'Loki' – Episode One, ‘Glorious Purpose’


Nothing against 'WandaVision' or 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier', both were brilliant shows for totally different reasons, but 'Loki' is the show that I had in mind when I first took out a Disney+ subscription. Not only do I have a little bit (okay, maybe a lot) of a 'man crush' on the god of mischief but this show looked like it promised a bit of a 're-set' for the character and with mention of a 'Time Variance Authority', it looked like we might get a little more multiverse ahead of whenever the next 'Doctor Strange' movie comes out. I have no idea, by the way, and I really feel like I should...

Did I wait patiently? Not really but anyway... We got here in the end and here we are. I know it aired yesterday but let's talk about 'Glorious Purpose'...

Following the events of 'Endgame', Loki is on the loose again... for all of about five minutes before agents of the 'Time Variance Authority' ('TVA' for the rest of this post and all other 'Loki' posts over the season) turn up and arrest him as a 'Variant'. While trying to navigate this strange new world (and escape it), Loki must face some pretty harsh truths before he can be trusted enough to help in the hunt for a particularly dangerous Variant...

First of all, how good is it to see Loki doing his thing again, all full of bombast and that ever present smug grin of a god that knows he is better than you... It is good, great in fact, but what's even better is seeing Loki not only collared by the TVA but also then seeing him having to not only cope without magic but also coming off worst in his encounters with TVA tech. I don't think I will ever get tired of watching Loki being caught out by a chair not being quite where he thought it would be. Tom Hiddleston does a great line in wounded dignity and it is used to great effect here.

And I never thought I'd say this but damn, Owen Wilson is brilliant at being a very laid back, but also incredibly on the ball, TVA agent (Agent Mobius in fact). Wilson's 'laidbackness' and Hiddleston's 'pent up rage' go really well together here and I'm already looking forward to seeing this relationship develop over the course of the series. Other characters to look out for in the future? No-one else, just Hunter B-15; understated here but brimming with awesome and already keen to settle a few points with Loki.

It's a good job that the players are all on their game as there's not a lot of plot to see here at the moment; we're mostly about setting the scene and getting Loki to tap into his good side again. That's not to say there isn't some plot though, I'm not putting too much in the revelation at the end of the episode (it seems a little too easy) but it's going to be fun finding out if I'm right or not. And it's always good to see into another facet of the MCU; I love how every story gives us a little more background and I can see 'Loki', along with 'WandaVision', tying into 'Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness' sometime in the future.

Not a lot happening yet then but still plenty to get into and a few questions to start pondering over. I think we're in for another fun ride here and I know I'm setting my stall out early but I'm feeling pretty confident here ;o)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

‘Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth’ (1992)

Image
Every time Halloween comes round, I promise myself that I’ll watch more horror films and read more horror fiction; we’re halfway through the month and you can see how that’s going so far… There’s still plenty of October left though so lets see how I do from now until the end of the month ;o) First up is ‘Hellraiser 3’ which I watched last night, mostly because I love it (you can tell how this post is going to go, sorry…) but also because it was cheap on Prime and I’m still just on the wrong side of payday. Here goes… TV reporter Joey Summerskill’s life is changed forever when she witnesses the horrific death of a teenager, torn apart by bloody chains. Joey’s search for a story leads her to the Lament Configuration Box but it has already been opened, waking an old evil from its slumber… Now Pinhead walks the earth once more, creating a new army of Cenobites from the transmuted flesh of his victims; his one desire to reclaim the Box. Even with help from an unexpected source, Joey Summers...
Read more

‘The Way Out’ & ‘Perdition’s Flame’ (Warhammer Horror, Black Library)

Image
It’s Friday so you’d normally be looking at a post on whatever I read, on the bus to/from work, yesterday. Not today though… I had a touch of insomnia followed by a day in the office so while I had a book in my bag (I always have a book in my bag…), I was in no state to actually read it. Luckily, I had a couple of Black Library audiobooks on my phone so I listened to them instead. As a rule, I don’t tend to do too well with audiobooks that are hours long and just a narrator narrating. Black Library though, have a nice line in audiobooks that have a full cast, run for just over an hour and are full of immersive sound effects I thought I’d see how that worked with a couple of ‘Warhammer Horror’ tales… ‘The Way Out’ – Rachel Harrison In the midst of a vast gas nebula lies a remote watch-station, hanging silently against a tapestry of dying stars. It sits alone, patiently awaiting lost travellers adrift in the freezing vastness of the void. To such souls it appears as a blessing, a safe h...
Read more

‘The Pan Book of Horror Stories’ – Herbert Van Thal (Pan Macmillan)

Image
I was going to say that original posting will resume tomorrow but the way things are right now, probably safer not to promise anything ;o) In the meantime... I found this old review last night (originally posted Here ) and it feels like it fits in with what this blog is all about right now so, I thought I'd give it another shot here. I’m pretty sure this wouldn’t be the case today but when I was a child at primary school, the shelves were covered with books that I’m sure a teacher today wouldn’t let an eight or nine year old anywhere near. Maybe it was just my school, I don’t know, but I’m not complaining though; I had a lot of fun trawling my way through some great reads. This time round, I’m talking specifically about the ‘Pan’ and ‘Fontana’ horror series; books with the most lurid covers and stories to match inside. I only had myself to blame but at least three quarters of the nightmares that I had as a child came from reading these books and staring at covers festooned with rot...
Read more