About:
Fix: Superheroes, Villains We Love to Love, Glorious Purpose Redemption, Timey Wimey Business
Platform: Disney+
Disney+ Summary:
In Marvel Studios’ Loki, the mercurial villain Loki (Tom Hiddleston) resumes his role as the God of Mischief in a new series that takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Kate Herron directs and Michael Waldron is head writer.
FYA Summary:
After discovering the truth about who created the TVA, subsequently traveling to the end of time, and being kicked back to the TVA while Sylvie killed He Who Remains, Loki finds himself slipping through time. The loom that holds the branches of time in check is overloaded, and it’s up to him to fix what Sylvie messed with. Together with Mobius, B-15, a very reluctant Sylvie, and new member of the crew O.B., Loki races against—and through—time to keep the universe from irreparably unraveling.
Familiar Faces:
In addition to Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Owen Wilson as Mobius, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Ravonna Renslayer, who I covered in my Stream it for the first season, Season 2 featured:
Ke Huy Quan as O.B.
When I first heard that Quan had joined the cast for the second season, I was super stoked. I adore that he’s in the middle of a renaissance, and he’s well deserving of the praise he’s receiving. O.B. is a little like Data from the Goonies as an adult, but it’s a nice callback to a great role. He’s also a wonderful addition to the team, and I love how he’s both an open book and super mysterious throughout the season. I’d love to see more of O.B. in the future.
Eugene Cordero as Casey
It was also nice to see Casey return with a larger role this season. He’s a bit of a flat character in the first one, the kind of doofy character who’s seemingly only there for comic relief. Cordero is great at that kind of role (See: The Good Place), the powers that be thankfully gave Pillboi Casey a lot more to do and expanded him into an interesting, much more well-rounded character, proving that Cordero does have range.
Wunmi Mosaku as Hunter B-15
I’ve never seen Mosaku in anything else (I know, I know, I need to watch Lovecraft Country), but she stands out as someone I want to see more of, thanks to her decisive and powerful presence as B-15. At first, you think she’s just another TVA grunt, but she quickly becomes a solid and nuanced part of the team.
Rafael Casal as Hunter X-5 / Brad Wolfe
Truth be told, I wouldn’t have known who Casal was if it wasn’t for a friend of mine being a massive stan a few years ago. X-5 was a total yes man, but as Brad Wolfe, he’s much more interesting. Not entirely in a good way; he still seems like a villain, but it’s clear that he’s learned that the TVA isn’t everything. Casal is also Daveed Diggs’s best friend, so you know he has to be a cool dude.
Couch-Sharing Capability: Get the Team Together
Much like the first, Loki’s second season is only six episodes long. If you didn’t watch it as it was released, it’s yet again a perfect length for a day’s binge. So gather up your team and make room on the sofa.
Recommended Level of Inebriation: Head to the Automat
It’s not a beverage, but if you don’t have a Key Lime Pie ready to eat while viewing, you’re missing out. You could also get some McDonald’s and Crackerjacks to really round out the thematic foodstuffs.
Use of Your Streaming Subscription: For All Time, Always
Although the end of this season suggests that we’ve reached the end of Loki’s story—again—I’m actually really pleased at how it all shook out. Thanks to this show, I got to watch one of my top five MCU characters, and perhaps the most complex of them all, get another chance to redeem himself. And this time around, it was even more epic than him dying at the hands of Thanos, trying to save his brother. It shows that Loki, for all his faults, is a truly good person at the core, and makes me feel better about my obsession love of the character. (Although, I would still love him if he never changed, who am I kidding.) As a plus, it’s a visually stunning show, with superb costumes, sets, and effects. And the music is great, too! It’s a total package, for sure, and well worth paying for Disney+.
