#i think this is why we all kind of ended up thinking Timely = HWR at one point? because there's only one of everyone else suddenly.

[nostalgia-tblr]

further loki s2 bitching (skip if u wanna)

Loki S2 either forgot about the variants concept or ditched it as too likely to draw the audience's attention to Sylvie-as-a-Loki and either way the variant stuff was MY FAVOURITE PART so thanks for that guys :|

[where-theres-smoak-2]

I keep seeing posts saying that the sylki kiss from 1x06 was retconned. Obviously I don't know for 100% certainty, the writers/show producers would have to confirm if anything was retconned or not for us to be certain. But I don't think anything was retconned. It is a bit confusing with all the time skipping etc, you've also got the fact that when Loki went back and spoke to OB in the past it changed things in the future. But when he went back in 2x06 to speak to Mobius and then Sylvie after those timelines dissolved away, so what's the difference? Well here's how I see it, and I am going to try my best to explain it using a metaphor and hope it makes sense. So Loki at the end transforms all the timelines into a tree, so lets run with that imagery and look at time like its a tree. You've got all your branches, that's the different timelines, then you've got your leaves on that branch which represents different moments in time. These moments/leaves exsist on multiple branches. Here is a diagram for you, I apologise for the crudeness, I was only able to put on coat of paint and it is not to scale:

I think we see Loki travel two different ways on this time tree I think when he goes back and speaks to OB he is jumping between different points on the same branch like this:

When he jumps back to speak to OB it kind of rearranges slightly the branch from that point forward, so now future OB remembers the conversation but everything else stays the same.

HWR says the way the loom works is that it deletes anything that isn't supposed to be there and just keeps the sacred timeline aka the events that HWR wants to happen. We know that the events of season 1 and 2 were what HWR wanted to happen, he says he paved the way, which is why I think after speaking to past Mobius in 2x06 the timeline dissolves. I think the way Loki is time-slipping in this episode where he is trying to find the right actions that will solve the problem and save the day is more like he is skipping between branches as opposed to the same branch, like this:

Only when he skips out of that the branch falls off and dies like after he spoke to Mobius and Sylvie.

When it comes to him repeating the same moment I see as him kind of bouncing from say his branch to that same moment on a different branch:

When it fails he slips back to that same moment and tries again. And its the same with the citadel. I suppose it would look more like this:

With that moment as a sort of fixed moment.

Actually another way of looking at it (and probably a simpler way if I am honest) is like every time Loki skips back after a failed attempt he's hitting the return to factory settings button, when you do that on a computer it erases everything you have added, everything you have done. In this case the factory settings are season 1 and season 2 up to 2x4.

So the sylki kiss and citadel moment weren't retconned or erased, neither was that first interview with Mobius in 1x01 because when Loki slipped back to the loom room for the last time he had hit the reset button. So the events of season 1 and 2 up to ep 4 stay, they are the in universe canon you could say. So the Sylvie we see talking to Mobius at the end is the same Sylvie who kissed Loki in 1x06, and went through all of season 1 and 2.

So what parts were retconned/ erased. Anything between the end of 2x4 and the end of 2x6. So sadly we have lost the bar scene from ep 5, we get to keep the kiss and the pie room scene though. The other scenes that got erased in this episode is Loki's conversation with Mobius where he asks how to choose who lives and dies. Also the conversation with Sylvie where he tells her he might have to kill her to stop her killing HWR is gone too. Though to note Loki still remembers it all.

Anyway that's my take on it, I hope it makes sense.

[oswildin]

I have similar thoughts to you on the Loki stuff, with the main major difference being that I preferred the first season because of the more character-driveness of it as well as it being more feel-good and heartwarming. S2 was more going in circles which I get was he point but it was less enjoyable (though still enjoyable) to watch. Also I wish Loki and Sylvie got to actually discuss their issues because all of that mess still feels unfinished. I'm glad Mobius got an arc but I agree that I wish they went further. I wish this was a "regular" show for that reason. And I loved stuff like Sylvie and Mobius's dynamic and wish we saw more of that, both the bad and the good.

Oh I love S1 too, it deffo makes me feel good/fuzzy. EP3 is my favourite and I also love EP5+6 too. I will always love the train scene and the camera work/set design of Shuroo in the last sequence in EP3, truly amazing work from the team! I know what you mean about S2, it was very loopy/samey, but I’m a sucker for that kind of thing and the whole idea of ‘breaking the cycle’.

There’s a lot that still feels open ended with the show, whether deliberate or not (I’m inclined and hopeful to think it was intentional to set up for possible character returns etc in the future).

I think they really dropped the ball with not giving more of a relationship between Sylvie & Mobius, especially after the scene in S1 EP5 where Mobius and Sylvie sort of reach a kind of understanding in the car in the void. I feel perhaps a pie room scene with Mobius would’ve actually worked a bit better than with her and Loki. But again, they did focus more on the plot than characters, and tried to explore facets of these people but it just went no-where. There was a lot they were trying to do with a lot of characters. I also think EP3, whilst fun, wasn’t needed to be so focused on Renslayer and Victor, but I suppose it was for the sake of trying to explain why she chose to work with HWR in the past and what their relationship was.

Also off topic, but it also does frustrate me how people will weaponise Sylvie’s reaction in S2 EP6 to Loki’s sacrifice. I always took her aloofness as a defence mechanism, just as Loki would use it as his. But I think also, that it’s okay that she feels some sense of relief and contentment after the traumatic life she’d lead. She’s now able to, as far as the audience is aware, live the life she always wanted without the fear of the TVA coming for her or the branches dying. She was celebrating her victory, that doesn’t mean she isn’t sad about Loki’s choice. I mean, the fact she was the one who brought him up in the first place in such a casual manner:

“It’s weird that Loki’s not here.”

Bestie was very subtly expressing her own feelings of loss for him to Mobius who is experiencing that same loss and can empathise with her. But both of them don’t discuss further because what’s done is done, and all they can do now is…

“Let time pass.”

Sorry, that went off topic at the end, it’s just a gripe I personally have with the interpretation of that ending scene.

[anonymousewrites]

Portal to My Heart (Book 2) Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen: At the Divergence

            Sylvie, Loki, and (Y/N) stared at HWR in shock at his proposal that they would prune innocent Timelines. HWR continued anyways.

            “There’s two options!” he said. “One…you kill me and destroy all this, so you don’t just have one devil, you have an infinite amount. Or…you three. You three run the whole thing. Of course, (Y/N) would get the most power, no offense to the Lokis but you guys tend to miss the big picture, but all three of you would be in charge together. It’s a pity she won’t live as long as you two, so hopefully you learn something from her.”

            “You’re lying,” said Loki. “Why would you give up being in control?”

            HWR sighed. “Buddy…I’m tired. I’m older than I look. This game is for the young, the hungry. I’ve gone through a lot of scenarios trying to find the right person to take this spot. It turns out that one person came with two partners.” He chuckled. “But it’s definitely (Y/N) and her two Lokis.”

            “Her Lokis?” questioned Sylvie, crossing her and frowning (still turning a little red).

            “Well, I’m certainly not your (Y/N), so you must be my Lokis,” shrugged (Y/N).

            “Not the time,” said Loki, giving Sylvie a jealous glance. He knew (Y/N) cared for him, but she had never confirmed whether or not she also cared for Sylvie in the same way, and Lokis were a bit possessive by nature.

            HWR just shook his head at their antics. “No more lies. You kill me, and the Sacred Timeline is completely exposed. Multiversal War. Or you take over and return to the TVA as its benevolent rulers. Tell the workforce who they are and why they do what they do.”

            “You treated real people’s lives like some kind of game,” hissed Sylvie.

            “It’s not personal; it’s practical,” defended HWR.

            “It was personal to me,” said Sylvie.

            HWR groaned. “Grow up! Grow up, Sylvie! Murderer! Hypocrite! We’re all villains here, excepting (Y/N). She’s more like an anti-hero, grey area material. But the rest of us? We’ve all done terrible, horrible things.” He looked at both Sylvie and Loki pointedly. Loki swallowed and looked down. “But now, we, you…have a chance to do them for a good reason.”

            “Using violence to control people isn’t a good reason,” spat (Y/N).

