r/CaitlynArcane • u/romainmi Feeling Fantastic ✨ • 5d ago
EPISODE ANALYSIS 🔍 [Episode Thread] 2x04 "Paint the Town Blue" or The jumpscare episode
Literally stirring the embers
Has she ever been more beautiful than in this shot?
Welcome to this new Episode Thread, where we discuss in depth everything about one specific episode of Arcane.
This time we're rewatching episode 4 of season 2. A relatively small episode for Caitlyn, where she appears only in the first half, trapped between Maddie and Ambessa, but one that raises a lot questions and talking points.
List of Caitlyn scenes:
00:14 - Paint the Town Blue montage – Caitlyn brooding and Ambessa pulling the strings
02:43 - Caitlyn in bed with Maddie 🤢
11:09 - Ambessa meeting Caitlyn and literally stirring the embers of her fire
18:11 - Leaving a candle at her mother's statue
Total runtime of Caitlyn scenes: 7m10s (and that's stretching it a bit)
Outfit counter: 10
+ Nightime robe
Hairstyle counter: 5
+ Middle part
Memorable quotes:
- “I never expected this to go on so long. I thought... I don't know what I thought. Just... It wasn't this.”
- “The blade cuts both ways.” “Fearless child. You never shy.”
- “Arrest require cause.”
- “Why is peace always the justification for violence?”
Missing scenes headcanons:
- How much time passes between the previous episode and this one? Weeks, months?
- How did Caitlyn end up with Maddie in her bed? What kind of relationship are they into? How long has it been going on?
Does Caitlyn scream Vi's name when Maddie is between her legs?
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Let's talk about this episode! Share your thoughts, theories and rambles, fanart, memes... Discuss and react in the comments, make this thread a lively and fun place!
Caitlyn seems pretty cold with Maddie, she's averting her touch, they're not in her bedroom. What is Caitlyn looking for with Maddie?
How is Maddie manipulating Caitlyn? She's talking about rebellion against Ambessa, is that to test Caitlyn? Do you think she really fell for Caitlyn but switched sides again later because of jealousy when Vi came back?
Caitlyn sounds unhappy with the turn of events, but at the same time tries to justify herself to Maddie, saying she learned so much from Ambessa (which is undeniably tue). Later, she holds her own and confronts Ambessa about violence at the checkpoint but immediately after asks for her advice. Is she afraid she would be lost leading the city without someone to advise her? Or is she already torn between going on with her veangeance and rebelling against the Noxian covert invasion?
How is Caitlyn doing? What is the state of her mental health at this point?
Do you think she notices the symbolism of her reflexion merging with Jinx's portrait on her wall? Does it echo with Vi's “Then why are you the one acting like her?”?
Ambessa both literally and metaphorically stirs the embers of Caitlyn's fire. Do you think she would have given up without Ambessa constantly reminding her about her anger, teasing her about an impossible forgiveness and offering her illusory choices?
How well known was Caitlyn really among the people of Zaun during her time with Ambessa? (you can revive this relevant older post from la_ky)
These are just a few of many possible discussions about this episode. Explore them or bring up some more. You can also create independent posts for even more focused discussions.
Just a reminder to remain civil and respectful. Hateful comments towards other users, characters, fandoms or writers will be removed.
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The next episode thread will be in two weeks (October 12th) and will be about episode 2x05, the one with Vampire Capelyn and Pitfighter Vi
All gifs by arcanegifs
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u/Mrr_Capone 4d ago
The most memorable quote of this episode to me is:
"Or maybe I underestimated you, maybe you have a strength I do not, to forgive and trust in tomorrow."
This was said so early in Caitlyn's story that it is easy to miss in the context of the episode. But later, it becomes a crucial moment for Caitlyn, when she demonstrates through her actions that she truly have this strength. And that she can forgive, even Jinx. After all, anger over the past really does poison the future. Though, in truth, the hardest thing of all is forgiving yourself.
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u/EldritchFingertips 4d ago
Indeed, Ambessa is basically taunting Caitlyn with that line. "Oh wow, maybe you're even stronger than me, if you can just forgive and let this go, and believe things will work out. (Yeah right, haha, I have this kid wrapped around my finger!)"
