Episode 4 ended with the revelation that, much like “Oz the Great and Powerful”, the Time Keepers are, in reality, something much more mundane. In this case, robots that had been nicked from the nearest Chuck E. Cheese. Both Mobius and Loki got pruned but then Loki woke up in a strange wasteland, obviously still alive, to be confronted with more variants of himself. Making this episode a journey into the mystery of just what the hell is going on.
SPOILERS AHEAD
We begin with an amazing tracking shot, rotating through the TVA—mirroring how last week’s revelations have turned everything upside down—dissolving through the gold elevator doors and into the Time Keepers’ chamber, lingering on the middle Time Keeper’s severed head before dissolving again into the desolate landscape we’ll soon learn is called the Void, (not a ruined New York, as the lettering on the side of what we thought was Avengers tower actually reads “QENG”, more on which in a moment) until we come to focus on our Lokis: our 2012 Loki, Boastful Loki (Deobia Oparei), Kid Loki (Jack Veal), Classic Loki (Richard E. Grant), and Lokigator. 2012 Loki is naturally rather confused and Classic Loki explains the situation as thus: “this is the void, that’s Alioth and we’re his lunch.” Alioth is a gigantic purple cloud monster with glowing red eyes that occasionally forms features that are a cross between feline and reptilian. (In the comics, he’s a trans-temporal entity that rules a time empire that borders Kang’s. And it’s this, along with other Easter Eggs—including QENG, which, a little research tells me, is the name of a company that bought the tower from the Tony Stark in the comics, run by a version of Nathaniel Richards, a.k.a Kang the Conqueror—that makes me think that, while it’s very unlikely they’ll suddenly reveal Kang to be the mastermind in the last the episode (rumoured second season notwithstanding) they’re at least laying the groundwork for him like they did with Thanos; there’re just too many coincidences otherwise.)
Back at the TVA, Sylvie demands to know who’s really in charge but Renslayer claims to be just as in the dark as she is. She also claims she wants to find out who lied to her and that it may be possible to find Loki. She explains that when they prune a branch reality they can’t actually destroy it so they just shunt it to somewhere along the timeline where it won’t continue growing, which is, in this case, the void at the end of all time, where all streams of reality converge at a single point and everything just stops. She proposes a truce, which Sylvie reluctantly accepts.
In the Void, Loki tries to question the others about what’s going on and what the plan is, dismayed to find the plan is simply not to die. His frustration gets the better of him, and I think it’s safe to say he speaks for all of us when he screams “Will someone please explain to me what the hell is going on?!” Kid Loki explains that the Void is essentially where the TVA dumps its rubbish and Alioth, a living tempest that consumes matter, makes sure none of it ever finds its way back. And with no TemPad and no way to cause a Nexus event, there’s not much they can do. It also turns out that Kid Loki is the one in charge because his Nexus event was killing Thor. (If one of the long term projects Marvel are setting up is The Young Avengers, and they want to use this version of Kid Loki, they may want to elaborate on that.) As the landscape is littered with the remains of alternate timelines, it’s obviously also full of Easter eggs. Standouts include: the Thanos-copter (yes, you heard correctly), Mjolnir, and Throg (frog Thor, who director Kate Herron has just confirmed was actually voiced by Chris Hemsworth) trapped in a jar (#pleasefreethrog). The other Lokis lead 2012 Loki to their hideout: a customised bowling alley inside an underground bunker.
Back with Sylvie and Renslayer, Sylvie surmises that whoever is behind everything must be hiding somewhere beyond the Void, as it’s the only place where they wouldn’t be detected, but Renslayer says it’s impossible to get there because there’s nothing for the TemPad to lock onto. Miss Minutes then suggests the prototype spacecraft that is capable of traveling through the Void. It takes her a suspiciously long time to look for the files however, and, sure enough, it was simply a delaying tactic until security showed up. So Sylvie escapes by pruning herself.
In the bowling alley bunker, the Lokis sit about drinking (Roxxcart brand boxed wine for adults and the alligator, Hi-C Ecto Cooler for the Kid; does this mean Slimer’s a part of the MCU now?) and we learn more about them: that ‘Boastful’ Loki’s moniker suits him to a tee and that Lokigator has the best Nexus event – eating the wrong neighbour’s cat (don’t remind him of it though; he’s sensitive). Kid Loki then tells Classic Loki to tell them about his Nexus event, which 2012 Loki is curious about, since the Sacred Timeline dictates that Thanos kills them after Ragnarok, therefore not making it to live to old Age. Classic Loki explains that in his timeline, everything proceeded ‘correctly’ until Thanos attacked their ship. Instead of trying to stab him he cast an illusion of himself so realistic it even managed to fool Thanos (“blades are worthless in the face of a Loki sorcery, they stunt our magical potential”) and survived by hiding as a piece of inanimate debris. (That sound you can hear is fan-theorists heads’ exploding as Marvel appear to have taken their theory of how Loki could’ve faked his death back in Infinity War and sort of made it cannon; for an alternate Variant at least.) Afterwards, having concluded that all he brought to the universe was pain, he isolated himself for a long time on a remote planet. But he grew lonely, missing his brother and wondering if anyone missed him. However, as soon as he set foot off the planet the TVA arrived to arrest him, because, he bitterly declares, Lokis only have one part to play in the grand scheme of things: the God of Outcasts. They’ve given up but 2012 Loki hasn’t. He points out that as well as surviving, Lokis are also good at escaping, telling them about Sylvie and about how she’s truly different from the rest of them because she wants to bring the TVA down, not rule it. And he’s going to help her by vanquishing Alioth as it’s what’s keeping them there. He appeals for their help but they just laugh and, disgusted, he leaves, only to run into another gang of Lokis, this one led by President Loki (a nod to the 2016 ‘Vote Loki’ miniseries, and also played by Tom Hiddleston, just to be confusing). And the poor guy is just so done. (“This is a nightmare.”)