            “I think keeping them from starting a war is,” said HWR. From outside, a rumbling could be heard. HWR’s eyes widened, and he looked around in concern. “We just crossed the threshold.” He began to laugh, and thunder rumbled again. “Oh!” He picked up a trinket and let it fall to his desk. “So, I fibbed.”

            (Y/N) frowned at his sudden change in tone. “What?”

            “I fibbed earlier when I said I know how everything’s going to go. I know, I knew everything up to a certain point, and that point was about seven, eight, nine, ten seconds ago.” HWR chuckled. “I guess (Y/N) was right once again; I can’t see everything.”

            Outside the windows, the Sacred Timeline began slowly splitting into thousands of branches. (Y/N) was distracted for a moment watching its hypnotic glowing.

            “But now I have no idea,” said HWR. “No idea how the rest of this is going to go. I’m being candid.”

            “So that’s it?” Loki was frowning in disbelief. “That’s it? This is what happens at the end of time? And now you’re just going to sit there with all that freedom and…let us decide your fate?”

            “Yes!” answered HWR excitedly. “Yes! Yes! What’s the worst that can happen? You either take over, and my life’s work continues, or you plunge a blade in my chest, and an infinite amount of me start another Multiversal War. And I just…end up right back here anyways.” He chuckled. “Reincarnation, baby!”

            “No, it’s just another lie,” said Sylvie stubbornly. “Another manipulation.”

            (Y/N) was unconvinced by anything. She felt that they needn’t to think before acting and try to find another option. Either-or situations weren’t pleasant, and she obstinately didn’t believe in them.

            On the other side of the coin (from Sylvie, at least), Loki was apparently swayed by HWR’s speech. He was concerned about the possibility of a Multiversal War and seemed to believe HWR might be right.

            “Oh, no lie.” HWR shook his head. “No manipulation. Come on, (Y/N), can you help give them some sense?”

            “No, because I don’t believe in having to choose between bad and worse options. I like making up my own options,” said (Y/N), smiling artificially.

            HWR sighed. “Wow. I expected a little more from you.”

            (Y/N) just rolled her eyes. “Maybe try understanding someone before thinking you know how they’ll act.”

            “Touché,” said HWR, chuckling before getting quiet again. He slipped off the bracelet he wore and set it on the table. “Wow…I love this.”

            (Y/N) deadpanned. He really doesn’t like staying on a subject.

“I love…all this honestly. Feels like a fresh start,” said HWR. “Even if everything isn’t going perfectly, it’s just…refreshing.”

            Everyone was quiet for a moment. Then, Sylvie jumped to her feet and swung down at HWR. Loki grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. Sylvie turned her sword on him, causing him to back up and (Y/N) to jolt up.

            “What’re you doing?” demanded Sylvie.

            “Hang on a moment,” said Loki.

            “What?” hissed Sylvie.

            “This isn’t a decision we can rush into,” said (Y/N), gently putting her hand on Sylvie’s sword to lower it from Loki’s throat.

            “We came here to finish what we started! We need to kill him,” said Sylvie. She spun around and advanced towards HWR again.

            In a rush (Y/N) thrust out a hand, and a portal appeared in front of Sylvie. She ended up behind (Y/N) once again.

            “We need to think, Sylvie. We don’t have to leave him unpunished, but we also need to think for a fucking second,” said (Y/N) angrily.

            Sylvie didn’t listen, and in a fit of anger, swung her sword. Loki jumped in and blocked it before (Y/N) got it, kicking Sylvie back.

            “He could be telling the truth, at least partially, like (Y/N) said,” grunted Loki.

            “You believe that a bazillion boogeymen will turn up just because we give people free will?” snapped Sylvie. “He’s a liar, Loki!”

            “So am I! And I don’t think he was lying about the possibility of war,” said Loki.

            “Dammit, Sylvie! I want him to suffer too, but it would be stupid to rush into this,” said (Y/N). “He’s an insane dictator, but that doesn’t make him completely wrong about the dangers of rushing into a decision that holds the universe in the balance, that holds more innocents in the balance. A multiverse where people are free to live their lives and make decisions would be amazing, but…” (Y/N) gestured to HWR. “We don’t know who he is! He might not be a savior like he claims and just the winner of that war, a cruel man who wants control. We need to figure out the complete truth and whether or not a worse man coming to power is possible. Then we can figure out how to prevent it if someone does try to start a war! It’s not just international relations, it's inter-universal relations!”