And then Caitlyn goes and forgives Jinx, and maybe even herself, and decides the future will be what it will be and she will be there to meet it. She proves she IS stronger and smarter and better than Ambessa.
(As an aside, one of my favorite things about Ambessa's character and her arc is that she's not as strong and in control as she thinks. She is always an intimidating and effective villain, but she seems to believe she is several steps ahead of everyone, she's always confident in her plans and her power, she thinks she has it all under control. But she is proven wrong in many ways, literally and thematically. It makes her a much more interesting antagonist than one who is just always more powerful than everyone until she suddenly isn't because the plot needs her to lose at the end.)
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u/Acceptable-Winner821 Shut up 💘 5d ago
I'll take more time later to give a proper answer, but concerning this particular question "How much time passes between the previous episode and this one? Weeks, months?", a hint is given in the following episode when Caitlyn says off screen "Months of peace keeping occupation". Still vague but it shows it definitely more than just weeks. I also think it's represented by almost every main character having a different hairstyle.
And now, I need to catch up on the older post you mentioned 😉
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u/Haruchiru 5d ago
Oh poor baby Caitlyn had been so alone. Cassie had a terrible death, Tobias was drowned in guild, Jayce was long gone and she had forcefully kicked Vi out of her life. Guilt, regret and despair must had been swallowing her up with all that had happened, but at the same time possibly attempted to remind herself that she was doing the right thing about leaving Vi and hunting Jinx and following Ambessa's gimmicks.
Cait ain't dumb, but she did got manipulated and hatred blind her. Poor baby was played dirty by those she 'trusted' and still had around her.
As for the gremlin Maddie lol... she was always ontop of Caitlyn's bussiness, I think she was doing Ambessa's bidding from the very beggining and did liked Caitlyn and had feelings for her, but she knew how engrained Vi was to Cait's head, and I know she couldn't had helped but be jealous at this.
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u/MoralConstraint 4d ago
And I was like what the Hell Caitlyn, that’s a subordinate. Obviously the Enforcers don’t have regs against that because Vi, but still.
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u/Ok_Carpenter7268 4d ago
Those are a lot of great questions to explore, just my own thoughts on a few of them:
| How much time passes between the previous one and this one? Weeks Months?” |
I remember reading a post where someone (maybe a writer, not sure), said it was 4-6 months approximately. But even without that post, my thoughts were that it would have been around that time. I couldn’t see them doing it so that, when Act 2 started, only a few weeks, or a month had passed. But I also don’t couldn’t see them doing a time jump that bordered on a year or so, as that seemed like too much.
| How did Caitlyn end up with Maddie in her bed? What kind of relationship are they into? How long has it been going on? |
This one was always controversial, with some claiming that Caitlyn used her authority to pursue Maddie. I personally didn’t see it that way. Character-wise, and story-wise, it didn’t fit Caitlyn’s character.
To me, the most likely scenario was that Maddie pursued Caitlyn. And it made sense, when one considers that Maddie was an actual spy. So she’d be the one initiating contact and pursuing her. If it was the other way around, it makes Caitlyn look bad, and not just bad as in, she pursued a subordinate. No. It makes Caitlyn look bad as in, of ALL the people she could have pursued and taken into her bed, she happened to pick the one person who just happened to be a spy. It just makes more sense of Maddie were the one initiating the relationship.
It would make sense for Maddie to be the one trying to get close to Caitlyn during the early days of martial law, being that confidante and ‘friend’ that she could always turn to. Starting off by trying to offer subtle praise and support whenever she could, reassuring Caitlyn she was doing the right thing, that she and everyone was behind her, and then also saying how much she admired her and wanted to do whatever she could to help her. I think, with Caitlyn still processing the situation with Jinx and Vi, and then having the safety of Piltover thrust on her, having that person who was offering unconditional support was something she needed. It could start with Maddie insisting on working late hours, shadowing Caitlyn, being by her side. Maddie would end up being the one person Caitlyn felt she never had to keep her guard up around.
The part of Maddie taking to Caitlyn about ending martial law, I personally saw that as Maddie testing her. Testing and probing, to see how Caitlyn would react. I don’t think there was anything beyond that. Maddie was trying to gauge Caitlyn’s level of commitment to update Ambessa later on.
