Silco is the best form of "villain". You don't really want him to win, *but* you don't want him to lose either, because you understand and sympathize (somewhat) with his actions, even if you wouldn't go that far yourself.
I really wanted him to win though. He did some messed up stuff and I am not saying he was right but him getting his will would likely mean an end to it and an era of independent Zaun
@@mike21378 Jinx figured out how to use the ONE Hextech core that she manage to steal. Piltover has the resources to produce Hextech weaponry on an industrial scale. Piltover could anihilate the undercity if they went all out. And if the council believes this to be in their best interests, they will not hesitate to do so. Silco clearly understands this. This is why he mostly resorts to intimidation and tries to avoid a direct conflict: he has to convince the council that a civil war would be more costly than granting Zaun their independence. Otherwise, he is screwed.
@@joaomarcoscosta4647 sorry, its Hextech GEMSTONE, hextech core is the thing that Victor has created. Just mentioning, thats not some big mistake, but still :D
I really didn't expect a lot from Silco - but he was so much more than he seemed at the beginning. I would've loved to see more of him in Season 2, but oh well...
@@DelusionalPoet I loved all the little details in his father-daughter relationship with jinx, like how his admiration for the sharks influenced jinxs design of the rocket launcher (cause it was initially made for him)
@@DelusionalPoet I think for your earlier point about the 5 man band, that it doesn't work, more becuase of how the scenes play out eg: powder being left behind and vander (the Mentor/father figure) being captured. - I get preceiving that perspective, however it feels more like you have a perspective that you have warped the scene around to match. eg: that silco is a good dad (eg: cares deeply for Jinx, from asking her what happened, being supportive of her trauma and leading upto his death scene and what he says to jinx, however ignores aspects like promoting jinx instability (eg: Your perfect - ending), not chastising Jinx for killing the enforcers (after getting the hextech orb) and similar... Its kinda picking what you want to see whilst ignoring other aspects that counter the point.
A lot of people look at Silco's speech to Deckard in episode one as a sort of canned 'villain' speech. But when you look at it in retrospect he was speaking to his own inadequacies and you realize that he's molded Powder to be the ideal version of what he wished to be. She is stronger, faster, smarter, AND ruthless. The want of any parent, that the child would become a better version of themselves.
Eh, not really. Jinx still isn't ready to let Silco kill Vi just so her pain would stop. It's almost like she still loves Vi even more than Silco even with their differences, and she also isn't willing to do ANYTHING.
@@mathies3598 That's not true. Jinx loves Silco more than Vi. Jinx still care for Vi (as for love I doubt it), but not as much as the young Powder did. That slap at the end of ep 3 broke their bond as sisters. We will see more in season 2 of Arcane.
One thing that makes Silco stick in peoples minds is his way of delivering his lines in the same seductive way that people find so irresistible in Thrawn from Star Wars. There is a certain, disconnected philosophers way about how he speaks, a seductive assurance behind every word that drips with sincerity and selflessness. A worldview stated as a cold fact of reality
I agree Silco was a villain and the fact that he cared about Jinx doesnt redeem him but council members of Piltover were just as shady inmy opinion , I didnt really see any character in the show as hero, and I kind of understood everybody , where they come from and why they act the way they do
@@jediburrito Vi kills children, Jayce didnt give a F until he had to face it for real, Piltovers leaders are just as shady as Silco,, and your comment on "stop simping" well..you sound like one of those toxic league players that you mute right away when starting to play :D every character in the show kills children :D
He is undone by Jinx, he's own daughter figure, and yet he doesn't feel any malice towards her, with his final words he expresses how much he cared for her, that's a little bit of humanization and decency that really wraps up his character extremely well
I believe Silco really cared about Zaun and it's citizens, his ways are just radical because he believes that it's the only way to set them free from Piltover's oppression. While not everyone approved his ways, his intention is genuine.
He didn't care about 'Zaun's people' at all. He loved the ideal of Zaun independence. Someone who cares about people and doesn't see them as pawns doesn't murder his own people. Murder children. Etc. His care for Jinx is only due to the sociopathic love of himself that he has. He sees Jinx as a mini him, molded her as such. That's what he cares about.
@@Gotabonetopick I would argue that he didn't care for the individuals, eg: he didn't care about the impact that shimmer would have on his people and similar, however he still wanted indepence for his people. Kinda like how most revolutionaries examine the issue, its more for the greater perspective. I would say Bones that he doesn't hate his people, as we are not shown cases of him killing or having people killed that are not against him. Also that under silco the undercity became more economically divided (eg: emergence of the chem barons to those who became addicted to shimmer). I mean Silco did tone down from what he was in the first three episodes, as you would imagine after getting the formula fixed, that they would have been more militaristic.
@@michaelstone9065 He wanted independence simply for the virtue of it. He barely sees other human beings as people to begin with. There was not a morally good bone in his body and I will die on this hill. Every action he made from start to finish was motivated completely selfishly. People come in two categories for him. Pawns and enemies. I wouldn't say then that he cares about 'his people' as much as what they can do to further his goals.
@@Gotabonetopick I think his selfish way of thinking was forged by Vanders betrayal. He had a brother and a revolution... he had friends, but was betrayed by them and left for dead. He continued believing in the cause of fighting for Zaun, but after this action, his passion turned into obsession and he viewed his old way of being as weak. He took up more extreme ways of fighting, and reinvented himself. He saw it as him against the world; he was the only one who thought he knew what was best for Zaun which is why his actions are so selfish and cruel sometimes. But betrayal will do that to someone. I agree with the guy that said he did care about his people, but that care is buried under layers of anger and self isolation. He wasn’t a normal revolutionary anymore. I think he truly thought he was alone; him and jinx. And the fate of Zaun was entirely up to him because no one else was willing to go as far as he was. Vander betrayed him, everyone else grew ‘complacent and afraid’ in his eyes. He was a person who was deeply hurt and even though he claimed the betrayal made him stronger, it also made him blind of the old things he used to hold fear. Brothers, friends, and the people of Zaun. He threw away what really mattered for ‘the cause’, because he thought he had no choice. He thought it made him weak, but that’s because of Vanders betrayal. Which is why his ending is so poetic because it all comes full circle and he can’t bare to sacrifice Jinx in order to become the king he always wanted to be. All the sacrifices and years of planning and reinvention came to nothing. It’s what makes his decision not give her up so potent because the Silco we thought we knew wouldn’t have hesitated; this is the same Silco that murdered Vander and forsook his people all for his greater goals. The hardened person he became after his betrayal, that he tried his best to force himself into being, cracked in the end and his humanity skipped through. A selfless act by a selfish person. He did originally love jinx for selfish reasons because he saw himself in her but I believe in the end when he said “you’re perfect” not “jinx is perfect” like before, was him loving her for exactly who she was, even knowing she killed him. He simply wouldn’t be an interesting character if every single action he took was selfish. On the surface it may seem like that, but there’s hidden nuances behind everything. And you have to keep in mind we never saw what Silco was like before the betrayal by Vander. We only saw the end result of a lifetime of pain. That would drive anyone to do terrible things.
Let's put it like this, Silco, dispute the cruelty and evil of his actions, had every reason and justification to be as evil as he did. Zaun is a complete and utter tool to piltover. If there is a problem, they can send enforcers to beat, kidnap, arrest or even kill anyone that they wish. Case and point, Jayce killed a child and suffered absolutely no consequence from doing it. If not for the terrible act of Silco and Jinx, which again im not defending, Piltoer would never have even considered giving Zaun independence. My point is, Silco was right all along.
I think Arcane did an interesting thing where they were willing to show that, even though Silco is *clearly* the villain, in some instances he's the most noble and loving person. Imo the greatest gesture of love came from Silco, after Jinx shot him, and he STILL affirmed her. And since the greatest act of love came from a man with twisted ambitions, the girl who wanted nothing more than a source of unconditional love cemented herself in the twisted ambitions of the one person who would give it to her.
I think this is an incredibly important lesson and the show's strongest theme. We become like the people who give us the things we most need, and those people can be healthy or not. I think it's a well-timed message for today's political climate, especially. People don't just do atrocities because of "eeheehee I'm evil let's do evil", they take on twisted idealogies because the people who found them, took them in, and provided them what they most needed had these twisted ideologies. Vander took a clear preference for Vi, leaving Powder in her shadow. Claggor was a neutral presence. Mylo was constantly critical of her. And Vi, who very much showed her plenty of healthy, attentive love, could not adapt when her little sister had grown into an incredibly broken person. Only Silco showed her the love she needed, and displayed it was completely unconditional. It takes a true sort of love to give up your greatest ambitions for someone who just shot you, comfort them as they cry over their mistake, and still call them "perfect". The only way you have a shot at becoming the stronger influence is by coming to someone with understanding of who they are, not who you wish they would be. Be the the healthy person who can come to people as they are, so the unhealthy people aren't all they have to turn to.
I think Silco's fostering powder is more like an act of sympathy because of what he went through not because hes altruistic at heart or something like that and thats what would lead him to understanding vander
Silco was a fantastic character. I expected him to convert innocent Powder, or groom her in some malicious way. But... No. He just does not rein her in and keeps telling her she is perfect. He does love her, but he loves her too much to stop her from sliding down this path of insanity. He was a father to her, but he was not a healthy father
The talk between Silco and Jayce, where Silco said "Jinx was acting on my orders...", he was willing to accept punishment for Jinx's crimes. Right there, it was clear that Silco was not going to give up Jinx
“In the end, Silco was willing to die for the cause, but not fight for it” damn that ending was good! Also I’m sure it’s brother in arms, I don’t think it’s familial 😜
Yeah, I'd guess so as well. It's definitely seems more like a non-familial thing to me, but we technically don't know for sure so...best to keep it vague! Thanks for the kind words, though! :)
Very interesting and well-edited video. Loved the last line. A couple of things I disagree with: The running theme of Silco's selfishness as a reason for caring for Jinx. Yes he's possessive but I don't think he "helps himself when he helps her." Very concretely, it doesn't change anything he has gone through, endured, and thought through. He doesn't want to make her in his image but try to help her the only flawed way he, any parent can, by referring to his experience. But Jinx is very independent from him, be it her goals, her coming and going, or even her style and art, which rather show that he lets her express herself. He takes her in because "Silco sees himself in her." Man, that's the definition of sympathy. Empathy at least. That's indeed the first act of kindness and humanity from him, and selfish if may be, but aren't those kinds of selfishness, sympathy and empathy, at the heart of human interaction and even altruism?
