Review Tuesday: LOKI, Season 1

 

 

LOKI

Season One

When the God of Mischief diverges from his designated timeline, the TIME VARIANCE AUTHORITY steps in.  

Originally I had little interest in seeing this. Tom Hiddleston is a great actor and plays Loki well, but the rumors swirling around the WOKEness of this series seemed far too toxic and unpalatable to touch. But then I figured, why not? Why not see it and draw my own conclusions? I have been open-minded enough to find entertainment in things that people trashed without even having seen before, so I will make up my own mind on this. 

 

In a post-Covid-19 world studios needed to figure out new income streams. People have gotten used to and even enjoy staying at home to watch television and movies. This market needed to be tapped. So the various streaming services started cropping up, since so many people are also cutting the cord. Who needs to spend $150 for cable TV when you can just watch what you want for free on PlutoTV and buy the extra channels you want at huge savings? The juggernaut saw that they needed to stream, and have a massive amount to new content to keep subscriptions up. Between Star Wars and the MCU, Disney has been trying all sorts of new thins to keep the shareholders happy. One of the latest titles brough to the small screen was a series for the beloved villain, LOKI.

Indeed, right from the start, I saw the issues that caused people to shut this off. Taking place directly after the events of AVENGERS: END GAME, Loki makes a move that would change his storyline, causing a deviation. So, he's arrested by the TVA for non-compliance. Thereafter, the constant emasculation and condescension of other characters aimed at Loki was off-putting to say the least. This is The God of Mischief, afterall! He had been the big bad in SEVERAL movies. All of a sudden he was a weak laughing stock? Of course, we can't ignore the obvious, how all the powerful characters are "women of color" because, as we all know, the patriarchy, specifically white men, is the cause of all problems so you require women, especially those of color, to remedy his mess. 

 

By the time the first episode concluded I felt compelled to shut this show down and never return to it. There were so many inconsistent things going on in it that it actually made me angry to view. But, as is my method for dealing with these shows, I had gotten in on it when it was already three episodes deep. So I watched the next couple. I found, that like WANDA-VISION, a lot of the problems with the show seemed to fix themselves as it continued. The obnoxious characters were found to be flawed and they were really puppets for a much more malevolent force by the end. 

 

Throughout the series Hiddelston plays Loki amazingly. He did a great job with what he was given. Mobius, played by Owen Wilson, was another outstanding character from beginning to end. Of course, everyone loved Sophia Di Martino from her entrance as Sylvie, the female Loki variant. The show goes on to introduce SEVERAL Loki's, each one more interesting and fun than the last, especially the alligator variant. 

 

Right when you are settling in and actually enjoying the quest of the Loki's to get to the bottom of who is controlling all of time and space, season one goes and ends with a serious WTF ending. I must say that at first I was confused, bordering on ANGRY with ending until I found out that this is the road that leads directly to DR STRANGE AND THE MULTIVERSE as well as the events of the next phase for the Avengers. 

 

The show has its moments. The production is clean and the special effects for a TV series are like those for a summer blockbuster movie. It might have been a little bit better with some less woke writing and a bit more consistency. But franchises are always ret-conning their material, especially when Disney is involved, so I am not completely surprised. The convenience fee is doing whatever they like and the fans better like it. Season One ends with a massive cliff-hanger and a notification that there will be a forthcoming second season. 

 

Previously I only picked and chose which MCU titles I would watch. But in a post Covid-19 world, I am home a lot more and have more leisure time to keep up to date with these shows. Since the season was only sic episodes of under an hour each, it doesn't feel like much of an investment of time. You can check it out anytime at your convenience, as opposed to getting a ticket and sitting in a theater. I think that's the main reason why I picked these shows up. 

 

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