Recap and Review of Loki, Episode 5: “Journey into Mystery”

In the last episode, we saw our Loki meet his demise at the end of TVA purge stick. Only the post-credit scene showed us that Loki wasn’t quite done. But who are all these other Lokis and where exactly has he landed?

Recap of Loki, Episode 5: “Journey Into Mystery”

And after an artistic shot that takes us through the TVA, stopping by to see a beheaded Time Keeper statue and eventually finding Loki, we learn two quick things; he is in a place called the Void and a giant smoke-like monster named Alioth that seems to rule the Void with destruction is closing in on him and his fellow Lokis.

But after the credits, we switch to Sylvie, taking a TemPad from a defeated Ravonna and asking her hard questions about what she knows about the TVA and how long she has known it. But Ravonna is able to stall her own purging by telling Sylvie about the Void but, even more importantly, that Loki is there and not quite dead yet.

Claiming that they now both want the same thing, to see what and who is behind the TVA, Sylvie reluctantly gives over the TemPad.

But in the Void, we see the reality of what Ravonna described to Sylvie. The Void is the place where all timelines converge at the end. And when they purge items from the variant timelines, all of the things go there. So, we see crashed boats and spaceships, cars and vehicles abandoned from seemingly all across the universe as the Lokis are moving very rapidly to get away from the Smoke-Monster chasing them.

But our Loki stops the proceeding to ask for some basic information. Some discussion of it all ends when the elder Loki explains the Void is basically a shark tank and Alioth is the shark. And while our Loki wants to try and figure it out, these Loki have come down to one mantra really: Survive.

As they walk along, Loki questions the validity of Kid Loki, wondering what Kid Loki’s Nexus event was, and seems to be a bit shocked when Kid Loki confesses: “I killed Thor.”

Eventually, they wind up in an underground bunker and they question our Loki on why he wants to return. And while they think it is because he has lost his glorious purpose, we seem to understand that is much more about Sylvie.

Back at the TVA, Ravonna is asking Miss Minutes to give information about the beginning of time, while Sylvie is wanting her to look at the end of time. When Sylvie discovers that there isn’t a direct way to access the Void, Miss Minutes offers up the explanation of a Void spacecraft.

But Sylvie is no idiot, having watched the sideways glances from Miss Minutes and Ravonna. Sylvie demands the files on the spacecraft and when Miss Minutes cannot produce, Sylvie escapes. And cornered in the judge chambers, she uses the stick to prune herself into the Void.

In the Void, the Lokis are running through what their Nexus events were. One Loki claims to have vanquished Captain America and Iron Man, before claiming all 6 of the Infinity Stones. But Gator Loki doubts it, only to then be accused of his Nexus event being having eaten the wrong neighbor’s cat.

Elder Loki doesn’t want to tell his story but our Loki is desperate to hear it, as he knows that after Ragnarok, he is supposed to die at Thanos’ hand. Only where our Loki tries to stab Loki, Elder Loki cast a spell, faking all of that and then drifting through space. Given the time, he realized that pain seemed to follow him wherever he went. So he found a planet and isolated himself.

When he missed his brother and started to return to the universe, Elder Loki was caught and was pruned. And he has been on the run ever since in the Void. He thinks the truth is that Loki isn’t supposed to the God of Mischef but instead the God of Outcasts.

Our Loki is ever more determined, and after explaining who Sylvie is, he decides the best course is to the try and kill Alioth. But after his rousing speech moves none of the other Loki to join, he heads out, only to run into many other Lokis at the top of their secret base.

Meanwhile, Sylvie comes to, sleeping in the back of a pruned school bus and starts to move immediately when darkness falls. Because sure enough, Alioth is near her. But as she runs, she is able to connect with the Alioth for a brief moment, seeing memories and structures of some other place.

Her getaway is complete when Mobius shows up, driving a pizza delivery car. Together they are able to escape.

At the base, the 10 new Lokis show up and the strong Loki thinks he will be the new King, taking it from Kid Loki. But then President Loki (or at least he is wearing a Loki for President button) explains that isn’t how it is going to work, that he will be in charge when the rest of the new Lokis turn on him.

