After this week, we are down to just one episode to go in the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe series - Loki! And, what a fun penultimate episode it was with Loki Episode 5! Episode 4 ended on a fun cliffhanger, where we saw first Mobius and then Loki get pruned by the TVA, but then got a mid-credit scene of Loki waking up in some strange ruined landscape surrounded by other Loki Variants. So, we knew that this wasn’t the end for Loki and probably not for Mobius either. We also saw Sylvie holding TVA Judge Renslayer at the end of a pruning stick (or whatever we call them), demanding answers. Episode 4 was mind-blowing, so how would Loki episode 5 compare?
Without further ado, let’s jump into a recap of Loki episode 5, with heavy spoilers!
So Many Lokis
Loki wakes up in this strange ruined landscape, with four Lokis standing over him (Kid Loki, Classic Loki, Boastful Loki, and nameless Crocodile Loki - I like Croki). There’s a bit of a Terminator “come with us if you want to live” moment, and Loki joins his fellow Variants as they escape a horrifying smoke monster that seems set on devouring anything in its path, particularly new variants or any of the random things that appear in this wasteland.
We learn that this place is called the Void, located near the end of time where everything pruned from the Sacred Timeline is sent to be forgotten and destroyed. So, anytime there is a variant pruned or a timeline reset, all the offending non-Sacred Timeline elements are transported here and dumped unceremoniously. The Void monster (Alioth) then devours any living things, leaving only the rusting hulks of cars or slowly decomposing buildings in its path.
The Loki’s head to Kid Loki’s hideout, where they share their background stories a bit. It’s all quite amusing and just when you think there are too many Lokis, a bunch more sneak into the hideout to take over from Kid Loki. What follows is seemingly every Loki doublecrosses the others in epic fashion. Our Loki is just trying to get them to listen and stop being so ‘Loki-ish’. Loki, Classic Loki, and Kid Loki leave the rest of the Lokis to kill each other and heads back out into the wasteland. Loki has a plan to kill Alioth and get back to the TVA. He clearly wants to get back to Sylvie, who he notes is the one Loki who is actually different.
Sylvie and Loki
Sylvie interrogates Renslayer, who explains a bit about the Void and that it is where Loki and any other pruned Variants are sent. Renslayer is really stalling for time but still provides Sylvie with enough info to understand that no one seems to actually know who is behind the TVA. Renslayer, while clearly knowing that every member of the TVA is a Variant and that pruned Variants go to the Void, still doesn’t quite know who is in charge. She seems almost as focused on finding that out as Sylvie.
Renslayer is rescued by a bunch of TVA agents, but Sylvie ‘escapes’ by pruning herself, to go find Loki in the Void. She fairly quickly runs into Mobius as she is escaping Alioth. Mobius is now set on helping her and Loki if he can. We get a nice and slightly awkward reunion between Loki and Sylvie, where she notes his plan to ‘kill’ Alioth is ridiculous and has a better one. She will enchant the monster because she saw into its mind as she was running away from it and saw that it is actually guarding something at the end of time. That’s where they will find whoever is behind the TVA.
We get some more bonding moments between Loki and Sylvie, where they try to laugh off Mobius’ idea that they have fallen in love. But, there is obviously a spark of something there and they talk of just maybe staying together to figure out what comes next once they take down the TVA. It’s another moment showing us that Loki may have changed. They still leave just a bit of doubt, but it really does seem like he has grown beyond the character we’ve all come to know.
Mobius, We Knew Your Weren’t Gone
Sylvie brought Renslayer’s TemPad with her into the Void and gives it to Mobius, so he can go back to the TVA. His mission - to burn it all down. We’re not sure how he will do that exactly, but he is armed with the truth and he seems like he might have a plan. The odd bond that Mobius has with Loki is evident, as they have a friendly moment (perhaps their last together) as Mobius steps through the doorway toward his fate.
Loki and Sylvie then enact their plan to enchant Alioth. There is a moment where she asks him if she can really trust him and we think (hope) that she can. Their first attempt at enchantment fails, but Classic Loki has stuck around to help. He whips up the greatest illusion we’ve ever seen a Loki conjure (a fully recreated Asgard) to distract Alioth. Sylvie and Loki note that just maybe they are more powerful than they ever realized (since they are all Loki). This means that if one Loki has a power, so do they all. Loki finds within himself the ability to use enchantment like Sylvie and between the two of them, they are able to take over Alioth’s mind.
This leads to a gap in the cloud monster to open up, revealing a large and mysterious castle perched at the end of time. The episode ends as Sylvie and Loki walk, hand in hand, toward the castle.
Whew! This Lokie Episode 5 is packed with stuff. There are easter eggs galore - more than in any other MCU movie or series episode. Frog Thor, the Thanos Copter, names of various show-runners. It’s nuts and you will probably have to watch the episode in slow motion to get them all.
Classic Loki Just Blew Our Minds
So, speaking of Classic Loki. If we’re to understand, he lived the Sacred Timeline, right up until he decided to leave exile and find his brother sometime well after the events of Avengers: Endgame. So, does this mean that in the Sacred Timeline, Loki did not die at the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War and instead carried out his best fake death scene yet? If that’s true, does that mean that in the MCU timeline we are watching in the movies and series that Loki is actually living in hiding somewhere and therefore could come back to the main storyline of the MCU?
Who is the Big Villain?
This is still an open discussion online after Loki Episode 5. Theories are all over the map. That castle sure looks like Doctor Doom’s castle! But, we have tons of Kang the Conquerer references throughout the series (including Alioth). We've also been told over and over that Lokis have plans within plans and there is always another twist. So, is it just yet another version of Loki that we haven't met yet? Maybe it’s someone else entirely. I'm wavering between Kang and another version of Loki. We know Kang is coming to the MCU, but maybe that's why it's just a misdirect? If I had to put money on it, I would now go with some other version of Loki being behind everything.
We will get answers to all our questions (hopefully) next week! Stay tuned!
