Loki
Loki Season Premiere Review – A Pit-Stop In Time (1×01)
When Loki was first announced in 2018, I, like many others, wondered what it could conceivably be about. Since…he died, technically. But later when the Avengers went back in time in Avengers: Endgame, he stole the Tesseract, which led many to wonder about how that would affect the timeline. Well, now we are getting answers.
The series starts right at the beginning. The Avengers in New York, Loki in cuffs, and the Tesseract falling out of its case for the God of Mischief to pick up and quickly disappear.
He ends up in Mongolia, about to assert his will over some unsuspecting people. Except the minutemen–basically, tactical soldiers with some cool time tech–show up and accuse him of being a “Variant” who’s committed crimes against the “Sacred timeline”.
They subdue Loki and bring him to the Time Variant Authority. Now, I personally think the TVA is super cool. Loki does not really agree with me, but I love this concept of a bunch of bureaucrats in a government-like building protecting time.
A building that is run verrrrry efficiently, though I’d expect nothing less from an agency all about time. Loki is shepherded from station to station, having to sign off on everything he’s ever said, and confirm he’s not a robot. He really had to think about that one, because apparently there are people who don’t know if they’re a robot or not?
But this is where we truly get a sense of what exactly this place is. Through a helpful cartoon that reminded me of The Jetsons, we know that the TVA is here to protect the “sacred timeline”. Loki accidentally created a “Nexus” event when he veered off-course of the intended timeline.
There used to be a multiversal war with multiple timelines all fighting for supremacy, which nearly destroyed everything. Fortunately, these three “Time-Keepers” were able to combine all the times into one single timeline.
It’ll be interesting to know if we get to have a good look at these Time-Keepers. So far we’ve only seen them in cartoon form. Are they honestly aliens as Loki referred to them? Or maybe they’re some other kind of creature.
It also shed a light on why there are so many kinds of creatures in this universe. It’s like everyone was from different timelines before coming into the one Sacred Timeline.
But Loki isn’t buying this. In fact, he spends most of this episode in denial about where he is, what this is, why he’s there, and questioning everyone’s power and knowledge. Even though they could stop him from using his magic so if I were him, I’d definitely start believing.
Now things get a bit sticky when the judge wants Loki to answer for his time crime. It seems like all hope is lost and he’ll get “reset”, but Agent Mobius swoops in to save the day just in the nick of time (pun 100% intended).
Agent Mobius was just in 1549 dealing with a problem the TVA has been having. Apparently, there’s a dangerous Variant that’s been killing their minutemen, and stealing the device they use to reset the timeline.
Mobius thinks that Loki could help them with this problem. So he tries to get him on board by trying to see if Loki can understand and come to terms with who he is, and what he’s done.
He has this cool machine that has Loki’s proper life, and Loki heartbreakingly sees the moment he caused his mother’s death.
Of course, he’s still in denial and does not do well with this information. He’s still all “I’m a God, you’ll be sorry, bravado, bravado, blah, blah”.
But he’s still the God of Mischief and does manage to escape this viewing room. He corners a desk worker, demanding to get the Tesseract back.
Demanding is a very nice way of saying he threatened to flay him like a fish. But the worker didn’t even know what a fish was! Do these people not eat? Is he literally just in that office for his entire life? They showed a wider city, so what’s happening out there if everyone just works with no life? Hopefully, all these questions get answered in later episodes.
But when the worker does give him the Tesseract, Loki discovers something else in the drawer. Infinity stones! And lots of them. All from when other Variants took what they weren’t meant to have. So, they end up confiscated and useless (Well not completely useless, they’re given a second life as paperweights).
This is where it’s all finally sinking in for Loki. The most powerful things in the universe with no power? Yeah so, this place is no joke.
He goes back to the viewing room and watches the rest of his life on tape. Along with his beloved mother, he sees his father die, his relationship with his brother blossom, and Thanos killing him.
This all happens in such a short period, that it’s like he gets a concentrated evolution instead of the one that happened over many movies. He gets to the root of who he is, and even though he doesn’t like hurting people, he does it to gain control from their fear. Whew, what a therapy session.
He’s finally ready to listen to what Mobius is saying, understanding this world is not only real, but “formidable” as he puts it.
This is good because the TVA needs his help. Because the very dangerous Variant that’s been killing their minutemen is…Loki!
Now, I totally called this from earlier in the episode, but its confirmation lends itself to more questions.
Like what time was that Loki created from? And did this experience at the TVA contribute to that timeline? But maybe even more significant, is why? Because there has to be a reason he wants the timeline reset devices so much he’s willing to kill all these minutemen for it.
So, I don’t know if this new softened Loki is completely genuine, but only time will tell (ok that was the last time pun). The episode ends before we learn any of that. We just see evil Loki (well we don’t even get to see him, just a dark hooded figure) strike again in 1858.
Overall, I’m super excited about where this series is going to go because the possibilities seem endless. Although it could be a bit confusing like most things involving time are, but I am here for this cool little timeline offshoot and the mod office aesthetics.
What does everyone think so far? Let me know!
