and his dream.
Act 3
Jinx wasn’t completely useless or detrimental, of course, as despite the failed Shimmer sale and damage done during the theft of the Hextech Gemstone, Jinx’s acquisition of it gave Silco and Zaun the necessary edge they so desperately needed to bring Piltover to the bargaining table via the threat of force, even if only indirectly.
Without it, Zaun would have been massacred in a direct slugging match with Piltover’s forces, especially if equipped by Hextech, as seen with Vi and Jayce, who took down half of Silco’s Shimmer production and his well-equipped Shimmer forces, despite being outnumbered, green, and in a disadvantageous environment.
After the raid, Silco met with Jayce for private negotiations in the hope of an agreement to avoid war. The talks succeeded after a short but fiery discussion involving Silco’s terms for peace. So indirectly, Jinx had helped Silco achieve his dream of an independent Zaun. Just not in the way she hoped.
The only problem was the cost: Jinx herself.
Jinx’s actions, Silco’s plans, and dreams all led to this outcome and moment of truth, the return of the same old question: The Jinx Question.
Was Jinx worth it? Despite the risk, the costs, the pain, the death, even. Was she worth holding onto? Was she worth the dream?
That is what Silco was forced to rattle with once again, alone, or rather with a dear old friend.
As Silco sat and pondered on the most important decision in his life, he was flanked by his dear old departed friend, Vander.
Or rather, his statue, as it stood with his old pipe, while Silco mopped and struggled with the question.
Silco acknowledged Jinx’s problems, how long he had awaited this moment, and how Jayce had accepted his terms. And yet, despite all that, he finally understood why Vander had betrayed him and their dream.
“Oh, it all makes sense now, brother. [pours his drink into Vander’s statue] Is there anything as undoing, as a daughter?”
And with that, Silco had his answer. The only problem was that he was too late. Jinx had overheard him and misinterpreted his words to him, planning on backstabbing her like he had done before to Vander.
Jinx, in her maniacal state after her Shimmer surgery with Singed, kidnapped Silco, Caitlyn, and her own sister, Vi, and brought them to the ruins of the factory where everything had begun. Where Mylo, Claggor, and Vander died, and Jinx was born.
Jinx had set up a colorful dinner party in her special Jinx way, and awoke her sister to give her the ultimate decision of choosing between herself and Caitlyn, either to bring back Powder or for her to remain as Jinx.
Vi refuses and instead offers herself to go with Powder and leave everything behind, as Jinx then walks up to Silco to remove his gag, allowing him to speak. “Her name is Jinx! She’s lying! You’ll be with her a day before she realizes you’re not that girl anymore and turns your back on you.”
Jinx asks if Vi’s lying or not, which she denies before she hears Mylo’s voice again, causing her to lash out again and shoot at him, knocking over a wine glass and breaking it, giving Caitlyn the chance to break free.
Silco then continues: “The Topsiders offered me everything; independence, a seat at the table, all in return for you. They can all burn. Everyone betrays us, Jinx: Vander, [Vi] HER. They will never understand. It's only us. You're my daughter. I'll never forsake you.”
As Jinx takes in Silco’s words, Caitlyn then breaks out and picks up Pow-Pow, pointing it at Jinx and ordering her to drop her pistol, as she suddenly becomes enraged and points it at Caitlyn, but not before Caitlyn fires Pow-Pow, its bullets flying at the floor near Jinx. Jinx then complies with Caitlyn seemingly as she sets the gun down near Silco, with Caitlyn contemplating executing Jinx on the spot as Vi begs her not to, with Silco watching everything silently with quiet concern. Jinx gives Caitlyn puppy dog eyes and childish sounds of guilt as Caitlyn narrows her eyes with venom, not buying it, but in her hesitation, Jinx gets the upper hand and disarms her with her enhanced speed from Shimmer, knocking out Caitlyn as she looks down at her with a murderous glare.
Silco orders her to finish it, but Vi yells at Powder not to, trying to bring her back by reminding her of the past, Mylo, Claggor, Vander, their parents, but instead of helping, it only caused Jinx to breakdown on the floor as her voices overwhelmed her with Silco becoming enraged and breaking out of his restraints, picking up the gun and firing at Vi to silence her once and for all.
This snaps Jinx out of her catatonic state as she screams, picking up Pow-Pow and firing wildly.
The room goes silent.
And then Silco’s chair swivels, revealing him to be full of holes from Pow-Pow’s bullets.
Jinx rushes over and begins to cry as she touches Silco’s face. Silco speaks his final words, not hating Jinx for killing him, but assuring her that she did nothing wrong.
“I never would have given you to them. Not for anything. Don’t cry. You’re perfect.”
