Marvel has always had problems with bland and goofy writing that makes it feel too adult for a children’s show but too childish and shallow for a film for grownups. The beginning moments Loki are pretty cringe and confusing. It gets better, but not by much. They get so close to actually having deep meaningful character development but it ends up falling short, leaving you just satisfied enough to watch more.
The TVA, a time-safe-keeping agency, arrested Loki because he took something he wasn’t supposed to. He only did that because The Avengers time traveled and screwed up but according to the agency they were supposed to do that. Captain America fought himself even that didn’t alter time even though it never happened in reality. None of it makes any sense at all and we aren’t given any explanation as well. Character development works well until the climax where Sylvie learns nothing and just kills Kang knowing the consequences. We knew she was motivated by revenge but we never actually saw what she lost because there was just one 20 second flashback but that’s just it. She keeps on crying about what she lost but we never get invested in it because we never get to live it. We do live Loki’s story but his effort does not bring any payoff in the end which makes the journey even more disappointing.
This show had lots of potential. It wasn’t a huge let down but the story line was honestly kind of lame. Maybe it was the concept that was too big. We might be in phase 4 of MCU but we’re still getting grounded stories. We’ve only had Thanos as a major villain (Ultron was made on Earth and Loki was never a major villain). This story only makes the rest seem irrelevant.
However, the acting was outstanding in my opinion. As always, Marvel does not disappoint with that aspect. It was probably Loki and Sylvie’s chemistry that stood out the most. Tom Hiddleston is as charismatic as ever in the leading role and Owen Wilson plays off him amazingly. We learn more about Loki’s motivations and internal conflicts as it is fleshed out in all aspects with great detail. Was he always meant to be a villain or is there hope for redemption for this fool? Is there a method to his mischief and madness? These are the questions the series poses not just to its protagonists but to us, the audience as well.
Conclusively, Loki just proved how Marvel tries to survive from the problems that they create for themselves. It exists primarily to promote its future movies. By teasing with a high-concept tale but in not boldly enough scale, this costs the show’s attempt to make a necessary story for its characters and ambitions in such limited time of opportunity for creativity.
K- Score: 68%
STW: 16/30, D: 16/25, C: 6/8, E: 4/5, PVD: 10/12, A: 8/10, S: 8/10
