Loki Season 2 Episodes 1-4 Review: A Time-Bending Opener
03.10.2023 - 14:15
/ comingsoon.net
/ Owen Wilson
/ Tom Hiddleston
/ Sophia Di-Martino
/ Justin Benson
/ Aaron Moorhead
/ Kate Herron
/ Disney Plus
/ Loki Season
The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues with season 2, a continuation of the MCU Disney+ show that premiered in 2021. Season 1 of this sci-fi show ended with Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) killing a variant of He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors). Loki (Tom Hiddleston) returns to the Time Variance Authority to warn Mobius (Owen Wilson) and Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) about his arrival. However, when they don’t recognize him, Loki discovers a statue of He Who Remains at the center of the TVA. The first four episodes of season 2 pick up right where this story ends, this time with a few new faces and a time-bending journey.
While season 1 was run by Kate Herron, Loki season 2 brings in Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead to be the creative voice. This director duo previously worked on the MCU show Moon Knight, and they bring in something that both feels consistent with the previous season while featuring something new. The season premiere features a direction reminiscent of a psychological thriller. Loki is horrified and out of breath for much of this episode. Seeing the villain of previous MCU content acting so terrified of a looming threat makes the threat feel much scarier.
Furthermore, Loki finds himself glitching in a way that’s similar to what we saw in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. As they get to the bottom of this, we get a few more funny moments with Mobius, who is horrified by the glitching. Soon enough, the show introduces us to a new character named Ouroboros, played by Academy Award winner Ke Huy Quan. It’s wonderful to see Quan get the high-profile roles he deserves, especially since he brings charm to this series. The first episode also has a lot of fun with the concept of time travel, taking Loki to the past and seeing how that affects the future.
With time travel, there are many ways to explore it in films and TV. There’s an excellent moment in the first episode where a visual joke/running gag becomes an indicator of where Loki is in time. Parts of the show lean into the horror movie aesthetic, but like most Marvel content, it does not fully commit to it. It’s also worth noting that the first episode features a mid-credits scene, which you should stick around for as it sets up the next episode very well while putting a smile on your face.
The second episode takes you out of the TVA and begins with a mission surrounding a new character named X5 (Rafael Casal), who becomes a movie star under the alias of Brad Wolfe. This is where the show gets interesting. The TVA is a fun concept, but the premise is that it’s a boring office where the characters cannot use their powers. When the show takes Loki out of the TVA, it seems to remember that he is a god with immense power. The introduction to Brad is