What scene are we hyper-fixating on today, fam?
Mine’s the parley scene.
Whoops, time for an TLDR opinon/analysis piece:
I legitimately believe that Silco could've made it out of this parley with his Nation of Zaun, Jinx and reputation intact.
From a story element, and an emotional aspect, I get why he lost his nerve. I get why the moment, that perfect moment where all he's ever wanted, worked and sacrificed for, is finally coming to fruition, the moment he learns what it could cost him...
He loses the nerve, and thus, loses.
We know what kind of character this is. Bold, brilliant, daring, uncompromising and emotional.
God, is this man so emotional despite trying so hard not to be, despite decades of trying to be a self-contained, cold, unfeeling front that he almost succeeds in doing so.
It makes total sense for his mask to slip, for that facade to crack but I truly think if he took a split second to stop and think, he could've gotten out of this with, literally, everything
Alternate 1: His terms
"Free trade routes, blanket amnesty, unrestricted access to the Hexgates, sovereignty..."
Literally the second thing on the list he just gave Jayce, Amnesty.
Amnesty: A political pardon.
Based on Jayce's outloud reading, there is no specification of WHO the amnesty is for, but the term 'blanket' suggests that he literally means everyone. All of Zaun, and by extension, Jinx.
Meaning the scene could've gone as such:
Jayce: And I need Jinx. She has to pay for what she's done.
Silco: ...Hm. Are you the sole exception to Piltover's glowing example of academia? And here I thought you were a schooled boy... read the fine print again.
Jayce: ...You can't be serious. The Concil would never agree to pardon her crimes, after all she did-!
Silco: Well, then you better figure out a way to convince them. You get your rock back, and I stop Shimmer, but you do not get to take a single more from Zaun.
Jayce: Impressive, you're a countryman. But Jinx still needs to face Piltover-justice.
Silco: Hm. Convenient - we get our independence, but will still depend on your brand of justice. A new, shinier leash... if that's your price, then I'm afraid this bartering session is over. My terms are non-negotiable, all or nothing... and for someone so eager to keep a sense of peace, I assume you'll be able to figure something out.
Jayce in this scene strikes me as someone who was also close to losing his cool. I think a couple more push-backs from Silco would've staggered him.
Or, he could've brought up the next glaring issue:
Alternate 2: Accountability/Justice
Jayce both succeeds, and fails the moment he brings up Jinx, and the idea that she needs to pay for her crimes in Piltover's style of justice. He succeeds in cracking through Silco's mask, making him lose his nerve, but he also just made the most dangerous precedent possible.
Jayce: And I need Jinx. She has to pay for what she's done.
Silco: So, am I to assume you'll turn yourself over peacefully?... Why so shocked, you seem to have a flair for justice after all... scared to face your own?
Jayce: I have nothing to-
Silco: A murdered little boy says you have quite a bit to answer for. Hundreds, generations of dead, starved, sick, beaten and ravaged Zaunites suggests that a LOT of Topside has something or other to answer for... Enforcers, sheriff's... councilors.
Jayce: ... a prisoner exchange.
Silco: No. You wish for my people to face your justice? Then I sincerely hope you're prepared to face our brand, if we want to talk about who needs to pay for what they've done.
Pretty self-explanatory. If Jayce wants to get huffy about 'criminals facing justice' and considering Jinx's unofficial-official position as Silco's daughter/potential successor, then he would need to prepare for the possibility thar the feeling would be mutual to Silco: I don't care what position you have, you will face Zaunite justice despite how untouchable you think your rank is.
That is a DANGEROUS status quo Jayce sets. That puts a target on the backs of literally everyone who had a hand in the oppression/exploitation of the Undercity, and SKYROCKETS tensions to unprecedented levels.
The only course would be immediately back-off from that ledge of total-insanity Jayce suddenly pushes both nations to, and draw back the demand of justice needing to be served for Jinx. Or else, Silco ensures to do everything in his power that everyone gets served, and it would not be pretty.
