"Is there anything so undoing as a daughter?"
— Silco
Jayce personally meets with Silco, offering him Zaunite independence and resources from Piltover in exchange for Jinx. He also stops Viktor from killing himself, and the two resolve to destroy the Hexcore.
Silco is conflicted about the peace treaty, acknowledging that he is on the verge of accomplishing everything he wanted, but does not want to give up his daughter. Jinx overhears it, however, and becomes convinced Silco will betray her. Vi returns to The Last Drop and has a final throwndown against Sevika, defeating her and tearing off her arm, but Jinx blindsides her in the moment of her victory and knocks her out.
Jinx ties Vi, Caitlyn, and Silco up at a dinner table and tells her sister that she can have Powder back if Caitlyn is eliminated. Both Vi and Silco appeal to Jinx, who then has a breakdown and accidentally shoots Silco. He reassures her in his last moments that he would not have given her up and that she is perfect the way she is, causing her to fully accept that she is now Jinx and that she and Vi are now too different.
Jayce appeals to the council to vote for peace with Zaun. However, just as a unanimous decision for peace is reached, Jinx fires a Gemstone-powered rocket launcher at the council building.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Act of True Love: Jayce agrees to make peace with the undercity and recognize it as the nation of Zaun, so long as Silco halts the production of Shimmer, not even bothering to "haggle." However, Jayce has a second demand: that Silco hand over Jinx for her crimes. With his dying breath, Silco admits to Jinx that he never would have taken such a deal, even at the expense of his dreams.
- Alas, Poor Villain: You can't help but feel sympathy for Silco in his dying moments.
- All for Nothing: Jayce successfully convinces the City Council to make peace with Zaun, minutes before Jinx fires a rocket at the Council chamber.
- Ambiguous Syntax: Played for gut-wrenching horror during the "family banquet" scene when Jinx produces a covered platter just large enough to contain, say, a human head and places it in front of Vi while mentioning that she'd "paid [her] girlfriend a visit". When Vi fearfully asks Jinx what she did, Jinx says "I made her a snack." Fortunately Jinx was just Trolling Vi and the platter only contains a single cupcake (topped with the hexcrystal gem).
- Armor-Piercing Attack: Sevika's arm blade, when activated by Shimmer, is capable of piercing one of Vi's gauntlets. However, the gauntlets are able to withstand the energy swipes of the blade, but also don't absorb the actual momentum of the blows; despite blocking those slashes, Vi gets a bloody nose after basically getting hit in the face by her own gloves.
- Artistic License – Physics: When Vi rips off Sevika's prosthetic, Sevika is midair after being blasted back from the shield from Vi's gauntlet, held by nothing but Vi's hand. Despite this, Vi removes the arm with a large amount of force, but Sevika barely moves along with the motion, instead falling more-or-less straight down.
- "Awkward Silence" Entrance: The Last Drop goes silent when Vi enters armed with her Power Fists.
- Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Downplayed. Vi gets bruised and bloody while fighting Sevika, and even loses a tooth. But she also shows no marks from getting punched square in the face by the spiked knuckledusters on Sevika's mechanical arm.
- Bound and Gagged: Caitlyn and Silco get tied up and gagged while in Jinx's clutches. Vi is tied, but Jinx doesn't gag her since she wants to talk with her.
- Brutal Brawl: It's flashier than their first fight, but round two of Vi VS Sevika still features Vi taking some hard shots from Sevika's mechanical arm. Sevika also gets said arm ripped clean off, as well as getting punched, slammed, or tossed clear across The Last Drop a few times. She ends up embedded upside-down inside a jukebox.
- Call-Back:
- A somewhat dark one. During the first episode, Ekko is asked about where he learned about Jayce's apartment, and he says that Jayce came by and bought a bunch of stuff they had on display and didn't even try to haggle for it. Here, Silco comes to Jayce with a list of demands for peace to be made between Piltover and the undercity (which would become Zaun), which Jayce agrees to with the condition that Silco hand over Jinx to be judged for her crimes. Later, Silco talks to himself/Vander's statue and notes that Jayce didn't even try to haggle in regards to Silco's demands.
