Loki Review: Journey Into Mystery (Season 1 Episode 5)

Loki Season 1 Episode 5, “Journey Into Mystery,” is a loose cannon of explosive easter eggs and expensive special effects. It’s chaos in a bottle — contained, all-consuming entertainment.

Anchoring The Void’s apocalyptic playground in Loki’s very being illuminates how groundbreaking this stand-alone series is for the God of Mischief. The episode uses a film-quality climax and a stellar comic book adaptation of sly, self-centered tricksters to hurtle our titular heroes toward their final stand.

Loki continues to find glorious purpose in its ambitious storytelling thanks to an overflowing reservoir of chaotic energy, bizarre banter, and slick deception.

Loki is not just surviving in this self-destructing world of its creation; it’s thriving in it.

It’s clear from the gorgeous open shot that takes us through the TVA and into the void that the series has a firm grasp on the world it has created. At the same time, that world is a chaotic dumpster fire of purple cloud monsters that could easily set your entire story aflame with mediocrity.

Alas, it doesn’t matter what outlandish time location this series sends us to because the unknown isn’t dull with Loki. It’s entertainment with a purpose.

Ravonna’s exchange with Sylvie assures us this mystery is ramping up to something promising. The decision to forgo the narrowed lens of escape for a much broader look at why Lokis are survivors allows valuable character development to fester.

You never stop asking yourself if Richard E. Grant in green and yellow spandex is a little too ridiculous because the show’s direction is never questioned. The story’s heart holds firm in the wake of all this chaos.

Madness in the Multiverse

What could be better than one Loki? The answer is a whole gaggle of Lokis.

The Loki multiverse is glorious in its approach, embracing a sense of classic superhero whimsy thanks to its comic-book-accurate costumes and mind fields of easter eggs. Yet the ordered world-building of TVA is still present enough to ground the story in talk of variants and timelines.

The Loki variants are this episode’s crowning achievement.

Grant’s Classic Loki is a firm fixture as the wise trickster whose powers of illusion are no mere theory. Kid Loki proves he’s a straight-up baller for killing Thor, and President Loki does not disappoint in his brief but violent reign.

None are as iconic as Alligator Loki (who may be an alligator in it for the long con). He has no lines, and no one is entirely sure what faith he prays to, but the episode’s inability to let his presence go is the most significant running bit.

Kid Loki using Alligator Loki to resurrect “get help” in battle makes this a masterpiece of an introduction to the multiverse. If Marvel can approach an extended universe with this much mischief and self-awareness, some great team-ups await us.

This choice to frame this more significant conflict around exploring Loki’s genetic makeup is brilliant. It finally allows us to understand how strong Loki is and how rich the storytelling can be when he is no longer confined to a villain archetype.

The central exchange between Loki and Classic Loki encompasses this episode’s work to develop Loki’s spectrum of trickery. The older god acknowledges the theories about his death in Avengers: Infinity War and confirms what many assumed: while Loki’s blades may look fabulous, they stunt his magical potential.

What transpires from there is a colorful narcissistic exploration of what connects each Loki despite their vastly different journeys across time.

Once Sylvie is thrown into the mix, the pieces of Loki’s redemption arc can fall into place. Realizing there are no limitations to their abilities is a powerful way to escalate the conflict while anchoring the action to meaningful character development.

Every inch of this void is designed to further Loki’s journey. It’s an incredibly valuable character study hidden within a flashy multiverse of chaos.

What Are Friends for?

This episode casts such a wide net in terms of world-building and storyline juggling it’s difficult to process how much time is still devoted to nourishing character dynamics.

Sylvie continues to be this season’s secret weapon as she and Loki explore a more vulnerable side of themselves. The portrayal of raw emotions as Loki and Sylvie physically struggling to understand why they are drawn to each other is everything.

It’s nice to see the show not force something between them just yet and let that desire fuel a connection more powerful than romantic love for the time being.

And Mobius is back! The ex-TVA agent has been a comforting presence, never entirely eclipsing Loki’s journey but giving him a shove when needed. It’s sweet to see him extend a helpful hand to Sylvie and pay homage to Wilson’s most significant role (Lightning McQueen) in the process.

Even B-15 gets a terrific moment to shine as she parlays Renslayer with a charming bluntness that earns her the right to be there when Mobius lights the first match.

Welcome to the Endgame

Loki‘s penultimate episode is a coming-of-age story that screws calm and goes straight for full-tilt blockbuster chaos. Yes, it truly is glorious.

It’s greedy to want more when a story already gives us everything. However, the TVA drama taking a back seat to the multiversal shenanigans is disappointing, especially when Renslayer is out here putting in the work.

Despite how endearing Mobius and Loki’s hug is, the lack of interaction between this best friend duo is borderline criminal. While a romantic relationship between the two men was never in the cards, the dialogue’s careful footing around their feelings exposes Marvel’s continued unease to humor LGBTQ+ stories.

Additionally, there is a fear Loki‘s stellar storytelling abilities will falter under the weight of all this plot still left to unravel. That said, if any show can stick the landing, it’s the one that puts its characters first and its chaos second.

“Journey Into Mystery” suggests the one Marvel character incapable of winning will be the first of these Disney+ series to follow through with a satisfying ending.

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New episodes of Loki air Wednesdays on Disney+.

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