Loki Episode 2 Recap and SPOILER Theories DO NOT READ IF YOU AREN'T CAUGHT UP
Welcome back to HLS Entertainment this is the second spoiler breakdown I have done after doing Episode 1 recap and spoilers blog, once again SPOILERS I am going to be going over HEAVY spoilers for the first two episodes as well possibly the rest of the season. There is your warning do not come complaining to me if I spoil something for you.
Loki standing in front of Pompeii exploding behind him so proudly is a perfect explanation to how I felt after this episode. So much of what I predicted in my Loki preview blog is coming true, while I also know the impending doom of my biggest predictions possibly about to crumbling down around me. And I love it. I will never be someone to complain my predictions do not come true, I love being surprised by the incredible people behind every Marvel Studios projects.
Once again I am NOT doing a full Easter egg breakdown there are hundreds in the show and they are awesome to discover and know but that is not what I do. I recommend checking out YouTube channels like New Rockstars if that is the content you are looking for. What I am going to do is breakdown of crucial moments to the episode, as well as point out just things that I loved and things that helps push the story and drive theories along. On to the recap and theories!
Ren Fare Woman "some of us need this", okay we are starting this off wild and crazy, part of me is convinced this is 1985 Agatha Harkness that has just went to a Renaissance Fair to relive her past. The screenshot I got is purposely with her eyes closed because I swear it looks like she is wearing purple eyeshadow which is such an Agatha Harkness thing to do. NOT important to the plot, I doubt anything comes of this, just fun head cannon.
Update to correct my wrong assumption from episode one, the reset charges are NOT used to delete a whole timeline. They are used to delete all variant things/people from a certain area. Something we need to keep in our heads now is how they are explaining time travel rules. If you are a fan of Agents of Shield this is how they chose to handle it during the last season, ripples not waves. As long as the variations are ripples, then the sacred timeline will just heal itself after pruning variations. But when variations redline, they are creating a wave. This is also similar to how one of my favorite shows ,Doctor Who, handles time travel with similar hand wavey timey wimey just go with it logic. The longer we try to focus on time travel itself the more likely we are to get confused, just go with the flow and ride the wave of the sacred timeline.
We get a small glimpse into how Loki is settling into the TVA, he is using Mobius' cubicle to study and be quizzed by Cortana Miss Minutes about the rules, terminology, and equipment of the TVA. He already seems bored by the whole thing and is pilfering through Mobius' stuff, including reading his Jet Ski magazine "Wake". Mobius just loves the idea of Jet Skis and that is his, this is why we do it. Simple pleasures grounds Mobius into seemingly our most trusted member of the TVA if you are still questioning if they are the bad guys.
Loki's goal is obviously stated multiple times, he wants to get a face to face meeting with the Time-Keepers. Whether this is for nefarious reasons, or just pure curiosity if these space lizards are even real. I am sure part of us is still questioning if they are even real ourselves. Not a major point but I just loved seeing the TVA locker room, once again grounding the workers as a whole.
In the huddle before going out on the mission we are shown five different variants of Loki, establishing the rules that each Variant could be similar or they could look very different from our prime Loki that we are used to. It does not have to look like Tom Hiddleston to be a Loki variant.
A seed I think is planted here is I think the idea of the sacred timeline comes clearer. I mentioned in the previous blog there are two possible views on the combined timelines. Either all the infinite timeline were forced into a singular timeline that happens a certain way, or the infinite number of timelines are just running parallel with each other but they have their differences they just have to hit certain fixed points in time like apocalyptical events or huge moments. These moments could be Thanos gathering the stones and using them or the Avengers going back in time to stop him. I now believe the latter is true, ANY timeline having a Loki that does not look exactly like our Loki, Tom Hiddleston, informs us of that. If it was a singular timeline then they all would look like our Loki. Bottom line the point is this, the multiverse already exists they are just being forced by the Time-Keepers into a certain route, aka the sacred timeline.
While out at the Renaissance Fair Loki goes on one of his long soliloquies in a condescending rant that is really a dog on a leash testing his limitations and what he can get away with. Like we discussed after last week's episode our Loki IS growing and IS seemingly trying to be good, but sometimes the god of mischief just can not help himself. Even the 'Asgardian saying' Loki says feels like it is probably a made up thing he is just saying to try to mess with the TVA workers.
