Loki Episode 4 Recap, Breakdown, and Spoiler Theories! Wild Ones This Week
Holy Lokis what an episode! Welcome back to HLS Entertainment, and today we are once again breaking down this week's episode of Loki! To read the Preview for the entire show including character breakdowns HERE, or for each episodes breakdown and theories click these: Loki ep 1, Loki ep 2, Loki ep 3.
Weekly reminder that these breakdowns are NOT the full in-depth Easter egg breakdowns. You can find incredible ones all over YouTube. I recommend New Rockstars channel. They do great work. This breakdown is just going to cover breaking down the major story points and how that effects the show going forward and discussing all the crazy theories.
Please share this with your friends on social media, and do not hesitate to hit me up on twitter @HaroldLStokes if you want to tell me your theories for the show as well I would love to hear! On to the breakdown!
We open on Asgard showing young Sylvie playing with toys. She seems to be playing out a battle of the Valkyrie saving Asgard from a dragon attack, but the interesting thing that I have questions about is the giant wolf.. Does she know about Fenris? Does that mean she knows about Hela?? So much random worldbuilding in what, a ten second clip?
Ravonna Renslayer, or should I say Hunter A-23 is the one who arrests and brings in young Sylvie. We see her go through the same DMV processing that Loki went through, including signing a much smaller stack of paper covering all the words she has ever said. Until we see Renslayer bring her into the court room for her case to be heard. Sylvie stomps her foot, steals Renslayer's TemPad, and escapes.
Somethings I want to note here. Ravonna's Hunter A-23 designation is a reference to her first appearance in Avengers #23 in December of 1965. This is a comic in which certain members of the Avengers (Scarlett Witch, Quicksilver, Hawkeye) are sent to the future by Kang the Conqueror to try to take them out.
Ravonna goes to meet with the Time-Keepers, and Mobius is waiting for her outside the elevators. She is obviously distressed (or is it an act, more on that later) after her meeting, and Mobius's line of questioning makes it worse. Mobius keeps asking about C-20, and it is obvious that Judge Renslayer is covering up something but we do not know what yet. Then Ravonna reveals to Mobius that Hunter C-20 is dead. That she went insane.
Very quickly, I want to say I called this completely and them changing the vfx reverse shot completely from the trailer is cheating.
We are back on Lamentis-1, and we get our end of the world lakeside chat between Loki and Sylvie with some incredibly well written lines. We really have to give props to Michael Waldron and Eric Martin for writing this episode. As well as, giving Tom Hiddleston and Sophia Di Martino huge props for their acting in this scene and the entire series so far.
"The universe wants to break free, so it manifests chaos", forever shall be the description of the god or goddess of mischief, Loki. While Sylvie tells Loki about her life on the run, something gets re-muddied for me. She claims the TVA erased her reality while we had previously thought this was the case. Episode two made it seem like they only erased the variant parts of it. Two lines of thinking here, a) she can be wrong and her reality still exists. It just was pruned and reset at that point for whatever her Nexus event was or b) maybe her reality redlined and was completely cut off.
Reading me quoting this scene does not do it justice. I highly recommend just rewatching it. It all comes between the six-ten minute marks. The most important parts of this scene is "we don't die", which is true as we have seen our Loki die many many times, and the growing "romance" between Sylvie and Loki. This is a weird awkward thing but of course the narcists gods of mischief would fall for each other as they love no one more than themselves.
The TVA has cranked their scanners to eleven, what does that mean? Eh who knows really, it is described with if someone steps on the wrong leaves they would know. Mobius leading the scans, and Hunter B-15 shows up after researching for them back at the Roxxcart in Alabama. She asks about Hunter C-20 and Mobius lies to her that he does not know. Hunter B-15 still obviously shaken.
SOMETHING triggers a Nexus event. I do not believe we know precisely what yet, but it started when Loki is complimenting Sylvie and she touches him on the hand. I believe it is the pair of Loki's from separate realities falling in love and touching one another is what was changing the timeline. Mobius and Hunter B-15 note that they have never seen anything like that Nexus spike. So, Loki(S) saved through the power of love, something he has never felt that he deserved growing up in Thor's shadow thinking everyone thought of him as the lesser brother? I love it.
The TVA arrive, capture the pair off screen, and bring them in. They are immediately separated, and before Mobius throws Loki in his time cell, Loki tells him the TVA is lying to him. Mobius brushes the comment off and throws Loki in the now red time door that leads to his time cell. The time cell works similarly to the time loop punishment seen in season two episode four of Black Mirror called "White Christmas" where as punishment the prisoner relives the same moment over and over.
Loki's moment? The return of Jaimie Alexander's Lady Sif! I was so happy to see her she has not been back to the mainline MCU since 2013's Thor Dark World though she was in two episodes of Agents of Shield in 2014-15, but we are not getting into the AoS is it cannon question here.
"You conniving craven pathetic worm. You did this! I hope you know you deserve to be alone and you always will be" is what Sif says to Loki on loop while punching him and kneeing him in the crotch for cutting off part of her hair. Yes Loki deserved this for cutting her hair, but this is prime example of how Loki, even while being a prince of Asgard, was treated. Funny enough though, this is based on the real Norse myth of Loki cutting Sif's hair then being forced by Thor to fix it, and this is when Loki gets the dwarfs to create Thor's Hammer Mjolnir amongst other magical items including new hair for Sif.
While Loki is "softening up" in the time cell, Mobius goes to ask Renslayer for permission to interrogate Sylvie as well. Ravonna is vehemently against the idea, even though Mobius says "if there is a mastermind here I don't think its Loki". That quote is one to hang onto, as I think it is representative of the whole show, the Lokis seem to be the victims here to whomever is the mastermind behind the TVA.
Shot down by Judge Renslayer, Mobius is told to leave and continue to work his Loki. On his way back he just so happens to walk past the room where Sylvie is being held and chats with Hunter B-15 who is guarding the door. Important for this show is how B-15 asks Mobius about Loki asking if he told her anything. He tells her he said the TVA were lying to us. Mobius brushing it off, but as we know Hunter B-15 has been visibly shaken since getting enchanted by Sylvie in episode two. Important for the MCU going forward, "Kree, Titans, Vampires", name dropping vampires has Blade fans going crazy.
Loki is beaten to his knees by Sif and just the emotional damage this is doing to him until Mobius arrives and asks if he is ready to talk. But what is important in the time cell is that Loki admits to himself that he is a narcissist and scared of being alone. Once out, Mobius immediately asks if he was just lying to try to save himself or telling the truth about the TVA lying. Instead of saying yes, Loki still tries to plead to be let go.
Once Loki is not immediately honest with him Mobius moves on to questioning Loki about working for Sylvie. Reaching trying to determine what their relationship is or has become. In this the idea assuming Loki is working for Sylvie could imply story wise of all the Lokis teaming up together.
"What caused the Nexus event?" The TVA does not know precisely what it is. Mobius tells Loki to thank Hunter B-15 as she pruned Sylvie, and Loki's emotional reaction revealed to him how Loki cares for her. Mobius calls him out for being such a big narcissist that he falls in love with himself. They heavily imply that possibly them falling for each other IS the Nexus event. Mobius prods him about all this until Loki explodes with "YOU'RE ALL VARIANTS". Mobius initially pulls back in anger but the doubt creeps in, especially with Loki's departing words saying he is lying to himself.
We cut back to see Hunter B-15 alone and visibly shaken once again. She lights up her delete stick and stares at yet another creepy "big brother" propaganda poster saying "verify through deletion" before walking into the time theater Sylvie is being held in. She walks in, tells her to come with her and they return to the Roxxcart in Alabama. Hunter B-15 questions Sylvie asking what that was she put in her head. She said nothing she can not create a memory those as hers that the TVA hid from her.
We cut back and forth between Renslayer with Mobius and Hunter B-15 and Sylvie. I separated them on purpose because they are important and I am not trying for film timing. Mobius and Renslayer have a discussion in her office celebrating their "win" here against the Lokis. Mobius, when signing the papers, looks again at the FDR high school pen that Ravonna has, further showing his growing doubt. Mobius begins to question his own reality as he continuously brings up Hunter C-20 and his want to interview Sylvie. Ravonna tries to distract him by asking Mobius if he could go anywhere in time and space on the sacred timeline where would he go? But Mobius does not have a good answer as he says he is happy to be here doing the work.
This conversation continues until Mobius directly asks why Ravonna would not allow him to interrogate Sylvie. The vibe we get is Ravonna trying to protect herself but she also says that she is trying to protect Mobius. He just keeps prodding on until he finally distracts Ravonna with the "trophy" of Sylvie's sword, as he swaps their TemPads. Just an absolutely random note I love Ravonna's silky shirt.
Once Mobius is alone he goes through Ravonna's TemPad to find out the true fate of Hunter C-20. He finds her last testimony and sees that Ravonna was in the room as Hunter C-20 declares the TVA False. C-20 goes on saying that she had her own life on the sacred timeline. She had her own memories and friends. This revelation strikes Mobius as he finds out Loki could have been telling the truth about the TVA lying to him.
This is when Mobius goes to Loki in the time cell for the second time, this time to confront Loki asking him if he believes he deserves to be alone. Mobius is shaken to the core, just unsure of himself as he has to trust the word of two separate Loki's. Mobius concludes their conversation by telling Loki that whatever they have could bring down their entire TVA as well as telling Loki that he can be whomever he wants to be even someone who does good, "in case anyone ever told you different".
Once exiting the time cell with Loki, Mobius and Loki are met by Ravonna and multiple Minutemen. Mobius turns over Ravonna's TemPad he stole and realizes what is happening. Mobius goes on finally answering Ravonna, that if he could go anywhere in time and space on the sacred timeline he said he would go wherever it was that he had a life. Maybe he had a jet ski.
Sadly, Ravonna orders the Minutemen to prune Mobius and he goes out in the sparkles of the delete stick. His last words are about having a jet ski and that is how we should remember him. Mobius on a jet ski. Rest in peace Mobius.