Marvel Studio’s Loki has been renewed for Season 2 on Disney+. So all of those cliffhangers left dangling during Wednesday night’s Season 1 finale will soon be answered.
Some of the biggest questions we’ll be impatiently waiting for are in regards to the TVA and its people, along with Renslayer’s portal destination, and more about the He Who Remains guy. All things we’re dying to know, but are thankful to have answers in due time.
There’s no timeline yet for the second season, but of all the three Marvel titles on Disney+ including Wandvision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki is the first to receive a formal Season 2 renewal.
(L-R): Boastful Loki (DeObia Oparei), Kid Loki (Jack Veal), Alligator Loki and Classic Loki (Richard E. Grant) in Marvel Studios’ LOKI, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
Loki is portrayed by Tom Hiddleston, along with other big names like Owen Wilson as Agent Mobius, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Ravonna, and Sophia Di Martino as Sylvie.
The six-episode arc of Season 1 has been a hit for Disney+, and it’s no surprise to have gotten renewed.
Originally, Kevin Feige, the boss of Marvel Studios had said back in February that any additional seasons would be determined by the story.
“The fun of the MCU is all of the crossover between series and films. Sometimes [a show] will go into a Season 2, and sometimes it will go into a movie and then back into a series,” Feige said at the time.
Along those same lines, Loki’s Season 1 finale appropriately leads into the upcoming film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which is scheduled for March 25, 2022.
In the meantime, feel free to catch up on all of our Loki Season 1 reviews!
In the Loki Season Finale, we get some much-awaited answers. From seeing the man behind the curtain to learning about the real creation of the TVA, we finally close the door on a handful of mysteries…while opening the door on some others.
Who is the one pulling the strings? He Who Remains of course. A man in purple robes who lives in his creepy house (sorry, ~The Citadel at the End of Time~), who’s a bit…eccentric. I think maybe he’s spent too much time alone because why are you so casual and smiling so much? Except he does have Miss. Minutes to keep him company. The little animation has been very much in the know this whole time.
But we also become in the know this episode. We learn the original dogma is essentially correct–there was a multiversal war that was stopped by containing universes within one timeline, and the TVA maintains it–but He Who Remains is the real mastermind, not the Time-Keepers he made up.
And why the need? Because all the variants of He Who Remains discovered multiple universes and instead of being cool about it, some wanted to preserve their universe and kill the others. Why is everyone so hellbent on destruction?
The guy found our cloud monster Alioth and weaponized it to end the Multiversal war. A good deed. Now he manages the timeline through the TVA. Another good deed?
This presents a tough question for Loki and Sylvie. Sure, you can kill this guy, but then infinite versions of him will appear–many a lot worse. All the universes will be plunged back into turmoil. It’s the old, “is free will worth the impending chaos?” conundrum.
Well, our two Loki’s have a divergence of thought on that one. While Sylvie is still very much ready to kill this guy, Loki has pumped the breaks a bit.
They’re offered the chance to live and take over for He Who Remains overseeing the timeline, thus maintaining peace. I think it’s a good offer!
Loki sees this as a real possibility. A necessity actually. That the fate of the universe is at least too important to rush the decision. And honestly? He was right. Like Sylvie, why couldn’t you just chill for 5 minutes? Let’s talk about this all very rationally.
But this girl has trust issues (I mean I know Loki’s are hard to trust, but you guys have bonded so much! Please just listen to him). She thinks Loki just wants to rule the universe/the TVA and sends him away, back the TVA. *sigh*
Except they did share a kiss before she tricked him! Again, I must point out the weirdness of them being together since they’re the same person. But who am I to get in the way of love?
So now that Loki is out of her way, she can finally kill the man who took her life away from her. Great, I’m sure it was very cathartic for her. BUT! HELLO! She sets everything off the rails!
The timeline is splitting open all over the place. Everything is chaos! Multiple universes taking form!
This perfectly sets up the movies we know Marvel has cooked up. Like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Spiderman: No Way Home.
Every other question we have about the TVA and its people will probably be answered in…season 2! Yes, the mid-credits scene confirmed that we will be getting another season of these people. Which is good because they didn’t completely wrap everything up.
Like…Judge Renslayer? Hunter B-15 and Mobius led an awakening at the TVA, trying to free their colleagues from all the lies. B-15 leads Minutemen to 2018 Ohio where they meet Ravonna Renslayer before her memories were wiped and she became the judge.
Awesome, so now the Minutemen are beginning to see the light.
But at the TVA, indoctrinated Renslayer has been searching for her own answers. Mobius pops in, back from The Void, to talk about their friendship and all the betrayal, blah blah. Unfortunately, we have to wait to see how their story concludes because Renslayer opened a TemPad portal and peaced out. Where? That’s the question.
She seemed pretty determined so I’m thinking it’s some kind of fact-finding mission. That one is very devoted to the TVA still, so I’m sure it’ll be something to do with protecting the timeline. Which might be a good thing? Especially since we know all the universes are emerging.
No one knows this better than Loki.
