Wow. For anyone who complained that last week's episode, Lamentis, spent too much time putting the plot on pause to dive into the character of Sylvie (hard disagree from us, it was all driving the story towards this barnstormer of an episode, and it was fun to simply watch Tom Hiddleston and Sophia Di Martino do their thing), then Episode 4, The Nexus Event really brought the plot roaring back, had some huge turns and ended with a wild end-credits scene (more on that later and, obviously, SPOILER ALERT for anyone who is reading this not having seen the episode.)
While we all knew that Loki and Sylvie were unlikely to meet their ends on the doomed moon, and that some more answers were coming, few could have predicted the rollercoaster ride that is Episode 4, which dives right back into the murky world of the TVA and starts to unravel everything we've been told so far. True, we probably predicted a few of the surprises, but the episode kept things moving and found a way to cram an awful lot into the story without it ever feeling overstuffed. And for those who ship Loki and Sylvie... Let's just say some feelings were expressed much more in the open here, even if someone mean decided to interrupt.
Let's ponder the questions raised this week, shall we?
Who Is Sylvie? (Part 2)
The episode opens with Sylvie (Di Martino) still on Lamentis with Hiddles-Loki, revealing more of her backstory, including the fact that she's from (an) Asgard and really was snatched away as a young variant (Cailey Fleming) by the TVA. In fact, she was taken by Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who back then was a Minuteman. We see her escape, and as Sylvie has nodded to before, and brings up again, she's spent the rest of her time evading them, eventually ending up hiding in "the end of a thousand worlds". If you didn't feel for her before...
So The Time Keepers Are A Big Old Fake?
So it appears! Once Loki and Sylvie are brought back to the TVA, they sow the seeds of doubt in Mobius and B-15's heads. And the scene between Sophia Di Martino and Wunmi Mosaku is a real example of why you cast people like this – B-15's realisation doesn't require an elaborate flashback, just an actor is really, really good at what they do. Mosaku conveys so much in such a short time.
Those revelations lead to the big one – after a fight that has echoes of the Throne Room fight in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, we learn that the Time Keepers, at least as they appear in the TVA are fake, androids built for... Well, their exact purpose has yet to be discovered, nor do we truly know who is behind it all. Renslayer certainly knows more than she's letting on: she had C-20 (Sasha Lane) killed and she's more suspicious than ever, though we've a feeling she's not the ultimate Big Bad. Could it be Kang? Could it be some other villain torn from the pages of Marvel's comic output? Nobody say Mephisto. Let's not go down that road again.
Why Was Lady Sif Back?
Technically, she's just a memory, but it was nice to see Jaimie Alexander back as Sif, even if it was just to become the embodiment of this. The hair-snipping prank is one that Loki has played in the comics and appears in Norse mythology too. As recompense, he has dwarves create new hair for her, and Mjolnir to show his brother he's sorry. But dwarves creating a hammer? Mind we don't get any Pod-shoutouts to this...
Is Mobius Really Gone?
You bastards! You pruned Owen Wilson! Yes, with one quick stab of a time staff, Mobius is gone, disintegrated, never to be heard from again. Never to ride his jet ski again. Never... Look, we're not convinced he's gone at all, and while we'd applaud the chutzpah of hiring Owen Wilson then offing him four episodes into the run, a certain later scene makes us think that we'll see him and his moustache again. You know the scene, if you stayed through to the mid-credits section at the end...
Who Are Those Other Lokis?
After Tom Hiddleston's Loki is seemingly pruned by Renslayer (just as he was about to admit how he really feels for Sylvie, no less!), all seems lost. But during the credits at the end, we cut to a small scene that seems him apparently still intact, just transported to a ruined city on an unknown world. And standing above him? Four other Lokis! Yes, that's acting legend Richard E. Grant as Classic Loki, Jack Veal as Kid Loki (holding what appears to be an alligator Loki we sort of hope has a voice in the next episode) and Deobia Oparei, in the credits as Boastful Loki.
While the Boastful Variant has no clear comicbook parallel (he looks like he might be a combo of Thor and Loki and has created his own hammer), Older Loki has appeared a few times, and Grant is wearing a version of the costume more normally found in Marvel Comics (can't wait to hear his thoughts on his look). Kid Loki has a history in the comics (created by Matt Fraction and Pasqual Ferry, who receive credit shout-outs for the episode) and you can read more about him right here){href='https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Loki_Laufeyson(Kid_Loki)_(Earth-616)' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'}.
We predict even bigger things ahead, and we can't wait to see what happens next.
Dive into Episode 1 and Episode 2. For more, you can listen to Empire's weekly Spoiler Special Podcast Episodes about the show by signing up for the feed here. You'll also find an interview with Sophia Di Martino on that feed, but if you want to read some highlights, head here.