Written by Jennifer Ariesta.
With this definitive episode, Loki is looming closer to its big destination.
After a stint to the past (although, what is past and present is really up for debate in this universe), the show returns to the “Heart of the TVA”, as the title suggests.
Miss Minutes shows the freshly-jilted Ravonna (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) the truth that He Who Remains had once wiped her memory and manipulated her into helping him stay in power. At this point, anything Miss Minutes does is sus until proven otherwise but regardless, this revelation drives the vengeful Ravonna to take over TVA for herself.
Back at the TVA, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Mobius (Owen Wilson) have convinced Victor Timely (Jonathan Majors) that they mean no harm, despite Sylvie (Sophie Di Martino) prowling rather begrudgingly in the back. Victor gets to meet his idol O.B. (Ke Huy Quan), who also idolizes him. The two are connected by Ravonna’s time meddling that has both of them inventing the Temporal Loom inspired by one another. In a symbolic manifestation of the Ouroboros symbol – a snake eating his own tail – their meeting drives home the concept of “time being circular rather than linear” that defines the show.
The big plot of the episode revolves around the race to fix the Temporal Loom before Ravonna could gain control of the TVA, but the most interesting parts are really the character moments interspersed in between the chaos.
Nearly everyone gets a moment to shine.
OB and Victor’s little bromance is adorable. Watching these two actors, whose style and build couldn’t have been more different, bond over their shared love of science is awesome. Once again, Ke and Majors display their undeniable charisma as performers. Too bad Loki was never designed to let the characters breathe and enjoy some downtime. It would’ve been interesting to see more of them just bantering about some sci-fi mumbo jumbo.
B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) and the imprisoned Dox (Kate Dickie) also get a tender moment. The former boss and subordinate might be on different teams now, but they share a genuine respect for each other. Their discussion proves that Loki’s actually capable of writing complex, morally-gray characters – if only it’s not always chained to service the Marvel formula.
This is evident with Loki and Sylvie as well. Through them, the philosophical rumination at the heart of the show poses some really interesting questions. The two variants’ debate about free will, surveillance and authority could very well belong in a more elevated political fantasy piece. This is the clearest Sylvie’s motive has ever been fleshed out in two seasons, and it’s not a moment too soon. It just goes to show that what the character lacked all along was some clearly defined reasoning underneath the rebelliousness.
On the plot side, things are really heating up. With the Temporal Loom problem getting worse and the big villains in the house, our heroes are forced to the brink with some really devastating consequences.
The episode does end on a jaw dropping cliffhanger. What happens definitely puts our heroes on an Infinity War-esque point of no return – and there are still two episodes left! With this setup, the last two episodes look to be, HAS to be, a two-hander of epic proportions. Can this time twisting tale close the loop perfectly or go awry like the time strands? Tune in next week.
