ref

a satisfactory answer for Selina

in lieu of the announcement saying that supriya ganesh will not be returning for season 3, i really want to discuss noah wyle's absolute dismal "take" here on his character and her's.

i, of course, do not know the intricacies of the situation and what has transpired behind the scenes. there is rumor spreading that supriya herself made the decision to step back from the show due to the treatment of her character. like i said, i have no way of conclusively saying this is fact; however, i wouldn't be surprised if this was the case.

something i've been internally tackling with for the past couple of episodes is if the writers/noah are aware of the way they are portraying robby; that is to say, as a racist and misogynist. as viewer, who is a brown woman as well, it is very obvious to me that the pressure robby is under is chipping away at his "shield of tolerance." like with most privileged individuals, he will exert said privilege when he feels as though he is losing control/needs to regain authority. whether or not he means to do this is irrelevant (and i'm tired of people using his ignorance as a way to soften the blow of his actions), what matters is that he actively berating and belittling a brown woman for doing the exact same thing as him. he is being hypocritical, he is being unkind, he is being a fucking dick. and perhaps if he exerted the same amount of malice he deserves for samira to the other people in this hospital, i wouldn't immediately dub him as a racist and misogynist. but the show specifically directs his more uncouth, inappropriate behavior towards the women of color. he is unable to envision al-hashimi as a suitable leader, he chastises samira for not unhealthily compartmentalizing her emotions, he displays gross jealousy/possessiveness towards collins despite them not even being together. this is not even mentioning his hair-trigger reaction to call CPS on the haitian siblings whilst not batting an eye to the white mother with a child suffering from heat-stroke. all signs, to me, point to him being a bigot; and yes, it is still bigotry even if it is done unintentionally.

i truly did not know if the writers were being purposeful and meticulous by extracting these hyper-negative traits in robby; i thought perhaps they trying to get some point across about the unchecked and toxic biases of white men in any profession. maybe they were trying to parallel langdon's arc by reaffirming to the audience that unfavorable actions done under impairment (whether this be drugs, declining mental health, etc.) still hold validity and are susceptible to scrutiny. i do not maintain this belief anymore, and it was the video above that really shattered it.

you can say "oh, maybe noah is just misreading robby's character/actions," but i think that's a pretty facile outlook. he is a director, writer, producer, and actor on the show; to proclaim he is unable to dissect the ideologies of his character is, frankly, childish. if the man so integral to the making of this show cannot look at his own character and recognize--or even name--his most glaring moral defects, then perhaps those defects were never meant to be seen at all. i think it's particularly interesting, as well, that he immediately jumps to excuse/rationalize robby's behavior rather than empathize with samira. "it's less aggressive than people perceive it" he says when talking about the diminishing and maligning of a WOC, an act that will always be seen as aggressive in my eyes. it doesn't matter if, internally, robby thinks samira is the cream of the crop; what matters is his actions, and his actions all but point to the complete opposite of what he is saying. i'm not proclaiming that an actor can't share their own examinations of their character and present it as fact, but noah is quite literally stripping away the essence of the show--which is to say, how people act in highly strenuous and morally exhausting situations--so that he can hammer this point home that robby is this ultimately good-natured guy.

it's just a very "white male" way of assessing robby's flaws. it is so clear noah is not thinking about the racial and gender politics of the situation between him and samira at all. juxtapose this interview with any interview supriya has done, where she is CONSTANTLY discussing the sociopolitical commentary of the the pitt. i do not wish to speak for her or act like i know her, but i can tell that, to her, the brilliance of the pitt derives from the highlighting of marginalized communities and the various ways in which society and the healthcare system has failed them. it is not a stretch for me to assume that she saw the way in which samira was being treated by robby and immediately caught onto the power imbalance and exploitation at play. it, perhaps, is a stretch for me to assume that she saw the way her character was constantly being demeaned by a white male authority figure and was disgusted at the fact no one on/off screen seemed willing to name it as such.

to be the punching bag of a white man over and over again is a dehumanizing experience, one that i know WOC are familiar with. usually the most debilitating part of the experience is knowing that, when you walk away, there will be others out there who will try to excuse his behavior. this is all speculation, but i don't think it's outrageous at all to proclaim that maybe supriya was fed up with the side-lining and mistreating of her character for the sake of bolstering a white man's narrative. it would especially be jarring for her to witness the lack of integrity from those around her, those unable to label robby's "tough love" for what it actually is: race and gender based discrimination. that’s where it becomes eroding. not because any single moment is the most extreme thing imaginable, but because of the repetition and the plausible deniability. it mirrors a real-world experience where you are asked--implicitly or explicitly--to endure, to second-guess your own perception, to wonder if you’re “overreacting.” over time, that does something to you. it fractures your sense of certainty. it makes you hyper-aware, constantly scanning for tone, for shifts, for the next slight. it’s exhausting in a way that’s both emotional and cognitive.

