Well, you all know the drill by now. It's my 3rd time doing live reactions for an MCU show and I'm going into this one having only seen a single trailer. Like seriously, I didn't even see any ads, I have no idea what to expect here. I had some issues with the first two MCU series, but let's see if I end up liking this one?
Glorious Purpose: This could have been an awful pilot, it's pretty stuffed with exposition and flashbacks to previous movies, but I actually found myself enjoying it a lot. Like this is easily the best first episode out of the MCU series yet, and I hope that bodes well for the rest of the show. So where do I start with this one? The show just strikes this brilliantly offbeat tone that I found myself absolutely adoring. I don't think I mention this much but I'm a big fan of offbeat humor like in movies like Thor Ragnorok, Office Space, and most of Wes Anderson's stuff, so Loki is right up my alley. It especially has the vibe of Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, which is high praise given it's my favorite book of all time, and the bureaucratic humor is just top-notch, especially the opening sequence of Loki being checked into the TWA. I also quite liked the banter between Loki and Mobius. Getting Owen Wilson (a Wes Anderson staple) for this just helps add to that offbeat feel. But aside from all the humor, there's a lot to unpack in this episode. I like it when shows deal with free will and determinism, so the concept of the TWA and a "correct path through time" seems like a fresh and interesting facet to explore when it comes to time travel. The exploration of Loki's character was also pretty great, and the scene where he goes through his "future" memories hit pretty hard. And then there's the little things, like Loki's official gender being recorded as Fluid perfectly fitting his mythological origins, and the shot of infinity stones being tucked away in a desk. I'm not sure who the "Variant Loki" could be, but it seems like an intriguing mystery for the show to follow. So overall, I'm definitely enjoying Loki quite a bit. The first episode is absurd, thoughtful, offbeat, and above all weird, and I definitely want to see more of it.
The Variant: While this episode wasn't quite as funny as the premiere, it was so much better in terms of plot now that we don't need any more exposition and the flashbacks to the MCU are limited. I was also very surprised at how much ended up happening in it! The big finale where Lady Loki reveals herself, bombs the Sacred Timeline, and Loki follows her feels it could have been Episode 4 or 5. I'm very excited to see how the show moves on from such a massive shift in the story. Mobius and Loki's buddy cop dynamic was incredibly fun throughout the episode, and their discussion about free will and believing in the TWA was pretty interesting. The funniest scenes of the episode focused around the two of them, like the salad scene and the Pompeii sequence. I really loved Loki's depiction in this episode specifically. Despite his humorous and affable nature, it's always felt like he's more the "God Of Backstabbing" rather than the "God Of Mischief". In this episode, however, it feels like Loki has become way more mischievous and cunning than before, with nearly every decision he makes being an attempt at achieving his motivation of taking down the TWA. Overall, I really liked this episode a lot, probably even more than the premiere. My only complaint is the pretty cliche usage of "I Need A Hero", which has pretty much become the "Mr Blue Sky" of 2021 in terms of sheer overuse.
Lamentis: This episode felt a bit different than the first two, in a bunch of ways. The whole Lamentis trip felt like a bit of a detour and a means to bring Loki and Sylvie on the same page, and that's not entirely a bad thing. Loki and Sylvie have a lot of entertaining banter, the action was probably the best in the series yet, Lamentis is a visually stunning planet with its purple hues and neon lights, and that final one take at the end of the episode was pretty memorable. It was also pretty cool for the show to reveal that Loki is bi, also being from his mythological origins. However, the lack of the TWA was very much noticeable, with Mobius not even appearing to begin with. The TWA allowed for a lot of Hitchhikers-esque dialogue that gave Loki its own unique sense of charm, not to mention the type of existentialist themes that I love so much. Without the TWA, Loki just feels like another Marvel show. It's still funny, it's still entertaining and well-crafted, but this episode just didn't feel as distinct as the series' start. I also found it to be a bit disappointing that the Lamentis plot didn't just end right there and then. Given how fast-paced last episode was, this one just felt a bit incomplete.
