Loki's return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Season 2 of his titular Disney+ series comes on the heels of several series that have been met with varying reactions from audiences and critics alike. The positive reception shows such as Ms. Marvel and Moon Knight received were juxtaposed to more mixed or outright negative response toward She-Hulk: Attorney at Law or Secret Invasion. If any viewers had concerns Season 2 of Loki could fall into the latter, the season premiere is quick to remedy these concerns and sets the stage for a season that will take the titular God of Mischief on an even stranger trek across time than the first season did.

*Warning: This article includes spoilers from Loki Season 2, Episode 1*

Loki Season 2 Premiere Recap

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The premiere kicks off right where season one ended: with Loki back at the Time Variance Authority with Kang's imagery adorning every corner and familiar faces such as Mobius who have no memory of their misadventures with the God of Mischief. It becomes clear very quickly that his and Sylvie's confrontation with He Who Remains has had much wider consequences on the timeline than either thought, including Loki being kicked into the TVA's past as he is painfully ripped across time.

As for the TVA itself, the organization is trying to grapple with the aftermath of learning the Time-Keepers were fake as the timeline begins to wildly branch as the multiverse grows larger and larger. Mobius and Hunter B-15 find themselves as the ones left to try and explain the truth about the TVA in order to best decide how to deal with branching timelines and the futures of everyone working in it. While the pair argue to stop pruning the timeline, it seems there are some in the TVA who don't share Mobius and B-15's sentiments about how to handle the situation

The situation quickly escalates as Loki reappears in his present to enlighten the TVA even more about its own history, the role He Who Remains played, and the war this version of Kang warned is now seemingly on the way. Before they can go any further, though, Loki and Mobius need to address the former's “time-slipping” and go ask the TVA's repairman Ouroboros, or OB for short, who just so happens to have a possible fix thanks to Loki “time-slipping” to the past. The catch, though, is if it goes wrong Loki could be completely erased from all timelines while Mobius would die a very painful death.

Review

Viewers who enjoyed the trippy, retro sci-fi romp Loki went on in Season 1 will be happy to hear the premiere shows no signs the series is slowing down. The premiere relishes in the absurd world of the TVA that Loki has found himself surrounded by since Avengers: Endgame, with the weirdness quickly escalating as the episode continues. It also has the benefit of being in a more isolated bubble of the MCU compared to the other films and series, with viewers only needing to be familiar with the events of the first season to grasp what is immediately happening.

As for the cast, Tom Hiddleston once again leads the charge with his beloved depiction of the variant God of Mischief who now finds himself dealing with the aftermath of his confrontation with Sylvie and He Who Remains. Hiddleston manages to keep Loki's charm shining thru, even while exacerbated by the situation and in extreme pain from the “time-slipping.”

Owen Wilson and Wunmi Mosaku pick up right where they left off as well, with their portrayals of Mobius and Hunter B-15, respectively. Wilson continues to inject Mobius with his trademark wit that allows him to play off Hiddleston to make the admittedly odd dialogue feel much more natural. Mosaku, by comparison, provides a more stoic presence that is able to balance out Wilson's wit and Hiddleston's energy.

The scene-stealer for the premiere, though, is the newest member of the cast: Key Huy Quan. The Academy Award winner is able to play off the returning cast with ease without ever feeling like he is out of place, balancing the humor and seriousness of the particular scene he is in.

It's not to say it is perfect, though, as the premiere gets a little more convoluted as the episode goes on. Like the branching timelines, it isn't shy about setting multiple key storylines for viewers to keep track of across the season's five remaining episodes between Loki, Mobius, Sylvie, and the TVA. Unfortunately, the episode doesn't do as good of a job as it could juggling these storylines very cleanly, especially once the end credits role. Speaking of which….

Ending Explained

The premiere's ending once again thrusts Sylvie back into the series' spotlight as she is now in the sights of both Loki and the more militant parts of the TVA.

It appears as though OB's idea to stop Loki's time-slipping is about to fail, resulting in Loki's erasure from time and the death of Mobius. However, the last-second appearance of Sylvie in the near-future version of the TVA Loki found himself inconveniently sent to manages to complete OB's plan, pruning Loki in time to thrust him back to his present and saving Mobius from a rather painful death inside the TVA's heart: the Temporal Loom.

By contrast, the TVA's highest-ranking military officer, General Dox, looks to be on the warpath with her like-minded hunters to bring Sylvie in to answer for everything happening. B-15 clearly isn't buying it, though, as the loyal hunters heading out with Dox are as heavily armed as they could possibly be.

Then there's Sylvie, who makes a proper appearance in the episode's mid-credits scene arriving in a branched timeline's version of 1982 Oklahoma. She walks into a nearby fast food restaurant for some food, though isn't clear on how to actually order food. While the clerk is explaining what's available, she turns around to see the happy and content customers eating, resulting in a subtle smile to come across Sylvie's face as she finally has a moment of peace that has long alluded her.

As with Season 1, the ending makes it clear Sylvie will continue being central to the series for the remainder of Season 2, even with the impending arrival of new Kang variants including Victor Timely. It also sets up the rude awakening Sylvie will be in for when she learns what is happening at the TVA, the hunters determined to capture her, and the looming threat of Kang's variants starting to let the presence be known across the multiverse.

Should you stream Loki Season 2 premiere?

On the whole, the season premiere of Loki Season 2 sets up a season which is set to continue the titular character's misadventures across space-and-time that delivers more of what viewers enjoyed in the first season. It can feel at times as if the episode is trying to do too much at once with the number of story threads it is setting up even before characters such as Renslayer or Victor Timely appear on screen. That being said, it is still a satisfying viewing experience that doesn't feel like it requires watching a hundreds of hours content to understand what is happening.

Loki Season 2 is available to stream on Disney+.