The first season of animated series fashioned disparate pieces of into a beautiful, devastating tale about a society on the brink of collapse. The show infused each of its characters with a depth and complexity that felt unlike anything Riot had done . And its commitment to telling its own story made it remarkably easy for new fans to dive in.
There’s a density to ’s second season that feels reflective of the show’s creative team working to bring this juggernaut of a story to a satisfying end in just nine short episodes. Especially since it has been three years since season 1, you might need a refresher on how things became so dire for the citizens of Piltover and Zaun. But while the new season drops you right back into the chaos in a somewhat disorienting way, it does an excellent job of weaving together the many different threads of ’s powerful legend.
’s first season ended with a literal bang — an explosive attack from Jinx (Ella Purnell) on the elite council members of Piltover just as they were about to sign a peace treaty that would have brought an end to their war on the impoverished people of Zaun. Though Jinx’s attack was rooted in years of personal psychological torment and her growing up as part of Zaun’s abused, disenfranchised underclass, it was a moment that made her sister Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) see truly her as a terroristic monster. It wasn’t clear who might emerge from the smoking rubble in the end, but there was no question about how much h.