Loki Episode One Opinions
To begin, I would like to preface this by saying Loki is one of my favorite characters — if not my favorite character — in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Certainly, this might be the result of a great deal of projecting and my attachment to Loki occurred at a difficult time in my life, but I think now I have come to a place where I can rationally reflect on Loki as a character and his story without my idea of myself getting in the way. (Hopefully.)
Obviously, I watched the first episode of Loki. As a huge Loki fan, I was both excited and anxious at the prospect of a TV series about Loki. Excited because it seemed that Loki, who has consistently been a side character, would finally get the time and recognition his story and character deserved. Anxious because I had little to no faith that the MCU could accurately portray Loki and his story as he has been dismissed for so many years.
For context, I was not a huge fan of the change in tone found in Thor: Ragnarok. A lot of people seem to hate on Thor (2011) and Thor: The Dark World, but I honestly really enjoyed them and their distinction from the rest of the MCU. Ultimately, the high fantasy, Shakespearean, Game of Thrones nature of the first two films was dropped for something more lighthearted and comedic in Thor: Ragnarok. I do not mean to sound dismissive of comedy or Ragnarok. I have a great amount of respect for a variety of genres and tones in film, but I personally preferred the darker, more serious tone for the Thor films.
Additionally, with the lighter tone in Ragnarok, there simultaneously existed a sense that the film was making fun of what existed previously in the Thor trilogy. I suppose that was the point of changing the tone of the franchise, yet, for someone who enjoyed what existed previously, I did not enjoy it being mocked. (Yes, I know it was mostly for fun, but still.) It felt like Loki was being made fun of and belittled for the sake of a laugh. The characters seemed to have shifted from who they were in previous films to who they were in Ragnarok, which was something I did not necessarily appreciate. Again, I know this was most likely intended as it seemed they wanted to create a distinction between the first two films and the third film as, seemingly, something was not working.
Since Ragnarok, Loki has not had much screen time in the MCU and is dead in the current timeline. Consequently, Loki follows 2012 Loki from Avengers: Endgame, who escaped with the Tesseract. The question then existed: would the show portray Ragnarok Loki or Loki from the earlier films? It was this uncertainty that I anticipated for two years, wondering what tone the show would take and which version of the Thor trilogy it would represent.
Arguably, after watching the first episode of Loki, I would not say it resembles Thor: Ragnarok, but does not feel like the earlier Thor movies either. It is certainly more lighthearted than Thor (2011) and Thor: The Dark World and the Loki we are given in the show is not the same as the Loki we are provided in films prior to and including The Dark World. I was going to say it is more comedic than the earlier films, but I would arguably say there is a great deal of wit and snarky comments to laugh at in the earlier Thor movies. I suppose what I mean to communicate is that Loki seems to lean more toward comedy like Ragnarok did. If you have seen it, I think you’ll know what I am talking about.
This being said, I cannot tell quite yet how I feel about Loki. I love it, but I also hate it (those are overly extreme generalizations but I think they are effective), yet I am becoming accustomed to having that reaction to every MCU project. I feel like that sounds really bad and I do not necessarily mean for it to sound bad. I think it is important to be critical of things that you love.
The first thing that I do not really like is overall the aesthetic of the show. There is this weird 1970s office building style that the Time Variance Authority takes on that I just do not like. That is more of a personal nitpicky thing, but I just wanted to mention it because it really bothered me. I noticed some people on Tumblr (because yes, this show is reviving my dead Loki Tumblr account) commenting on the posters around the TVA being reminiscent of fascism and a totalitarian government as they are centered around the absence of freedom and choice. I think this is interesting coupled with the aesthetic of the TVA that feels very dated, which could coincide with the opinions and philosophy of the organization needing updating.
Now for the more critical analysis of things in the show, I felt that Loki as a character seemed different. I found this to a lesser extent with Bucky Barnes in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but it is as if they were “defanged”. My issues with Bucky existed regarding the way his physical strength was portrayed while my skepticism about Loki was a product of his demeanor.
