Loki has long talked of being “burdened with glorious purpose,” and he realized just what that burden of purpose was in the season finale of Loki season two. The episode saw the god of mischief make full use of his newly-controlled time-slipping in a last, desperate attempt to save the TVA, and the branching timeline, from being erased and brings an eventful season to an equally-eventful end.

*Warning: This article contains spoilers for Loki Season 2, Episode 6*

Recap

Glorious Purpose picks up where episode five, Science/Fiction, ended with Loki time-slipping right back to just before Victor Timely was killed by radiation trying to fix the Temporal Loom. While this ends the same as it did the first time, Loki is able to learn from OB that the Temporal Loom could have been mended if they had been able to attempt the fix sooner. What follows is Loki slipping backwards over and over again to the point where he spends centuries learning everything about the Loom's engineering and functions from OB.

After seemingly countless failed attempts, Timely is finally able to fire the fix into the Temporal Loom so it can adjust for the branching timelines. It appears to succeed initially, but the Loom quickly starts to overload again as the timelines continue to branch infinitely and, in turn, making it impossible to stop the Loom's destruction.

Loki decides to go back even further, returning to the moment Sylvie killed He Who Remains at the end of season one. His attempts to stop her continue to fail until she is stopped by the Kang variant, himself, who reveals to Loki the Loom is meant as a failsafe to ensure all timelines outside of the sacred timeline are erased in the event of its destruction. This revelation, along with the lack of any alternate solution, leaves Loki with only one apparent solution to the whole situation – kill Sylvie.

The choice causes Loki to return to the first time he met Mobius in season one and the two share an intimate conversation about burdens, their necessity, and the cost they can impose. Loki then slips to the moment he was able to control his time-slipping to speak with Sylvie, letting her know the only solution he can see is to kill her. However, her defiance sparks something in Loki who then returns to when Timely unlocked the Temporal Loom.

Loki, without hesitation, heads out in Timely's place without a suit and seemingly to his death. Instead, he dons his godly attire and destroys the Loom before it can overload and destroy the TVA and the new branches. He then gathers the dying branches and take his “throne” in place of He Who Remains as a true god and new weaver of time as the multiverse takes the shape of Yggdrasil, the World Tree, with Loki at its heart.

The season comes to an end with the TVA back to normal and monitoring the new multiverse as Hunter B-15 takes her place as one of the TVA's new leaders and Renslayer stares down her doom at the hands of Alioth. Mobius decides to depart to the TVA and get a glimpse of the life he once had, with Loki watching from his throne with a smile on his face.

Loki needs help in new Season 2 trailer

Review

As season finale's go, Glorious Purpose manages to bring season two to a fittingly dramatic and emotional end for what has been a fairly eventful six episodes.

Tom Hiddleston's Loki is on full display across the episode, with the actor delivering a performance that hits on every note that got audiences to fall in love with the god of mischief. He is able to start the episode at a more humorous pace to match the absurdity of his time-slipping, though weariness does start to slowly seep in as the episode goes on and Loki's situation gets more desperate. The rest of the cast more than delivers where they need to, but the episode ultimately is a Hiddleston showcase that succeeds on all fronts.

The episode's pace may lead some to feeling whiplash, though, with how dramatic the jumps from it slows down following a hectic sequence of events from the start until its climactic scene in the Temporal Loom. It isn't necessarily a bad thing, but some viewers may find it all a bit much especially with how busy the middle of the finale can get as Loki slips across time trying to find a solution.

Ending Explained

The ending, itself, sets the stage for things to come across the MCU now that the multiverse has been stabilized thanks to the god of mischief. Loki now finds himself as the weaver of time to oversee the ever-growing branches while the TVA continues to monitor them, especially for Kang variants which provides a subtle reference to the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Loki's new position suggests he may now be more powerful than he ever has been, effectively serving as the heart of the multiversal tree. It could open the door for some new forms of mischief by the god among the timelines, though it remains to be seen if the trickster is still inside him or if he can exercise more self-control going forward.

It also suggests that, should a third season follow, it may be some time until audiences see it. Loki taking He Who Remains' seat to oversee the growing multiverse may narratively restrict his involvement in the main MCU timeline until after Avengers: Secret Wars, which Kevin Feige teased would reset the MCU in the aftermath.

With the film scheduled for a 2027 release, it could end up being a long wait for a potential third season of Loki or even see what toll the events of season two ultimately take on him.

Should You Stream Loki Season 2, Episode 6?

The answer to the question is a simple and resounding yes. Even with the whiplash pacing, season two's finale may stand as one of the series' best episodes and highlights why audiences have grown so fond of Hiddleston's Loki. The ending suggests this may be the last bit of Loki audiences will be getting for some time, so for anyone wanting to savor Hiddleston inside the MCU, Glorious Purpose is definitely worth the watch.

Loki season two is currently available to stream on Disney+.