Ouroboros is a failing Pasadena sci-fi writer in 1994. Casey is a prison inmate escaping Alcatraz in 1962. Hunter B-15 is a New York doctor in 2012. But rather than falling victim to this fate, Loki is mysteriously bounced back and forth between versions of the show’s supporting characters living regular human lives on branched timelines, with no memory of the TVA. Thankfully, that desire is soon satiated when the TVA experiences the effects of temporal radiation and gets “spaghettified” bit by bit, like poor Victor Timely. Amusingly, when he begins glitching once again (or “time slipping,” just as he did in the season premiere), his exasperated proclamation of “No, no, no, this is NOT happening again!” may as well echo the sentiments of viewers who would rather the show moved in any direction but backward. It’s an impactful re-introduction that sells Loki’s isolation with each echoing footstep. It turns out the TVA wasn’t destroyed - at least not immediately - leaving Loki to wander its empty halls in silence since everyone around him has mysteriously disappeared. Last week ended on an explosive cliffhanger, with the Time Loom exploding and everything flashing to white. That the show is repeating itself thematically can be annoying, but that it hasn’t yet expressed itself this lucidly makes repetition a forgivable sin. However, “Science/Fiction,” directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, gives a longer leash for the filmmakers, and the appearance of story deconstruction allows the latest entry to be much moodier, with far more room for the characters to breathe. The show has the bad habit of constantly reverting to the status quo, so it should be no surprise seeing exactly when and where its ensemble ends up this week (spoiler: exactly where they ended up last week). This week’s episode is quite handily the best of the season, even if it serves a recursive function.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |