Loki Season 2 Episode 6 Review: Glorious Purpose

Loki Season 2 Episode 6, “Glorious Purpose,” is a spectacularly epic season finale and a reminder of why it is likely the best Disney+ series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe thus far. 

This episode, written by Eric Martin and Michael Waldron, is appropriately large in scale but with enough intimate, character-driven moments to balance it all out. 

Despite being the longest episode of the season, it moves at a relatively rapid pace and is highly engaging throughout. By the time the episode ends, there’s a sense of satisfaction, even though not every question raised is answered.

“Glorious Purpose” features fascinating visuals associated with the TVA’s loom and advanced technology. While the cinematography has been hit or miss in the MCU as of late, this episode of Loki is a marvelous return to form. 

This episode also depicts a time loop, and it’s not the first time we’ve seen one in the MCU.

Like the time loop in Dr. Strange, Loki’s time loop is self-imposed. Yet, how the loop is depicted on this episode is unique, allowing a new character to interact with something we’ve seen plenty of times before. 

There’s certainly a lot of technical jargon and the inclusion of things that are never fully explained, but they don’t have to be. As long as the characters understand them well enough, then we will too. 

This episode spends much time on Loki, but he gets moments with other characters. While some fans may be disappointed that Tom Hiddleston’s Loki and Sophia Di Martino’s Sylvie did not end up together, I believe this would have been a detriment to the story and both characters. 

Instead, Loki and Sylvie’s one-on-one is mainly platonic and focused on the bigger picture.

While it’s unclear what will happen next with Sylvie, Di Martino’s captivating performance has kept audiences so engaged that, hopefully, we’ll see more of her in the MCU. 

It’s great to see Wunmi Mosaku’s Hunter-B15 [essentially] leading the TVA, as that character has been instrumental in enacting change — but we have yet to see how the TVA plans to keep protecting the “sacred timeline.” 

Additionally, the brief glimpse at Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s Ravonna is foreboding and mysterious, perhaps hinting at her future involvement with He Who Remains variants. 

Fortunately, we have many great moments with Ke Huy Quan’s O.B., and it’s clear that Quan has been such a fantastic addition to the show. He recites technical jargon so quickly and believably, and his interactions with Hiddleston, in particular, are delightful. 

While this episode primarily focuses on Loki’s discovery of his “glorious purpose,” it also contains many fun, amusing moments. Most are present during Loki’s time loop, and the other characters react confusedly to his actions. 

Jonathan Majors also brings some humor and amusement to his role as Victor Timely and He Who Remains to a lesser extent. We also get more background on the latter character and his plan, which is fortunately explained in a bury-the-exposition way.  

In addition, it’s fun to see present-day Loki revisit moments from Season 1 of Loki, especially considering how much he has changed.

Loki has always been such a well-written character, and this episode exemplifies that, solidifying him as one of the most interesting and powerful characters in the entire MCU.

The decision to not have Loki sacrifice his life and instead imprison him is perfectly in line with his character growth and trajectory, as he is now much more selfless than ever. 

If any other show were to include the plot device of “just when you think everything is solved, there’s a twist,” it may not work. Fortunately, Loki does it so well that it makes sense and is believable. 

This episode also continues the discussion of free will, and Loki smartly does not fully provide answers to the question. Instead, it presents a complex, nuanced look at free will, redemption, and more. 

For all its advanced technology, mythology, and science-fiction, this show often feels grounded and, in a way, relatable. For one, Loki’s focus on finding redemption and trying to atone for his past crimes is understandable (his God status notwithstanding). 

“Glorious Purpose” marks a significant turning point in Loki’s life and presents the character in a way we’ve never seen before. Beyond that, Hiddleston continues to portray him excellently.

We see the immense disappointment on Loki’s face when he believes he’s always doomed to lose, and the handful of close-ups — on both him and on Wilson — emphasize the power of his performance.  

This finale is perhaps the biggest game-changer in the MCU since Loki Season 1 Episode 6, “For All Time. Always,” as our former God of Mischief has a new role and abilities that could be the key to defeating Kang variants. 

As such, it’s interesting to note that He Who Remains seems to be in control of just about everything, but he is surprised that Loki has mastered time-slipping, which could foreshadow what’s to come. 

The lack of a major cliffhanger at the end of this episode implies that there may not be a Season 3 of Loki. Regardless, if this is Hiddleston’s final appearance as Loki, he certainly went out with a bang.

Stray Observations:

• The show’s decision to play the Marvel logo backward at the beginning of the episode appropriately ties into Loki’s time-travelling in this episode (and throughout the season).  
• In addition to the stunning visuals, this episode features solid, unique sound work that works in tandem with the visual effects. 
• We still don’t know what the so-called Time War was/is all about, but it’s possible we could learn more later. 
• Tara Strong’s Miss Minutes is briefly seen as a reformed version, but it’s not hard to predict that she could turn villainous again. 
• Some Loki-related moments on this episode are reminiscent of his brother’s actions in 2011’s Thor, such as Thor destroying the Bifröst and Loki destroying the temporal loom.

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All episodes of Loki are available to stream on Disney+.

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