Loki S02E03: '1893'

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Loki picks up where Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania left off.
by Jeremy Fogelman

The latest episode of Loki starts with a cute old timey piano version of the Marvel theme, which is appreciated -- they rarely really change that part up. So we know it’s going to be old timey situation, and sure enough we find ourselves back in time in the 1800’s where Ravonna (instructed by Miss Minutes) leaves the TVA guidebook for a young kid who is obviously going to grow up to be He Who Remains (or a variant anyway).

We then come back later in the same place in 1893 at the Chicago World’s Fair where Mobius and Loki are on the case, running into the grown up boy calling himself Victor Timely (certainly on the nose, but the comics origin has the character coming up with the name intentionally). Naturally Loki is immediately alarmed to see a version of the man behind it all, even if this one is a much less dangerous version -- he’s frequently stuttering while talking and and without the same level of confidence.

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He gives a very on the nose presentation about time, and his delivery is very “performative” -- halting in what I’d say aren’t realistic tics, which makes it pretty annoying. Later on this gets a little better, but it’s not really my favorite performance. The little action beats are cute here, as Loki’s involvement with his magic immediately overshadows the past world, until of course Sylvie arrives to kill Victor as she promised.

Then we get one of the really ridiculous moments of the show so far as Miss Minutes projects herself into an enormous kaiju form and terrifies the crowd. But this also sets up a sort of weird love triangle that thankfully resolves soon enough where Miss Minutes is jealous of the attention Victor is showing to Ravonna.

It’s interesting to see this unusual dynamic, even if the whole “AI in love with her creator” feels a bit reductive. I did like some of the nonsense surrounding it though, which was often pretty amusing, but I found myself much more invested in the eventual pairing of Ravonna and Miss Minutes working together now against Victor with a great tease about what He Who Remains was hiding from Ravonna.

We get some of that Loki/Mobius business and a sprinkling of Sylvie, but the episode focuses mainly on Victor and the misadventures of Ravonna and Miss Minutes with him. Although I’m glad to see more of those characters in general, the storyline felt a little silly and the old school environment wasn’t as interesting as others we’ve seen in the show so far.

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So it was an entertaining episode, and we got some decent character moments and useful backstory, but it did feel unusually puffed out. I was ultimately more interested in the cliffhanger ending than anything that happened during the episode, because Loki and Mobius working together at the TVA remains the heart and soul of this show.

Thankfully it’s no dud, just not living up to the level this show is capable of (and definitely not to the level it gets to next week). It’s also odd to see Jonathan Majors in such an expanded role after the allegations against him, and his character choices aren’t so great. I think it eventually gets settled into a palatable performance, but it’s definitely annoying to start with. I also can’t be mad that Gugu Mbatha-Raw gets more to do here, even if it’s all a bit of a rom-com tease. Next time, I know, will be better.

Note: This piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. We support the strike and emphasize the importance of actors and writers, and ensuring they and fellow creatives are compensated and treated fairly for their work. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn't exist.