Loki Episode 3 Recap, Breakdown and SPOILER Theories

  

     Welcome back to HLS Entertainment where we cover all things movies comics and football, we are about to do a deep dive into Loki episode three including a breakdown of what happened and theories about where the show is going. This is my third installment and not to pat myself on the back too much but we are nailing the show so far. For the previous breakdowns click, here for episode 1 and here for episode 2, as well as the full show preview breakdown here.

    As always this is NOT an in depth breakdown of every single Easter egg, go check out YouTube Channels like New Rockstars if you want that. What we are going to do is breaking down key moments in the show, and how they move the story forward. Then we are going to dive into spoiler ridden theories about where I believe the show is going.

    I just would ask if you enjoy this please share it with your friends and families and give me a follow on twitter I would love to discuss the show more with you and bounce crazy theories off each other! Now, on to Sylvie! 

    We open the show with a more in depth look at how Sylvie's magic works, seeing the vision projected into Hunter C-20's mind. I just want to reiterate this is very similar to powers we have seen from Wanda Maximoff.

    Then we see Sylvie and Loki arriving at the TVA. Something I want to note is how Sylvie's fingers still glowed green but the magic just did not work, unlike how Loki tried to use his magic and nothing happened. Obviously this can simply be a continuity error but I think it might be something more. Maybe it takes a moment to kick in and negate her powers? Or maybe Loki's did nothing at all because he had the Time Collar around his neck.

    

    Loki actually HAS done magic similar to these enchantments in this scene in Thor Ragnarok, where he manipulated Valkyrie to relive the day she had attacked Hela previously. So Loki IS capable of this type of magic, it just might not be his forte.

    Loki grabbing his daggers made another thought roll through my mind, what if he grabbed something else too? 

    After grabbing them he catches back up to Sylvie, who has been taking out guards trying to reach the elevator. After Loki reasonably says he has questions the have a scuffle that gets interrupted by Judge Ravonna Renslayer appearing with backup to take them out. Loki using Sylvie's TemPad opens a time door for them to escape through.

    Arriving Lamentis - 1 2077 was not an accident in the idea that he just spun the wheel of anywhere through all time and space, it was just a randomly saved event that Sylvie had saved. As was established last episode she has been hiding in apocalypses throughout time. Quickly, this is a planet from Marvel comics but nothing important happens there it is just mentioned as being on the edge of Kree controlled space. More importantly, obviously the name is what is important for the episode. Lamentis, aka Lamentations you can take it as the definition of the act of expressing grief, or even the book in the bible discussing how failures or even mistakes can teach you valuable lessons. Which is, kind of Loki's entire redemption arc, he saw all of his failures and he is learning and growing from that.

    We learn three important things quickly here. TemPad ran out of juice, the TVA are not all powerful even their equipment needs recharging. Loki hides the TemPad with magic and they have to go find a power source to charge it. Then also Sylvie is simply an alias. That should end the debate on who she is but I am sure some people still question it which is fine. But I warn you do not get your hopes up there is some secret reveal about her and then whine about it all over social media when it does not happen. Okay Mephisto? The third thing is her plan seems to be just a simple blow it up, plan of revenge. Unless she is lying she just wants to kill the Time-Keepers and walk away for revenge.

    We hear her say at one point that she has been on the run her entire life from them, I trust that this is just a pure revenge plot by her. Maybe she was the variant at one point or her whole family was and they were killed but she escaped? 

    

    They hear about the ark that everyone is heading towards and decide to sneak their way onto the train. Are these not the comfiest looking guard/soldier uniforms of all time? The Storm Trooper voices with helmets down was a nice nod. How Loki puffs out his chest and talks in a deeper voice imitating the guards is hilarious.

    This episode is walking and dialogue heavy with a big "one-shot" action sequence to end it which was a perfect 'let the show settle' middle of a season episode. I loved the conversation on the train as it showed our pair of Lokis opening up a bit to each other. Also Loki basically saying he gets train sick riding backwards was hilarious.

    

    Loki asks about Sylvie's magic and she says she figured out how to do it herself, meanwhile Loki tells her his mother was the one who taught him. Sylvie's response of "what was she like" seems to help paint the picture that she died while she was young. Therefore not there to teach her magic, and why she grew up more fighty than magical like our prime Loki. 