Yeah I thought the same thing. Seeing some of yourself in others is pretty much how empathy works. Either "that is me", "that was me", "that could be me" or "it'll never be me, but if it was, damn it'd suck".
@@facundomontivero2299 No, their attachment was toxic and destructive. But that doesn't mean Silco didn't care about her, or that his actions weren't selfless. Sadly, a fucked up person with good intentions will still end up hurting others
Despite him being an entirely new addition as a character, I found him the most interesting. Silco's voice actor also did a tremendously good job with his portrayal.
I think that Silko was willing to fight and die for the cause, but he wasn’t willing to harm Jinx for it. Vander wanted to protect everyone, especially his children. Silko was willing to sacrifice anyone except his daughter. So it isn’t an exact parallel but I see the angle your coming from.
Silco actually pulled a knife and wanted to kill Powder, if she didn't tell him about Vi he literally would just stab her to death and this detail just got me for some reason. That's the moment Silco stopped being just some villain guy who wants power and became a complex and very interesting character
I feel that Silco’s talk with vander when he captures him was the first time he became a much more human character, instead of mocking vander, he actually expresses emotion and talks to him.
Watching the series a couple times, I cannot consider Silco a villain. I can’t even say he’s wrong. To call Silco a Villain, and refer to Vi or Jayce as a hero seems flawed to me. I feel that Silco may be the most honest to his interests in the show. You know who he is and what he is. He’s not hiding anything. And the idea or liberating the under city is admirable. But some would not agree with his methods. Doesn’t make him wrong. Just doesn’t make him right to most. But then, we look at our hero’s. Vi, a thief and criminal in the under City. Jayce, experimenting with tech against his academy’s rules, and making shifty deals with other members of the Counsil. I would agree that this show doesn’t have heroes or villains. Just, characters. And amazing ones at that.
Bruh... Silco straight up uses child labor at his drug factories to feed a cycle of addiction that secures him at his position of power... yeah... he's a villain...
And don't get me wrong, people from topside in positions of power, such as in the council, are also villains in my pov, just like I'd consider some people in power in our real world that just use power to keep people oppressed to be straight up evil villains
@@ivoandre8345 don’t doubt that the same things are done on the topside. Maybe not for drugs, but political power and prestige. Ambessa did send her young daughter away for a better foothold in the city.
Having the main villain literally go through the exact same character development as the Mentor was a genius move. Silco spends the entire story developing an empathy and understanding for the other side, to the point that you almost feel bad for him... Because teenaged Violet may have been a handful, but no one would wish their worst enemy teenaged Jinx. XD
Did you catch that Silco also raised all the orphans of the Undercity after the bridge battle, and that there is no middle generation, everyone is either old or young, very very few are in between (Sevika and the 4 who walk out on Vander as they see that he no longer works for the Underground's benefit, they didn't betray him, he betrayed the whole of the Undercity). Vander raised a FEW orphans with a direct personal touch, Silco raised all of the rest of the Orphans with more of a removed impersonal touch (with the latter exception of Jinx who he picks up later mostly for the reasons you list). Vander gave his kids jobs of thieving from the Undercity once they got old enough (But don't steal from the enemy, I have an agreement with them). Silco gave his kids jobs at factories at about the same age. Even the big bosses' kids worked at the factories because of the missing generation. Vander turned out to be a good father because he cared for 4 children who grew up to be thieves. But Silco is a bad guy because he raised 4000 children to become productive employed members of society who didn't need to commit crimes to survive. Silco founded a medical clinic to treat those who abused Shimmer, but Vander is a good guy because he formed a secret agreement with the enemy that killed an entire generation. Vander tried to murder his brother-in-arms, but Silco is a bad guy because he defended himself.
Come to think of it, it’s the same in the game. The only Zaunite champions who aren’t either young (Jinx, Ekko, Zeri, I’m counting Seraphine too, and I’ve seen people say Mundo is 17!) or older (Renata Glasc) are creatures. Warwick, Ziggs, Twitch… Urgot doesn’t count because he’s from Noxus.
@@miticaBEP07 Mundo is actually in Arcane. He is the guy who can't keep his tongue off of things and people. Mundo's lore says he gets committed to an experimental asylum by a chembaron who thinks him insane (Sevika's face when he licks the head of one of her goons). The Asylum was actually a cover for stupidly dangerous tests on unwilling captive patients. And Dr. Mundo is the result. A Patient/Test Subject who THINKS he is the Doctor who cures people with a mighty meat cleaver. Mundo's tongue hangs out like the Licky Guy's tongue on several occasions.
That match-cut in editing with Silco drowning and Powder descending into her blue explosion was awesome. They took a note from Satoshi Kon for editing in animation.
Great breakdown! Arcane has broken the mold and proven that we can and should expect higher quality of writing and production value. Can't wait for more 💛
i don’t think Vi internationally left Powder. it seems like she wanted to take a breath before combing back. and when Silco and Marcus show up this plan was ruined, obv
Coming back doesn’t change the fact that she left in the first place. What if Silco had killed Powder would it not have been Vi’s fault because “she tried to come back”. A good sibling would’ve ran with their sister to safety then deal with the drama afterwards
@@mike21378 "Deal with the drama afterwards" I wouldn't call ones sibling making a mistake and causing the death of their adoptive father just "drama".
She was just a kid. She had no plan to go back, she had no thought that far. In that moment, she just wanted to get away from powder as anger, sadness and despair overran her. Of course when she saw Silco and the fear of losing her sister kicked in, then she wanted to immediately safe her.
My interpretation of the character of Silco is simply that Silco is a human not a villain. Like a real human he does bad things. Like a human he does good things, but most importantly just like a real human he does things that are not entirely good or bad. Things that are morally grey or relativistic, things that are both good and evil depending on what side of the line you are on. Who actually is the villain in Arcane? What does Silco do to be the villain? He takes down Vander to right a wrong done to him and to take over so he can liberate his people. Was it revenge or justice? Is his fight with Piltover a power grab or is he fighting to free an oppressed people? Arcane like the real world is not black and white.
Going to echo the sentiment that Silco isn't a Villain, but I think that the only way to discuss Silco is to discuss Villains because you have to start there with Silco before discussing how Silco is NOT a Villain. He fills that general role in this story, and we're so used to conventional stories (Hero, Villain, Side Kicks, Three Act Structure, Campbell's Hero of 1000 Faces, etc.) I would not be surprised if the writers slotted in Silco as the "villain" while they were writing him, and it wasn't until they had gotten well into the story writing before they realized that they weren't actually writing a villain after all - that they put so much thought and effort into every single character (even some of the one-off and joke characters seem to be well written for who they are) that in their work to flesh out their villain, they had actually subverted the Villain trope. As they have somewhat subverted other tropes in this show as well - Vi's the "Hero" but her actions constantly and consistently create and reinforce Jinx, for example. Mel is the Femme Fatale who is out for Number 1... until she realizes she's a Femme Fatale only out for Number 1 and goes "Wait, WHAT? When did I choose that? That's not me. That's not who I am. That's not who I want to be. NO MORE." Jayce is the Mad Scientist who's work is more important than his life (to the point of No Work = No Life) ... until his work falls into the hands of Villains and he decides Public Safety is more important than his Work, and he would rather fall into ruin personally than have his city fall into literal ruins. Jinx is the Tragic Villain who is the architect of her own downfall at every turn while at the same time it's not her fault at all - she made the wrong choices at the wrong time, but what other choices could she make? Etc. I don't think the writers set out to subvert all of these tropes, but I think that in the process of trying to write great characters, they hit points where they went "A villain would do that, yes, but why would Silco?" and the answer came back "He wouldn't." and instead of replying "Well, he has to - he's the Villain." they replied with "So what would Silco do here?" and it led us to what we got. (and seriously, why is it so damn hard to type Villain? I swear, every time I type it I type it as "Villian" and get that little red squiggly line underneath that says "WRONG! DUMMY!" and I have to change it. ARGH.)
You know, I see your point, and I think it's absolutely valid. Personally, I'd have to disagree though. (This is not me trying to devaluate your interpretation though!) With him flooding the streets of Zaun with Shimmer, his complete apathy to the fate of those that take it (like the blonde guy in act one), him being responsible for the death of Greyson and for capturing Vander, and him threatening to kill Markus' daughter (to list only those things that I remember off the top of my head), I think Silco definitely has some undeniable villainous qualities. Does that make him a villain? Well, as I alluded to earlier, I think that's really up to interpretation. I can see the point that the things that are unusual about Silco and that make him less villainous in the process lead to him not being a villain at all, but for me, personally, those are the things that make him subversive - but still a villain. (I totally feel you on your last part, though. Spelling villain is the real villain here.)
I definitely see your point, but I think calling him a villain still kinda works. Personally, I think he's definitely framed a villain in the first act - perhaps until he takes in Powder. From there, he does become less and less villainous over the course of the show, but I'd say that's what makes him subversive. Silco is one of those characters that, in my opinion, kinda shows that these labels can help a lot, but are far from absolutes. Like, even "antagonist" as a label could, in my opinion, be argued against. I mean, who even is Arcane's protagonist? I'd argue we have many protagonists, many characters we follow and perspectives to see. And sure, Silco is an antagonist for Vi, Caitlyn, and others, but I think you could even call Jinx one of Arcane's protagonists - and Silco certainly isn't an antagonist to her. For me, the fact that Silco doesn't really fit into a catergory is what makes him not just subversive, but what makes him interesting enough for me to want to talk about him :)
He tries to murder children, pushes dangerous drugs, exploits the people he claims to defend and crushes any obstacle in his way without mercy. And just ends up being another cog in the machine of oppression that he supposedly wanted to tear down. He's a villain with delusions of heroism. Having a soft spot or two doesn't change that.
