Coming right off of the third episode, this week’s installment did much more to advance the plot of the overall show. Though the pacing still left things to be deserved—but hey, things are happening, which is more than what could be said last week.
The TVA is back! Finally, fans get to see what was happening on their end. It wasn’t quite the chaos I imagined, as it looked like the attack on the timeline was bigger than how they played it off as. But they certainly had it out for the Loki’s, so much so that they inadvertently saved them as they carted them in for interrogation.
The potential romance between Loki and Sylvie has rubbed many the wrong way. Which I understand. But this episode perfectly explained why it works so well.
Loki as a character is so narcissistic, that he could ever only truly fall in love with himself. For the more tragic angle, the only person he thinks himself worthy of is…well, again, himself. Mobius was hitting the nail on the head as he gave Loki crap during their interrogations.
Speaking of Mobius, It was great to finally see him get to a place of understanding and seeing that the TVA wasn’t what he had thought it was. However, that realization was certainly done quickly, and it could have used more time to flesh it out. Almost as if there should have been some TVA story in the show’s third episode.
Before he did come to that realization though, he had to get Loki his fair due. Of course, seeing Loki thrown into a time loop is a fun idea, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t admit to being underwhelmed by the scene/situation they chose. Sure, it was a fun little gag with Sif, but the show could have gone with something that was just a little more substantial to Loki’s life.
As always, it was great to see Jamie Alexander’s Sif make an appearance. It’s a shame though, that her role here didn’t amount to much. After her off-screen survival of the Waititi massacre, it would have been nice to get something substantial for the character, no matter how small.
Let’s not forget about Sylvie. Sophia Di Martino continues to absolutely kill it, delivering a great, constantly intriguing, and powerful performance. It’s painfully clear how different her experiences are to that of Loki, and it has made her into a far different, but just as tragic character; maybe even more so.
Her nexus event remains a mystery, and it’s hard to tell what it may have been from the brief flashback viewers were given. At the very least, it was interesting seeing young Sylvie brought in, and come to realize how long Sylvie has been on the run from the TVA. Something that clearly plays into how she’s become such a different person compared to Loki, even though they are the same person—theoretically.
Hunter B-15 continued her slow process of becoming a character that was actually interesting, as with her first few appearances, she was simply a cartoonish character whose sole purpose was to hate Loki. Now, the tables have turned, and she’s turned to a Loki for the truth.
Many voiced the fact that they wanted to see whatever member it is that Sylvie showed her. Personally, I feel the way they did it was far more powerful. Especially with a character that isn’t so integral to the plot, there was t the need to divert the story to an entire scene of her memories. The way it was done gave it its due time and provided the impact it was going for.
Of course, the biggest reveal of the episode was The Time Keepers—and how, low and behold, they’re one big fat lie. One that it would seem even Revonna didn’t know about. There’s someone or something even more devious being the TVA, and they went through some big troubles to hide their existence. Sounds like something Kang would do.
This episode was leagues better than the last, even if it did retain some of the pacing problems. Even more so, with ad much that happened in this episode, it’s hard to shake the feeling that even more should have played out given where the show is in the season.
At least it would seem that pruning isn’t the end of the line, which really would have made this ending a stunner. Killing Mobius is one thing, but killing your lead character is another League entirely. To be fair, there do seem to be a fair amount of Loki’s that could fill that absence.