Then, with his final words, Silco, the feared Chembaron and inspiring Revolutionary, was dead. And with this, his dream.
Jinx would then pick herself up and sit down at her Jinx seat, telling VI that she had hoped she would have accepted her despite how much she had changed.
“I thought maybe you could love me like you used to. Even though I'm... different. But you changed, too. So, here's to the new us.”
And with that, Jinx was born anew, once again from the death of her family at her own hands within the same factory that started it all those years ago.
And her first act would make her intentions clear: All that built up resentment and hate towards Piltover and the people that ran it, the Council, she would bring down using the weapon that Silco had asked her to build.
She fired Fishbones using the Hextech Gem, screaming with rage and with tears in her eyes as the rocket blasted off with blue Hextech energy and blitzed across the sky towards the Council, who were making the decision to seek peace with Zaun, as Caitlyn and VI watched in horror helplessly as it crashed into the chamber and detonated.
And just as it had started, a fiery explosion signaled the end of an era and the beginning of something anew.
“We will show them. We will show them all."
The Consequences...
Now, after all of that, one might be a little sympathetic to Silco as he had sacrificed everything he had worked towards for the sake of his daughter, proving that the monster had, buried deep within, a heart that seemingly had been lost forever for the sake of his pride and ambition.
Some may argue from a moral perspective that Silco made the correct choice in sparring Jinx from Jayce and the Council's wrath, or that he would be sticking to his higher ideals and values of both himself and Zaun, as he would betray what it meant to be a Zaunite by giving up his own [adopted] daughter. But is that truly so? I don't think so; in fact, I believe that Silco made the biggest blunder in his whole life and possibly all of the history of Zaun, so allow me to explain Silco’s fatal mistake, which cost him his dream, the dream of Zaun, peace between the twin cities, and, of course, his own life.
1. The Jinx Question
Jinx, the feared enforcer of Silco, had served loyally and with a deadly theatrical competence that devastated their (his) enemies, namely the Firelights, and anyone else who stood in the way of his dream: The Nation of Zaun.
Yet, ironically, it would ultimately be Jinx herself who would be the greatest obstacle in Silco's path towards the realization of his dream.
Despite her undeniable utility, she came at an ever-increasing steep cost. Her trauma-fueled instability, which was what made her what she was, effective at her gadgetry, unpredictable, erratic, and feared by her enemies, was also causing problems for both Silco, his allies, and ultimately his dream for an independent Zaun, problems which were growingly rapidly at of control as Jinx herself, and would ultimately, spell the end of both Silco and his dream.
Jinx - The Asset:
Physicality: Strong, unpredictable fighter, as demonstrated by her kills regarding Firelights.
Mentality: Intelligent engineer and planner, as seen when she stole the Hextech Gemstone. Cracked the Hextech code.
Loyalty: Took the Gemstone back from Ekko and held it within her dying grasp, returning it for Silco, and finished the weapon he ordered [Fishbones].
Positive Consequences: Indirectly led to peace talks with her actions - Stealing the Hextech Gemstone leads to increased tensions between Piltover and Zaun, eventually leading to Jayce's attack on Silco's Shimmer facility and the death of Renni's son, resulting in him wishing to have peace with Silco to avoid war.
Jinx - The Liability:
Personality: Unstable, unreliable, dangerous, and unhinged.
Failed Escort: Failed to protect the Shimmer shipment at the Hexgates, shot her allies [Gustove], attracting the attention of Caitlyn.
Reckless Theft: Stole Hextech Gemstone – causing the deaths of six Enforcers and the destruction of a building in the process, Caitlyn expanded her investigation as a result and became more involved as she visited Stillwater to question Gustov, who never would have been there had Jinx not injured him (also leaving him behind to be imprisoned - This also can be blamed on Sevika), which leads to Vi being released by Caitlyn causing further problems down the road.
Animal Abuse: Jinx shoots a crow for no reason when she revisits the arcade from her childhood.
Sevika Endangered: Due to Vi being released, Sevika is injured by her in a fight and loses her arm to Caitlyn, who easily could have killed her instead, costing Silco his lieutenant briefly. Jinx knocks out Sevika with gas and ties her up, interrogating her with a knife and learning the truth about Vi, resulting in Jinx tying up Sevika again as a message for Silco, which could have resulted in Sevika's death.
Lost Leverage: Lost the Gemstone after she had reunited with her sister and met Caitlyn when the Firelights attacked, key to Silco's leverage, and could have been disastrous.
Silco Threatened: She harmed and could have possibly killed Silco when she confronted him later about lying about Vi.
Internal Troubles: The lack of revenue from the closed border at the bridge caused friction between Silco and the Chembarons, namely Finn.
