Wow, this is amazing, I'm really awed by your decision to take a second look and how open you were to the possibility that things could be different then what you initially thought. I know I'm making this seem bigger than it is, but if people could apply this to the real world, it would make life a lot more positive. Thanks for doing this video, it's really well done!
This comment means a lot! Sometimes I feel, as humans, we are blinded by seeing things just one way. Making assumptions that may not always be true. I did just that with Mel, and I think it's important to own up to my mistakes. To listen and gain more perspective to better oneself and the people around you. I don't mean to sound preachy here, but I really hope that one day people will be able to listen more and argue less! Thank you again for your kind words =)
This was a really good video, a lot of people struggled to see Mel’s character because they were so caught up on just seeing her pull strings. So much so that they didn’t take notice of the subtleties and nuances that she displayed in other situations. She’s one of my favorite characters and i really like how she’s been depicted within the show
Mel's an interesting character that has a lot going on. At surface level she seems like she's an calacated selfish person. When in reality she's not. Those behaviors are there to balance Jayce headstrong behaviors. Which works really well! If feel like a lot of people get caught up on the whole exile thing as well. Thinking her whole character is about that. Well the exile is important, it's not her driving force. Her willingness to help her people is. I'm really sorry I over looked this character at first because she truly is the voice of reason for this show. What's your favorite Mel moment?
Nice vid. Mel definitely wanted the weapons for defense, so that people like her mother wouldn’t harm Piltover. Too bad she ignored the undercity, but I think she’ll be in S2 and maybe she’ll have another arc. She was my favorite character in S1 because her arc was so subtle, but I caught all of her facial expressions and I understood her.
I wouldn't solely blame her for ignoring the Undercity. The whole council kind of loses sight of it. She'll hopefully be back for season 2 as a voice of reason to the other characters!
I highly doubt Mel even was related to the undercity in the first place. She's pretty young for a counciller in piltover, and the problems of the undercity were there since vander's time and very likely even before that. The other older councillors (especially heimerdinger) have more cause to the undercity than Mel ever had.
4:15 Just so we’re clear, the reason he’s become especially inflammatory to Heimerdinger specifically is because Heimerdinger, in condemning the Hexcore, is also condemning Viktor- the scene with Viktor and Heim on that ledge confirms this. In order for the two of them to continue working on the Hexcore and for Viktor to have a chance at life, Heimerdinger has to be stripped of the power to stop their experimentations, and the only way for *that* to happen is if Jayce forces him off the council. It didn’t come out of nowhere, is all I’m saying. Jayce is disraught, confused, and feeling rather powerless from that moment onwards, and it’s what leads him to that moment at the factory and then what pushes him to peace.
I think the thing that confused people, myself included, is that she's guarded. She keeps her card close to her own chest. My initial thoughts were based on what other characters perceived her to be. Rather than looking a her tone of voice and body language to understand the hidden message behind her character...If that make sense? I'm really glad I gave her a second look because she is an interesting character for sure!
I don't see creators reassessing thier content and making videos that correct thier previous statements often so I really appreciate it every time I see it! Mel's arch was a bit challenging to interpret and it took me a brief re-watch to really understand her intentions. She was definitely intended to be shady at first. I see a lot of people who still see her as malicious as well, but I'm glad there are a lot of people who see that that's not the case.
Mel is an interesting character because her animations are so subtle. I think that's what I missed the first time. She's kind of like a painting. When you first glance at it, you only see the big picture in front of you. However, the more you stare at it the more you understand that each brush stroke has a story to tell.
Yes you nailed it! Loved your take on her arc being about mercy, hadn't thought of it like that before. To me her facial expressions, tone of voice, background etc. didn't indicate that she was trying to pull the strings in a malicious way at all. She doesn't enjoy corruption, but knows that participating in it to some extent is a necessity for the sake of the city and gaining favor with the other counsel members. She definitely does try to guide Jayce into the direction of mercy and peace, which is not the same as manipulation imo. Also her getting angry that Jayce left her in the bed, or the way she sweetly smiles at him at the very end when they got the council to agree to peace with the undercity, as well as other tender moments between the two, showed she truly cares for him imo. I really don't think she got in a relationship with him just because she wanted to use him.
Of course she doesn’t sound or look evil, no character in this show does, I think it’s a deliberate decision by the creators to force us to think about them in a more nuanced way and judge them based on their actions. If you apply that principle to Mel it becomes clear that she is more like her mother than you might think. What really makes her different is that she has a categorical and very emotional opposition towards violence, but apart from that she is still ruthless and narcissistic, her political decisions are either motivated by her own personal interests or her opposition to violence, she never mentions the wellbeing of her people as her motivation, which is ultimately the moral responsibility of an oligarch like her.
Excellent analysis and kudos since it came from you reconsidering your initial take. Most of the notes I would have mentioned have been in other comments, except a minor one: the council voted to remove Heimerdinger out of their own self-interest as they realized this was a battle over Hex-Tech, the technology from which each thinks they are going to reap profit. Mel up to this point was the de facto power of the council, operating behind the two figureheads of Heimerdinger and Jayce. She didn't see the Jayce ouster coming, and you're right that she had to make the political calculation in that moment. Once she did, the others followed. However, what also happened was that Jayce effectively became the "de facto" head.
I think her character makes way more sense as a narcissist seeking only her own interests who just happens to have a very emotional opposition against violence. You could argue that her relationship with Jayce is genuine, but that wouldn’t be against her interests, but rather align with them. One scene I think can’t be properly explained with your analysis is the one where she describes him as an „investment“ right before making a move on him, it also makes her relationship seem a lot less genuine.
Mel is so damn underrated. And the juxtaposition between her and Jinx at the end is 🤌🏽🤌🏽🤌🏽🤌🏽🤌🏽 Prime example of a "good person" disguised as a "bad person" but with a huge blindspot. Ultimately in a position of power that shouldn't even exist. But I hope she survives bc I think she has the potential to see, given enough time/experience.
I truly did peg her wrong the first time around. She is an interesting character, who doesn't say a lot. However, when she does speak it is really important. If she does make it out I would love to see more interaction between Her mother and her.
@@CinemaOverAnalyzed same. She's one of my three favorite Arcane characters. And her mother is a great character too but I absolutely agree that warlording is not a great way to co-exist (though Ambessa was spot on about weapons being used and the council having already slept on the undercity too long).
