Loki Season 2 Episode 3 Review: 1893

On Loki Season 2 Episode 3, “1893,” written by Kasra Farahani, Eric Martin, and Jason O’Leary, Loki, Mobius, Renslayer, and Sylvie come face-to-face with a He Who Remains variant. As expected, not everyone has the same reaction.

Sylvie had previously told Loki that if she were to face one of the He Who Remains variants, she would kill him. However, this episode proves different as she has to put everyone’s future before her desire.

Can Renslayer do the same? Or will her thirst for power again lead her to be on a different side than Loki and Mobius?

One thing Loki does amazingly is the transition between times. By now, the audience is used to seeing an orange rectangle appear in the middle of a room, which means the transition from one time to another. Yet, it is still done so naturally that no one would question it.

On this episode, everyone travels from the present to 1868 and then to 1893, where the majority of the episode takes place, introducing us to Victor Timely, a variant of He Who Remains.

As one of his creations, it makes perfect sense that Miss Minutes is the one to push Renslayer to deliver the book that will change Victor’s trajectory and lead to the TVA and End of Time. However, it quickly becomes evident that Miss Minutes has other plans in mind.

The moment we see Victor push Renslayer off the boat at the mention of a partnership, we know Miss Minutes is behind it. This becomes clearer when she goes on a rampage about how she dedicated her life to him, and he never gave her a body or made her more than a thing.

The nickname given to her by the town, Ghost Clock, makes perfect sense when you think how terrifying it would be if she held all the power or if Victor Timely had actually listened to her instead of going with Loki and Mobius.

Even though Loki Season 2 Episode 3, “1893,” is a serious episode in which they must work with this variant of He Who Remains to save everyone’s life, there are particular moments of comedy that remind us why Loki has always been a fun character.

We are first reminded of this when Loki and Mobius come upon the status of Odin, Thor, and Balder. His immediate reaction is feeling disrespected, “Can’t reduce an entire culture down to a simple diorama.” Still, as Mobius points out, we quickly realize it’s cause there isn’t a diorama of him.

His following remark is that Thor isn’t that tall, reminding us of their perfect sibling dynamic.

After that, there is another comedic instance in which Mobius wants him to ride a bike for two, and Loki immediately refuses.

However, the moment that reminds us of Loki’s true nature is when Renslayer tells Victor Timely that Loki is known for switching sides. She mentions this is a documented fact, which we know is true as it has happened in many movies Loki has been a part of.

At the end of the day, Loki is about this character everyone has come to hate to love or love to hate, and it is nice to see reminders of who he truly is.

The cinematography on Loki is remarkable on every episode, but one thing that must be highlighted is the use of background music.

On Loki Season 2 Episode 3, “1893,” there is a scene in which Victor Timely, Renslayer, and Miss Minutes are running away from Loki, Mobius, and angry townfolks. On its own, the scene would have been forgettable. However, the use of background music gives it the kind of energy persecution scenes need.

The same kind of energy comes through the screen when the fight between Sylvie and Loki is mixed with the conversation between Renslayer and Mobius. By combining both of these scenes, the show allows the audience to understand both duos better.

Renslayer and Sylvie are trying to get their hands on Victor for their own good. Renslayer for power, Sylvie to kill him. But Mobius and Loki are working together to bring him back and save everyone’s life.

The contrast becomes more evident and makes more sense when put together scene after scene.

Because it wouldn’t be a Marvel show without a cliffhanger, Loki Season 2 Episode 3, “1893,” leaves us wondering what Renslayer’s secret that only Miss Minutes knows could be.

This opens the floor for the season to explore different aspects of this character and for the audience to better understand why Miss Minutes continues to work so close to her.

Hopefully, the secret will be as big as we expect it to be, and it won’t disappoint.

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What did you think of this episode of Loki? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Loki airs Thursdays at 9/8c on Disney+.

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