The God of Mischief is back for another multiversal adventure with the TVA gang in the second season of Loki. Is the show's sophomore run as great as the first season? Were they able to tee up the storyline that they set up from the beginning? Now that all six episodes have aired, we finally have our verdict.
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Loki Season 2 is a Major Win for the MCU
The MCU TV show output has been considered a hit-or-miss by many fans. While some of them received critical acclaim, they also have some misfires with the recent series Secret Invasion that aired earlier this summer as its most infamous example.
There were a lot of hopes that the second season of Loki would be a major win for the MCU and perhaps lead the franchise back in the right direction (at least on the television side). Fortunately, I am happy to report that the entire second season delivered what we were hoping for and I would go as far as to say that it is one of the best achievements of the MCU to date.
Will it save the TV side of the MCU moving forward? Maybe not. Perhaps some of the upcoming shows will end up having a middling reception and the narrative unfortunately continues. Just like what I've said in my The Marvels review, this season should not bear any responsibility of carrying the burden of the franchise's current issues.
This is also the first time that an MCU series has a second season, which worked in its favor. One of the sophomore installment's biggest strengths is how the story felt fully realized and you can tell that Eric Martin and his writing team planned it from the very beginning as it was all cohesive. It didn't feel like they did any last-minute reshoots or mandated by an executive to set up an upcoming project.
While the techno-babble dialogues might feel complicated at times, it was still easy to figure out as they tried their best to give a layman's explanation of the science-fiction concepts that they explored throughout the season.
It also had the benefit of spending a lot of time with the characters and know them even further. They also explored the threat of Kang in the Multiverse Saga better than a certain film from earlier this year. Most importantly, even with the higher stakes, it still felt standalone and character-driven.
One element that also struck me in the new season is its wonderful visuals all thanks to the terrific direction of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, who helmed four episodes of the season. They played a lot with the cameras and used all the cinematic language toolbox and tricks available to properly convey the scenes in a visually striking way. None of them felt bland at all.
The Ensemble Deserves a Lot of Praise
The season's biggest asset is definitely its ensemble, both returning and newcomers in the series. As expected, Tom Hiddleston delivered an exceptional performance in the season and you can argue that it might be his best one yet in the MCU. As an audience, you'll really get invested in his newfound heroic journey and his exciting character development that paid off.
Owen Wilson continued to be amazing in the new season as well and he delivered a lot of hilarious lines. Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku, and Eugene Cordero were also great in the new season, especially the latter two as they have more material to deal with where they can really stand out even for quick moments.
Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who only showed up for three episodes this season, still managed to give an interesting depth to Ravonna Renslayer and you understand her motivations when they explored her a bit further.
Tara Strong's voice performance as Miss Minutes was also a standout and it helped a lot that the character had a twisted turn which gave the actress a juicy material to deal with in the season.
Jonathan Majors, who had more episode appearances in the new season, was great as well in playing both Victor Timely and He Who Remains. Regardless of what his future in the MCU will be, he still delivered memorable performances that will excite you about the future of Kang.
Rafael Casal also deserved a shoutout for his turn as Brad Wolfe/Hunter X-5, especially in the second episode where he really shined and showcased his comedic chops.
However, in my book, the MVP of the season is easily Ke Huy Quan as OB. The moment he showed up on screen, he fit right in with the world of the series and he didn't feel like a new character at all as you can get a sense that he has existed within the TVA for a long time even if we didn't see him in the first season. He was also very funny and endearing. Hopefully, we will see more of him in many MCU projects in the future.
Is Loki Season 2 Worth Watching?
The answer is a resounding yes. It was also helped that the season really stuck the landing, unlike some of the MCU TV shows which have underwhelming finales. Fortunately, that wasn't the case for Loki season 2 since the ending felt perfect for the titular character's journey and it also teased an exciting path for the future of the MCU moving forward.
In some ways, it also sets the standard of what an MCU TV show should be and it is a great example of why the franchise should really pivot to doing multi-season shows. There is definitely more satisfaction as an MCU fan and a better story as long as it is cohesive and well-planned.
The second season of Loki is easily one of the MCU's biggest achievements to date, especially on the television side. Even if it has a high-stakes story, it is still more character-driven which led to one of the most pleasant viewing experiences that the franchise has offered at this point.
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