"Where there are wolf's ears, wolf's teeth are near"
This is the first time we see Mobius is starting to get sick of Loki's crap, he talks with Ravonna Renslayer in her awesome office and evens condemns Loki as an arrogant prick there while defending his usefulness to catching this Loki variant that they are struggling with. I want to note it feels like there might have been a previous relationship between Ravonna and Mobius with his comments of "other analysts" she has "on the side".
Mobius assigns Loki the job of going through every single file they have on the variant Loki and as he is quickly bored my the mountain of work and he tries to get other files that would have more interest to him and his plans. After getting denied for files on the TVA's creation, beginning of time, and the end of time, Loki is given the small stack of files that pertains to his own life. Within these Loki finds the apocalyptic event of Asgard's doom in Ragnarok.
We get an emotional moment as Loki quietly mourns his home's destruction and the massive loss of life. Until, he reads the line "no nexus energy detected". This line clicks in Loki's head as he realizes the truth of apocalyptic events being the perfect hiding spots for the Loki variant because no matter what they do there the TVA would not be alerted to them because the apocalyptic event covers their tracks destroying everything there. After a disgusting salad is made, Loki convinces Mobius to test this theory at Pompeii and we find out that this theory is true, no matter what Loki did or said there it caused no nexus variation energy.
After working for untold hours diving into the files on all of the apocalyptic events of history our two main protagonists take a break and end up in a philosophical debate about what life is within the knowledge of how the TVA works. While discussing free will Loki directly asks about what is written, "how's it all end?" to which Mobius plainly says that is still a "work in progress". The Time-Keepers are still supposedly toiling away wherever they are untangling the web of time working on how it all ends. AKA Kevin Fiege is the real Time-Keeper, if there was ever a time for a secret cameo by him this would be it. A beautiful prosthetic face makeup space lizard Kevin Feige is what I am asking for and what I need.
"So when they finish what then?", Mobius goes on to answer so then the TVA would be finished as well, no more nexus events only order for us all to meet at the end of time. Complete order is immediately called out by Loki as boring, but this is also a statement on life. Order isn't what life is, life is filled with messes and chaos and beautiful little moments. Life without chaos is not life, it is servitude to the sacred timeline. This is the burden on the viewers as to whether or not to trust the TVA, Loki as our surrogate is a representation of life, we all just want to be able to choose our own paths. And if the TVA has already determined what we HAVE to do, then what is the point? They do not get to decide for us.
Loki has great point of what he knows that a child does not, "no one bad is truly ever bad, and no one good is truly ever good". Life is not black and white, we live in a gray world. Mentioning a child triggers Mobius to remember the Kablooie gum that was taken from the French child at a previous Loki variant attack site. He realizes all they have to do is cross reference where that gum would be in history to where apocalyptic events happen.
Just a heads up here I am going to separate the events at the Roxxcart shopping center into two sections. This section will be discussing Mobius' group of TVA agents, and the next discussing Loki's.
I want to bring back up a poster seen in episode one along within the credits, Hunters and Analysts working in tandem. There is obvious competition and bickering building between the TVA Hunters and those like Mobius who is an Analyst for the TVA. Both groups thinking they know better, and as Owen Wilson's Mobius has been set up as one of our main characters and protagonists we internally take his side against the rougher Hunters.
Mobius' group finds Hunter C-20, that the Loki variant kidnapped, tied up in a security control room where a timer is also rigged. Hunter C-20 keeps repeating "it's real, it's real, it's real", which obviously opens the question, what is real? It seems that the enchantment that she was under might have opened some memory or opened the Hunter's mind revealing something. Hunter C-20 finally says she gave away the location of the Time-Keepers. This mind shuddering realization seems to also be mirrored in Wunmi Mosaku's Hunter B-15.
Possible location for the Time-Keepers? I believe in the trailer we might have already seen it. We see a few glimpses of the sacred timeline that seems to be in a giant circle as we saw it framed in front of this giant floating rock. That giant floating rock I believe will be where the Time-Keepers are.
Here is what we have been waiting for, the big reveal of the variant Loki. Following Loki and Hunter B-15 we are shown the variant Loki using enchantments that is similar to Wanda Maximoff's mind manipulation we have seen her do many times over. After possessing Hunter-B15 Loki has his first conversation with the variant Loki. "Me, I presume", to which they respond through Hunter-B15 "if anyone is anyone, you're me". This is a confirmation that this IS Lady Loki and not Enchantress but we will get more into that in a moment.