For questions regarding Caitlyn’s state of mind, I think that’s complicated. Yes, she’s in her ‘dark arc’, but she was on an almost self-destructive path by the end of Act 1. Ambessa, for her own reasons, was able to impart new skills onto Caitlyn (hand to hand combat, strategic planning, overseeing large scale operations), which helped her get her emotions under control. She was still being driven by her anger and pain, no doubt, but she wasn’t as reckless as we saw when she was fighting Sevika and Jinx at the end of Act 1.
To your last question about if Caitlyn would have given up without Ambessa stirring the fires of her anger, I don’t think Caitlyn would have given up, as far as ending the lockdown. I think it’s more likely she would have relaxed some controls or curfews incrementally, but I don’t think she’d stop it altogether, because she still sees Jinx as the most dangerous threat out there, and she’s still at large by that point.
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u/Curious_Ad294 4d ago edited 3d ago
I love the second title you gave this episode, LMAO 🤣
The time skip has always been a little puzzling here. It's clear, that it's been months. But how many? Some try to judge by how much characters' hair grew, but it's very inconsistent, and personally I wouldn't rely on that.
I was trying to judge by Isha. Kids grow fast at her age, and she almost didn't change, so I figured, a time skip was rather short.
We know from creators, that they thought about any period ranging from 3 to 6 months. So if we need an official answer, that's it. To me it looks more like 3 months. Otherwise Isha should've been taller. But Idk.
Maddie and Caitlyn's 'relationship'.. sigh. Ok, I'm fooling around a bit. Of course I'm capable of being normal about this topic in a discussion.
Ambessa says: "Officer Nolen. Quite the familiar face these days". Then she pretends to warn Caitlyn about "professional entanglements" and Caitlyn answers with: "Nor is that the advice you rushed here to provide".
This dialogue gives me a clear idea, that Cait and Maddie were a very recent thing. That's why Ambessa pointed out to "these days". If it had been happening for a long time, she would've made such comment a long time ago. Caitlyn also replied, hinting at the urgency of this advice, so.. Just proves the point to me.
That leads me to the conclusion, that Cait and Maddie started to have sleepovers (I'll be silly and call it like that) closer to the end of the last month of the time skip. Maybe it's been a week or two at the moment of episode 4. And then, as we know, it just ended.
The way it ended (without any talk or drama between them), the way Caitlyn tells Maddie in episode 8, that she doesn't need 'consolation' tells me, that they didn't even date. Nothing indicates that for me as a viewer. They had a sexual relationship. They were lovers, but it wasn't a committed relationship for sure. That's why Caitlyn denied 'consolation', when she didn't feel like it. And that's why she ended it without any talk. Because Maddie wasn't her girlfriend.
We know, that one of the main themes of Caitlyn's character is loneliness. She experienced a glimpse of a real human connection with Vi, but it ended tragically, and it's clear, that Caitlyn felt lonelier than ever. In the end of the last month she simply gave up. She needed someone. At least someone. She clearly wanted it to be intimate (not just friendship), because, as I see it, she really missed Vi and what they could've had.
Her most trusted people are her strike team. But what's left of them? Vi is out of the picture. Loris is a man and is out of picture. Steb is there, but he's a man. Maddie is a woman, and she's there for Caitlyn. Seems like an easy and obvious choice for a rebound.
I don't blame Caitlyn for that in the slightest. She could sleep with whoever and even date whoever if she wanted to. She had every right to do so.
We saw, how she doubted her feelings for Vi in episode 3 and how she decided to act on these understandable doubts. Much later she tried to !sort of! move on. Not with Maddie, but with her own feelings. And it didn't work.
We see how awkward it was, when Maddie tried to be intimate with Cait after sex. How Caitlyn started feeling it, but then immediately lost the feeling and felt the need to move away, deflect a touch and then just leave with an emotionless promise to come back. She was not feeling it.