Elsewhere, Sylvie wakes up and is soon attacked by Alioth. When she accidentally touches it, she catches a glimpse of something, a castle on a rock in the middle of space (which we have seen in trailer footage), proving that Alioth has a mind and therefore can be enchanted. She’s then rescued by Mobius in a pizza delivery car (I can already see the Spiderman 2 ‘Pizza Time’ meme being resurrected).
Back with the Lokis, it turns out that it was Boastful Loki who betrayed them to President Loki, who in turn betrays him and who is then betrayed by his own army. The absolute best part of this sequence is watching 2012 Loki’s reactions, rolling his eyes and shaking his head, as even he’s grown fed up with the constant back-stabbing (in fact, his expression for much of this episode is a variation on ‘I am surrounded by these a***holes but they’re all ME!’). Lokigator then Captain Hooks President Loki and a fight breaks out, from which Classic Loki uses his sorcery to help him, Kid Loki, 2012 Loki and Lokigator escape. He’s also angry at their seeming inability to change. “We’re broken, every version of us. Forever.” And when any of them dare deviate from the established timeline by trying to improve themselves, the TVA send them to the Void to die. 2012 Loki points out that nothing can change until the TVA is stopped, and that Sylvie is the only one of them he does trust. Classic Loki acquiesces, saying that they’ll lead him to Alioth but after that he’s on his own.
Sylvie and Mobius are still driving across the Void. She comments on his prior actions and belief in the TVA, to which his response is “well, when you believe the end justifies the means…” They go back and forth, pointing out that she killed quite a few Minutemen as well, each professing they did what they had to, until Sylvie points out that they hunted her like a dog, a statement Mobius has no response to other than apology. Sylvie fears that Loki may already be dead and tells Mobius to drive back towards Alioth.
Speaking of, the other Lokis find Alioth as a ship appears in the Void, the USS Eldridge (a WW2 era ship that was the subject of a debunked conspiracy theory involving cloaking technology). 2012 Loki says that while Alioth is distracted by the main meal they can sneak around the back. But seeing how quickly and thoroughly Alioth consumes the ship and its crew puts paid to that idea. Sylvie and Mobius arrive, much to 2012 Loki’s delight. Both he and Sylvie have worked out that Alioth is the guard dog keeping them away from whatever’s beyond the Void but, rather than kill it, Sylvie’s going to enchant it instead.
At the TVA, Renslayer goes to question an incarcerated B15, asking what drives Sylvie. Revenge, she answers, is what drives her, and killing the Time-Keepers, but since they turned out to be fake, so she’ll be going after whoever created them. She also tells Renslayer that she’ll never find out who or what that is before Sylvie does, as Renslayer may want it but Sylvie needs it. As she leaves, Renslayer tells Miss Minutes that she wants all the files from the beginning of time and the creation of the TVA. (Her little smirk afterwards though has me undecided about just how in the dark she actually is though.)
Back in the Void, a moment of calm before the storm. Kid Loki asks Mobius what he’ll do, assuming he does get back to the TVA. Mobius says that, at the very least, he’d like to let the people know the truth. Classic Loki is incredulous that he’s suddenly turning his back on the thing he’d previously devoted his entire life to, but Mobius replies that it’s never too late to change (this show in a nutshell). 2012 Loki and Sylvie share a similar moment of vulnerability (as well as a blanket), Sylvie asking him “how do I know that, in the final moments, you won’t betray me?” Loki replies that he previously betrayed everyone who’d ever loved him, “I know what I did and why I did it, and that’s not who I am anymore (again, the show’s theme in a nutshell).
Then it’s time for Alioth take two. Sylvie explains that, when it hit her earlier, she linked to it and it showed her something, so if she can enchant it, it can take them to however is behind everything. She gives 2012 Loki the opportunity to leave, unsure of whether the plan will work, but he’s adamant that he’s staying with her. She also gives Mobius her stolen TemPad to get him back to the TVA. He offers the other Lokis a ride out but they decline. Kid Loki gives 2012 Loki his dagger and both he and Classic Loki wish them luck. 2012 Loki asks Mobius what he plans to do once he returns to the TVA, and, in a nice call back to episode 1, he replies “burn it to the ground.” They share a friendly hug and he departs. Loki and Sylvie then put their plan into action, Loki distracting Alioth’s attention while Sylvie tries to enchant it, which works until it doesn’t. They’re saved, however, by Classic Loki who conjures up an entire illusion of Asgard in order to distract Alioth (the awesomeness of which is enhanced by the samples of Wagner’s ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ that are woven into the music) proving his earlier words right as 2012 Loki comprehends that they must be stronger than they realise. Sylvie asks Loki to help her but he says he doesn’t know how to enchant, she replies that he does because they’re the same. Classic Loki isn’t able to hold the illusion for much longer however, as his strength fails. But he remains defiant, laughing as Alioth consumes him, leaving nothing but his horned helmet behind. (If this is truly the last we see of him, then farewell sir, you were magnificent! You even managed to make a costume that looks like it could’ve been mugged off a passing cosplayer look good.) 2012 Loki and Sylvie finally manage to enchant Alioth and the smoke pulls back like a curtain, revealing that castle beyond the Void.
But who is it that’s behind the curtain? The anticipation is palpable.