The Nexus Event: So this was probably the most anxiety inducing episode in the MCU ever and I have no idea where to even start with this one. Similarly to The Variant, it raced through far more plot than I ever thought it would. After getting shafted last episode, we got some great material for Mobius and B-15 as they both learn that they are variants and turn against the TWA in their own ways. We actually get to meet the "Timekeepers" and Loki and Sylvie get a big Snoke-esque fight scene right in front of them, which I didn't think would happen until the finale. I had the feeling that they would be fake, but it leads to an even more interesting mystery of who really started the TWA. And then there's the pruning, with both Loki and Mobius getting pruned unceremoniously. I also didn't think they (particularly Loki) would really die, but my internet went out right before I could see the post-credits scene so that gave me a minor heart attack right there. Once again, it leads to an incredibly exciting set-up for next episode where Loki meets his other variants and Sylvie finally demands some answers. I will say, though, while it does very much fit the character, I do really hope that Loki doesn't end up kissing himself, that's probably the only thing that rubbed me the wrong way. Otherwise, though, this was an incredibly surprising, fast-paced, and chaotic episode that felt like having a 45-minute-long panic attack. It's another insane fourth episode twist and ranks up with Previously On as the best MCU episode yet. I can only hope that Marvel sticks the landing this time, third time's the charm?
Journey Into Mystery: I feel like this was the type of episode Lamentis should have been. They're both detours to another planet that focus a bit more on character interactions, but Journey Into Mystery was far more wacky and weird while also progresses the plot a fair amount. The Void is a super weird and visually distinct place, and I definitely enjoyed the multiple Lokis. Alligator Loki was my favorite for obvious reasons, but I also enjoyed Classic Loki even if his role in the show was a bit trope-y (older tragic figure who regains hope and sacrifices himself for the young'uns). Seeing the different variants adds to that central question of what makes a Loki, and seeing our Loki learn to enchant was a pretty great moment. However, my biggest issue with The Void is Alioth, that giant alien cloud thing. I'm not a fan of giant villainous clouds since it doesn't quite feel like the characters are fighting something concrete, and that was definitely a bit of a problem here. As for Sylvie, I was a bit disappointed we didn't get a full-on interrogation scene between her and Renslayer, but having her prune herself and then finally have a conversation with Mobius definitely made up for it. But now we get to the season finale, something that the MCU hasn't quite been able to nail yet. Journey Into Mystery seems to be setting up the long-awaited resolution of the mystery of who started the Time-Keepers, but I can only hope that it manages to be something unpredictable rather than just having been Renslayer the whole time.
For All Time, Always: They did it, Loki actually stuck the landing! Granted, the show is getting a cliffhanger so this episode didn't have quite the same importance of bringing everything to a close, but this is easily the best MCU D+ finale to date. For All Time, Always was actually surprising, and tense, and well-paced. Nothing felt rushed and none of the major plot points went for the easiest way out. Sylvie just unlocked the multiverse, nearly every variant of Kang The Conqueror is now able to go wherever they want, and Loki is stuck in a completely different timeline (an alright cliffhanger but I'm not super drawn to these type of AU storylines). I'll admit, I didn't quite expect Kang to actually appear, I kinda thought it was just a Mephisto-esque rumor that could never actually come true on a Disney+ show. And now that Kang has finally debuted, I really like him, or at least the "He Who Remains" version we met this episode. Jonathan Majors looked like he was having the time of his life, and I could definitely see Kang being a far more lively villain than Thanos was. However, I do have a few gripes. Renslayer and Mobius's confrontation was a bit underwhelming, and I was left incredibly confused by her decision-making. As inevitable as it was, I didn't feel all that comfortable seeing Loki and Sylvie kiss, though I was glad she just used it to betray him. I will also say that this episode was a bit too exposition-heavy, it probably won't be as surprising upon rewatches. Still, the sheer scope and ramifications of this finale completely blew me away, and I can definitely say that this is the first MCU show to leave me feeling satisfied and then some.
Overall, Loki was fantastic, easily the best MCU show yet and one of the best MCU entries in general. I love how willing it was to be weird and experiment with genre, tone, writing style, and audio-visual presentation. The twists were surprising, the characters were great (Loki, Sylvie, and Mobius in particular), and the overarching theme of free will tackles one of my least favorite story tropes in a really interesting and thought-provoking manner. My biggest issue with the season is that the offbeat buddy cop show I was hoping for was just the first two episodes (reminds me of WandaVision in that aspect), and the writing was never quite as good after that. Frankly, it feels like every idea was explored in a single episode, I would have loved it if this season was just a bit longer! Still, for what it was, Loki was a very pleasant surprise for me and I absolutely cannot wait to see more of it. I can only hope that Season 2 will feel as fresh, inventive, and fun as its predecessor.
4.5/5 Stars
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