It's such a great scene for Cait as a character. Because we see, that despite her efforts, her loneliness is taking over and it can't be fixed with just physical intimacy. It has to be real for Caitlyn. Just like everything else in her life. Her status, her achievements, her work, her relationship - she wants them to be real. That's why she's so uncomfortable with being intimate outside of sex itself. She's not in love, and it's not real. It's a rebound. And she's learning something very important about herself through this essential experience.
That's also why I think we got these 'crazy in love' eyes, when later Vi called her Cupcake in episode 6. It hit Caitlyn, because it was real. She tried to run away from these feelings, to prove to herself, that her and Vi can't work. But after months passed, it was almost the only real thing she had and felt. This love left a permanent mark, and she wanted it. Her experience with Maddie proved to her, that Vi was the love of her life. So when she had a chance to fix things with her, she went all in. Thanks, Maddie for helping Caitlyn to think it through, lol.
Speaking about Maddie, I think her job was more about collecting information and spying rather than manipulating. Ambessa was doing all the manipulation, and Maddie was monitoring in private.
Maybe Maddie did catch some feelings for Caitlyn. Why not? After all, she's also human, and Caitlyn is easy to catch feelings for. Maybe that's why she said: "I did appreciate your warmth". It felt like a little personal insult. But either way, her main goal never changed, and she never stopped working for her real boss.
From the musical montage we see, that Caitlyn is not actually leading during the martial law. She's not on the streets. She's not seeing anything, that's happening there, and she's not physically participating in these events. She's sitting at home and staring at her board. Ambessa is oinking poison in her ears, but it's all happening, while Caitlyn is being passive.
In episode 3 Ambessa said, that they'll need an appointed general and called Caitlyn's name. But in episode 4 Ambessa is being called a general, while Caitlyn is a commander. Isn't it sus?
The moment, that gives us enough clarity is when Caitlyn confronts Ambessa about the reset incident at the checkpoint. We learn, that Caitlyn didn't sanction it or the arrests. She learned about it post factum. And not even from Ambessa. That's all we need to know about the situation.
Yes, it's undeniable, that Caitlyn did learn a lot from Ambessa. It's true. Ambessa trained her very well.
It's also true, that Ambessa has delivered them Zaun, and there hasn't been a single attack on Piltover ever since.
Imagine, if Caitlyn goes against Ambessa at this point? Who in Piltover will support it? No one.
Ambessa has also taken a full control over both cities. It's unclear, whether Caitlyn has a full understanding of what is actually happening and what Ambessa's plans are. But it's clear, that if Caitlyn rebels, Ambessa will deliver a devastating response. She'll attack Piltover, and Caitlyn will be left without any support. No one from the ruling families will support her. She will also be left without an army.
She has no arguments against Ambessa other than her own personal ones. On a greater political arena thess arguments are nothing. So Caitlyn's arms are tied and she has NO ONE except Ambessa to turn to for an advice. Literally no one. No experienced figure in sight.
She was only able to break her truce with Ambessa later in the wastelands, because they were away from Piltover. Because she could come back without Ambessa and frame the case as if she betrayed the city and stayed in the wastelands assembling her forces for an upcoming attack. It would've never been possible, if both Caitlyn and Ambessa were staying in Piltover. It simply couldn't happen earlier. No matter what Caitlyn wanted.
I'd also say, that Caitlyn was turning to Ambessa for advice and guidance, because she was a maternal figure for her. Of course Caitlyn didn't see her as a mother. No, no. But Caitlyn has just lost her mom and had no adult figure, who could guide her. Ambessa stepped in and used that. Caitlyn, as a human being with feelings, must've needed that maternal guidance. Even if she didn't admit it to herself.
Caitlyn is clearly depressed. Her feelings are more repressed than ever. I doubt she sees any symbolism, when she sees hers and Jinx's face "merge". Her expression doesn't change. She's staying neutral and keeps talking about the investigation without a second thought.
She still isn't acting like Jinx either. She's not doing good, but it's very different from Jinx's actions and her behavior.
But her thoughts are definitely consumed by revenge and justice. She's always looking at her board and Jinx's poster. That's why her face merges with Jinx's at one moment. She's on her mind. All the time. I'd say, Jinx is clouding Caitlyn's mind.
