From one MCU review to another, yes after a year off from Marvel we’ve now had both Black Widow (2021) and the Loki finale in one week! But after not getting around to reviewing the last MCU Disney+ show I felt I should make an effort with this one. I loved WandaVison, and while I thought The Falcon and the Winter Soldier had important messages that were very well handled, I found the overall story and pacing a bit lacklustre. So how does Marvel Studios’ third time around stack up?
The story
The story picks up directly after the scene in Avengers: Endgame (2019) where Loki from The Avengers (2012) takes the tesseract and escapes. Almost immediately after his escape however he is arrested by a mysterious organisation known as the Time Variance Authority (TVA) and labelled as a variant, as punishment for his going against the order of how events were meant to happen. There he is interrogated by TVA analyst Mobius M Mobius (Owen Wilson) and eventually recruited to help track down another evil variant who is attacking TVA soldiers across time.
Having a premise that involves time travel as a key feature allows this show to become something really unique within the MCU, as though we had time travel in endgame it was very rigidly set to events we’d already seen. With this show we can travel to both the past and future, and any to location that we have yet to visit as the TVA hop around to investigate disturbances. If I’m honest, we didn’t get to visit as many places and times as I expected we would, but what we got was enjoyable enough, and it sets the groundwork for more time hopping in the future.
The characters
I’ll be honest, and maybe upset some people, but I’ve never really been a huge fan of Loki. I like him and I think he’s a fun character, but he’s always had such an intense fanbase and I’ve never really got the hype. After this show, I wouldn’t say im his biggest fan yet but I do get what’s to like about him a lot more. He’s immensely charming, mostly due to Tom Hiddleston’s innate charm before he even starts acting, and yet as you dive deeper into his psyche you realize that he’s very broken and really is just crying out for love an acceptance. I think that’s relatable for a lot of people.
My favourite characters in this particular show were actually the TVA employees. Owen Wilson’s Mobius was I think the perfect foil to Loki, who always needs to be the smartest person in the room. He knew how to use Loki’s narcissism to get information out of him but also to mould him into a better person, which put Mobius into this delicious grey area. This show was apparently based on a crime procedural, and in that I see Mobius as being both the good and bad cop simultaneously. And his relationship with Loki only grows closer as the season progresses and they bond over shared goals, honestly, I ship them.
I also loved Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Judge Ravonna Renslayer, the de facto villain of most of the season, at least from Loki’s perspective. As a high-ranking member of the TVA, (perhaps the highest ranking below the almighty time keepers, it’s never quite made clear) she is stern and forceful, as someone in power should be. Yet, like Mobius she has this element of charm to manipulate situations her way, however her motivations are unclear, but clearly dubious. She doesn’t get much to do this season, but they’ve set her up for something important down the line. As someone who’s been a fan of Mbatha-Raw for a while, I’m very excited to see where Ravonna goes next.
Finally I do want to mention the animated mascot of the TVA, a talking clock named Miss Minutes (Tara Strong). Its really fun to see an animated character be a major role in the MCU, one of the ways this show isn’t afraid to experiment and try new things for the franchise. Much like the rest of the TVA her true intention is unclear, but that sinister feeling is completely juxtaposed (and somewhat amplified) with the cutesy cartoon character she is. I also like that she was a reference to classic animation, like a self-referential nod to the early days of Mickey Mouse, which as a Disney super fan makes me geek out.
The pacing
One problem the MCU Disney+ shows has faced thus far as they get there footing has been pacing. WandaVision I felt suffered from having episodes that were too short to allow for much progression of the story each week, whereas The Falcon and The Winter Soldier had long episodes but with whole weeks where barely anything happened in the story which made it oftentimes dull. It seems third times the charm because the pacing of this show and its story were near perfect for me. The only dud for me, as it took time out for a side quest and some exposition. I can forgive it though as every other episode really hit the nail on the head for moving the story and having engaging mixes of both action and character moments.
The name of the game with these shows, and any weekly shows in this competitive market, is having big reveals. Having exciting developments as well as cliff-hangers each week keeps people talking about the show and wanting to watch the next episode. Each week, and especially the last 3, had a major character, story or location to explore then or look forward to next time. I think this works both for people who want to binge later or those like me who enjoy the anticipation week to week. It’s important to hit both those audiences.
The future
Like the other marvel Disney+ shows, this show takes place within the universe and continuity of the MCU. However, as this show takes place outside of the timeline with characters that don’t interact with the main story, I expected this show to become more of a side project, a story that could happen while everything else ticks on. So, I was surprised to realise by the end of the season, that this show has more of an impact than either of the previous shows on the MCU going forwards. It really sets the groundwork for where the whole story is going, and brings in a lot of possibilities for it that are very exciting.
As well as setting forward the future of the MCU, this is also the first Disney+ show to get a second season confirmed. I’m hoping to see more exploration of various time periods and alternate realities in season 2 as things get crazier and crazier within the TVA. I’m also interested to see how season 2 will fit into the wider story and how connected Loki’s story will be to the wider MCU, as they have stated that the shows aren’t essential viewing for anyone following the movies.
As much as I hate to admit it, as I have a deep love for WandaVision (it’s still my favourite), being objective, I do think this is the best of the Marvel shows so far, both with it’s scope and the way it was put together. I know a lot of Loki fans are just so happy to see him in the limelight, which is how I felt about Wanda.
Next month we get the next show, What If…, so we will see if Loki can hold on to this position as the best in my eyes. Whatever happens we can safely say that fans of this franchise are being fed, and as Loki would say, its glorious.
Jeremy Greer 
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