'Loki' – Episode Two, ‘The Variant’

Two episodes into 'Loki' and it's clear that the goal now is to actually post an episode review on Wednesdays, just like everybody else does. I don't think #LokiThursdays will ever trend if I'm being absolutely honest with myself... I can't remember what delayed me last week but I do know that this week, it was really important that all my 'Spiders' reviews ran one after the other, No, me neither but it worked and here we are, doing this on a Thursday. Lets see what happens next week...

'Glorious Purpose' was, of course, glorious so how did 'The Variant' measure up? Well, more of the same is never a bad thing when it's Loki but I wasn't so sure this time round. I'm going to try and avoid the big spoiler but everything else is fair game here so if you haven't seen 'The Variant' yet, you might want to come back once you have ;o) For everyone else though...

The hunt is on for the 'Loki Variant' and the TVA are feeling pretty confident now that they have a 'Loki Variant' of their own to assist in the chase. Is Loki really helping though or does he just want the TVA to think that? And if the TVA know what Loki is really up to, is he really ten steps ahead of them and planning something else entirely...? Not even Loki is really sure so finally tracking down the other Variant might focus a few minds. But when the other Loki makes an appearance, all it does is raise more questions... And a number of branches on the sacred timeline...

It feels like it would be too easy to just say that all the good stuff from 'Glorious Purpose' can happily doing it's thing in 'The Variant'. The simple fact though is that it is. Loki and Agent Mobius are still bouncing off each other like this is some kind of half sci-fi/half mythical 'buddy cop' show (which it is, to be fair) and it is a lot of fun watching them bring out the best in each other to solve the case (leading to some great 'Loki being Loki' in Pompeii, although do alien Norse gods really speak Latin...? Loki does but, well...) It's interesting to see that Mobius already has the measure of Loki though, apparently all it ever needed was a detailed file... Having said that though, I didn't think that Loki was trying particularly hard there although maybe he was just testing the waters. And that's what I think will bug me about this series (I mean, hopefully not of course) There's so much emphasis already on truth, lies and mind games that I think there's some work to do to make sure that the plot doesn't buckle under the weight of it all. Raise a few questions, sure. Have a little uncertainty as well. Just don't forget that you're here to tell a story as well and there are only four episodes left to tell it in. For what it's worth, I think 'Loki' isn't so much going to conclude as it is going to lead into the 'Doctor Strange' movie and maybe (probably) the 'What If?' series as well.

And that's ultimately what this episode is doing, albeit on a smaller scale. Setting everything up and then barreling off into 'whatever happens next week' with the introduction of the other Loki Variant and what comes next. 'The Variant' does a great job, I thought, of getting everyone into position and then pulling the rug from under our feet with the introduction of the other Loki Variant. Or is it? I think it's a little too clear cut at the moment (although am happy to be proved wrong) but we'll see. Look at me dancing around the 'big reveal'... ;o) I'll probably talk about that more next week.

'The Variant' sets up some amazing possibilities, even if I'm unsure that the show can do these justice in the time that it has. It's fun to watch in the meantime though, lets see if I can get next week's post to land on a Wednesday...