It’s a tale of two Lokis this week as the next chapter in the exclusively Loki-filled saga focuses all its time on the show’s newest pairing. As expected, this Loki Season 1 Episode 3 recap includes spoilers for both the show and related Marvel films.
The third episode opened with a quick recap of the previous episode and the premiere where Loki was last seen coming face to face with the mysterious figure the TVA had been hunting for. The female variant of Loki ultimately escaped through a time door that regular Loki quickly followed through. This episode picks up right where that cliffhanger left off.
A Trip to Another Apocalypse
Suddenly we’re in a coffee shop. The design looks modern, the drinks look tasty, and the people are… familiar. Lady Loki and the not so long ago kidnapped C-20 are sharing a friendly chat as if nothing had ever happened before. Things quickly change as Lady Loki pries for the info she’s after. The gold elevators lead to the Time Keepers. The illusion fades and we see C-20 left where she is later found in the futuristic Roxxcart.
Time to storm the TVA! After jumping through the time door at the end of the previous episode, Lady Loki busts through and begins vaporizing guards using their own weird time batons. Remember, magic doesn’t work here. A curious Loki stumbles after Lady Loki and retrieves the daggers that were placed in a nearby locker not too long ago. Loki confronts his newfound rival and the two battle it out after Loki suggests they work together. Judge Renslayer appears and Loki sends them both through a time door.
So which impending apocalypse did Loki send them to? None other than Lamentis-1, a moon and civilization set to be completely annihilated by an incoming planet within a mere half a day. The time door controlling TemPad is low on battery and the quest to find a power source to escape doom is on. Loki, doing as Loki does, hides the TemPad in an effort to keep the two working together. All this happens within the midst of swift kicks and dagger swings, of course.
Finding nothing of value within an abandoned town, the two stumble upon an older lady on the outskirts of town. Both go about approaching the lady for help differently. Lady Loki, now going by her real name Sylvie, goes with brute force and knocks the front door down. Loki takes the form of the lady’s husband and tries to talk his way with trickery. Both backfire and both get knocked back with a hefty air blaster. Ouch. The two learn of an emergency vessel called the Ark that can only be reached by train. With an immense source of power revealed, the two use Loki’s shape-shifting and Sylvie’s mind capture abilities to get on board.
Plenty of time to spare as the two wait to reach their destination. After some heart-to-heart, the two decide to prepare by resting in their own ways. For Sylvie, that’s sleeping. Loki? That’d be drinking and getting the train singing and roaring with Asgardian chants. This happy but suspicious display gets them thrown off the train and stranded in the desert. The impact smashed the TemPad leaving them with no way home.
Important to note! Sylvie reveals the TVA consists of humans plucked from Earth at some point in time. They’re all variants!
A Tale of Two Lokis
Although this entire episode focuses on a frantic escape from a moon not long for this world, the time shared between Loki and Sylvie gives us a decent amount of nuggets into who these characters are. Their desire to throw daggers at each other’s throats remains by the end but there’s a mutual respect that’s growing.
Some of the more revealing tidbits come from their quiet time on the train. Loki chats a bit about his adoptive mother and how she taught him everything he knows about magic. Sylvie barely knew her mother and she taught herself magic, specifically the power to create illusions in other people’s minds. They also bring up past loves and what it means to love, including women and men from Loki’s past.
Sylvie isn’t interested in being another Loki. She doesn’t want to be referred to as one and she doesn’t want to associate herself with her counterpart. Loki is a clown as she says. He seeks pleasure and dominance whereas Sylvie is hinting that she wants just the opposite.
A Not So Hopeful End
The time door is no longer an option. Doom is around the corner. The only way to survive? Change the course of history. In the end, the Ark is never meant to escape the planet. If Loki and Sylvie can manage to guide it to safety, they’ll have a way off the moon.
Now at the town where the Ark is set to take off, the two head for the massive ship. An announcement for final departure blasts through the speakers of the city and the crowds erupt into chaos. Loki and Sylvie fight their way through and just when things are starting to look up, a massive asteroid slashes through the Ark destroying both the ship and their hope in one strike.
Loki’s story is quickly moving and the Disney+ exclusive show will continue to release each of its six episodes on a weekly basis. Catch each episode of Loki, along with our detailed recap, every Wednesday.
