Loki (1.3) Episode Recap: Enchanted Memories

For as much exposition as Loki has, there has barely been a dull moment. This week’s episode was no different. Rather than belabor the conflict between Loki variants Loki and Sylvia by having them continuously fight one another, the show makes the two of them need one another for survival. Of course, not before a number of fun action sequences that do involve the two of them fighting one another through time. That same fight through time lands Loki and Sylvia on Lamentis in a dire situation. It’s the result of that fight that bonds the two of them inextricably. Oh, and the fact that they are both the same person.

That last statement is what I continued to come back to as this week’s episode unfolded before me. While it certainly had its fair share of exposition too – like Loki describing his childhood memories of his mother – it was the most action-packed episode thus far. Even through its action sequences though, Loki never forgets the questions driving the show. Over the last few recaps of the show, I continued to come back to the idea of identity and what to do when faced with who you really are. Those questions are not so readily apparent in this episode but they still drive each moment of it. Loki and Sylvia are variants. They are variants from different time streams but their origins are the same. They are both Loki and not Loki all at once. Two parts of the same person trying to survive all the same. The episode keeps Sylvia’s story, motivation, and plan close to the chest. But as the episode progresses, Loki himself starts to pull her character out (even when seemingly irritating the hell out of her). It results in yet another iteration of the buddy cop comedy that the show started with Mobius and Loki and subtle characterizations of two of the show’s main characters pushed to the brink of extinction.

One of the most memorable parts of this third episode was its end sequence though. Kate Herron has pushed her direction to new heights with each successive episode of Loki. This week it culminates in a long take as Loki and Sylvia fight their way to their only hope to escape Lamentis. The camera follows their run through the city capturing and slicing through the chaos unfolding around them. The quick fights, the falling debris, and the explosions all take up space and time as the frame unfurls before you. It looks gorgeous. You can’t take your eyes off the screen. The beauty of the shot lies within its purpose though. It effectively captures the mayhem of this part of Loki and Sylvia’s journey. This is all the clearer as the camera finally spins around Loki and Sylvia to show their faces in the waning moments of the episode. Just before that turn, we watched the escape ship blow up before them. As the camera moves around them one final time, we see the defeat and hopelessness on Loki’s face. Somehow, Herron found both a satisfying conclusion to the frenetic sequence while making the audience yearn for the next episode as soon as the credits started to roll.