This review is based on the first four episodes provided to Geek Vibes Nation.
The God of Mischief is back in a brand new season where the stakes are higher and the story flows better than season one. These are strong words, especially considering many really enjoyed season one. This sentiment is one that I cannot share, as season one wasn’t really this writer’s personal favorite. It’s an oddity considering Loki started off as my favorite character in the MCU. While some may have asked if we needed more Loki in the MCU, I was one to say we can never have enough Loki! Then season one came out and I pondered if the MCU had run out of its use for the trickster.
Happy to Be Wrong
Luckily, the newest season of Loki reminds viewers that there are still stories to tell with Loki and that having him around still isn’t just fan service. Okay, realistically, perhaps having Loki’s journey now intertwined with the TVA is a bit of fan service, but it’s done with better writing and more consistent storytelling. Not to mention, what happens in season two could very well change the course of the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward. Only time will tell.
Wasting No Time
Season two wastes no time in picking up where season one left off. There is no time for goofy antics or pointless trips to time in the past. Things are serious now and not only is the TVA in jeopardy, but the entire timeline. Loki and Mobius have to work together with a handful of others in order to put things back together with little time to process the reality of what the TVA even is and the lives that they were each ripped away from.
Phase four of the MCU was promoted as cosmic and trippy, and while there was more good than bad, this formula, for the most part, didn’t work. There were many aspects to the atypical formula of Phase Four that made people wonder if the MCU could survive after Avengers: Endgame. It’s due to the criticism surrounding Phase Four’s projects that we wonder if Loki season 2 cut back on the wildness and chose to stick to a tighter story. Yes, the show still takes place in the TVA and deals with the multiverse, but it’s less about traversing through different timelines and more about the seriousness of stabilizing things. It’s due to this more concentrated plotline that the sophomore outing of Loki is able to excel where season one fell behind.
I Am Loki of Asgard and I Am Burned With Glorious Purpose…
Loki also reminds us that we are dealing with gods here. While Loki took much of a backseat in the first season of his own show, he steps closer to the forefront here – reminding us that this is the man who nearly took over New York City. He is a god and he can be dangerous when he wants to be. There are several scenes in season two that border on dark, eerie, and almost a little shocking. It is good to see that the show puts aside the goofiness for better story writing.
The Characters We Love
Let’s take a moment to talk about the characters in season two. We’ve talked about how Tom Hiddleston as Loki has been a much better character this season, but what about the others? Owen Wilson as Mobius continues to be an absolute delight and his companionship with Loki is a staple of the show. While they may not have the time to be up to their goofy antics as they were in season one, they still get the opportunity to show why they are an underrated partnership in the MCU.
Wunmi Mosaku gets more screentime as Hunter B-15 and we’re thankful for it. She has a lot more to chew on this season and works well with Team Loki. Eugene Cordero returns as Casey and it’s nice seeing him working with our core group of characters to help save the day. Ke Huy Quan is a really great new addition to the show and really lights up the room with every scene he’s in. I personally didn’t know I needed Ke Huy Quan in this show, but now that he’s here, I hope he never leaves.
Sophia Di Martino returns as Sylvie, but has a lot less screen time and stake in this show than she did in season one. For some, this might be a bad thing, but if you were like me and didn’t particularly like her character, it’s a bit of a relief. Though, her lines are written better this season and her interactions with Loki add growth to the relationship they had in season one. Still, it is good to see her not eating up the screen time that should have gone to Loki in the debut season.
While Gugu Mbatha-Raw doesn’t return in a huge capacity as Ravonna, the show is slowly building up to something with her and they’re doing a good job in laying the groundwork for her character later in the season. The direction she’s being taken in might seem a little odd to viewers, but won’t for those who are fans of the comics. And Tara Strong returns as Miss Minutes, who might end up being your favorite little sociopath in this season. I didn’t have Miss Minutes being jealous of Ravonna on my Bingo card, but I wish I did.
Slight Spoiler if You Didn’t See Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
The post-credit scene for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was a scene directly pulled from Loki season two. We see Loki and Mobius in the past, seeing Jonathan Majors as Victor Timely, a variant of Kang. From what we saw of Kang in the Ant-Man movie and the little we saw of He Who Remains at the end of season one, we’re to believe that this character is going to be frightening. However, Majors takes a different approach with Timely and is able to give us a character that is both his own, but also leads us to believe that he cannot be trusted. He Who Remains warned us about his variants, is this one to fear? Only the rest of the season will reveal as much.
Overall, it is nice to not only see Loki doing tricks again and reminding us that this was the first big villain of the MCU, but that he can also be the redeemed character from the main timeline without losing himself. The writing in season two is tighter, more consistent, and actually feels as if there are consequences to what happens in this story. It’s an overall darker theme that brings forward feelings of anxiety and will leave you at the edge of your seat for some of the scenes. The actors have done a fantastic job and we cannot wait for the final two episodes to premiere after the initial four we were given. What will happen in the remaining two episodes is anyone’s guess.
Season two of Loki will premiere on Disney+ on October 5, 2023, with new episodes every Thursday.
The second season of "Loki" breathes new life into the God of Mischief, raising the stakes and enhancing the storytelling beyond the already acclaimed first season. While season one left some unimpressed, season two revitalizes the character and the narrative. The intertwining of Loki's journey with the TVA, though somewhat fan-servicey, is backed by superior writing and a more cohesive plot. The show wastes no time in diving into the serious consequences faced by the TVA and the entire timeline, presenting a tighter, more concentrated story.
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GVN Rating 9
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User Ratings (2 Votes)
9.1