In the earlier MCU films, Loki is quiet and while he does tend to speak his mind, he is not chatty. I would not necessarily say he likes to talk, but that is how they have labeled him as in the show. Loki of Thor (2011) is quiet and thoughtful, ignored and silenced, reserved and perceptive. Loki of The Avengers is given his chance to speak, but it is controlled and measured. He knows he must make his own name and own place in the world, because he was never meant to rule and would never be protected or defended because he is different. In Thor: The Dark World, he was resigned and angry, but throughout these three films Loki never showed weakness and never revealed how he felt.
I think it is this guarded, careful composure that I missed from Loki in the first episode of the series. He is the god of mischief and chaos, so a sort of chaotic nature is necessary for him as a character, yet previously it had always appeared to be a controlled chaos. Things are falling apart but he is completely stoic and unaffected. He is in love with the chaos, but he is not explicitly chaotic as if this state is where he is most comfortable and most in control. In Loki, he seemed frantic and uncertain, emotions that I believe Loki would not reveal to anyone. Even when his plans are falling apart, he never lets it show.
Loki does a lot of self-reflecting at the end of this first episode and reveals he acts he does to perpetuate the illusion of control, which is something I can relate to (not on the scale or to the extent of Loki) and find to be a very accurate reflection of his character. He is desperately trying to be something, to prove himself, to do something, often for himself or other people, but that desperation is never revealed. He feels as if he is lacking so he tries to make up for it. He has never had any support system while simultaneously has little to no agency in his life as Thor (2011) revealed. His entire existence has been a manipulation and a lie. Control is something Loki craves.
In this sense, I feel like we get so much Loki, yet he also feels so different from the Loki we saw in 2012 and 2013. There is a harshness and edge to Loki. He is sarcastic, quick-witted, even, measured, sharp…I could go on forever. Loki is one of my favorite characters because of his complexity and depth of his character, which I think we do not often get to see in other characters, especially early villains in the MCU. He is brilliant and Tom Hiddleston plays him brilliantly, so much so that I have become obsessed with assessing Loki and dissecting his nature. There is a unique quality to the character that makes him so great. I honestly feel like I am doing a disservice by trying to fit him into a handful of words.
Perhaps this nuance with which I love the character is why I specifically did not feel the measured, calculated nature of Loki. It appeared as if he was out of control, which he was, and he did not know what was happening, which he did not, but Loki is not one to show that weakness. Loki would act as if everything is still going according to plan, even if it is not. When he lost to the Avengers, he laughed and asked for a drink: calm, cool, and collected. The panicked taking of the ticket, the failed attempt at magic, and the desperate comments were not Loki.
The few moments when we saw the demanding, collected individual that Loki is were often followed by jokes or his character being demeaned. I do not think it was necessarily intended for Loki to be diminished, but it felt that the comedy almost wanted to do that. I personally enjoy Loki’s eloquence and the way Asgardians speak (in the first two Thor movies), but this is undermined when Mobius makes a quip about Loki speaking in metaphors. It obviates the importance of his words and the power of the character if his entire persona is mocked.
Again, I do not think this is intentional or the point of the show, I think this is a common issue within the MCU where the comedy is demeaning to the characters. It is possible for something to be funny without mocking or diminishing who a character is and their strength. I think Tony Stark is the perfect example of that. The Iron Man trilogy is phenomenal and hilarious, but viewers respect Tony Stark and he is never belittled for a gag.
This is only the pilot and I do believe the show showed potential for respecting and exploring Loki’s character. The end of the episode was well done and I enjoyed what it alluded to and what we received from Loki. Also, I know Tom Hiddleston is a producer on the show and I completely trust him with Loki’s character, but obviously a show or film is more than a single person and their ideas.
Overall, I would say I enjoyed the first episode, yet it did not feel like the Loki I loved. I have no doubt it will be a good show and present some interesting ideas about the multiverse (which I hope to write more articles on), but I suppose the uncertainty that keeps bugging me is the tone and where they will take the narrative and the character. Based on the trailers, the show is meant to carry on this comedic tone, but I do have hope for serious, thoughtful contemplations of Loki, his situation, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
