I have just finished watching the Disney+ original series Loki. If you are familiar with the Marvel universe, you have for sure met Loki and his brother Thor in several movies. Thor has had several movies about him as the main character, but the Disney+ series about Loki was the first to focus entirely on his character. I was looking forward to stream Loki on Disney+, but after watching the six episodes (of season 1), I am not that happy anymore. What happened? What was the problem with Loki?
Let me start this article by telling you Thor is my favorite character in the Marvel universe. He is fun, he is cool, and even in danger, he keeps joking and smiling. But, I also like his brother Loki, and especially the man playing the role of Loki, Tom Hiddleston. I became a big fan of him as I watched The Night Manager, a fantastic series in which he plays the role of a night manager in a hotel, who suddenly takes on a much more important role. If you haven’t seen it yet, I recommend you do so straight away.
But, let me return to Loki and the Disney+ series. What was the problem with it?
Who is Loki?
Loki isn’t an easy character to make a TV series about. Do you know why? It has to be easy to sympathize with a hero. Loki isn’t easy to like. He is the master of betrayal, and he always does what suits him the best. We have seen that several times in the Thor movies and in the Avenger movies. How can you really make a solid TV series about such a person? I like the fact that Disney+ took the challenge, but I wasn’t entirely happy about the outcome. Of course, I have no clue about how it could have been done in a better way, I just know that I didn’t really like it.
The first two episodes are totally boring. They might not be entirely boring, but if you are used to a lot of action in the different Marvel movies and series, this was just like walking with a turtle. A lot of explanations had to be made in order to describe the universe and the world in which Loki was, and that is probably what caused the first two episodes to be without much happening. This is often the challenge as they introduce new characters and new series… and in Loki, it took way too much time.
From the third episode, things got more interesting as Loki started hunting for the opponent, the other Loki. Not so much because of Tom Hiddleston, but because of the arrival of Sophia Di Martino as Sylvie (the other Loki). She was really good in the role, and her arrival made everything more interesting. Not only did she bring a breath of fresh air, but with her, we also got some action.
A positive thing about the series
If I have to mention one aspect of the series that I found to be amusing, it was the fact that you really have no clue while watching how it is going to end. That is kind of the point of the character of Loki as well. You never know who he trusts, who he cares about, and what he will do. The same is true about the series. This comes as a big plus compared to most other TV series in which you know that they are hunting down the bad person, and in the end, they will succeed. In Loki, you have absolutely no clue about in which direction the series will go and what the characters of Loki, Sylvie, and the others will do along the way.
That is positive – but it cannot make up for the fact that they never managed to make it interesting!
Gugu Mbatha-Raw (whom I remember well from The Morning Show) is another great actor, but even though she is great at acting, she doesn’t manage to improve the quality of the series. Neither does Owen Wilson (even though I like him a lot as well).
In other words, this is a strange combination in which you have great actors, great characters (that are hard to work with), and a great production team – but, somehow this didn’t live up to its expectations.
Will there be a Loki season 2?
At the start of September 2021, Marvel officially announced that there will be a second season of Loki coming to Disney+. We have no clue about when, meaning that it can take a couple of years for the new season to arrive, but right now, the most important is the fact that it has been confirmed.
Will I watch it? I will most likely give it a try, but if I don’t like what I see after 2 episodes, I will let it go!
What about you? How did you like Loki? Do you feel like me, or do you disagree? I would love to hear your thoughts!
By the way, I was watching all six episodes of Loki while exercising. As a result, it wasn’t at all a waste of time, and while watching, I got fitter and felt better in my body. If you want to find something to stream while running on a treadmill or maybe using a bicycle in your living room, this is still a great way to make time fly. It will make it easier to exercise, because instead of focusing on the fact that you are tired, you will focus on the story of the series.
