Marvelous Geeks

Loki Season 2, Episode 6, “Glorious Purpose,” cements Loki’s hero journey by leading him through a sacrifice. Last week during “Science/Fiction,” when I said that I was hoping death wouldn’t be the end for him, given how tragic hero journeys tend to go, I should’ve also specified that a lonely life shouldn’t either. Albeit he’s finally proud of himself, and Tom Hiddleston is still putting on his best performances, but regardless—he deserves to be with friends. He deserves the very second chance he’s granting others. (I deserve to watch him be happy, dancing at clubs, living his best life, and so on and so forth.)

Doomed doomed doomed—that’s essentially what the TVA and everything under He Who Remains is—doomed. We knew what we were in for when Loki first began. We know that there’s still so much story left to unfold and how we’ll get there…well, only time will tell. But if there’s one thing Loki’s Season 2 finale, “Glorious Purpose,” makes abundantly clear, it’s that Loki is a hero, and this is only the beginning of his entanglement with love.

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As a series, Loki is proof of how far most variants of the titular god of mischief have come, but in Loki “Heart of the TVA,” we see how much of the journey has indeed been worth it, even if this isn’t the same man from Infinity War. This variant might not be the Loki who promised his brother that the sun will shine on them again, but he is a version of the character who understands the very adoration the other variant grasped clear as day before his final breath.

This Loki, like the one who came before him, understands the importance of doing the right thing, even if it’s the challenging route to take. And just as he gives Thor the glimmer of hope necessary before Thanos gets to him, he does the same to Sylvie in “Heart of the TVA,” proving that his bonds with these characters are as significant as the one we were introduced to. This is about Mobius and OB and B-15, too. This is about the softness he’s allowing inside him by choosing to believe in people and everything they’re capable of.

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The god of mischief is back, and while Marvel’s multiverse is still somewhat of a mess, the performances in Loki Season 2 are phenomenal. When you think that there’s no possible way Tom Hiddleston can outdo himself, he does, diving deeper into the character’s layers with so much subtlety that it makes it all the more intriguing.

There’s no denying how convoluted and detached from an overarching theme Marvel’s Phase 4 was, and the beginning of Phase 5 hasn’t been that much different with the start of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. And in many ways, it all begins with Loki’s first season. The introduction of He Who Remains/Kang and the multiverse hasn’t been as smooth in weaving the tapestry as Phase 1’s introduction of Thanos and the Infinity Stones was because much of it relies on an idea that’s so vast, it’s nearly impossible to contain. And in its first four episodes, Loki Season 2 makes the slightest dent. Now, with the upcoming Multiverse Saga, no one expects anything to be solved right away—we’re just hoping it doesn’t become even messier. Thereby, putting aside the plot that’s still clunky at best, the season makes for a solid comeback that’s riveting to watch.

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Let it be known, that while I was at Walt Disney World, on my first vacation since the beginning of the pandemic, I woke up on July 2nd excited to finally get my hands virtually on the Loki soundtrack. I’m home now for the releasing of the second volume and, I’ve listened to the two volumes all day.

The music Natalie Holt has created for Loki perfectly fits the crazy, retro, sci-fi tone of this show. I love how Holt has weaved in the ticking of a clock in multiple tracks. Again, perfect for this time traveling adventure. Also, amazing that she brought in traditional Norwegian instruments,  the hardanger fiddle and stringed nyckelharpa. I love that element and the reference to his past and culture. The mix of this futuristic-like score with traditional Norwegian instruments, and the ticking of a clock shouldn’t work, but when composed so masterfully like in the Loki soundtrack, it does. And it is glorious. Continue Reading

“For All Time, Always” not wrapping everything up in a neat little bow to indicate that the series is coming back for a second season is without question, the highlight of all this. It’s all that matters to me personally. It’s all I care about. Loki isn’t a limited series, it’s a series. Let that sink in for a moment.

It’s the detail that we’ll get so much more Mobius, more Hunter B-15, more variants (maybe), and more impeccable performances by Tom Hiddleston as Loki that make us want to cry our eyes out every single time. And that continues to be the best part of Loki as a series—the detail that it allowed its characters moments of quiet stillness, utter chaos, and vulnerability.

It’s why the Marvel Cinematic Universe TV series are succeeding because like Loki, both WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier allowed the characters moments of honest contemplation in order to dive into the human sides of their superhero alter-egos more closely.

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For starters, I’d like to take a moment to complain about the fact that “Journey Into Mystery” is the penultimate episode and that means next week is the finale, which I just boldly reject. I want to watch and unpack Loki every week. I don’t want it to ever end.

I have also decided that I just no longer understand the concept of time travel and neither does the Marvel Cinematic Universe—I say this with love. What I do understand however, is that quiet moments of character development will always be at the forefront of an excellent episode, and this one featured plenty of those thus, resulting in the fact that dare I say, this is the best thing the MCU has done since Agent Carter.

In other words, let women write and direct more because they understand that quiet moments of contemplation scream louder than action packed fight sequences. Women understand the importance of balance, which “Journey Into Mystery” is full of, and women understand how to get to the heart of something. And Tom Hiddleston always understands the assignments he’s given.

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Where does one even begin with an episode like “The Nexus Event?” Did anyone else stare at their wall for a good five minutes after the mid-credits scene?Because I did, and I would like to feel less alone about this.

Loki is proving to be a series about self-love and self-discovery, and it’s doing so without being overtly obnoxious. It’s a series where words are blatantly spoken at times, but it never feels like it’s trying to sell the audience on something as much as it’s trying to evolve an incredibly complex character.

And Loki Laufeyson has never been more complex in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the same way, Loki’s world has never been more of a clusterf—k, which oddly, works in favor of the show. We all expected chaos from this. We all expected complete madness in the best way, and that’s what we’re seeing.

If you haven’t seen Loki’s fourth episode, “The Nexus Event” yet, now’s the time to turn away because spoilers ahead. There is a lot to unpack with this one, and condensing to it highlights proved to be incredibly difficult.

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“Lamentis” is one heck of an episode even in its quiet exhibition, which is what’s so stunning about this chaotic treasure of a series. In an unsurprising turn of events, Loki keeps getting better and better. We’re halfway through the series and already bummed that there will be an end in sight. Season two needs to happen. This cannot just be a mini-series, it’s too good for that.

(I say this with utmost love.) Loki is chaos personified, and it’s exactly why he’s so beloved. “Lementis” might not have gotten us far in the realm of the TVA’s agenda, but it gave us some incredible moments to dissect while simultaneously being the most aesthetically beautiful episode to date.

If you have yet to watch Loki’s third episode, be warned, this article contains spoilers.

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Spoilers for Loki episode two ahead please do not read further if you haven’t seen the new episode.

“The Variant” proves that we have no idea what’s going on or who to trust, but that’s always been expected with Loki as a series, and it’s what makes this all such a confusing joy ride.

The reality is, at the moment, we can’t even trust Loki, not really, at least not yet because he not only tells us not to, but he makes it clear that there’s still so much mischief to ensue. But still, we can at least trust him to a certain degree—he is our main character after all, the one whose story we’re meant to follow.

But what is he doing this week if not living the life of a college student and doing all the research? It’s not always fun, bud. Trust me. I get it. And sometimes, yeah, libraries are too quiet.

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Yesterday Marvel dropped the new Black Widow trailer and today, we’ve got Loki, which is still two months too far away and we’re impatient. The best part of all this? We have no idea what is happening and judging by how well WandaVision handled our confusion with an incredible series, this oddly fills us with a strange sense of hope.

Loki stealing the tesseract, his one true love, has naturally screwed with time and they now need his help to restore everything. No, he does not get a weapon. No, he is not fully trusted. Yes, he is clearly still up to no good and no, we would not have it any other way.

Loki is 10 steps ahead of everyone, the master manipulator, and we ask again, what the heck is going on? Could this Loki possibly unite with Thor and rebuild their relationship? Could we possibly get the sun shining on the brothers again?

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“I assure you, brother — the sun will shine on us again.” So few lines in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have hit me with as much force as the last thing Loki says to Thor in Avengers: Infinity War. And over the past year, it’s only become more prominent after re-watching Thor: Ragnarok for the millionth time then Infinity War for the 392th. Nevertheless, it’s fascinating how the story of Odin’s sons plays out and where they find themselves after the events of Thor: Ragnarok and Infinity War. The two of them have come so far since the boys we met in the very first film. “The sun will shine on us again” is a promise — it’s an ode to the future, promising that somehow, someway, they’re going to be alright, and their fight as brothers is the very reason for that. It may take some time after the battle against Thanos, but when it comes to pass, it’ll be beautiful.

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