She killed Marcus and even more Enforcers at the Bridge to retrieve the Gemstone from her sister, and Caitlyn almost killed herself after the fight with Ekko.
This causes Silco to stress out and cause friction between him and Singed due to his extreme measures to save her.
Negative Consequences: Vi convinced Jayce to attack Silco’s Shimmer facility, destroying it and killing many valuable Chemtanks in the process, as well as killing Reni’s son which caused more friction as the pressure eventually broke when Finn and Reni attempted to upstage Silco who Sevika who narrowing choose Silco as he himself wasn’t sure what she would pick, leading to the death of Finn.
Fatal Error: Silco’s decision to choose Jinx over the independence of Zaun, Silco’s own death at Jinx’s hands, and the destruction of the Piltover Council at the end of the series, when they all had just accepted Jayce’s proposal to agree to Silco’s terms for peace and Zaun’s independence.
Reviewing the Balance:
The Good
Ultimately, Jinx was Silco’s greatest asset and liability. Silco, the usually cold and calculating, ruthless Chem-Baron, was unable, or rather unwilling, to set his feelings aside for his adopted daughter and see her in an objective manner as the severe detriment to his dream of an independent Zaun.
Her benefits, such as her fierceness in battle, the slaughter of the Firelights, and her brilliance regarding her gadgetry, were all undeniable assets, aiding in Silco’s cause as they all slowly added together to bring it into reality.
And her single greatest act, the theft of the Hextech Gemstone, both greatly aided and hindered Silco’s ultimate objective, as on one hand, it gave him the necessary leverage to bring Piltover to the table for negotiation and realization of Zaun’s independence. Silco, with the help of Jinx, had finally achieved his long-sought-after goal and dream, with the Council ultimately agreeing to his demands after an argument with Jayce, securing not only the independence of Zaun but also peace between the two twin cities. At least, it nearly did.
The Bad
Not only did Jinx ultimately undo all her, Silco’s and all of Zaun’s efforts in the end, during the process, Silco nearly came to the brink of disaster as Marcus’ loyalty had to be carefully managed, only for Jinx to kill him anyway later, the Chem-Baron’s dissatisfaction, namely with Finn, with his performance and handling of the situation regarding the border, leading him and Reni after the death of her son on his watch to stage a coup, which only failed due to Sevika’s loyalty which itself was slipping and could break with the right push, which lead to his near death. This also occurred when Jinx, who could have easily killed either Sevika or Silco himself, when Jinx discovered the truth about Vi’s death and return.
Not to forget to mention, had Jinx failed to retrieve the Gemstone from Ekko, Silco would have lost his leverage over Piltover, and his hold over Zaun would have been forever lost as Piltover would disassemble his Shimmer production without fear of reprisal, and that would inevitably lead to his loss of control over The Lanes without his muscle through Shimmer, eventually leading to his capture or more likely demise by an upstart Chem-Baron fed up with Silco’s failure.
During the same bridge scene, Silco discovers Jinx seriously injured, holding the blue glowing gemstone key to his dream, with him having the perfect excuse to ditch her as she's practically dead already, having served her final purpose of retrieving the Gemstone, which she initially stole and would have spelled the end of any more problems from the blue-haired maniac. This was also supported by Singed as he stated that sometimes death was a mercy, with the surgery on Jinx to save her life being excruciatingly painful, filling her up with Shimmer, and causing her to become even more unhinged and dangerous, proven by her irrational and frantic kidnappings of Caitlyn, Vi, and Silco himself when she overheard him discussing his deal with Jayce.
Had Silco simply allowed her to die, if with peace with Singed's help, he wouldn't have reacted so violently against Singed later, which undoubtedly would have caused some problems in the future, although Singed was only using him for his own purposes, and consequently he wouldn't have been kidnapped by Jinx and ultimately killed by her, leaving his dreams and empire in the dust.
The Jinx
But in the end, it mattered not, as despite all his and Jinx’s and all of Zaun’s sacrifices spent for his dream of an independent Zaun, he would throw all that away for his love of Jinx as his daughter and the representation of Zaun’s true, beautiful, and dangerous chaotic power, with his life being stripped by that very same person who would also bring his dream crashing to the ground by her first act reborn as Jinx by destroying the Piltover Council who had just agreed to Silco’s terms for peace and the realization of the Nation of Zaun.
Jinx may have been perfect, but that perfection came at a grave cost for all those around her, including Silco himself and all he had worked for; the dream of the Nation of Zaun.
2. Silco’s Dream – The Nation of Zaun / The Price of a Dream
Silco's raison d'être, his dream, the realization of not just his life's work, but Vander's and all the comrades who had fought, bled, and died alongside them for freedom, respect, dignity, the whole of the Underground all united as one; The Nation of Zaun.
