Loki – Journey Into Mystery Review

The penultimate episode of any season (or even series) is usually the key piece of the story where the show puts all its ducks in a row in preparation for the finale, where all the plot threads will be tied off into a nice little bow and we, the audience, can walk away satisfied with the story we have been told. And we absolutely got some of that in this week’s penultimate Loki installment, “Journey Into Mystery.” Sure, the episode was a bit more talkie than past installments, as we were treated to some pretty important explanations regarding The Void, the TVA, and just how much Ravonna Renslayer knows about its history (surprisingly, far less than I thought, although she certainly doesn’t seem to care that she’s been duped into believing in the Time Keepers – she’s a company woman through and through), and how many Loki variants are out there, but the episode do a ton of narrative lifting when it comes to wrapping up the story – which means next week’s finale might end up being a jumping off point more than an ending.

So, what exactly does that mean? Well, there’s one widely discussed possibility regarding just who might be behind the TVA (that would be Kang the Conqueror, who has been confirmed as the villain for the forthcoming Ant-Man film, although that film is currently being filmed and won’t be out until 2023, so unless the character is going to go all Thanos and appear throughout the upcoming slate of MCU films, this is awfully early to introduce a major baddie and then have him sit on the bench), whose appearance here would simply be the first stop in his work within the MCU. Then there’s the other theory: There’s a Loki behind everything. This reveal would allow the series to tie itself up in a nice little bow in the end, forcing Loki to literally and metaphorically confront himself in order to bring down the TVA (pretty poetic, and I could certainly see it happening). And, after all, hasn’t this entire series been a string of Loki confronting himself in various forms and learning that while all Lokis share some key traits, their ability to change and grow is their most important.* But what does that mean for Loki moving forward? I suppose we will have the answer to that question by the end of the series – or at least I hope we will.

*One of the most interesting aspects of this Loki was that he didn’t have the time for growth like the Loki who died in Infinity War. This Loki never learned to sacrifice himself to save his fellow Asgardians. He was still the selfish trickster from Avengers who tried to team up with Thanos to destroy New York. Not a great look, my man. But over the course of the season, we’ve seen genuine growth in the character, which was exactly the thing that doomed the other Loki Variants to their fate in The Void. Grow, learn compassion (or strive beyond your basic role as the tricky brother of the hero), and you get snagged and sent to The Void. The Loki we have now (and Sylvie as well) are Lokis that have grown into fully realized people. Sure, they aren’t perfect, but they are definitely folks I would want by my side in a fight. They aren’t on a search for power, they are on a search for the truth (and a little revenge). What they do once they have achieved their goal will be the biggest test of the series. Will we get two new Lokis on the game board? Will they stay in the TVA? That’s the biggest question facing the series as it approaches its finale.

The biggest surprise for me throughout the show was just how much I’ve enjoyed Tom Hiddleston and Sophia Di Martino’s work as Loki and Sylvie respectively. As someone who never really cared all that much about the Thor films (as in I’ve never watched the first two, so my only knowledge of Loki as a character comes from The Avengers and Ragnarök), I didn’t realize how complex, compelling, and just plain fun the character of Loki can be. Sure, he’s an annoying little brat at times, but there’s a deep charm in every Variant of the character. And the work of Di Martino, in particular, has shown what an interesting character Loki can, in fact, be. I was wary of a series that was focused solely on a Trickster god – assuming that the show would focus more on a series of tricks and twists and not ground itself in its characters – but kudos to all involved in making each of our two star Lokis fully realized characters who have a story to tell.

If I have one complaint at this stage in the game, it’s that the show hasn’t really known what to do with Ravonna Renslayer (with the caveat that there’s still one more episode left and the show still intends to use the character in the finale). Clouding a character in secrecy is all well and good – especially when they aren’t a point of view character a la Loki or Mobius – but at this point in the story, I would have hoped to have spent a bit more time with her, learning just how far into the conspiracy she goes (we know she doesn’t know the puppet master, but I would have thought she would have figured out a bit more about her place in the TVA at this point). Making her someone who is willing to toe the party line even after learning so much of the TVA was a lie is interesting, especially when compared to Mobius’s refusal to do so, but I would have like a bit more with her to get more information on what makes her tick. Yes, the show is called Loki, so we need to focus on them, but for a character pulled from the comics, I would have hoped we would have gotten some more characterization there by this point. But, oh well, I guess you can’t have everything.

So, moving into the finale, what more is there to say other than I cannot wait to pull back the curtain and see who is on the other side of this massive manipulation? We were given our requisite discussion of the relationship (or, lack there of) between Loki and Sylvie (the acceptance that they are, essentially, the same seems to put an end on any potential romantic entanglements for the duo, which is a bit of a relief – sometimes, people are better off as friends), we know Mobius is heading back to the TVA for a final showdown with Renslayer (which is his piece of unfinished business – a confrontation that I suspect will be particularly emotional for him and allow Owen Wilson one final great scene in the series), and we got to see some pretty fun additional Loki Variants. All-in-all, a successful penultimate episode that sets us up nicely for a finale reveal that will either make the fan base thrilled or annoy them to no end. Either way, it’s been a hell of a fun ride.