Loki reveals his plan of wanting to overthrow the Time-Keepers and seize control of the TVA offering to work together with this variant Loki. Through mind controlled Randy, variant Loki says they do not like to be called Loki. And more importantly "I'm not interested in ruling the TVA". Fighting between Loki and the variant's mind controlled victims ensues, we get a fun moment of seeing Loki summon a Roomba like Thor does his hammer to be used as a weapon.
"This isn't about you" as we finally get the face reveal of Lady Loki, horns and all. What is this all about then? Lady Loki is clearly taking a full force assault on the TVA but why? I believe we will come to find out she has come to the realization that the sacred timeline is just a way of enslaving the multiverse to the TVA. Lady Loki is trying to free everyone, more than likely just worried about herself, from the TVA. She might know that someone is controlling the timeline for their own selfish gain.. Kang the Conqueror.
Something I want to discuss here, yes it is Lady Loki and NOT the Enchantress. Well sort of. Something Marvel Studios has done a great job is streamlining the decades of comic stories into an easily accessible set of movies and tv shows. In the foreign language credits Sophia Di Martino is credited as Sylvie, meanwhile in English it simply said "The Variant". This seems to be a slip up by whomever is in charge of the credits revealing to us something too soon.
It has already been established that Lady Loki does not like to be called Loki. I believe she will go by the name Sylvie just as a simplification for the audience so we simply separate the characters in our heads. I believe they are combining the character of Lady Loki with another who was a creation of hers in the comics, Sylvie the Enchantress. Sylvie was a member of the Young Avengers for sometime, which checks our Marvel Studios Disney+ bingo box for Young Avengers references as we were introduced to Speed and Wiccan in WandaVision and Eli Bradley in Falcon and Winter Soldier. In the comics Sylvie was banished by the real Enchantress Amora, maybe this Lady Loki was banished by the TVA or Asgard and this is how she is getting revenge.
Do not over think it, this IS Lady Loki. End of story. BUT a reveal twist that this is not the true Loki variant but a creation of another Loki variant to be used as bait is something I might throw a few dollars on if I was a betting man. Richard Grant's character has yet to be revealed, but I think he is the "one who remains" as I mentioned in the full Loki preview blog I did last month.
Lady Loki's plan here is revealed partially as we find out all of the reset charges she has stolen in her many attacks have been so she can bomb the sacred timeline. We see dozens of reset charges going off at once, I counted 50+, and being dropped through time doors to bomb the sacred timeline.
As this happens Lady Loki opens a time door for herself to escape. As Mobius and Hunters see this they are sprinting towards the pair of Lokis calling out for Loki to not follow her. In this moment we see Loki truly question himself, this is not a ha gotcha moment of betrayal by Loki as he truly questions whether he should follow her. Ultimately he decides to follow her through the time door and as Mobius and crew reach them it closes in their face. End of episode.
What is the plan here? I do not believe bombing the sacred timeline is the end goal of Lady Loki's plan, this is simply a distraction to empty the TVA of it's fighting force as we see dozens of Hunters sprinting through time doors. We get a shot of Ravonna as she seems to come to this conclusion as well and grabs her delete stick and runs off. In the trailer we see Ravonna and a pair of Hunters prepared to fight in the halls of the TVA. This is where I believe episode three picks up with Lady Loki's assault on the TVA. We now know this includes Loki in tow questioning whether or not to help her.
Next week I believe we see either Lady Loki's attack on the TVA fail and retreat, or she is successful in retrieving what she goes there for. But one thing is for certain, Loki will leave with Lady Loki. This is where we see in moments of the trailers Loki being with her on a destroyed planet, assumingly another hideout of Lady Loki's, possibly Asgard. Now knowing what to look for in hideouts the TVA will be sending out Hunters to chase them down.
Loki leaving with Sylvie will possibly have her trying to lose him through alternate timelines, including a destroyed NYC where we could run into other Loki variants including President Loki. I am very much looking forward to seeing President Loki. Another option with this is possibly President Loki is our Loki and this is a trap laid by himself and Sylvie to trap TVA that are chasing them.
A beautiful little happenstance that I will end on here, if bombing the sacred timeline is what causes us to have a true multiverse in the MCU it will be a sweet footnote to know the episode dropped on June 16th, 616 the prime cannon universe of Marvel comics.
Thank you so much for reading I hope you enjoyed reading my breakdown and theories, please share, retweet, mass email whatever it you do this with your friends as I am a floozy for clicks. Please follow me on twitter @HaroldLStokes and feel free to tweet me your thoughts I love discussing this incredible show!
