Marvel’s ‘Loki’: Season 1 Is Full of Chaos and Mischief

Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios and Disney+.

SPOILERS AHEAD.

Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has dipped into the world of the small screen with WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier premiering earlier this year. On June 9, the mischievous Loki (Tom Hiddleston) returned to grace our small screens in their own series named after themself. Loki follows the God of Mischief after the events of Avengers: Endgame and takes us on a journey full of chaos and mischief. 

Glorious Purpose

In episode 1, we see that Loki is taken to the Time Variance Authority to admit to his crimes he committed against the sacred timeline. We meet a host of new characters. Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is judge of the TVA and oversees the organization for the Time Keepers. Mobius M. Mobius is an agent for the TVA, specializing in investigating dangerous time criminals. In the Time Theater, Mobius shows Loki moments from his life and his future. As Loki attempts to escape, they realizes the magic has no power at the TVA so they resort to viewing the rest of his supposed future. Loki agrees to helping Mobius hunt down who is killing minutemen and stealing their technology. Mobius reveals that the individual they are after is a variant of Loki.

This was probably the best pilot episode as far as WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier go. It was engaging and had intrigue. It keeps your interest because the whole you’re trying to figure out what’s going on, same as Loki. Immediately, this version of Loki felt different to me. They didn’t feel like the one from The Avengers. I don’t know how to explain it.

The Variant

In episode 2, Loki joins the TVA on a mission to find the other variant. The group travels back to 1985 Wisconsin and find that Hunter C-20 (Sasha Lane) has been kidnapped. Loki stalls and bargains his way to meet the Time Keepers and the TVA decides to reset this branched timeline. Judge Renslayer objects to Loki’s involvement in the mission but Mobius convinces her to give them another chance. After learning about Asgard’s Ragnarok and reading TVA files, Loki theorizes that the variant is hiding near apocalyptic events. To prove their theory, Loki takes Mobius to 79 AD when Pompeii when Mount Vesuvius erupted. Loki, Mobius, and the other minutemen track the variant down to 2050 Alabama, a superstore called RoxxCart. They find Hunter C-20 as Loki attempts to find out the variant’s plan. The variant reveals themself to be a female version of Loki. As she walks through a Time Door, Loki follows her.

This episode definitely has one of the best cliffhangers in this season. While it was a bit predictable, it was still a good one because it had fans theorizing what could happen in episode 3.

Lamentis

In episode 3, it opens with a memory of Hunter C-20 and the variant, who calls herself Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), talking. It turns out the variant just want to find out where the Time Keepers are. Back in the present, Sylvie and Loki are back at the TVA but not before Renslayer can get her hands on them. Suddenly, Loki get their hands on a TemPad and transports them and Sylvie away. They end up on Lamentis-1 and agree to work together to find their way off the moon. While the two are find their way to get off Lamentis-1, they begin to bond over their experience with family and love. Later on, Sylvie tells Loki that everyone at the TVA are variants. They make their way to the Ark in hopes of escaping but it explodes leaving them in disbelief.

While it is a chaotic episode, it’s one of my favorites because Loki is chaotic. I found Loki and Sylvie’s interactions with each other to be quite entertaining which could be why I love this episode so much. It was also the conversation between them at the train station that had me cheering for joy. In the comics, Loki is bisexual and it was subtly revealed in this episode that they are bisexual in the MCU. I like that it was a simple reveal but it was still beautiful.

The Nexus Event

In episode 4, it opens with a flashback of Sylvie as child playing with her toys on Asgard. The TVA appears and takes her away with a young Renslayer as a Hunter. As a young Sylvie faces trial, she steals Renslayer’s TemPad and escapes. Back on Lamentis, Loki and Sylvie await their fates as the watch the moon being destroyed right in front of their own eyes. The TVA come to their rescue and arrest them. Loki tells Mobius that they’re all variants and that the TVA is just controlling them. Mobius doesn’t believe them at first but realizes it’s true. Unfortunately, Renslayer prunes Mobius. The episode leads into the pair meeting the Time Keepers and ultimately find out that they’re just “mindless androids” and Renslayer prunes Loki. In a post-credits scene we see that Loki is alive with other variants standing in front of them.

I knew there was something fishy about this organization. Why were the Time Keepers created in the first place? I feel like if we didn’t get that post-credits scene, it would’ve been a good cliffhanger. It still made us curious to see what happens next.

Journey into Mystery

This is where things start getting extremely chaotic. In episode 5, we see Judge Renslayer and Sylvie having a conversation about the Void which is where Loki and Mobius are. Renslayer tries to be slick and cut a deal with Sylvie but Sylvie knows she’s lying. To thwart her own capture, Sylvie prunes herself. We meet the other variations of Loki: Classic Loki (Richard E. Grant), Boastful Loki (DeObia Aparei), Kid Loki (Jack Veal) President Loki, and Alligator Loki. Yes, you heard me right. An alligator. Once Mobius and Sylvie catch up with the other Lokis, they hatch a plan to enchant Alioth, the massive temporal beast that eats up whatever it lays its eyes on. Loki and Sylvie team up and enchant it which works and opens up to reveal a citadel lying inside.

I liked how this episode expanded the Lokiverse but I know at times it can be confusing to keep track of who’s who. It also helped Loki accept themself for who they are. Sylvie is the one who makes them realize that they are stronger than they believe to be. We also got to see Loki use more of their magic which was fun to see since the film didn’t show us Loki’s full potential.

For All Time. Always.

In the season 1 finale, Loki and Sylvie enter the citadel and find non-other-than Miss Minutes who tells them that He Who Remains has been waiting to meet them. We meet He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors) and he reveals that he’s been the one pulling the strings all along. He tells them about how the TVA was created. Sylvie just wants to kill him for the pain he’s caused her. Loki and Sylvie end up fighting but Loki tells her that he just wants her to be safe. Sylvie kisses them and sends them through a Time Door. Loki ends up at the TVA headquarters and Sylvie kills He Who Remains which results in the beginning of a multiversal war. Loki tries to talk to Mobius but he doesn’t remember them. Loki looks up and sees a statue of He Who Remains in the Time Keepers’ place.

I have to say I was disappointed with this episode. I feel that most of the chaos and action happened before. Usually, the previous episode build up to the finale. It’s where most things happen. Not much happened that was climactic and exciting. Most people on TikTok were saying that it was going to be Kang the Conqueror and they were right.

Closing Thoughts

In the beginning, I had so much hope for this show. The pilot was genuinely interesting and seemed to set the tone for the rest of the season. I’ll definitely have to go back and watch the entire season back-to-back. When Sylvie was introduced, it felt like Loki wasn’t the main character anymore. How is that possible? They were basically treated as a side character.

The acting was impressive. Tom Hiddleston does such a wonderful job at portraying Loki. Sophia Di Martino was great as Sylvie and Owen Wilson was a great addition to the MCU. I wish we got to see more of Wunmi Mosaku as Hunter B-15. I really liked her character.

Overall, I thought it was good but there were some things I didn’t love. The show is renewed for season 2 so we’ll be seeing more chaos and mischief from Loki.

 

 

Season 1 of Loki is available to stream exclusively on Disney+.

Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Sophia Di Martino, Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Tara Strong, Jonathan Majors

Director: Kate Herron

Creator/Head Writer: Michael Waldron

Producers: Kevin Feige, Tom Hiddleston, Louis D’Esposito