@@Lightice1 Thank you! So many people forget his readiness to murder children. The fact is, Silco is a text book narcist, and a text book villain, yes, he developed a soft spot for one person, but he did it by molding a traumatized and mentally unstable child in his own image.
Never realized it but Silco is trying to kill the humanity in Powder and raise the will to fight in Jinx. But in doing so he’s killed the will to fight in himself and started gaining humanity.
The way I think of Silco's inability to sacrifice Jinx: He defeated himself. His character growth defeated his end goal. And his immediate certainty, and his peace with that decision, was the ultimate death knell to HIS Nation of Zaun. Honestly the most beautiful character arc I've ever seen, and just so human.
how beautiful it was doe silco who detested vander for giving up his ambition for his daughter to do the exact same thing. he had everything he wanted at his fingertips but he couldnt give up jinx
in Arcane... the ' villain ' wanted to change the undercity so they had greater freedom and a chance at a better life. Watching all The people forced into scavengers and criminals. The 'Hero's ' wanted to sit back and keep things as they are because they believed the suffering of a entire city was not anything worth solving, even though they were the city of progress.
Great analysis. Silco’s complexity and the stark parallels with Vander are really what makes him stand out. He rises above resentment and self pity and finds a way forward out of his terrible ordeal. The shape of that is questionable but it could well be the only way for him to do so. Contrast with Jinx who (so far) is dominated by her resentment and Vander who succumbs to collusion and a form of apathy, abandoning his ideals for ‘safety’.
Silco is one of the best characters in Arcane, and I don't agree with what you said about Silco. Silco adopts Jinx as a legacy of her Brother, takes her as a daughter and tries to protect her. He gave everything for her and he sacrificed everything and even in Silco's final moments he tried comfort Jinx because he looks at her, he understands that she is scared and that she is just a girl With mental problems, he forgave her everything and always treated her like who she is Jinx no pawder. You don't have to be a good person to be a good father and he died for the daughter he loved. Being his last words "You are perfect"
I disagree with the park about him seeing her as a girl with mental problems. I think in his mind he actually believes that she's perfect. But other than that I agree with everything else. Silco is damaged as well and doesn't know how to properly raise jinx. He believes what's best for her is to kill off the weaker part of herself (Powder).
He raised the best he could and clerly he cared and was protective of her, but as Isaac mentioned he wasn`t particularly mentally stable either, so many of the things he taught her were not actually good for Jinx, so good intentions or not, Silco wasn`t capable to provide what she needed. Sadly, being a loving father doesn`t equal being a good father.
He had a different more compass than most people in that regard he raised her with his belief which by the way are not that different than Vander’s who we saw Bashing people’s heads in, running a criminal network in the Lanes with threat of Violence, and willing to try and kill a close friend (Silco) for his own ends. Hell the moral compass isn’t even that different from Vi’s who has always wanted war against the Topside, enough to risk her friends and sister’s lives, assaults and abandons her sister when she should have been there for her the most, and doesn’t bat an eye at Child murder and even encourages more violence because “fuck it kids die all the time down here”. Legit the only way Silco is worse than those two is that he peddles Shimmer to the poor, other than that people just have a Protagonist/Antagonist bias toward Vander/Vi and Silco
@@mike21378 In that case it is not a problem of Silco or Arcane but that people are used to having good bad guys. And when you introduce them to characters capable of challenging and not conforming to the public, It is from this gray compass that Arcane's heart is born and because the characters act following a narrative but with shades that show that even the worst people can be motivated by a just cause.From that beat and a touch of fatherhood is where Silco is formed, a rotated man who gives everything for an independent country, or so he thought until his own daughter became the price to pay.
I wouldn't say that Silco was trying to make a Jinx his copy, but rather his heir. Putting aside the fact that he knows what it's like to hate someone who used to love, he knew that death was a certainty when living in the under city, especially with the power he'd accumulated from Shimmer. So he'd need to put the Nation of Zaun in the hands of someone who wasn't just loyal. But willing, ready, and capable.
I was really impressed at how good Arcane was, with Silco being an amazing character. The Ruination event was so bad in comparison (in my opinion) that it makes Arcane’s story look even better.
Silco was a rebel fighting against oppression, but his methods made him somewhat of an oppressor himself. He was never a villain, nor a hero. He was the main antagonist to much of the cast, but he was never a villain.
There is aspects to Kreia's teachings in him I see, as betrayal is a part of her philosophy... Kreia is a star wars character, of whom is my favorite for her beautiful writing, highly recommend learning of her.
His monologue at the Vander statue is really good in defining his character. "What would I lose but problems?" *Sighs. Even though he knows giving up Jinx would serve the greater good and accomplish everything he's ever wanted...he also realises that it's what he WANTED. [Past tense!] What he WANTS now is for Jinx to be safe and happy...in her own murderously insane way. If you look at it objectively, Jinx IS safe and happy. She is strong, ruthless, and creative. Her own lab/workshop, and the freedom to do whatever she wants. Everything she needs to thrive in Zaun has been given to her by Silco.
9:29 It wasn't that Sevika was merely more loyal to Silco than Vander. It's that Sevika is loyal to the cause. Sevika in truth, didn't betray Vander; Vander betrayed the cause, so she went with someone who stayed true to it. Silco, unlike Vander, stayed true to the cause (except for maybe right at the end of Season 1 but nobody knew that but the people at the tea party) so she didn't betray Silco for Fin. Sevika is in fact very loyal, another great character subversion. She is introduced in a way that seems disloyal with how the start is framed from the kid's perspective in the first act. But in truth she is one of the most loyal characters, it's just to the cause more so than to any particular person. Though she also seems to respect Silco alot as a person.
Silco is loyal to Sevika, too. She loses an arm protecting him from the blast, but he makes sure to take her along with him afterward (she's in his goon's arms), and fixes her up with a shiny new Shimmer arm and makes her his second in command. He could have just left her there, but he doesn't. But Jinx has #1 status: when she's dying, he picks her up /himself/ instead of having a goon do it even though it clearly tires him.
Interesting, so Vander realizes that he isn't willing to sacrifice others for his dream after sacrificing so much for the cause, and Silco gets hardened after being betrayed, and feels like they weren't willing to sacrifice enough for the power to achieve their goal. He probably feels like he has nothing worth holding onto after being betrayed, or that he has already lost anything worth holding onto ("brother").
I think that, even if in the first part, silco took powder because he recognize himself in her, later on, the reason why the comeback of VI make him feel bad is that jinx, the only person he loved and loved him back, would left him. That's why he's lying to her and hide the truth, or also rage like crazy when VI and Caitlyn escape. Since the beginning of part 2, it's a father daughter relation ship, and the parrallelle with Vander start :)
I think Silco is a great example of a character who is certainly a villain, but the real villain are the people of Piltover who do nothing to lessen the class inequality. Sort of like how we have people of questionable morals all around us, but the real villains are the people at the top who pit us against each other. Our attention should be on them, but it's on each other instead. We should really be focusing on how corrupt Piltover, the Enforcers, and the Council is. Silco's radical approach is, y'know, bad, but it makes it so much easier to sympathise with him over the people at the top.
[0:15] "Villains, for me, embody the inescapable fallibility of humans, and when those villains that embody such a flawed ideology or mindset find their way towards redemption or are thwarted by the heroes and are forced to see all their mistakes through the heroes’ triumph, that often creates some of the most memorable moments in fiction for me." [10:15] "caring about a single person doesn't exactly make you a good person, but we have to remember how much development this is for him. Silco, at the start of the show, was characterized as someone who would risk anything to gain the power he wants to achieve, and for him to now have something he is not willing to give up for his goals shows the fatal flaw in his ideology."
I don't know why so many people say that svika is loyal to Silco. Right after she kills golden jaw Svika warns Silco that if the right person came, she would betray him. Svika's no more loyal to Silco than she was to Vander. That isn't to say she's not a loyal person, she is, just not to any person. Zaun doesn't share Svika's loyalty with anyone. She shows her loyalty be serving whoever she thinks will be the best for Zaun.
She is loyal to the cause, not the man. Silco is affirming that he is loyal to the cause when he's talking about loyalty, and also calling on her loyalty, but even he knows that's slipping and that it's his fault.
Exactly. The reason why Silco, a psychopat and a megalomaniac, can simphatize and loce Jinx is bacause he sees HIMSELF in her. Helping her is helping himself.
To be fair, is there such a thing as a "truly altruistic person". Philosophically speaking, I honestly think that for any "good act" a person takes, if you go deep enough, you can find a reason that makes it not that altruistic.
I think youre wrong. Silco was about to kill powder. He just wanted the intel on Vi first. But, like you say, he saw himself in Powder after she threw herself at him saying she was abandoned but I dont think it was in a way selfish. I think it was the first time in ages, possibly ever, that he could relate to another person. The rest of the show seem to underline this fact. He protects Jinx in any given situation, even when he himself is angry at her. He drops EVERYTHING to come to her aid when shes hurt or in danger. He refuses to give her up and instead gives up his own entire dream and ambition for her. Silco ABSOLUTELY loves Jinx, above anything.. Above himself, above his dream, above anything. Shes not a tool for him to use, she is the only human connection he has and he treasures her dearly. The fact that he is a severely damaged individual who has a very warped view of the world doesnt mean he intentionally misled her. His final words to her was absolute truth. "I never wouldve given you to them, not for anything" and "Dont cry, you are perfect" Are the truest worst spoken in this show. No saying its good or right, Silco was deranged... but when it comes to honesty, this was the most honest words ever spoken. Silco 100% felt and belived this.
No. No he's a bad, bad man. A good dad doesn't make a good man, it's only a piece of the big picture... Also he groomed jinx to become what he wanted to be, but better. That's fucked.
