Loki

The evolution of the MCU in the OTT space is dramatic and fantastic. While every other superhero movie had this world-saving agenda, the MCU films were able to humanize some of its key characters in a unique way. And with the new Disney Plus original contents, they are now trying to tap into the conflicts inside those characters who had limited space in the big-screen format. Loki, the new original from Marvel, is yet another engrossing series that becomes an entertaining brain exercise as the story proceeds. With the timeline concept that becomes fascinating rather than convoluted, Loki even offers you a different perspective on the God of Mischief.

So if you have been following MCU movies, you would know that Loki was last seen disappearing into the unknown with the Tesseract. As this action disrupted the timeline, Loki became a concern for the TVA (Time Variance Authority), and they will prune him to maintain the sacred timeline. But there was another version of Loki that was out there giving some serious headaches to the TVA, and Mobius, the TVA agent interrogating Loki, decides to use him to find that Loki. How this journey of being a collaborator in an investigation changes many things for Loki is what we see in this series.

In the writing part of Loki, there is a genuine exploration into the concept behind TVA and all its building blocks. The conflict in the series may appear as the TVA trying to save the timeline from a threat. But the writers of Loki are trying to use this usual conflict element to understand the foundation of TVA. It’s almost like Steve Rogers’s understanding about the SHIELD in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. What makes this series fascinating is the way it goes on to unfold many things as every episode ends. The canvas sort of becomes wider, and the possibilities become somewhat crazy. We see multiple Lokis, multiple apocalypses, and by the time it reaches that season finale, you are somewhat excited in a way similar to how those who saw Dark were trying to figure out the family tree.

Directed by Kate Herron, the texture of Loki is a bit quirky, and at the same time, it is emotional. The thing is, they are placing Loki in a space where he is unfamiliar and uncomfortable. An adopted son, God of mischief, and many other negative tags are there around this character. So why someone would become something like that is a question with a lot of possibilities. And with this Variant concept, the writers of the series get a chance to pitch similar characters against one another. A female version of Loki (Sylvie) gets the prime focus here, and it was interesting how that character flipped the plot. There is a claustrophobic feel to the locations of the series. The production design was impressive, but the visual effects are slightly on the unimpressive side.

Tom Hiddleston gradually changes the tone of the Loki from the smart one we know to a desperate and vulnerable one. In the initial episodes, the desperation and the discomfort we see are hilarious to watch. As the story progresses, the good side inside him pops out, and Hiddleston made sure that a certain level of subtlety is there in that. Sophia Di Martino as Sylvie was really impressive. There is that street-smart aggression in her portrayal of Sylvie, which makes this character a Loki variant that genuinely looks puzzling for other Lokis as well. Owen Wilson, in his typical style as Mobius, was interesting to watch. It’s not really a challenging character, but his style of acting suited that role. Gugu Mbatha- Raw was fine in her role as Ravonna, and even though it was a small role in terms of screen time, Jonathan Majors was hilarious and really effective as someone who explains the reality to our Lokis.

Talking too much about Loki, in a way, spoils the fun it offers you. From whatever I could find on the internet, the development of this series happened in an unprecedented way. Unlike other MCU characters, Loki is in a space where they can do some crazy experiments with that character. And this first season proves that the writing department of the series has no plans to take safe and familiar paths.