    Quick note of "hate" towards the show, that CGI firework magic was horrible. The conversation turns to love and past lovers. Loki mocks Sylvie's "love is hate" quote. And this is where we get the confirmation that of course the shapeshifting illusionist Loki is not simply straight. "Bit of both", before Loki trails of into not wanting to talk about love avoiding the subject with drinking.

    

    Is Loki's just go to move just go party and drink to ingratiate himself to a new surrounding? Just charming his way into people's good graces with drinks and singing? Because just like how Thor found him on Sakar in Thor Ragnarok that is exactly what Loki is doing when Sylvie wakes up. 

    "Another!" was a laugh out loud moment, aw he is Thor's brother. Sylvie notices the people going to get the guards, but Loki is more interested in telling her his drunk rambling of how love is an imaginary dagger. 

    Guards of course show up, ask for tickets that they do not have for the train, so it is time for Sylvie's plan fight there way through. And even broken horns are still weapons, love the mirroring of showing how they do have their differences but they are very clearly still the same person with their fighting styles.

    They fight the guards, are winning the fight then Loki gets sloppy and gets thrown through the train window. Sylvie jumps out after him because he still has the TemPad. This is were Loki pulls out a broken TemPad and then the pair decide their best hope in surviving is making their way to the city to get on the ark and try to save it  from its imminent destruction thereby saving themselves.

    Yes, this happened at the beginning of the episode but I want to talk about it here. Sylvie reveals to Loki that all of the TVA Agents are humans from Earth. Loki is rightfully shocked by this news as he was told by Mobius that everyone in the TVA was created by the Time-Keepers.

    

    This is just more proof that the TVA agents themselves might not be evil they are just pawns being used by someone. This had me rethink Mobius' meeting with Ravonna discussing Loki in her office. What if for every TVA agent there are multiple copies or.. variations of that person. Multiple Mobiuses out there doing analyst work for Ravonna. Her "other analyst on the side" is just another Mobius. That is why there were multiple rings on the table because they all do that, each Mobius puts the drink down on the table without the coaster. But does that mean Ravonna knows and is okay with it? Or is she being manipulated as well.

    If only there was an indicator as to how many potential copies there are, or if they were labeled and numbered like a.. Hunter B-15.. Hunter C-20... 

 

    While walking Sylvie tells him she learned the magic herself was not taught, which once again really sounds like Wanda's chaos magic. Go with me here. Many people who spend way too much time like myself watching and breaking down the MCU have sort of come to the agreement that the color of the magic determines what kind of magic it is. Let us assume that theory is INCORRECT. 

    

    What if Sylvie is her realities Nexus Being like Wanda is for prime MCU as the Scarlet Witch? Very quickly 'what are Nexus beings?', "Nexus Beings are rare individual entities with the ability to affect probability and thus the future, thereby altering the flow of the Universal Time Stream" according to Marvel. Now does that not sound like something perfect for this show. Maybe that is why she was taken as a child by the TVA and why she has been on the run?

    Maybe if she is successful in her mission against the TVA here in this show there is no TVA to show up and stop Wanda from affecting reality and the Universal Time Stream in Doctor Strange Multiverse of Madness?  This is just a wild theory not one I am counting on for this show.

    As Sylvie and Loki arrive to the city, mass chaos is going on as citizens are trying to get on and guards are keeping people out. Here we get to the great long 'one take' to end the episode as Sylvie and Loki run through the city fighting their way towards the ark. This whole scene deserves to be up on the big screen, it felt way too grand for a tv screen THIS felt like a movie scene, props to the creators. 

    A couple things to note. Loki has constantly been saying things that makes it seem he is actually worried about these random people being left to die. Loki's magic seems to be MUCH stronger than we had been led to believe previously. So much so that I, and I am sure you might have as well, questioned whether or not Loki had possibly stolen the time stone, maybe he snagged one while grabbing his daggers. I do not personally think this is true because we should have seen some sort of glow as every time an Infinity Stone has been used previously in the MCU they glow when activated. Fun fact about that, that is how we can tell which stone Thanos uses during infinity war and we see the combinations of stones he uses to strengthen them.