Also. Maybe he thought his legacy would live on in Jinx anyway. Also he may have been willing to keep fighting Piltover had she not accidentally shot him. He would have just said, "screw the deal; we shall have an all out war with the topsiders." I mean he did put quite a bit of faith in Jinx to complete that weapon.
I think Silco also see Jynx as Zaun. She is the chaos the purity and dynamic representation of the independent Zaun. That is why giving Jynx in would also be givin Zaun. In the end I still stink he stuck to his ideals with growing fatherhood role. That is why Jynx is perfect. JYNX is ZAUN.
I disagree that Silco took Powder in for "purely selfish reasons." It's more complex than that. When she hugged him, it unexpectedly awakened a deep emotional need inside that he had neglected, the need to feel loved and to love someone in return. Was it entirely altruistic? No. There was always a part of how he raised her that was calculated and manipulative. Clearly he saw an opportunity to mold an impressionable youth in his own image for his own cynical purposes. And yes, partly she was just a means for him to alleviate his own abandonment issues. But I think there was also genuine pity for a helpless child experiencing the same trauma he went through. He was a flawed and problematic person, too needy to be a good parent, but I think the love was real.
It will probably be focused much more around Viktor. The set up for his final split with Jayce leading to him fleeing to Zaun with the Hexcore to start his Glorious Revelution is in place, now we only need to get there.
Now I may well be talking compleat rubish, but It seems to me that, that while Silco is the villain of THIS story, he is not really A villain. You could easely turn the perspective and focus of the story around and he would be the antihero of the story.
(THIS IS ALL JUST MY OPINION) I think he took Jinx/Powder in because he saw himself in her, he saw his pain but also his strength. He wanted to carve her into someone as strong as him and throughout the years he stops only wanting her for her strength, he grows to love her unconditionally. He loved her a lot but he also wanted her to himself, he was just as terrified of abandonment as her. Jinx/Powder's fear stems from when Vi "left" her and that fear had been there even before then, Silco shares these fears and he plays into them. He isolates her and manipulates her to keep her close to him. To Jinx/Powder he was everything she wanted, Silco loved her unconditionally, he made her strong, and he never left. That is what she wanted most, but it wasn't what was good for her or what she actually needed. After the explosion when her life is so critically endangered Silco is terrified of losing the person closest to him, and when he brings her to Singed he is presented with two options, let her die or force her back to his side. He can't bear to let her go so he makes Singed bring her back. In the end this is a purely selfish choice because he can't let her go - even if the process will change her forever and be incredibly painful for her. He's aware she won't be the same but it will still be her and he will lover her either way, this is a stark contrast to Vi who loves Powder, not Jinx. Vi lived her sister Powder but when she sees how she has changed and become Jinx she sees her as a "broken" version of her sister, in Vi's mind Powder has broken and needs to be fixed, whereas Silco shows he will love her either way. Silco wants to give Jinx/Powder up when he's offered everything he's been fighting for his whole life, but he can't. Because after all that time he loves her too much and as much as a part of him wishes wasn't true, he loves her too much to let go of her. Jinx/Powder immeadiately assumes that Silco is going to betray her because that is a fear he's played on and used to manipulate her since she was a kid - but this hurts most because in every other scenario where she has been betrayed she was expecting that, but through it all he was the one person she could trust and would never leave her, he was the one person who loved Jinx more than Powder and lived her unconditionally. He stayed by her side through it all and when she thought he was leaving or betraying her like everyone else, it just drives her closer to insanity. And when his last words to her are "You're perfect." He's once again demonstrating that unconditional love that Jinx/Powder craves but he's also isolating her and cutting the final tie between her and Vi, making her truly Jinx. That will now always be her last memory of him - in her mind he always loved her and thought she was perfect and he didn't try to change her, whereas Vi "left" her and afterwards didn't love the new version of her. Those final words really were what killed Powder. Silco was always a loving father, but he was never a good father.
It was my interpretation that Silco took in Powder for purely selfish reasons too, but rather as a way to recruit someone who might be useful and unbreakably loyal. Maybe even as a way to get back on Vander by turning his foster-daughter to his side. But I agree, Silco, like many other characters in this show, surprised me with how well written and layered they are. He starts out as a rather standard villain, but he's got some nice tricks up his sleeve and while he is menacing and evil, he's really entertaining as a villain. I wonder, have looked at "Nox" from Wakfu? He's a really great villain too. Starts out as a really cookie-cutter bad guy in a show for kids, but you slowly learn more about him and you eventually end up sympathizing with him, despite being a genocidal maniac.
I've never actually looked into Wakfu, I have to admit. I might put it onto my list of things I need to check out, but that's a long list... Anyway, thank you so much for the comment :)
Let's put it like this, Silco, dispute the cruelty and evil of his actions, had every reason and justification to be as evil as he did. Zaun is a complete and utter tool to piltover. If there is a problem, they can send enforcers to beat, kidnap, arrest or even kill anyone that they wish. Case and point, Jayce killed a child and suffered absolutely no consequence from doing it. If not for the terrible act of Silco and Jinx, which again im not defending, Piltover would never have even considered giving Zaun independence. My point is, Silco was right all along.
Silco is the only time I can remember where a villain had an actual character arc *other* than a Redemption arc. He is not significantly more good or more evil by the end of the story, but he becomes at once more pragmatic- he obviously doesn't *want* an open war if he can still get his way without it- and also more human. Not only with becoming a father to Jinx, but in his relationships to his other allies. The robot-arm lady who's name I forget seems like just another underling in the first act, but by they seem less formal and more friendly. And all of this occurs without him ever even moving towards being "good", whatever that would even mean in a show like this with murky allegiances and moralities. Something else I though about: The animation medium is barely even a century old at this point, and look how far it has come. A common thought experiment I do is bringing X modern media to an audience in Y place and time and wondering what their reaction would be. Imagine lightly re-cutting the nine episodes into 3 feature-length movies and playing them in theaters in 1937 and 38 alongside Snow White, the first animated feature. It would have blown their minds wide open.
Silco did fight, a lot.... Then Jinx slotted in the gap that he left, forging her into the lol Jinx to come.... but Odyssee and Star Guardian Jinx'... Where do they sit?
The thing about Silco is that he doesnt see himself as a villain, his goals are relatable, freedom and independence, to break off from the chains of piltover. While Vander has made peace n compromise certain freedoms with the enforcers, Silco was still young and still had the flames of revolution in him. As they say, one governments terrorist is a populations freedom fighter.
That's the thing though, Vander didn't make peace or comprimise. He laid down and accepted that things would never change. Enforcers come and abuse who they want, when they want. Zaun's air and citizens were both terrible in condition. But Silco, despite the evil of his use of Shimmer on the people, made things better. The enforcers were in his pocket, Zaun's air was made actually breathable, technology and conditions improved across the board. Hell, in the end he was almost actually able to achieve independence from Piltover. My point is, Silco, for all his faults and cruelty, was right.
I'm glad you think so! :) I do still have a lot to improve on, though, and I have only been doing this for a little while - I'd guess those are the main reasons ^^
Silco is the best form of "villain".
You don't really want him to win, *but* you don't want him to lose either, because you understand and sympathize (somewhat) with his actions, even if you wouldn't go that far yourself.
That and he has the ruined-eye thing like Zuko
nah i reallyyyyyyy wanted him to lose, aka for powder to be saved by her sister
@@dragoonMSfan for me its the total opposite I was rooting for Silco and Jinx through the whole show
I really wanted him to win though. He did some messed up stuff and I am not saying he was right but him getting his will would likely mean an end to it and an era of independent Zaun
I wanted him to win ;0
Silco: You'll die for the cause, but you won't fight for one?
Silco years later: YES
That's complety untrue, Silco was willing to go rather all out war with Piltover, than handing Jinx over.
@@NoName-vb4pc A war that happened once before and they lost. But this time, the opposition has even better weapons.
This time their side had Shimmer and Jinx had figured out Hextech weaponry so they would have had the edge in the war
@@mike21378 Jinx figured out how to use the ONE Hextech core that she manage to steal. Piltover has the resources to produce Hextech weaponry on an industrial scale.
Piltover could anihilate the undercity if they went all out. And if the council believes this to be in their best interests, they will not hesitate to do so.
Silco clearly understands this. This is why he mostly resorts to intimidation and tries to avoid a direct conflict: he has to convince the council that a civil war would be more costly than granting Zaun their independence. Otherwise, he is screwed.
@@joaomarcoscosta4647 sorry, its Hextech GEMSTONE, hextech core is the thing that Victor has created. Just mentioning, thats not some big mistake, but still :D
Silco having a compelling character arc is what really made him stand out for me.
I really didn't expect a lot from Silco - but he was so much more than he seemed at the beginning. I would've loved to see more of him in Season 2, but oh well...
@@DelusionalPoet I loved all the little details in his father-daughter relationship with jinx, like how his admiration for the sharks influenced jinxs design of the rocket launcher (cause it was initially made for him)
@@maxmustermann-zx9yq I never noticed this - that's so cool!
@@DelusionalPoet I think for your earlier point about the 5 man band, that it doesn't work, more becuase of how the scenes play out eg: powder being left behind and vander (the Mentor/father figure) being captured.
- I get preceiving that perspective, however it feels more like you have a perspective that you have warped the scene around to match. eg: that silco is a good dad (eg: cares deeply for Jinx, from asking her what happened, being supportive of her trauma and leading upto his death scene and what he says to jinx, however ignores aspects like promoting jinx instability (eg: Your perfect - ending), not chastising Jinx for killing the enforcers (after getting the hextech orb) and similar...
Its kinda picking what you want to see whilst ignoring other aspects that counter the point.
I mean I'd say almost all the characters in the show were interesting
Like someone said: Silco didn’t die as a villain, he died as a father
A flawed and not quite good father.
