#2 Thoughts on: LOKI S1E1

Glorious Purpose

I just finished watching the first episode of LOKI, the latest MCU series on Disney+. After the uninspiring wane of WANDAVISION and the muddled, generic, unbecoming THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER, I had doubts. If this show didn’t hook me, I was considering unsubscribing from Disney+. I’m happy to say that the first episode of LOKI, Glorious Purpose, does a greater justice to its titular character than the whole of any MCU series preceding it, and lays the groundwork for what might potentially be the best MCU project since INFINITY WAR and ENDGAME. It’s a refreshing, character-driven exploration of the consequences of discovering that free will doesn’t exist and that even a god is miniscule in the grand scheme of the unimultiverse.

Owen Wilson’s Moebius is a perfect foil to Tom Hiddleston’s megalomaniacal AVENGERS-era Loki. The dry humor, imbalance of knowledge, and earnestness render the Asguardian’s devilish tongue useless - his muzzle from the opening in New York might as well have remained on. It’s the first real counter to Loki, not to his strength, skill, or will, but his intellect, which is a perfect pressure cooker for character growth. When the old tactics fail, one must adapt.

The Time Force Authorities give showrunner Michael Waldron an opportunity to flex his imagination alongside efficient, effective worldbuilding, a skill surely honed during his time in the RICK AND MORTY writers’ room. The soulless corporate/light sci-fi aesthetic is deftly handled so as to avoid monotony. It’s nice to get a break from Earth - I have a feeling we’ll be getting a whole lot more of that in the coming years of the MCU (especially considering Waldron’s writing credit on DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS).

The most fascinating part of this first episode was watching Loki’s god-like confidence and zeal melt away as he processes the revelation that even he is tiny. This same Loki who, at the beginning of the film that this series takes place after, thought humans as ants and himself as a boot. Cosmic scale is a sobering revelation which catalyzes a radical transformation - glorious purpose begins to melt away. Moebius encourages Loki to introspect; figure out why he wreaks so much mischief… and hurt.

Eventually, after finding out these Time Force Authorities use Infinity Stones as paperweights and seeing his own valiant future-death at the hands of Thanos, a resigned Loki coughs it up: “I hurt people because I have to… because it’s part of the illusion… it’s the cruel, elaborate trick conjured by the weak to inspire fear.” 

This self-reflection is the first step to the promise of change that the series leaves us with. Loki will struggle, but ultimately use his talents to help people and make amends for his mischief by fighting against his darker, less-enlightened self. I have to imagine there’s more underneath the surface, but the final scene of the Time Force Authorities being burned alive by a hooded figure didn’t offer much in the way of hints.

I’m excited and optimistic to see where the series goes, even more so than I was with WANDAVISION, the allure of which, in retrospect, was mostly the novelty of the format. Hiddleston is certainly one of the power players among the MCU cast and there’s certainly a fountain of rich, imaginative material in the setting as well as in the mind of the showrunner, Michael Waldron. It’s awesome to have something new to look forward to for the next few weeks.