Don’t exactly know how this happened, but the TVA Sylvie sent him back to was not the one they left. He’s in a TVA from another universe that has a Mobius and B-15 that don’t recognize him. Oh and a giant statue of the He Who Remains guy.
Is this one of the timelines where that guy is a very very bad man? Again, these are answers that we’ll have to wait for.
This episode just set off a whole bunch of new things to wonder about. What did everyone think of the finale? Will you be tuning in to the second season?
The latest episode of Loki has us following him into “The Void” as he searches for a way out. The TVA is a bit worse for wear, and everywhere we turn, the mysteries seem to be adding up. Everyone–including us– is just searching for answers.
After the ending of the previous episode, I was really looking forward to learning more about the TVA and who was behind it. Unfortunately, this show doesn’t want us to be happy.
Even though Sylvie had Judge Renslayer cornered, all we learn is that even she doesn’t know what’s going on. Are you telling me this woman has been blindly obeying those puppets her whole life? You do you, I guess.
But even when she’s aware she’s been listening to puppets, she STILL is completely devoted to the TVA and the lie of the Time-Keepers. With her, it’s all about maintaining order and the status quo.
She goes on her own mission to find out who actually founded the TVA, but only to protect them against Sylvie. Like girl! We need to get you a life and some better morals.
Fortunately, we did get to see exactly where Loki landed. All the Loki’s are in The Void; a magical, happy place where all the Loki’s get together and sing songs about how much they love each other…okay, obviously not.
It’s so dreary! I don’t think they could make that place more dreary if they tried. It’s basically a timeline garbage dump where pruned things are at the mercy of Alioth.
Now Alioth is pretty cool. Basically, a purple cloud monster that gobbles up all the variant trash. He’s also very, very, big. This is why I raised several eyebrows at their master plan for finding the truth about the TVA.
But before they came up with their questionable plan, we got to meet even more Loki’s.
The after-credits scene last week revealed four Loki’s, including…an alligator. Well, this week we got more! Not only was there Kid Loki, King of The Void (who was not afraid to constantly strike a pose), but an older and refined Classic Loki.
We also met some not so friendly Loki’s who wanted to take over The Void Kingdom. Again, this is a very dreary place–lawless even–so why are there kings? Honestly, what are you actually ruling over? But the effort is very Loki-like. He loves ruling over things.
So we get some conflict between our Loki’s, thanks to Boastful Loki who betrays our Loki and his companions. President Loki (again, are there any elections? I really don’t think so) and his army seek to take over Kid Loki’s throne, which leads to a very comedic fight scene.
Alligator Loki bites off a hand, Loki tries to delicately tiptoe around all the fighting, and anarchy unfolds as all the Loki variants turn against each other. But Loki’s are survivors, so of course, our Loki group escapes. Phew.
Except this episode wasn’t just about comedy. We’re all looking for answers–including Sylvie.
After Sylvie realizes Judge Renslayer doesn’t have the information she’s looking for, she decides to take matters into her own hands. Taking a very “the only way out is through” approach.
This lady self-prunes. A bold move that brings her to The Void, so I guess a risk worth taking. She does take Renslayer’s TemPad so at least she has an escape plan.
She almost gets gobbled up by Alioth but our friend Mobius arrives in a pizza delivery car to rescue her. Not the most glamourous getaway ride, but now we know Mobius is still alive.
Back to this very questionable and unadvisable master plan. The Loki’s meet-up with Sylvie and Mobius, and decide their best hope is to enchant this beast to get to whatever’s on the other side.
Now, I must admit that this is an upgrade from Loki’s original plan of killing the cloud monster, but not by much. Sure Sylvie saw a glimpse of something when she briefly enchanted the beast (back when she was running for her life) but…it still seemed unrealistic. Mobius seemed to have some sense and got out of there, using Sylvie’s TemPad to head back to the TVA.
But what do I know, because with the help of Classic Loki’s sacrifice, they do actually manage to enchant the monster and open a window to the other side.
It looked like a highly protected haunted house, so who knows what awaits us. We have to hold on for the last episode to finally find out who is behind the TVA.
Part of me thinks it might be a bit underwhelming. Like just some guy in his bathrobe, having some fun by manipulating the universe. Can you imagine? That might be fun though.
We’ll also see the conclusion of the Loki-Sylvie relationship. They’ve taken important strides in building trust, and it’s official: They’re friends! That’s what several near-death experiences can do.
It’s been great to see their relationship bloom and solidify, and now I genuinely don’t see them falling into the typical Loki habit of betrayal.
I do get an uneasy feeling that they both might not make it out of next week’s episode alive. Just the way they were suggesting some kind of life together moving forward. Can Marvel let Loki be happy? We’ll find out.
That and Loki’s bromance with Mobius will have to be wrapped up somehow. Let’s hope Mobius doesn’t get into too much trouble back at the TVA. Except what are they going to do? Prune him again?
The suspense is killing me, but next week’s finale will (fingers crossed) give us satisfying answers to all our questions.
What did you think? Any theories about who’s behind everything or do you have absolutely no idea? Meet you back here for the final wrap-up.
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