But a loving, faithful father no less
I didn't need my heart anyways, lol
I didn't need my heart anyways, lol
Like Vander did
Don't glorify Silco, he was a horrible person regardless of parenting skills
A lot of people look at Silco's speech to Deckard in episode one as a sort of canned 'villain' speech. But when you look at it in retrospect he was speaking to his own inadequacies and you realize that he's molded Powder to be the ideal version of what he wished to be. She is stronger, faster, smarter, AND ruthless. The want of any parent, that the child would become a better version of themselves.
Eh, not really. Jinx still isn't ready to let Silco kill Vi just so her pain would stop. It's almost like she still loves Vi even more than Silco even with their differences, and she also isn't willing to do ANYTHING.
@@mathies3598 That's not true
@@anitaremenarova6662 it's tho !
@@mathies3598 That's not true. Jinx loves Silco more than Vi. Jinx still care for Vi (as for love I doubt it), but not as much as the young Powder did. That slap at the end of ep 3 broke their bond as sisters. We will see more in season 2 of Arcane.
@@AngelOfDeathBG then how do you explain her saving Vi like that?
One thing that makes Silco stick in peoples minds is his way of delivering his lines in the same seductive way that people find so irresistible in Thrawn from Star Wars.
There is a certain, disconnected philosophers way about how he speaks, a seductive assurance behind every word that drips with sincerity and selflessness. A worldview stated as a cold fact of reality
That's actually a really good comparison!
I agree Silco was a villain and the fact that he cared about Jinx doesnt redeem him but council members of Piltover were just as shady inmy opinion , I didnt really see any character in the show as hero, and I kind of understood everybody , where they come from and why they act the way they do
this shows characters are so goddamn human
@@Mandus_The_Mad yes, LOVED that
Silco used children.... Stop simping
@@jediburrito Vi kills children, Jayce didnt give a F until he had to face it for real, Piltovers leaders are just as shady as Silco,, and your comment on "stop simping" well..you sound like one of those toxic league players that you mute right away when starting to play :D every character in the show kills children :D
@@HK-gm8pe why were the children there lmaoooooo
He is undone by Jinx, he's own daughter figure, and yet he doesn't feel any malice towards her, with his final words he expresses how much he cared for her, that's a little bit of humanization and decency that really wraps up his character extremely well
I believe Silco really cared about Zaun and it's citizens, his ways are just radical because he believes that it's the only way to set them free from Piltover's oppression. While not everyone approved his ways, his intention is genuine.
He didn't care about 'Zaun's people' at all. He loved the ideal of Zaun independence. Someone who cares about people and doesn't see them as pawns doesn't murder his own people. Murder children. Etc. His care for Jinx is only due to the sociopathic love of himself that he has. He sees Jinx as a mini him, molded her as such. That's what he cares about.
@@Gotabonetopick I would argue that he didn't care for the individuals, eg: he didn't care about the impact that shimmer would have on his people and similar, however he still wanted indepence for his people. Kinda like how most revolutionaries examine the issue, its more for the greater perspective.
I would say Bones that he doesn't hate his people, as we are not shown cases of him killing or having people killed that are not against him. Also that under silco the undercity became more economically divided (eg: emergence of the chem barons to those who became addicted to shimmer). I mean Silco did tone down from what he was in the first three episodes, as you would imagine after getting the formula fixed, that they would have been more militaristic.
@@michaelstone9065 He wanted independence simply for the virtue of it. He barely sees other human beings as people to begin with. There was not a morally good bone in his body and I will die on this hill.
Every action he made from start to finish was motivated completely selfishly. People come in two categories for him. Pawns and enemies. I wouldn't say then that he cares about 'his people' as much as what they can do to further his goals.
@@Gotabonetopick I think his selfish way of thinking was forged by Vanders betrayal. He had a brother and a revolution... he had friends, but was betrayed by them and left for dead. He continued believing in the cause of fighting for Zaun, but after this action, his passion turned into obsession and he viewed his old way of being as weak. He took up more extreme ways of fighting, and reinvented himself. He saw it as him against the world; he was the only one who thought he knew what was best for Zaun which is why his actions are so selfish and cruel sometimes. But betrayal will do that to someone. I agree with the guy that said he did care about his people, but that care is buried under layers of anger and self isolation. He wasn’t a normal revolutionary anymore.
I think he truly thought he was alone; him and jinx. And the fate of Zaun was entirely up to him because no one else was willing to go as far as he was. Vander betrayed him, everyone else grew ‘complacent and afraid’ in his eyes. He was a person who was deeply hurt and even though he claimed the betrayal made him stronger, it also made him blind of the old things he used to hold fear. Brothers, friends, and the people of Zaun. He threw away what really mattered for ‘the cause’, because he thought he had no choice. He thought it made him weak, but that’s because of Vanders betrayal.
Which is why his ending is so poetic because it all comes full circle and he can’t bare to sacrifice Jinx in order to become the king he always wanted to be. All the sacrifices and years of planning and reinvention came to nothing. It’s what makes his decision not give her up so potent because the Silco we thought we knew wouldn’t have hesitated; this is the same Silco that murdered Vander and forsook his people all for his greater goals. The hardened person he became after his betrayal, that he tried his best to force himself into being, cracked in the end and his humanity skipped through. A selfless act by a selfish person.
He did originally love jinx for selfish reasons because he saw himself in her but I believe in the end when he said “you’re perfect” not “jinx is perfect” like before, was him loving her for exactly who she was, even knowing she killed him. He simply wouldn’t be an interesting character if every single action he took was selfish. On the surface it may seem like that, but there’s hidden nuances behind everything. And you have to keep in mind we never saw what Silco was like before the betrayal by Vander. We only saw the end result of a lifetime of pain. That would drive anyone to do terrible things.
Let's put it like this, Silco, dispute the cruelty and evil of his actions, had every reason and justification to be as evil as he did.
Zaun is a complete and utter tool to piltover.
If there is a problem, they can send enforcers to beat, kidnap, arrest or even kill anyone that they wish. Case and point, Jayce killed a child and suffered absolutely no consequence from doing it. If not for the terrible act of Silco and Jinx, which again im not defending, Piltoer would never have even considered giving Zaun independence.
My point is, Silco was right all along.
"Oh, it all makes sense now, brother.
Is there anything so undoing as a daughter?"
I think Arcane did an interesting thing where they were willing to show that, even though Silco is *clearly* the villain, in some instances he's the most noble and loving person. Imo the greatest gesture of love came from Silco, after Jinx shot him, and he STILL affirmed her.
And since the greatest act of love came from a man with twisted ambitions, the girl who wanted nothing more than a source of unconditional love cemented herself in the twisted ambitions of the one person who would give it to her.
I think this is an incredibly important lesson and the show's strongest theme. We become like the people who give us the things we most need, and those people can be healthy or not.
I think it's a well-timed message for today's political climate, especially. People don't just do atrocities because of "eeheehee I'm evil let's do evil", they take on twisted idealogies because the people who found them, took them in, and provided them what they most needed had these twisted ideologies. Vander took a clear preference for Vi, leaving Powder in her shadow. Claggor was a neutral presence. Mylo was constantly critical of her. And Vi, who very much showed her plenty of healthy, attentive love, could not adapt when her little sister had grown into an incredibly broken person.
Only Silco showed her the love she needed, and displayed it was completely unconditional. It takes a true sort of love to give up your greatest ambitions for someone who just shot you, comfort them as they cry over their mistake, and still call them "perfect".
The only way you have a shot at becoming the stronger influence is by coming to someone with understanding of who they are, not who you wish they would be. Be the the healthy person who can come to people as they are, so the unhealthy people aren't all they have to turn to.
I think Silco's fostering powder is more like an act of sympathy because of what he went through not because hes altruistic at heart or something like that and thats what would lead him to understanding vander
Powder last act: killing Silco.
Jinx first act: avenging him. "They can all burn - We will show them all"
Silco was a fantastic character. I expected him to convert innocent Powder, or groom her in some malicious way. But... No. He just does not rein her in and keeps telling her she is perfect. He does love her, but he loves her too much to stop her from sliding down this path of insanity. He was a father to her, but he was not a healthy father
The talk between Silco and Jayce, where Silco said "Jinx was acting on my orders...", he was willing to accept punishment for Jinx's crimes. Right there, it was clear that Silco was not going to give up Jinx
“In the end, Silco was willing to die for the cause, but not fight for it” damn that ending was good! Also I’m sure it’s brother in arms, I don’t think it’s familial 😜
Yeah, I'd guess so as well. It's definitely seems more like a non-familial thing to me, but we technically don't know for sure so...best to keep it vague! Thanks for the kind words, though! :)
I love how the first thing Silco does when he tries to persuade Decker to take shimmer is to disarm Decker.
You would think I'd have noticed that detail considering how much I used that scene while editing, but I didn't! That's a really cool detail, though!
Ooh wait, what do you mean by this? The whole monsters thing?
Very interesting and well-edited video. Loved the last line.
A couple of things I disagree with:
The running theme of Silco's selfishness as a reason for caring for Jinx. Yes he's possessive but I don't think he "helps himself when he helps her." Very concretely, it doesn't change anything he has gone through, endured, and thought through. He doesn't want to make her in his image but try to help her the only flawed way he, any parent can, by referring to his experience. But Jinx is very independent from him, be it her goals, her coming and going, or even her style and art, which rather show that he lets her express herself.
He takes her in because "Silco sees himself in her." Man, that's the definition of sympathy. Empathy at least. That's indeed the first act of kindness and humanity from him, and selfish if may be, but aren't those kinds of selfishness, sympathy and empathy, at the heart of human interaction and even altruism?
Yeah I thought the same thing. Seeing some of yourself in others is pretty much how empathy works. Either "that is me", "that was me", "that could be me" or "it'll never be me, but if it was, damn it'd suck".
Well, it certainly didn't freaking help Jinx get better. If anything, he molded her in his own image and made her mental problems worse.
@@facundomontivero2299 No, their attachment was toxic and destructive. But that doesn't mean Silco didn't care about her, or that his actions weren't selfless. Sadly, a fucked up person with good intentions will still end up hurting others
@@guicaldo7164 Never implied he didn't care about her.
You can be a loving father, and still end up being a bad father.
