‘Loki’ Recap: ‘1893’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

(L-R): Owen Wilson as Mobius and Tom Hiddleston as Loki in Marvel Studios' LOKI, Season 2, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 203 of ‘Loki’. To revisit the previous episode, clickhere. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.
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For the most part, Marvel Cinematic Universe stories are laser focused when it comes to what the heroes of the tale want to accomplish. Obviously, at large, they are there to save countless innocents from tyranny. But they tend to have deeper goals they want and need to accomplish. The kind that helps them grow and helps them find fulfillment within the story. But of the many, many, stories we’ve enjoyed over the past fifteen years or so from Marvel… there has been one outlier when it comes to this unspoken rule. Specifically, the second season of Loki on Disney+. For the tricker’s adventures through time in year two… have been without real focus. 
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Which isn’t an insult by any means, since having Loki and Mobius fight to just save the TVA and the various branches of the multiverse in a scattered manner, has led to some fresh storytelling. The kind that has kept us guessing and wondering where this wild tale is going to take us. But it would seem that there might be something deeper at play here. In that, this may well be a season of storytelling about healing and emotional fulfillment, set against the backdrop of how the chaos of life makes that difficult to obtain in a timely manner, and it tipped its cap toward that possibly in ‘1893’ by bringing the principal players in this mess together in Chicago in the very year mentioned in the title of this episode. 

For this was where Renslayer was heading to after all this time, and it was where Miss Minutes was hiding as well. Why, exactly? Because He Who Remains targeted a Kang variant in this timeline as a possible successor to His throne, and thanks to Renslayer’s fine work throughout the timeline, Victor Timely was inspired to look into the power of the Muiltiverse and time travel and that pushed for confrontation in the Windy City. In part because Mobius and Loki didn’t want this variant to be corrupted and wanted him to learn kindness by helping to save the TVA and the Temporal Loom. Whereas Renslayer and Miss Minutes wanted him to be the heir apparent to the throne, and of course… Sylvie was there as well, and eager to axe another variant. Which brought about brutal fights and angry moments, because of those conflicting ideologies. But eventually, all ended… well-ish?

For Mobius and Loki got Victor back to the TVA through mercy from Sylvie, and Renslayer and Miss Minutes… ended up at the end of time to hang out with Kang’s alternate and rotting corpse. But what matters more, is that in between all of that chaos and that morbid ending, were fascinating character moments. The kind that spoke to a bevy of individuals that were all hurting and all searching for purpose and meaning after having their lives upended. And try as they might, they could not find it here because of the chaos and the situation. But they all spoke to their hurt, to their desire to find some peace and that would seem to be the focus for the characters here. Finding a way forward, finding purpose and that which they crave and that… would be quite the unique path to take in this story. Since that’s something that the MCU hasn’t spent a lot of time exploring during its illustrious history.

But even then, this show is so bold and so experimental, it may have other ideas in mind. But, while we wait to see which path this story may take, we can revel in another incredible tale. One that really let Jonathan Majors shine again as an actor since we met another unique variant in the Kang family line, and this episode also allowed for some wild moments to take place. Many of which came forth courtesy of Miss Minutes, since she went all-out to terrify here and spoke to her own needs and wants, something we didn’t know she was capable of. But that aside, the fact of the matter is, we are no closer to seeing order to chaos, nor do we have any idea if Mobius and Loki just set more chaos into motion, and that will make the wait for next week’s episode, quite difficult. Since we simply have to know what comes next from a show… that is packed with surprises. Until next time.

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