Silco believed that the sons and daughters of Zaun deserved more than their run off and he fought with everything he had, putting his life on the line, his relationships, such as with Vander, his own allies and men, like giving Deckard Shimmer despite knowing it would be fatal, and the usage of his daughter Jinx as a weapon, and most costly of all, the very city and people he was attempting to save through the distrubution of Shimmer throughout the Undercity, both as a means of revenue and a tool of fear, with people becoming the muscle he needed to enforce his will and addicted to the substance only he could supply.
All of this, all the time, effort, blood, sweat, and tears poured into his vision of a unified, independent nation, free from Piltover's shackles and able to shape their own destiny, to be treated with respect, and to be feared.
However, every dream has its price, and one as enormous as Silco's especially. By the time he pressed his terms of peace with Jayce on his chest, Vander, Mylo, Clagger, Benzo, Grayson, countless Enforcers, Deckard, his Chemtank soldiers, Marcus, Renni's son, Finn, and many Firelights and others had all died for its realization, with many more suffering from the effects of Shimmer, either directly or indirectly.
All of this for the Nation of Zaun, as the needs of the many outweighed the few, the collective did not serve the individual, the individual served the collective body, and Silco understood this.
And yet, despite everything, despite finally bringing Piltover to the negotiating table and being on the verge of victory and achieving everything he had sacrificed for, for himself, for the sons and daughters of the Undercity, all for the Nation of Zaun, he gave it all up.
All for one person: Jinx.
And why did Silco choose this one troublesome individual over the desperate, needy many?
Because Jinx, beyond being his surrogate daughter, had become the very embodiment of Zaun, that, because of all her flaws, trauma, and chaos, she was proof that greatness can come from the depths of the Undercity and that there is beauty and power in the chaos that is Zaun.
In his own words, "I never would have given you to them. Not for anything. Don't cry. You're perfect."
But while his poetic final words served as a final bridge between himself and Jinx, showing that the man, despite all his cold, ruthless actions and demeanor, still had a heart buried beneath, it once again had come at a grave cost.
Not only did Silco die because of it, as Jinx shot him in her frantic state after Silco shot at Vi, but she would later fire at the Council with her rocket, destroying any hope of peace and realization of Silco's dream.
The already poor state for the average Zaunite was about to become worse as the fire of war hung over them, with the actions of a single person condemning them all to more bloodshed and misery.
Silco did not account for the entire balance in his calculations, as he had been undoubtedly emotionally compromised and biased involving any matter of Jinx, as seen throughout the series with his other actions, even forgiving her despite her costly actions in stealing the Hextech Gemstone when he became briefly and justifiably enraged with her recklessness that could have cost him everything, and later would, just not immediately.
The irony is that Silco criticized and even hated Vander for his betrayal of both him and their dream for peace for Piltover during their past scuffle, which nearly killed him and left him with his iconic damaged left eye, he was unable to do the same and sacrifice what was most precious to him, not just for peace, but for the realization of his, Vander’s and all of the Undercity’s dream of independence.
In failing to sacrifice Jinx, he saved his heart, but lost his soul. He betrayed himself, his dream, and all of Zaun, the people he supposedly was leading to their freedom, but only brought them to disaster with another war.
3. Silco's Legacy / Succession
Something that is not appreciated or discussed enough, both in and out of the show, is the matter of Silco's legacy, how he'll be remembered by the very people he tried to free, and what the consequences of his actions, especially his final act in choosing Jinx over his dream, will be.
A related and equally, if not more important matter is the topic of his succession, of who will take Silco's chair and rule The Lanes?
Due to Silco’s lack of foresight, another example of him failing to properly lead, there is no clear successor to take his place and properly lead The Lanes towards independence and a better future in general.
There are three main candidates with a small fourth option who could potentially sit on Silco's chair and lead the people of Zaun in the future, or potentially – Disaster.
Those being:
Jinx - The Daughter of Silco, and his murderer of both himself and his dream.
Sevika - His Loyal Lieutenant who stood by his side despite her losing confidence towards the end.
Chem-Barons - The financiers beyond Silco's power and the ones whose very revenue was choking Zaun to the brink.
Ekko/Firelights - Founded by Ekko and his fellow Zaunites to fight for the people by the people, who opposed Silco’s reign and usage of Shimmer.
Jinx
Beginning with Jinx, the catalyst for the events that unfolded in the story, for better and worse.
Jinx, throughout the series, has expressed little to no leadership qualities necessary to lead anyone, let alone a nation, especially one in Zaun’s precarious position that she herself and Silco put it in.
