Much like its very first episode, Loki’s second episode drops fans into the new status quo—with Loki now donning his Variant suit and having been working at a desk. While jarring, it goes to show the power that the TVA has. They made even the God of Mischief sit down at a cubicle and do work.
Loki’s second episode proved that it wasn’t quite done with exposition either, even though there was admittedly less of it. While spouting exposition certainly has a negative connotation, this show has the tendency to have some pretty interesting rules to establish.
That continued this week as the gang went on the hunt for the dangerous Variant glimpsed at the end of last week’s episode. After an amusing moment with Miss Minutes, Loki was dragged back into the thick of it by Mobius—who still holds strong in our Loki being the one to solve it all.
The dynamic between Owen Wilon’s Mobius and Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is as endearing and fun as ever. Particularly notable when Loki is trying his absolute best at tricking them in the renaissance festival tent. Mobius’ casual “you almost had me ” was great.
An equally great moment for Mobius took place when the show pulled everyone to a Roxxmart in 2050 as a climate disaster. As Loki and Hunter B-15 split off, Mobius stayed with the rest of the strike force as they went looking for the Variant. In doing so, they came across a group of people trying to survive. Instead of showing a complete lack of emotion like every other TVA agent, Mobius’ empathy was at full force. Yet another sign that something about him is different.
Which brings us to Mobius’ Jet Ski. While a fun little gag, it’s very likely that it is much more than just a simple laugh. My personal running theory is that all of the TVA workers have been displaced from various timelines, but something has caused them to have no recollection of this. This would explain Owen Wilson’s random fasciation with the 90s and the Jet Ski. After all, the Time Keepers seem a little sketchy.
Jumping back to the topic of Apocalypses, it is worth noting how clever the loophole that Loki discovered was. It’s a really neat little aspect of the timeline/time travel rules being set up by the show. It truly was a perfect way of explaining how this troublemaking Variant could evade the TVA for so long.
Of course, that Variant turned out to be a female variation of the Loki that audiences know. Not only does she possess a unique power set, but overtaking the Time Keepers isn’t even something she’s interested in. A revelation that inspired quite the explosion of curiosity from Loki Prime. Her overall reveal wasn’t all that much of a surprise and was something the show certainly took its time getting to.
While the episode seemingly ended with Loki betraying the TVA, and Mobius himself, something tells me that it isn’t that simple. Loki’s curiosity was impossible for him to ignore, as learning what his other self could possibly be trying to achieve was number one priority no matter what. So his action of going through the time door wasn’t with the intention of betraying the TVA—as enforced by Loki’s initial hesitation.
“The Variant” was another quality episode, showcasing the potential that the show has. While not as strong as the opening episodes of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki is making it very clear that fans are about to start seeing things they’ve never seen in all of the MCU—more so than they already have.