- Jinx brings her prisoners to the remains of Silco's hideout that was (seemingly) destroyed in "The Base Violence Necessary for Change".
- Childhood Memory Demolition Team: Vi is pissed to see that Silco and his goons have taken over her second childhood home, the Last Drop bar. Armed with Hextech gauntlets she storms it but gets knocked out by Jinx before she can properly retake it.
- Cigarette of Anxiety: Sevika tries to light up a cigar in the aftermath of her fight with Vi, but can't get the lighter lit.
- Cliffhanger: The Council votes to determine the fate of the Undercity. Jinx fires a rocket at their chamber. The measure for peace receives a unanimous vote. In slow motion, the rocket just starts to breach the chamber windows. Cue credits.
- Color Motif: When Mel votes for the unfavorable peace with Zaun, there is a shot of her mother finding her painting of the Immortal Bastion, capital of Noxus, with the red of Noxus painted over with the gold of Piltover, symbolizing how Mel is leaving behind her Noxian upbringing.
- Conveniently Placed Sharp Thing: Jinx shoots a dummy during one of her manic moments. The bullet shatters a wine glass that Caitlyn uses to free herself from the ropes.
- Cradling Your Kill: Jinx holds Silco after she fatally shoots him during her meltdown.
- Dead Hat Shot: Vi walks into The Last Drop and tosses the helmet of a Chem Tank on the floor. During the battle there's a Reveal Shot showing she's taken out all the guards outside.
- Decapitated Army: Given a nod by Jayce when he insists on Jinx being given up as a scapegoat. You can't cut a deal with a snake and then cut its head off, so Silco needs to stay in charge for there to be peace.
- Decapitation Presentation: Subverted. When Vi gets kidnapped by Jinx and tied up in a chair next to a table, Jinx brings out a plate with a silver dome while claiming she paid Vi's "girlfriend" a visit and "made her a snack." Vi becomes increasingly terrified since Jinx's words imply that Caitlyn's head is on the plate. When Jinx lifts the dome, Vi shouts "No!" and averts her eyes as Caitlyn's face briefly flashes in her memories...but it's revealed to be just a frosted cupcake with the hextech gem as the cherry.Jinx: Sheesh! I'm not that crazy.
- Diagonal Cut: Performed by Sevika on Finn. After the sword stroke we see the glass sliding apart and after a delay Finn's jaw also.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: Silco succumbs to his wounds in Jinx's arms.
- Dies Wide Open: Jayce closes the staring eyes of the boy who fell to his death in the previous episode.
- Don't Make Me Destroy You: Jayce is willing to accept Silco's terms for peace because he realizes if it comes to war, Piltover will slaughter Zaun; and that is something he sincerely does not want.
- Downer Ending: While Silco is defeated, Sevika is implied to be taking his place, meaning the Undercity is likely not yet free of his influence. Jinx abandons her Powder persona, and declares that things have changed too much between her and Vi to repair what's left of their broken family. And with her launching a massive attack on the City Council, with the refined gemstone everyone was after, it's all but confirmed that the peace Jayce was trying to archive between Piltover and Zaun will forever be shattered.
- Dragon Ascendant: Implied. Vi and Sevika fight in this episode and have fought before, but Sevika is still alive by the end while Silco dies. Sevika's final scene of the season implies she will take Silco's place.
- Dramatic Drop: After Jinx fatally wounds him, Silco drops the gun he tried to shoot Vi with onto the floor. Several droplets of blood fall onto it.
- Dying Declaration of Love: Silco delivers a heartwrenching one to Jinx, his surrogate daughter, even after she fatally shot him in the heat of the moment. Made even worse by the fact that he was genuinely willing to renounce his lifelong dream for her sake.Silco: I never would have given you to them. Not for anything. Don't cry. You're perfect.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
- The boy who was accidentally killed by Jayce is revealed to be the son of Renni, one of the chembarons. She's clearly heartbroken over her son's death.
