How Arcane RESPECTS Fathers

"Fathers don't need to be biological; they need to be there." Very, very well said.

One thing I appreciate is how Silco's paternal bond with Jinx doesn't change his role as the villain. It's an overused trope in all forms of media to have a person turn good due to parental instinct, a technique that is especially apparent in how often motherhood is used to redeem female villains. But when one of Silco's subordinates loses her child, he is completely unsympathetic to her loss. His ability to relate as a parent doesn't compel him to regret his actions just because they lead to the death of someone else's child. Which to me is a good example that a villain can have good traits without having to have redeemable traits.

The scene at Vander's statue is such a masterpiece

As a woman raised by a single father (my mother abonded me) it makes me really happy to such a positibve portrayl of fathers in this show.

I love how there are so many videos praising completely different but equally complex elements of this show. It’s insane to me that these are first-time writers

as a father of a 2 year old daughter I enjoyed arcane so much.

Something that adds to your argument is that the most stable, rational and well adjust character is Caitlyn, the only character we see interact with both parents. And for what little we see of that dynamic, they balance each other out in their approach to parenting, giving Caitlyn enough room to make her own choices.

The scene I point to most is Vander’s last stand. We see him after losing so much. 3 of his children are dead (or at least he thinks so) his “brother” is dead, murdered at the hands of his other “brother” who is ruining everything Vander hoped to maintain. He was beaten, bruised and is crushed under rubble after being in an explosion. He hangs his head in defeat and accepts whatever fate is coming to him. Yet for all that emotional and physical pain, It only took hearing his daughter cry in pain to restore his will to live, to fight and to protect. Truly the male fantasy: Get up, it’s not time to die yet. Someone still needs you.

One piece of dialogue that really hit for me was Vander talking to Vi about her influence over people who choose her as a role model/leader. My grandfather was the only person until this show I've ever heard that from. I do think it is a really important piece of advice many should learn and understand. "When people look up to you, you don't get to be selfish. You say run they run, you say swim, they dive in. You say start a fire; they show up with oil, but whatever happens; It's on, You." -Vander

The parts where Vi leans against Vander and when Jinx does it to Silco are my favs. Tells you everything you need to know without a word

Not a father yet but I really learned a lot from the character of Vander.

As a father of two daughters some scenes are very haunting. I think Arcane has more emotional impact for fathers than it does for most other viewers.

Its amazing this show actually depicted men properly instead of strawmen for the daddy issues of the writters Its so great to see positive depictions of men.

While on the surface Arcane is a story about two sisters. But the story is shock full of parent-child interaktions/stories. I've never seen so much in a series before! Vander with his four and Silco-Jinx are the obvious. Caitlyn with both her parents, though most interaction is with her mother. Then you have Mel and her mother, Jayce and his mother, Marcus and his daughter. The one that loses her son after Jayce/Vi action against the shimmer-factory. Even Sevika talks about her father and their interactions. With every parent-child story you see how family molds the characters. Usually in most animations the parent is either dead, missing or someone who never understands the protagonist or believe in them or their stories or wants/needs. But here the interaction, lessons and talks has consequences and evolves the characters. The parent as a character is respected for their role, they are not made fun or mocked. In many ways you see the love of family in them. There's more respect for family and the different components of it in one season of Arcane than I have seen in seven seasons of other shows.

Silco lives out the conviction that victory comes through no compromise. He starts the show refusing to compromise in his ambition to liberate Zaun. He ends the show refusing to compromise in his ambition to protect Jinx. It is a great character arc, for a compellingly flawed character. I am a sucker for stories that highlight the importance of father figures and positive masculine role models. It is the primary reason I recomend My Hero Academia to people, and it is my favorite part of Arcane. Great video!!

Ximena, Jayce’s mother, is also a counterpoint to showcase that not all mothers wield great power and influence in this show, but can still be soft spoken and loving.

It's nice to see someone who was able to see how Silco was handling a flawed and broken child as best he could, as opposed to the more common sentiment of how he manipulated and twisted Powder into Jinx. I think something that might not be too far off the mark is that it tears Silco apart every time he sees Jinx going through a mental breakdown, probably because he likely went through something similar after Vander betrayed and tried to kill him; he was able to move past that pain, Jinx hasn't yet. That's certainly the source of why he has so much patience towards Jinx, and why the times he expresses unbridled rage and anger is when he's failed to protect his daughter from that mental and emotional torment. I think with his dying words of how he thinks Jinx is perfect, might also be an acknowledgement by both of them that this is when she's able to let go of the past and the pain. Suppose will need season 2 to see if the past continues to haunt Jinx or not.

Something I also absolutely adore that Arcane did: it showed these powerful, intimidating men taking in these vulnerable children. Media usually portrays women with this level of softness and heart, not men. Especially men like Vander. And especially not Silco. But, they do show that these battle hardened, ruthless, scary men soften when they see scared, vulnerable children, and then take them under their wing. Even though it wouldn't have not just been easier to walk away, but easier in their daily lives not to have to have that level of responsibility. Children are a lot of work, and even though Silco is a horrible human being with warped morals, BOTH MEN turned out to be amazing fathers, and did an "amazing" job raising their daughters into what they think will keep them alive in the world. Edit: I can see I didn't really convey what I meant with Silco. Silco is a horrible, horrible human with warped values and morals, that kills people and tortures them without remorse. He miraculously loved Jinx regardless of this character trait, but, by standard definition of a "good father," he imparted what HE THINKS will keep Jinx alive and on top of the food chain. He never saw her madness as a weakness. Her madness made her unpredictable, intimidating, and sometimes terrifying. Every time she had a psychotic episode around Silco? He never batted an eye, or seemed surprised, even in that last scene with the four characters. But yes, by OUR standards of a good father? Silco is the worst father to ever try to father, lol! And yes, Silco fucked Jinx up something fierce, and the way he went about trying to get her to get over her trauma just made it worse. But, by his core values, by his morals, by his warped perspective view of the world, Silco raised his daughter the way he hope she would turn out. Which is why he told her she was perfect. But, I digress on the matter. By normal standards, Silco was a horrible father that turned his daughter into a major unstable psycho, and Vander was an awesome father, that taught his daughter the weight of responsibility and raised her to not only not buckle under the weight, but to never give up and to keep getting back up onto your feet after you've knocked down.

Honest to god the scene I found most emotional/inspiring in Arcane was the bit in Vi's second fight with Sevika, when Vi's about to pass about and she envisions Vander sitting there at the bar he used to own telling her to pick herself back. Such a great touch and a nice counterpoint to Jinx's many scenes of the various voices in her head and how they manifest.

The way will handled jinx shooting him was actually amazing. I obviously dislike the guy a lot, but I respected that. That was the best way to handle that for Jinx's sake. In fact, his patience with Jinx throughout is really great. It's true that he was a genuine father. He was a messed up man, but he was a genuine father.