@@facundomontivero2299 Definitely agree
a hero sacrifices you for the world, a villain sacrifices the world for you
Despite him being an entirely new addition as a character, I found him the most interesting. Silco's voice actor also did a tremendously good job with his portrayal.
I think that Silko was willing to fight and die for the cause, but he wasn’t willing to harm Jinx for it. Vander wanted to protect everyone, especially his children. Silko was willing to sacrifice anyone except his daughter. So it isn’t an exact parallel but I see the angle your coming from.
Silco actually pulled a knife and wanted to kill Powder, if she didn't tell him about Vi he literally would just stab her to death and this detail just got me for some reason. That's the moment Silco stopped being just some villain guy who wants power and became a complex and very interesting character
I'm always weak for those strong intimidating villains that are balanced with desirable traits like loyalty, nurturing, tenderness etc.
I feel that Silco’s talk with vander when he captures him was the first time he became a much more human character, instead of mocking vander, he actually expresses emotion and talks to him.
Watching the series a couple times, I cannot consider Silco a villain. I can’t even say he’s wrong.
To call Silco a Villain, and refer to Vi or Jayce as a hero seems flawed to me.
I feel that Silco may be the most honest to his interests in the show. You know who he is and what he is. He’s not hiding anything. And the idea or liberating the under city is admirable. But some would not agree with his methods. Doesn’t make him wrong. Just doesn’t make him right to most.
But then, we look at our hero’s.
Vi, a thief and criminal in the under City.
Jayce, experimenting with tech against his academy’s rules, and making shifty deals with other members of the Counsil.
I would agree that this show doesn’t have heroes or villains. Just, characters. And amazing ones at that.
Bruh... Silco straight up uses child labor at his drug factories to feed a cycle of addiction that secures him at his position of power... yeah... he's a villain...
And don't get me wrong, people from topside in positions of power, such as in the council, are also villains in my pov, just like I'd consider some people in power in our real world that just use power to keep people oppressed to be straight up evil villains
@@ivoandre8345 don’t doubt that the same things are done on the topside.
Maybe not for drugs, but political power and prestige.
Ambessa did send her young daughter away for a better foothold in the city.
Having the main villain literally go through the exact same character development as the Mentor was a genius move. Silco spends the entire story developing an empathy and understanding for the other side, to the point that you almost feel bad for him... Because teenaged Violet may have been a handful, but no one would wish their worst enemy teenaged Jinx. XD
Did you catch that Silco also raised all the orphans of the Undercity after the bridge battle, and that there is no middle generation, everyone is either old or young, very very few are in between (Sevika and the 4 who walk out on Vander as they see that he no longer works for the Underground's benefit, they didn't betray him, he betrayed the whole of the Undercity). Vander raised a FEW orphans with a direct personal touch, Silco raised all of the rest of the Orphans with more of a removed impersonal touch (with the latter exception of Jinx who he picks up later mostly for the reasons you list). Vander gave his kids jobs of thieving from the Undercity once they got old enough (But don't steal from the enemy, I have an agreement with them). Silco gave his kids jobs at factories at about the same age. Even the big bosses' kids worked at the factories because of the missing generation. Vander turned out to be a good father because he cared for 4 children who grew up to be thieves. But Silco is a bad guy because he raised 4000 children to become productive employed members of society who didn't need to commit crimes to survive. Silco founded a medical clinic to treat those who abused Shimmer, but Vander is a good guy because he formed a secret agreement with the enemy that killed an entire generation. Vander tried to murder his brother-in-arms, but Silco is a bad guy because he defended himself.
Come to think of it, it’s the same in the game.
The only Zaunite champions who aren’t either young (Jinx, Ekko, Zeri, I’m counting Seraphine too, and I’ve seen people say Mundo is 17!) or older (Renata Glasc) are creatures. Warwick, Ziggs, Twitch…
Urgot doesn’t count because he’s from Noxus.
@@miticaBEP07 Mundo is actually in Arcane. He is the guy who can't keep his tongue off of things and people. Mundo's lore says he gets committed to an experimental asylum by a chembaron who thinks him insane (Sevika's face when he licks the head of one of her goons). The Asylum was actually a cover for stupidly dangerous tests on unwilling captive patients. And Dr. Mundo is the result. A Patient/Test Subject who THINKS he is the Doctor who cures people with a mighty meat cleaver. Mundo's tongue hangs out like the Licky Guy's tongue on several occasions.
@@Hawkido as long as he’s not actually a kid I’m glad
That match-cut in editing with Silco drowning and Powder descending into her blue explosion was awesome. They took a note from Satoshi Kon for editing in animation.
I love Silco as a character, thanks for the great analysis video!
Great breakdown! Arcane has broken the mold and proven that we can and should expect higher quality of writing and production value. Can't wait for more 💛
i don’t think Vi internationally left Powder. it seems like she wanted to take a breath before combing back. and when Silco and Marcus show up this plan was ruined, obv
Well, she was starting to run to Powder when she saw Silco was coming near her.
@@bunnyrabb1t exactly
Coming back doesn’t change the fact that she left in the first place. What if Silco had killed Powder would it not have been Vi’s fault because “she tried to come back”. A good sibling would’ve ran with their sister to safety then deal with the drama afterwards
@@mike21378 "Deal with the drama afterwards"
I wouldn't call ones sibling making a mistake and causing the death of their adoptive father just "drama".
She was just a kid. She had no plan to go back, she had no thought that far.
In that moment, she just wanted to get away from powder as anger, sadness and despair overran her.
Of course when she saw Silco and the fear of losing her sister kicked in, then she wanted to immediately safe her.
The fact u said he died for the cause but he wasnt willing to fight for it gave me chills
My interpretation of the character of Silco is simply that Silco is a human not a villain. Like a real human he does bad things. Like a human he does good things, but most importantly just like a real human he does things that are not entirely good or bad. Things that are morally grey or relativistic, things that are both good and evil depending on what side of the line you are on.
Who actually is the villain in Arcane? What does Silco do to be the villain? He takes down Vander to right a wrong done to him and to take over so he can liberate his people. Was it revenge or justice? Is his fight with Piltover a power grab or is he fighting to free an oppressed people? Arcane like the real world is not black and white.
Going to echo the sentiment that Silco isn't a Villain, but I think that the only way to discuss Silco is to discuss Villains because you have to start there with Silco before discussing how Silco is NOT a Villain. He fills that general role in this story, and we're so used to conventional stories (Hero, Villain, Side Kicks, Three Act Structure, Campbell's Hero of 1000 Faces, etc.) I would not be surprised if the writers slotted in Silco as the "villain" while they were writing him, and it wasn't until they had gotten well into the story writing before they realized that they weren't actually writing a villain after all - that they put so much thought and effort into every single character (even some of the one-off and joke characters seem to be well written for who they are) that in their work to flesh out their villain, they had actually subverted the Villain trope. As they have somewhat subverted other tropes in this show as well - Vi's the "Hero" but her actions constantly and consistently create and reinforce Jinx, for example. Mel is the Femme Fatale who is out for Number 1... until she realizes she's a Femme Fatale only out for Number 1 and goes "Wait, WHAT? When did I choose that? That's not me. That's not who I am. That's not who I want to be. NO MORE." Jayce is the Mad Scientist who's work is more important than his life (to the point of No Work = No Life) ... until his work falls into the hands of Villains and he decides Public Safety is more important than his Work, and he would rather fall into ruin personally than have his city fall into literal ruins. Jinx is the Tragic Villain who is the architect of her own downfall at every turn while at the same time it's not her fault at all - she made the wrong choices at the wrong time, but what other choices could she make? Etc.
I don't think the writers set out to subvert all of these tropes, but I think that in the process of trying to write great characters, they hit points where they went "A villain would do that, yes, but why would Silco?" and the answer came back "He wouldn't." and instead of replying "Well, he has to - he's the Villain." they replied with "So what would Silco do here?" and it led us to what we got.
(and seriously, why is it so damn hard to type Villain? I swear, every time I type it I type it as "Villian" and get that little red squiggly line underneath that says "WRONG! DUMMY!" and I have to change it. ARGH.)
You know, I see your point, and I think it's absolutely valid. Personally, I'd have to disagree though. (This is not me trying to devaluate your interpretation though!)
With him flooding the streets of Zaun with Shimmer, his complete apathy to the fate of those that take it (like the blonde guy in act one), him being responsible for the death of Greyson and for capturing Vander, and him threatening to kill Markus' daughter (to list only those things that I remember off the top of my head), I think Silco definitely has some undeniable villainous qualities. Does that make him a villain? Well, as I alluded to earlier, I think that's really up to interpretation. I can see the point that the things that are unusual about Silco and that make him less villainous in the process lead to him not being a villain at all, but for me, personally, those are the things that make him subversive - but still a villain.
(I totally feel you on your last part, though. Spelling villain is the real villain here.)
Silco is hardly a villain. An antagonist, sure.
I definitely see your point, but I think calling him a villain still kinda works. Personally, I think he's definitely framed a villain in the first act - perhaps until he takes in Powder. From there, he does become less and less villainous over the course of the show, but I'd say that's what makes him subversive.
Silco is one of those characters that, in my opinion, kinda shows that these labels can help a lot, but are far from absolutes. Like, even "antagonist" as a label could, in my opinion, be argued against. I mean, who even is Arcane's protagonist? I'd argue we have many protagonists, many characters we follow and perspectives to see. And sure, Silco is an antagonist for Vi, Caitlyn, and others, but I think you could even call Jinx one of Arcane's protagonists - and Silco certainly isn't an antagonist to her.
For me, the fact that Silco doesn't really fit into a catergory is what makes him not just subversive, but what makes him interesting enough for me to want to talk about him :)
i'd say he is almost an anti-villain
He tries to murder children, pushes dangerous drugs, exploits the people he claims to defend and crushes any obstacle in his way without mercy. And just ends up being another cog in the machine of oppression that he supposedly wanted to tear down. He's a villain with delusions of heroism. Having a soft spot or two doesn't change that.
