The god of mischief has returned! “Loki” S2:E1 has arrived, dropping us right back where we left off in season 1.

This article will contain spoilers.

“Loki” S2:E1 – “Ouroboros”

“Loki” season 2 reviews: Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Episode 4 | Episode 5 | Episode 6

Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is back, having been forcefully returned to the TVA by his variant Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino). One problem — no one knows who he is, and the TVA is decked out in He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors) iconography. We are thrown into the chaos alongside Loki and the various TVA members as they try to uncover their true purpose while preparing for the looming threat of a continuously branching, unpruned timeline. 

Episode 1: “Ouroboros” sees the return of familiar faces: Mobius (Owen Wilson), Loki’s mentor since his arrival at the TVA,  and B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku), a TVA hunter who has become sympathetic to our main crew’s goals after learning the truth behind the TVA. They face what feels to be the beginning of its collapse now that their motives and previous leadership have all been put into question. This is in the absence of Loki, as they are unable to pin him down due to his new affliction: time slipping, something previously thought impossible in the TVA.

The time slipping lends to several comedic moments as Loki is torn between time.

These new revelations lead us to some new characters. Hunter X-5 (Rafael Casal) is working beside Judge Gamble (Liz Carr) and General Dox (Kate Dickie), who look to Mobius and B-15 to shed light on what has transpired. They argue about how best to move forward with the TVA, setting up some opposing ideals to be overcome. Loki, fortunately, slips in to reveal more information about He Who Remains. Mobius and Loki seek help from the TVA’s Repair and Advancement department. There, we meet an old (and new) friend of Mobius, Ouroborous (Ke Huy Quan).

O.B., as he’s known by Mobius (maybe?), can make (or already has made?) a device to help Loki resync to stop his time slipping. However, O.B. also has to deal with the Temporal Loom, as it is failing to keep up with the overabundant branching of the sacred timeline. Loki slips into the future, compromising his ability to resync, while Mobius uses the device in the present to wait to sync Loki back to the present. It gets down to the wire as Loki seems about to miss his window for extraction. We get a very emotional glimpse of Sylvie in the future before Loki is pruned by someone unseen.

This sends Loki back to the present just in time, saving his skin (as well as Mobius’).

There is a mid-credits scene featuring Sylvie appearing in Broxton, Oklahoma, in 1982. Sylvie hesitantly explores her new location and time, having seemingly just come from her ending from last season. We end with her in a nearby McDonald’s, where she orders “everything,” including the brand new Chicken McNuggets.

Episode 1 sets up a lot to deal with in these next five episodes, but it does so well. I found that the chaotic nature of the whole episode, while usually a detriment, is executed in a manner fitting the God of Chaos. Last season’s time travel aspect was dealt with strictly, laying out the rules for us early on and sticking to them. This episode played with the complications of time travel, even embracing the absurdity of it.

The introduction of O.B., a personal highlight of the episode, pulls that concept together. His matter-of-fact personality and clear intelligence make it easy to follow. The conversations between O.B., Mobius, and Loki are amusing to watch as they deal with the awkwardness of his personality and the rapid-fire changes as Loki’s actions in the past affect the present in real time. O.B. is a model to the audience in embracing the confusing and ridiculous antics.

B-15 feels more central to the plot now. Being the one TVA member to survive knowing the truth behind the organization (other than Mobius), she leads the conversation with the Judge and General. Her growth from the end of season one is expounded upon. Hunter X-5 plays her foil, sticking to his convictions regardless of the new order.

Overall, I’m excited to see what the future holds for this series. This episode did well to set up new problems to deal with, introduce new characters, as well as return us to the universe we departed from. And no worries if you haven’t watched any MCU installments since season one.

I also liked to see Loki and Mobius reunited, as they fall right back to the dynamic from season 1. And I cannot wait to see more of the sharp, straightforward O.B. Two thumbs up!

P.S. What is up with the key lime pie?!

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