Episode 5 is an absolute treasure trove, from the appearance of fan favorite (and personal favorite) Kid Loki, to the long-awaited President Loki, to all the many easter eggs scattered about, and so many more references. Of course, the plot is moving along at a great pace too, which it had better do with only one episode to go. So let’s see what’s new, what I got right or wrong, and what are the major thoughts to share during Loki’s journey into mystery.
Oh, and in case anyone still needs a reminder: there will be spoilers ahead, because it’s hard to analyze plot points without actually saying what they are.
1. The End of Time
So where do things go when they get pruned? At first it just seemed like they were being destroyed, but now we know that it’s all time travel. Just like Sylvie was hiding out in disasters, anything pruned gets sent to The Void – a point at the end of time where everything gets destroyed.
Destroyed by what, exactly? By Alioth, a massive evil purple cloud that devours everything it sees.
And yes, it does exist in the comics. There, Alioth is a being who broke free from the constraints of time, whose own time-spanning empire makes Kang’s look tiny. (Yes, he also ties into Kang the Conqueror.) In this case, though, Alioth is less a conqueror and more a ravenous beast-like cloud, and according to Sylvie, something of a guard dog. Whoever’s really pulling the strings at the TVA lurks in whatever Alioth is guarding, at least that’s the theory.
Now you might be thinking “Oh look, another evil cloud monster.” In fact, that was my first thought as well. Yes, just like the version of Galactus we got in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and the Green Lantern movie’s version of Parallax. Evil space clouds have not gone over well in comic book adaptations, to say the least. Except in this case, that’s what Alioth is in the comics as well, so it earns a pass.
As for The Void itself, it’s littered with wreckage from pruned timelines. We see a wrecked Avengers tower, pirate ships, flying saucers, and even Ronan’s ship from Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s a treasure trove of easter eggs, including a giant version of Yellowjacket’s helmet, what may be a statue of the Living Tribunal, and yes, the ThanosCopter. Did the TVA prune a variant Thanos at some point? Mobius did mention that they took down Titans before…
Anyways, all these little details were excellent, and made the setting all the more engaging. Let us know your favorite easter eggs in the comments!
2. Meet the Lokis
Last episode’s post-credits scene introduced several new Loki variants, including Kid Loki and Classic Loki. It seems like Lokis are the only ones who survive for long in The Void, since they’re the best at running and escaping from Alioth.
This is more than just nice little treats for fans of the comics. Each of the Lokis has a different story and a Nexus Event – most hardcore of all being Kid Loki, who killed Thor. That’s enough to make him king of the assembled Lokis, and he’s pretty good at it too.
However, Classic Loki’s is probably the most interesting. His story seemed very similar to the Loki we know, up until Thanos attacked. He managed to fake his death, like many fans assumed our Loki did, before floating in space to safety. It was only when he began to miss Thor and went to reunite with him that the TVA came in and basically said “No, you’re not supposed to leave, now you’re a variant and must be pruned.”
Yeah, the TVA is still pretty nasty.
Oh, and Alligator Loki is amazing (yes, he’s an alligator, not a crocodile, as the episode confirms). He’s given a decent amount of personality from the show letting the camera focus on him for reaction moments, as well as the other Lokis translating for him. The best part is: it’s not even clear where he came from, but the other Lokis accept him as a Loki without hesitation. (“He’s green, isn’t he?”)
Continued belowAll in all, it’s a good job bringing more Lokis into the mix, which brings us to the next thought…
3. The Nature of a Loki
What makes a Loki a Loki? That’s a question that’s been brought up repeatedly throughout the show. In this case, we see several different Lokis, not all of whom match the same criteria. However, Classic Loki and Kid Loki bring up some important points.
Classic Loki describes himself (and his other selves) as “The God of Outcasts.” Considering the fate the TVA laid out for him, it’s a fitting feeling.
Kid Loki laments on how whenever a Loki tries to improve and be better, the TVA swoops in and prunes them. Once again, the TVA is dictating peoples’ fates, rather than giving them free will and the chance to do and be better. It’s a recurring theme throughout this series, which more or less gets called out directly.
But we also see the negative traits of a Loki come through, primarily the constant backstabbing and betrayal. Boastful Loki betrays them all to President Loki (a wonderful reference to “Vote Loki,” even if the comic itself may not have been the best), who in turn betrays Boastful Loki and breaks his word. Then all the other Loki variants he brought with him betray him, and it basically becomes a mass betrayal fest.
Which is, all things considered, very entertaining to watch and very telling for Loki’s character. The chain of betrayals is a moment of great comedic timing, yet still ties into the overarching character arc(s).
We’ve seen that Loki has the capacity for change, both in this show and the movies, but with all these variant Lokis, of course not every one will want to. What better way to analyze a character than to present him with multiple versions of himself?
4. What’s Renslayer’s Game?
Now then, back at the TVA, Ravonna Renslayer is playing her own games. First she tells Sylvie that she doesn’t know who’s behind the TVA, but she wants to learn the truth too.
Then it looks like she’s stalling for time, as more TVA agents show up to capture Sylvie. Even Miss Minutes helps her buy time by bringing up a fake Void Spacecraft prototype (and were it not for the presence of Classic, Kid, and Alligator Loki, Miss Minutes would still be the breakout character of the series).
Except after that, she goes to interrogate Hunter B-15, who also thinks Renslayer is out to learn the truth. Even though Renslayer herself insists the TVA needs stability, even at the cost of the truth, there’s clearly more she’s after. So how much does she know, and what’s her end game? There’s a lot that’s still unclear and uncertain, and that just keeps us more excited to find out what’s really going on.
Admittedly, this is a thought with more questions than analysis behind it, but it’s still important to follow each character’s arc throughout the show.
5. Beyond the Void
Okay, let’s quickly catch up with the rest of the episode: Sylvie prunes herself with a TemPad in hand so she can get to our Loki, reunites with Mobius (I figured he’d still be alive), and meets back up with Loki and… the other Lokis. We get a little more time with Loki and Sylvie as they try to discuss and figure out their feelings, which is still something they’re clearly not used to doing. Still, it highlights Loki’s character development when he says he’s no longer the person who betrays everyone he’s ever loved, and I’m almost ready to believe him.
So is the plan to head back to the TVA and take it all down? Well, that’s what Mobius will do, but the Lokis have another plan. Classic, Kid, and Alligator Loki will stay in The Void, since they’re used to surviving there. Meanwhile, Sylvie and Loki will try to enchant Alioth to get to whatever he’s guarding.
This leads to some great scenes. First, a fond farewell for Loki and Mobius, as they hug it out. Then, Classic Loki gets a brilliant sacrifice scene as he conjures an illusion of all of Asgard to draw Alioth’s attention, and gets a suitably dramatic final moment as he proclaims “Glorious purpose!”
Continued belowNow that’s how you kill off a character. Somehow, a Loki variant got a better, more memorable death scene than half the main characters killed off in the MCU (right up there with Coulson’s first death).
So it’s a suitably climactic moment as Sylvie and Loki work together to enchant Alioth. It looks like it works, and then… they’re inside a swirling mass of purple clouds, with a massive castle in the distance. Are they inside Alioth, and there’s a whole other base hidden there? Is there teleportation afoot? It’s unclear, but it sets the stage for the final episode quite nicely.
Oh, and no post-credits scene this time.
Other thoughts:
– We got a brief Frog Thor cameo, which I appreciate
– None of the Loki variants we meet are the ones we saw when Mobius was going over Loki variants the TVA brought in before, but there’s sure a lot of them anyways
– I don’t know what those strange birds with floating orbs for heads are in The Void, but I like them anyways.
