Instead, this Disney+ series continued to follow the maturation of Loki (Tom Hiddleston), as well as his unexpectedly tender romance with another variant of himself, Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), a relationship that has somehow made narcissism seem oddly endearing.
Loki’s admission that he had “betrayed everyone who ever loved me” reflected the gradual growth of the character, which for many fans has been “Loki’s” greatest pleasure. Ditto for his friendship with Mobius (Owen Wilson), who, like Loki, had actually survived the “pruning” process, which still leaves the yawning question of what lies beyond the time to which they had been dispatched.
The highlights, alas, have been offset by the pacing. Appropriately, the latest episode made another overt reference to “The Wizard of Oz,” but the tantalizing prospect of finally getting to see “the man behind the curtain,” as Judge Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) put it, was again deferred.
So who — or what — lurks behind the curtain? Loki might be known for magic and mischief, but “Loki” is going to have to do more than just pull a rabbit out of a hat to make good on the prolonged buildup to find out.