![]() ![]() ![]() Sylvie’s decision is a visually spectacular one that causes literal ripples through time as the branches appear in the stars like cracks in ice. Where WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier stumbled across the finish line, showrunner Michael Waldron and director Kate Herron manage to cross it with aplomb. It’s at the end of time where Loki delivers its grandstand finish. While these characters can’t just be pushed to the side completely, I did just find myself wishing I was back at the end of time whenever visiting the TVA. Mobius returns, but Owen Wilson isn’t given his best material to work with, and it feels like a misstep after his emotional exit last week. The brief revelation of a Renslayer variant is more of a Season 2 set-up (which, of course, was confirmed in a mid-credits scene) than a true plot pay-off. We still don’t know a whole lot about her and the fleeting moments we get with her here don’t do much to address that. Renslayer remains a cryptic character, but not in a particularly fun way. It’s when the episode steps away from this desk that the less exciting aspects of Loki rear their head. Given that almost the entirety of the 40-minute runtime is spent sitting at one desk in an office, that’s no mean feat. Villain monologues full of exposition can often grind things to a creaking halt, but this just isn’t the case here due to the energetic back-and-forth from the trio on screen. Hiddleston and Di Martino unfortunately don’t have a whole lot to do during the episode when compared to Majors, but they hold their own and act effectively as an audience proxy throughout. You just can’t trust one, and he really should know that better than anyone. Of course, this sweet moment for Loki turns bitter almost instantly as the Loki mantra comes back to haunt him. Is this allowed between variants? I don’t know. The episode’s only action scene is a brief but exciting flurry of blades, which ends in a touching moment that all Sylki shippers out there I’m sure enjoyed greatly – even if genetic similarities of the situation does make me feel a little uncomfortable. Again, the writing and direction is fantastic, leading to the manipulation of both variants, their true natures pitted against one another. ![]() In many ways, he’s a parable for the series itself - a fun appointment on the surface, with darkness at its core.Īll of this leads up to one final scene for Hiddleston’s Loki and Sophia Di Martino’s Sylvie to clash, kiss, make up, then clash again. The entire sequence is a masterclass in tension, built up through engaging dialogue and a heavyweight performance from Majors.Ĭhanneling the zany energy of Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka with the underlying terror of Denzel Washington’s Detective Alonzo in Training Day, He Who Remains is personable and charismatic, but also feels like a shark lurking in the shallows that could unleash at any moment. After an entire show built around a lack of free will, it’s a fantastic moment where (if you believe him) you’re braced for anything to happen and, crucially, anything feels like it could happen. He’s completely in control – up until the point where even he doesn’t know what’s next in the story. “We’re all villains here” he states at one point, cleverly relating to them and enticing them with every word. The villain we expect to become a take on the comics’ Kang the Conqueror acts like a director gleefully watching the script he’s spent an eternity writing being performed for the first time. The way he toys with both Loki and Sylvie is a joy to watch. It’s a mistake that Loki himself fittingly makes. Playing the enigmatic “He Who Remains”, the Lovecraft Country star owns the screen, and even if you know not to trust him, you just can’t help but be drawn into him. It’s wonderfully Shakespearian, a stage set by Tom Hiddleston’s Loki but thoroughly stolen by Majors over the course of the episode. This is largely due to the stellar writing (some of the MCU’s finest to date) and the joy that Majors seems to take with delivering every line. A smile that won’t go away for another half an hour or so. It’s an understated but impactful reveal – while the pair may well stand bemused, anyone who has kept half an eye on Marvel casting news will have a smile creep onto their face the moment Jonathan Majors appears on screen. The tables are turned the moment an elevator door opens, with the variants confused to see a mere man standing before them. It’s an engagement more suited to Loki than Sylvie, who would much rather talk their way out of a scenario than have it result in combat. But unlike an action-packed boss battle (something pretty familiar to Marvel viewers), this is much more of a war of words. ![]() Following a fun encounter with a more sinister side of Miss Minutes – who acts like a reminder to save your progress before a final boss battle in a video game – the show wastes no time in pulling back the curtain. ![]()
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