The Cine Geek

This is a spoiler-free review for episodes 1-4 of Loki Season 2!

If you’ve been feeling a disconnect with the MCU recently you’re not alone, so has literally everyone else. So now Kevin Fiege looks to the Avengers’ first villain, a classic MCU fan-favorite to try and make you fall in love with the MCU one more time. Loki returns with glorious purpose for another season. Season 1 of the show was arguably the only MCU Disney+ show that nailed the 6 episode format, mostly due to there being a Season 2 already planned, but it’s finale featured possibly the most consequential MCU moment since Endgame.

I’m happy to report Season 2 does everything well that Season 1 did, while also fixing some of season 1’s shortcomings. The series retains its crazy weird setting and story, interesting characters, and universe branching stakes. However, this time it starts fists blazing with thrills action and good fast progression of the narrative. Gone are the days of spending entire episodes staring at Loki and Sylvie talk with little to no narrative progression. The most significant difference is in the pacing of this season, from the very first moments of the first episode there is substance. Due to there being no need to introduce characters or rules, the show just gets on right away. This allows the 6 episode format to work better than it ever has before. The writing this season is also a lot better, with a great exploration of the nuances in the characters’ decisions and expriences, and of he truly is a hero or villain. The writing also allows characters and plot lines to be explored and explained much more efficiently, leaving more time for thrills and action, while getting through more substance.

This season also introduces us to a few new characters which include Ke Huy Quan’s Oroborous, who is the sort of handy man of the TVA. Ke Huy Quan brings all his magnetic energy, charisma, and comedic timing to the character. He easily steals the scenes often opposite Owen Wilson, and Tom Hidelston. His characters are always just instantly lovable and this is no different. He has a very interesting perspective and role in the TVA, that is explored quite well this season. Ke Huy Quan resurgence ver since Everything Everywhere All it Once has been nothing short of just amazing, and the end of Episode 4 leaves you very excited and puzzled as to how he handles what is coming next to him.

This show also carries forward the greater MCU narrative, diving into another variant of Kang the Conqueror/He Who Remains. Victor Timely is a big 180 from both of those other variants, and Majors as always nails the performance. His relationship with Miss Minutes, and Ravonna Renslayer is very intriguing and significant to the narrative progression of the show. This time there is an actual multi episode importantly story line with him, which takes many unexpected turns which will leave many fans shocked. His character in the show is amore a charicature than what we’ve seen before from the many variants od the character. This time he’s a lot more relatable, as this 20th century inventor is thrust into a wholly new world. The entire season is centered around preventing the overloaf of the Time Loom”, a device which keeps the many timelines in order. However, with Sylvie killing He Who Remains, now there are infinite branches which cause the loom to overload and may even cause the destriction of the TVA.

Out of the returning characters, Tom Hiddleston is ofcourse as amazing as Loki as when he first stole fans’ hearts with his performance in Thor and The Avengers. Ofcourse this time he’s trying to be a hero, but atill has a lot of the villain in him, which he expertly gets to explore this season. Loki’s mystical power set is also well explored and showcased this season, with some great action and mischief. One chase scene in particular givces us the best showcase of Loki’s powers in the MCU to date. Sophia Di Martino’s Sylvie like last season can be bit of an annoyance, but as Loki and her unravel what they did in the finale of Loki‘s first season, she becomes much more than just an annoyance and actually has arole in the series. However, much smaller than what she had to do in Season 1, since the focus of the show has clearly shifted to bigger bads. Often times she is there just in the background, or to put Loki down a peg or two, New more interesting hunters and leaders of the TVA are also introduced, which puts Hunter B-15 in the back seat this time, as she tries to decided what the TVA can be moving forward, While, her old boss Ravona travels through the timeline to find who she had been serving all this time.

Watch Loki Season 2 on Disney+ this Tuessday October 5 at 6 pm PT!