‘Loki’ Recap: ‘Breaking Brad’

10/13/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 202 of ‘Loki’. To revisit the Season Two Premiere, click here. 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.

It is definitely safe to say, that fans of the magnificent Disney+ series, Loki, walked away from the season two premiere with a sense of unease. Simply because there was chaos everywhere to be found at the TVA. With agents moving hurriedly through the various timelines that now existed to find one person and one person alone, Sylvie. For despite Loki’s best efforts to take the heat off of Sylvie for everything that transpired last season, she was the mark for the TVA loyal and they needed someone to pay for the truth about their lives and that likely meant that ugly days were ahead. The kind that would test Loki and Mobius and the TVA like never before and well… we were right to feel that unease. Simply because the next episode in this magnificent show, went to some supremely unpleasant places.

For ‘Breaking Brad’ was a story that saw Loki and Mobius race through the timeline to find Sylvie and protect her and stop those fallen TVA agents from doing anything rash, and that brought them to 1977 in the prime timeline… to hunt down Agent X-15. Who as it turned out, settled here after learning the truth under the name Brad Wolfe, and well… his attempts to blend in into this timeline failed miserably. Because he was in fact, a movie star here and out in the open often, and that allowed for Loki and Mobius to capture him and bring him back to the TVA. Well, allowed Loki really, since he resorted to his trickster ways to get the job done. Because he was tired of playing games and playing nice and knew he had to push the envelope a bit to get what he wanted and needed, and he could not have picked a better time to do so.

Because X-15, or Brad, as he now preferred… wasn’t talking. Well, not about Sylvie and what the plan was to find her. He just poked at everyone’s psyche and tried to get everyone to back off and leave him be. Which is why it was critical that Loki lean into the darkness here. Since he used it… to really scare the hell out of Brad so that he finally revealed Sylvie’s location. Which allowed for this trio to swing by her location, so that Loki could finally talk to her and try and reach her regarding what she could do for the timeline and the trouble she might be in. But alas, there was little that she cared about now outside of just living her best life in a world where she wasn’t responsible for the timeline. But there were inklings of a hero still within her. The kind that came forth when Brad finally admitted that part of his plan was stalling for a greater operation.

For those that were told the truth about the TVA and their role and their past, could not handle the truth. So, they instead opted to lean hard into what they knew, and so many opted to work on a pruning mission. One where timeline after timeline was detonated and destroyed, killing countless lives and sadly… Loki and his friends only found out about it at the last possible moment, and only saved a handful of timelines. Giving rise to the reality that the chaos in this place brought out the worst in so many and brought forth nothing short of disaster. The kind that will sting… but alas… there may not be much time to mourn the dead and truly reflect upon the horrors of fear and panic. Because Renslayer’s TemPad finally received a ping, and she of course should help to bring He Who Remains to bear. The only question is whether or not Loki will stand alone against him or if she who ended him, will chose to stand at his side.

But while we wait to see how the fight shapes up, we can once again, praise a unique and powerful episode. One that offered us chaos in real time and confusion and dark moments about, and that’s quite impressive to say the least. Since the MCU rarely takes their stories into such realms. But it definitely added a new flair and unique depth to this story. Since it forced a couple of heroes to really face the consequences of evil and fear, and that ending does leave one wondering… if by chance it impacted Sylvie deeper than she initially let on. Either way, this was just a great episode through and through, one that really did set the stage for the rest of the season. Where there is a good chance that our heroes might falter. For Kang the Conqueror is strong and resilient in just about any form, and he truly is barreling toward the prime timeline and all it has to offer. Until next time.

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