All the people saying this show was boring, badly-paced, poorly-written: I don't think we watched the same show. I respect your opinion, but clearly you all missed something crucial.
I LOVED this show. I already loved Loki, and this expanded on the character brilliantly. He spends the show getting put in situations where he can't just magic his way out of things. His ego gets the better of him multiple times, as it should. But through the course of the show, he develops as a character and a person, because there are things going on that are much bigger than him. One of Loki's greatest traits has always been that he has far too much empathy to be a real villain. This really demonstrated that, to me. Episode 5 was the best, in my opinion, but the finale was also amazing. This show didn't leave me with questions like some of the movies have, like "why didn't X just do blank instead". I'm excited to see where they go for season 2!
And those of you who found Sylvie and Loki kissing to be gross or "incest," y'all are babies. It's only incest if you're related; alternate versions of each other doesn't count. I have Kingdom Hearts and the Lutece "twins" from Bioshock Infinite under my belt, this made sense compared to that, tbh. And honestly, doesn't it make sense that Loki would fall for himself, essentially? He said himself that he's a narcissist. Anyway, I haven't been this excited for two characters to kiss in a long time, I was so happy.
2 of 6.Loki is arrested by the Time Variance Authority (TVA) when he creates a new timeline after escaping from the Battle of New York with the Tesseract in 2012. The TVA resets the timeline, and this "variant" Loki stands trial in front of Judge Ravonna Renslayer for crimes against the "Sacred Timeline". Loki blames the situation on the Avengers, who had traveled back in time to 2012, but Renslayer says their actions were meant to happen - unlike Loki's escape. Agent Mobius M. Mobius takes Loki to the Time Theatre to review his past misdeeds and question his history of hurting people. He reveals that Loki, in his intended future, inadvertently causes the death of his adoptive mother Frigga. Loki attempts to escape, but gives up after realising that the TVA's power exceeds that of the Infinity Stones. He returns to the Time Theatre and watches more future events, including his own death at the hands of Thanos. He then agrees to help Mobius hunt another Loki variant, who was killing several TVA agents and stealing their timeline-resetting charges.
Loki joins a TVA mission to the site of an attack by "the Variant" in 1985 Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where he stalls and attempts to bargain his way into meeting the Time-Keepers, who the TVA claims created them and the Sacred Timeline. Renslayer objects to Loki's further involvement, but Mobius convinces her to give him another chance. Loki researches TVA files and theorises that the Variant is hiding near apocalyptic events where their actions do not affect the timeline. Loki and Mobius confirm this possibility by visiting Pompeii in 79 AD, before deducing that the Variant is hiding during a hurricane in 2050 Alabama. There they are ambushed by the Variant who enchants several locals and TVA agent Hunter B-15. The Variant reveals herself to be a female version of Loki and rejects his offer to overthrow the Time-Keepers together. She sends the stolen reset charges to various points along the Sacred Timeline, which activate and create numerous branched timelines that throw the TVA into disarray. She teleports away and Loki follows her.
As a preface, I love Loki the character.
However, this series didn't sit well with me for some reason until I had some time to really think about this series as a whole. The other Disney+ series have set the standard that they are vehicles in which to set up the next phase of the storyline but ALSO to further develop the character. We explore Wanda's grief in Wandavision and we explore Sam's hesitancy and struggles as a Black man picking up the mantle of Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
What did we learn that's new or was explored about Loki's character in this series? That he has alters? So what.
The brief mention that Loki and Sylvie are more powerful than they realize and the things that they're capable of doing with their powers is glossed over and only given a peek again in the scene with Classic Loki. I would have thought that one of the character developments in the show would be Loki discovering all the things he can really do after he learns of this. But nope.
This season of the show was merely a way to enter Phase 4's overarching storyline of the multiverse and to explore the universe further. It just falls flat as a story about Loki. The show seemed to be more about the multiverse and less about Loki even if the show is titled after him.
