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Posted in: Disney+, Marvel, Review, TV | Tagged: disney, Jonathan Majors, loki, Marvel Studios, mavel studios, owen wilson, Review, sophia di martino, tom hiddleston
Loki S02E04 Review: Gut-Wrenching MCU Moment Outdoes Infinity War
Loki has become the bright light of MCU Phase IV, and we have compelling writing & acting to thank for that - like in "The Heart of the TVA."
When you have the 15-year history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there's so much content to parse through to make sense and sort out. To summarize, there are two key points to be aware of. The first is everything before the end of 2019's Avengers: Endgame and the second is everything afterward – which is Phase IV. While it marks a reset button of sorts, it seems like the MCU has been trying to figure out how to make fans care about the next big bad after Josh Brolin's Thanos. Given the upcoming releases, it's clear Jonathan Majors Kang the Conqueror will be the focus, but given his lingering controversy and the lackluster response to its recent outings on Disney+ and theaters, the future doesn't seem as clear as it once was. Since Majors was introduced in the MCU in the Disney+ series Loki, we have seen the damage he could potentially do from the series and in 2023's Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania, but Loki season two is attempting to establish another Kang variant after "He Who Remains" the previous season and Kang in the Peyton Reed film, Victor Timely is front and center in season two. Before we go on, here's your minor spoiler warning for the episode "The Heart of the TVA."
Chaos Turns 11 in Loki
When we last left Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Mobius (Owen Wilson), they re-recruited a reluctant Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) into helping them in hopes of salvage the timeline from the serious multiverse damage it has sustained due to a broken temporal loom, which keeps the time branches in check from total annihilation. They rescue Timely from the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair from the hands of Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and Miss Minutes (voice of Tara Strong), looking to restore past glory, and we come to find out the lengths of what they go through.
So, without getting too much into the act that rivals the Blip that saw half of Earth's population dusted, Loki probably provided the darkest banal moment, which is a credit to the editing, not to mention an almost equally shocking spaghetti moment since Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). Let's face it, even when Disney allows for some colorful language, they're not in the business of creating graphic Matthew Vaughn-level gore and violence even when they carry the far grittier content like Netflix's Daredevil and Fox's Deadpool films on their platform. It also reestablishes how Loki is the best use of its Thor IP, better than any of the films, yes, I said it. Fight me!
I enjoyed what writers Eric Martin and Katharyn Blair have done to get everyone more involved to build up a far more nuanced season two. Too often, I felt through the course of season one, there was more window dressing than deep substance considering the issues at play. This season, Ke Huy Quan's Ouroboros felt like the engineer of a Star Trek show, mixing his charisma while making technical jargon more palatable. Eugene Cordero's Casey and Wunmi Mosaku's B-15 are also far more involved this season, and I enjoyed Mbatha-Raw and Strong's villainous turns. I didn't expect to care about Rafael Casal's (Brad Wolfe) and Kate Dickie's (General Dox) characters, but they were certainly surprises thanks to the writing. Majors is also not regulated to some long-winded punchline as his new character. While the build-up to the apocalyptic moment is still there, it feels like it's a placeholder in a similar fashion to how Netflix's The Umbrella Academy treated Kugelblitz in season three. I'm looking forward to the final two episodes of the season, where we get another meaningful MCU piece. Loki streams Thursdays on Disney+.
Loki Season 2 Episode 4 "The Heart of the TVA"
9/10
Loki Season 2 "The Heart of the TVA" delivered perhaps the most gut-wrenching moment of the MCU since Avengers: Infinity War and most certainly of the series. This season is developing into something special - with everyone in the cast playing an essential part in driving the plot while still developing their respective characters. Credit to stars Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Ke Huy Quan, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku, Rafael Casal, Kate Dickie, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw for delivering some of the finest performances to date - definitely deserving of awards season consideration..
Credits
Director
Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
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