Recap and Review of Loki, Episode 4: “The Nexus Event”

Last episode ended with our two Lokis, Loki and Sylvie, starring at the end of a world, as Lamentis had its moon crash into it. With the last hope of hijacking a ship out seeming to vanish in front of them, what will these two gods of mischief do to escape?

Recap of Loki, Episode 4: “The Nexus Event”

Last episode we had Sylvie make the declaration that she has been on the run from the TVA since she was a child. And the opening of this week proves just that. As we see her as a child in Asgard, playing and telling a story of the Valkyries when Ravonna Renslayer, as a normally dressed TVA agent arrives to take her into custody. Eventually, she manages to break free from the TVA, stealing a time travel unit, headed for a life of narrow escapes and raising herself across various variant timelines.

And then we see Ravonna Renslayer, in current day, standing before the glowing images of the Time Keepers, presumably to face some kind of reckoning for what is in front of her.

Mobius meets her as she exits their chamber and they discuss what has happened, especially his part in allowing his variant Loki to escape and partner with Sylvie. Mobius thinks that he could get some leeway if he can interview C-20, the TVA soldier who was enchanted by Sylvie during the hurricane apocalypse.

Her cries of “It’s real, it’s real” have seemed to struck a chord with him and he wants more. But Ravonna reveals that C-20 is no more, having been extinguished because the spells of enchantment that Sylvie cast on her have presumably driven C-20 mad.

But on Lamentis, the world is coming to a close. And Sylvie explains that the only sense in the world is that it wants to break free. Her very creation as a goddess of mischief is the universe’s way of rebellion. And though she remembers Asgard, she also remembers using the TemPad, and being tracked every time until she learned to hide in the apocalypses. She was raised “at the ends of a thousand worlds” and that is where she will die now.

Mobius is working hard to find the two of them though, alongside B-15, having cranked all their gear to the highest sensitivity, looking for any kind of variation, even in an apocalypse. But when she asks about the now departed C-20, Mobius stays silent as they focus on finding Loki and Sylvie.

As Lamentis is rapidly falling, Sylvie asks if what makes a Loki is that they are destined to lose. Loki replies that they lose and sometimes painfully but they do not die, surviving and always moving forward. And when they are very clearly making a connection, the TVA sees a magnificent time anomaly and sure enough is able to “rescue” them from Lamentis, taking them into custody.

Loki tries to talk things over with Mobius but fails to get through, though his line of “The TVA is lying to you” gives Mobius some pause. But Loki winds up in some kind of time prison, where he is re-living over and over again a scene from his past, as Lady Sif, angry that he has cut her hair attacks him physically and tells him that he will always be alone.

Mobius heads up to Ravonna’s office, asking for permission to interview Sylvie and is denied, told instead to spend the time with his variant. When B-15 encounters him outside of Sylvie’s cell, she asks what Loki has told him and Mobius repeats that Loki told him the TVA was lying to him.

In the Time Cell, Loki has come to some revelations and seems to have beaten the cycle but the Lady Sif, while stopping the physical attack, is steadfast that he will always be alone.

Mobius then shows up and the two of them have a longer conversation. Mobius pushes and prods on Loki and his relationship with Sylvie, at first thinking that she was in charge of him. But Loki relents when Mobius threatens to send him back to Lady Sif.

Loki lies and tells a tale of how they came up with a plan to overthrow the TVA. But Loki’s emotions betray him when Mobius lies to him and says that Sylvie had been “pruned”. Mobius comes clean and Loki reveals her name, knowing that she is alive for now. But the biggest reveal: that they are all variants, and that Sylvie can access their memories through magic. Mobius declares it is an excellent try but it clearly has him interested.

In the hallway, we find B-15, clearly disturbed. And after looking over a poster that encourages them to “delete them all.” She visits Sylvie and tells her to come with her.

As Mobius and Ravonna finish off the paperwork for his variant Loki, they drink and celebrate. But you can see everything working in his mind, as he is sorting it out. He asks about wanting to be able to interrogate Sylvie, while refusing to answer her question about being able to go anywhere on the timeline.

