Non-Spoiler Review

It’s the end of the world as we know it

Last weeks episode seemed to drag its feet through what felt like a very self-contained narrative, leaving our variant protagonists stranded, doomed to their fate on the debris battered Lamentis.

The Nexus Event was written by Waldrons fellow Rick & Morty/Community alumni, Eric Martin and was again directed by Kate Herron. We see a return of many of the things we are used to in the show by now, a perfectly complementary soundtrack, attempts of sarcasm and whit at any given moment from Hiddleston, and most importantly - two people sitting at a desk having a conversation.

The show so far has done a good job of picking apart the titular Loki, but mainly through long form conversation varying in degrees of engagement. Its hard not to assume this is a result of the pandemic affecting production after seeing reports of the same for The Falcon and The Winter Solider and Wandavision.

Picking up the pace

This episode successfully fills in some of the blanks last week’s episode failed to do and although this addition has shown us a lot of the things we have seen before in the show, there are still many points of discussion around this episode that are difficult to tip toe around without spoiling anything.

The Nexus Event manages to give us what last weeks Lamentis left us waiting for, pushing the shows trajectory back up over the hill with more engaging dialogue, a good look at some new faces and more importantly, a reason to strap in for the final few episodes.

Spoiler Review

Over the hills and far away

Following a brief recap, we sweep over familiar looking hills and are presented with mighty Asgard, no location title card required. We see a younger Sylvie played by Cailey Fleming (The Walking Dead, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) entertaining herself with a wooden figuring re-enactment of a Valkyrie saving Asgard from a Dragon attack (with a little Fenrir easter egg tucked in for good measure!).

During this introductory sequence we are shown why Sylvie has such a thorn in her side and gives us a completely different perspective on the TVA.

The Goddess of Mischief

A much younger Renslayer accompanied by a small team of minutemen arrive in Asgard to apprehend the painfully unaware youngster for crimes against the timeline.

We then again see a journey through the processing line of the TVA, but unlike Lokis equally confusing, much more comedic journey through the offices of the TVA we see this through the eyes of a young girl snatched out of time. Presumably still going by the name Loki at this point, this is still a Loki of completely different circumstance, a Loki yet to murder or deceive, a Loki that has done no harm to serve their own selfishness. Child actors performances can wildly vary at times, but already with many credits behind her, Cailey really sells this young Loki as nothing more than a scared child.

Very little is said during these scenes, the shift in perspective gives us all the explanation required. We now understand more of Sylvies motivations and why she is the way she is without having to chalk it up to shes a variant of Loki. We now understand why she reidentified herself as Sylvie – as a child, she had to fend for herself and start from scratch.

Its real, its real, its real, its real..

Last time we saw C-20 was after being enchanted by Sylvie during the Roxxcart conflict. We learned Sylvies enchantment projected the Hunter into a scenario from her pre-TVA life, confirming with us all was not as it seemed with the TVA.

The lies continue as Mobius pleads with Renslayer to speak with C-20, desperate to catch up to Loki and Sylvie. Upon learning of C-20s fabricated fate, Mobius is left confused and told to keep the secret of C-20s death between them. Wilsons analyst always come across as sympathetic in these exchanges, and the pair do at times feel like age old friends despite Renslayers deception.

Destined to lose

Sat at the foot of a crater on the expiring Lamentis, Loki and Sylvie return to the question, what makes a Loki, a Loki? Sylvie comes to the conclusion “we’re destined to lose” and even in the face of certain doom, Loki responds hopefully with “no, we survive”.

The exchange creates an intimate connection between the demigods sparking a nexus event pointing the TVA to their whereabouts, and though they end up recaptured – they survive.

Loki, I’ve come to bargain

Loki and Sylvie are separated for interrogation which leads to two narratives that follow similar conclusions. Sylvie is taken by Hunter B-15 and Loki is paired with Mobius who taunts the captee as he is led to his punishment. Mobius seems disappointed with Loki during his unrelenting verbal take down, even going as far as to call Loki out for being a bad friend.

Loki gives us a short reminder that he has an honest side and reveals to Mobius the TVA is lying to him, which given the circumstances Mobius rejects, sending Loki through a red timedoor back to Asgard.

Loki seems just as shocked as the audience to see Jaimie Alexander return as Lady Sif for the first time since 2015. The Infinity Stones are subtly downplayed again with Mobius trapping Loki in a timeloop and similar to the conclusion of Dr Stranges battle with Dormamu, Loki is broken by the loop of continuous insults and assaults from Lady Sif.

The Power of a Thought

The crescendo of events that unfold are tied in so well to the pacing of the episode that you cannot help but get sucked in. The two variants do end up in audience with the timekeepers, but not due to brute force or deception but alternatively due to opening the eyes of their captors.

Loki tells Mobius he’s being lied to and you watch Mobius go through the motions of processing that thought. He’s ticking during the meeting with his friend Renslayer, which in his search for answers leads him to switch their tempads and during footage of C-20 on the stolen tempad, Mobius learns Loki was right – he too is a variant.

Its easy to forget during the Roxxcart conflict C-20 was not the only Hunter shown their past life. Upon rewatch, B-15s subtle emotional deliveries when discussing C-20 are a phenomenal touch. Confronting Sylvie, B-15 takes her back to the scene of a stormy Roxxcart department store and in search of answers B-15 allows Sylvie to enchant her a second time, confirming she is also a variant.

Its these nagging thoughts that culminate in both B-15 and Mobius siding with our ‘heroes’.

The colder Renslayer we saw at the start of the episode returns barely hesitating to command the pruning of Mobius for stealing her tempad. A shellshocked Loki is reunited with Sylvie as they are both led to face the clunky CGI Timekeepers.

B-15 helps the team by releasing them from their collars kicking off a conflict that ends with B-15 unconscious, several minutemen dispatched or dead and Renslayer stunned by the lie of the robotic Timekeepers uncovered.

During Lokis attempt to console Sylvies wasted vengeance, in an unexpected move, Renslayer cements herself as a villain by pruning Loki behind his back, suspectedly killing Loki for the fourth time in the MCU.

Life after pruning?

The episode finishes incredibly strongly, picking up the pace from last weeks nonstarter. The episode serves heaps of character development for Syvlie, plenty of Easter Eggs (Fenris, Lady Sif, Vampires!) and though by the end of the episode the Timekeepers, Loki and Mobius are all ‘dead’ with Renslayer as the villain, we’re served with our first mid-credits scene of the show.

Is this Hel? Am I dead?

The whirlwind mid-credits scene shows Loki on his back in the dirt questioning what has happened to him, the camera soon swings round to show the most pauseable moment of the episode - an Avengers-esque line up of Lokis.

Composed of Boastful Loki, Kid Loki, Crocodile Loki and Classic Loki, everything about the shot has us scratching our heads. What happens after pruning? Why does Boastful Loki have a hammer? Why is that child holding a Crocodile? What on Asgard is Richard E Grant wearing?

With one Loki Variant shy of a Snow White story the shows not been scared to lean into the concept, showing us so far Laufeyson (our Loki), Laufeydottir (Sylvie), Boastful Loki, Kid Loki, Croc Loki and Classic Loki.

Next week will see the penultimate episode of the series and though the story is still quite unclear how it will resolve, if it follows the upward spike in quality this week received – we are on to a winner.