#But it looks like Casey is gonna be disrupting the fun

[sunnythdmsbi]

Okay, first off, this is amazing. I love how they're working together with their old enemies and have come together to make this whole plan lmao.

But, I am also very scared since it seems like the plan will be coming to a close since baby Casey may be coming a little earlier than expected. I am honestly baffled by the fact that no one expected this to happen because everyone knows you should never assume when the baby will come. 'Cause there have been many examples of early births that shocked everyone involved. Sometimes, those little creatures grow much quicker or much slower than expected. So, either they improvise and do this much quicker than what they originally were going to. OR, they're screwed.

And now watch it all fall apart.

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Thank you everyone for your patience as I recuperate from Covid. I tested negative and am now just recuperating from the lasting effects. Honestly, this update is one I probably could have skipped, but I love me a good heist plan. Plus I just wanted to have some fun with this holiday special and if that means extending it a bit longer, then so be it.

[dtrhwithalex]

TV | Loki (102)

102: THE VARIANT

D: KATE HERRON. W: ELISSA KARASIK. Original Air Date: 16 June 2021.

Non-spoiler-free recap and review of the second episode of LOKI, which airs every Wednesday on Disney+.

RECAP

We open this episode in what looks like the medieval period, but turns out to be a Renaissance Fair in the 1980s. Another TVA team has been deployed in the search of the rogue Loki Variant and is promptly attacked by said Variant. Taking control of HUNTER C-20 (SASHA LANE) similarly to how we have seen Loki do during THE AVENGERS, the Variant eliminates the team and leaves the Fair through a time-window, taking C-20 with them.

Hunter B-15 and her team, as well as Mobius and Loki travel to the event to investigate and reinstate the sacred timeline. During the investigation, Loki plays at analysing his rogue counterpart, but Mobius sees through his stalling for time, and calls for the timeline to be restored. Hunter C-20 is declared MIA.

Back at the TVA, Mobius meets with Ravonna Renslayer to discuss the failed mission and the risk Mobius is taking with using Loki to find the Variant. Mobius insists Loki is, if not trustworthy, still useful to them. He tasks Loki with researching every Loki variant that has ever existed and "bans" him to the archives. Begrudgingly studying the files, Loki eventually tires of reading the exact same thing over and over again, and attempts to read up on the secrets of the TVA. However, his attempts are foiled by the Archivist, who only allows him to read one file -- his own.

However, in reading the file, Loki finds out about the events of RAGNAROK and realises that this is the key to finding the Variant. Disrupting Mobius' lunch to explain his theory -- and ruining Mobius' salad in the process -- Loki convinces him to go to an apocalyptic event such as Ragnarok to test the theory that, because of the complete destruction, nothing able to create new timelines would actually register as such. Reluctantly, Mobius agrees and takes him to Pompeii in 79 AD shortly before Mount Vesuvius erupts. Despite Mobius' warnings, Loki does as he does best: he creates chaos. He frees goats, throws things around, tells the people of the imminent eruption, that he is from the future -- and to Mobius' surprise, none of it registers as a deviation from the timeline.

Returning to the TVA, Loki and Mobius attempt to narrow down the specific apocalyptic event the Variant may be hiding in. However, it is not until Mobius remembers the child from the French church, that they are able to do so. Using the specific brand of chewing gum the Variant gave the child to create a specific time-window, Mobius and Loki find the one plausible catastrophe: New Haven, Alabama in 2050, destroyed by a hurricane.

Once on location, Loki is paired with Hunter B-15, despite Mobius' objections. While Mobius and the other Hunters take to the refugee camp, they search the store and come upon a single shopper. Touching him he drops to the floor and the possessive energy is transferred to Hunter B-15. Loki realises that this is the Variant, using their powers to, essentially, make ventriloquist puppets out of other beings.

While Loki tries to find out what it is the Variant wants, and offers up his own secret plans -- infiltrate the TVA, gain their trust, be granted an audience with the Time Keepers and take them out, ultimately wanting to rule the TVA himself -- Mobius and his team find the traumatised C-20. Although strongly disoriented, C-20 is able to reveal that she gave up the location of the Time Keepers to the Variant.

Meanwhile, Loki discovers that the Variant has been rigging the entire store with the time-reset devices. As they go active and vanish through individual time-windows, the real Variant reveals themself to Loki: the VARIANT (SOPHIA DI MARTINO) is a blonde, female version of Loki. Shocked by this revelation, Loki watches as the Variant opens another time-window and vanishes. Hearing Mobius and the Hunters approach, Loki makes a decision and follows the Variant through the time-window, which closes before Mobius can reach it.

As the time-reset devices vanish, the TVA registers anomalies and the agents monitoring the screens watch as multiple new timelines branch out of the sacred timeline, leaving only one conclusion: the timeline is being bombed. Watching her own screen in shock, Renslayer grabs her Hunter gear and leaves her office.

FAVOURITE MOMENTS

There were quite a few moments in this episode that I really loved. I adored this vibe of 'Loki Has A Day Job'. His whack-a-mole fight with Miss Minutes was a lot of fun. I loved the scenes in the archive, his somewhat flirty attempt at getting the Archivist to let him read classified files (also shushing the lady behind him? Hilarious). His chaotic energy and great Latin speech in Pompeii was absolutely fantastic too. God of Mischief indeed.

And I just adored all the banter scenes with Mobius. They have such a great buddy-cop dynamic, I really love it. The whole salad scene was just A+ comedy (also big yay for Casey!!). Their conversation about existence and free will was so good, too. And I adored the scene where Loki explains the difference between the two powers of projection. What a nerd. I love him.

I thought the reveal of Sophia di Martino as the Loki Variant was amazing. I think it's really interesting that this doesn't seem to be a version Loki himself was expecting to meet, which I'm sure will make for some great moments between the two in upcoming episodes.

Oh and, of course, lest I forget: setting the opening fight between the Variant and the TVA team to Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out for a Hero"? Whoever made that choice is an absolute genius.

FAVOURITE CHARACTER(S)

I mean, Loki, duh. But I also really enjoyed Ravonna Renslayer in this one. I am really intrigued by her character and I can't wait to see more of her -- especially in action. Also I am very curious about her and Mobius' relationship. I smell history.

QUESTIONS, CURIOSITIES

Do all Hunters know the location of the Time Keepers? Or did the Variant have to keep nabbing them until finding C-20 who had the information they were looking for?

Also I am not entirely sure about the Variant being played by another person. I mean I get it from like a visual storytelling perspective, that it is easier to have two different faces when Loki and the Variant interact, and like, from an acting perspective too. I get that Loki is a shapeshifter, so whatever body he assumes does not necessarily have to look like himself -- in this case Tom Hiddleston -- and I guess some people would have complained about him playing a female version of himself as being drag or a mockery thereof or something, but... I don't know, I am just not entirely sure about it. It just feels very gendered, somehow, if that makes sense. A very "gender is tied to body" kind of thing. But I'm gonna wait until I see more of it before forming more of an opinion.

OVERALL IMPRESSION

An absolutely brilliant and compelling second episode of this show. I am enjoying it tremendously. I completely adore the Loki we get to see in this show and the character dynamic between him and Mobius is so funny and so well done. Loved the reveal of Sophia di Martino as the rogue Loki Variant, and I cannot wait to see more of her in this role. Next Wednesday cannot come soon enough!

[still image taken from imdb page of the episode]