            Sylvie looked at (Y/N), heartbroken at her lack of trust in her judgement.

            “We risk unleashing something even worse if we kill him without a plan,” said Loki.

            “We need to take a moment to think about this,” said (Y/N).

            “I thought you were on my side,” seethed Sylvie, glaring at (Y/N).

            “I am on the side of people. The people who can’t be here to speak their mind and make a decision. They don’t decide to have their lives endangered because we rushed into killing someone out of revenge,” said (Y/N). She was begging Sylvie to hear her words and just stop for a moment.

            Sylvie scoffed. “You’re both just cons.”

            “Is that really what you think of me?” demanded (Y/N). “After everything we went through, you think I’d lie now?”

            “Neither of you are exactly trustworthy, are you?” snapped Sylvie.

            “You never trusted us, did you?” asked Loki, narrowing his eyes. “What was the point of all this? You never see past your own nose. This is bigger than us.”

            “Why aren’t we seeing this the same way?” asked Sylvie.

            “Because we aren’t the same people,” said (Y/N).

            “Then I guess we’re at an impasse,” said Sylvie coldly.

            “Sylvie, wait—!”

            She swung at Loki and (Y/N), who dodged. Loki sliced down at her in return but got blasted back with magic. (Y/N) flipped her dagger out and attacked, so Sylvie blocked and kicked her to the ground. As Sylvie rushed towards HWR, (Y/N) dropped her through another portal, scrambled to her feet, and blocked any further approach. Furious, Sylvie forced her backwards onto the desk, pinning her down.

            “Sylvie,” groaned (Y/N). “Sylvie, please!” She pushed the dagger against Sylvie’s sword. “The cost of getting this wrong is too high!”

            “Then kill me and take your throne with him,” spat Sylvie, pushing her weapon towards (Y/N)’s throat.

            Loki growled and wrenched her away. Sylvie sliced at him, and he parried and attacked. (Y/N) pushed herself off the desk and kept Sylvie away from HWR. Getting behind Sylvie and trying to knock her down, (Y/N) was met with a blast of magic which sent her sprawling across the floor. Sylvie winced at the impact but took advantage of Loki’s shock in order to knock him down. Unencumbered, she raced to HWR and brought her sword down. At the last moment, (Y/N) appeared in front. Sylvie’s eyes widened, and she stopped before she decapitated (Y/N). The other woman dropped in her dagger and held up her hands. Loki and HWR froze at the scene.

            “Sylvie, please. Stop,” said (Y/N), looking at Sylvie unafraid, even as the cool metal rested on her throat. She reached up for Sylvie. “Stop.” Sylvie’s breath caught. “It doesn’t have to be this way. None of us want a throne. We want to help people. And we can do that together.”

            Sylvie let out a light sob and let her sword fall to her side and then the ground. She leaned in and hugged (Y/N) tightly, spinning her around as they embraced. Sylvie stepped back. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. With the device she had swiped from the test, Sylvie summoned a door to the TVA.

            Loki’s eyes widened, and he pushed (Y/N) out of the way, letting himself be transported away. He didn’t want to leave (Y/N) behind, but he knew that if anyone could try to reason with Sylvie some more, it was her.

            “Loki!” cried (Y/N).

            Sylvie turned and blasted HWR’s desk to the side, causing (Y/N) to scramble out of the way. “Aren’t you gonna beg for you life?” questioned Sylvie to HWR.

            “Could, could,” he chuckled.

            Sylvie raised her knife and brought it down. Her eyes widened. “Oh, gods…I didn’t…oh…”

            (Y/N) clenched her jaw as she felt her wound begin to bleed. “Sylvie, stop. Please…” She fell to her knees.

            Sylvie panicked and knelt next to her, fiddling with HWR’s watch again. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I need to finish this.” Opening another doorway and giving (Y/N) a final apologetic, heartbroken look, Sylvie pushed her through.

            (Y/N) landed roughly next to where Loki was sitting, disheartened, in a TVA interrogation room. She cried out as her wound ached from hitting the ground.

            “(Y/N)!” Loki’s eyes widened in horror, and he rushed to her side, holding her tight against him. “Gods…did Sylvie do this to you?”

            “It was an accident,” coughed (Y/N). “But shit, it hurts.”

            “Someone!” cried Loki. “I need someone!” Cursing as no one came in, he lifted (Y/N) up and set out in search of help. “Keep your eyes open, everything’s going to be all right.” Loki brightened in relief as he saw Mobius, free of any bonds, speaking hurriedly to B-15.

            “Sixty-three new branches in this unit alone? Does he want us to just them all branch?” said Mobius to B-15.

            “Mobius!” shouted Loki, slowing to a stop. “We made a terrible mistake, and now everything’s gone wrong and (Y/N)’s hurt!”

            “What?” asked Mobius. His eyes widened as he saw the bleeding woman in Loki’s arms.

            “Freed the timeline, found the bastard, war…need to prepare…” murmured (Y/N), dizzy from blood loss.

            “I don’t know what happened to you analysts—” (Y/N) and Loki looked at him in confusion and alarm “—but we need to you to a medic, now!” Mobius flipped open his Tempad and called medics. “Now, who are you guys?”

            “What…?” breathed Loki.

            “We need boots on the ground, stat,” said B-15.

            Loki just sank to floor and held (Y/N) close as he realized they had really messed up. They could both see the statue looming over them on the elevator, not of the Time-Keepers, but of He-Who-Remains. Everything had gone wrong, and now they were in an even bigger mess. Loki took a deep, shuddering breath as he waited for the medics to arrive.

            “Please don’t leave me…” he whispered. “I need you here. You were right about everything. Please stay.” “It’s a pity she won’t live as long as you.” Loki’s heart clenched at the reminder of (Y/N)’s mortality. “You can’t die today, (Y/N). You can’t…because I love you.”

[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

So do you, could you explain why Kang has the TVA prune just who ever if the multiverse war was caused by versions of himself? Why isn't the whole system just to make sure he's the only Kang that exists?

Okay so this is how I understand it (feel free to correct me though).

According to him (because we have no other sources so it's either we believe what he says or... we believe what he says), he allows alternate timelines to grow only as long as none of those different universes end up with an evil Kang variant in them. In order to know whether or not a specific timeline is going to have one of his variants in it he goes forward in time far enough to check. The only timelines he does prune have an evil Kang in them.

Let's put it this way. Imagine I'm in the Sacred Timeline and my predetermined role in it is to arrive at work tomorrow at 9am. But my alarm doesn't go off or there's a traffic jam on the way to my office so I arrive at 10. That's enough of a variation according to what Miss Minutes says in ep1 so HWR would look forward in time and if the alternate timeline I had created by arriving an hour late at work means an evil Kang variant shows up at any point for whatever reason.... the minutemen would come for me, take me to the TVA, prune the timeline I had created by being late and fuck everyone else in the process.

Does this make any sense? Nope. How far would he have to go? At what point does he stop (if those timelines grow infinitely he'd need to be checking them constantly)? Why not just let his other variant be born then kill him off before he becomes a threat? There are so many questions.

So technically he is making sure no more evil variants of himself exist in the multiverse, that's why he prunes certain timelines. According to him the only reason for pruning those realities is to remove evil Kangs from existence, it's not that he enjoys killing people or anything 🙄

But for a being that supposedly manages the multiverse (which again, it's impossible given that there's an infinite number of universes + dimensions and in some of those dimensions he would have no power whatsoever given that his control is over time and space and for instance the Dark Dimension is beyond time and Stephen had to literally take the Time Stone with him in order to trap Dormammu), it's kind of stupid that all he did was destroy entire universes and kill trillions of people. He couldn't think of anything better? Waldron couldn't, apparently.

[jewels2876]

Always. - A LOKI finale synopsis

So I thought I could write something magical or be inspired by the Loki finale for @the-th-horniest-book-club as it's their last day of celebration.

And it hit me. I can't.

Here's what I can do: dissect this episode down to its heartbreaking ending because at the end I still have a million questions and it's gonna take a cartoon What If?, a Spiderman movie, maybe a Hawkeye show?, and a Dr. Strange movie to answer them all and I'll STILL have questions after that.

Consider for just a moment what happened to 2012 Loki when the TVA captured him way back in Episode One - what the hell did removing Loki do to the MCU timeline? Thor: The Dark World never happened. And no I don't mean you can pretend Marvel put it out there because they did, and it's one of the worst Marvel movies, there I said it. But if TWD didn't happen, what else could have been affected?

And with that disturbing thought we begin...

The opening credits HAVE AUDIO! Every tag line uttered as the characters flash on the screen, EVEN LOKI gets his "We have a Hulk" in. It is awesome; it is glorious; it is expected with EVERY Marvel creation going forward.

Loki and Sylvie should know better than to stare at a door; they always seem to open on their own when that happens. Miss Minutes pops up out of nowhere, scaring the bejesus out of 70% of people, the other 30% wanted to see her one last time. And she's not the same Miss Minutes we first met. She's edgy, she's less peppy, and she gives our duo an offer. Honestly, she should have known the result but 🤷🏻‍♀️

Ravonna is doing something in her office; if she's cleaning it's a piss poor job. Miss Minutes shows up and tells Ravonna she gave her what she needs. Ominous.

Back to Loki and Sylvie who finally meet "He Who Remains." Now we all know guys with names like "He Who Must Not Be Named" are bad news. Guys, to answer the question asked in the show, I'm a little disappointed. The disappointment lasts about five seconds... The office they get transported to reminds me IMMEDIATELY of a certain movie and certain buildings we've seen before (insert duh at this point because you too have seen every Marvel movie ever.)

****** Side note: anyone know if Tom takes his tea with only two sugars? No? Yes? Okay getting back to other things ******

At this point, we get back to Ravonna and her lack of cleaning when Mobius shows up with the pruner (it has to have a cooler name! side side note: nope just glowing batons) and we get a nice little flashback to Original Ravonna (maybe?)

****** 2nd side note: since when did everyone who's not a Russo brother start using OHIO for origin stories? Seriously, go watch Black Widow. I'll wait.******

Now back to Loki, Sylvie, and He Who Remains, hereto known as HWR, who pulls the same trick we saw in the first episode with the "read and sign" guy with the adorable kitten. HWR needs a kitten, a pet at the very least. "You can't get to the end until you've been changed by the journey." HWR s is winding up for a pitch and also summarizes the show too. Loki asks if it's a manipulation; HWR finds the word interesting and I do to. Here's why:

Odin manipulated Loki's abandonment to his advantage

Thanos put Loki under mind control and used him

This is the 2012 Loki as a reminder, so he hasn't been subjected to imprisonment on Asgard or the brotherly banter/squabbles he and Thor have escaping Asgard, nor “Get help” from Ragnarok so it should come as no shock that Loki looks angry. After all, Odin and Thanos kind of killed any hope in Loki of feeling wanted or needed. Aren’t father figures supposed to instill hope, instead of disgust? Yeah, I can answer that one but that’d be an entire other post.

Now we’re back to Ravonna and Mobius and they spat over who was more betrayed - news flash: it was Mobius. But Ravonna has to do for the digs. “Those variants?” “You threw it away for a couple of Lokis.”  Mobius tries to reason with Ravonna, sounding exactly like Glenda and Elphaba from Wicked (his “together” is spot on Glenda!) Ravonna opens a portal looking for “free will” after giving Mobius one last beatdown.

And we’re back to Loki, Sylvie and HWR. HWR gives them a bit of his backstory; I have a suspicion he’s glossed over some of it (he admits being called a conqueror for cryin’ out loud!) He has a maniacal moment, standing on his desk, voice getting a little shrill and thin. He also admits he’s probably the saner of his variants (my words not his.) Then after his real-man-behind-the-curtain routine he makes them an offer. Take his place. Loki, who has been remarkably non verbal, asks why HWR would give up control. Good question from the guy who wants to be in control yet was meant to thrive on chaos he creates. If anyone is keeping score, questions have been asked but not a single ANSWER has been given! Sylvie isn’t believing a single word while our Loki’s wheels are turning.

