After six weeks of thrills, visual spectacles, and the occasional bump on the road, Season 2 of Loki came to a close Thursday night with Episode 6, “Glorious Purpose.” Much like Season 1’s finale, Season 2’s conclusion has major implications and questions for the direction of the Marvel Cinematic Universe at large, as well as Loki himself.
Note: there will be major spoilers covered in this review. Be sure to check out our reviews of the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth episodes.
Synopsis
Now that Loki has learned to control his time slipping abilities, he desperately tries to turn back the clock to prevent the destruction of the Temporal Loom and the TVA, the place he has come to call home. But in doing so, Loki travels to unexpected moments in time and learns more about what the path he has chosen really means, both for himself and the TVA.
Breakdown
This episode left me absolutely speechless as the credits began to roll. Much like Episodes 4 and 5, Episode 6 of Loki Season 2 does not disappoint. Continuing to deliver creative cinematography and wonderful character writing, it’s just a shame that the entire season didn’t have this caliber of quality from start to finish.
Loki‘s humor is usually pretty dry (at least for an MCU production), relying on witty and smart dialogue between its characters to get a chuckle. I wasn’t expecting there to be too many humorous moments in this last episode, but I was pleasantly surprised by the ones that were woven in. It felt natural, and Tom Hiddleston nails every line perfectly. Dialogue like, “I wasted time and now the time wastes me,” and “Fight back, do something!” perfectly encapsulated Loki’s sarcastic nature.
With Loki time slipping, it’s a fun excuse to revisit key moments from Season 1, namely his fight with Sylvie at the End of Time and his interrogation in the Time Theater. The scenes with He Who Remains are well done, and the reveal that the Temporal Loom was his failsafe makes a lot of sense. I had always thought it was strange that He Who Remains didn’t try harder to stop Sylvie, but knowing that he already planned for this possible outcome is logical and ties into his calculating character.
Ultimately, I enjoyed that we got more of He Who Remains and his master plan, but I can’t help but feel a touch disappointed that this entire season was building the threat of the Kang variants coming, yet no others appeared. I understand the need to save the ultimate villain for later films, but it does make this season feel like a tease for something that doesn’t ultimately pan out — at least, not yet.
Despite that, though, what this season may lack in urgency and pacing, it makes up for with Loki’s character development almost single-handedly. “Glorious Purpose” is the perfect punctuation of Loki’s character writing and redemption arc across the Marvel Cinematic Universe films and this show. Throughout both Seasons 1 and 2, Loki has been challenged with the question of selfishness versus selflessness, and what he really wants.
As Loki revisits key moments in his past at the TVA, he’s presented with two choices:
- If he kills Sylvie, he can stop the death of He Who Remains and preserve the Sacred Timeline.
- If he destroys the Temporal Loom, the Kang variants will start the multiversal war.
By the way, I’m really glad they didn’t commit to the “Sylvie needs to die” choice. Not that I’m opposed to a character death if it’s written well and fits, but for that to have worked here, Sylvie’s arc in Season 2 needed to be more active and prominent. Although, I will admit that the possibility did upset me for sure, so it didn’t completely miss the mark.
Watching Loki come to grips with the impossible choices he was faced with in this episode was extremely compelling. I felt his desperation and hopelessness at every turn. Well-written and subtle, the dialogue really shines in this episode, relying on the amazing acting of Tom Hiddleston to convey his conflicted emotions at every step.
Loki finds his glorious purpose, not as a trickster or the God of Mischief, but by realizing he deeply cares for all of his friends and making the ultimate sacrifice for them. Gone are the days of vying for a throne just because he feels entitled to it. Remember when Loki became the King of Asgard, only to lounge around in his bathrobes, eat grapes, and watch a play recounting his sacrifice in the Dark World while the Nine Realms fell to ruin? It’s safe to say that won’t be happening again, as hilarious as that moment in Thor: Ragnarok was.
Choosing a life of isolation, Loki breaks the Temporal Loom, restores the dying branches, and claims his throne at the End of Time while (literally) holding everything together. I have no shame in admitting that watching this scene made me cry. Seeing Loki’s journey from a petulant, jealous god to a benevolent one (perhaps the God of Stories?) willing to sacrifice his wants was absolutely incredible. It’s not the first time the MCU has explored selfishness versus selflessness before, but it’s another example of fantastic character writing and growth through that lens.
Once again, the visuals in “Glorious Purpose” are breathtaking. Loki’s transformation as he walks down the gangway with a new outfit and his signature horns was fantastic. Then later, when Loki essentially becomes the new Temporal Loom and the camera pans around to reveal Yggdrasil, I audibly gasped and said, “Wow” at the TV screen.
There are so many great moments in this episode. One I want to quickly call out includes Mobius finally seeing what his life was like on the Sacred Timeline. I loved how simple and quiet the scene was as he watched and absorbed the moment. Along with the lovely bit of humanizing backstory revealed about Mobius earlier in the episode, it’s a really nice touch.
If there’s one thing in this episode that didn’t quite work for me, it’s Renslayer, or lackthereof. After being pruned in Episode 4, she was completely absent from Episode 5 and most of Episode 6 until the very end. She wakes up in the Void on top of some kind of TVA relic before Alioth roars and a purple light appears. It’s unclear if one of the Kang variants found her, or if she needs to tame Alioth to escape, but this scene felt like an afterthought. Overall, Renslayer’s subplot in Season 2 wasn’t nearly as interesting as it was in Season 1, which is unfortunate.
Overall, though, I can’t wait to see what this means for the MCU at large. With the TVA hunting Kang’s variants, it feels like we’re starting to set up his presence more and more in future films and shows. It’s also worth noting that the timelines are all physically tied to Loki, so unlike He Who Remains who could reasonably leave the End of Time at any point, Loki cannot.
While it adds a layer of tragedy to his arc, it begs the question: can there be a Loki Season 3, knowing that Loki is burdened to stay at the End of Time to keep the multiverse intact? Will they find a way for him to appear in future movies or shows? What happens to the multiverse if Loki dies? It will be interesting to see how Marvel handles it.
Final Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars
“Glorious Purpose” makes up for the uneven writing and pacing of earlier episodes with a deeply moving and powerful character study of Loki, culminating in a bittersweet and visually impressive ending.
Despite the inconsistencies, I’d still recommend giving Loki Season 2 a watch. Yes, the show can meander at times and there may be questionable writing decisions. The previous two episodes, though, and certainly “Glorious Purpose,” are worth it. If you are a fan of the MCU’s interpretation of the God of Mischief, then you won’t be disappointed by what Loki Season 2 delivers.
You can watch all episodes of Loki Season 2 on Disney Plus.
Featured image: Disney
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