Loki: Ouroboros

October 5, 2023 7:40 PM - Season 2, Episode 1

Loki finds himself lost to time and torn, quite literally, between past, present and future.
posted by ellieBOA (33 comments total)

So happy this is back!
posted by ellieBOA at 7:41 PM on October 5, 2023 [5 favorites]

Did Jonathan Majors’s Arrest Affect the New Season of Loki? [Vulture / Archive]
posted by ellieBOA at 7:41 PM on October 5, 2023

I'm very happy as well; after the debacle that was Secret Invasion, it's a relief to see that this appears to be humming along at a high level of quality. In addition to most of the cast from S1, there's Ke Huy Quan as Ouroboros (aka O.B.), still on the multiverse tip after his star turn in Everything Everywhere All At Once, and Kate Dickie, probably previously best known as Lysa Arryn in Game of Thrones, as General Dox, who looks like trouble. Also, we get an Easter egg in that Sylvie ends up in an alternate Broxton, Oklahoma; it's a real place, but also features heavily in the comics, which you can read about here if you don't mind comics spoilers.
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:38 PM on October 5, 2023 [3 favorites]

Love the addition of Ke Huy Quan in multiverse mode!
posted by ellieBOA at 8:40 PM on October 5, 2023 [8 favorites]

Loved the spaghettification warning on the floor in front of the Loom Room. Also, that time suit (patched with duct tape!) Also, O.B. is short for Ouroboros. A lot to like this episode. Hope they keep it up.
posted by q*ben at 9:27 PM on October 5, 2023 [4 favorites]

Two Inverse links:
Loki’s Executive Producer Explains That Shocking Season 2 TVA Twist
Who Is X-5? Loki Executive Producer Explains the Show's “Antagonistic” New Character
posted by ellieBOA at 9:45 PM on October 5, 2023 [2 favorites]

I'd imagine filming that first episode involved days - possibly weeks - of Hiddleston running around, at breakneck speed looking frantic.

That seems *exhausting*
posted by Faintdreams at 2:51 AM on October 6, 2023 [2 favorites]

OB Is my new Fav.

Ke Huy Quan is excellant.
posted by Faintdreams at 2:51 AM on October 6, 2023 [4 favorites]

ellieBOA: Did Jonathan Majors’s Arrest Affect the New Season of Loki?

Thanks for the link, ellieBOA. I'll admit that the brief glimpse we got of Majors in the recap made me really uncomfortable. Somehow the statues and the disembodied voice didn't bother me nearly as much, probably because it was more fictional. I was hoping that he wouldn't feature much on screen in this series, but I guess it's unavoidable.
posted by Kattullus at 2:58 AM on October 6, 2023 [2 favorites]

Loved the spaghettification warning on the floor in front of the Loom Room.

My son asked me to rewind and pause that so we could read it. That was great.

As before, I looooove the mid century design of every part of the TVA sets. Love love love.

This show is such a nice refresher after the disappointment of Secret Invasion.
posted by Fleebnork at 5:31 AM on October 6, 2023 [4 favorites]

Loved the spaghettification warning on the floor in front of the Loom Room.

And were those wall to wall unique warning symbols above the door too? My screen resolution isn't high enough to make them out, just the "mortal danger" sign.

Also, mid-credits scene is set in Broxton, OK, the setting for Siege in the Marvel comics continuity and (as far as I recall) only previously mentioned in Agent Carter. Is that in MCU canon or out?
posted by Molesome at 6:07 AM on October 6, 2023

As someone who was "spoiled" by McDonald's marketing (but I didn't feel spoiled, not quite) I can't help but compare the look/feel to this scene from 1979's Time After Time. It isn't exactly the same, but it sure feels similar!
posted by 41swans at 9:18 AM on October 6, 2023 [2 favorites]

Loki Season-Premiere Recap: Back to Basics [Vulture / Archive]
posted by ellieBOA at 12:55 PM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

Majors' role in the series is likely the most insecure position in the MCU. By definition, there's a legion of Kangs out there, none of whom need to resemble Majors. Looking forward to Ryan Reynolds as Smart Mouth Kang, Chris Pratt as LEGO Kang and Billy West as I-Am-My-Own-Grampa Kang.
posted by SPrintF at 1:35 PM on October 6, 2023 [4 favorites]

OB:
"It's in the TVA Guidebook.
There's one on every desk at the TVA.
It's a detailed index of every mechanical classification, and maintenance routine in each sector on each device, and inside every computer program at the TVA. I wrote it myself."

How old is OB and why does he seem to not have had his memory ever erased?

I think this is key because if his memory had been erased, then the cute time travel conversations wouldn't have been possible.

Also OB wrote the manual for the entire TVA.

Has he been there since the beginning?

