Loki Season 2 Episode 4: Revelations Lead to Devastating Consequences

With the TVA facing troubling times, fans are offered a glimpse into a hidden romance and the consequences in Loki Season 2 Episode 4. Surprisingly, the second season of Loki is already drawing to a close with the recent premiere of its fourth episode on Disney+.

In the previous episode, Loki, Mobius, Sylvie, and the TVA encountered He Who Remains' alternate version named Victor Timely, while Sylvie appeared to have triumphed over Ravonna Renslayer. Episode 4 heightened the suspense, with the Time Loom teetering on the edge of collapse and significant revelations coming to light. Beware of spoilers ahead...

All the powers of a god, but still can’t talk

While Loki Season 2 has still been a lot of fun to watch as a fan, one of the things it’s lacking is more screen time between everyone’s favorite gods.

In Season 2, we haven't witnessed much of the intense bond between Loki and Sylvie, despite their pivotal roles in bringing down the TVA and confronting He Who Remains. While the impending multiversal war and the possibility of the TVA's permanent destruction justifies this, it would be satisfying to have more dialogues between them similar to Episode 4.

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Despite Loki's persistent attempts to persuade Sylvie, he struggles to convince her that the TVA has the potential to be a positive influence, should they choose to unite and combat its flaws.

Sylvie retains significant emotional distress related to the TVA, which is understandable. Therefore, it is not surprising that she is unwilling to assist them in any manner. However, it is somewhat frustrating to hear her speak to Loki as though he had been incorrect about nearly everything until now.

Ultimately, although Sylvie is an individual in her own right, she is still a variant of Loki. Consequently, it is natural for her to exhibit some stubbornness and be challenging to connect with. However, if Season 2 had allowed them more opportunities for personal conversations, perhaps Loki could have succeeded in breaking down her emotional barriers to some extent.

A lover’s quarrel leads to a revenge quest

There are two remaining episodes in the season, allowing ample time for the pair to understand one another's perspectives and unite as the formidable duo they were destined to become. However, the audience will have to patiently await the outcome of this potential development.

In Episode 4, undoubtedly the most significant revelation for fans is the former romantic relationship between He Who Remains and Renslayer. Furthermore, Renslayer played a pivotal role in leading He Who Remains' army during the Kang multiverse war and was instrumental in the establishment of the TVA.

Comic book readers are not surprised by this revelation, as it has been a significant storyline involving Renslayer across multiple issues.

Throughout the series, Renslayer repeatedly sacrificed herself for Kang on numerous occasions. However, there came a moment when she realized that he would never prioritize her over his plan to defeat the Avengers, ultimately leading her to kill him.

In Episode 4, Renslayer learns from Miss Minutes that He Who Remains intentionally erased her memory and sent her to the TVA, enabling him to control the multiverses independently. This revelation deeply impacts Renslayer, as she had been developing a bond with Timely and had made significant sacrifices in her TVA career to uncover the truth behind their operations at the request of Miss Minutes.

Armed with this newfound knowledge, Renslayer embarked on a vengeful mission, returning to the TVA alongside Miss Minutes to enlist the imprisoned Minute Men who had been involved in the branch bombings earlier in the season.

The sole Minute Man willing to join their cause was Brad Wolfe, driven by his desperate desire to regain the fame and recognition he once enjoyed on Earth.

In one of the most haunting moments in the show, the others were crushed to death inside a prisoner box. Renslayer's emotionless reaction to the carnage is truly chilling, highlighting the extent of her descent.

It is intriguing to witness Renslayer stepping into the villainous role once occupied by He Who Remains. The ultimate threat the group must overcome remains uncertain.

A wolf in sheep’s clothing or an actual sheep?

The jury is still out when it comes to trusting Timely, as he’s a Kang variant whose loyalties are a bit hard to pin down at the moment.

Sylvie highlights the potential dangers of revealing Timely the inner workings of the TVA, the Loom, and its overall functioning. Conversely, Loki argues in favor of bringing Timely there, citing it as a potential solution to prevent him from transforming into a monster like He Who Remains.

However, that suggests that Timely isn’t already going down that path, which both Loki and the audience can’t be sure of.

Although Timely is presently an innocent scientist assisting the gang in repairing the Time Loom, there is no assurance that once the mission concludes, he won't utilize his acquired knowledge to surpass his current abilities and transform into He Who Remains.

In Episode 4, the importance of maintaining hope and having faith in others is emphasized. However, we have witnessed the detrimental consequences of placing too much trust, particularly in Loki himself.

Time cannot be contained

As stated in a previous review of an episode, the portrayal of time in Loki is truly captivating as it goes beyond the traditional conceptions of a loop or a linear progression, instead presenting it as a convergence of various branches that interconnect at different points.

At the outset of Season 2, Loki was compelled to remove himself from the timeline as a means to halt his time manipulation issues.

When witnessed by the audience, Loki refrains from pruning himself as he unexpectedly gets stabbed from behind while gazing at Sylvie in an elevator, which coincidentally transpires as his last glimpse of her within the TVA's demise.

However, in a cunning twist, Episode 4 unveils that the one responsible for pruning Loki is none other than Loki himself, but from a future iteration.

The Loki observed in Episode 4 demonstrates familiarity with the elevator predicament and strategically removes himself from the timeline to preserve the existing state of affairs.

Is the Loki we see in Episode 4 not the same Loki from Episode 1? He pruned himself from the timeline, yet still existed simultaneously. Loki's manipulation of time can be perplexing, but the interconnectedness adds an enjoyable element to it all.

We can only hope the final two episodes will further elaborate on time and how the multiverse will function as we move into Marvel’s Phase 6.

Loki Season 2 Episode 4 score: 4/5

Season 2 should prioritize enhancing the interactions between Loki and Sylvie instead of them being overshadowed by the Time Loom implosion.

However, Episode 4 leaves fans in an intriguingly exciting position as the direction of the show and the season's conclusion remain uncertain.

The episode concludes in utter chaos: Brad eliminates Renslayer, the majority of the Minute Men vanishes, the Time Loom implodes, causing the branches to collide, and Timely appears to disintegrate. Every possible disaster occurs, and it appears to be the end. However, there are still two more episodes left in the season.

Did Timely intentionally cause the Loom to explode to initiate the multiverse war? Is the TVA permanently gone? Will Loki, Sylvie, Mobius, and their team awaken in a different timeline or as alternate versions? Will the last two episodes lay the foundation for the Kang storyline in the future Avengers movie? Stay tuned next week for answers.

Stream Loki Season 2 Episodes 1-4 now on Disney+. Explore our other related content below: