Loki and Sylvie find out the origins the TVA and it's purpose.
This is solid finish to the first series of Loki that does an effective job of setting up future MCU stories and made me want to find out what happens next.
The plot has been criticised for having an overly talky script and yes this episode is very talky, but (without counting the minutes) it did not feel more so than what has come before. It feels like it is the writers' way of making sure that what could be a complicated sci-fi concept for a mainstream audience is explained as simply as possible. They do their best to make what is essentially one huge information dump as cinematic as possible by adding a tense atmosphere, great art design, cutaways to the TVA and a solid dilemma for Loki and Sylvie. Plus the questions it asks about fate versus free will are as interesting as ever.
Loki has gone through a decent character arc throughout the series and made a transition from entertaining villain to a fairly lovable protagonist. The potential for this has always been there and it has been done well. He also retains an edge of uncertainty that should make the character compelling for future appearances. Well done to Tom Hiddleston for bringing so much enjoyment to the MCU with his portrayals of the character.
What does not quite work is the character played by Jonathan Majors. His mannerisms and persona at times kill some of the tension and it borders on annoying. This is unfortunate, but hopefully the producers will take note and ensure they use the variance factor to their advantage and do better with other incarnations of this character.
Mobius, Revonna and Hunter B-15 all have decent moments with strong performances from the actors. Hopefully they will appear in the next series and be appropriately placed in some of the upcoming movies.
I always find it entertaining reading the IMDB reviews, as the vast majority either score 10/10 and say it is the best thing ever made or score really low and describe it like something best wiped off the bottom of your boot. Also the majority are not actually reviews, they are social media type comments.
I try to balance the positives and negatives as best as possible. For me 'All Time. Always' and the first season of 'Loki' is a necessary step towards the future of the MCU by setting up a bigger concept than the infinity stones and introducing a new villain. As a stand-alone episode I would probably score it as a 7.5/10 but given what it does to the overarching narrative of the MCU it deserves an 8.
