Loki Season 2 Episode 4 Review: Heart of the TVA

Loki Season 2 Episode 4, “Heart of the TVA,” written by Michael Waldron, is all about trying to defend, save, and change the TVA. Whether it’s protecting it from Renslayer or putting an end to the Loom’s blast, Loki, Mobius, and Sylvie are doing their best to save the timeline and the branches.

Because this is a Marvel show and the season has only just begun, things don’t go according to plan, and fans and characters are left wondering what’s coming next.

Clocks may not tick at the TVA, but there are other reminders that time is going by fast, and things may come to an end.

Cliffhangers are a huge thing in the Marvel universe, and Loki Season 2 Episode 3, “1893,” had left us wondering what secret Miss Minutes knew about Renslayer.

Luckily, the secret is revealed within the first minutes of the episode, and we find out that He Who Remains worked with Renslayer and even said he was proud to lead with her. However, he asked Miss Minutes to erase her memory.

It is that information that makes the fire for power even stronger in Renslayer. But is that enough for her to win over the TVA?

“Heart of the TVA” proves that just wanting power isn’t enough. Renslayer has to kill Dox and the rest of the prisoners (except for X-5) in order to get a step closer to controlling the TVA.

But as the episode’s ending shows, that still isn’t enough, and Renslayer ends up being disintegrated in front of our eyes. We can’t be entirely sure she will be back, but it’s a big probability.

While Renslayer and Miss Minutes are trying to control the TVA, Mobius, Loki, Sylvie, O.B., B-15, and Victor Timely are trying to stop the Loom from exploding and save as many lives as possible.

Loki Season 2 Episode 4, “Heart of the TVA,” does a great job of reminding us that time is running out by playing with the lights. All throughout the TVA the lights keep trembling, coming and going, sort of as a ticking clock running out of time.

Even though the characters are running around trying to solve this issue, one of the best scenes comes when Sylvie and Loki stay put for a few minutes and have a conversation. It is during that scene that we are reminded of Loki’s humanity.

While Sylvie argues that they cannot know whether the TVA can change and be good, Loki reminds her that fixing what is broken can be hard. It is that side of him that is more relatable and human and makes him a likable character.

Quickly, though, Loki reminds us and Sylvie that they are still gods, and that is why they have the chance to fix the TVA and save everyone.

“Heart of the TVA” keeps viewers on the edge of their seats as we feel we too are running out of time. Are these 51 minutes enough to know what’s going to happen? To save and change the TVA?

The answer is absolutely no, which is revealed at the end of the episode. While O.B. disarms the system, allowing Sylvie and Loki to use their magic, the two of them are able to stop Renslayer. However, that doesn’t seem to be enough.

When Victor Timely sets foot on the runway to try and stop the Loom, he disintegrates into thin air. Once more, the team’s efforts to halt destruction are pointless.

Does this mean this variant of He Who Remains is gone forever? Is there another way to stop the Loom?

Those are questions that will hopefully be answered as the season goes by, but as of right now, the screen turned dark after Victor’s disappearance, and we’re all left wondering what’s next.

If there’s one thing that must always be highlighted when it comes to Loki, it is the different ways the show manages to add humor to otherwise intense and dramatic episodes.

On Loki Season 2 Episode 4, “Heart of the TVA,” this happens when Mobius is drinking hot cocoa, and Victor seems to become obsessed with the idea of a hot cocoa machine. As he stands in front of the machine, enjoying the hot cocoa and sharing it with the guard accompanying him, we forget that the world around them is crumbling.

Sadly, that moment doesn’t last more than a few seconds, and soon tragedy takes over again as X-5 makes the guard disintegrate.

Similarly, Loki disintegrates a variant of himself in front of Sylvie’s eyes, promising it will all make sense later. That is yet another cliffhanger on this episode that will hopefully be resolved soon.

With the Loom’s blast, Victor and Renslayer disintegrating, and Loki making a version of himself disappear, there are a lot of loose ends on the show.

Hopefully, as the season goes by, these cliffhangers will be resolved, and as the audience, we will understand why these things happened. Even if that means Miss Minutes gets back online.

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

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