Arcane Afterglow Episode 2 talks Vander, Jinx, and Vi: “What are you waiting for? He’s your dad, too.”

Episode 2 of Arcane Afterglow is now live. This week's episode is all about Arcane Season 2 Part 2. Here is esports.gg's recap plus some insights from Ella Purnell, Hailee Steinfeld, Christian Linke, and Reed Shannon. As a quick reminder, Purnell plays the role of Jinx in Arcane while Steinfelda acts as Vi. Meanwhile, Linke is the co-creator and showrunner. Reed Shannon, who plays Ekko in the show, is a special guest.

One of the most emotional moments in Arcane Season 2 was Vander reuniting with Jinx and Vi. When Jinx told Vi that Warwick was actually Vander, the latter didn’t believe her at first. However, during his fight with Vi, Vander remembered bits of his past with her, Jinx, Silco, and Vi and Jinx's mother — Felicia. A beautiful song coupled with watercolor artwork showcased all of this. The remaining family, including Isha, then shared a group hug.

In Arcane Afterglow Episode 2, Steinfeld revealed how there's this idea that if we can get Vander back, then there's perhaps a chance for these sisters. Meanwhile, Purnell talked about what it took to do the voice acting in the fight scene between Jinx and Warwick. As for Linke, he shared how the animators put lots of research into making all of the fight scenes look cool.

Arcane Afterglow Episode 2 also went into Isha's impact on Jinx. Purnell not only discussed Jinx being a leader, but also provided insights about how Isha reminded her of Powder. The episode then showed the heartbreaking scene from Arcane Season 2, Episode 6 where Isha sacrificed herself to save Jinx.

"There's a reason Jinx sees a lot of herself in Isha. Isha is a lot like her," Purnell said. "She's everything I think Powder wishes Powder was at that time. It's so heartbreaking because she's so sweet and so innocent. And you really see a side of Jinx come out when they're playing together with the crabby robot thing."

The discussion also mentioned Vi and Caitlyn’s breakup. Linke revealed that Vi is usually a very strong character, but she loses her composure when things unravel. Steinfeld noted that Vi used to always have a clear direction, but for the first time, she is disoriented and lost.

"There is love, yes," Linke added, answering Shannon's question about whether or not Caitlyn still loves Vi. "I think the question is, 'Can it survive?' Caitlyn has this huge weight on her shoulders, and in that position, I feel like she definitely feels like she can't allow herself to indulge in any of her personal feelings and seem vulnerable and let that distract her."

Ekko's fate was also brought up. In Arcane Season 2, we watched when Ekko got lost in the Anomaly alongside Jayce. According to Shannon, the Firelights' mission shouldn't stop despite their leader's disappearance.

"We got a mission," he said. "It doesn't stop when the leader goes. So I hope that they're working with somebody from Piltover or at least just holding down the underground until Ekko finds his way back, maybe? Wherever they are."

Speaking of Jayce, when he returned in Arcane Season 2 Act 2, he appeared haunted and terrified. He not only killed Salo, but later confronted Viktor in the latter's sanctuary and attacked him. This attack harmed the folks that Viktor had healed.

"This act ended with a huge moment — the big tragedy surrounding Isha, this really hopeful mission for Jinx. You have a very big decision from Jayce for the first time really standing against Viktor," Linke said. "And so [there will be] massive, massive repercussions coming up in the next act."

Arcane Afterglow Episode 2 went into the Black Rose organization, too. According to Linke, Ambessa sees an opportunity in Hextech, which threatens the mage-dominated order of the Black Rose.

"We always thought of the Black Rose as an organization that really represents mages in the world. So when this place, Piltover, invents something like Hextech, it kind of threatens the order of the world," Linke explained, adding that the commodification of magic frightens the mages. "And I think Ambessa sees the opportunity — especially when you oppose someone like the Black Rose. Needless to say, there is a feud — a blood feud, and Ambessa sees just the opportunity in what her daughter has built here in Piltover."

That's all for now. Arcane Afterglow Episode 2 will arrive next week on Nov. 26. Until then, you can check out our quick recap of Episode 1 and stick around on esports.gg for more news and updates.