Episode 4 of “Loki,” titled “The Nexus Event,” was excellent and filled to the brim with pure chaos, which is exactly what a series about Loki should be and “The Nexus Event” reaffirmed us not to trust in the TVA and Ravonna Renslayer.
Spoilers
The latest “Loki” episode is entertaining, chaotic and very rewatchable, and it pushes forward many developments that viewers have been eagerly waiting for. Are the two Lokis falling in love? When will Mobius return? And what’s going on with the TVA?
Well, that last question will still have to wait to be fully answered. But it’s been truly confirmed by C-20 and Ravonna Renslayer herself, just from her suspicious behavior, that everyone working in the TVA are past Variants. Oh, how the plot thickens.
Sylvie was innocently playing with her toys when the TVA showed up and declared her a Variant. Unfortunately, it’s not confirmed why Sylvie is considered a Variant, even though a short flashback scene is showcased, showing the arrest of child Sylvie from Asgard. Later in the episode, Sylvie suspects her “nexus event” is simply being born a female when other Lokis have not been.
“Loki” continues to give us great character moments, especially with Loki, Sylvie, Mobius, and Hunter B-15. While waiting for death on Lamentis, Loki and Sylvie have a heartfelt conversation where Loki discerns that being a Loki is not about losing, instead it’s about surviving. And the first seed is planted for a Loki romance; I have to say, Loki falling in love with a Loki is such a Loki thing to do.
Yet Sylvie and Loki escape death by being saved and subsequently captured by the TVA, where they are immediately separated so they can’t cause further mischief. While separated, Loki is put into a time loop with Sif, who violently confronts him for cutting her hair, a clever nod to the actual Norse mythology. And in this loop, Sif tells Loki, “You deserve to be alone, and you always will be.”
And episode 4 gives us another head-to-head with Mobius vs. Loki. And Mobius is a fantastic interrogator; he has no problem unraveling Loki, getting his defenses down, before he strikes. Loki tries to pretend he feels no attachment for Sylvie, lying and taking credit for the plan. But it’s when Mobius callously lies and says that Sylvie has already been taken care of that Loki’s defenses drop. And the acting from Tom Hiddleston is fantastic because you can see the utter devastation on Loki’s face. Finally, Loki tells the truth and tells Mobius that they’re all Variants with wiped memories.
But Hunter B-15 is already on the case. She saw a memory when Sylvie enchanted her mind and has gone to investigate. And Wunmi Mosaku as Hunter B-15 is fantastic here, as she recalls her memories and the emotions play out on her face.
The TVA is quickly unraveling. C-20 was killed, Hunter B-15 knows the truth, and Mobius is not allowed to talk to Sylvie because of Renslayer. After stealing Ravonna’s TemPad to confirm his suspicion, Mobius sees a video of C-20 desperately recounting her memories from her time on Earth. While Mobius tries to team up with Loki, they are quickly recaptured, and Mobius is pruned, which leaves Loki devastated.
Loki and Sylvie are finally taken to see the Time Keepers, who are revealed to be androids; is Kang the puppetmaster? Yes, after a short fight scene, Sylvie finally confronts her perceived oppressors only to reveal that they’re not the ones in control. And unfortunately, right before a seemingly heartfelt love confession, Loki is pruned before Sylvie’s eyes.
But Marvel isn’t too cruel to leave fans waiting in agony, and we get a glorious mid-credits scene that reveals Loki waking up in some time of Purgatory, with other Lokis standing around him. Oh my, this is getting exciting.