- Silco's love for his surrogate daughter proves more important to him than the goals he's strived for years to achieve.
- Fake Arm Disarm: Vi rips off Sevika's mechanical arm at the end of their fight.
- Foreshadowing: "Is there anything so undoing as a daughter?"
- Funny Background Event: After Sevika orders the bar to clear out so she can fight Vi alone, Thieram, the bartender, slowly sinks behind the counter.
- Gigantic Moon: One shot during the final scene shows Vi and Caitlyn in front of a full red moon that's filling half the background.
- Headbutting Heroes: Jayce and Vi nearly come to blows when Jayce decides to end his campaign against Silco but Vi refuses to give up the Atlas Gauntlets he invented. He backs down when she warns that he'll have to kill her for them.
- Heel–Face Door-Slam: After a season of being corrupt greedy jerks, the Piltover council unanimously votes for peace...seconds before they seemingly get blown up by Jinx.
- Helpful Hallucination: When Sevika damages her right gauntlet and uses the opening to beat her down and smack her to the ground, Vi hallucinates an apparition of Vander chiding her that her guard needs work. Towards the climax of their fight, Vi accidentally activates an energy shield function in her remaining gauntlet that blocks Sevika's attack and gives her an opening to tear her mechanical arm off.
- Heroic Second Wind: Just when Sevika has her on the ropes during their bar fight, Vi has a vision of Vander encouraging her to get back up and keep fighting. Cue Vi standing up and thrashing Sevika hard enough to send her flying into the jukebox.
- Hope Spot:
- We watch the Council move towards, and eventually agree upon peace with and independence for the undercity/new nation of Zaun. While the final vote for peace is finished, Jinx's rocket breaks the window of the Council meeting room. Right as the window is broken, credits roll, so while we can't be certain of the status of all the councilors at the end of it, peace is off the table, and war between Zaun, Piltover, and possibly Noxus is inevitable.
- After kidnapping Vi, Jinx shows she recognizes that Silco has been manipulating her and asks Vi if they are still sisters, implying that she wants to reconcile. However she then reveals that she's crazy as ever by forcing Vi into a Sadistic Choice.
- Hypocrite: Jinx dismisses the Decapitation Presentation by saying "I'm not that crazy". She then makes a Shoot Your Mate demand, which is just as crazy.
- I Cannot Self-Terminate: Viktor begs Jayce to destroy the Hexcore, even though it's his only chance at life, because he can't bring himself to destroy it personally.
- "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Done by both Vi and Silco. Vi tries to appeal to Powder, the innocent sister she grew up with, while Silco tries to appeal to Jinx, the crazed surrogate daughter she has become.
- Interrupted Suicide: After scattering Sky's ashes, Viktor is moments away from joining her until Jayce walks in and stops him. Doubles as a Meaningful Echo to episode 2 where Viktor saved Jayce from committing suicide.
- I Surrender, Suckers: Jinx briefly pretends to surrender to Caitlyn complete with Puppy Eyes, putting down her pistol before using her Shimmer boosted speed to quickly knock her out.
- It Can Think: After Viktor almost destroys the Hexcore, it displays a previously unseen level of awareness and volition by punishing him with the removal of his transmuted leg's repaired functionality.
- Just Following Orders: Silco uses this excuse to protect Jinx when Jayce demands she be turned in as part of their deal. Jayce ignores it because Silco is the one making the deal and thus can't also be the fall guy.
- Let's Fight Like Gentlemen: When Vi walks into The Last Drop with her Power Fists ready to rumble with Sevika and whichever goons happen to be in the bar with her, Sevika actually orders them all out so they can fight one-on-one.
- Libation for the Dead: Silco, of all people, pours one out for Vander while wryly commenting on their similarities.
- Like a Daughter to Me: While it's heavily implied in earlier episodes, it's outright stated in this one that Silco considers Jinx his daughter.
- Lonely Doll Girl: We are back at Jinx's lair where she places tied up Vi and Silco on her dinner table to join the dolls of her dead childhood friends.