i absolutely despise the fact supriya is leaving, but i can't really blame her in the slightest if her departure was of her own accord. i can’t imagine being asked to perform scenes that echo the realities she’s likely faced as a woman of color, only to then accept a narrative that frames a white man’s belittling as mere misguidance--or as care clumsily expressed, rather than harm plainly done.

her bambi eyes, loser attitude and mommy issues have captivated me

after the drug diversion was revealed to dr. al hashimi she suddenly was able to see a fuller picture of the hierarchal abuse from the white male doctors to their subordinates (of the doctors, majority of which are women of color) that has been allowed to thrive under robby’s supervison

while robby was berating mohan about her panic attack he looked towards langdon bc he’s seeking validation from his fellow white man; langdon does the same thing when dr. al hashimi disagrees with him over the treatment of care, langdon looks toward robby in hopes that he’ll side with him—they feel comfortable doing this even though their personal relationship with each other has been damaged, bc they are both white men

I think Arcane is less for the people who already understand this and more for people who don't. I think that's the source of disappointment with the leftist politics of the show. It's trying to model what people like Viktor, Vi and Jinx need people like Jayce, Caitlyn and Ekko to do for them.

I refuse to think that a show that so closely understands marginalisation and represents it so well would have centrist politics.

Viktor, Vi and Jinx are people who are suffering and in pain. They don't need to lead the revolution, they need relief, they need support.

Viktor has been getting outcasts like Jayce and Sky into the Academy. His own success is commendable. Vi wanted to follow in Vander's footsteps and she immediately gets to dismantling shimmer with Jayce. Even Jinx inspired revolutionary action, helped Isha, helped Sevika, helped Silco! They have done enough. They have done plenty to make their world a better place.

The show continually challenges the idea that a singular act of revolutionary violence will solve the divisions of their society. Historically this has never been true.

The divides between the cities run deep. All the way down to individual relationships. It's the failure of people to choose love between each other instead of political ambition, vengeance or even idealism. They need to accept the imperfection, lay down their weapons and choose to love the people who are already in their lives.

Love won't just automatically fix everything. Sometimes their mistakes will mean death. Sometimes it will be a complete reinvention/ new start. But without affection they cannot be held together.

Her life isn’t better without Jinx. That misconception drives me insane. Losing her sister is just adding more grief to the mountain she already has. But it is better that shes been allowed to just sit for once. She was an object in motion for basically the entire show, she was losing people constantly, she grew up in jail for fucks sake- shes never been allowed to just rest.

Her ending up in a safe home with someone who loves her and the time to finally process all the grief she’s been holding onto? She hasn’t had the chance to deal with the loss of anyone since Felicia and Connel. Her parents were the last people she had the chance to grieve in a safe environment.

**Spoilers For Arcane**

Good morning my friends. As you may have seen I have especially strong feelings towards this bizarre erasure of Ambessa's role in the events of season two particularly in regards to the impact on Caitlyn Kiramman and her story. These people's argument is that those of us who factor in Ambessa and her manipulations into analysis of Caitlyn are essentially giving Caitlyn a pass.

Keeping that in mind, I was surfing the #Caitlyn Kiramman tag and came upon a re-blog of those ever so creative Arcane Critters giving their thoughts on this topic.

I am not tagging them. I am not screenshotting them. But I have not blocked them. So, if you see this and recognize your points and want to have a discussion, I'm game. But let it be known I am not calling you out specifically or dog piling you. Just your take.

States that Caitlyn defenders are "ignoring how Caitlyn was gassing Zaun before she had ever even spoken to Ambessa"

You are failing to mention that the only reason the strike team goes into Zaun is the memorial strike, which Ambessa causes. Before that, they were still going in with the whole invasion plan and all of the Enforcers. But it goes deeper than that. Before the memorial attack Caitlyn is still testifying that the murder of her mother and the other councilors was "the work of one deranged individual" and she protested that innocents would be hurt. But after the attack she grows considerably angrier. So not only would Caitlyn have not been there if it were not for Ambessa, but Ambessa's actions clearly and irrefutably contribute to Caitlyn's rage.

But um, it is also worth noting that Caitlyn's alternative (as you say "gassing zaun") is a less violent, more controlled and structured operation with unquestionably less bloodshed involved than what the council was going to do. So.... thanks Ambessa?

"She is a grown woman. She should know right from wrong, especially because she was supposed to be a good, moral person in season one"

Correct! All of those things are true. I mean she is fairly young: 23-24 years old per Arcane Wiki. And while of course she is an adult and not too young to be accountable for her mistakes, I think a little perspective given everything she goes through is important. She's in the age range of the average college student.

Also because she grew up in peace and privilege, she has no experience dealing with such violence and death before it all starts happening and her whole world changes. So while your statement isn't wrong it is extremely simplistic thinking. There is a universe of factors that influence her decision making.

