Loki - Episode 3 - Review
After the second episode of Loki, it was clear that the bad boy we all love, was up to something, but given that we always knew he would do something like that, it came as no surprise. So going into the third episode and the halfway point of the show, the question was, could there be a surprise or two lying ahead, or would we venture down predictable avenue once more?
The episode started out right after the last one ended, with the female Loki popping up into the TVA and whilst she attempted to do her voodoo on an unsuspecting Minuteman, she quickly discovered that she had no access to her magic there. While she made quick work of the guards around, Loki pops up in the locker room, and after making a stop to arm himself, he sets out to stop his alternate gender self, from carrying out her plan. Sadly, while they have a micro-tussle in the hallway, before they can be captured and/or vaporised by Judge Renslayer, Loki grabs the TVA iPad and whisks the two of them away, taking them to the planet of Lamentis, right before its moon is about to smash into it.
With terror above them, the pair attempt to flee only to discover that the TVA iPad, also known as a TemPad is out of battery and sadly it requires something a little more powerful to recharge than a usb cable. This forces the two Loki’s, well one Loki and one Sylvie to work together, in order to recharge the device, allowing them to escape the destruction of the planet and then return to their own objectives. While I appreciate what the show was trying to do here, having two people from opposite ends of the spectrum, come together for a mutual benefit, it is sadly such an overused trope that you could practically see all the beats ahead of time. The duo don’t get along, they then choose to get along for a moment, they then start to share details, before they fracture and then a nice heart to heart, they are pals again. This is the same thing that happens in all team-ups, from Lethal Weapon to Batman V Superman and seeing it playout here felt like a waste of what they could have done instead.
This is not to say that the performances are not great, because they are Tom Hiddleston again shows that he is Loki, making you connect with him on multiple occasions. The moment where he talks about Frida, how she showed him magic when he was young and said that he could do, only for him to show off his skills. While this Loki was brash and demanding only days ago, due to him being taken from the end of The Avengers, you can see that his watching of the death of both Frida and Odin have impacted him a lot. On the other side of the dining car table, we have Sylvie, formally Loki, she chose a new name for herself and that is really all we get from her, there are glimpses of her talking about her mother, but as we don’t know how truthful she is, there a chance she is merely playing off Loki. Sophia Di Martino still manages to make you connect with Sylvie, not only because she plays off Tom’s Loki so well, but there is a rage to the character, which is shown throughout, that makes you want to see what she can really do.
Together the pair carry the episode and while their goal of getting off the planet is not yet achieved in it, there is enough in it, to make you forget about their overall goal, though the fact that it cuts where it does is just mean. The other big bomb to drop in the episode is the reveal that the TVA are not sugar and spice and everything nice, because let’s face it, they are a large group in the MCU, so they had to be doing something wrong. The fact that the people working there, are all former Variants is big news, well not that big, given the fact that Mobius has a thing for Jet Skis, something that doesn’t exist in the TVA. How will that play out, likely in one of two ways, but we won’t detail them here, but safe to say, there shouldn’t be any surprises there.
The third episode of Loki moved this slightly forward, by mere meters, if you are being generous, but the dynamic between Loki and Sylvie more than makes up for it. While the pair are unlikely to ever get along to the extent that some might hope, they have a fun chemistry and it could lead to some fun moments, down the line. A lot of what took place in this episode could have been slotted in elsewhere and it wouldn’t have been an issue, but for this was showing, it was a fun ride, plus we got to here Loki sing.
The Score
8.5
The Pros
+The dynamic between Loki and Sylvie is fun, even when they are at each others throats
+Visually, this is the best MCU TV episode to date, embracing the time and space nature of the TVA
The Cons
-Not a lot happens here, that couldn’t be slotted into other episodes
-The reveal that the TVA might not be all they cracked up to be, is not a shock, or twist in anyway, shape or form
