Loki Season 2 Episode 2 Review: Breaking Brad

Loki Season 2 Episode 2, “Breaking Brad,” is a solid follow-up to the season premiere of Loki, thanks to its mix of more intimate and grounded scenes with a more action-driven plot. 

This episode, written by Eric Martin, Michael Waldron, and Katharyn Blair, predominantly works due to its focus on character relationships that tie nicely to the more significant, life-alternating issues of the current TVA. 

Despite the number of more intimate, character-driven scenes, this episode breezes through its runtime. Even with its more intimate scenes, Loki still feels epic in scope — cinematic, even. 

“Breaking Brad,” with its obvious pun on Breaking Bad, begins with a look at 1970s Hollywood. While we don’t spend long here, it is still entertaining to see characters like Mobius and Loki interacting with people and settings of that period. 

This segment also features some unique camera flashes of Rafael Casal’s Brad (aka X-5), whose infiltration into ’70s Hollywood is a unique storyline that gets just the right amount of screen time.

Speaking of Casal, he nails the conceited, hard-hitting nature of the character, who’s not afraid to give hard truths to Loki and Mobius. 

Brad is a thoroughly unlikeable character, and his motives remain vague, making him a fascinating foil to Loki and Mobius. 

This episode features a fair amount of action from Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson. In terms of the latter, it’s exciting to see Wilson’s Mobius get to be more active, even if his physical stunts are not as intensive as Hiddleston’s. 

On that note, it’s exciting to see Loki using more of his powers, especially after struggling and being unable to use his abilities in the previous episode. 

Powers that we’ve seen since 2011’s Thor — such as cloning himself — are on display here, and it’s a fun callback to the God of Mischief’s tricks in the earlier phases of the MCU.

Also, while Loki’s torturous method of getting Brad to talk is a bit surprising and perhaps intense, it’s amusing to see him back in his element: using his powers of manipulation to get what he wants, even for the greater good.

While this episode focuses primarily on Mobius, Loki, and Brad, we also see more of Ke Huy Quan’s O.B. Sadly, not as much as we would like, but his mere presence in a handful of short scenes is enough to stand out. 

Quan continues to make an impression and hopefully will appear throughout the season, as he brings such a fun, eclectic energy to the series.

We also see a bit of Kate Dickie’s General Dox, who was implied to be in cahoots with Casal’s Brad. Dox, Brad, and the other rebellious TVA workers could be akin to Hydra, especially regarding the terrorist group’s penchant for worldwide destruction. 

In that sense, Marvel fans could make positive comparisons between this episode of Loki and Captain America: Civil War.

While there are plenty of serious, even dark elements on this particular episode — as we’ve seen throughout Loki thus far — those undertones are expertly balanced with a decent amount of humor.

Hiddleston, Wilson, and Casal are all given moments to shine on this episode, often through humorous lines and reactions. 

That said, this episode has some dramatic elements, especially at the very end, enabling cast members like Sophia Di Martino and Wunmi Mosaka to bring authenticity to their characters. 

The one-on-one between Hiddleston and Di Martino is particularly memorable, well-written, and well-acted. Both actors portray the characters’ complicated relationships so believably that we empathize with them despite their flaws. 

Hiddleston and Wilson also have a scene in which Loki and Mobius contemplate what the TVA worker’s real life could’ve been like. It is a great philosophical discussion that reminds us of how strong the relationship is between the two characters.

“Breaking Brad” continues to showcase the sheer craziness and ever-increasing chaos of the TVA, which intersects well with what Loki, Mobius, and others like Mosaka’s B-15 are going through. 

One of the most exciting questions posed during this episode — directly and indirectly — is whether Loki is a villain or a hero. 

It’s a question the God of Mischief has struggled to answer himself, and Hiddleston continues to showcase this internal and external struggle beautifully.

This episode also contains apparent references to past installments of the MCU, perhaps most notably when Loki mentions how a grudge led him to terrorize New York and throw Tony Stark off a building. 

It’s a fun callback to the original Avengers, and while it’s to be expected that shows in the MCU like Loki would reference the past, this one works well in context. 

Stray Observations:

• One of the funniest moments of this episode is when Eugene Cordero’s Casey essentially geeks out upon meeting O.B. It’s a fun moment for both characters. 
• Loki and Sylvie’s reunion is understandably awkward, and having this reunion at a McDonald’s in the South is such a bright, unique move.
• Mobius hits the nail on the head when he describes Loki’s relationship with Sylvie — a bit more than platonic — as being “in a relationship with yourself” because that’s precisely what it is. 
• The episode ends on a relatively upsetting and dark note, with no mid-credits scene, increasing the anticipation for upcoming episodes even more.

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