Episode Grade: (8.3/10)
Sylvie follows Loki into the Void after learning about its significance from Ravonna. Once there, she conjures upon a plan to escape.
Plot (39/50)
After watching Loki get pruned by Ravonna, Sylvie pressures her into giving up some information about the TVA. When she learns that pruning someone only sends them to the Void at the end of time, she pruned herself. Once there, she works with Loki, Mobius, and the other Loki Variants to take on Alioth.
The Void
We knew that they wouldn’t kill off Loki, and now we know what happened to him. After Ravonna pruned Loki, Sylvie threatens to prune her if she doesn’t offer up information on the TVA. Ravonna tells Sylvie that people that get pruned aren’t dead, they’re simply sent to the Void at the end of time. The Void is a sort of no man’s land where very few survive thanks to Alioth, the monster in the sky that devours anything in its path. Ravonna fails to mention this detail, of course. She proceeds to stall for time under the guise that she too wants to find out who’s actually behind the TVA.
Sylvie goes along with it hoping that she might gain some valuable information, but she keeps her guard up. As soon as Ravonna’s backup arrives, Sylvie steals her TemPad and prunes herself. When she arrives at the Void, she has a run-in with Alioth. Luckily, Mobius arrives in time to save her. Sylvie was trying to find Loki, but she thinks that Alioth already got to him, so her focus shifts back to finding out who’s behind the TVA. She believes that confronting Alioth is the key, so they turn back to face it. That’s when they run into Loki.
Team Loki
Meanwhile, Loki’s spent the day trying to garner the support of Classic Loki, Kid Loki, Alligator Loki, and Boastful Loki. The group saves him from Alioth when he first drops into the Void. They take him to their hideout, but they won’t go after Alioth with him. As he’s leaving the hideout, it gets ambushed by another group of Lokis who found the hideout thanks to Boastful Loki’s betrayal. A brawl ensues between the Lokis after a series of betrayals which Loki and co. (without Boastful Loki) use as a distraction to escape.
Loki once again makes the case for going after Alioth in order to get back to Sylvie because she has the ability to make change. His belief in her translates, and the team agrees to take him as far as Alioth, but he’ll still have to confront the monster on his own. Loki plans to strike when Alioth is distracted with a new timeline, but he soon finds out that Alioth can devour his target in no time at all. His plan isn’t going to work. Luckily for him, Sylvie arrives with a plan of her own.
She believes that Alioth is guarding the creator of the TVA, so to get to him, they’ll need to get through Alioth. Her plan is to enchant Alioth as opposed to killing him. Loki is on board, but the rest will not engage. Mobius returns to the TVA using the TemPad, and the rest decide to stay in the Void, their home. When they finally go after Alioth, things don’t go as planned. Loki is unable to distract Alioth long enough for Sylvie to enchant him. If it weren’t for Classic Loki’s heroic effort, Alioth would’ve devoured them. His distraction gave Sylvie and Loki just enough time to co-enchant Alioth.
Final Thoughts
We’ve seen the introspective side of Loki over the first four episodes. Having him interact with other Lokis was a welcome change of pace, especially since they all suffer the same tragic existence. Seeing them rally behind Sylvie makes her feel like a big deal, and that’s good. I’m curious to know what her nexus event was because the way they’ve teased it so far makes me feel like it’s important. For now, the focus will be on what Loki and Sylvie will find past Alioth. Will it be the creator of the TVA, or will it be another lieutenant?
Character Development (14/15)
The Loki Variants were an effective way to further Loki’s development. Seeing him in a new environment away from Mobius and Sylvie was a kind of litmus test for how much he’s actually changed. Similarly, the one-on-one interaction between Sylvie and Mobius proved that they can work together even without Loki around as the mutual friend. I’m still not sure what to make of Ravonna.
Loki
Seeing so many Variants of Loki put the qualities of the character in focus. It is in a Loki’s nature to betray their friends. A Loki’s role is to lose so others can win, but being Loki also means surviving. If you think about it, it’s a rather tragic existence. They’re destined for perpetual loss, but even then it’s not over. They aren’t good enough to win, but they’re too good to fully lose. Because of this, they end up in a lonely and miserable loop. Loki hears the defeat in the stories of the other Lokis, and it drives him to change their destiny even further.
This brings us to back to Sylvie. He believes in her and most definitely cares for her. Mobius might’ve been the one to set him on the path to redemption, but Sylvie is the one that will keep him on it. And since she is, he’s got to find the courage to explicitly convey his feelings for her because right now, that awkwardness is brutal. He just about managed to find his footing by the end of that conversation when Sylvie asks if he’ll betray her.
Loki’s response shows his maturity. He acknowledges his past betrayals, and more importantly, he recognizes why he did what he did. His why changed, so he no longer feels the need to betray. Now obviously he’s going to have to prove it, but his response seems genuine. He wants to build a future with Sylvie, he even says as much. The connection he feels with Sylvie is so strong that it gave him the confidence to co-enchant Alioth even though he’d never done it before. At this point, the ball’s in Sylvie’s court.
Sylvie, Ravonna, and Mobius
Speaking of Sylvie, her affection for Loki is undeniable. The feeling is new to her, but the seeds have been planted. She has serious trust issues, and rightfully so. Still, relationships are built on trust, so she must learn to trust Loki at some point. Working with him to enchant Alioth is a good first step, but I imagine the real challenge will be against whatever or whoever awaits them now. If she still feels that Loki will betray, might she decide to betray him first?
Ravonna’s betrayal is still fresh in her mind, so it won’t take much for Sylvie to go back into survival mode. Now, the tricky part about Ravonna is that she too wants to unmask the creator of the TVA. Turning on Sylvie was a personal choice motivated by self-preservation, but her motivations for finding the truth are unclear. Does she want to know the truth because she feels betrayed by the TVA? Or does she just want to beat Sylvie to it so she can finally contain her? I still think she’s hiding something big, and I’m guessing it has something to do with Sylvie’s nexus event.
Finally, we have Mobius, the man who started it all. He believed that Loki could change even when Loki himself didn’t believe it. That resonated with Loki over the course of the season, just like it resonated with Classic Loki in this episode. There’s a sincerity to him, so when he speaks, people listen. It didn’t take long for him and Sylvie to make up, and he’s hunted her for all her life. She too saw that Mobius’ word is real, so she was able to accept his apology. She even gave him the TemPad. Now, it’s up to him to spread the truth about the TVA.
Theme/Messages (4/5)
- “I guess when you think the ends justify the means, there’s not much you won’t do.”
- “It’s never too late to change.”
Acting (13/15)
Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Sophia Di Martino (Sylvie), and Owen Wilson (Mobius) were expectedly great, but it’s the other Lokis that stole the show. Jack Veal (Kid Loki) and DeObia Oparei (Boastful Loki) played their roles well, and Richard E. Grant (Classic Loki) was especially impressive.
Cinematography (13/15)
- The show’s been very good about setting unique atmospheres for the different planets.
- Shot of the Lokis and Mobius from behind as Alioth rages on in the sky ahead (34:40)
- Nice shot of Alioth approaching with a small green light and a small orange light showing how small Sylvie and Loki are in comparison (39:28)
- Cool shot of Loki and Sylvie holding hands as they walk through the clouds of Alioth and into the end of time (43:36)