On the Run: Marvel’s Loki Season 2 Episode 2 Review

Last week, “Ouroboros” brought us back to the TVA. We met O.B. as well as a new judges’ council, and Loki struggled alongside the TVA to deal with the consequences of Sylvie’s actions.

Season 2 of Marvel’s Loki is gearing up to feature even more Sacred Timeline drama. From rogue TVA agents to elaborate setups, “Breaking Brad,” the series’ second episode, promises even more temporal mayhem.

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London Calling

Episode 2 begins with Loki and Mobius in 1977 on the Sacred Timeline. They’ve traveled to London to search for Sylvie before Dox’s Minutemen loyalists can find her. But, as she’s proven before, finding Sylvie is easier said than done.

The duo is also tracking down X-5 for leads on Sylvie as well as Dox’s plans. In this timeline, X-5 is Brad Wolfe, a movie star attending the premiere of his film Zaniac. Back in the original Marvel Comics, Zaniac was a mutated movie star and an enemy of Thor. The God of Thunder actually had to enlist the help of the TVA to undo Zaniac’s murder of Jane Foster.

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Shadow Play

Once X-5 runs into Loki and Mobius at the premiere, he attempts to escape. B-15 is able to snatch his TemPad as X-5 runs down a back alley, while Loki chases him down. After Loki corners X-5, the God of Mischief uses some of his magic to intimidate X-5 into giving up whatever information he knows. Bursts of green magic lead to illusions and devious shadows that grab X-5.

Mobius finally catches up with Loki and X-5, and they bring him back to the TVA for questioning.

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Pushing Buttons

It appears that X-5 has altered his TemPad somehow, but he refuses to divulge any info. Loki and Mobius take the mysterious TemPad down to O.B., who is still trying to retrofit the Temporal Loom so it can handle all the new timelines. Things are beginning to look a little dire.

Meanwhile, B-15 asks Casey whether there are any updates on Ravonna Renslayer. Casey reports nothing so far in regard to her location, but he did found out who sent the last message from her TemPad: Miss Minutes! This collaboration isn’t surprising but confirms any doubts about where their loyalties lie. Plus, Casey also might have an idea of what’s happened to X-5’s TemPad.

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Good Loki, Bad Loki

Over in X-5’s holding cell, Loki and Mobius interrogate the TVA officer with minimal success. He refuses to give up what he obviously knows. But that doesn’t mean X-5 isn’t chatty — he claims to be upholding B-15’s new mission by living his best life on the Sacred Timeline.

Loki and Mobius quickly grow exasperated with X-5. They try every tactic in the book to get him to tell where Sylvie is, but that just pushes X-5 into antagonizing Loki. At one point, he even mentions Frigga’s murder to push Loki’s buttons. He tells Loki, “You’re a villain and you’re good at it. Do that.” In other words, stop trying to be a hero when everybody knows that’s not the case. Hearing this, Loki launches into a devilishly good monologue delivered in his signature subtle snarl. His words threaten impending violence against X-5, and everyone in the room is on the edge of their seat.

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Loki’s Nowhere Man

As compelling as Loki’s threat is, X-5 still resists. He continues to question the purpose of the TVA, seemingly in opposition to Dox’s current directive. But when he refers to Mobius as a “nowhere man,” the normally cool TVA agent completely loses his temper. It’s unexpected and this name must have some deeper meaning within Mobius’ mysterious past outside of the TVA.

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Easy as Pie

After Mobius’ meltdown, Loki takes him down to the cafeteria so they can regroup. A couple of slices of bright-green key lime pie does wonders for the nerves. As they eat their dessert, they talk about losing control. Loki tries to make his companion feel better by pointing out that he once attempted to pawn the entire City of New York off to an alien madman — in addition to throwing Tony Stark off the side of a building.

As they talk, Loki asks Mobius if he’s curious at all about his life before the TVA. You know, the one that was erased from his memories. Mobius appears uncomfortable with the question and says it’s easier not knowing for sure. “Something bad I can handle. What if it’s something good?”

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Fresh Out of Options

The duo returns to X-5’s holding cell with new resolve. With them, they’ve rolled in a large, complicated piece of machinery that clearly has X-5 worried. According to them, the dangerous device is their last option. They begin to interrogate X-5 again but suddenly Loki goes off script. He locks Mobius out of the room and now it’s just Loki and X-5 — and that big machine. Loki says there actually is one other option.

X-5 attempts to reason with Loki, saying he doesn’t know how to properly operate the device. But that doesn’t matter to the God of Mischief — “I’m a villain, remember?” Loki starts pushing random buttons as X-5 becomes more and more panicked. The device is able to lock X-5 in a force field, which quickly closes in on him as Loki continues to recklessly push buttons. At the very last second, just as X-5 is about to squished into a rectangle of TVA ooze, he admits that he did, in fact, find Sylvie.

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We’re All Gonna Die!

Elsewhere in the TVA, B-15 and Casey meet up with O.B., who is still trying to retrofit the Temporal Loom. Unfortunately, the blast doors are now inoperable and it looks like the only person who could open it is the original designer, He Who Remains — or possibly Miss Minutes, who’s still MIA.

As all this is happening, Casey is starstruck at meeting the writer of the TVA Manual. He asks O.B. to autograph his copy of the manual before B-15 reminds them why they’re there.

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Bigger than the TVA

Following X-5’s confession, the trio arrives at the McDonald’s in Broxton, Oklahoma. Sylvie is now working the register and once she locks eyes with Loki, their greetings are nothing short of awkward. The tension is palpable. Loki can’t believe Sylvie is simply working at a fast food joint while Sylvie appears incredulous that her hiding spot has been found.

Outside the restaurant, while on her break, Sylvie listens to Loki’s explanation of what’s been happening. He tries to convince her that she must help but Sylvie is perfectly happy where she is, working at McDonald’s. TVA be damned. Loki pleads that this is bigger than the TVA until she reluctantly agrees to help. When X-5 is uncooperative with Dox’s location, Sylvie uses her magic to access his memory.

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Even Loki Variants Get the Blues

Now that they know Dox’s location, Loki, Sylvie, and Mobius are able to catch her off guard. The two Lokis unleash the full force of their magic, stopping Dox and her loyalists in their tracks. Sadly, they were just a little too late.

Once they’ve returned to the TVA, the branched timelines continue to break off and disappear. Lives continue to be lost. In the background, Casey gets a hit on Renslayer’s TemPad. But Sylvie is angry that all their efforts have amounted to nothing, proclaiming that the TVA is broken and rotten. She returns to the Broxton timeline, leaving Loki and the rest of the TVA in shock.

Outside her McDonald’s, Sylvie says goodnight to her coworker Jack. “Kozmic Blues” by Janis Joplin plays as Sylvie lights up a device in her hand.

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The second episode of Loki continues to unravel the careful infrastructure of the TVA. Plus, we’re beginning to see how the TVA officers could be connected to the Sacred Timeline. What are your predictions for the rest of Loki season 2?

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