The fight begins when Alligator Loki bites off the hand of President Loki. But our Loki recognizes a chance to escape, and follows along with Elder Loki, Kid Loki and Alligator Loki. (But not before we get a very humorous fight amongst the rest of the Lokis).

Safe from the rest, realizing that nothing will ever change as long as the TVA is purging any Loki that tries to make themselves into something different, they agree to help our Loki, promising to get him to Alioth, though they aren’t willing to pledge to fight it.

Meanwhile, Mobius and Sylvie are driving around getting acquainted, discussing what they have both done in the name of what each has seen as their good cause. And having made their peace, they head back towards Alioth, as Sylvie thinks it may be the key to finding out who is behind all of this. Here the groups meet, working together on their now common cause. Where Loki was going to try and kill Alioth, Sylvie sees it as their guard dog and thinks the way forward is for her to enchant it.

Back at the TVA, we see the sad reality of agent B-15, who is locked away for helping Sylvie the way that she did. When Ravonna questions her, she lets her know that she thinks that Sylvie will turn her focus from the Time Keepers to whoever created them, still looking for revenge for what happened to her.

But she also sees through Ravonna’s exterior, knowing that she wants to see what is behind the puppets. So she asks Miss Minutes for the files about the start of the TVA and the beginning of time.

Team Lokis (and Mobius) are preparing for the their work. Mobius is getting to know the other Lokis, having not remembered ever capturing and purging an alligator Variant Loki. But mainly, he wants to get a shot at the TVA so that people can know the truth. The other Lokis seem to struggle with the idea that he could so quickly change and find a new purpose.

But outside and away from the others Loki and Sylvie talk. It is all kinds of romantic tension awkward, with Loki conjuring a blanket because he is cold, then offering her one. But they both seem to agree that Mobius’ theory about their Nexus event on Lamentis being when they caught feelings for each other is rubbish.

When Sylvie expresses that she isn’t good with friendship or having anyone, Loki makes his blanket larger and wraps her in it with him. And he promises that he won’t betray her in the end. Sylvie says that she isn’t sure what will happen when this is all over. But they both say that maybe they can figure it out together.

And with that Team Lokis heads into a fight with the Alioth, the others are prepared to stay in the realm. Mobius TemPads out, but not before he and Loki embrace. But our Loki promises to stay beside Sylvie as she tries to enchant the beast. And the other Lokis are staying in the realm of the Void but moving away from the fight.

Our Loki then works towards creating a distraction, lighting up the sword that Kid Loki gave him for the fight. Sylvie then starts to enchant Alioth but it turns back towards her. All seems lost when suddenly Elder Loki starts to create a whole illusionary world that the Alioth attacks.

Joining hands Sylvie and Loki work to do the magic together. Elder Loki stumbles and realizes that someone is going to be the sacrifice. And he has found his last, true glorious purpose.

That sacrifice gave Sylvie and Loki the time they needed. Alioth is enchanted. And the two of them are able to see past the monster, into another realm that they walk towards confidently hand in hand.

Thoughts on Loki, Episode 5: “Journey Into Mystery”

After taking the bold move of “killing off” their two main characters last week, it would have been easy for us to see this week’s episode as the comic book easy out. Of course Loki and Mobius were going to come back. But this world of the Void that they created is intense.

And I suspect that we will see lots of different MCU things come to light when people have time to look at lots of the artifacts in the Void scenes. Some will be subtle and some will be more obvious. (For instance, search USS Eldridge to see what was up with that ship that popped up in the back third of the episode.)

Likewise, I am sure we are going to get some fun notes about all the Lokis that were accompanying President Loki. I suspect there were numerous celebrity actors that showed up for one fun day of “fighting” for those scenes. But they also served a purpose: Can Lokis ever really change? Even if they want to, do they have the capacity to advance? That sentiment is going to play an important part at the end of the series I suspect. Will Loki betray Sylvie and undo all of his growth? Or will Sylvie betray Loki in the end?

Finally, a note about the score and music for this series. Often we can underappreciate how much good work a soundtrack can do. This series has need times of intimacy and close relationships and also moments of grand, sweeping epicness. This soundtrack has delivered across the board and it deserves an enormous amount of praise!