@@Lightice1 Thank you! So many people forget his readiness to murder children. The fact is, Silco is a text book narcist, and a text book villain, yes, he developed a soft spot for one person, but he did it by molding a traumatized and mentally unstable child in his own image.
@@ZackScroggins bro people are deluded by this character it's insane. Did you saw the therapist video about his relation with Jinx ?
Never realized it but Silco is trying to kill the humanity in Powder and raise the will to fight in Jinx.
But in doing so he’s killed the will to fight in himself and started gaining humanity.
The way I think of Silco's inability to sacrifice Jinx: He defeated himself.
His character growth defeated his end goal. And his immediate certainty, and his peace with that decision, was the ultimate death knell to HIS Nation of Zaun.
Honestly the most beautiful character arc I've ever seen, and just so human.
how beautiful it was doe silco who detested vander for giving up his ambition for his daughter to do the exact same thing. he had everything he wanted at his fingertips but he couldnt give up jinx
His last words to Jinx were to be used as a chain to keep her under his care but also a means of comfort to help her daughter
in Arcane...
the ' villain ' wanted to change the undercity so they had greater freedom and a chance at a better life. Watching all The people forced into scavengers and criminals.
The 'Hero's ' wanted to sit back and keep things as they are because they believed the suffering of a entire city was not anything worth solving, even though they were the city of progress.
literally... and i'm like how is that okay? and it's because people have been brainwashed. hey the poor aren't really people, are they?
Great analysis. Silco’s complexity and the stark parallels with Vander are really what makes him stand out. He rises above resentment and self pity and finds a way forward out of his terrible ordeal. The shape of that is questionable but it could well be the only way for him to do so. Contrast with Jinx who (so far) is dominated by her resentment and Vander who succumbs to collusion and a form of apathy, abandoning his ideals for ‘safety’.
Silco is one of the best characters in Arcane, and I don't agree with what you said about Silco. Silco adopts Jinx as a legacy of her Brother, takes her as a daughter and tries to protect her.
He gave everything for her and he sacrificed everything and even in Silco's final moments he tried comfort Jinx because he looks at her, he understands that she is scared and that she is just a girl With mental problems, he forgave her everything and always treated her like who she is Jinx no pawder. You don't have to be a good person to be a good father and he died for the daughter he loved. Being his last words "You are perfect"
Finally someone understand it.
I disagree with the park about him seeing her as a girl with mental problems. I think in his mind he actually believes that she's perfect.
But other than that I agree with everything else.
Silco is damaged as well and doesn't know how to properly raise jinx. He believes what's best for her is to kill off the weaker part of herself (Powder).
He raised the best he could and clerly he cared and was protective of her, but as Isaac mentioned he wasn`t particularly mentally stable either, so many of the things he taught her were not actually good for Jinx, so good intentions or not, Silco wasn`t capable to provide what she needed. Sadly, being a loving father doesn`t equal being a good father.
He had a different more compass than most people in that regard he raised her with his belief which by the way are not that different than Vander’s who we saw Bashing people’s heads in, running a criminal network in the Lanes with threat of Violence, and willing to try and kill a close friend (Silco) for his own ends. Hell the moral compass isn’t even that different from Vi’s who has always wanted war against the Topside, enough to risk her friends and sister’s lives, assaults and abandons her sister when she should have been there for her the most, and doesn’t bat an eye at Child murder and even encourages more violence because “fuck it kids die all the time down here”. Legit the only way Silco is worse than those two is that he peddles Shimmer to the poor, other than that people just have a Protagonist/Antagonist bias toward Vander/Vi and Silco
@@mike21378 In that case it is not a problem of Silco or Arcane but that people are used to having good bad guys. And when you introduce them to characters capable of challenging and not conforming to the public, It is from this gray compass that Arcane's heart is born and because the characters act following a narrative but with shades that show that even the worst people can be motivated by a just cause.From that beat and a touch of fatherhood is where Silco is formed, a rotated man who gives everything for an independent country, or so he thought until his own daughter became the price to pay.
I wouldn't say that Silco was trying to make a Jinx his copy, but rather his heir. Putting aside the fact that he knows what it's like to hate someone who used to love, he knew that death was a certainty when living in the under city, especially with the power he'd accumulated from Shimmer. So he'd need to put the Nation of Zaun in the hands of someone who wasn't just loyal. But willing, ready, and capable.
A great villain isn't the one that makes you think "wow he is so evil" but " maybe he has a point "
A great villain makes you understand the actions they take even if you don't agree with them.
I was really impressed at how good Arcane was, with Silco being an amazing character.
The Ruination event was so bad in comparison (in my opinion) that it makes Arcane’s story look even better.
Silco was a rebel fighting against oppression, but his methods made him somewhat of an oppressor himself. He was never a villain, nor a hero. He was the main antagonist to much of the cast, but he was never a villain.
A broken clock is right twice a day.
I guess the same can be said for a broken moral compass whenever you stand facing north.
There is aspects to Kreia's teachings in him I see, as betrayal is a part of her philosophy...
Kreia is a star wars character, of whom is my favorite for her beautiful writing, highly recommend learning of her.
His monologue at the Vander statue is really good in defining his character.
"What would I lose but problems?"
*Sighs.
Even though he knows giving up Jinx would serve the greater good and accomplish everything he's ever wanted...he also realises that it's what he WANTED.
[Past tense!]
What he WANTS now is for Jinx to be safe and happy...in her own murderously insane way.
If you look at it objectively, Jinx IS safe and happy.
She is strong, ruthless, and creative.
Her own lab/workshop, and the freedom to do whatever she wants.
Everything she needs to thrive in Zaun has been given to her by Silco.
9:29
It wasn't that Sevika was merely more loyal to Silco than Vander. It's that Sevika is loyal to the cause. Sevika in truth, didn't betray Vander; Vander betrayed the cause, so she went with someone who stayed true to it. Silco, unlike Vander, stayed true to the cause (except for maybe right at the end of Season 1 but nobody knew that but the people at the tea party) so she didn't betray Silco for Fin.
Sevika is in fact very loyal, another great character subversion. She is introduced in a way that seems disloyal with how the start is framed from the kid's perspective in the first act. But in truth she is one of the most loyal characters, it's just to the cause more so than to any particular person. Though she also seems to respect Silco alot as a person.
Silco is loyal to Sevika, too. She loses an arm protecting him from the blast, but he makes sure to take her along with him afterward (she's in his goon's arms), and fixes her up with a shiny new Shimmer arm and makes her his second in command. He could have just left her there, but he doesn't. But Jinx has #1 status: when she's dying, he picks her up /himself/ instead of having a goon do it even though it clearly tires him.
You worded is perfectly! Thank you for making such a great video
That's so nice of you to say! Thanks! :)
Interesting, so Vander realizes that he isn't willing to sacrifice others for his dream after sacrificing so much for the cause, and Silco gets hardened after being betrayed, and feels like they weren't willing to sacrifice enough for the power to achieve their goal. He probably feels like he has nothing worth holding onto after being betrayed, or that he has already lost anything worth holding onto ("brother").
I think that, even if in the first part, silco took powder because he recognize himself in her, later on, the reason why the comeback of VI make him feel bad is that jinx, the only person he loved and loved him back, would left him. That's why he's lying to her and hide the truth, or also rage like crazy when VI and Caitlyn escape. Since the beginning of part 2, it's a father daughter relation ship, and the parrallelle with Vander start :)
I think Silco is a great example of a character who is certainly a villain, but the real villain are the people of Piltover who do nothing to lessen the class inequality. Sort of like how we have people of questionable morals all around us, but the real villains are the people at the top who pit us against each other. Our attention should be on them, but it's on each other instead. We should really be focusing on how corrupt Piltover, the Enforcers, and the Council is.
Silco's radical approach is, y'know, bad, but it makes it so much easier to sympathise with him over the people at the top.
[0:15] "Villains, for me, embody the inescapable fallibility of humans, and when those villains that embody such a flawed ideology or mindset find their way towards redemption or are thwarted by the heroes and are forced to see all their mistakes through the heroes’ triumph, that often creates some of the most memorable moments in fiction for me."
[10:15]
"caring about a single person doesn't exactly make you a good person, but we have to remember how much development this is for him. Silco,
at the start of the show, was characterized as someone who would risk anything to gain the power he wants to achieve, and for him to now have something he is not willing to give up for his goals shows the fatal flaw in his ideology."
I don't know why so many people say that svika is loyal to Silco. Right after she kills golden jaw Svika warns Silco that if the right person came, she would betray him.
Svika's no more loyal to Silco than she was to Vander. That isn't to say she's not a loyal person, she is, just not to any person.
Zaun doesn't share Svika's loyalty with anyone.
She shows her loyalty be serving whoever she thinks will be the best for Zaun.
She is loyal to the cause, not the man. Silco is affirming that he is loyal to the cause when he's talking about loyalty, and also calling on her loyalty, but even he knows that's slipping and that it's his fault.
that quote at the end you sneaky bastard
>:)
Exactly. The reason why Silco, a psychopat and a megalomaniac, can simphatize and loce Jinx is bacause he sees HIMSELF in her. Helping her is helping himself.
After that third episode opening Silco became a favourite character.
"Inescapable fallibility of humans". I have never heard Villains described like that before to be honest. Beautiful.
Silco is a villain in the tradition of Sauron, he defeats himself in the end.
He's even more intersting beacause his ultimate goal is actually..Good.
Piltover DOES opress Zaun,
To be fair, is there such a thing as a "truly altruistic person". Philosophically speaking, I honestly think that for any "good act" a person takes, if you go deep enough, you can find a reason that makes it not that altruistic.
Some do good acts to get rewards, fame, or boosting their ego.
Great video. "Not willing to fight for it" nailed it.
This is exsactly why he is one of my favourite characters from the show and favourite villain
silco didnt want a daughter he wanted an acolyte
I think youre wrong.
Silco was about to kill powder.
He just wanted the intel on Vi first.
