Episode Grade: (8.0/10)
Loki works to bring the team back together after the Loom’s explosion left him all alone at the TVA, but he must once again contend with timeslipping.
Plot (38/50)
Following up a riveting episode four was never going to be easy, so this one focused on picking up the pieces and setting up the finale. The Temporal Loom’s explosion triggers the collapse of the TVA with Loki helpless due this the return of his timeslipping. That same timeslipping proves useful as Loki searches for his friends across timelines. By the end of the episode, he’s able to control his timeslipping. That development could have serious implications beyond this series and into the rest of the MCU.
The Collapse of the TVA
The Temporal Loom’s explosion reset the lives of the Variants working at the TVA with the exception of Loki and Sylvie, as we will later learn. As Loki wanders the TVA in search of anyone, he starts to timeslip yet again. Luckily, he timeslips out of the TVA just as it all spaghettifies around him. Presumably, this is the protocol per the TVA’s “Fail Safe Mode” that initiates following the explosion of the Loom.
Loki then goes through a sequence of timeslipping that takes him to the locations of his friends on their various branched timelines. None of Casey, B-15, or Mobius remember Loki or their lives at the TVA. Neither does O.B., but because he’s a physicist and a science fiction writer, he’s able to help. O.B. tells Loki that he must learn to control his timeslipping, but Loki is unable to despite his best efforts.
They then pivot to a different theory. If Loki can get the band back together in the same place, they should be able to use their collective Temporal aura to go back to the TVA. The hope is that they would then be able to prevent the Loom from exploding, thus saving the TVA. They would also need a TemPad which they don’t have. Fortunately, Loki has a TVA handbook on him which he gives to O.B. as a guide. He then timeslips back to Mobius.
Getting the Band Back Together
Loki tries to convince Mobius that he belongs in the TVA, but with no recollection of his life there, he doesn’t believe Loki. That is until O.B. arrives through a Timedoor. It took him 19 months to build a functioning TemPad in what felt like minutes for Loki. Anyways, Loki uses a Timedoor to demonstrate time travel and to assure Mobius that he could return to his life at any moment should he so choose. After some discussion, Mobius reluctantly agrees to help. Loki then collects B-15 and Casey and brings them all back to O.B.’s office. There’s only one person left to collect: Sylvie.
Loki finds Sylvie at the same McDonald’s she now calls home, but he’s surprised when she remembers him. It turns out, she saw what happened at the TVA and decided that she would just live her life instead of doing something about it. Loki tries hard to convince her to join up with the rest of the team, but she turns him down. He returns to the team empty-handed and tells them to go back to their timelines.
Meanwhile, Sylvie’s timeline was spaghettifying. She arrives just as Loki’s given up hope to tells them that the branches are dying. Unfortunately, she’s too late. As they try to execute O.B.’s plan to get them back to the TVA, their own timeline starts spaghettifying. This time, even Sylvie gets spaghettified. Loki is once again all alone. And in that moment, as he literally grasps at straws, he learns to control his timeslipping. He slips back to Sylvie’s arrival to report his newfound power before slipping back to the TVA right before the Loom explodes.
Final Thoughts
Essentially, the purpose of this episode was to set up an exciting finale, and it did just that. Naturally, there wasn’t as much excitement here as there was in the previous episode. The focus was on Loki’s timeslipping, and that proved to be both a strength and a weakness. The concept of timeslipping is certainly intriguing, but now that Loki can control it, there could be serious ramifications that permeate throughout the MCU. I’ll be watching the finale very closely because as it stands, Loki’s timeslipping might be breaking the time travel rules set in Avengers: Endgame, especially if he “rewrites the story.”
Character Development (12/15)
The relationship between Loki and Sylvie hasn’t been properly advanced ever since their kiss at the Citadel. Part of that is because they’re after different things. Loki seeks redemption. Sylvie just wants to live her life. That puts them at odds here, but unlike their encounter at the Citadel, they manage to have a civil conversation that proves insightful to them both. As an added bonus, we got to see the lives of other important characters before their time at the TVA.
Loki
It’s no secret that Loki seeks redemption for his past (and future) missteps. Mobius’ belief in him, coupled with the knowledge of how his life unfolds on the Sacred Timeline, motivates Loki to do good. Right now, that means saving the TVA, and by the extension, reality. However, as Sylvie points out, there’s more. Loki doesn’t want to be alone. He’s found a group of friends at the TVA, and he doesn’t want to lose them. Sylvie suggests that this is what Loki ultimately wants, but I believe it’s a combination of the two. Loki wants to do good and he wants to have friends. And now that he’s controlled his timeslipping, he can do jus that.
Sylvie
In contrast, Sylvie wants nothing to do with the TVA. She believes that it robbed her and many others of their lives without giving them a choice, so she feels no loyalty to the institution and is certainly not interested in saving it. She just wants to live her life in peace without having to worry about the entire universe. Unfortunately for her, ignoring the problem doesn’t fix it. By killing He Who Remains, she set off a chain of events that is now erasing timelines, including hers. She can fight it all she wants, but in truth, she still has no choice, and that’s what frustrates her.
Others
It was nice to see some consistency across most of the other prevalent characters. O.B. was both a physicist and a science fiction writer on the timeline, which makes sense given that he wrote the TVA handbook. B-15 was a nurse, which explains why she’s so dedicated to saving lives. Mobius was a jet ski salesman, hence the affinity for jet skis. The odd man out is Casey. He was Frank Morris, a highly intelligent criminal who, alongside two accomplices, were the only three inmates to ever escape Alcatraz before it was shut down. I suppose his subdued intelligence translated over to Casey.
Theme/Messages (4/5)
- Is anything ever truly done selflessly?
- Some people seem burdened with an inescapable responsibility that they must carry whether they like it or not.
Acting (13/15)
We know what to expect from the trio of Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Owen Wilson (Mobius), and Sophia Di Martino (Sylvie) at this point. They were expectedly great here. Ke Huy Quan (O.B.) continues to impress as well.
Cinematography (13/15)
- Cool opening sequence with Loki walking around a deserted TVA
- The visual effects were impressive, particularly with the timeslipping and the spaghettification.
- Great shot of O.B. and Loki talking in 1994 in a room that resembles the Time Theater at the TVA (14:35)
- Cool shots of Loki grasping at spaghetti strands (37:50 onwards)