Episode Grade: (9.1/10)
Timely’s cooperation allows the TVA to move forward with O.B.’s plans even as Ravonna and Miss Minutes attempt to sabotage their efforts.
Plot (45/50)
The first half of the episode was at the same pace we’ve grown accustomed to this season, but the second half pushed the pace to levels we’ve not seen on this show thus far. Loki and co. gain Timely’s tentative trust and secure his cooperation. He works with O.B. to combine their inventions into one device that can expand the Loom’s capacity. Their plan hits a hiccup when Ravonna and Miss Minutes attempt a hostile takeover of the TVA, but they manage to get things under control once again. The failed execution of their plan makes for a shocking ending that leaves us with more questions than answers.
Timely in the TVA
The episode opens with Miss Minutes revealing to Ravonna that she had led He Who Remains’ army in the Timeline Wars, but that he erased her and the rest of the TVA’s memories after the war was won. Ravonna is understandably outraged. She now has her eyes set on ruling the TVA by herself (with the help of Miss Minutes). Back at the TVA, Loki and co. attempt to gain Timely’s cooperation so that they can fix the Loom. Timely is initially reluctant, but after meeting O.B., he agrees to help.
As Timely and O.B. work on integrating Timely’s invention into O.B.’s Throughout Multiplier, other developments are underway in the peripheral. B-15 takes Judge Gamble’s advice and offers to release General Dox and her team in exchange for their support in protecting the TVA. Dox isn’t inclined to play along with B-15 nor Brad, but she does seem to be considering her options. Shortly after, Ravonna and Miss Minutes arrive. They too ask Dox for her support, but she declines. Brad sides with Ravonna, but the rest of Dox’s team stand firmly behind her. As a result, they are mercilessly executed.
Back at Repairs & Advancements, Timely, O.B., and Casey have managed to successfully integrate the two devices into a functioning Throughout Multiplier. And while Loki is busy keeping Mobius and Sylvie focused on the task at hand, Ravonna and Miss Minutes make their move. First, Miss Minutes scrambles the TemPads. Next, Brad prunes the minuteman responsible for Timely. He then brings Timely to the War Room, where he’s questioned by Ravonna. All the while, the Loom continues to overload.
Moment of Truth
In the midst of a scramble to get things under control, things start to get interesting. The future Loki saw when he was timeslipping is now the present. As he races to meet up with Sylvie so they can confront Miss Minutes in the War Room, he comes across the past version of himself that was racing to get himself pruned before time runs out. He realizes what’s going on then and there, so he confidently prunes himself, thus solving the mystery of who pruned him. He reunites with Sylvie and picks up the ringing phone.
Over the phone, O.B. reveals that Miss Minutes has been sabotaging them. She’s locked them out of the system, and the only way to get past her is to reboot the system. However, rebooting the system would deactivate the TVA’s defense systems, namely the dampener that prevents anyone from using magic. Loki and Sylvie insist that O.B. proceed with the reboot, so he does. Back at the War Room, we see Miss Minutes shutting down. When Brad leaves to scout the floor, he’s quickly enchanted by Sylvie. An unsuspecting Ravonna is then pruned by the enchanted Brad as Loki and Sylvie retrieve Timely.
Everyone then assembles in the Loom’s Control Room. O.B. warns that the radiation is much higher than it was when Mobius was out there, so whoever goes out must be as quick as possible. Loki volunteers to go, but Timely insists that he go instead. He gets suited up, and with the Throughput Multiplier in hand, he prepares to head out. And in a shocking twist of events, as soon as he goes out, he’s “spaghettified.” As Loki and co. watch in horror, the Loom explodes.
Final Thoughts
This was the most captivating episode of the series thus far. The way they tied the future Loki saw into the storyline here was awesome. It established consistency and gave an answer as to who pruned Loki. As an added bonus, I certainly was not expecting it. I was under the impression that the future Loki saw earlier in the season was far away, but as they’ve told us again and again, time works differently in the TVA.
Then there was the fantastic twist at the end. Not only did Timely turn into spaghetti, but the Loom exploded as well. In short, Loki and co. failed to save the TVA. Again, this was something O.B. warned could happen on a number of occasions. The plan was shaky, at best, we just didn’t process that possibility. I mention this point because having this sort of continuity preserves the integrity of the viewership. It shows that the writers are dedicated to telling a solid story with as little shortcuts as possible. Kudos to them for getting so much done without going off the tracks.
Character Development (14/15)
Unlike in other strong storyline episodes where the character development took a backseat, this one featured plenty of both. Loki’s redemption arc remains the main driver, so it’s only natural for him to be involved in significant moments for Mobius and Sylvie. We got to see some more of Timely as he interacted with O.B. and the minutemen. And as an added bonus, even fringe characters such as Ravonna, Miss Minutes, General Dox, and Brad were involved in some important moments.
Loki, Sylvie, and Mobius
Loki found himself in the middle of a tense showdown between Sylvie and Mobius early on in the episode, and that really set the tone for him. The showdown was, of course, instigated by Sylvie. She was already fed up with having to listen to Loki and Mobius argue or even being in the TVA in the first place. So when Mobius suggested they get pies while they wait for Timely and O.B. to fix the Throughout Multiplier, she lost it. Sylvie legitimately cares for the freedom of the timelines, so she took offense to Mobius’ indifference. Furthermore, she’s incensed by Mobius’ refusal to even investigate his origin.
Mobius’ laid-back style is virtually incompatible with Sylvie’s intensity, so it’s up to Loki to mediate. He starts with Sylvie. He makes a case for hope, for building instead of destroying as they’ve always done. She argues that his plan is too reliant on hoping for the best, and she’s not wrong. There are alot of things that can wrong (as we see later in the episode), but Loki argues that the TVA is the best option they have. Sylvie is moved by Loki’s optimism, but she digs deeper anyways. She questions Loki’s intent to play god over the TVA and the timelines, to which he emphatically reminds her that they are, in fact, gods.
There’s alot of unresolved tension between the two that was on full display here. Loki is past appeasing Sylvie. He’s no longer afraid to call her out, just as she calls others out. He understands that people aren’t perfect, and thanks to Mobius, he was able to let go of the anger that was fueling him. Sylvie is still clouded by anger, so she simply can not trust the way Loki can. The thing is, they both want to do what’s right. Loki volunteers to go out to the Loom himself, and he would’ve had Timely not insisted on going. His horror at the explosion of the Loom tells you all you need to know about how much he cares.
Timely
Timely is no He Who Remains. Where He Who Remains is cold and calculated, Timely is warm and compassionate. The scientific brilliance is there in both, as is the burning desire for greatness, but their matching qualities manifest themselves very differently. It’s possible that Timely could develop malicious intent in the future, as demonstrated by his betrayal of Ravonna in the previous episode, but for now, that’s not the case. He works with O.B. to fix the Loom despite being overwhelmed with one wild revelation after another. In a sense, he proves that he can be a team player.
Before I touch on his final act, there are a couple interactions that stood out. When he offers the minuteman a cup of hot cocoa, that demonstrates a kindness and compassion that makes him human. Sylvie mentioned that she couldn’t kill him because she saw fear in his eyes, fear that was not there in He Who Remains. Furthermore, when he’s questioned by Ravonna and Miss Minutes, he stalls long enough for help to arrive because he legitimately wants to help. And in that final moment, despite the high risk involved in the task at hand, he finds the courage to put himself in harm’s way. That doesn’t sound like an evil emperor to me.
Ravonna, Miss Minutes, Dox, and Brad
When Miss Minutes revealed to Ravonna the truth about how He Who Remains used her to win his war before erasing her memories, she was incensed. Ravonna already felt that she wasn’t getting the respect or appreciation that she deserves for keeping the TVA in order all this time, so this really fanned her flames. She decides that she doesn’t need anyone (aside from Miss Minutes) by her side. Armed with Miss Minutes’ administrative access, Ravonna attempts a hostile takeover of the TVA.
Unfortunately for her, people see right through her thirst for power. Dox did not agree with the way the TVA was being run under Loki and co., but that’s because she cares about the well-being of the institution. Judge Gamble knows this, that’s why she advises B-15 to appeal to Dox’s sense of duty. And that’s in large part why Dox refuses to team up with Ravonna, even at pain of death. Dox is a woman of principle. That’s why she commands so much respect from her team (minus Brad) and her opposition alike. She was willing to die before turning on the very institution she vowed to defend.
As for the aggressors, they each had a different tolerance for violence. Miss Minutes demonstrates psychopathic behavior when she watches on with excitement and joy as Dox and her team get crushed. She’s the most dangerous of the lot. Ravonna reluctantly executes Dox and co., but she’s probably convinced herself that it’s for the greater good. She watches on with a sense of guilt. Brad can’t even watch. He pleads with Dox to save herself, just like he’s done, to no avail. He’s horrified by the execution of his colleagues, but he’d rather live a sellout than die for the TVA. It’s an eerily representative mix of reactions.
Theme/Messages (4/5)
- “Trying to fix what’s broken is hard. Hope is hard.”
- “You can’t give people free will and just walk away.”
- What’s worth dying for?
Acting (14/15)
This was a well-acted episode across the board. Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Owen Wilson (Mobius), and Sophia Di Martino (Sylvie) were at the forefront, as usual. Jonathan Majors (Victor Timely) and Ke Huy Quan (O.B.) had a fun dynamic going. Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Ravonna), Rafael Casal (Brad), and Kate Dickie (General Dox) had a really strong sequence as well. Dickie, in particular, embodied her character in the very limited time she had. She has a knack for making an impression with very limited screentime.
Cinematography (14/15)
There were a total of three face-to-face profile shots in this episode. I wrote a post about this pattern here:
#Loki #LokiSeason2 #LokiS2
— haveyasceneit (@haveyasceneit) October 29, 2023
They did the same type of profile shot with two people standing face-to-face while a third person stands in the background between them three times in E4.
In the first two instances, the shot demonstrates the hostility between the two characters… pic.twitter.com/QSTo32D01I
- The opening was nice
- Cool shot of Miss Minutes and Ravonna standing before He Who Remains’ decaying body (4:35)
- Profile shot of Mobius and Sylvie standing face-to-face with Loki in the background between them (15:00)
- Great receding shot of the break room as Loki and Sylvie walk out towards the camera (22:25 onwards)
- Another profile shot, this time of Ravonna and Dox standing face-to-face with Brad in the middle (23:36)
- Miss Minutes’ final words are “you’ll never be him” to Timely as she vanishes and the statues of He Who Remains behind her come into focus (37:23)
- Nice shot of Loki looking out at the overloaded Temporal Loom (40:01)
- Cool shot of Timely and O.B. standing face-to-face with Loki between them; camera angle was below the line of sight (40:50)
- Great sequence following Timely’s evaporation as the camera pans to everyone’s reactions (41:40)
- Cool shot of Loki looking out at the exploding Temporal Loom with Mobius now by his side (43:03)
- Closeup of Loki’s anguished face to close out the episode