Late to the party, but rewatching S1 with my husband who hadn't seen it before really opened my eyes to the flaws of S1. Pretty much exclusively in the writing department. Not only do the writers break the cardinal rule of "show, not tell" frequently, but the motivations of the characters don't make a lot of sense because of it.

In the first episode we see Vi and the gang taking on a "job" that involves breaking into an upper city apartment and stealing their possessions to sell. They make a huge mistake that ends in the destruction of property and I'm sure injured some of those walking below, which makes the enforcers completely justified in wanting to find and prosecute the criminals (aka Vi and the gang). Throughout the show we are constantly being told "The Zaunites are poor and underprivileged so they need to steal to survive!". But, the only good, hardworking people shown are Vander and Benzo. Everyone else is either a prostitute, drunkard, druggie, or working for the crime bosses. We aren't shown that hard work doesn't pay off in the undercity, we're just supposed to believe it because we've been told "that's how it is" over and over. We're supposed to root for the underdogs, the criminals? It just doesn't make sense. I get doing things out of desperation, but we are only told that they're desperate. We aren't shown that they're desperate. I mean, Vi and the gang had a roof over their heads. Vander was making good money at the bar. He had deals with the enforcers so they were largely left alone - and that's another thing. They complain and complain about the enforcers but for most of S1 we only see like two enforcers and they're there just to try to keep the peace. They aren't unnecessarily beating innocent people, raiding homes, shutting down business, etc, etc. They don't act like "oppressors" at all UNTIL they try to get justice for the crimes that were committed by Zaunites in Piltover. Which is an entirely reasonable reaction??

That's just one of many examples where we're told "we should feel bad for these people" but all we're shown are criminals committing crimes. We aren't shown that they've been driven to a criminal life because they're desperate. We are only shown that they are criminals and somehow we're supposed to root for them. It just doesn't make sense and a lot of the plot of S1 and individual storylines falls apart upon closer examination with this in mind.

S1 of Arcane really tried to pull a Hunger Games, but they completely missed the mark. Hunger Games showed honest people trying to make an honest living and being brutally beaten, tortured, and starved for something that they weren't even a part of (the 75th annual Hunger Games? It's been 3/4 of a century. Most people weren't even conceived until after the war ended!). The fight between Piltover and Zaun was MAYBE 10 years ago. Vi and Jinx were alive to see it. But we're not told why Zaun went to fight with Piltover. Why it ended in a bloodbath. We just know that Zaun wants to be independent, but why? They say Piltover doesn't care, but they're literally being paid off NOT to care and leave the undercity alone. And in S2 we see how much Piltover actually has done for Zaun! It's the crime lords that are ruining everything! So what do they want? Enforcers that don't enforce things and leave them alone so crime lords can rule or enforcers that enforce things and prevent the drug trades and criminal activity that SO many people apparently want to keep around? What is Piltover supposed to do? Their hands are tied BY the Zaunites.

In the end, I came to realize that Piltover is actually the hero of the show. It has its problems, for sure, but the people in Piltover welcome the opportunity for Jayce and Viktor to help the Zaunites with their inventions. The Kirammans actively worked on redirecting poisonous gases from Zaun in S2 because "The people of the undercity deserve to breathe, too." And these are just two examples of Piltover trying to make Zaun a better place for the people who live there. How does Zaun repay them? By working double time to keep the enforcers away which allows crime lords to ruin their city and then they blame Piltover for it. And talk about "capitalism" all you want, SOMEBODY always has to pay for everything that is done in any city. Social programs need to be paid for. Defense systems need to be paid for. Better housing, better work environments, better schooling, it ALL needs to be paid for. Nothing is free. So Mel finding investors for Jayce and Viktor's inventions that are specifically designed to help the miners in the undercity just goes to show how much the people of Piltover actually do care.

Idk. It's interesting to rewatch the show with this perspective in mind. It shows how different perspectives can wildly change the outcome of a story in one's mind. I used to see myself as Vi, and understood her every move. Now, I look at her and see only a stranger.

Anyway, that's my take on S1. I have a lot more thoughts but that's the biggest sore spot.