Spoiler Review

The episode opens in 1985 with a renaissance fair in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, kitted out with stained glass, era-appropriate costumes and more murdered TVA agents.. the titular hooded Variant quickly shows us they have a plan and by mind controlling one of the TVA agents (visually similar to how Wanda projects nightmares) the Variant quickly dispatches them, kidnapping the unfortunate mind controlled C-20 to the music of Bonnie Tylers Holding out for a Hero.

Where have all the good men gone and where are all the Gods?

We return to Loki giving a projected Miss Minutes grief about regurgitating the terminology the TVA has made him learn – “boring” Loki declares. I have always been a sucker for animation, and I love how Miss Minutes naturally blends in with the real-world elements in this scene, the design of the rotary character and the smoothness of the animation feels like it has been traced over real reference footage of an imaginary jumping clock, though unlike those uncanny hand illustrated scenes from Snow White, walking talking clocks don’t exist. So, credit to the CG/animation department for these subtle additions.

Within the first ten minutes we are introduced to more exciting new concepts via Miss Minutes which for a satisfying change, are not teased and revealed over several episodes, but are rather clearly explained with concise dialogue. Feeling more and more like a buddy-cop duo, Loki is handed a Variant jacket from Owen Wilsons’ Mobius completing his new TVA look following a brief encounter with a Jet Ski magazine and then moved on for a briefing on the 1985 attack.

Upon travelling back to 1985, Loki and the TVA receive strange looks from the fair goers but somehow nobody questions the odd nature of their arrival. Loki tries his luck at manipulating everybody into thinking the Variant has set a trap, but after giving Loki a moment to parade his self-knowledge, Mobius proves he has done his homework and soon sees through the act. The timeline is reset with what I can only describe as an otherworldly soap bubble slowly popping everything from existence and Loki and Co. leave empty handed.

Following the Stranger Things-esque swells and synths of the 1985 reset, comes my personal highlight for the score this week. Bars of melancholic piano are played before being intruded by a haunting theremin melody singing words with a voice my ears can’t translate. Mobius opens the dialogue with ‘Is it just me, or does this office keep getting better and better?’ and considering the scene setting cocktail of timekeeper visuals and the episode highlight music makes me think strongly otherwise.

When Loki takes a moment to stop unhumbly bragging about his intelligence is when he feels at his most intelligent, and after deducing the Variant is covering their tracks with apocalyptical events the duo take a trip to 79AD Pompeii to test their theory in what felt like a scene straight out of Rick and Morty. Mobius is the straight guy in this scenario planning to tread carefully as to not create a branch during the test, Rick.. Loki however charges into the scene declaring in Latin

‘I bring you all dark tidings! You’re all about to die… Enjoy your last meal while you can! Nothing matters! Nothing has any consequence!’

Knowing what they now know, the duo throw their investigative chops into the mix to quickly deduct in which apocalyptic event the Variant is hiding. In a not-so-distant future, the show reminds us what our future could still look like. They discuss the 2048 climate disaster, Krakatoa exploding in 2049, swallows becoming extinct in 2050 and the tsunamis of 2051. Though they decide it is the Alabama hurricane of 2050 where they will finally track down the Variant.

Our Loki ends up confronting the TVA target through multiple hosts (another moment plucked straight from Rick and Morty) before revealing herself to be Lady Loki, played by Sophia Di Martino. The events following set up not only potentially wider branches in the MCU, but high stakes for the rest of the season. With the intention unclear, multiple branches are created by the Variant with the episode ending with a conflicted Loki following his female counterpart though a timedoor.

With puppy dog enthusiasm, Hiddleston is having the time of his life bouncing back and forth behind Wilson as they work their way through this case. Loki for most of this episode feels like a frustrating mouthpiece, but when we are treat with another sat down dialogue heavy scene, you really see the two leads bring out the best in each other. Though the first two episode serve to set up what follows it, what we’ve seen so far sets up more than enough to warrant seeing the next 4 episodes though.