Alternate 3: Sevika
The glaring issue of this scene, despite it being customary for parlays to occur in such a fashion, is that Silco is alone here. Alone, meaning there is no one in his corner as he verbally battles with Jayce for terms of agreement, and when he falters, no one to help him back up as he stumbles and falls from his careful balance as a negotiator.
Now, who is someone who would uncompromisingly back-up the man, who has the greatest chance of actually succeeding in freeing Zaun from under Piltover's thumb?
I truly think if Sevika had been there, it would've been a wrap. Not only for the intimidation-factor it puts on Jayce, but she's also the walking reminder of the fine tight-rope Silco now knows, more than ever, he walks as he reaches out towards independence.
A lot of people think that Sevika would've killed Silco if she heard him hesitate when Jinx is mentioned; I disagree. I think if she honestly, truly wanted him dead, the temptation came and went at this exact moment:
This woman gave up an arm for this man. She betrayed Vander, has done unspeakable amounts of crimes, probably been put through hell-n-back, put up with Jinx, and the moment someone gives her an out, a way to finally rid herself of the headaches Silco has given her throughout their years together...
"Were you tempted?" "Not for a worm like him."
(Personally I took her 'But he won't be the last' follow-up comment as a warning that Silco faces more uprisings if he keeps going as he is, NOT an implication that she'll betray him eventually, IMO.)
Regardless, Sevika denied herself the greatest, best opportunity to take Silco out; she wouldn't do it literally hours later, even if she sees how miserable he flails when Jayce demands Jinx. She's literally with him on the edge of independence, at the negotiation table. Being so close to having it all, with the man she truly, honestly believes is the best person to help get them there, she would NOT have hesitated to tell Jayce to A: Shove it & B: Get fucked, while waiting for Silco to either build back his nerve, or to spit out ANY of the previous flaws I mentioned in examples 1 and 2.
I hate the term 'hype-man', especially for Sevika since she is so, so much more, but Silco absolutely would have built himself back up to the cool facade if Sevika had been there to hype him up, or to cover for him while he takes a moment to think about the next move. She may not give a shit about Jinx, but she knows the man she's given up everything for, who she decided to put her unwavering loyalty into does. And if keeping Jinx around is necessary for Silco to finish his peace-talk with Jayce, she's going to make sure Silco keeps Jinx around.
Now, would she be all hugs and smiles the moment Jayce is out of earshot? Nope, she would've made Vander's beat down look like a cuddle, or at least tear a new one into Silco as he recovers from the near-failure, and Jayce walks away, angry, a bit terrified, and with one erased-demand of his list of negotiation terms. But I truly think they could've done it, and it's fascinating to think of what this could've accomplished, regardless of how it went.
Again, I GET it. I understand how Silco slipped, from a character, emotional and story-telling standpoint, I understand how he could crack at such a pivotal, now-is-not-the-time-to-crack moment. The first time I watched it, however, I couldn't help but frown at how clearly he could've grappled and recovered here. How easily he could've flipped the cards again, whether by himself or with help, how he could've honestly walked away with it all.
And I wish he did. Even without the gift of hindsight, I wish we could've seen it. I wish we could've seen how he caught the save, how he did it all, because how fascinating would it have been? What would Zaun become now? What would Vi do about her wayward sister? Would the Concil have dismissed these changes outright and plunged straight into a bloodbath?
I think that Silco would've always ended up at the tea party - but in any of these other circumstances, could he have been brought, not as an unwilling guest but a spectator? How amazing that would've been, that true, honest face-to-face with Vi while he watches Jinx slowly beginning to lose herself more to shimmer, and more to her own demons, to her trauma, to Vi, and just watch her lose more and more of herself and more... What would he have done? What could he have done, was it honestly too late, even with the bonus of an independent Nation and keeping his daughter still, all within his grasp?
Would it have ended the same? Would someone else have met an end at that table?
Perhaps I'm not the best person to speculate. Perhaps it's silly to even try, but one can't help but wonder: would it have been different? Would it have changed everything, anything, or nothing at all? I don't know, but it is fascinating to think...
...on what could've been.