First rule of leadership: Everything is your fault.
Jinx has never shown any sense of responsibility for her actions, instead choosing to run away from the ghosts of her past or violently lashing out against anything that goes against her norm, like Caitlyn being with VI or Silco lying to her. Terrible qualities for a potential leader.
And even moving past that, Jinx is directly responsible for Silco’s death, the previous leader of Zaun, and once the truth is discovered, the people of Zaun will not forget nor forgive, especially Sevika, who had worked closely with Silco for years and warned him that something like this could have happened.
And with Silco’s death, Jinx is left without any allies, as she has never been seen interacting positively with anyone else, inspiring only fear and anger in others, as seen with Sevika, who actively hates her, the Chem-Barons, who see her as trouble, and the Firelights and other Zaunites as a monster.
And all of Piltover will be coming for her for not just blowing up the Council, but also her previous actions of stealing the Hextech Gemstone and murdering many Enforcers, including Marcus the Sheriff.
Piltover would never accept Jinx as the leader of Zaun, let alone make her deals with her. Until Jinx is either dead or in custody, they will not rest and continue to put their boot on the neck of Zaun until she is found and detained, alive or dead.
Jinx herself has also never expressed any interest in Silco’s dreams for Zaun’s independence and the betterment of the Undercity, as she has only been concerned with his opinion of her, not of his plans.
Jinx is entirely unfit to rule Zaun and lead it into a better future.
Sevika
The second option would be Sevika, fitting as Silco’s right-hand lieutenant.
Sevika, unlike Jinx, has many positive qualities that can be potentially suited for leadership, and was Silco’s number 2 for a reason, as she could be actively relied upon despite Jinx being Silco’s favorite. Her stability, competency, loyalty towards the cause, and willingness to do the dirty work to see it through are all traits that Sevika embodies. Even if it meant putting herself in harm’s way, as seen when she fought Vi twice, leaving her bruised and battered, or when she put her life on the line and took Powder’s explosion for Silco, costing her left arm.
Sevika, also unlike Jinx, socialized with her fellow Zaunites on numerous occasions, with her taking an active part in the community when she stood up to Vander, leading her group to Silco, or simply playing cards and drinking with others in The Last Drop.
Along with Sevika’s sociability, she held authority with Silco and had a fearsome reputation, as mentioned by Finn, who respected her effectiveness so much that he brought her along for his plan to usurp Silco. Unfortunately for him, she valued the cause more than his revenue.
However, despite her credentials, they are the makings of a soldier, not a true leader.
Sevika questioned Silco about Jinx, but never truly pushed back on him on it, and perhaps had she, then he would still be alive.
When she pretended to help Finn and then killed him, she was questioned by Silco if she was tempted. She replied that she wasn’t, not for a “worm” like him, but that he wouldn’t be the last.
Sevika was loyal to the cause, not to Silco himself, and yet, despite his failings towards the end of his reign, she never once sought to take over herself. The same occurred when she questioned why Vander wasn’t fighting back against Piltover. Instead of leading the masses herself, she sought Silco out and played lapdog for him for many years.
Sevika had many positive qualities, but being decisive, especially in these matters, was not one of them.
A leader must be bold, must be charismatic, must have a vision to lead the people beyond being merely competent and scary. Sevika lacked these vital traits.
Sevika ultimately is a soldier, not a leader. She can lead a squad of men into battle, but she cannot lead a nation into revolution.
Because if Sevika could have been a leader, then she’d already have done so.
Chem-Barons
The third option would be the financial backers of Silco’s empire, the Chem-Barons.
Despite their importance for Silco, they were scarcely seen or mentioned in the show, with only Finn and Renni having any semblance of relevance. But despite that, their collective presence hung over the series as a reminder of the powers behind the curtain that influenced not only Zaun but also Silco’s actions, as, despite his public persona of being untouchable as the big boss, even he had to defer to his shareholders in a sense.
The Chem-Barons, unlike Silco, did not fight for any noble ideals or higher goals beyond profit and power, as they cared little for the very city and people within it, selling Shimmer and getting rich off their misery.
And when the revenue stream dried up, as when the border was closed, when Jinx stole the Hextech Gemstone, they turned against Silco and voiced their concerns, with Silco responding by disciplining them with gas, using the same methods as his hated enemy, Piltover, to bring them in line as Finn begged for mercy.
They followed Silco not because of his dream, but because of his ruthlessness and iron will. If they did not follow, the message was clear: they would be destroyed.