But, like you say, he saw himself in Powder after she threw herself at him saying she was abandoned but I dont think it was in a way selfish.
I think it was the first time in ages, possibly ever, that he could relate to another person.
The rest of the show seem to underline this fact.
He protects Jinx in any given situation, even when he himself is angry at her.
He drops EVERYTHING to come to her aid when shes hurt or in danger.
He refuses to give her up and instead gives up his own entire dream and ambition for her.
Silco ABSOLUTELY loves Jinx, above anything..
Above himself, above his dream, above anything.
Shes not a tool for him to use, she is the only human connection he has and he treasures her dearly.
The fact that he is a severely damaged individual who has a very warped view of the world doesnt mean he intentionally misled her.
His final words to her was absolute truth.
"I never wouldve given you to them, not for anything"
and "Dont cry, you are perfect"
Are the truest worst spoken in this show.
No saying its good or right, Silco was deranged... but when it comes to honesty, this was the most honest words ever spoken.
Silco 100% felt and belived this.
I really loved this video. Everything was summed up perfectly!
People haven't been exposed to Askeladd yet.
Silco isnt a Villain. He is a person. A driven Man. A Father.
A bad person, and while a loving father, he wasn't a good one.
No. No he's a bad, bad man. A good dad doesn't make a good man, it's only a piece of the big picture...
Also he groomed jinx to become what he wanted to be, but better. That's fucked.
Also. Maybe he thought his legacy would live on in Jinx anyway. Also he may have been willing to keep fighting Piltover had she not accidentally shot him. He would have just said, "screw the deal; we shall have an all out war with the topsiders." I mean he did put quite a bit of faith in Jinx to complete that weapon.
I think Silco also see Jynx as Zaun. She is the chaos the purity and dynamic representation of the independent Zaun. That is why giving Jynx in would also be givin Zaun. In the end I still stink he stuck to his ideals with growing fatherhood role. That is why Jynx is perfect. JYNX is ZAUN.
It’s spelled Zaun, but I agree with your overall point
@@TotallyNotLoki thx fixed it
People be actin like all Silco wanted was power when he wanted a free nation.
I disagree that Silco took Powder in for "purely selfish reasons." It's more complex than that. When she hugged him, it unexpectedly awakened a deep emotional need inside that he had neglected, the need to feel loved and to love someone in return. Was it entirely altruistic? No. There was always a part of how he raised her that was calculated and manipulative. Clearly he saw an opportunity to mold an impressionable youth in his own image for his own cynical purposes. And yes, partly she was just a means for him to alleviate his own abandonment issues. But I think there was also genuine pity for a helpless child experiencing the same trauma he went through. He was a flawed and problematic person, too needy to be a good parent, but I think the love was real.
arcane was the best show of the year thanks to silco
**spoil**
season 2 won't be the same without him
It will probably be focused much more around Viktor.
The set up for his final split with Jayce leading to him fleeing to Zaun with the Hexcore to start his Glorious Revelution is in place, now we only need to get there.
@@GameBreaker1055 hope so cause Viktor was the other perfect character beside silco
Now I may well be talking compleat rubish, but
It seems to me that, that while Silco is the villain of THIS story, he is not really A villain. You could easely turn the perspective and focus of the story around and he would be the antihero of the story.
Another point about Silco is that he used to criticize Vander for changing. But at the time of his death he realizes why Vander changed.
Silco is almost my fav villain atm, tho Bondrewd from Made in Abyss is still #1 as he takes his role as antagonist to another level
Silco was by far my favourite character in the show.
Stellar analysis dude.
(THIS IS ALL JUST MY OPINION)
I think he took Jinx/Powder in because he saw himself in her, he saw his pain but also his strength. He wanted to carve her into someone as strong as him and throughout the years he stops only wanting her for her strength, he grows to love her unconditionally.
He loved her a lot but he also wanted her to himself, he was just as terrified of abandonment as her. Jinx/Powder's fear stems from when Vi "left" her and that fear had been there even before then, Silco shares these fears and he plays into them. He isolates her and manipulates her to keep her close to him. To Jinx/Powder he was everything she wanted, Silco loved her unconditionally, he made her strong, and he never left. That is what she wanted most, but it wasn't what was good for her or what she actually needed.
After the explosion when her life is so critically endangered Silco is terrified of losing the person closest to him, and when he brings her to Singed he is presented with two options, let her die or force her back to his side. He can't bear to let her go so he makes Singed bring her back. In the end this is a purely selfish choice because he can't let her go - even if the process will change her forever and be incredibly painful for her. He's aware she won't be the same but it will still be her and he will lover her either way, this is a stark contrast to Vi who loves Powder, not Jinx. Vi lived her sister Powder but when she sees how she has changed and become Jinx she sees her as a "broken" version of her sister, in Vi's mind Powder has broken and needs to be fixed, whereas Silco shows he will love her either way.
Silco wants to give Jinx/Powder up when he's offered everything he's been fighting for his whole life, but he can't. Because after all that time he loves her too much and as much as a part of him wishes wasn't true, he loves her too much to let go of her. Jinx/Powder immeadiately assumes that Silco is going to betray her because that is a fear he's played on and used to manipulate her since she was a kid - but this hurts most because in every other scenario where she has been betrayed she was expecting that, but through it all he was the one person she could trust and would never leave her, he was the one person who loved Jinx more than Powder and lived her unconditionally. He stayed by her side through it all and when she thought he was leaving or betraying her like everyone else, it just drives her closer to insanity.
And when his last words to her are "You're perfect." He's once again demonstrating that unconditional love that Jinx/Powder craves but he's also isolating her and cutting the final tie between her and Vi, making her truly Jinx. That will now always be her last memory of him - in her mind he always loved her and thought she was perfect and he didn't try to change her, whereas Vi "left" her and afterwards didn't love the new version of her. Those final words really were what killed Powder.
Silco was always a loving father, but he was never a good father.
TLJ ruined the word subersive for eternity
It was my interpretation that Silco took in Powder for purely selfish reasons too, but rather as a way to recruit someone who might be useful and unbreakably loyal. Maybe even as a way to get back on Vander by turning his foster-daughter to his side.
But I agree, Silco, like many other characters in this show, surprised me with how well written and layered they are. He starts out as a rather standard villain, but he's got some nice tricks up his sleeve and while he is menacing and evil, he's really entertaining as a villain.
I wonder, have looked at "Nox" from Wakfu? He's a really great villain too. Starts out as a really cookie-cutter bad guy in a show for kids, but you slowly learn more about him and you eventually end up sympathizing with him, despite being a genocidal maniac.
I've never actually looked into Wakfu, I have to admit. I might put it onto my list of things I need to check out, but that's a long list...
Anyway, thank you so much for the comment :)
Let's put it like this, Silco, dispute the cruelty and evil of his actions, had every reason and justification to be as evil as he did.
Zaun is a complete and utter tool to piltover.
If there is a problem, they can send enforcers to beat, kidnap, arrest or even kill anyone that they wish. Case and point, Jayce killed a child and suffered absolutely no consequence from doing it. If not for the terrible act of Silco and Jinx, which again im not defending, Piltover would never have even considered giving Zaun independence.
My point is, Silco was right all along.
Silco is the only time I can remember where a villain had an actual character arc *other* than a Redemption arc. He is not significantly more good or more evil by the end of the story, but he becomes at once more pragmatic- he obviously doesn't *want* an open war if he can still get his way without it- and also more human. Not only with becoming a father to Jinx, but in his relationships to his other allies. The robot-arm lady who's name I forget seems like just another underling in the first act, but by they seem less formal and more friendly.
And all of this occurs without him ever even moving towards being "good", whatever that would even mean in a show like this with murky allegiances and moralities.
Something else I though about: The animation medium is barely even a century old at this point, and look how far it has come. A common thought experiment I do is bringing X modern media to an audience in Y place and time and wondering what their reaction would be. Imagine lightly re-cutting the nine episodes into 3 feature-length movies and playing them in theaters in 1937 and 38 alongside Snow White, the first animated feature. It would have blown their minds wide open.
I LOVE SILCO
i first didn't like silco after he took vander but after EP6 i started to see how he genuinely cared for JINX i was sad to see him go
Silco did fight, a lot.... Then Jinx slotted in the gap that he left, forging her into the lol Jinx to come.... but Odyssee and Star Guardian Jinx'... Where do they sit?
This sounds like an algorithmically generated title for a sterotypical UA-cam essay.
That's because I'm a robot beep boop
What is masterclass is how Jinx hates liars. It is not good move to lie to Jinx. She gets the truth and she plays with your mind.
Sevika wasn't more loyal to Silco than Vander. She just wasn't willing to jump ship to Finn because he wasn't a better option.
That's a really good point! I've actually never thought of it that way, but that makes perfect sense!
How do you only have 588 subs
The thing about Silco is that he doesnt see himself as a villain, his goals are relatable, freedom and independence, to break off from the chains of piltover.
While Vander has made peace n compromise certain freedoms with the enforcers, Silco was still young and still had the flames of revolution in him.
As they say, one governments terrorist is a populations freedom fighter.
That's the thing though, Vander didn't make peace or comprimise. He laid down and accepted that things would never change. Enforcers come and abuse who they want, when they want. Zaun's air and citizens were both terrible in condition.
But Silco, despite the evil of his use of Shimmer on the people, made things better. The enforcers were in his pocket, Zaun's air was made actually breathable, technology and conditions improved across the board. Hell, in the end he was almost actually able to achieve independence from Piltover.
My point is, Silco, for all his faults and cruelty, was right.
Rian Johnson would like to know if it's possible to learn this power
Awe to Caesar!
The real villain in Arcane is Jayce's sandwich
Silco... I belive in loyality.. And then dosent betray jinx.
Super high quality vid, no fucking clue why you don't have a large scale following
I'm glad you think so! :) I do still have a lot to improve on, though, and I have only been doing this for a little while - I'd guess those are the main reasons ^^
It seems to me alone that Silko is a mix of Danzо and Obito (from Naruto)?
Can we talk about how he sounds like Thrawn