#define goodness

in season one, caitlyn had never been cruel. she had (and still has) a good heart, was unfalteringly kind, and always saw the best in people. alternatively, jinx had only ever known/remembered cruelty. she was a child used as a weapon by the one person who was supposed to love her, and despite her desperation for connection, she was (and still is) haunted by the voices of her past which further drive her to commit acts of violence.

in season two, caitlyn puts on cruelty like armor as she navigates her newfound trauma and the crushing weight of grief. we can see it when she's leading the strike team through the tunnels—how she treats the chembaron goon, for example. it's emphasized in the way vi reacts to her through the entire episode, especially in the aftermath of the janna’s temple fight. jinx, however, gets to exhibit a gentleness and selflessness that she hadn't yet before—with isha. jinx didn't have a reason to stay alive until she found purpose in caring for and protecting a young child who thinks the world of her. jinx even retired her criminal activities, all for isha’s wellbeing.

i can imagine it would feel… unfair to caitlyn and jinx. how caitlyn might see jinx as the one solely responsible for ripping away her “goodness,” and how jinx might think of caitlyn's "goodness" as nothing more than the privilege to be raised with a lack of suffering or hardship.

but the reality is: caitlyn and jinx are both capable of “goodness,” just as they both harbor the same darkness within.

caitlyn and jinx are integral in helping each other see how far they've fallen. they break each other down, then build each other back up. stripped of all pretense, laid bare to expose the rot, and forced to accept that it's a darkness they share and jointly decide to turn away from in the end. in doing so, they are each other’s key to mental and physical freedom.