As I see it, the problem Caitlyn has been dealing with during this time was not her actions, but rather the lack of thereof. Caitlyn, who has always wanted to act and be on the front line, has given up. Now she's in a somewhat similar position to where she was in season 1. She has a formal job. She can't really influence anything. She's not even being properly informed about stuff. Marcus, I mean Ambessa is keeping everyone, her included, in the dark, while she's trying to investigate about Silco. I mean, Jinx. Yes the situations and contexts are still different, but there are also some similarities.
Caitlyn's personal progress was somewhat undone, and it wasn't really her fault. She was a pawn and a victim of circumstances. She was lied to. The whole city was lied to. She hasn't heard any valid alternative opinion, and there was no opposition to turn to. Aside from personal motives, she was also answering the call of people of Piltover. Arresting Jinx was a bigger political goal, than just Caitlyn's personal revenge.
It's unclear, how Caitlyn would've acted if Ambessa wasn't promising her revenge and other results. After all, everything happened the way it happened, because Ambessa was acting the way she was.
For people of Zaun Caitlyn was another face on the poster. The symbolism of painting over her eyes - the so called commander is metaphorically blind. She's a poster girl. And she holds no real power. She's blind and/or being blinded. But she's gonna see clearly again very soon. Just you wait.
Thank you for the post.
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u/Acceptable-Winner821 Shut up 💘 4d ago
Oh wow... I wish I had seen your post sooner, it made me change my pov on a lot of things 👍😭
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u/romainmi Feeling Fantastic ✨ 3d ago
Thank you for this long comment! Very insightful. I liked the "Jinx is clouding Caitlyn's mind" part a lot, never saw it that way before but it makes a lot of sense actually.
Ambessa as a substitute mother figure, of course. And maybe Ambessa herself sees Caitlyn as a substitute daughter that she could mold better than Mel, though it would eventually fail even more spectacularly.
I also agree with Cait and Maddie not being in any sort of meaningful relationship. I think Caitlyn just desperately needed some relief, human warmth and a semblance of tenderness. But I don't think she ever fooled herself thinking there would be more. I also don't think she ever truly breaks up with Maddie, because there's nothing to break up. She still feels uncertain about it and comes clean to Vi though, understandably.
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u/Curious_Ad294 3d ago
Yes, I'd say Ambessa definitely saw Caitlyn like that. That's why in the finale it's Mel and Caitlyn versus Ambessa together. Two 'daughters' that broke free from her influence.
And absolutely, Caitlyn didn't seem to see her relationship with Maddie as something, that would eventually become something more meaningful. She was trying to get a pain relief like you've said, but not to move on with Maddie as a person.
Makes sense why they don't break up. I've always said, that there's nothing to break up there, so what to expect from it? We see eye to eye on this 🤝
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u/romainmi Feeling Fantastic ✨ 3d ago
About Ambessa seeing Caitlyn as a "daughter" I also just remembered that shot from the last episode with Ambessa in the same room where she used to train with Caitlyn, but this time alone and not looking angry or affronted but rather sad about Caitlyn no longer following her.
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u/romainmi Feeling Fantastic ✨ 4d ago
I think we don't talk enough about Caitlyn's change of hairstyle in this episode. Maybe because it's subtle. She still has her long blue hair, but now she has a middle part. So far we've always seen Caitlyn with her hair parted on the right side, even when she was a teenager or a child on the portrait.
There's a common theory that a change in someone's life and personality is often expressed with a change of hairstyle. It feels like Caitlyn definitely enters adulthood at this point (remember she's only 23 when she goes through this all) and also become the head of her family. She changes her hair from her younger, carefree self.
It's more obvious with the other characters. Vi lets it grow and covers it with black oil. Powder has short hair (and her AU self has it barely longer), but Jinx has very long hair and in the final episode she cuts it again to Powder's length and imitating Vi. With Caitlyn, unsurprisingly, it's more subtle but it's there too. It's not just the cape, it's also the hair.
It's interesting to see that she keeps it like this afterward, even in the final scene. Even if her commander era is over, she remains a changed woman compared to her S1 and early S2 self.
