Director: Kate Herron

Writers: Stan Lee, Michael Waldron, Bisha K. Ali, Elissa Karasik, Eric Martin, and Tom Kauffman

Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Owen Wilson, Wunmi Mosaku, Tara Strong, & Jonathan Majors

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There was a lot I needed to process with this series. This could just be me, but when I think about Marvel, I go into the experience expecting smooth, seamlessly shot and edited fight choreography sequences, amazing graphics, and a pretty good story line. With Loki, episode after episode, I kept saying to myself, “This is a lot of conversation/information.” So as I looked at my notes for each episode, I was finding it hard to really give it simple praise despite walking away from the series liking it.

But then I had a moment where I focused on the title and realized that this is Loki. His character isn’t the fighter. He’s a witty, mischievous gabber. He has magic that he uses in sneaky ways, and he provides subtle comedic relief. Now I am not sure if that was intended purpose of the title vs simply using the main character as the title, but understanding the core of the title who is the main character is what helped me to actually step back and appreciate the series a little more. 

**This also led me to notice all the moments where these aspects of Loki were mentioned by other characters—even episode 1 when Mobius says, “you like to talk…” LOL 

I did go back to rewatch every Avenger and Thor film scene with Loki present because I was concerned about the plot of Loki and parts that felt a little unclear when regarding the TVA and this “Sacred Timeline,” and blew my own self away once I understood what actually happened and how we got here—so fascinating, if I understood it correctly. All I will say is that all of this might be Ant-Man, Black Widow, Hulk, Captain America, and Tony Stark’s fault?? Am I on to something? LOL 

My main issue with this series is this love affair. I am not a fan of it. To me, it doesn’t fit Loki as the character we know. There are some people in the world who just aren’t a relationship/love prone, and Loki was a character who embodied this. So this aspect of this story felt both rushed and forced. 

In the end, this series gave me Marvel takes on The Matrix-meets The Wizard of Oz-meets-The Strucker siblings from Fox’s The Gifted-meets A Wrinkle In Time.

Below is my ranking for each episode based on what I’d be genuinely interested in watching multiple times, with my personal grading and takeaways.  

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