Loki (Non-Spoiler) Season 1 Review

 

Out of all the new Marvel Cinematic Universe TV shows announced for Disney+, I was intrigued by the concept of a Loki centric series, but compared to other new shows on the schedule, it wasn't necessarily high on my anticipation list. I felt like Loki had such a fitting ending with Avengers: Infinity War, so what new directions could this franchise really take this character? Despite my initial skepticism towards the series, Tom Hiddleston as Loki has always been easily one of my favorite aspects of the MCU and I'm always excited to see him tackle this character again. It's safe to say though that within the really strong series premiere, all my expectations for this Loki show were completely shattered and thankfully the quality of the show only continued to go up from there with the remaining five episodes to create one exhilarating series.

From start to finish, this (first) season of Loki was absolutely everything I wanted from a Marvel Studios TV show and so much more. It's bold, epic, exciting, funny, and also even surprisingly emotional at many points. What I especially loved was how surprisingly distinctive it also felt from both a creative storytelling and visual standpoint. Like with any MCU project, there's obviously a fair share of big CGI battles and also a very humorous tone that works to great effect I must say, but it's clear that showrunner Kate Herron along with screenwriter Michael Waldron were given some free reign to take the character of Loki as well as the future of the MCU in a very unexpected direction. Each week consistently subverted my own pre-existing expectations and that constant unpredictability is one of the many reasons why I ultimately fell in love with this series. And this is a huge statement to make, but this might just be the most gorgeous piece that the studio has ever produced. From the lighting and Autumn Durald Arkapaw's impeccable cinematography work, every frame of this show is just a work of art I'd certainly love to personally hang on my own bedroom wall. And it would be criminal to talk about this series, but not mention Natalie Holt's memorizing musical score.

This series wouldn't be the same though without its impeccable cast of characters. It should go without saying that Tom Hiddleston is nothing less than magnificent portraying the God of Mischief, Loki. This is now I believe the sixth MCU project he has appeared in and now being in the driver's seat as the main character this time, he gives his greatest performance in the role yet. As much as I've always loved Hiddleston in this role, I figured we've seen enough of him at this point, but being the fabulous actor that he is, he manages to still invoke different sides as well as more vulnerability in this character that we haven't seen before. And it really does make for such an engaging character piece for the character of Loki. Sophia Di Martino is every bit as fantastic here as Sylvie, an exciting new character whom shares a terrific dynamic with Loki and is certainly a well welcomed addition to the MCU canon. But the one who pretty much just stole this entire series for me was Owen Wilson as another new character Mobius. I've always been a fan of Wilson, but even he really surprised me here as every time Mobius would appear brought a smile to my face and he's now easily one of my new favorite supporting characters for the MCU. The chemistry between him & Hiddleston is just too much fun, and these two are like now one of my favorite duos ever. There's plenty of other great supporting turns from the likes of Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, and Tara Strong voicing the very memorable Miss Minutes, but to keep this spoiler free, there's also many big surprises of course.

I really don't have very many complaints to address with this show. Even the best shows tend to have a weak episode, but for me this show stayed at a consistent quality week after week (so yes I even enjoyed Episode 3 which I know garnered some mixed reactions). In some regards, I do feel maybe some of the action set-pieces could've been a tad more memorable than they are, but I also feel that this one minor weakness speaks volume about one of the great strengths I love about this show. And that's the fact that this series was always putting the character work and the storytelling ahead of giving us great spectacle which really every TV show or film should always do frankly. By focusing less on big CGI battles, Loki was able to deliver upon some of the greatest characters moments and strongest emotional resonance I think ever seen in this franchise, TV or film. 

Just to touch a little bit on yesterday's finale without diving into big spoilers, I feel they absolutely stuck that landing for this first season. It was a surprisingly more laid back finale for the most part than the bombastic one I was initially expecting, and I was very thankful for that. It delivered upon all the emotions I wanted and more. The final 10 minutes in particular were very powerful, and presents a game changing direction not just for the second season of Loki (confirmed now), but also the future of the entire MCU moving forward. It's all so very exciting and I just can't wait to see how this chaos all unfolds from here on.

As much as I very thoroughly enjoyed both WandaVision, and The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, yesterday's finale easily solidified this Loki series being far and away my favorite of the MCU's Disney+ series thus far. Not only my favorite of the shows so far, but it's honestly now one of my favorite projects the studio has ever put out period. It's been quite a while since a new Marvel show or even film has left me buzzing this much, save for Infinity War & Endgame of course. The Marvel shows are 3 for 3 for me thus far, and I can't wait to see what they have in store with upcoming shows like What If?, Ms. Marvel, Hawkeye and so much more. 

Final Grade: A-