However, fear only works for so long, as seen with Jayce destroying one of the Shimmer facilities and killing Renni’s son in the process, giving Finn the edge he needed to convince both Renni and Sevika to aid him in overthrowing Silco, although Sevika was convinced at the last minute by Silco’s reminder of loyalty, with Finn only being interested in profit, he misjudged Sevika’s intent and lost his life for it. Renni was told to leave and would have been punished with the death of her son had Jayce not beaten Silco to it.
But now with the big fish dead, floating with its fat belly exposed as the vultures swarm, what will happen now?
The answer is clear: a war for the throne.
The Chem-Barons will fight and kill each other until only one is left standing as they fight not for Zaun, its people, or anyone or anything else but themselves and their own bottom line. As long as their pockets are lined with blood money, then that’s all that matters, and with Silco’s death, that’ll give them the opportunity to become even richer.
At best, they’ll turn Zaun into an oligarchical state where they rule, not for an empire, but for an enterprise, and this is the legacy that Silco left behind, where Zaunites are not enslaved by Piltover, but by their own.
Ekko/Firelights
The last plausible option is left for the person least associated with Silco and his organization, in fact, completely opposed to it.
Ekko, The Boy Savior, and his Firelights.
Ekko had been opposed to Silco’s rule, specifically regarding the distribution of Shimmer and the severe negative effects of it, both physically on the bodies of its victims and socially as communities broke down as people lived under fear.
Ekko, when he found the tree, built the Firelights along with his fellow Zaunites to give the people an opportunity not just to survive, but to live, and the chance to strike back at Silco and take their city back as they soared above the sky in their Z-drives like their namesake and use their green flare to bring hope to the downtrodden.
While Ekko’s intentions and actions were all well and good, they left something to be desired.
Ekko’s attacks on Silco were largely limited to his Shimmer shipments, not the facilities themselves, so regardless of how many shipments they stopped, Silco would continue to make more.
And with their attacks, they largely adopted a non-lethal approach to combat, leaving someone like Sevika alive during their attack on the Hexgate despite her value as Silco’s lieutenant. However, this was not always the case, as Ekko’s friend, Scar, almost killed VI with his spear before he was stopped by Ekko, showing they did have the ability to kill when necessary.
But even then, when Ekko fought and beat Jinx on the bridge, he couldn’t bring himself to finish her off, and almost died as a result when she pulled the pin on her grenade for a murder-suicide.
Had Ekko died, the consequences for the Firelights would have been disastrous, as they would have lost their leader and would have been left even more hopeless than before, as another of their people had fallen, with them suffering heavy casualties against their attacks on Silco, specifically from Jinx.
Ekko also mentioned that with the Hextech Gemstone, they could beat Silco, indicating that it wouldn’t be possible without it, further highlighting the ineffectiveness of their current situation as they were more of a nuisance than a genuine threat to Silco’s operations.
Ekko and the Firelights undoubtedly have the heart and the desire to help the people of Zaun and give it a better future, but they lack the power to do so, as they lack the manpower and firepower to combat their enemies, such as Silco, effectively, and when they are given the opportunity to finish their enemies, they largely do not, opting to provide mercy for those who do not return the favor, at a great cost.
The people of Zaun do not need charity workers; they need a decisive leader who has the will and strength to do what is necessary to give them the future they deserve.
An Empty Throne leaves A Bloody Kingdom
So after all that's said and done, the throne remains empty with there being no clear-cut successor for Zaun.
While it’s clear that Jinx would be the worst possible option, at least she holds the honesty that the Chem-Barons lack, or the decisiveness that Sevika and Ekko do not possess.
Nonetheless, her chances of leading Zaun and succeeding the father she murdered are practically nil, considering her relations to their neighbor, Piltover, not just since her theft of the Hextech Gemstone, not just because of her murder of their Enforcers and Sheriff, but because of her final act in attacking the Council, the very head of Piltover’s governance. Peace is most assuredly an impossibility now.
Although that goes with or without Jinx’s position as leader, as the rest of Zaun will be too busy fighting amongst themselves as the Chem-Barons attempt to secure Silco’s chair and become top dog to rake in all the profits for themselves, while the average Zaunite struggles to survive, and Sevika and Ekko have to attempt to do damage control while everything falls apart.
The future is quite grim indeed, as the only thing that is guaranteed is further violence, bloodshed, and misery as the hopes and dreams of Silco and all of Zaun crumble to dust.
Conclusion
Ultimately, all of this is Silco’s fault, as he is the leader; he is responsible for everything that befell during and after his rule, every decision he made and didn’t make, and most of all, his final one, which led to the demise of himself and his dream.
He had all the resources necessary for the realization of his dream, and in fact, he did achieve it, as he had done something never seen before, the bringing of Piltover to the negotiating table as an equal partner, with him being granted everything he could possibly want and more, free trade routes, blanket, amnesty, unrestricted access to to the Hexgates, and sovereignty, along with a seat at the Council. What more could he possibly have hoped for?
Zaun would finally be free, and with the revenue from the trade, he could focus on uplifting it from the gutter and truly focus on healing instead of focusing on his efforts on the singular goal of freedom.
The time for revolution was over, the time for nation-building was ready to begin, the Nation of Zaun.
Only there was one problem. Or rather, one person.
Jinx.
The girl he almost killed, whose life he had upturned and raised, turned into a weapon, and then ultimately became his daughter.
The cause of so many troubles for everyone, Piltover, his allies, himself, and now his dream.
He had taken her in, cared for her, given her a home, a purpose, and most of all his love as a father.
And how did Jinx repay her? By filling him up with lead when he attempted to help her by shooting Vi, who was causing her great stress by reminding her of her past.
And yet, even then, he expressed his undying, unconditional love for her:
“I never would have given you to them. Not for anything. Don’t cry. You’re perfect.”
Silco truly loved Jinx. And just as Jinx was the daughter of Zaun, she was his.
But despite his love, or rather because of it, she would truly undo everything he had worked for with her first act as Jinx reborn. She would target and fire upon the Council, and as the missile flew through the air, the Council was agreeing to Silco’s terms for peace, with everything he had worked and sacrificed for being obliterated in a single flash by the person he cherished most.
It wasn’t bullets that killed Silco. Nor was it a missile that shattered any hope for peace. It was love.
Love is the death of duty.
And Silco forgot his.
With Silco’s love, he betrayed not only his duty to the people of Zaun, his dream, but ultimately, himself and all he claimed to have stood for, for what he did stood for, for all the sacrifices he made, for all who suffered and died. Hope had just been in reach, and he had snatched it all away.
Just as it had begun with the death of a father, the separation of sisters, and the birth of Jinx, so too would it end, with Jinx destroying what had been made before, and beginning something new.
A time of war.
A time of hate.
A time of chaos.
And perhaps, that’s the point, in choosing Jinx, Silco chose the embodiment of Zaun, who would, in turn, unleash her wrath upon the people who had caused them so much pain. Not for freedom, but for respect, to be seen, to be heard, and to be felt.
“We will show them. We will show them all.”
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liPu1_aPH5k
Epilogue
It is true that decisions always benefit with hindsight, and it is easy to judge and condemn those whose shoes could never have been filled by the critics, but that does not mean those leaders are immune to being criticized or questioned.
And this holds true for Silco, the leader of The Undercity, who had dreams for The Nation of Zaun, nearly achieving it until he sacrificed it for his daughter, Jinx.
However, once again with the benefit of hindsight and a more levelheaded perspective, Silco could in fact have achieved both Zaun and Jinx’s freedom had he stopped to think and removed his emotional biases that undoubtedly compromised his usual rational mind into a binary sense of thinking between his two most prized desires.
The Plan
Silco could have gone to Jayce, accepted his terms for giving up Jinx, then returned to Singed and hatched a plan to concoct a sedative to neutralize Jinx and deliver her to Piltover who would in turn imprison her in Stillwater as Jayce mentioned, with Silco then being able to break her out later utilizing his vast resources, old and new thanks to all the increased revenue from trade with Piltover.
He could even have Vi help her, considering their connection and her familiarity with Stillwater, although he would have to prove to her that he truly cared and loved Jinx and wished to see her safe.
I can imagine the scene going something like this:
Vi: Break her out? That’s rich coming from the scumbag who sold her off for Topside!
Silco: I didn’t have a choice, Vi. I needed to gain the trust of Piltover in order to secure the independence of the Undercity, and now I have. Zaun is free, and we can now free Jinx and bring her home.
Of course, that’s only one option/avenue that Silco could take, plus he might not wish to risk Vi getting close to Jinx and compromising her and turning her back to Powder, but on the other hand, considering the importance of the mission, he might not want to risk failure and swallow his pride and accept her help, if he truly felt he had no other choice. He holds no love for Vi, and Vi feels largely the same way, with both having bad blood between each other, but their love for Jinx could bring them together, if only briefly, to rescue her from her imprisonment.
The plan is undoubtedly not without its costs and risks, not only in terms of resources and time, but also in trust, as if Piltover were ever to discover the truth, it could spell the end for Zaun’s newly acquired independence and for Silco and Jinx as they would no doubt be hunted down like dogs and thrown into Stillwater together, or worse.
But Silco is no stranger to risk, as his entire life, he risked his life fighting for Zaun’s freedom, and now that he has acquired it, would extend the same, if not even more so, for his daughter, whom he saw as the perfect embodiment of Zaun.
