“For All Time, Always” not wrapping everything up in a neat little bow to indicate that the series is coming back for a second season is without question, the highlight of all this. It’s all that matters to me personally. It’s all I care about. Loki isn’t a limited series, it’s a series. Let that sink in for a moment.
It’s the detail that we’ll get so much more Mobius, more Hunter B-15, more variants (maybe), and more impeccable performances by Tom Hiddleston as Loki that make us want to cry our eyes out every single time. And that continues to be the best part of Loki as a series—the detail that it allowed its characters moments of quiet stillness, utter chaos, and vulnerability.
It’s why the Marvel Cinematic Universe TV series are succeeding because like Loki, both WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier allowed the characters moments of honest contemplation in order to dive into the human sides of their superhero alter-egos more closely.
For All Time, Always and Beyond
Loki Laufeyson, god of mischief, Odin-son, variant, is on the road towards a better future and that’s something that is made beautifully clear in this episode even while it seems like he’s still stumbling. Tom Hiddleston shows the audience just how much is in store for his character by bringing to light the parts of Loki that have always been trying to burst forward.
Loki has always been looking for love deep down. That’s his story—he has wanted Odin’s love, he has wanted Thor’s love, and in a sense, he has wanted the world’s love. And while Loki doesn’t necessarily find it in the romance spectrum with Sylvie, today, he is at least surrounded by people who care about him.
Sylvie might have kissed him as a distraction, but somewhere deep down, Sylvie has found love in Loki too. She isn’t him. She doesn’t have the same plans or the same motives, but to deny that the two have had colossal impact on one another would deny the powers of companionship, and you won’t get any of that here.
The journey they’ve been on has impacted each of them and the weight of how well they understand each other stands as part of a larger story that might not make complete sense, but really, neither does anything about the chaos that is Loki as a character. He wouldn’t be Loki if that were the case, and this show would look much different.
Who Are You?
This is the kind of cliffhanger that works for me. Mobius has no idea who Loki is, and Loki is now completely alone, back in a place where he has to start all over. But if he’s made an impact on Mobius once before, he’ll make it again and that’s promised on h a show like this that’s given us one of the strongest (and unlikeliest) friendships in the Marvel Cinematic Universe through them.
Mobius’ impact on Loki has been just as prodigious as Sylvie’s, and to a degree, I’d argue even a little bit more. Belief is a monumental thing in changing the trajectory of a morally-grey character’s path, and Mobius has always believed in Loki. There’s a particular scene we’re going to go even deeper on this concept with from “Journey Into Mystery,” and Loki’s growth in this episode proves just how great it was.
In “For All Time, Always” Mobius gets a moment to think he’s got the upper hand against the TVA, but ultimately, they’re still one step ahead. There is still so much we don’t know. There is still so much these characters don’t know. But with Mobius, Hunter B-15, and now Loki possibly working together? Only good things can come from this.
Who’s Who and What’s Miss Minutes?
The questions remain and the exploration of the multiverse is just beginning. Fans have now long speculated that He Who Remains played by Jonathan Majors is Kang the Conqueror. There’s a lot of story there and fascinating nuances that’ll play into Phase Four, especially with his suspected appearance in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
But then there’s Miss Minutes…and there’s a lot there to unpack there too that my brain just can’t even begin to wrap around.
Overall, Loki’s “For All Time, Always” is a solid look into what is in store, and it’s just the kind of season finale we’d expect from this show. Quiet in its boldness, chaotic where necessary, and stunning with visuals (which continues to be shocking for a TV series).