Loki: Journey Into Mystery

SPOILER ALERT!

After the adrenaline-filled precedent episode, Journey Into Mystery barely manages to live up to the hype, though not without its own fun, outstanding moments.

Waking up in a wasteland, surrounded by three (four, if you include Gator Loki) other variants of himself, Loki is irked when he is beckoned to 'god knows where' from 'god knows what' and demands an explanation.

Kid Loki obliges, explaining that they were at The Void, essentially a trash can of the TVA where anything that's pruned ends up, and the tempestuous storm monster (Alioth) they're running from ensures that nothing leaves.

Having killed Thor, Kid Loki bags the title of the most laudable Nexus Event and assumes the mantle of king. The Loki bunch arrive at a bunker where an embittered Classic Loki recounts his Nexus Event with despair, concluding that Lokis were doomed to be the Gods of Outcasts.

Determined to prove them wrong, Loki belts out a rousing speech intending to spur them to action only to be met with roars of laughter. Piqued, Loki decides to leave, but lo and behold, before he can make it any further, he encounters a dozen other Loki variants, including President Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston himself.

At the TVA, Sylvie badgers Renslayer into disclosing the identity of her paymaster but is baffled when she realizes that she was just as ignorant of it as she was.

When at the wrong end of the Time Stick, however, Renslayer reveals a few nuggets of information, including the fact that Loki is still alive, for no reality can ever be completely pruned, only transferred to a place on the timeline where it ceases to grow. Enlisting Miss Minutes' assistance, Renslayer agrees to help Sylvie access files pertaining to the onset of the TVA. For a flickering moment, Sylvie believes her, but in the nick of time she calls out her bluff and ducks behind the podium just as the Minutemen arrive, Time Sticks aloft. Before they can attack, she self-prunes herself, alighting at The Void in close proximity of the maws of Alioth.

Mobius, who interestingly survived the wrath of the monster, comes to her rescue in a pizza delivery car, the one vehicle that was not consumed by the stormy beast.

Back at the bunker, Classic Loki is livid at Loki for leading the other variants to their doorstep. President Loki's incredulity at the sight of an Alligator enrages our Gator Loki who neatly bites his hand off, provoking a brawl between the Loki variants. What ensues is a burlesque display of an assortment of Lokis attacking each other, with an exasperated Loki attempting to skedaddle out of the melee. Classic Loki conjures realistic projections of himself, Kid Loki, Loki, and Gator Loki engaging in the skirmish before creating a portal to flee from the site.

Convincing his ersatz selves to take him to Alioth, Loki realizes he must do better than sneak around the storm cloud when he witnesses it demolishing an entire battleship without much ado.

It's comforting to see how Loki is able to accept his folly without having to be embarrassed about it since he's surrounded by different failed, broken versions of himself, and who better to accept Loki's misfire than a Loki himself?

Loki reunites with Mobius and Sylvie, with the latter mocking his moronic plan of action. Sylvie theorizes that the person they're after is likely just beyond the Void and that enchanting Alioth could possibly lead the way to the masterminds behind the TVA.

At the TVA, Renslayer questions an imprisoned Hunter B-15 about the whereabouts of The Variant and her intentions, at the pretext of ensuring stability.

The conversation between them makes it clear that Renslayer too is unaware of the man behind the curtain and is intent on finding him, but Hunter B-15 challenges her retorting that Sylvie will beat her to it because she needs it.

All set to embattle Alioth, Sylvie hands over the stolen TemPad to Loki who declines.

"You go, I go," Loki declares, offering it to Mobius.

Wait, is that a nod to Titanic's you jump, I jump? Anyway, it's cute.

Classic Loki and Kid Loki decides to stay and Mobius prepares to return to the TVA. Before exiting through the Time Door, he bids an emotional farewell to Loki, complete with a bro-hug.

With no time to wait for the manifestation of a branch in the timeline, Loki volunteers to distract it, with Sylvie attempting to enchant it. But Alioth ignores Loki and accosts Sylvie, but before either of them could react a realistic illusion of Asgard materializes along the horizon. Classic Loki adeptly builds the display as Alioth devours the illusion, buying time for the duo.

Reassured of their faculty, Loki realizes that he too is capable of Enchantment, since he and Sylvie were the same. Jointly they enchant Alioth, but not before Classic Loki makes the ultimate sacrifice. The nebulous mist surrounding the tempest parts, revealing a castle in the distance.

Mirroring the vibes of the third episode, the episode has a fair amount of action sprinkled with some romancing and a foray into the realm of 'what makes a Loki a Loki'. The glaring motif is that our titular Loki better understands himself with the help of various incarnations of his ilk. Brilliantly played by Richard E. Grant, Classic Loki's deeply satisfying character arc is a highlight of the episode, as you witness the rise and fall of a star within an insanely limited amount of time. He is what you say a light that burned bright but not too long.

All in all, it was an amusing episode, which could do with a bit more finesse.

And for heaven's sake, get Mobius a Jetski already!

Rating: 4/5

The first five episodes of Loki are now streaming on Disney+.