We see Loki clearly broken up by this moment, but heart breakingly he flips the switch into this solemn look. This flip the switch to solemn is a heart breaking thing to see Loki go through as it seems he has down this many times before. This emotional damage is something we have seen Loki go through many times and it is sad every time.
Loki and Sylvie are brought together and taken to the Time-Keepers. Sylvie asks if Loki is okay and he just nods hiding his emotions. As he has down his entire life.
As Loki, Sylvie and Ravonna are in the elevator alone, Sylvie asks Ravonna if she remembers her. She says she does, and asks what does she wish to ask her, to this Sylvie asks what was her Nexus event that meant she had to be pruned. We see Ravonna think for a moment before smiling and telling Sylvie that she does not remember what she was pruned for.
When the doors open we come to the smoky area where the Time-Keepers are located that we discussed last week. Loki and Sylvie are brought before the three Time-Keepers who speak down to them saying they are to be sentenced to death. At this moment Wunmi's Hunter B-15 shows up throwing Sylvie her sword "for all time, always". This abrupt Hunter B-15 turning good is not something I was expecting, her turning protagonist was an amazing twist.
After fighting off multiple guards and Ravonna, Loki and Sylvie stand alone before the Time-Keepers. They plead for a moment, "Sylvie you are a child" of the Time-Keepers as well, telling her or trying to convince her that she would not exists without them.
At this moment Sylvie throws her sword slicing off the head of the center Time-Keeper. This moment is when it is finally revealed what Loki assumed from the beginning, they are fake. The fake space lizards are simply androids that were created by someone else.
This is where I am stating my claim. After spending all of last week convincing myself "no, this show is going to be like the others and be self contained", I am 100% back on the train that Kang the Conqueror WILL show up on this show. Jonathan Majors was casted soooo far out from Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania, I planting my flag right now that he WILL show up in this show at some point in the last two episodes.
After dealing with the immediate emotions of the Time-Keepers being mindless androids, Loki begins confessing his feelings for Sylvie. Loki tells her everything is going to be okay that they will figure this out. Random theory/idea I want to plug right here is Mobius and Loki had a conversation before leaving the time cell that we did not see, Loki was told about what the pruning actually is. The theory can twist MANY different ways, but simply put explaining them all is Mobius told Loki the deletion sends him somewhere and they have to figure out to stop the TVA and Kang once they get there.
But in this moment of honesty, opening himself up to Sylvie, he is stabbed in the back with the delete stick by Ravonna. Loki is deleted in a similar framing to how he surprise stabbed Coulson in the back in 2012 Avengers. Coulson is avenged. Something to note is how Ravonna reacts after getting subdued by Sylvie, she prods her on to delete her but Sylvie says you are going to tell me everything.
Loki wakes up and askes if he is in "Hel" the hell or place of damnation for those in Norse mythology. Loki is met with the voice of Richard E Grant, who is revealed to be playing "classic" or "alter" older Loki. We see this beautiful image of him playing the classic 1960s Jack Kirby's Loki along side, Yunger / Kid Loki and "prahlerischer" or boastful Loki, and the wonderous Alligator/Crocodile Loki or "Croki" as I will forever call him.
Here we are to the theory section and I have three main new theories coming out of this episode. First being the way the delete sticks sparkle as they delete someone. This ring of sparks flying is eerily similar to how Doctor Strange's sling ring opens portals. This is something I want to think on this week. I am sure we get the answer but the batons they use to delete people might possibly be sending them all to a location. I want you to imagen you are getting ready for Christmas, you just brought home a brand new alive tree to set up in your living room / den. But some of the branches have out grown those below it so you clip them off to create that perfect Christmas tree shape. Where the pruned branches fall COULD be the same place that Loki fell once he was pruned.
Not really a theory but something to remember is how Kid Loki is this show's connection to the future Young Avengers. If you have followed along with my blogs for each show you know I have discussed previously that in each Disney+ show we are getting a direct connection to the upcoming Young Avengers team. In WandaVision, their two sons Wiccan and Speed are members of the Young Avengers, as well in Falcon and the Winter Soldier we see Elijah Bradley's grandson Eli who eventually becomes Patriot in the Young Avengers. This show is where we are getting introduced to Young or Kid Loki.
A theory I want to get ahead of is the "sacred timeline" is really Yggdrasil the tree of life in Norse mythology. It is not something that I am hell bent on but is something that could be perfect for a story centered around Loki. Another one that I feel more confidentially in is the idea that the red light illuminated around the TVA is actually a rune or spell similar to in WandaVision. Only the witch that cast the rune can use magic inside it. This could be why Loki can not use magic within the TVA.
My final theory is a confusing one. This all could be a Matrix that Kang the Conqueror has set up to figure out what is his best plan for action in attacking Earth and our mainline MCU. Every time someone is "deleted" they are unplugged from Kang's matrix as their awakening ruined his plans of controlling them. Thus at this point when Loki is awoken in the post credit scene it is actually him waking up for the Matrix he has been trapped in, the multiverse is still real obviously but this has all be a battle simulation for Kang to test his assault plans.