    After about three constant minutes of fighting through the streets in chaos, the pair fail to reach the ark in time as they see in blow up before them. End of episode.

    Putting a third SPOILER warning here, I am going to put images from trailers and promotional clips released by Disney, I am not using any leaked footage (has there even been any?). I believe I have pieced together some quite interesting things about how the show moves forward.

    This is simply the reverse angle with Sylvie edited out of the shot, this is how they escape of Lamentis - 1. But look closely, it seems like two other doors are opening next to the single door already opened. But the question is of course how is this happening? I partially believe Loki simply lied about breaking the TemPad but at the same time it still needs juice. Therefore I believe this is the TVA showing up to arrest them. But our pair will not go quietly.

    This is where I have hang ups in my theory. This is all the same place I believe. And where is Hunter B-15 getting off of? Sylvie was told by Hunter C-20 the golden elevators will lead them to the Time-Keepers. Maybe this "realm"  is the actually where they are? So the issue is, do they (or at least Sylvie) fight their way through the agents coming through the three time doors and make it to the elevator to get here? Seems unlikely but possible.

    One thing holding me up is the holster/sheath strapped to Loki. He obviously does not have that to end episode three. Maybe he does not fight then works with the TVA again to go after Sylvie?

    But what is the point, it seems to be they get wherever here is. I think without a doubt they get captured at some point. Specifically Sylvie, we have not had any scenes with her really talking interacting with TVA agents like Mobius. So here are a couple scenarios that could play out.

    First, Sylvie fights her way through. Loki gives himself up and reveals to Mobius that all of the people working for the TVA are variants like him then Mobius lets him go after Sylvie. We see Sylvie fighting her way through Hunters and there is a revelation about the Time-Keepers. Whether it be they are real and she can do nothing to them, or someone else (Kang?) like Richard E Grants character, who I believe to be He Who Remains.

or Secondly, they both get captured we get Sylvie interacting with the TVA probably see her back story, maybe they mirror Loki's interrogation by Mobius showing highlights of her life. But she breaks out and makes it to the elevator and Hunter B-15 chases after her. Either way we still reach there and there is still some sort of revelation.

or Thirdly the pair fights the TVA that shows up and escapes from them using one of their TemPads and THAT is how we end up in the apocalyptical New York City were assumingly President Loki is. And speaking of President Loki...

    This is the wide shot of President Loki we get in the trailer and I have a question... are ALL of these Loki Variants?!? Look at the potential Loki variant third from the left, recognize him? That HAS to be the Loki variation we saw when Mobius was showing the different versions of the character. 

    

    I mean come on that has to be the same character. I could be WAY off here but I have a theory that all of the people in that picture are variants of Loki, and maybe they are the ones that got away from the TVA. Maybe they all are working with Sylvie to get revenge on the TVA? Or just hiding out from them.

    We also know our prime Loki is there because here he is in the background of this shot in the same location. But I just want you to remember Hunter B-20 Wunmi Mosaku's character also shuddered when waking up after being mind controlled by Sylvie. She possibly had her memories unlocked remembering her past life on Earth or where ever. I think there is about to be an awakening of TVA Agents, but I do not think all of them will want out some might enjoy their life there and the perks they get. I think this is the reason the tension between analysts and hunters have been teased a few times. Maybe Mobius wants to go back and hop on a jet ski, maybe Hunter B-15 enjoys her work and wants to keep fighting for the TVA.

    

    Absolutely random theory that I came up with. What if this is what pruning looks like from the outside? We have been in the moment with the TVA but if they really are resetting the timeline when stuff happens, what if this was one of those times? The Time-Keepers, Kang or whomever is actually in control of the TVA what if this was them manipulating the timeline.

    

    I can just imagine finding out this was Kang making sure the events happened perfectly to his plan and that included Red Skull losing to Cap. Red Skull gets the upper hand about to use the Space Stone and Kang just said nope, erase. Anyway, I do not know that was just my most insane theory thought that I had this week.

    Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a comment below if you love any specific theory, and leave YOUR theories for how the show will go. As always please share this with your friends and follow me on twitter @HaroldLStokes.