Speaking of Season 2, what story could they possibly tell in Season 2? Is Loki's story not over yet? Even as a fan of the character, I would have thought that the end of this series would be our goodbye to this character.
Good, interesting story with a time travel twist - I really liked the idea behind the TVA. Great scenery, it shows that they spent a lot of money on CGI, music is also good, compelling, erie, sets the tone of the story.
I loved the idea of multiple Lokis, it was fun to see how they interacted with each other. Sadly Tom Hiddleston seemed like he forgot how to act, his scenes were the poorest of all. Even Owen Wilson was brilliant next to Hiddleston. On top of that, it was really sad to see how they "pruned" this Loki character, he could have been anybody, a mere human, because there was nothing in his character that reminded me of the original Loki. The always-schemeing, always-plotting Loki. The awesomely intelligent, yet funny, goofy Loki. This Loki was a really boring and bad Loki.
Anyway, the story was good, third episode was the most boring IMO, it was a filler to the max - and strangely the last episode missed its climax for me, it fell flat all that conversation with He Who Remains. Most of all, I couldn't take the guy seriously, and if that was the purpose, they did an excellent job, but I think they should've gone with a more dangerous looking somebody. Well, maybe next season?
Apart from that, there were some inconsistencies in the plot, and I find it really boring if the ultimate enemy will be the same as in this season, but we'll see if this show can improve upon, or descend into chaos.
What would fit Loki well I think.
This was building up to be a great show for the first 4 episodes, but settled for being quite a good one, all thanks to Marvel wanting to use this as a springboard to launch their multiverse. The show begins right after Loki escaped with the Tesseract during the 'Time Heist' in Endgame, only to be captured by the Time Variance Authority (TVA). Turns out the only reason we did not have a multiverse so far is because the TVA is in charge of ensuring that such a thing never happens.
Post his capture of course Loki does 'Loki' things to try and escape (keep in mind that this is still the 'villain' Loki from the first Avengers). As expected, Loki does turn over a fresh page. However, I thought that it was not too convincing as to how his transformation to being a god guy and best friends with Mobius (played brilliantly by Owen Wilson) was shown. But, I guess when you have only 6 episodes at your disposal, you have to do away with certain subtleties (looking at GOT S8 right now).
As we hurtle into the deep and dark machinations of the TVA, there are further reveals, now characters, and plenty of good potential storylines that crop up.
While the show may have done a great job at setting up the Marvel Phase 4, it did end on a bit of a damp squib.
Review by rhaenerisBlockedParent2021-07-21T18:12:41Z— updated 2021-08-01T21:15:03Z
Honestly I feel pretty let down by the Loki series and not just because of the weird, gross “selfcest” thing, but because Loki is not himself at all. The hamfisted way they skipped years of character development is bad enough, but his skills, intelligence and physical prowess seem to have evaporated. Even his mannerisms and the way he speaks are different.
Loki has been rewritten as a completely different character by people who haven't the faintest idea who he is or his previous history. Even Ragnarok treated him better than that. The movies have established Loki as a 1000+ year old powerful sorcerer, master manipulator and clever strategist from an ancient alien civilization. But he has also spent his life being second best, never quite fitting in and not knowing why. However the show is seemingly trying to imply Loki lived a charmed life as a spoiled prince, all in an effort to prop up Sylvie, the "superior" Loki, whose life has been anything but. It's all completely ridiculous and makes me resent Sylvie just for existing.
The once clever and highly adaptable Loki has been reduced to comic relief, a bumbling fool the plot is happening to, but barely has any effect on the story. He’s just...there. It’s sad to see. I really don't understand why Marvel keep punishing characters that apparently became more popular than intended, instead of embracing them. Loki was sidelined to the point he's even being treated as a sidekick in his own series.
Also Sylvie and Loki kissing was one of the most cringey and uncomfortable things I’ve ever watched.