This is a mostly spoiler-free review of Season 1 of Marvel’s Loki, which is now streaming in its entirety on Disney+. Some themes and characters are alluded to, but no main plot points are discussed in detail. For a deep dive into the show, you can read our spoiler-filled individual episode reviews:
Loki: Season 1, Episode 1 Review
Loki: Season 1, Episode 2 Review
Loki: Season 1, Episode 3 Review
Loki: Season 1, Episode 4 Review
Loki: Season 1, Episode 5 Review
Loki: Season 1, Episode 6 Review
While the first two Marvel Disney Plus shows -- WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier -- took place after “the blip,” Thanos, and the other universe-shattering events of the Infinity Saga, they never felt like they were really moving the MCU onto a new path. Instead they were more introspective pieces, more content in dealing with inner turmoil and personal repercussions than setting up future storylines. This is where Loki differs: it has its fair share of soul-searching and character development, but also takes us to new places to meet new people; not only making for an enjoyable watch in its own right, but also providing excitement through the promise of what’s to come.
Loki begins where the titular trickster’s story ended in Avengers: Endgame by introducing a big concept: He awakens, face down in the sand of his own art-deco version of Dune, surrounded by a squad of black-clad armoured guards who quickly take him to the 1930s-like corridors of the Time Variance Authority (TVA) headquarters. The first episode does a great job of getting us up to speed on the concepts of protecting the Sacred Timeline from unauthorized tampering by using Loki himself as a proxy for the audience as it’s all explained to him. This allows the series to stand more or less on its own, rather than requiring 20 films worth of homework to get through beforehand. Nothing drives this point further home than the fact that clerks at the TVA use the all-powerful infinity stones as mere paperweights here.
Tom Hiddleston is as good as ever as Loki, the Prince of Asgard, who finds himself a long way from home. He serves up his usual helping of charm and cheeky demeanor that we’ve come to expect from him. But this Loki is a little different to the one we’ve got so used to over the past few years: he’s still that evil Loki (though not for too long), fresh off his defeat in the Battle of New York, who hasn’t yet had the time to see any errors in his ways. This more headstrong Loki makes for a more entertaining centerpiece as he bounces off of all who dare speak to him as sparks fly in any conversation that remotely questions his authority. It makes for an engaging screen presence, and one you can’t help but just root for no matter how dastardly his intentions.
Apart from Loki himself, every other character is new to us, which helps the first few episodes feel fresh and exciting and in no way a rehash of what’s come before. In fact, it’s in those rare moments that the series does look back where the pace becomes sluggish and generally less engaging. This happens sporadically over the course of episodes 1 and 2 as Loki watches through archive footage of what’s to come for him; it doesn’t quite pack the emotional punch intended, instead acting as a dull clip show for those familiar with the MCU.
These early episodes introduce us to a few crucial members of the TVA, each of whom are developed to different degrees over the season. The first we meet is Wunmi Mosaku’s Hunter B-15, an imposing presence who receives a neatly woven arc over the 6 episodes. Then there’s Judge Ravonna Renslayer, played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, a higher-up at the TVA who is shrouded in mystery for much of the series, which unfortunately doesn’t give her much of a chance to shine.
The standout, though, has to be Owen Wilson’s Agent Mobius, who brings a new lease of life to Loki every time he appears on screen. Combining Wilson’s signature dry delivery with a clever script that allows him to flourish never fails to entertain, especially when bouncing off of Hiddleston’s Loki in Buddy Comedy fashion. It’s no coincidence then that the series’ lowest point is episode 3, where we are robbed of the duo’s dynamic, instead setting Loki on a branching path with a new companion.
The standout has to be Owen Wilson’s Agent Mobius.
“
Loki’s partnerships along the way are a key to what makes this show so enjoyable, and while he and Mobius together are the optimum pairing, Sophia Di Martino does a great job in her role, too. To avoid spoilers, I won’t reveal who she’s playing but she holds her own against Hiddleston (no mean feat) and grows as a character the closer to the finale we get. Di Martino’s cloaked persona provides a big part of the emotional core of the show throughout, embodying its two main themes: trust and free will.
Trust – and just as equally distrust – runs through every conversation. Can Loki trust the TVA? Can the TVA trust him? Can he trust his new accomplices? Can he even trust himself? There’s not a whole lot more I can say about the plot from episode 3 onwards without spoiling some major reveals, but the choices of who Loki decides to put his faith into go a long way to deciding the outcome, all the way up until its fantastic finale.
Episode 6 is perhaps the best Marvel TV episode to date, with a star turn from a standout new cast member who slows the pace down in favour of thrilling conversational staging compared to the pacey action-packed events of the prior two. It’s a finale that brings home those themes of trust and free will, delivering a philosophy and tension-filled last few minutes that have major consequences for the future of the MCU.
The second half of the season also does a great job of showcasing a grand sense of scale. Every piece of the set design has been meticulously thought out, from the stylish yet bureaucratic browns of the TVA offices that you wouldn’t be surprised to see Don Draper sat in, to apocalyptic skies raining down death in shades of blue, purple, and green. Showrunner Michael Waldron and director Kate Herron grant Loki a real sense of unique identity, mixing things familiar to us – like Loki the character and raw human emotion – with the more bizarre such as a talking cartoon clock called Miss Minutes and a character who happens to be an alligator. The later episodes also deftly juggle a large cast of characters that play a brief but important role, chief among them Richard E. Grant, who lends gravitas to the story while wearing a delightfully absurd costume.
Key parts of the equation are Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s cinematography and Natalie Holt’s score. Both add to the series’ individuality and make it stand apart from any other Marvel production; the former through a proliferation of wide, slowly spinning and rolling shots and the latter soundtracking these images to fantastical but almost mechanical music throughout. All of these aspects combine to create a sense of unease but also wonder at what you’re watching. It’s a fresh and exciting style for an MCU story that ends with universe-altering decisions that usher in a promised second season as well as a fresh and exciting era for the MCU as a whole.
It’s ironic, in a way, that it’s the show that starts off before all of the others that’s the one that lays the strongest foundations for the future. But if there’s anything Loki has taught us over its 6 episode run, it’s that time is very far from being a flat circle in this universe.
