Caitlyn’s strike team is a major development in Arcane season 2 episode 1.
Entitled Heavy is the Crown, the second season kicks off right where season 1 episode 9 ended. We saw Jinx’s Hextech rocket hit the Piltover tower where the council was in session.
The second and last season explores the aftermath, how it affects Piltover society, and how it impacts Piltover-Zaun relations.
Warning: Major spoilers if you haven’t watched Arcane season 2 episode 1.
Arcane season 2 episode 1 recap: What leads to Caitlyn putting together a strike team against Zaun?
Within the first few minutes into the episode, we find out who survives Jinx’s attack. Three of the councilmen are dead, while the other half survive.
Caitlyn’s mother, Cassandra Kiramman, perished in the attack, which has a profound impact on her daughter. After the opening song sequence, scenes of her funeral flash across our screens.
She then goes into grieving. She speaks with her father, mulling over the past about how she had the opening on Jinx but didn’t take it. He gives her a key, one that her mother intended her to have, hinting at her future legacy.
Caitlyn also speaks with Jayce in the garden expressing her innermost thoughts on her mother, her hate for Jinx, and her changing relationship with Vi. In between, she finds comfort in Vi too.
Arcane being Arcane, one devastating event isn’t enough for a catalyst. During the memorial service, members of the Chem-Barons sneak in by disguise and launch a surprise attack. Our protagonists fight hard and eventually overcome their enemies.
Caitlyn catches up with Vi again after the attack, expressing her grief once more. “She dies and leaves this giant hole and I’m just supposed to fill it,” she cries. “The hole gets smaller, but… you never fill it,” Vi replies, having dealt with her own fair share of loss in her life.
Facing up to reality, Caitlyn uses the key on a device that unlocks the keys to her past, present, and future: what does it mean to be in the House of Kiramman? How does she carry on her mother’s good work?
Heavy is the Crown was originally written with Caitlyn in mind by Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park, and its obvious how its lyrics speak about all the challenges she’s experiencing.
In the last scene in episode one, she storms into a private underground council meeting comprising the remaining three members and Ambessa standing by. She establishes her authority as a Kiramman, and tells them that she will lead a strike team into Zaun with three objectives:
- Locate Jinx
- Dismantle Shimmer
- Neutralize any agents still loyal to Silco
Salo challenges her, asking her what makes her think that she’ll fare better than their forces today. She replies, “We’ve got a few surprises of our own.”
The camera then shows her upgraded Hextech rifle and the rest of the armor that Jayce crafted for her squad comprising officers from the Piltover Police Department.
Then, the biggest surprise of all — Vi, in officer uniform, steps out into the light wearing her Hextech gauntlets.
All members in Caitlyn’s strike force (from left to right):
- Maddie Nolen
- Lorris
- Caitlyn
- Vi
- Steb
READ MORE: Exclusive: Why do you love Arcane so much? Creators reveal behind-the-scenes secrets
