Loki - Season 2 Episode 2 - Review

When we last left Loki, he was saved from Time Splitting by Mobius after a mysterious person pruned him, whilst he was in the future. Given that was solved, you might think that it was time to try and correct the issues with the loom, but no, the episode starts out quite differently and ends even more so. Does the second episode keep the momentum going or is it still trying weave things together?

****Spoiler Warning Ahead****

With how the first episode ended, B-15 seeing General Dox leaving through a door, with more munitions than an America survivalist, should have been the priority, so seeing the episode open in 1970s London was a bit weird. Having Mobius and Loki tracking down a Tempad signal, did feel a little like the first season, where they were trying to track down Sylvie, to find out it was Brad Wolf was a bit of a shock. The character of course featured in the trailers, to find out he was actually Hunter X-5, a TVA employee who left with General Dox and then abandoned that mission, in order to find a life for themselves on the sacred timeline, that was a nice twist. Of course, nothing is ever simple when Loki is involved and Brad/Hunter X-5 runs, leading the duo through a nice chase around London, which in turn let Loki lose with some magic.

Taking the now prisoner back to the TVA could have lead us down a rabbit hole of random plot threads, but the show kept things on track. OB especially points this out that they don’t have time when the loom that weaves the threads of time is at risk of blowing up. This leads the crew back into the room to try and break X-5, in order to give up the location of Sylvie and or General Dox, things do not go to plan. X-5’s plan to keep in control was smart, focus on Loki and the fact that he is a villain, of course, Loki admits everything was right. What this did was allow Tom Hiddleston to again showcase his range, as we see the effort on his face, to quench that rage that is building up. It works so well because we have seen Loki embrace that rage countless times, but for Mobius to lose it, the shock on the face of Loki seems genuine.

That lead to one of my favourite scenes in the episode, the talk between Mobius and Loki, which had the roles reversed from what we have come to expect from the pair. Here we had Loki attempting to calm down Mobius and then ask the question, why hasn’t he sought out the life he should have had. Owen Wilson delivered a wonderful response, what if the life he should have had was good, that means he lost something. From a man who is usually so calm and collected, to see him lose control and then justify it by saying he couldn’t handle finding out he had a good life, it was such an interesting departure.

Perhaps the odd point comes from Hunter B-15 and her quest to let all the branches of the timeline live, which is admirable. The only reason I question things is that in terms of timeline, its been maybe 2 days since she was woken up and for her to demand things so quickly seems a little forced. I get her point of view, but the time between the wake up and now is just too short for it to feel earnt, but given the other events that play out in the episode, maybe they just needed something to tie things together.

Visually there is a great scene with Sylvie, mostly due to the recreated 1980’s McDonalds, which is kinda spooky, because I remember much of that colour scheme and giant wall decorations. The scene in the boatshed was great, though a little confusing at times, with all the time doors, but still fun to watch. In terms of effects, there were not a lot that were front and center, there was one scene, but you will need to watch to discover that. With the effects put to the background, it let the characters shine and they did.

This episode raised a lot more questions that an answered, General Dox’s plan notwithstanding. Where it shined was giving familiar characters a chance to invert their positions, having Mobius be the lose cannon for example and while there is a chance things will simple revert, hopefully it gives the characters a chance to expand more. With how the final scene plays out, there is a chance of more danger for the TVA crew, but we shall just have to wait and see.

The Score

8.0

Review access provided by Disney

The Pros

+The chase throughout London was fun and let Loki use a few more powers than we normally see

+The scene where all the characters were taunted by the prisoner was fun and gave them a chance to flip their usual roles

The Cons

-The prisoner didn’t feel all that threatening however, which seems to undercut the tension

-Hunter B-15 and her compassion for the timelines is great, but feels a little forced