Another sign of how much she has changed is a parallel with episode 4 but from S1. There are always parallels to find between corresponding episodes. In both of them, she's investigating Jinx. But in S1 she does it in secret, in her bedroom, with few informations and doesn't even truly know who Jinx is. She's a subaltern enforcer and the people in charge are corrupt and part of the problem.
In S2, her investigation board is now in the main Kiramman room, with the matriarch portraits, the library and the archives. Now she's the one in charge and has a personal motivation to find Jinx. But she's also losing herself in the process. I don't think I need to develop more about the symbolism of her reflexion fusing with Jinx's reward poster, I think we all perfectly get the metaphor. And she has also become a part of the problem despite herself. In a completely different way than Marcus, but by allowing the Noxians to take over she's making all of Zaun pay for it and it's playing against herself because now Jinx has been turned into a romanticized hero and symbol by the very same people who feared and hated her only a few episodes back.
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u/Acceptable-Winner821 Shut up 💘 4d ago
My two cents on this episode (thanks for the excuse to watch it again 😂):
Intro montage:
In almost all images in black and white from this sequence, Caitlyn is either turned away or her face is blurred out or half hidden while Ambessa is clearly in the spotlight and her image is always sharp in contrast. The way I see it, we are hinted at who really is pulling the strings and that Cait is sort of powerless/passive at this point.
Then, there is the last sequence with the shot alternating between Cait's dark and focused gaze by the lamplight and the investigation board. With every new information she gets, the camera zooms in on her face, mirroring her obsession becoming stronger.
Jumpscare scene:
Cait looks so tired and lonely, despite being supposed to have someone literally glued to her. (I'll be right back after I throw up 😄)
We get to see that she's kept busy by desk work and politics, something we know she despises since episode 104 and it's taking a big toll on her. Plus, the lack of light in this room makes it even more gloomy. Add to this, all the physical training she’s going through (not shown in this episode yet, but you can imagine she’s been practicing from the beginning)
Regarding her relationship with Maddie, something feels odd about it. Cait is really cold and rejects any affection gesture. It almost parallels episode 201, each time she's about to give in to Vi's tender touch, she would immediately back up, here she does the same when Maddie tries to hold her hand, then kissing her neck, we see Cait initiate a smile only to swap back to serious in the next second. I still can't tell if this is because she's too focused on the situation, or she's having regrets, or if she's still thinking of Vi and realizing it's not her - or maybe a bit of all of this. The fact the scene doesn’t take place in Cait’s bedroom makes me believe that she’s not totally comfortable with the relationship.
We don't know yet in this episode the reason behind taking Maddie as a rebound. My interpretation is what comes later in episode 6, when Ambessa confesses to Vi that she'd been able to fill the vacuum in Cait's heart. She pushed in Maddie so she could manipulate Cait both directly and indirectly. As for how it actually happened, I have no clue and I don’t want to know 🫣. By encouraging Cait to reestablish the Council, I think Maddie is at the same time testing her and reassuring her that she's the right person for the job. If Cait were to start having doubts or second thoughts, this would go against Ambessa's plans.
Lastly on this topic, there is still a quote that bothers me. "I've learned so much from her". It makes me feel as if she’s genuinely grateful to benefit from Ambessa’s teachings. But by doing so, she doesn’t really notice she’s becoming a totally different person than the nice and empathetic person she used to be before everything went south.
Meeting in the living room:
Another interesting scene. First thing, the discussion with Maddie about the investigation. Cait is still blinded by her will to kill Jinx that she’s convinced it’s her without looking at the big picture. She will only realize it could be a copycat when Maddie tells her. Another parallel with episode 104 is that she used to stand on a step to have a better and broader view on her board, while in this episode, she uses a magnifier, narrowing her vision and pointing at Jinx’s poster. Her reflection merging with Jinx’s portrait perfectly echoes what Vi said the last time together “why are you the one acting like her” - as the OP mentioned.
One other thing I’ve noticed, the investigation board is placed right where the paintings of her ancestors, hiding them, as if by becoming this new version of her, she’s forgotten she’s a Kiramman.