- Loving a Shadow: What ultimately makes Jinx permanently decide to be Jinx is the realization that Vi only ever loved Powder and fears present-day Jinx. Deciding that they've drifted too far apart and become too different to reconcile, she cuts ties and leaves Vi behind to launch a hextech-empowered rocket at the Council chambers.
- Meaningful Echo: Jayce stopping Viktor from killing himself with the line "Am I interrupting?" just as Viktor's about to jump off a ledge parallels Viktor stopping him from doing the same all the way back in episode 2.
- Meaningful Name: Jinx, just as the council is voting in favor of Zaun's independence, is true to her name when she fires on them and potentially murders several of their numbers, effectively jinxing any chance Zaun had for independence. "Is there anything so undoing as a daughter," indeed!
- Mid-Battle Tea Break: Vi and Sevika apparently tucker themselves out during their rematch. Vi heads to the bar and downs a shot, while Sevika takes a breather on the couch. Then Vi chucks the shot glass at her and the fight resumes.
- Montage Out: The last scene is a montage showing the whereabouts of all surviving main characters while Sting's gloomy "What Could Have Been
" plays on the soundtrack. - My God, What Have I Done?:
- Jayce regarding the child he accidentally killed.
- Viktor is inconsolable when Sky is Reduced to Dust in his Hexcore experiment. He mourns not only the woman, but how he never bothered to get to know someone who thought so highly of him, having discovered a Love Letter she wrote hidden in her book.
- Never My Fault: Jinx blames Vi for creating the Jinx persona, seemingly ignoring the role her own choices and Silco's influence played in that.
- Out-of-Context Eavesdropping: After hearing Silco's conversation with Vander's statue, Jinx is under the impression that he was going to sell her out to Piltover in order to get everything he ever wanted, eventually leading up to her taking Silco hostage and (albeit accidentally) killing him. It certainly didn't help matters much by his musing that the only thing he would lose is problems. As it turns out, however, Silco never would have taken the deal, because it would have meant betraying his foster daughter.
- Pistol-Whipping: Jinx knocks out Vi this way after her duel with Sevika.
- Rapid-Fire "No!": Jinx when she realizes that she shot her foster father.
- Rewatch Bonus: When Silco is at Vander's memorial, Jinx's hair is visible but partially silhouetted in the wide shot of the statue before she's properly revealed, making her somewhat blend into the sculpture.
- Rule of Symbolism: Just before voting for peace, Mel removes her family signet ring - rejecting her family's symbol as she rejects their philosophy.
- Sadistic Choice:
- Jayce forces Silco into one, if unintentionally: he can have his nation of Zaun, but he has to give up Jinx to get it. Even though he notes he'd be getting everything he ever wanted and giving up nothing but problems, he can't bring himself to do it.
- In the end, Jinx forces Vi to make one: kill Caitlyn, and get Powder back, or spare her, and "Powder" permanently dies, leaving only Jinx. Vi can't do it and tries to Take a Third Option by offering to leave everything behind with Jinx, insisting that Powder's still there and that they can work this out, trying to remind her of their family. Unfortunately, this only results in Jinx becoming agitated and accidentally shooting Silco as he's about to kill Vi. After Silco dies, Jinx realizes that she and her sister have drifted too far apart, and makes the choice for her.
- The Scapegoat: Played with. Jayce demands Silco surrender Jinx to stand trial for her crimes, but he's under the impression Silco ordered her to do them, rather than Jinx acting independently. As much as he'd like to see Silco rot in jail, Silco's in charge and has remain so for peace to be achieved.
- Sequel Hook:
- As the season comes to a close, Singed looks at a heavy-set furred figure, heavily implied to be Warwick.
- The conflict between Piltover and Zaun looks all but inevitable given Jinx's firing of the missile to the Council's Tower — particularly since one of those councilors is the daughter of a powerful warlord just looking for an excuse to invade.
