Review: Loki, "Breaking Brad" | Season 2, Episode 2
Loki reshapes its ensemble for the better
The first season of Loki lived and died by its two-person scenes. At its best, the show could create compelling character dynamics like Loki and Mobius’ instant bond, Loki and Sylvie’s oil-and-water-chemistry, or even Mobius and Renslayer’s warm professional friendship. But at its worst, the focus on two-handers could also make the show feel a little fractured too. One big hurdle the first season never quite got over for me is how much its first two episodes asked us to invest in the Loki/Mobius relationship only for the rest of the season to pivot almost entirely to the Loki/Sylvie one instead.
What immediately stands out about this second season is how much more ensemble-driven it is. Sure, we still get those great two-person scenes, like Loki and Mobius’ key lime pie chat or Loki and X-5’s tense torture sequence, but they’re in service of a show that can ebb and flow between all kinds of different character dynamics. It’s less of a buddy cop structure than a workplace dramedy one. And that already makes the series feel like it’s on more solid structural ground this year.