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A Review of “Loki Season 2 (2023)”

 

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The first season of Loki was one of my most enjoyable Disney+ MCU shows. With Marvel releasing a lot of mediocrity and garbage lately, my hope was that season 2 did not end up falling into that category. Does season 2 live up to the first or is this another bummer from the MCU?

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Let’s get the obvious out of the way, Tom Hiddleston is still amazing. He continues to deliver a phenomenal performance as the titular character. In this season, we get to see Loki at what feels like his most vulnerable ever and Tom illustrates that well. Owen Wilson returns as Mobius and while he is still the funny one of the Loki and Mobius duo, he gets some great serious moments. There is a moment where Mobius is being questioned by another character and Owen does a great performance through body alone. Jonathan Majors also returns but this time as a Kang Variant called Victor Timely. I like how he made this character feel completely different from He Who Remains. In terms of newcomers: Ke Huy Quan is delightful fun as Ouroboros and Rafael Casal is great at being hatable as Hunter B-5.

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Season 1 felt like an adventure story with Loki and setting up future MCU stuff which was fine. Season 2 on the other hand, is all about Loki. He has such amazing character development and throughout season 2, we get more of an understanding of the character. By the final episode, Loki has one of the most satisfying conclusions for any character in the MCU. I also like how this season explores a bit more how the TVA operates, as we get to see how the chain of command works and other areas of the TVA as well. The season is also a satisfying end for a lot of the supporting characters as well making this feel like a complete story even if there are some things still left open. Natalie Holt returns as the composer and continues to provide a terrific music score with its mix of electronics and orchestral sounds.

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With Loki season 2 being primarily focused on Loki, the supporting characters don’t have as much focus. Sylvie returns for season 2 where in season 1 she was one of the focus characters, but here not so much. The season doesn’t explore any of that romance between her and Loki or give her much to do either. This is also the case for characters like Hunter B-15 and Casey who now appears more but doesn’t really have much to do. This season doesn’t have many action set pieces either and even when it does, it’s mostly just fine. There is no memorable one-take sequence like in the first season. Autumn Durald doesn’t return as the cinematographer for season 2 and it does show. Season 2 doesn’t look ugly, it actually looks okay, it’s just lacking in those gorgeous shots like in season 1.

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Overall, Loki season 2 is an amazing conclusion to the series. It is so wonderful to see how far the character has progressed and changed throughout the MCU. Loki season 2 also succeeds where the movies, specifically Ant-Man 3, failed. Which is making me excited for Kang as a villain in the Avengers movies. Whether this is truly the last we see of Tom as Loki, it was a magnificent run as the character.


 

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