- Ambessa tells Mel that her brother was killed by a man in Noxus he should not have crossed, who does not necessarily consider the score settled. Just who precisely this man is remains left unanswered.
- Shoot Your Mate: A rather jealous Jinx demands Vi shoot Caitlyn in return for Powder coming back and being siblings again. Vi of course can't accept that trade off.
- Showdown at High Noon: When Vi and Sevika prepare for their combat at the Last Drop.
- Source Music: The jukebox plays "When Everything Went Wrong" to accompany Vi and Sevika's rematch in The Last Drop.
- Stab the Scorpion: It looks like Sevika is trying to kill Silco with her sword but when the dust settles after her stroke, it's revealed that her target was Finn who threatened Silco with death.
- Talking to the Dead: Silco vents his conflicted feelings about not wanting to give up Jinx for Zaun's independence while talking to a statue of Vander that was erected in his memory. He even pours out a drink for Vander after commenting on how they're not so dissimilar anymore.
- Teeth Flying: Vi loses a molar while fighting Sevika, spitting it onto the floor.
- That Man Is Dead: Jinx makes it clear that the old Powder is gone and will never come back. Emphasized when she sits in the chair labeled "Jinx" with this line:"So, here's to the new us."
- Titled After the Song: The episode is titled after the first line in "What Could Have Been."
- Title Drop: By way of the final song played in the final scene, "What Could Have Been."
- Traitor Shot: When Silco curtly orders Sevika to clean up the child's body, Finn gives her a Meaningful Look. Subverted when it turns out Sevika has no intention of betraying Silco for Finn, whom she respects a good deal less.
- Uncertain Doom: Everyone in the council chambers is rolling the dice on surviving Jinx's rocket. Well, except for Jayce and Viktor.
- Underestimating Badassery: Zigzagged. Silco agrees to Jayce's parley because he rightly suspects Jayce doesn't have the stomach for an all-out war between them, so he is confident Jayce will agree to almost anything if it means peace. However, what he fails to anticipate is why Jayce is making the offer: Jayce wants peace because he knows his Hextech weapons will slaughter Zaun, so while he is willing to agree to Silco's demands, he's also confident in demanding Jinx as a sacrifice because Silco can't win, a condition Silco can't bring himself to agree to.
- Use Your Head: Vi returns the favor from their first fight and headbutts Sevika this time around.
- Victorious Roar: Exhausted, Vi falls to her knees and screams after defeating Sevika.
- Voiceover Letter: The letter from the Ignored Enamored Underling who died in the lab accident is voiced out by her when Viktor reads it.
- Waking Up Elsewhere: After Jinx knocks out Vi, the next time Vi awakens she's tied up in the warehouse.
- Wham Episode: Holy Shit. Jinx kills Silco accidentally during a Mexican Standoff, with him affirming his love for Jinx as he dies; and because Vi is unable to give Jinx the trust she needs by killing Caitlyn, Jinx decides to fully embrace her nature and disowns Vi on the spot before going out with the Hextech gemstone and firing a missile directly into the council chambers... just seconds away from declaring peace with Zaun and, with the exception of Jayce and Viktor, seemingly killing them all—beginning a truly inevitable war between Piltover and Zaun.
- Where It All Began: The season's finale occurs at the same location as Act 1 in the burned-out ruin of the cannery factory where Powder accidentally killed most of her adoptive family, Vi's seeming abandonment of her, and the birth of Jinx. There Jinx offers Vi the return of Powder in return for her killing Caitlyn. There Jinx shoots Silco in the heat of the moment to protect Vi, killing him at the same location where he adopted her. And it's there that Jinx realizes that she and Vi cannot go back to their past relationship and chooses to blow up the Piltover Council with a weapon powered by Hextech crystal, the same item that she accidentally killed her family with.
- Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Caitlyn gets the drop on Jinx with a Gatling gun, firing a warning burst when Jinx tries to shoot her. She's clearly itching to finish the job, but holds off when Vi pleads with Caitlyn not to shoot her sister. It's a mistake because Jinx quickly turns the tables.
"Here's to the new us..."
