Let me start off by saying that I have never been a big Loki fan. However, I am a massive Tom Hiddleston fan, hence the reason why I anticipated this show. Like with most of my interests, I've always had a love/hate relationship with Marvel's Loki Laufeyson/Odinson. I understand that people fell in love with the (supposedly) mistreated, lesser worthier, adopted Jotun son of Odin Allfather. Loki was a tragic villain, however...he was also a villain of his own making.* I refused to sympathize with his whining or that his actions of revenge were justified due to a living in his brother's shadow.
I enjoy stories and movies because I love characters and therefore, character development. I want to see characters change, grow and go above people's expectations. In the case of Disney +'s Loki, he did develop and change, but obviously that was a disappointment to many people. People were looking forward to the same crazy and mad Loki and instead they received a raw and emotionally broken man desperate to find his way back to...wherever home is now. My question is, why do you want a character (especially a villain) to remain the same? What's wrong with adding another dimension to Loki's character and actually make him vulnerable and scared and unsure of his future?
The Loki series is definitely crazy and insane, however, the titular character is probably the only sane person in the whole story.
After the events of The Avengers and subsequently, Endgame, Loki finds himself captured by the Time Variance Authority (TVA). A strict and systematically run institution in space that controls all timelines. Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong. As the creepy Miss Minutes explains, eons ago, timelines were out of control and chaos reigned supreme. Then the timelords, a trio of faceless godlike leaders, set all timelines back into one direct line and eventually set up the TVA. The TVA's job is hunt down variants, or time traveling troublemakers and ensure that all order is set back into place. The variants are judged by Ravonna Renslayer and are usually dealt away with immediately.
Loki is rescued by a TVA agent, Mobius M. Mobius. A skilled agent, but also something of a risk taker, Mobius believes that Loki can be an asset to the TVA. He has discovered that Loki is not one single person, but a variety of different forms of Loki himself, traveling through numerous timelines. Women, children, old and young, black and white all consider themselves not just Loki, but are self described as 'a Loki,' no longer just a name but a certain entity. An entity that needs to be stopped.
Reluctantly Loki agrees to help Mobius. However, he comes across a version of himself that is so unique, rare and impossibly hard to understand, a variant called Sylvie who has evaded the TVA for centuries by hiding in cataclysmic catastrophes. While Loki may have found a friend and even a guide in Mobius, he is intrigued by Sylvie and her life. Sylvie's years on the run have taught her many things and she wastes no time in telling Loki that everything that the TVA is has been nothing but a lie. Now, the former god of mischief and lies must discover the absolute truth of free will and the freedom to write ones own destiny.
 |
| L-R: Ravonna, Sylvie, Loki, Mobius |
Loki was interesting. Very geeky and off the wall. The storyline wasn't my favorite, but the characters were excellent. Tom Hiddleston was absolutely on point as Loki! He's really the only reason I enjoy the character because he can play Loki at every emotional angle. I loved the different characterization at creating a more subdued and serious Loki. Life can't always been fun and games and getting away with everything.
The things is with Loki, that as the god of mischief, you never know what's going on in his head, what he's plotting, who he's using and what his ultimate goal is. A good deal of the time, I believe that Loki's seriousness was genuine. This is a man who tore himself apart when his mother died, so the grieving and fear of loss in most definitely there. Then when Sylvie comes along and Loki most definitely meets his match in himself, well a slightly more generous version of himself.
Sylvie is lovely and long suffering. Gifted with incredible strength and resilience, but also kindness and warmth. The female Loki is a morally more upright version of the oftentimes corrupted god and this frequently causes conflict between the two. Sylvie's desire to free the TVA and its mind wiped variants is her primary purpose as it is the only way she can truly be freed from a life of running.
I loved Mobius! I was a little unsure about Owen Wilson being cast in the show, but he won me over immediately with his cooky and fun Mobius. His friendship with the Ravonna is a close one, but one that is kept at arm's length. Ravonna has many secrets regarding her work at the TVA and her relationship with the powerful timekeepers. At times you never know if she's a villain or a victim, but she certainly has a Loki complex that doesn't rule out any questioning in the near future.
This show also deal heavily with the ethics of free will and are we allowed to make are own decisions or do we have a greater unseen power that chooses everything for us? As a Christian, it's up for an interesting debate. The TVA doesn't believe in free will, but Loki and his variants do. So there is a morally challenging subtext within the story that can raise many questions.
Regardless of how Loki was written, I enjoyed this new take on him and seeing him trying to balance who he is with who he is capable of becoming. Not to say that old fun loving Loki isn't still there. He is most definitely present at all times. And as to where the rest of the story is going to lead this well loved if not at times aggravating anti-hero remains to be seen.
* My thoughts on Loki:
Tom Hiddleston was by far the best part. I loved him speaking Latin and singing.
ReplyDeleteI wish they could have added dimension to his character without completely transforming it.
I'm glad you liked it though.
The scene in Pompeii was awesome! I also loved the Ragnorak salad with Mobius.
DeleteI think because Loki was in unfamiliar territory with really no escape plan, it would make sense that his character is in a more vulnerable position. He's not having to impress anyone and the only goal is to escape. He's still the master manipulator. For once, Loki isn't 3 steps ahead of everyone and so I wouldn't say his character is completely transformed, but it's a dimension we simply haven't seen yet and this is how Loki has to be to survive.