Loki - Episode 1.02 - The Variant - Review

Episode 2 hit the ground running and didn't look back. After an exposition-laden premiere, "The Variant" was finally able to get down to business! This episode provided answers, but also more questions, and possibilities for the MCU down the line.

Loki is a trickster, and the God of Mischief. So it was difficult to gauge exactly where he stood this episode. As an audience, we wanted to think he was on the up and up with Mobius, and maybe he was. But of course he has an ulterior motive as well, even if we aren't privy to it.

I won't get too deep into theories here (like how I think Mobius is a variant from the 90s and is brainwashed into thinking he is a TVA employee) but there is a lot of evidence to support that the TVA is not what it is presented to be. There are other things going on here.

Theories that have been prevalent for WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier didn't really pan out. But Loki feels different. This show isn't as straightforward as the other two. It is going to change things. It is just a matter of how that will happen.

The reveal of Lady Loki at the end was great, and the interaction between her and Hiddleston's Loki was a lot of fun. Judging by the end of the episode, we should probably get a lot more of that banter in the next episode. There are only 6 episodes, so we are 1/3rd of the way through. This will be the first time that Mobius and Loki are separated, so it will be interesting to see how that dynamic begins to change.

The multiverse is in crisis now - and this will definitely leave scars that will be explored in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. But this show is ripe for surprises and subverting expectations. I am excited to see how that manifests itself.

Loki is now streaming, only on Disney Plus.