Episode 1 of Loki Season 2 kicks off precisely where our hearts left it dangling, with Loki on the lam from the relentless grasp of the TVA, and Kang seemingly perched atop the throne of power. Mobius, oblivious to Loki's familiar face, watches as he plummets over the balcony's edge, only to be miraculously snatched by a passing van that hurtles back through the TVA's window, orchestrating a bizarre reunion. Loki's clumsy descent lands him in a chaotic collision with the TVA's lower depths, where he bumps into Casey, both strangers to each other in this altered timeline. It dawns on us that Loki has been cast adrift in the past, explaining their mutual amnesia.
As Loki flickers in and out of our temporal grasp, Mobius embarks on a frustrating quest to pinpoint his whereabouts. Miss Minute has vanished into thin air, and X-5 whispers that the Judge summons him to the War Room. Upon Mobius's departure, Loki struggles mightily to catch up with his erstwhile ally, his every step thwarted by the relentless pull of the past. A cryptic recording reveals Renslayer and He Who Remains striking a sinister deal, fueling the mystery further.
Hunter B-15 and Mobius confront a barrage of questions in the War Room, centered on Loki's damning revelation about the TVA's true agenda. Amidst a sprawling multiverse of timelines refusing to be pruned, they're tasked with making sense of the chaos. Hunter, unwavering, underscores the proliferation of variants across timelines and the cruelty of their protocol that has claimed countless lives.
Loki's sudden reappearance in our timeline is a stark reminder of Kang's ironclad control, his dominance subtly etched on a mural shrouded by a banner. X-5 is dispatched on a mission to find Sylvie, while Mobius leads Loki into the labyrinthine bowels of the TVA known as R&A. Here, they encounter Ouroboros (or O.B.), a man who appears to have aged not a day in his 400-year solitude, his eyes glued to his work with no respite from sleep.
O.B. senses Loki's Time Slipping abilities and grapples with finding a remedy. A stroke of luck sees Loki teleport to the past, where he affectionately addresses Ouroboros by his nickname, forging an unexpected connection. In the present, Mobius's reality shifts, mirroring the intricate dance between timelines. The narrative weaves between these parallel moments, challenging our grasp on chronology. Indeed, one wonders if Loki's earlier encounters with Mobius and Casey haven't already rewritten their present memories, given their fleeting glimpses into the past.
In essence, Loki's quest necessitates the procurement of a Temporal Aura Extractor, a device crucial to halting the perilous unraveling of time. Having concocted one in the annals of the past, its manifestation in the present becomes a pivotal turning point. The duo's urgent mission leads them to the Temporal Loom, where the Extractor's magic is poised to extract Loki from the treacherous time stream. Speed is of the essence, for lingering within those realms spells doom. Loki must meticulously excise himself from each and every timeline, hoping this arduous task will propel him back to the present.
Upon Loki's triumphant return, OB's countenance betrays a mix of shock and alarm as he reveals the tumultuous ripple effects plaguing the TVA. These power surges, a direct consequence of the proliferating timelines, threaten to overwhelm the Temporal Loom—the very heart that distills raw time into coherent narratives. Its imminent collapse, a grim portent of catastrophe, stems from the sheer abundance of branching realities. Pruning excess branches, though necessary, carries a heavy toll: countless lives lost.
With a sense of urgency, OB outlines a precise strategy, entrusting Mobius with the Extractor's setup while Loki's timeline excision is timed to perfection. Yet, fate seems bent on thwarting their plans as Loki abruptly vanishes once more, this time seemingly into the future's embrace.
While Loki frantically searches for a path back, Mobius, undeterred, presses forward to the Loom, executing his part flawlessly. Loki, however, grapples with reaching his designated position, time ticking down to a mere 30 seconds. A sudden ringtone, an unexpected intrusion from his future self, distracts him, just as Sylvie's arrival via the elevator's doors further complicates matters.
As for Mobius, his dash back to the TVA is met with the ominous closure of blast doors, sealing his fate...until Loki, in a breathtaking display, shoots through time itself, pushing them both through the narrowing gap. "We must locate Sylvie," he declares, his resolve unwavering.
As the episode draws to a dramatic close, the TVA springs into action, deploying a formidable army of Hunters, their singular purpose: to track and apprehend Sylvie, turning the fabric of time itself into a battleground.