He gets invited into the pruning ceremony for both Loki and Sylvie but he still presses hard on what happened to C-20. It ends in a pep talk from Ravonna about them being allies to the end and friendships that last until the end. But Mobius then swipes her TemPad, swapping it with his own, when she puts Sylvie’s sword on her trophy stands.

In the hurricane, Sylvie explains to B-15 that what she saw when Sylvie had previously enchanted her were real memories. And B-15 allows her to do it again. And as she cries tears, B-15 declares that she looked happy. And then asks Sylvie “What now?”

Meanwhile, Mobius uses the TemPad he pocketed to watch the interview of C-20 and discovers the truth. It was not that she was out of her mind but that she very clearly remembered her previous life. The shocker comes when he sees Ravonna end the interview.

Mobius goes to confront Loki about it and confesses that he knows Loki was right about the TVA. And the two of them head to work but Ravonna is waiting for them. He hands over her TemPad and confesses that he would go to wherever he is really from, riding around and having fun on his jet ski and she betrays him and has him pruned.

Loki and Sylvie then, both captives, meet in the hall outside the Timekeepers entrance. And an alert is put out for Hunter B-15, as she too has been compromised by the Variant Sylvie. Ravonna tries to take the two of them from there into the Timekeepers chamber. When she does, Sylvie asks if Ravonna remembers her and what was Sylvie’s nexus event. Ravonna says she doesn’t remember.

Then the doors open, they are in front of the Timekeepers.

When the eventual order to end them both comes, it is disrupted by B-15 releasing them from their time collars and all heck breaks loose with the declaration, “For All Time. Always.” Sylvie, having regain her sword from B-15 makes short work of some of the guards, before passing the blade to Loki.

Sylvie and Ravonna then fight a fierce battle but Sylvie prevails. But when the time comes for the kill shot, it turns out the Timekeeper is just a “mindless android” as his head rolls away, having been a victim of Sylvie’s blade. As she and Loki consider what happens next and what next steps could be, Ravonna comes off the mat, interrupting Loki as he was trying to share his feelings for her.

Loki meets his end, being pruned by Ravonna’s hand.

We get our first post-credits scene of the show, as our Loki awakens somewhere else. And when he asks if this is Hel and if he is dead, the answer from a motley group of folks is “Not yet. But you will be unless you come with us.” So, just who are these folks?

Thoughts on Loki, Episode 4: “The Nexus Event”

Where last episode set up a bunch of pieces, this episode moved pieces around the board. And fast.

First off, really gutsy call by the showrunners to prune your two biggest stars. Now, I could have told you that Loki would for sure make a return because, you know, this is a comic book show. But is that the end of Mobius? If so, it is sadly disappointing. But I suspect we may see him again as well.

The opening gives us more insight into Sylvie, as well as evidence that she wasn’t lying to Loki previously. To think of her childhood being spent on the run and her anger at watching someone be hurt, helps remind us of what she was before she became what she is today, a warrior that seems to like inflicting pain.

The Wizard of Oz thing has felt telegraphed for a bit and it is bold to see them go ahead and pull that in the fourth episode. So now we are going to get to dig in and see where things lead us. Who are the ones that were holding up the puppets? And do they have any power themselves?

Also, a couple moments that I thought were really well done. When B-15 has seen her memories and declares “I looked happy,” it reminds us of what the TVA has taken away from all these people. It makes sense that she would join up to help free others. I also liked the scene where Mobius and Loki are heading back to stop everything once Mobius has learned the truth. That he takes the time to pause to tell Loki that he could be good if he wanted to, is a pretty poignant one.

And lastly, who are these new faces at the end? I suspect that they are all variant Lokis in some way, with one having seized Thor’s hammer, one playing the character of Kid Loki from the comics and one seemingly to be a much older Loki. It should be fun to see how they get worked in and help bring about the end in the next 2 episodes. And is that Gator Loki in the way that we have seen Frog Thor in the comics?