This week’s dose of Loki was directed by Dan DeLeeuw, who served as a visual effects artist on the first season of the series. Written by Eric Martin, this episode acts as a perfect follow-up to the first episode and manages to expand the horizons of the TVA, as well as introduce us to new villains, and heroes.
The episode is titled “Breaking Brad”, a wonderful allusion to the critically-acclaimed AMC series Breaking Bad, and also pointing to the fact that they literally “break Brad (Wolfe)”.
The episode kicks off with a cold open in London, 1977; where Loki and Mobius go undercover to retrieve X-5 and gain knowledge about General Dox (whom we last saw leaving in search of Sylvie) and Sylvie’s whereabouts. They reach the film premiere of The Zaniac!, starring Brad Wolfe (X-5 in disguise).
An easily noticeable easter egg during this sequence is a poster for Kingo’s film in the background.
Following a long chase sequence, they haul X-5 back to the TVA headquarters. B-15, Mobius, and Loki attempt to interrogate him, but to no avail. Instead, he gets under Mobius’ nerves, who ends up punching him.
“Stop trying to be a hero, man. You’re a villain. And you’re good at it. Do that.”
X-5
To cool themselves down, Mobius and Loki have some pie at the TVA automat, and take some time to think about their strategy. During this scene, Loki admits that throwing Tony Stark off Stark Tower during the battle of New York was not a thought-up decision.
Afterwards, the duo go back to the interrogation room, where Loki manages to lock Mobius out of the room, and uses some villain-ly tactics to torture X-5 and get him to spill the beans about Sylvie. The entire exchange makes for a thrilling and equally hilarious scene.
Meanwhile, B-15 and Casey head to the temporal loom, where they meet Ouroborous in a dillemic situation. O.B. reveals that the containment doors are locked, and can only be opened by He Who Remains’ temporal aura, or Miss Minutes.
Cut to Broxton, Oklahoma, in 1982. Loki, Mobius and X-5 arrive at a McDonald’s restaurant, where Sylvie works. Loki and Sylvie reunite at last and have a conversation in which Loki tells Sylvie of his journeys between the past, present, and future in which he saw utter destruction.
The conversation turns heated after which X-5 drops in to reveal that General Dox is planning on pruning all the timelines except the sacred one, much to the horror of Sylvie, who was settled in a branched timeline.
The TVA tracks down the location of the multi-timeline ambush, and the trio stop the operation, but not before most of the alternate timelines were wiped off. Luckily, Sylvie’s timeline remains safe, as we find out later.
The entire TVA tries to grasp the enormity of the situation, and Sylvie leaves for her 80s timeline, distraught by the fact that the TVA couldn’t do anything to solve the crisis. The episode ends on the reveal that Sylvie kept He Who Remains’ TemPad. This episode did not feature any mid-credits scene, unsurprisingly.
What were your thoughts on this episode? Let us know @CoveredGeekly on our socials! Read our review of the series premiere here.
