What to Watch Verdict
The emotional throughlines keep everything connected in a meaningful way, but we're still popping off with hot nonsense on the sidelines so everyone remembers they're watching a Loki show. Exceptional.
Pros
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💥 Sophia DiMartino continues to be awe inspiring as Sylvie.
- +
💥 The Council of Loki's is [chef's kiss]
- +
💥 Tom Hiddleston. Shoulder holster.
- +
💥 "Thanks for the spark" hits right in the gut. What good writing.
- +
💥 I couldn't stop grinning through Classic Loki's creation.
Cons
- -
💥 Loki thinks Sylvie needs him. That's very cute.
This post contains spoilers for Loki.
Check out our last review here.
We're cooking with gas now! Loki's penultimate episode pulled out all the stops, and it's swinging at anything that moves. In addition to the primary story, the series is totally comfortable with going full weird which, let's be clear, is exactly how a show about the Trickster (and all of his variants) should be. The answers, the story progression, and all of the sweet, sweet weird are great, but it's the emotional core between Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) that really makes this one shine. Even if you know that terrible things are about to befall these two Trickster kids.
Watching Loki Laufeyson break and decide to hug someone he calls a friend is such a disarming moment. We learn that Mobius (Owen Wilson) is as alive as Loki — and eventually the self-erased Sylvie — but nothing can prepare for the warm gut-punch that is he and Loki's hug. The group of Kid Loki (Jack Veal), Classic Loki (Richard E. Grant), Mobius, Slyvie and Loki split off into two teams to finally get to the bottom of whatever shenanigans are afoot at the TVA. Mobius' departure somehow hits just as hard is his assumed death not an episode prior. "Thanks for the spark!" is just a really, really good line.
Despite their bromance being one of the best aspects of Loki, it's the moment between Sylvie and Loki that steals the show this week. How do you reconcile with never trusting anyone for the whole of your existence and then finding yourself wondering if you can trust someone you know without a doubt lies just as much as you? Their simple, heartfelt chat before Sylvie attempts to take on the monster is the kind of scene that makes you want a romance series just about whatever the hell it is these two are about to go through. Because rest assured, they are about to go through it.
The core group aren't all who get their moment, though. Richard E. Grant's Classic Loki building an entire world to distract the creature while Loki and Syvie attempted to enchant it is straight up Fantasmic level good. What an absolute joy of a scene. Grant is having the time of his life and it shows!
Of course, I'd be remiss not to acknowledge the hijinks of an episode like this one. Every line surrounding Alligator Loki (Alligator) is comedy gold. (Shout out to Tom Hiddleston's delivery for taking it the extra mile.) From the legion of Loki's fighting one another to Sylvie's matter-of-fact "I'm going to enchant it" help make up all of the small moving parts that make this penultimate great. The emotional throughlines keep everything connected in a meaningful way, but we're still popping off with hot nonsense on the sidelines so everyone remembers they're watching a Loki show. Exceptional.
Though we're still left with a lot of questions before next week's finale, I find myself hoping for only a few core things. First, if Mobius doesn't get a Jet Ski we riot. Second, I know it's too much to ask that these darn Lokis get to live happily ever after, but if y'all don't let Loki and Sylvie keep being cute then what are we even doing here? Finally, B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) better get the opportunity to knock Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) into the next timeline. Sylvie may deserve revenge, but she's going to get her answers and her smooches. Let B-15 level out this authoritarian butthead immediately.