In his own words, “You see, power, real power, doesn't come to those who were born strongest or fastest or smartest. No. It comes to those who will do anything to achieve it.”
Silco would never give up on anything he wanted to achieve, and Jinx is certainly no exception.
The biggest problem would be reuniting with Jinx if and when she broke out, either with his help or possibly on her own, as she would no doubt have an emotionally charged and violent reaction to being sedated, imprisoned, and abandoned by Silco, which could cause her to spiral out of control completely, but if Silco played his cards right, along with Vi’s help, he could prevent that from happening, but once again it’s a gamble.
But a chance is better than nothing, and is it not better to give it a shot than be guaranteed to lose one or the other in the form of Zaun and Jinx?
If Silco is truly willing to do whatever it takes to achieve what he desires, then fighting for both of his most prized possessions, Zaun and Jinx, should be fully within his capabilities to do so. It’s not a question of if it’s possible; it’s only a question of how far Silco is willing to go for the things he loves.
After all, isn’t that why he sacrificed his dream in the first place?
Just look at how Silco behaved when Jinx was on the verge of death. He was willing to do anything to save her, even if it meant hurting her, so why would this be any different?
“She won’t die, Doctor. She can’t…”
Silco throughout the series did everything for Zaun, and by extension, Jinx, so if he truly wanted to save both, this would be his best shot. Is it perfect? No. But nothing is. And it’s far better than the actual reality of what happened when he decided to give everything up for Jinx, die for it, and have his dream destroyed when Jinx blows up the Council and starts a war between Piltover and Zaun.
Sometimes you’ve got to be cruel to be kind, and to save the ones you love the most, you have to hurt them.
Had Silco the will to see it through, then things could have ended very differently for him and all of Zaun.
Curtain Call
So... this has been my personal thoughts on the matter of Silco’s final and ultimate decision in Arcane.
I've been writing this for a while, and I hope that I did the topic at least half the justice it deserves. I've put more effort into this than anything else I've done on this forum, and it's not even close. In fact, I wanted to go even further in depth and continue writing and writing, but I honestly got a bit of writer's block and I felt that I should at least publish what I have at the moment instead of waiting for eternity for finishing what I had, but on the other hand, I also wanted to just wait and finish everything and publish it all at when it was actually finished, but that could take eons, which it has been as I actually started this over last year - Although at the time, I wasn't intending on writing it for the forum and instead was just doing it for fun and it was far less polished and was more of a joke rant than anything else, but I digress.
I also didn't and still don't think my essay quite fits in the Politics, Philosophy & Religion board despite the politcal, social, and even philosophical connotations in relation to the show and topic at hand, but I saw little else in terms of good options considering Arcane is neither an anime nor a topic relationg towards inceldom, and I thought my essay was a little too formal for The Louge and certainly The Sewers, so that ultimately left the Politics, Philosophy & Religion board as the last good option, so I apologize for putting it in here even anyone is questining why the analysis of a character's decision from an animated television series is doing on this board.
I ultimately just did this because I wanted to put something together a little more profound than what I usually do or anything I've ever done and probably ever will do, just a little something that actually provided something more intricate than typical inceldom related topics, possibly providing an outlet into something else, a distraction if you well, although I personally wouldn't phrase it as such, but maybe that's just being honest. That, and because I found it interesting and also fun in a way, perhaps not in the same instant gratifying way as a video game or masturbation session, of course, but in a more slow-burning and ultimately satisfying way, in the same sense of looking back at something you did in the past and feel a sense of accomplishment and dare I say, pride.
But I'll stop there before I keep on rambling, so let me know what you think about this because there is a lot that I could have added, involving both the show, its development, and aftermath (such as Jason Spisak and his interview), along with parallels to real-world events like the American, French, and "Russian" revolutions and all the various actors involved in them and of course, simply all and any counterarguments that could and would be raised and should be addressed.
And frankly, I absolutely wanted to, but it wasn't just time or my intellectual capacity that was limiting me, but also the simple fact that you can only upload so many characters at once in a post, that being a 100,000 character limit and only 20 files, which prevents me from going as in-depth as I really wanted to, but necessarily as I NEED to.
I suppose that's ultimately what all artists go through, understanding that all of their works must eventually come to an end, that if it is to be published, one must drop their brush and ultimately move on, or else they would indeed truly never complete it or any work for that matter.
Is it better to work and never complete one masterpiece, or to finish many good works that never reach the height of greatness?
That's something that I haven't been able to answer yet, but perhaps with this, I'll come one step closer to doing so.
Or maybe I should just stop being so damn lazy and finish what I do instead of compromising and settling for anything less than perfection. But what do I know?
But that's pretty much it.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myPtmZMUaLc