****** 3rd side note: the acting has been PHENOMENAL this entire series. Forget what Marvel promised and didn’t deliver (fluid Loki) and a scene we’ll be getting to, Tom and company have been nothing short of an Emmy, which I expect next year.******

HWR finally gets fed up with Sylvie and tells her to grow up. Because she took her pruning personally. Now I’m not going to say she shouldn’t be upset about her pruning; Marvel made it A POINT of showing her playing, content on Asgard, when they took her. But HWR has a point. He’s offering an option that allows Loki and Sylvie to do whatever they feel is best and it’s the wrong time for Sylvie to get in her feelings. Of course 99% of us know that’s EXACTLY when feelings choose to surface.

Then something happens - we don’t know who or what did it. Was it Ravonna and her leaving? Did Ravonna meet someone we suspect? Was it Mobius? Miss Minutes? The agents? We may never know exactly but now HWR is actually in the dark. Mr. Know-It-All suddenly doesn’t know it all.

Sylvie thinks she has her opportunity to fulfil her quest but it’s our Loki who protects HWR. Loki doesn’t tell her she’s wrong or right, just to stop and THINK. And now we get a glimpse of 2018 Loki:

See the bigger picture

Let’s talk about it

I believe HWR

What fills the void of a dictator?

What if we unleash something worse than HWR?

Now here’s where Marvel gets an B+ in character development. They took the 2012 Loki hell bent on destroying Earth to rule it and gave him just enough growth to become the 2018 redeemed Loki ODINSON, willing to sacrifice himself to Thanos (even if he did think he wouldn’t die.) It’s not a perfect arc by any means, but Marvel got there and this is one thing I applaud.

Sylvie now thinks Loki is lying to her to get to a throne and is clearly upset they are not seeing eye to eye on this and another point to Marvel. Loki, for only seeing a few videos that Mobius showed him, still has more life experience in his SINGULAR moment with Thanos to know that there is ALWAYS something bigger, badder, WORSE around the corner and he does NOT want to make the wrong decision. Wow.

To trust or not to trust. 

It’s a beautiful sword fight that HWR sits back and watches like it’s ESPN. The lighting is gorgeous behind the action and is leading up to my next OMG moment: STOP.

Loki asks Sylvie to stop, almost like a child. Like someone who knows exactly where the fight leads, where it goes, and where it ends. And he says as much to her as well. Sylvie feels like that person who just wants the fight to be over; she hunches into Tom’s space and the lighting suddenly stays green and blue. Guess who’s green? Guess who is blue?

This goes back to my Emmy mention. Even if it’s ONLY for technical work, it’s so deserving. Sylvie, in green, tired, emotional, struggling with something we aren’t supposed to know just yet. Loki, in blue, almost as if his Jotun form has taken over, strong, sensible, relatable, empathetic.

And then that damn kiss!  Marvel missed another opportunity here. Two Lokis had the opportunity to show self-love, familial love, friendly love, ANYTHING BUT A DAMN KISS!!! I’m not saying they couldn’t have feelings for each other, but it NEVER has to be romantic just because it’s a guy and a girl. **dramatic sigh goes here**

Sylvie pushes Loki through a portal she has opened, then turns to stab HWR through the chest, as he predicted. HWR actually chuckles, which makes me wonder if he expected this exact turn of events. As if we’ll ever know for sure.

Of course the timeline is going nebular and we’re treated to a shot back to the TVA. Mobius and B-15 exchange words as they watch the timelines grow and grow. Loki is sitting on a couch at the TVA and decides he’s not done? You’re supposed to guess the motivation because everything seems normal at the TVA. Loki finds Mobius and B-15 and admits to everything. Loki calling HWR terrifying is terrifying all on is own. And this of course is where it ends.

The post credit scene is just a “Loki returns in Season Two.”

Guys, this season was a mixed bag. There was some good, there was some not so good; there were laughs and a couple of tears. But it also has me SO HYPED for what’s to come. More Loki, more Marvel content, more... everything, I hope!