Repeatedly almost killed by Jinx

Abducted by Jinx from her childhood bathroom nude

Almost killed by the leader of the organization she believes in while people who are supposed to be her peers stand and watch

Has to listen to Jinx try and convince Vi to kill her

Knocked out by Jinx after she spares Jinx at Vi's pleading

Jinx kills her mom and 2 other councilors, maims 2 others, and destroys the chamber

The memorial service is attacked and many are killed

The whole task force operation: Forgive me I don't know you so you may be aware, but violence leaves a mark on you no matter the reason you do it. I understand she went down there. I'm simply saying that even that would impact her mind.

Survives fight with Sevika trying to kill her.

She held her shot for Vi the first time, it cost her her mother. Vi swears she is ready to end it this time, then stops her again (even for a very good reason- Caitlyn isn't a good state of mind)

She is grieving, isolated, angry, and feeling betrayed, and a conniving war monger more than three decades her senior takes advantage.

Now we run down a little list of her supposed crimes:

"She should know not to use chemical warfare- a war crime- on innocent Zaunites": Good news, she didn't! She targeted the chem-barons and their soldiers in a manner confirmed to be "strategic to a pinpoint". Now of course anything that travels through the air can't be completely controlled but given that Vi is there, that Ekko was in Zaun and didn't step in, and that there is no evidence whatsoever of any innocent Zaunites being harmed I think we are solid. Also, there is no metric for a war crime in Arcane because ya know.... none of this is real. But! I have also put The Grey through its paces using real world standards and even if it were real it still wouldn't qualify. I'd be happy to share that with you if you are interested.

"She should not get to repeatedly hit Vi": So I suppose she technically did hit Vi more than once. Although it was only the first time there was any sort of issue. The second time she didn't know who Vi was- ya now the whole sneaking, obvious surprise, fact that Vi looks radically different and they haven't seen eachother in a bit thing. And the third time was literally their joint plan.

"She should know to get physical when she feels she is losing an argument": So again right on the money! Except.... this is sort of the most simplistic take on what happened possible, and ignores every aspect of her current mental and emotional state. It isn't that it makes it okay. But you are essentially standing in front of a raging forest fire and calling 911 because some embers caught a contained dumpster on fire. It isn't that you are necessarily wrong, but you mightttt wanna look around some more.

"She should know not sleep with TWO of her subordinates": Okay, well the first one is Vi. Who was with her before the Commander thing, and is literally her canon relationship that was planned and developed from the beginning of the story. And the other one was Maddie. A spy. Who was ordered to infiltrate Caitlyn's bed and take advantage of her. Under false pretenses. So..........

"She should know not to impose martial law on Zaunites": Ambessa convinces the elite to declare martial law before Caitlyn was named commander. But I agree Ambessa shouldn't have done that. Very rude indeed.

"She was not faultless because the writers told us- they never actually showed us- that Ambessa manipulated Caitlyn"

I agree! She was not faultless. Fortunately no one has ever actually said that as far as I have seen. But it's the complete misrepresentation of her faults I take issue with. Hence my time here today.

You allege the writers didn't show you how Ambessa manipulated Caitlyn. Yes they did. This isn't really debatable. Perhaps you did not understand it or comprehend it. Don't worry I'm here to help! This is just a rough summary. I have a few in-depth posts if you ever see this and want to discuss I can share them.

She comes to Piltover with clear purpose of starting a war to weaponize hex tech

She orchestrates the memorial attack to exacerbate the conflict

She calls Caitlyn up after stoking the assembled elite's fear and rage and promises her mother justice

She has her spy infiltrate Caitlyn's bed to keep an eye on her

She expertly keeps Caitlyn off balance both praising her strength and scolding her lack of trust in their interactions

It goes on of course. As I said it's really more in-depth than that.

Conclusion:

Vi and Caitlyn? Their dynamic is ELECTRIC. You’ve got Vi, the rough-edged, fiercely loyal, scrappy brawler with a tender side that could wreck anyone emotionally, and Caitlyn, the sharp, principled, deeply empathetic enforcer with a heart of gold. The way their relationship is built on mutual respect and trust while navigating all the insane, tragic chaos around them? Literal chef's kiss. And not once do we get the tired, lazy "coming out" narrative or the "but what about the gays?" rhetoric. Their queerness isn’t the story—it’s just a beautifully natural part of who they are. And THAT is revolutionary.

And let’s not even stop there. This show handles gender like it’s been waiting for everyone else to catch up. Characters like Sevika, who could give you chills with her sheer badassery and gender-nonconforming energy, exist unapologetically without the narrative ever feeling the need to spoon-feed us explanations. It’s just there, woven seamlessly into the fabric of the world.

So many shows claim to want to "normalize" queer relationships or push the envelope, but Arcane has quietly dominated the space by just writing characters who feel authentic. Their struggles are about class, power, loyalty, trauma, not token representation or forced diversity. This show said, “We’re just going to make some of the most layered, compelling characters you’ve ever seen—and oh yeah, some of them are gay. Keep up.”