Arcane Review VI: Is The Most Interesting Thing about Caitlyn Her Partnership with Vi?
Is she really just a cupcake in a top hat?
We are first introduced to Piltover’s finest, Caitlyn Kiramman in Act 1 Episode 1: Welcome to the playground. However, she’s not shown on-screen until Act 1 Episode 2: Some mysteries are better left unsolved, in a scene with a young Jayce that easily solidifies her character as the sensible and down-to-earth lady we come to love.
Following that, we see her as an Enforcer in the 10 year time jump that takes place in Act 2 Episode 4: Happy progress day! True to her nature, we find Caitlyn trying to lead a mundane life contrary to the privileged one her parents wanted for her.
However, fans tend to forget that before meeting Vi, Cait was an amazing character with an exceptional skill-set. And that their relationship is hardly the most interesting thing about her.
In today’s review, we’ll be discussing what makes Caitlyn Kiramman one of a kind:
- She’s a damn good detective (even Vi thinks so)
Out of everyone in Piltover not under Silco’s pay/debt-roll, Caitlyn is one of the only people who believes there’s an organised crime syndicate active in the undercity and responsible for the production and trade of shimmer.
As shown in Act 2 Episode 4: Happy progress day!, she’s also observant enough to catch on to Jinx’s M.O, taking note of her neon coloured graffiti-style, machine gun bullet casings, and erratic shooting pattern before anyone else, and eventually concluding that she’s not a resident of Piltover, but the undercity.
It’s important to note that In Act 3 Episode 8: Oil and water, when Vi and Caitlyn seek refuge in the Kiramman residence in Piltover, Vi is impressed that before ever going down to the undercity, Caitlyn had figured out a huge chunk of its criminal operations herself.
2. She’s a triple-threat (intuitive, compassionate & understanding)
One of the best traits Caitlyn possesses is her keen sense of intuition and observation. She’s able to connect dots much faster than anyone else on the show, because she takes things in, processes them and then acts. Which is rare for a character on this show, since most of them act on impulse alone 90% of the time (why would you think I’m talking about Jinx?)
When she spots Jinx’s infamous monkey insignia on a burning building in Act 2 Episode 4: Happy progress day!, she immediately warns her colleagues that it’s a trap. Sadly, they get distracted by Jinx’s talking contraptions which were actually bombs and get blown up.
In Act 2 episode Episode 6: When these walls come tumbling down, after she realises Jinx, who she came down to the undercity to find and arrest, is Vi’s sister, she doesn’t go in guns blazing. You really see her sincerity and compassion shine through when she looks at Vi. She’s empathetic towards her situation even though they’ve only known each other for half a day at best.
3. She’s sincere
Caitlyn truly cares about the plight of the undercity. It’s evident in her actions, in the way she sympathises with Vi and Ekko, and the way she actively seeks justice for its residents.
A scene that really stands out in her evolution from ‘bystander to undercity activist’ is between her and her mother, Councillor Kiramman. When Caitlyn insists her mother speak to the council on what she’s learned from her time in the undercity and about Silco’s possession of the gemstone, her mother refuses, forcing a usually well-mannered Caitlyn to snap (well, as much as that british accent allows her), and say:
“You know what else reflects on the council, its citizens living on the streets, being poisoned. Having to choose between a kingpin who wants to exploit them, and a government that doesn’t give a shit.”
She has a similar argument with Ekko in the previous episode, Act 3 Episode 7: The boy savior, where she refutes the fact that the enforcers are paid by Silco to do his bidding and force residents of the undercity into submission. Later on, when the Enforcers try to kill them both on Silco’s order, she realises he was right and she’d been blind all along.
This was a huge shift in her character arc, fully establishing her as a protector of the undercity. Although with Jinx blowing her mother and the other Councillors up, it’s hard to say which side she’ll stand with next season.
4. She never misses
In the infamous words of LEC’s Fists to a gunfight:
“Cait never missed so you shouldn’t boast
Jinx only hits when she’s aiming at ghosts”
There’s more than enough proof to support this theory. During a flashback to Caitlyn’s childhood years,in Act 2 episode Episode 5: Everybody wants to be my enemy, we see her competing with the now-former and deceased Sheriff Grayson. Even on her last target Cait doesn’t falter and hits the bullseye. In the end, Grayson couldn’t deny her undeniable talent, awarding her a trophy.
The second time we see Cait handle a gun is later on in the episode when she saves Vi from Sevika, shooting at the former’s shimmer reserve on the top of her mechanical arm. Cait doesn’t kill, so it makes sense to assume she didn’t mean to hurt her, only take away her ability to harm Vi.
Throughout the course of the show it is known that Cait is an excellent shot. In Act 3 Episode 9: The monster you created, Vi is terrified when Cait grabs Jinx’s machine gun. With the added advantage of close proximity to Jinx, Vi was certain Cait wouldn’t miss and would kill her sister.
5. She can hold her own
Aside from being a trained enforcer and marksman, Cait is very resourceful. There are a number of instances where she has come out on top just by using her empathy and wits. For instance:
- In Act 2 Episode 5: Everybody wants to be my enemy, after Vi is injured from her battle with Sevika, Cait gets her to safety and later ventures out alone to acquire shimmer that helps heal Vi’s wound.
- In Act 3 Episode 7: The boy savior, she appeals to Ekko’s humanity and convinces him she really does want to end the war between their people. She also volunteers to take him and the gemstone to the council to solicit help and peace for the undercity.
- In Act 3 Episode 8: Oil and water, she stands up to her mother and the council for idly standing by while the undercity suffered.
- In Act 3 Episode 9: The monster you created, Cait is able to free herself from the restraints Jinx put her in, steal her gun and hold her at gunpoint.
Vi would’ve definitely never survived this season without Cait. Cait’s sensibility and compassion were responsible for Vi seeing Piltover in a new light for the first time in over twenty years. If that doesn’t speak to ̶C̶u̶p̶c̶a̶k̶e̶’̶s̶ Cait’s awesomeness, I don’t know what will.
Writing can be pretty exhausting, so if you’d like to buy me a coffee, be my guest and click here.
To read the five previous instalments in this review series, click:
Part I: Why the Silco and Jinx dynamic is toxic
Part II: Jinx’s downfall is her own doing
Part III: 5 questions viewers needed Jinx and Vi to ask
Part IV: 5 times Vi was a basic character and 5 times she wasn’t
Part V: The 15 best quotes from season one
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