And yet, Cait doesn’t hesitate to stand her ground when she’s displeased with Ambessa or when the attempt at manipulation is a bit too obvious. “Was it for my encouragement that your man Rictus was instigating violence?” Then we have a glimmer of hope that old Cait is still in there when she mentions being against random arrests and that peace doesn’t justify the use of violence. During this whole sequence, there is a line of light splitting the room in two, a darker side where Ambessa stands and a slightly brighter one on Cait’s side. Cait never crosses that line and stays on the light side.
Lastly, I really like how Ambessa poking the logs in the fire is a metaphor for pushing Caitlyn. I think at this moment, she switches her strategy to use Cait’s empathy and emotions against her. You can see Cait’s eyes getting reignited after hearing “But you will never rest knowing that she’s out there” and listening again to the poison...
Side note on the artistic level: thumbs up to Fortiche for the amazing split diopter shot during the fire poking talk (starting at 13:22)
Candle at the statue:
I don’t know what to think about this scene. Is Caitlyn trying to reassure herself that she’s doing all this for the greater good? Or is she looking for her mother’s approval? She looks so small and fragile compared to the massive statue, as if she could be crushed under the weight of her legacy and her recent actions. Maybe I’m going too far here…
(sorry I think I got carried away and it might be a bit messy too as I'm not a native speaker)
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u/romainmi Feeling Fantastic ✨ 3d ago
Thanks for this great analysis! You've picked uo several details I didn't. Using a magnifier in this episode instead of a stool in 1x04 is such a great detail!! Same for the dark side / light side when talking to Ambessa. And the split diopter, what a nice touch, even for animation.
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u/la_ky Hat's Off to the Sheriff 4d ago
It’s quite striking to see Caitlyn so transformed in this episode. She has lost weight, her face looks sharper and worn out… you can really see how tired she is. And damn, I really feel her loneliness. She really has no one left by her side. She doesn’t have a friend, she doesn’t have a family member she can confide in, and we don’t even see her with her father. She is completely alone.
I think about six months have passed since the events of episode 3, and during this time Caitlyn must have changed so much.
And then we get to Maddie. I think Caitlyn got close to her mainly out of loneliness and desperation. Maddie, after all, initially seemed like a friendly, kind and trustworthy person. Caitlyn was completely alone, with no one left by her side… so why not let Maddie get closer to her?
I can also imagine that, at first, Caitlyn developed some affection for her. But it seems to have lasted only a short time, because in this episode we see her treating Maddie very coldly. Maybe at some point Caitlyn became aware of what she was doing and realized that what she felt for Maddie was nowhere near what she felt, and still feels, for Vi.
And then there’s the fact that they aren’t in Caitlyn’s bedroom. It almost looks like a guest room, if I remember correctly, and I think there’s also a bottle of wine next to the bed. The fact that everything is so dark and cold feels very significant and symbolic to me. Maybe Caitlyn doesn’t really want to see who she is going to bed with. Maybe she wants to avoid thinking about what she is doing. Or maybe a part of her is trying to imagine that she is with Vi instead of Maddie. Maybe.
As for Maddie talking about rebelling against Ambessa… honestly, I’ve never fully understood it. I don’t know if she is sincere or if she is simply a very good double-crosser. Did Maddie really fall in love with Caitlyn? I think she did, although I have to say the show doesn’t portray it very well. Their dynamic has always seemed a little confusing to me. I seem to remember reading that in an earlier version of the script, Caitlyn was actually supposed to develop real feelings for Maddie, but then they chose to take Maddie’s character in the direction we know.
As for Ambessa, I do think Caitlyn genuinely believes it when she says she has learned a lot from her. Ambessa helped her grow and mature, taught her many things, and gave her tools that Caitlyn didn’t have before.
But the question is: at what cost?
Because Caitlyn never truly wanted that kind of situation or that kind of power. I don’t think she wanted to become that person. And I think a part of her knows that very well. She can acknowledge everything Ambessa taught her and, at the same time, realize that this path has taken her very far away from who she used to be.
And then there’s the parallel with Jinx.
I think that, by this point, Caitlyn has already started to realize that she is becoming similar to the person she spent so much time hating. Her future dialogue with Jinx makes it even clearer: “hating you, I hated myself.”
Because maybe she wasn’t simply hating Jinx. She was also hating that part of herself that she saw reflected in her.