Also I'd love to see the out-takes for the book throw because I suspect they didn't' get that on the first take.!
posted by Faintdreams at 2:18 PM on October 6, 2023 [2 favorites]

He escaped having his memory erased because everyone, including HWR, forgot he was down there.
posted by Karmakaze at 2:39 PM on October 6, 2023 [10 favorites]

That's a very small book for that much info.

Also: I am excite!
posted by emjaybee at 7:14 PM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

Johnathan Majors should be CGI'd out and replaced by Tig Notaro.
posted by Horkus at 7:15 PM on October 6, 2023 [19 favorites]

I thought this was a fine return to form; the first season kind of lagged at the end with its stunt casting, and honestly if your villain needs to deliver a twenty-minute monologue in the finale just to explain everything, something has gone badly wrong with your plotting. But maybe they were planning to explain Kang's role more clearly in this season all along, and they finally did in about eight lines of dialog, so that's good.

This was directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, of The Endless and other indie sci-fi/horror movies.
posted by whir at 9:54 PM on October 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

The scene in OB’s lab basically solidified that for me, Loki is basically Marvel does Doctor Who. And I like it.
posted by eekernohan at 6:17 AM on October 7, 2023 [10 favorites]

The Temporal Loom scene was one Adagio in D Minor away from being a straight lift of this scene from Sunshine.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 10:34 AM on October 7, 2023 [4 favorites]

Also I'd love to see the out-takes for the book throw because I suspect they didn't' get that on the first take.!
I actually assumed (cynically), that given the book capture was mainly behind OB’s back, that it was some sort of in person effect with CGI removing the evidence. Because why waste time on an expensive shoot for a throw away shot (no pun intended) when you’ve an army of vfx engineers you’re famously paying peanuts.
posted by chill at 4:02 AM on October 8, 2023

and honestly if your villain needs to deliver a twenty-minute monologue in the finale just to explain everything, something has gone badly wrong with your plotting

Tastes differ; as a resolution to a narrative, I found it preferable to the old standby of “35 minutes of weightless CGI carnage” but chacun à son goat.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:07 AM on October 8, 2023 [4 favorites]

Also I'd love to see the out-takes for the book throw because I suspect they didn't' get that on the first take.!

I actually assumed (cynically), that given the book capture was mainly behind OB’s back, that it was some sort of in person effect with CGI removing the evidence. Because why waste time on an expensive shoot for a throw away shot (no pun intended) when you’ve an army of vfx engineers you’re famously paying peanuts.
posted by chill at 11:02 AM on October 8

Ke Huy Quan (OB) has famously been a stunt co-ordinator/choreographer for years.

Tom Hiddleston (Loki) is no slouch in the doing his own stunts department - especially wire and knife work.

I suspect that even though a cgi edited take might sound easier in principle doing it in person (practically) would be faster, cheaper and also more fun!

They might not have missed a lot but I bet they missed at least once.

Loki is an effects heavy show so reducing post production needs (vfx of any kind) is probably a net gain.
posted by Faintdreams at 7:33 AM on October 8, 2023 [2 favorites]

The cropping and camera angles had such a Wes Anderson feel to it this episode. Maybe it was always there (especially in the design and colors), but the wide angle shot of OB's office really drove it home for me. I want to LIVE in the aesthetics of this universe.
posted by johnxlibris at 9:36 PM on October 8, 2023

A small bit of fun for me this episode is we call our poodle OB, though in his case it’s short for Oberon. He was “watching” with us and curious why the TV was talking to him.
posted by traveler_ at 8:30 PM on October 9, 2023 [1 favorite]

> "I found it preferable to the old standby of '35 minutes of weightless CGI carnage'"

I can hate both just fine!
posted by kyrademon at 12:30 PM on October 10, 2023

I bought a Loki funko pop and I love him! He’s from season 1 and has the crocodile Loki!
posted by ellieBOA at 8:15 AM on October 11, 2023

Oops alligator not crocodile!
posted by ellieBOA at 7:46 AM on October 13, 2023

I loved the character writing in this episode, but hated that the plot was basically a nonsense problem fixed by a nonsense solution, with the time travel aspects in particular being clumsy and clunky. So in terms of the season going forward, I find this episode simultaneously promising and worrisome...
posted by kyrademon at 8:38 AM on October 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

the plot was basically a nonsense problem fixed by a nonsense solution

Isn't that most of the MCU these days ?
posted by Pendragon at 8:16 AM on October 14, 2023

Ok. I’m jumping in late on this one. For whatever reason, I’ve put-off diving into season 2 until now.

So...
JESUSFUCKINGCHRISTWHAT’SWITHALLTHEGODDAMNADS????

Admittedly, I hadn’t dropped-in on D+ in awhile. I knew they had started ads, but holy shit this is insane. It’s almost every bit as bad as broadcast tv, and truly killed my enjoyment. I’m really not sure I’m going to continue, because the number of ads is just ridiculous.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:44 PM on November 10, 2023

We have Disney+ with Hulu and it's ad-free.
posted by cooker girl at 8:55 AM on December 16, 2023